GT5's £400 official steering wheel

By Wesley Yin-Poole Published 23 December, 2010

Out next month.

Thrustmaster has unveiled the £400 official steering wheel for PlayStation 3-exclusive simulation racer Gran Turismo 5.

The T500 RS wheel and pedal set is said to be optimised for GT5. The wheel weighs 4.6kg; the pedal set 7.3kg. The gearshift levers, the wheel's central spokes section (30cm in diameter) and the pedal set are all entirely metal.

The wheel itself offers 1080° rotation. A motorized stop means the three full turns are adjustable. The magnetic sensor-based H.E.A.R.T (HallEffect AccuRate Technology) is incorporated into the wheel's steering mechanism. The wheel has 16-bit resolution and 65536 values on its steering axis.

The spacing and height of the pedal set is also fully adjustable, and allows for two driving positions: floor-mounted F1 style, or suspended GT style.

There's even a textured foot rest, also metal. The Force Feedback mechanism is "vigorous, fast-acting and extremely responsive". An independent gear stick will be available to buy in the coming months.

"The goal that I set for the Thrustmaster team was to design for me the most precise wheel ever developed, without any latency – to accurately reproduce the sensations of GT5, and let users truly feel the emotions experienced by drivers on real racing circuits," said Polyphony Digital boss Kazunori Yamauchi.

The T500 RS launches in Europe and North America on 5th January, and in Japan on 25th January. It carries a suggested retail price of €499.99 (VAT included), which works out at around £425.

Picture of Wesley.

About Wesley Yin-Poole

Wesley is Eurogamer's news editor. He likes news, interviews, and more news. He also likes Street Fighter more than anyone can get him to shut up about it.

Read more articles from Wesley by visiting the Wesley Yin-Poole archive page.

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