Honest Review - It's a yes from me dog
So this is my first wheel in, I guess, two decades. I was playing with an Xbox controller before this thing, and oh my. If you are like me, this is something else. I have only used it for three days now, almost nonstop (I know, but it's just that much fun), and I will come here and update my review if things change, promise. If you don't like long texts, there is a TLDR at the bottom. WHEEL I can say I thoroughly read the comments before the purchase, so I will guide my review through that path. To give you an idea, I'm using it on a PC, clamped it on my desk, and the pedals are on the carpet. The wheel is great IMO, yes, it doesn't have the rubber or stitched leather like the alternatives, but I just like how it feels. Furthermore, yes, it's all made of hard plastic, but it feels sturdy. If you don't like the plastic feel, wrap some bike handle tape or something like that on it instead of paying $ more for the alternative, in my opinion. Also, it's on the smaller side, yeah, but it doesn't bother me at all. It's actually somewhat nice as I can reach all the buttons with my hands on 3 and 9. Additionally, the pedal shifters behind the wheel feel nice and sturdy, pretty solid not much to say about them. PEDALS Yeah not the best out there. if you don't have your other heel on the base, when you fully press a pedal, it just wants to tilt forward. However, I keep both my heels on the base at all times, and I used the very same box it came in to flush it against a wall, so it's not going anywhere anymore. Maybe one can get a larger board and screw the pedals on it, idk, but this seems good enough for my beginner setup. FORCE FEEDBACK The force feedback is probably the reason you are not buying the ~$70 alternative on here, right? It is pretty powerful. Like I said, this is my first FF wheel ever, so I bet there are stronger options out there, but I definitely don't need them at the moment. Let me put it this way: I broke a sweat during two races on Forza Horizon 5, lol. Additionally, I have never used full-strength FF yet, and it is more than I was expecting as a beginner. COMPATIBILITY I play on PC, so compatibility is not an issue for me. With every new game, obviously, you need to tweak in-game settings, but once you get your own settings set up for you, it's just beautiful. However, I can't stress this enough, settings are everything. There are videos out there, so if you are oblivious to what you should do, try them first. I say if you can't find videos specific to T128, look at TMX, T150, or even G29 settings to begin with. With that said, I never had an issue on my PC. The only problem is the two buttons in the center; the one looks like the settings option (gear), and the one to the right doesn't even get recognized by the driver. I heard that they work on Xbox, but I'm not sure. Hey @Thrustmaster, would you like to fix this with a driver update by any chance? Other than that, the games I tested T128 and had a BLAST are: Forza Horizon 5 Forza Motorsport 7 Euro Truck Sim 2 American Truck Sim SnowRunner Farming Sim 22 Overall, I say it's a great starter wheel. At least I'm having a great time with it. Yeah, there are better setups out there, but they cost way more. There's always a better one until you get to that $10-20-30k rig people have out there. Overall, coming from an inexperienced sim racer, a casual racer, and everything else that you can use a wheel, at this price point, with the ability to upgrade pedals and add a shifter later if you want to, it's a yes from me dog! And I'm not even saying, "Meh, this is what I got for the price." I really, really enjoy this wheel and pedal set. Finally, on forums, people say you should look up used market, which is definitely an option, but I'm the type of guy who likes to have peace of mind, knowing if something goes wrong (at least during the manufacturer warranty period) Thrustmaster is a professional company that cares about customer satisfaction unlike the John Doe you purchased your used rig on the marketplace or wherever. TLDR PROS - Strong force feedback - Easy to set up and mess with settings, at least on a PC - WAY better than a spring or band-loaded wheelset, a controller, or heavens forbid, a keyboard - Opportunity to upgrade pedals or add a shifter - Sturdy and comfy (at least for my taste) - Definitely worth the price IMO CONS - Pedals are responsive, but if you don't come up with a way to stabilize them yourself, they really do not want to stay where you put them - Doesn't have the stitched leather or rubber on the rim like closely priced alternatives - The rim circumference is smaller compared to closely priced alternatives - The two top-middle buttons don't work on the PC Ultimately, do I enjoy this product? Would I recommend the T128 to friends and family? You bet your sweet force feedback I would! Of course, it has its pros and cons, but nothing was a deal breaker for me, and considering the price, it didn't prevent me from giving this 5 stars. Read more
