For fans of Gran Turismo Sport, Assetto Corsa, Project Cars 2 or Rally 2.0, racing wheels and gear shifters are obviously a must. As always on here we can’t really put into words just how much a great racing wheel transforms the experience of sim racing.
We’ll take a look at which wheels from the current generation will be compatible with the next gen consoles like the PS5 and Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S.
At the entry level budget end you’ll find basic wheels that use springs to make the wheel turn back to its default position. Not bad if you’re looking for a taste of the experience that owning your own sim racing wheel can bring, but we would really recommend starting your racing wheel search by looking into entry-level force feedback wheels like the Logitech G29 and Thrustmaster T150, or the all new Logitech G923 with Trueforce next-gen force feedback.
These better equipped entry-level wheels use motors to simulate the rumble, slip and resistance you would feel in a real racing car. And if your budget allows you could take a look all the way up to the sublime Fanatec CSL Elite Wheel Base if your funds can stretch that far.
Direct drive racing wheels like the Fanatec really are about as good as it gets, but at a price. They use a powerful, ultra-high fidelity motor without gears or belts. We wouldn’t necessarily recommend these to a newbie, but if you know sim racing is definitely for you and you’re looking for the next stage after trying out the G29 or T150 then keep reading. Direct drive wheels like the Podium Racing Wheel F1 starting at around £1,500 with the Podium Wheel Base DD1 starting at just over £1,000 may be getting on for the best money can buy, but your budget needs to allow for it.
The standard force feedback racing wheels from Thrustmaster, Logitech and Fanatec get you 90% of the experience for a much smaller initial investment. Be sure to check console compatibility before you buy but as of the time of writing it’s been reported that if a wheel is advertised as supporting PS4 or Xbox, it should work with the next-gen PS5, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S. Here a selection of our pics of this year.
Thrustmaster T150
While those with plenty of cash to spend should definitely consider the T300 RS and its brothers, there’s also a lower-cost version that still has many of the same benefits at half the price.
So, what are the differences between T150 and T300 RS? The main one is that while the T300 RS has force feedback driven entirely by belts, the T150 uses a combo of a helical gear system and a belt.
Predictably enough, then, the effect is half-way between the Logitech G29 and T300 RS. It’s smooth-ish, but not entirely, and you feel the effect of the geared motor as it pulls against you when you take a corner at high speed.
Given the price, the results are great, though.
The parts that seem a little cheap in the more expensive Thrustmasters are even more budget-y here, though. All-plastic, flimsy pedals are miles off what you get with the Logitech wheel. Their low-resistance action makes them feel like arcade racer fodder, while the force feedback is definitely deserving of the most navel-gazing of realistic driving sims.
The exterior of the steering wheel part itself is also all-plastic, without the metal parts that make these wheels seem a bit less toy-like. There are still sports car-like metal spoke shifters behind the wheel, though.
A wheel that packs in a lot of substance if not the luxury touch, the Thrustmaster T150 is probably the best budget wheel around. You can get an even cheaper model, the T80, but as that’s not a force feedback model it’s in a completely different, lower league.
Logitech G923
The Logitech G923 looks almost identical to the G920, but there are some major changes underneath. It adds Trueforce, a more intelligent kind of force feedback that needs to be optimised for each game. A few favourites are on the list on day one, including GT Sport, iRacing and Assetto Corsa Competizione.
But what does Trueforce do? It’s a haptics based system that transmits the feel of the road through your fingers and palms. The feedback is no longer mostly about struggling against wheel as you take a corner 5mph too quickly. You’ll feed the tarmac tickling your digits.
Logitech has also upgraded the G923’s brake, for more progressive resistance on the depress.
It’s a healthy level-up that makes the Logitech G923 seem ready for the PS5 and Xbox Series X. But it’s just as happy with the Xbox One, PS4 or PC. Make sure you buy the right version, though. There are separate versions for Sony and Microsoft consoles, and both types have the same “G923” name this time around.
Most of the fundamentals remain the same as the previous Logitech G920. The G923 has Logitech’s helical gearing system under the hood, which does not provide as smooth a feel as the Thrustmaster T300 RS.
Logitech G29
For years Logitech made virtually the default console race wheels – the Logitech G25 and G27 were crackers.
The Logitech G29 (PS4) and G920 (Xbox One) are great too, but are quite similar to those older wheels. That comes with good and bad parts. Advertisement
First, the G29 is a lot more affordable than the direct Thrustmaster alternatives, the T300 series wheels. The quality of the wheel itself is great too.
There’s a metal core and leather stitched over the parts your hands grip. Fanatec and Thrustmaster charge a lot more for leather wheels.
The Logitech G29 gets you higher-end extras at no extra cost. Its pedal board is much better than anything else at the price too, with a board that has a clutch and very solid metal plates. It’s not plastic rubbish.
There is one reason to prefer a Thrustmaster wheel, though. The Logitech wheels still use a completely gear-based system for their force feedback rather than belts. While it’s very powerful, you can feel this geared effect as you turn the wheel, as its motion is a bit notchy rather than completely smooth.
After a while you get used to it, but it makes the whole experience that bit less realistic; unless you drive a Flintstone’s era car it shouldn’t feel notchy, right?
The Logitech G29 is also a bit noisier than the more expensive belt-driven models.
Fanatec CSL Elite
Fanatec makes some of the best, and most expensive, racing wheels going. The Fanatec CSL Elite is actually one of its more affordable models, made with a mainstream audience in mind, not least because it supports consoles rather than just the PC.
As usual there are different versions for Xbox One and PS4, and the Microsoft version is actually slightly cheaper.
The force feedback is a level above what you get in the Thrustermaster T300 RS too, even smoother and with a more precise feel, a little faster and cleaner. It’s an excellent wheel base, and also has a rev counter, supported by some games.
Fanatec’s pedals are excellent, with seriously tough metal frames and proper progressive brakes, and you can even choose how stiff the brake is. It goes so stiff, in fact, that to really get the most out of the CSL Elite you want a frame into which you screw the pedals. But the price alone tells you this is an enthusiast wheel.
Just looking at the Fanatec CSL Elite, you can tell it’s made by nerdy obsessives. After all, who else would choose that funky grey disco ball effect on the base? Not all will love the look, but at least it’s not super-shiny.
The included wheel is big, well-made and looks like it could survive the apocalypse. Heck, it wouldn’t look out of place on a Mad Max car. However, Fanatec also makes some much nicer wheels. Like the Thrustmaster wheels, this is part of a system you can upgrade.
The included P1 steering wheel has rubbery grips and no vibration motors in the thing itself – all the effects come from the force feedback motors. Some of the pricier steering wheels (which you can plug into the same base) do have vibration too, though.
You need serious money to get the most out of the CSL Elite, and the basic setup isn’t cheap. But as long as you don’t look too much into what you’re missing with a replacement wheel, you’ll be very happy.
