Seems we have been on a bit of a Thrustmaster kick as of late? We are not really complaining as there are certainly some interesting products that the company offers. The latest product is not new, but how it is presented is. Thrustmaster has traditionally bundled all of the different parts of the wheel together, but for the past few years they have worked on expanding the wheel ecosystem so users can upgrade certain pieces at will.
This is all well and good, but users might find that they are throwing their money away by not recycling or reselling the parts they were upgrading. Bought the TX F458 and want to purchase the shifter? Go for it, but you need to buy the 3 pedal unit as the F458 kit only includes a two pedal unit. Upgrade to the leather GT wheel or the new 599XX Alcantara edition? Might as well throw the stock wheel in the closet, never to be seen again.
Choice is a good thing, so Thrustmaster is now offering its more moderately priced base unit, the T300, as a standalone part. This will allow users to purchase a good quality base all the while picking and choosing what other components to use. The base price is $249 US.
The T300 base unit features a strong brushless motor with the dual belt pulley system. This base unit is an upgrade from the TX base that is included with my previously reviewed TX F458 Italia Edition wheel set. It features the full 1080 degrees of rotation vs. the TX’s 900 degrees. The motor also looks to be larger and stronger than the TX. The base unit is compatible with the PS3/PS4, and the PC. It also features the H.E.A.R.T sensor that utilizes the Hall Effect to provide a contact-less sensor that should last nearly forever. It features the 16 bit sensor giving over 65,000 values around the axis. Xbox 1 users will have to rely on the TX base unit as the T300 is not compatible with that system.
Thrustmaster's competitor Fanatec has been selling the base units by themselves for quite some time, so it is nice to see Thrustmaster offer customers the same flexibility. One thing must be noted though, the T300 is significantly less expensive than the lowest priced Fanatec base units that are currently available.
Click here to read the entire press release.