Before I review the product I just wanna say this has NO FORCE FEEDBACK (go find a different steering wheel if you want to now) this will more than likely be a turn off for people but for those who are like me and have no means of trying to become the next Lewis Hamilton or Sebastian Vettel. I was looking for a steering wheel that was first off the right price ($66 when I purchased it) and secondly has the features that most steering wheels should have. The Thrustmaster T80 Ferrari 488 GTB Edition Racing Wheel for the PS4 met those requirements which led me to my purchase of the steering wheel and GT Sport (might review later as this game has very up and down reviews).
---------------------------------------------
WHATS IN THE BOX?:
- Steering Wheel
- Pedals
- Clamp and manual
==============================
REVIEW:
---------------------------------------------
OVERVIEW:
Overall the steering wheel feels great, it has paddle shifters, controller buttons, directional arrows, options and share button, etc. The housing of the steering wheel is hard plastic but what do you expect at $100 original price. The clamp for the steering wheel I thought looked clunky at first but then I tried it out and it works pretty good, it clamps onto my Ikea desk that has a thickness of about 1-2 inches effortlessly. I am sorry to say but I do not know what thickness it will and will not clamp too but I figured the product page or customer questions should have that somewhere. As stated above there is no force feedback so it is powered via a "bungie cord" mechanism which feels great. As long as you are not viciously counter steering or just turning, the mechanism should last for a while. The pedal has a throttle and a brake both are quite tight and not too realistic feeling which I will go into more details below (including the steering wheel). In the end the Thrustmaster T80 Ferrari 488 GTB Edition Racing Wheel for the PS4 met my expectations and has satisfied me so far. If you are someone who just wants to enjoy a racing game with a steering wheel whether its GT, NFS, Forza (there is an Xbox version of the steering wheel), Project Cars, Asseto Rossa, etc this is the best bang for the buck at around $60, at the original price of $100 I would rather go up a tier and spend usually around $30-50 more on the Thrustmaster T150/pro or spend double the price and occasionally see the Logitech G29 on sale for $200 and these two will come with force feedback.
PROS:
+ Sturdy steering wheel
+ Steering wheel and pedal kit
+ Build quality for the price
CONS:
- Pedals are tough
- Pedals are at a weird angle for ground use
MAYBE A CON?:
- No force feedback (not for me but could be for you)
---------------------------------------------
STEERING WHEEL:
I repeat there is NO FORCE FEEDBACK if you missed it the first this is your last chance to find the other two products that I listed. The diameter of the wheel is around 8 inches so it is not a full size steering wheel. It has a turning radius of 270 degrees which should be more than enough for just racing. Has all the standard controls (X,O, square, triangle, L2, R2, start/options and share, directional buttons, and two buttons behind L2 and R2 which could be L3 and R3?) on the face for operation without a controller and has paddle shifters. The little red knob that has a red light when plugged in is the start/options and share button, I believe up is start/options and down is to share. The clamp was wonky at first glance but exceeded expectations when used. As I mentioned I don't know the exact measurements of thickness for fit of the clamp I apologize for that. Overall I like the steering wheel and feels sturdy for the price I got it at.
---------------------------------------------
PEDALS:
So this is where I did not like the product at all, I mean its bearable because I drive with two feet anyways but for those who don't will need to hold it with the other foot. Why do you need to do this? because mainly the brakes although the throttle is a little tough, the brakes just have way too much tension and require a good amount of force for full engagement. The throttle was a little tough but that is slowly getting broken into whereas the brakes just seem to not care about your foot and stay solid even after 30 hrs of use (yes I know that isn't much but I can tell the throttle is getting softer). The angle at which the pedals are positioned are too much unless you have them mounted onto a stand. I have mine just on the ground and I think they are angled too much for that location. Some people say the pedals are too close to each other but I don't think so and I wear shoe sizes of 9-10 just for reference, unless you have Shaq feet I can see this being a problem. Overall the pedals can and should be better but I am sure that is how they force you to buy the better pedals with the clutch which will ultimately make you want to upgrade your steering wheel too.
