![]() ![]() You can adjust the display through turning some of the lower knobs too, with an almost overwhelming range of information and different presentation styles available. The display can be handy to reference when you have a moment on the straights - although the LEDs at the top and sides of the wheel that indicate your revs and course conditions (eg yellow flags and safety cars) are more consistently useful throughout the course of a lap. Intriguingly, there are also a pair of analogue paddles here, which could be used for a number of things, including braking and accelerating for folks without sufficient foot mobility. The chunky rear shifters feel great too, although I almost prefer the lighter click of the Fanatec DD Pro wheel. There's up to 10NM of torque here, which is easily enough to wrest the wheel out of the grip of an inexperienced racer, but happily it comes on a milder setting by default and can be tuned up accordingly. Image credit: Thrustmaster/Digital Foundry Being able to hook your thumbs into the wheel, as F1 drivers do, makes a huge diffence to the amount of force feedback you can endure - and that extra detail provides vital information on how the car is gripping the race track (or not), whether you're on a kerb and generally whether it's safe to put the power down. Get to grips with the buttons though, and this wheel comes into its own. It's not exactly the most intuitive experience. There is at least a carefully concealed joystick on the left side, letting you navigate the menus - as long as you can remember that it's button 5 to go forward and button 6 to go back, which I belive are labelled as "1+" and "10-" respectively. Similarly, the 4.3-inch LCD display in the centre of the wheel can be set up to show a huge amount of information, but adjusting how that information is displayed requires twiddling dials that on a race car would be doing completely different things. That's great for immersion and style, but perhaps not ideal when F1 23 prompts you to press button 15 and you've got to work out which one is button 15 by pressing them all in sequence. The screen in the centre provides a read-out from supported games like F1 23, while the well-spaced buttons and dials are easy to press even while wearing racing gloves.ĭespite being a PC-focused peripheral though, you'll find no helpful simplified icons or numbered labels on each of the 25 buttons - just proper accurate descriptions like DRINK or RADIO. It feels incredible having a full-size F1 wheel in your hands, with the advanced materials producing something that feels both easy to maneouvre and reassuringly dense in the hand. | Image credit: Digital Foundryįast-forwarding through the install process for a moment, turning on the SF1000 wheel and having it spring to life is a magical moment. This wheel looks incredible - but I wouldn't have minded if it came with subtle labels for each button. After several weeks of testing the wheel, base and Thrustmaster's T-LCM pedals, I've got to say I'm impressed - but before committing to a purchase of this magnitude you should know what you're getting yourself into. It's the ultimate racing setup for Ferrari fans, with the prancing horse logo emblazoned on the centre of the carbon fibre steering wheel and 'Rosso Corsa' - Italian racing red - panels on the T818 10Nm wheel base.Īt £940/ $1099, it's hardly in impulse buy territory, but if you want a high-end direct drive wheel for playing the Formula 1 games and other PC racing titles, this certainly fits the bill. One of the most famous steering wheels in F1 comes from Ferrari's stables, that of the 2020-spec SF1000, and it's this one that forms the basis of Thrustmaster's special T818 Ferrari SF1000 simulator that I've been testing for the past few weeks. Crafted from carbon fibre, packed with controls and with a full colour screen in the centre pumping out information on brake bias, sector times and engine modes, these steering wheels are beautiful pieces of kit in their own right - even if F1 drivers occasionally toss them out of the cockpit in anger after spinning off into a gravel trap. ![]() But one of the most beguiling components is one that you only get a good look at when you're in the cockpit - the steering wheel. F1 cars are gorgeous, icons of engineering that look as good sitting still as they do roaring down a track at 200 miles per hour. ![]()
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