Thrustmaster Has Finally Made A Direct Drive Wheel For PlayStation

Before the times of the direct drive racing wheel, your main choices for console sim setups were either Logitech or Thrustmaster. As DD tech has come along and gotten more affordable though, it’s arguable that both have lagged behind – with Logitech’s only console offering costing around £1000 all-in and Thrustmaster completely absent. That’s about to change, though.

This is the Thrustmaster T598, becoming just the fourth PlayStation-compatible direct drive wheel currently on sale. Priced at £449.99 with pedals and a rim included in the box, it’s also the most affordable – aimed squarely at a space solely occupied by the Fanatec GT DD Pro right now.

Unsurprisingly, then, the specs are pretty much on par with that wheelbase. Using a ‘direct axial motor’, it offers 5Nm of constant torque which is on the lines of the Fanatec DD Pro as it comes out of the box, albeit the T598 has a party trick up its sleeve. Thrustmaster calls it ‘overshoot’, which is said to offer double the force in very short bursts – say, you’ve cocked up a hairpin turn and suddenly need to fling the car in.

There are lots of other marketing buzzwords like ‘HARMONY’ and ‘GEAR JOLT’ which are said to create more realistic sensations through various effects, though this is something games will have to be updated to support.

Built into the wheelbase is a small ‘Race Dash’ which can be configured to show info like speed, lap times, or race positions. There are L3 and R3 PS buttons on the base itself too, which is a rarity.

A detachable 30-cm diameter sportscar-style wheel is included in the price, along with a pedal set. If you want a load cell brake kit, though, you’ll need to buy that pedal separately – although that’s pretty standard for this end of the market. Equally, you can use other compatible Thrustmaster rims and pedal sets if you prefer, along with a shifter or handbrake.

While the T598 is PS4, PS5 and PC compatible, there’s currently no Xbox version. We wouldn’t be surprised if that changed in the relatively near future.