2016-01-09

Presenting our 2015 XBox One Racing Wheel buyers guide. This is not a review or shootout, this is a buyers guide to let you know what’s available, where to purchase them, options and price. All of the wheels are licensed by Microsoft and provide complete Xbox One functionality.

The only thing these wheels do not offer is headset support. You can have a gamepad plugged in or use Kinect for that functionality though in conjunction with the wheel

Click here to view the embedded video.

We have 5 wheel and pedal sets for this guide. One from Fanatec, one from Logitech, one from Mad Catz and two from Thrustmaster. We’re going to start with the least expensive and work up or way up the ladder.

For a review of each of these wheels, you can find a link to each one below in our description. The only one we haven’t reviewed is the Thrustmaster 459 Spider Racing wheel and it’s the first on our list.

The Thrustmaster Ferrari 458 Spider Racing Wheel was released in April of 2014 as an entry level wheel for the Xbox One. It was the second wheel that Thrustmaster made available for the Xbox One following the release of the TX. It features an official Ferrari license with a 7/10 scale replica rim of the Ferrari 458 Spider.



Thrustmaster Spider

Compatibility: It’s compatible with the Xbox One only

Pricing: It retails for just under $100

Force Feedback: NO

Warranty: One year in the U.S. and two years in some European countries

Degrees of Rotation: 240 – With 4 adjustable presets for sensitivity

Mechanism: Bungie system that creates a center spring feel.

Mounting: Desk or table clamp only for the wheel.

Rim: 11”/28 cm in diameter rim made of plastic with rubber grips.

Rim Swap: NO

Paddle Shifters: 2 Metal wheel-mounted

Buttons: 9 action buttons that include view and menu, 2 positions Manettino – D-Pad + Xbox Guide button

2 pedal set with throttle and brake that have adjustable angle of inclination for each pedal.

This is definitely an entry level setup, but we recommend stepping it up and going with something that has force feedback.



Thrustmaster TX 458 Italia

The Thrustmaster TX Ferrari 458 Italia Force Feedback Wheel was released in November of 2013 and was the first option available for the Xbox One. Originally you could only get it with the officially licensed Ferrari 7/10th scale 458 Italia rim and two pedal set, but now comes in a few different packages. You can buy the base on it’s own, or you can buy the integral set that comes with the T3PA pedals and Leather TM 28 rim.

Compatibility: It’s compatible with the Xbox One and PC

Pricing: The servo base retails for $259.99 up to 469.97 For the integral set

Force Feedback: YES

Warranty: One year in the U.S. and two years in some European countries

Degrees of Rotation: 900 to 270 – Adjustable

Wheel Resolution: 16 Bits of Resolution or 65,536 steps in the wheel

Pedal Resoultion: 10 bits of resolution or 1024 steps in the pedals

Mechanism: Belt drive

FFB Motor: Brushless

Mounting: Desk or table clamp or you can hard mount it.

Internal memory and upgradeable firmware

Original Rim: 11”/28 cm in diameter rim made of plastic with rubber grips

Integral Rim: TM 28 Leather 11”/28 cm in diameter rim made of metal with Full leather wrap

Swap: YES

Original Paddle Shifters: 4”/ 10 cm tall metal wheel-mounted sequential paddle shifters

Integral Paddle Shifters: 5″ / 13 cm metal wheel-mounted sequential paddle shifters

Original Buttons: 10 action buttons that include view and menu + 1 on the base, 2 positions

Manettino – D-Pad + Xbox Guide button

Integral Buttons: 6 buttons, 3-position rotary switch with push function in central position

Multidirectional D-pad

Original 2 pedal set with throttle and brake that can be hard mounted.

Integral 3 pedal set – T3PA with progressive brake, known as the conical mod

Options: T3PA or T3PA Pro pedals and T500 RS pedals. Can also use the TH8A shifter. Can also use a set of Logitech or Fanatec pedals with an aftermarket adapter. All Thrustmaster rims are also compatible with this base and there’s 7 different ones to choose from. Currently they include the T500 RS rim, T300 PS4 , GTE, TM 28 Leather, 599 Evo alcantara , Ferrari F1 and even the TX rim works.



Logitech G920

The Logitech G920 was released in September of 2015 and retails for $399 and is the first wheel and pedal set that Logitech has released for an Xbox platform. It’s an officially licensed Microsoft Xbox One product and features a 3 pedal set.

Warranty: Two years

Compatibility: PC and Xbox One

Wheel Rotation: 900°degrees of rotation maximum

Wheel Resolution:16 Bits of Resolution or 65,536 steps in the wheel

Pedal Resolution: 8 bits of resolution or 256 steps in the pedals

Mechanism: Dual motor helical gear drive system

FFB Motors: Brushed

Mounting: Built in clamp system as well as hard mount points

Wheel Rim: 11”/28 cm in diameter rim made of metal with a leather grip.

Rim Swap: NO

Paddle Shifters: 2 – metal wheel-mounted sequential paddle shifters

Buttons: 9 action buttons plus that includes the Xbox One button and a D-Pad

Pedals: Comes with a 3 pedal set with progressive brake that have a carpet gripper or can be hard mounted.

Options: Driving force shifter that retails for an additional $60. Can also use the G27 shifter and pedals with this base.

Maxed out package with the driving force shifter retails for just under $460.00

Mad Catz Pro FFB

The Mad Catz Pro Force Feedback Wheel was released in August of 2014 and was the second force feedback option available for the Xbox One.

Compatibility: It’s compatible with the Xbox One and was supposed to be PC compatible but they never released a driver

Pricing: $349.00 but seems to be hard to find even at the Mad Catz website

Force Feedback: YES

Warranty: Unable to locate it at their site

Degrees of Rotation: 900 or 270 with a switch to change it

Wheel Resolution and Pedal Resolution: are unlisted

Mechanism: Gear Drive

FFB Motor: Dual motor helical gear drive system

Mounting: Desk or table clamp or you can hard mount it. Also includes lap rest

Internal memory and upgradeable firmware

Rim: 10.5”/26.5 cm in diameter rim made of aluminum with a suede wrap

Swap: YES bit no others are available

Paddle Shifters: 4”/ 10 cm tall metal wheel-mounted sequential paddle shifters as well as two progressive smaller paddles

Buttons: 7 buttons that include the Xbox One button + 4 buttons that act as the Dpad

2 pedal set with throttle and brake that can be hard mounted and also have a carpet gripper

This wheel seems to have been abandon by Mad Catz. They had big plans for it with more rims, PC compatibility and now you can’t find it. I found one on Amazon listed for over $600. Could have been a good entry level wheel if it was priced closer to $200

Fanatec CSW V2

Last but not least, the Fanatec CSW V2. Originally released in late 2014, you could only obtain one with an invite code if you were a previous owner of a Fanatec product. The invite only purchase method has been lifted and the V2 is available to the general public. The CSW V2 starts at $599 for the base only without rims or pedals and we’ll get to the price of a full package after we tell you more about it.

Warranty: 2 years

Compatibility: It’s the only wheel on this list that’s compatible with the PC, PS3, PS4 and Xbox One. You need this Xbox One hub for it to work with all those systems though.

Wheel Rotation: 900° to 270 of rotation that adjustable on the fly through the wheels tuning menu. You can also adjust force feedback strength, vibration and a lot of other options though this menu, all on the fly.

Wheel Resolution: 16 Bits of Resolution or 65,536 steps in the wheel

Pedal Resolution: 10 Bits or 1024 steps with Clubsport V3 Pedals and 8 bits of resolution or 256 steps with all other pedals

Mechanism: Belt driven

FFB motor: Brushless

Mounting: Hard mount only or via optional table clamp that retails for $50

Internal memory and upgradeable firmware

Rims: 12″ / 30 cm CSL rim is their new budget wheel for this base. Retails for $139 and has 12 buttons and a directional stick. Also has metal paddle shifters attached to the rim. Rim is detachable using their basic quick release system.

You can also get the optional Xbox One Hub and use many different rims that you can purchase separately through Fanatec. The diameters all vary as they offer F1, GT, Stock Car and even classic. You can also use any aftermarket rim that has a 70mm bolt pattern

Paddle shifters are included in the hub and with some of the rims that have the buttons and paddles integrated.

Currently at Fanatecs site there are two pedal sets you can use with the V3. The Clubsport V3s or the CSR pedals. The V3s retail for just under $300 and the CSRs which we wouldn’t recommend are $79.95. You can also use G25, G27 or G29 pedals with an optional adapter. You would also be able to use Fanatec CSR Elites or the original V1 and V2 Clubsport pedals if you can find them second hand .

The options vary greatly with this base and so do prices. On the low end, you could get the base for $600, the CSL rim for $139 and then $80 for the CSR pedals and you would be at $820 all the way up to $1300 with the Xbox One hub with one of the many rims it’s available with and the Clubsport V3 pedals.

Final Thoughts

Fanatec is the top of the line for the Xbox One but comes at a pretty high price tag. Highly recommended if you are going to run multiple platforms.

The Thrustmaster TX is the best bang for the buck with a wide variety of options and packages. You can also use all of your accessories on the Thrustmaster T30o RS if you want to run on the Playstation 3 or 4.

The Logitech G920 is also a good option as Logitech has been known to make reliable products in the past.

The Mad Catz Pro Force Feedback wheel doesn’t seem to be a good option due to its high price tag, lack of availability and support.

The Thrustmaster Spider may be a good option for someone that wants to feel what it’s like to race with a wheel. We highly recommend stepping it up though and going with a force feedback option to get the most out of your racing experience.

The post XBox One Racing Wheel Buyers Guide appeared first on Inside Sim Racing.

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