Thrustmaster T500 RS Force Wheel with Feedback (PS3/PC)

excellent, makes my life a lot easier compared to controller. easy for throttle control, braking and smoother steering.- construction is very good, metals and plastics are solid. the wheel been on all day and not even that warm, so cooling must be pretty good. if you turn the sound off you can hear the fan(s), but i don't even notice it when playing- ease of use - well it's just plug and play. i did remap a couple of the buttons to suit me better (ie windshield wipers etc...) i wish i could remap clutch pedal to be reverse, using the triangle button is far from ideal, either that or downshift from 1st to R- clamp - very good, stable and doesn't move. i don't think i need to bother drilling holes in the gamepod.- pedals - very happy and using the inverted set up. i tried the brake mod at first, but thought it was too heavy/stiff for my liking - am happy with the default brake feeling - that said i could be swayed by a perfect pedal type mod, as long as price is not ridiculous. also i may use the included brake mod for the clutch when the shifter becomes available later this summer. also they are very stable and i haven't even hard mounted them on the gamepod.- steering wheel is solid and i love the paddles. no prob for me, i like that they are fixed. wheel dimensions are good. ffb is responsive and you feel what the car is doing. rubber grip is better than expected, but still i would have prefered real leather like the G27 . it is detacheable, so i hope thrustamster make add-on wheels as options - i would love a ferrari wheel in leather i haven't found a way to reduce the 1080 rotation, bit too much if you ask me, esp with some really fast cars on tight cornered street races. i guess good for drifters, but i am dreadful at thathavent tried with any other game than GT5 or on PC. PC drivers should be out by end of jan. hopefully will be same for EA and Codemaster games compatibiltyoverall am very pleased with it so far (except for lack of leather on steering wheel), definetly helped me be better at GT5 in the short time i have used it(not surprising really after ps3 controllers) - I can't compare it to logitech g27 or fanatec GT2 since i don't have those, but i can tell you it's miles better than the MS wheel in Forzajust my 2cents

Similar to one reviewer's experience, mine started smoking as soon as I plugged it in. Smelled like a burnt capacitor though unsure if that was the case as I did not open mine up to void the warranty. QC must be pretty shoddy with Thrusmaster as the rubber feet on mine were stuck on crooked as well. This wheel seems to have a pretty high failure rate from what I can tell with reviews. I have decided to go with a Logitech g27 instead even though I was really looking forward to the supposedly better force feedback on this wheel.

Updated review: July 17th 2017: I have since sold this wheelbase & pedals after owning this for 2 years. While it delivers very strong force feedback & is great for drifting because of its fast rotational speed, it suffers too much from cogging + damping + friction due to the internal parts. In the end, I went with the Thrustmaster T300RS which although does not deliver as strong force feedback as the T500 & overheats more, it has a brushless motor & allows much smoother delivery + steering which made me perform fast snap reactions better than before when for eg, the car I was driving started to slide due to loss of grip. The T500 is still a decent wheel though & the best part is that it comes with pedals which I thought were good quality for the price (look into the "Load Cell" mod for the brake as at stock it causes too much lock up on sims), but remember that the old technology it has compared to the newer Thrustmaster wheels may add unnecessary qualities such as friction & resistance that might not please those who want a more immersive experience.Original review: I used to play on a Logitech Driving Force GT. To go from that to this is a big step not only in production quality but also price so make sure it is something that is for you & want to get the best experience in driving games. I recommend what I did which is looking at Youtube videos of people playing with this wheel, reviews & forums were those who own this give their views compared to other cheaper alternatives.It will take some time getting used to, for me about a week. When I bought this at the start I was not too impressed, I thought it was alright but maybe too overrated. That changed when one day I did a comparison to the Logitech DFGT when playing a couple of games. The T500RS felt not only more solid but also delivered better force feedback. I also felt like I had more control of any car I was driving.The pedals are fine. I have not had any problems since the start of using them.Overall I would recommend this for those who are into their car simulators & want as realistic a driving feel as possible. If you are a casual racer though, then the cheaper Logitech DFGT + the paddle shifter mod (about £30 & very easy to install) may be a better option as I still think it is a very good wheel which can still provide a fun driving experience.I would have also liked to compare this to the Logitech G27 but I do not own or have tried one.