Thrustmaster T818 Direct Drive Wheelbase Revealed

Thrustmaster T818 Revealed 01.jpg
Thrustmaster’s first direct drive wheelbase has been revealed on a Twitch stream after a long marketing campaign.

After a long marketing campaign which gave sim racers only a trickle of teaser images, Thrustmaster’s first direct drive wheelbase, the T818, has now been revealed.

Thrustmaster’s Twitch channel was host to a reveal showcase hosted by marketing manager Tim Gorham. Viewers got their first look at the hexagonal wheelbase, which houses a motor rated for 10Nm of constant torque.

The T818 has a new quick release, which allows fast and easy switching between various wheels in the Thrustmaster’s ecosystem. The wheelbase is designed for PC only at this time, but future editions are planned for console. Thrustmaster also teased future products by mentioning an RJ45 port on the base which will not be used yet, but gives connectivity options for upcoming products.

And speaking of upcoming products, there are four new wheel rims expected from Thrustmaster in 2023. These wheels may be included with the T818 in future bundles.

The wheelbase includes a customizable light strip at the front of the base, which can be customized or disabled depending on user preference. Another customization option offered by the T818 are exchangeable metal plates for the side.

For pricing, the T818 wheelbase alone will cost $649.99/€649.99, and pre-orders are now open on the Thrustmaster EU e-shop. If and when the T818 sells out, a second wave will be available at the end of December. The first wave of orders for the US market should be ready for order in March of 2023.

What are your thoughts on this wheelbase? Would you order one for yourself? Why or why not? Let us know in the comments below.
About author
Mike Smith
I have been obsessed with sim racing and racing games since the 1980's. My first taste of live auto racing was in 1988, and I couldn't get enough ever since. Lead writer for RaceDepartment, and owner of SimRacing604 and its YouTube channel. Favourite sims include Assetto Corsa Competizione, Assetto Corsa, rFactor 2, Automobilista 2, DiRT Rally 2 - On Twitter as @simracing604

Comments

I guess we will never really know. Sometimes they do say they are reviewing a pre-production version, and that things will be changed or fixed in the final version. I am sure all manufacturers want to make a good impression, and maybe they take a little more time over a unit they know will be sent to a reviewer. Its a bit like a food critic visiting a restaurant. Do we get the exact same level of service as the food critic? Probably not :)

But I have never had any faults with my Thrustmaster equipment over more than 10 years. I can say that I am pleased with my T818, and I am equally sure I could have got something better if I had decided to sell everything and start over with a different eco-system. But I didn't really want to do that. So I am happy with that compromise.
I wasn't refering to thrustmaster products at all ;) . And didn't want to make any harm to other brands to avoid neverending debates, it wasn't my point. For many years, and for every manufactured product (computer component, tv, hifi...), built quality hasn't been a question of brand but of specific models. I was just amazed by Barry's positive review about this wheel and h shifter, not being dishonest at all, but because the products he had in his hands weren't built like mine. I don't know for other simracing products, as I have opened only these ones when they got faulty. That's also why I didn't want to point one specific brand.

Reviews are much more trustworthy when made with bought products, not gifted ones, but it is a substantial cost for such a channel ; basically, it would be impossible to review all these products considering the views figures of each video. I've never checked these data but I can see the simracing channels have really low views numbers. No doubts the risk of a manufacturer sending a anormaly quality products to reviewers will always be there. Users' review after several months of use will remain an option but the usual passionate debates in simracing makes objectivity some kind of illusion :D .
 
Premium
One of the things the simracing community has to compensate for numbers is that is well knitted... word of mouth is strong, especially through forums like RD, instead of social media channels. That's why reviews such as Barry's are so highly valued. I had a look at his "review policy" and he's been doing it a bit different for a few years now... sounds fair to me:

"If a manufacture wants me to do a review on a product, there is a one-time video production fee that must be paid in advance before starting the production on a review. This is not a continuous revenue stream. All items sent for review must follow the complete SRG review process. No exceptions. Any items reviewed on the SRG will be donated to the SRG. Just because you pay a production fee, it in no way effects whether your product gets a positive review as my review process will sort that out for those who watch my reviews. So, submit your product at your own risk."

You can find the whole story here, interesting read:


 
One of the things the simracing community has to compensate for numbers is that is well knitted... word of mouth is strong, especially through forums like RD, instead of social media channels. That's why reviews such as Barry's are so highly valued. I had a look at his "review policy" and he's been doing it a bit different for a few years now... sounds fair to me:

"If a manufacture wants me to do a review on a product, there is a one-time video production fee that must be paid in advance before starting the production on a review. This is not a continuous revenue stream. All items sent for review must follow the complete SRG review process. No exceptions. Any items reviewed on the SRG will be donated to the SRG. Just because you pay a production fee, it in no way effects whether your product gets a positive review as my review process will sort that out for those who watch my reviews. So, submit your product at your own risk."

You can find the whole story here, interesting read:

I've read the story. It's fair. If a manufacturer is confident with its new product, A positive review from SRG is good publicity ; not huge but in these niche simracing channels, SRG is a solid one (there are still more successful exceptions , Jimmy Broadbent and Super GT for example, but this are more than simracing, they added lifestyle and real racing topics). And SRG is the only channel going through such insight in hardware reviews.

Any serious manufacturer is gaining a lot of credibility if its product go positively through all SRG's review process. It is great communication. So, although for other channels I would not be ok, here it is fair they participate to the production of these videos. But it makes me wonder even more about the "version" of the hardware sent to SRG. Well there's always a risk, whatever the business model is, as soon as the reviewer gets something from the manufacturer.
 

Latest News

Article information

Author
Mike Smith
Article read time
2 min read
Views
46,241
Comments
184
Last update

What's needed for simracing in 2024?

  • More games, period

  • Better graphics/visuals

  • Advanced physics and handling

  • More cars and tracks

  • AI improvements

  • AI engineering

  • Cross-platform play

  • New game Modes

  • Other, post your idea


Results are only viewable after voting.
Back
Top