“Maximum value for money, with compromises in the appropriate areas”. This was my main takeaway from Thrustmaster’s recent T598 sim racing bundle.
One such compromise was the ‘Sportcar’ steering wheel; yes, it was functional and a jack-of-all-trades, but was it premium? Of course not. It was part of a sub £450 all-inclusive direct drive bundle.
If this isn’t enough for you, however, there is an established ecosystem that paves the way forward regardless of your chosen direction.
The latest addition to this ecosystem takes the form of the Hypercar Wheel Add-On. It is priced at €399.99/$399.99/£349.99 and is available now to pre-order, with the first batch of deliveries due on 14th November.
As part of the company’s push into a self-proclaimed ‘new era’, this wheel comes as standard with the latest Thrustmaster quick release, making it directly compatible with the T818 and T598 out of the box, and for console or PC usage depending on the base.
That fresh design means it is not compatible with older wheel bases from the French-American company.
Something a little different
In an arguably over-saturated world of sim racing steering wheels, this one impressively manages to stand out, largely due to its atypical oval shape. This gives it a unique charm and in conjunction with a rarely seen 320mm side-to-side diameter, a distinctive feel.
Forget purposeful, hardcore, motorsport wheels… This takes its inspiration from luxury road cars.
As a trait, this maybe doesn’t tick the box for everyone. After all, sim racing is, by nature, largely motorsport-focused. But then again, there are plenty of options available already if that’s what you are after.
This design choice appeases a perhaps under-appreciated sector of the community that enjoys public road driving and taming supercars. Look at how popular Forza Horizon 5 and Gran Turismo 7 are, or even the road-going PC modding scene via Assetto Corsa.
As it did with the T598, Thrustmaster has found another gap in a competitive equipment market and pried it open avec un pied-de-biche.
Driving an actual World Endurance Championship Hypercar on Le Mans Ultimate (not to be confused with road-going ‘hypercars’ that the name is derived from), things felt positive.
The extra width and the chunky nature of the perforated real leather-wrapped grips still took some getting used to, but once I had adjusted, things quickly began to feel completely natural.
I wouldn’t choose these ergonomics if given free rein to design a personal racing wheel, but should you wish to use this wheel for racing cars as well as road-going exotica, it certainly won’t feel like a square peg in a round hole. The grips themselves are firm rather than squidgy but deliver a relatively premium feel, with or without gloves.
Aside from the grips, the overall construction contributes further to this premium identity. A section of genuine forged carbon connects the aluminium faceplate to the (actual) Alcantara that forms the top and bottom of the rim.
Plastic is still present alongside the rest, but unlike the T598 accompanying Sportcar wheel, the buttons don’t feel cheap and nasty. It’s a sturdy and rigid piece of hardware that gives me early confidence it will stand the test of time.
I am also a fan of the looks. I particularly like the gold edition that is exclusively available to Thrustmaster Club members; as someone who likes subtlety more than bling, even I think it’s classy rather than garish.
Adorned in red flashes, however, the original version with its delicate stitching and silver switches still pleases the eye.
While the oval shape and additional width do give it that modern hypercar feel (just look at the Ferrari F80), and allow you to see a little more of your monitor than you might usually, it does prevent you from consistent 360-degree control if you were to take on drifting or rallying disciplines. For those, perhaps look to the company’s EVO Racing 32R.
It’s also a bigger reach than usual for your thumbs to reach the centre of the wheel. To be fair to Thrustmaster, it has kept inputs away from the middle to try and counter this, but it’s still a stretch to reach the encoders without too much additional hand movement.
On the fly switches
Once you do reach them, however, the actuation is clear, and whilst the upper encoders are a little fiddly when trying to achieve small turns, the lower front-facing pair are purposeful and have a satisfying click.
You can also press them in, creating two additional input options. The D-Pad equivalent does the job and no more, without an additional click or twist.
I really like the three silver action buttons along the bottom, and the thumb-operated triggers are a deviation from the status quo. My only concern with an inward paddle-based front-facing input is that your thumbs are arguably more exposed to injury should there be a sudden force-feedback jolt when using them.
Of course, with these triggers at the front that can be used as a dual-clutch, more space is freed up at the back for its large magnetic paddle shifters. These are adjustable both in terms of spacing and reach, matching the quality level seen elsewhere.
Despite feeling a little clunky and loud to me personally, actuation has been faultless and I haven’t felt close to missing a shift.
There are also a pair of two-way action buttons that would be most welcome when configuring controls, if not for the fact that they can only really be used one way…
The down action is reserved for LED changes and trigger settings on the wheel, and although this in itself isn’t a bad thing to have, I do wish you could choose to map these in-game as action buttons instead if you desired.
I am not someone who will be changing brightness levels and paddle functions mid-race, so why not let me use this to cycle through my MFD?
For context, those changeable settings include custom bite points for the thumb-based clutch paddles and adjustments to what is displayed via the two small LEDs. You can use them for various forms of RPM for example, or to display race control information such as flags and the pitlane status.
Bold call
This wheel is not going to be for everyone, in both style and functionality. But those same characteristics that will limit its overall reach, will also draw people towards it.
If you aren’t worried about using it to drift and rally, it can still feel like an all-rounder but with its own unique personality.
A luxury car wheel, with an elegant feel. Maybe not a work of art so to speak, and as is often the case, there is clear room for improvement. But overall, it feels premium, stylish, sturdy, and importantly, individual.
Thrustmaster Hypercar Wheel Add-on at a glance
- Premium sim racing steering wheel by Thrustmaster
- Works with T598 and T818 wheel bases, PC and PlayStation devices
- Mixes aluminium, leather, forged carbon and Alcantara materials
- Magnetic gear shift paddles and front-face ‘clutch’ style buttons
- Red accents as standard, gold accents for members of the Thrustmaster club
- Available 14th November 2024
- €399.99/$399.99/£349.99
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