Thrustmaster T500RS Steering Wheel for the GT5 Launched

Logitech has been the official builder of the wheel for the Gran Turismo brand for many years, but now that honors seems to have gone to Thrustmaster. The company has officially announced the full specs and price for its T500RS steering wheel and pedal set, also known as the official driving simulator for Gran Turismo 5.

"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," explains Kazunori Yamauchi, CEO of Polyphony Digital and Senior Vice President of Sony Computer Entertainment.

Completely optimized for GT5, the T500RS tips the scales at 4.6 kg (10 lbs) for the wheel, and 7.3 kg (16 lbs) for the pedal set. A noticeable feature is the omnipresent use of metal – for the gearshift levers, the wheel's central spokes section (30cm in diameter) and the pedal set.

The sequential gearlevers mounted on the base feature large 17cm levers that are constantly accessible without letting go of the wheel. The wheel itself offers a remarkable 1080° rotation. These 3 full turns are also adjustable.

The metal pedal set offers two positions: "floor-mounted" F1 style, or "suspended" GT style. An independent gear stick will also be available from Thrustmaster in the coming months.

“The T500 RS employs the same technology developed for the world's latest benchmark flight stick, the HOTAS WARTHOG. The magnetic sensor-based H.E.A.R.T HallEffect AccuRate Technology is incorporated into the wheel's steering mechanism. As a result the wheel is super-precise with 16-bit resolution and 65536 values on its steering axis,” a company statement reads.

The T500RS is available at a suggested retail price of $599.99.