Thrustmaster T500 RS Review Page 5

By RacerGT on May 23, 2011 in _technology3, hide

Review: Thrustmaster T500 RS

Conclusion

Thrustmaster has provided the sim racing community with a truly top-tier controller for carving up the virtual track. Although large and heavy — and with a heavy price tag — the wheel sets a new standard for force feedback and rotation in both quality and quantity. The pedal base has all the customizable options you’d expect on a high-end product and shows that Thrustmaster didn’t skimp on this oft-neglected, yet critical component of a sim racing controller. The button layout, while very PS3-centric, is also quite well laid out for any sim racing application. The use of Hall Effect sensors gives consumers a product with a high degree of accuracy, reliability and durability. The unit’s size doesn’t lend itself well to desk-mounting, but is surely just fine with a sim cockpit or wheel stand (Wheelstand Pro, are you listening?)

The only place where this wheel truly disappoints for me is in the ergonomics of the paddle shifters. While the paddle shifter internals are crisp, positive and accurate, fixing them to the wheel housing is a curious choice. I am sure this design element is something sim racers could eventually get used to, but the shifter location and width makes it easy to have one’s hands out of position to affect a shift, and the significant reach needed to actuate the paddles can compromise your grip on the wheel.

Even so, this is one superbly crafted product, and highly recommended for the sim racer with deep pockets (and perhaps a sim cockpit laying around).