Seems we have been on a bit of a Thrustmaster kick as of late? We are not really complaining as there are certainly some interesting products that the company offers. The latest product is not new, but how it is presented is. Thrustmaster has traditionally bundled all of the different parts of the wheel together, but for the past few years they have worked on expanding the wheel ecosystem so users can upgrade certain pieces at will.
This is all well and good, but users might find that they are throwing their money away by not recycling or reselling the parts they were upgrading. Bought the TX F458 and want to purchase the shifter? Go for it, but you need to buy the 3 pedal unit as the F458 kit only includes a two pedal unit. Upgrade to the leather GT wheel or the new 599XX Alcantara edition? Might as well throw the stock wheel in the closet, never to be seen again.
Choice is a good thing, so Thrustmaster is now offering its more moderately priced base unit, the T300, as a standalone part. This will allow users to purchase a good quality base all the while picking and choosing what other components to use. The base price is $249 US.
The T300 base unit features a strong brushless motor with the dual belt pulley system. This base unit is an upgrade from the TX base that is included with my previously reviewed TX F458 Italia Edition wheel set. It features the full 1080 degrees of rotation vs. the TX’s 900 degrees. The motor also looks to be larger and stronger than the TX. The base unit is compatible with the PS3/PS4, and the PC. It also features the H.E.A.R.T sensor that utilizes the Hall Effect to provide a contact-less sensor that should last nearly forever. It features the 16 bit sensor giving over 65,000 values around the axis. Xbox 1 users will have to rely on the TX base unit as the T300 is not compatible with that system.
Thrustmaster's competitor Fanatec has been selling the base units by themselves for quite some time, so it is nice to see Thrustmaster offer customers the same flexibility. One thing must be noted though, the T300 is significantly less expensive than the lowest priced Fanatec base units that are currently available.
Click here to read the entire press release.
THRUSTMASTER T300 SERVO BASE RACING WHEEL NOW AVAILABLE!
THE “NEXT GEN FORCE FEEDBACK” CORE COMPONENT IS
DESIGNED FOR BUILDING A CUSTOM RACING SIMULATOR FOR PS4™, PS3™ OR PC
New York, November 6, 2015 — Newsflash: the base of Thrustmaster's acclaimed T300RS is now available as a standalone device! Automotive racing enthusiasts on PS4™, PS3™ and PC can now extensively customize and optimize their racing controller within the Thrustmaster racing ecosystem.
Unrivaled Sensations
Featuring specifications found in the successful T300RS, such as the brushless industrial servomotor; an adjustable rotation angle up to 1080°; a dual-belt mechanism and built-in H.E.A.R.T (HallEffect AccuRate Technology™*), the T300 Servo Base is at the front of the starting line. With official PS4™ and PS3™ licenses and PC compatibility (via the Thrustmaster drivers, available for download from http://ts.thrustmaster.com/), the base ensures ideal conditions in every race and on every track so virtual racers can display their complete racing skills. It combines a seamless, silent and extremely smooth force feedback feature with powerful, highly reactive and latency-free force effects. H.E.A.R.T HallEffect AccuRate Technology™*, which is based on a contactless magnetic sensor offering lasting precision and 16-bit resolution (i.e. 65,536 values on the steering axis) ensures perfect cornering. Finally, a 1080° rotation angle, adjustable on the fly, allows drivers to hone their racing technique on every kind of track, in every kind of car.
Custom Configuration
The T300 Servo Base Racing Wheel is fully compatible with the Thrustmaster Racing ecosystem. It can be combined with the Thrustmaster T3PA and T3PA-PRO 3-pedal pedal sets; the TH8A shifter (featuring sequential and H-7+1 modes), as well as with various detachable wheels featuring the Quick Release system, such as the TM Leather 28 GT Wheel Add-On, Ferrari F1 Wheel Add-On, Ferrari GTE Wheel Add-On and the brand new 599XX EVO 30 Wheel Add-On Alcantara Edition! Depending on their style and type of racing, players can now optimize their chances for winning the championship.
The T300 Servo Base Racing Wheel also comes with an attachment system and a power cable suited to each geographical region.
The T300 Servo Base Racing Wheel is now available at the suggested retail price of $249.99. More information about Thrustmaster’s entire lineuop of products can be online at www.thrustmaster.com
About Thrustmaster
Guillemot Corporation is a designer and manufacturer of interactive entertainment hardware and accessories. The Group offers a diversified range of products under the Hercules and Thrustmaster brand names. Active in this market since 1984, the Guillemot Corporation Group is currently present in 11 countries (France, Germany, the UK, the United States, Canada, Belgium, the Netherlands, Hong Kong, Spain, Romania and Italy) and distributes its products in more than 70 countries worldwide. The Group’s mission is to offer high-performance, ergonomic products that maximize the enjoyment of digital interactive entertainment end users. www.guillemot.com.
* U.S. Patent number 8,920,240
© 2015 Guillemot Corporation S.A. Thrustmaster® is a registered trademark of Guillemot Corporation S.A. All other trademarks and brand names are hereby acknowledged, and are property of their respective owners. Illustrations not binding. Contents, designs and specifications are liable to change without notice and may vary from one country to another.
so im a casual racer, for all
so im a casual racer, for all intents and purposes, with just a handful of racing titles in my library (most from codemasters). that being said however, and in keeping in accord with my conscious decision to game of the pc of course, immersion and realism are notions that are constantly at the forefront (anyone reticent about the upcoming iterations of VR, is smoking crack tbh imo). naturally, these recent posts about thrustmaster have garnered my attention. so, do you feel that, being a casual only, i would ultimately be better served with the AiO style of the T150, or should just not kid myself and start with something more like this? a lot of this is subjective yes, so i apologize for posing a silly question. but my reservations more lie in the idea, that i would ultimately like to avoid the whole ‘multi gpu machine configured to rival the performance of one w/just a single top tier chip’ scenario. this approach seems more modular, so perhaps ultimately a wiser choice in the long run, all things considered. help?
side note: thrustmaster? really?? i mean come on. its so obvious, it HAD to be intentional no??? hilarious! and any ties to flight sims is BS. they new what they were doing. freaking awesome 🙂
I used to be just casual as
I used to be just casual as well. Heck, it wasn't until NFS:PU that I actually forced myself how to use the manual gears in game rather than the automatic. I used joysticks as well for racing. It wasn't until DiRT 2 that I decided that I should invest in a wheel.
It was a fantastic decision. I spent 5 years with the F430. When I upgraded to the TX F458, it really opened my eyes as to what I had been missing with the less expensive wheel. I feel there are tangible advantages to the more expensive wheel sets as compared to the F150 I reviewed last week. If you do get this, you likely will have this wheel for a long time to come. it might even make you enjoy racing more than you do now. If you spend any amount of time in racing games, even if you consider yourself casual, a $300 to $400 investment in a good quality setup will make a huge difference in your skill level and how much you will enjoy the experience.
I’d like to see you get a
I’d like to see you get a hold of some Club Sports stuff so you can see what other hardware makers have to offer.
awesome, thx for the input
awesome, thx for the input sir! much appreciated. and i assume the whole ‘you likely will have this wheel for a long time’ notion for the 150, also applies to the t300 and co. as well. again, ty vry much. i yearn to ‘feel the road’!!
side note: ‘club sports stuff’?? help a nub out would ya..
If you’re just getting
If you’re just getting started and want to keep things at a good performance per dollar range I’d go with Thrustmaster.
I was really just expressing that I’d like to see Josh have an opportunity to use say Fanatec branded gear just to get some PERSPECTIVE of what wheel houses have to off. Outside of Logitech which is pretty much entry level and hasn’t changed since the G27, I’ve only ever seen him mention Thurstmaster, which don’t get me wrong is a solid brand.
The short of it is there are other major brands out there.
-Punz4Days
What other*
What other*
Would love to try out some
Would love to try out some Fanatec stuff as well. Have heard great things about them. Someone linked me another wheel and base that was around $1800 for the setup. That's some insane money. Hopefully Fanatec will reply to us and we can get a larger base of products to compare to.
hey fanatac marketing rep?
hey fanatac marketing rep? yea you…the one reading this comment thread. i agree.
-PcPer reader/prospective racing wheel buyer
^
disposableincome4dayz
^
disposableincome4dayz
Well, submitted a contact
Well, submitted a contact form with them. Heck if I know if they will respond.
This is a nice annoucement.
This is a nice annoucement. As some one who has had a custom wheel built for me, its nice to know if my base blows up I can just swap that part out without having to buy the whole set and ebay the wheel off. I’m actually in the design phase of a new wheel which will use a Sparco R375 wheel for Dirt Rally. My current wheel (a Sparco P310) is great on the track but not so good for Rally.