First photos of Thrustmaster’s yet to be announced T500RS steering wheel have surfaced, giving us first hints of what to expect from the company’s newest wheel.
The T500RS first surfaced in Gran Turismo 5’s controller configuration menu and first details about the wheel have been disclosed by GT creator Kazunori Yamauchi. Following Logitech’s loss of Polyphony Digital’s endorsement, the T500RS will bear the Gran Turismo badge and become the official GT wheel, being the first non-Logitech wheel to partner with PD.
Make no mistake though, the new wheel doesn’t seem to be a console toy at all as Thrustmaster seems to have put together a high-end product. Following the mid-range Ferrari F430 Force Feedback Wheel, the T500RS will most-likely compete with the Logitech G27 and Fanatec’s Porsche GT3-RS wheel. As revealed by Yamauchi, the T500RS will sell for around $500 in Japan, keep in mind that steering wheels seem to be a lot more pricy in Japan in general as the G27 sells for around $450 in Japan.
With the price being in the upper-market range, the first photos show a very racy and simplistic looking racing wheel with big shifting levers and lots of buttons. Perhaps the most spectacular feature is the pedal unit that seems to be made completely of metal and is invertible to allow a hanging-pedals configuration – A feature that no current mass-market pedal set offers by default. Furthermore, the three pedals are adjustable both in height and resistance.
The other rumored features sound no less impressive as the whole unit weighs around 7 kilos, offers belt-driven Force Feedback and 1080 degree steering. An additional H-shifter box will be sold separately.??Check out the first photos below, more specs and pricing details can be expected once Thrustmaster officially announces this rather exciting wheel.
Via Planetadejuego
