Thrustmaster to Host Direct Drive Reveal on Twitch

Thrustmaster DD Reveal 01.jpg
Thrustmaster's first direct drive wheelbase offering will be revealed on November 22nd via a Twitch livestream.

The wait to learn more about Thrustmaster's first direct driver system will continue for another two months. The racing and flight simulator hardware manufacturer has used a lengthy and guarded marketing strategy for this unveiling, and that trend continued with a recent tweet.


Fans hoping for specifications, pricing or even an image of the DD base will need to wait until November 22nd when Thrustmaster finally pulls the curtain back on their newest product.

Thrustmaster has enjoyed success with their T-series wheelbases, but have yet to make the jump from belt-driven bases to direct drive. Their DD base will need to compete in the burgeoning "budget DD" market. This space didn't exist three years ago, but offerings from companies like Fanatec, Moza Racing and Simagic have brought direct drive technology down to a more affordable level.

Of the few details we have so far relating to Thrustmaster's DD wheelbase is the fact that it is PC only. This is a surprising move for a company that was once the exclusive wheel partner for Gran Turismo Sport.

The late November reveal could mean that the product will be available for the 2022 holiday season if the units are ready to ship, but could also serve to disrupt holiday purchases for their competitors if the units are close to release.

Will you tune in to the stream? What are your expectations for Thrustmaster's DD wheelbase? 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

Premium
I'm gonna watch it. Having heavily invested in Thrustmaster's ecosystem for some years now, this I can't miss... however, and being totally honest, this is also kind of a deadline. Based on what comes out I will decide if I stick with TM or if I go for another DD wheel (most likely a Moza R9). And from what I've been reading online, I'm not the only one pondering this.

So, it's wait and see for me... :coffee: Last straw though.
 
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Premium
Will be interesting to see what part of the market they aim at and the price point.

A whole lot has changed since they started on this and the competition now isn’t the same as it was back then. On top of that if they aren’t launching pretty close to the announcement date they will miss the Christmas “I need to treat myself to a new toy” sales window.
 
Premium
I have a TX from my XBox days and the T-LCM pedals. I have been considering some options like the Moza, but I really want Thrustmaster to come through for me as I like their ecosystem. Really, I just don't want to have to buy a new wheel for the base.
 
I'm gonna watch it. Having heavily invested in Thrustmaster's ecosystem for some years now, this I can't miss... however, and being totally honest, this is also kind of a deadline. Based on what comes out I will decide if I stick with TM or if I go for another DD wheel (most likely a Moza R9). And from what I've been reading online, I'm not the only one pondering this.

So, it's wait and see for me... :coffee: Last straw though.
I'm in a similar position, I have 7 wheels, TLCM Pedals, TM Sim Hub, 2 x TSS+ and a TH8A Shifter for my TSXW. So I would rather stay with Thrustmaster instead of starting over with a new eco-system.

I am also interested to see what they have done with the Quick Release and whether it will be an improvement over the current one. 6 of my 7 wheels are already using the PMT Quick Release, only the SF1000 is on the original Quick Release, as I am a bit concerned about breaking something switching it over to the PMT Quick Release as I know I will need to use a soldering iron to heat up the screws to melt the glue before they can be undone.

And also wondering if they will release this as a stand alone component.

If I get any DD wheelbase I will also have to switch to a profile rig, as my current GT Omega Wheelstand has too much lateral movement even for the TSXW.
 
Have to agree..Thrustmaster been caught napping....from their initial announcement till now a few more options are available ... this has to either be cheaper or alot better than what's out in the market.

Some how I don't think it will be any cheaper than what's in the market already....
 
I own a TS-XW (belt drive), a DD Pro (direct drive), and a Simucube 2 Sport.

I drove in SCCA for many years (that's my IRL experience). I can't tell any damn difference between these wheels. My times (in AC, R3E, AMS, AMS2) are exactly the same. The experience is pretty much the same.

In fact, I think I prefer the TS-XW over the direct drives I have. Feels more natural somehow. Point is, don't be stunned if it doesn't make a huge difference.
 
So let's be clear.

PC exclusive wheel, which mean it's competitors are the likes of Moza R5/R9, Simagic Alpha Mini and CSL DD

They have to use their old fashioned crappy QR if they want to attract the people who are already in the TM ecosystem and not piss them off by rendering their overpriced SF1000 wheel useless, so that means chances are their QR will never be anywhere close to the quality the competitors are offering.

AND they have to price their stuff cheaper than CSL DD BUT also the very high quality and reasonably priced offerings by Moza and Simagic,

And Moza just launched their R5 bundle which includes a very high quality pedal set and a decent DD wheel AT around slightly higher what the T300RS package costs and much cheaper than their T-GT II flagship.

And we all know Moza and Simagic are able to produce high quality stuff at such a cheap price because they're based in China and are able to source cheaper parts etc etc.

Unless they pull a miracle, thrustmaster might as well just give up and save themselves from wasting millions trying to launch this product. Because whilst they were sleeping away, their only advantage being accessibility is slowly being withered away. You can find Moza stuff easily nowadays and Fanatec has already been somewhat upping their game in terms if distribution.
 
Unless it is at a price point that will get folks that wouldn't get into DD already, it may be a little late.
 
So let's be clear.

PC exclusive wheel, which mean it's competitors are the likes of Moza R5/R9, Simagic Alpha Mini and CSL DD

They have to use their old fashioned crappy QR if they want to attract the people who are already in the TM ecosystem and not piss them off by rendering their overpriced SF1000 wheel useless, so that means chances are their QR will never be anywhere close to the quality the competitors are offering.

AND they have to price their stuff cheaper than CSL DD BUT also the very high quality and reasonably priced offerings by Moza and Simagic,

And Moza just launched their R5 bundle which includes a very high quality pedal set and a decent DD wheel AT around slightly higher what the T300RS package costs and much cheaper than their T-GT II flagship.

And we all know Moza and Simagic are able to produce high quality stuff at such a cheap price because they're based in China and are able to source cheaper parts etc etc.

Unless they pull a miracle, thrustmaster might as well just give up and save themselves from wasting millions trying to launch this product. Because whilst they were sleeping away, their only advantage being accessibility is slowly being withered away. You can find Moza stuff easily nowadays and Fanatec has already been somewhat upping their game in terms if distribution.
I believe they started that it would be backwards compatible with the wheels in the eco-system, and that there would be some sort of new QR Mechanism. It will doubtless be plastic, but I am as keen to see what the come up with for the QR as I am for the wheelbase itself. I hope that they would release the QR mechanism as a standalone product, that people could use with their existing wheelbases and wheels. If they did that, it would go a long way to improving their product offering.
 
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I believe they started that it would be backwards compatible with the wheels in the eco-system, and that there would be some sort of new QR Mechanism. It will doubtless be plastic, but I am as keen to see what the come up with for the QR as I am for the wheelbase itself. I hope that they would release the QR mechanism as a standalone product, that people could use with their existing wheelbases and wheels. If they did that, it would go a long way to improving their product offering.

To be honest, I still don't think this will be enough to keep people from moving away from their ecosystem, unless they get the license to use the wheel on the playstation again.

I can see people who own SF1000s trying to stick it out with TM, but for the rest of us with T300s for example would not be enticed to stick around. And since this is not PS compatible, what is stopping people from just using the T-LCM and TH8A on their PCs using USB standalone? There's no point in sticking to one eco-system anymore with TM. The whole appeal to stick with TM was to use the same eco-system so people could play on the consoles.

I for one is running a T300, TLCM and a TH8A, but I'm on PC and not on console. I can easily just run a Simagic Alpha Mini or Moza R9 while still using my TLCM and TH8A. Unless they get back console deals, I don't see how they can retain TM owners.

If I don't have an SF1000, I would not bother entertaining whatever gimmick QR they come up with to make backwards compatibility work with their old plastic QRs.
 
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I'm in a similar position, I have 7 wheels, TLCM Pedals, TM Sim Hub, 2 x TSS+ and a TH8A Shifter for my TSXW. So I would rather stay with Thrustmaster instead of starting over with a new eco-system.

I am also interested to see what they have done with the Quick Release and whether it will be an improvement over the current one. 6 of my 7 wheels are already using the PMT Quick Release, only the SF1000 is on the original Quick Release, as I am a bit concerned about breaking something switching it over to the PMT Quick Release as I know I will need to use a soldering iron to heat up the screws to melt the glue before they can be undone.

And also wondering if they will release this as a stand alone component.

If I get any DD wheelbase I will also have to switch to a profile rig, as my current GT Omega Wheelstand has too much lateral movement even for the TSXW.
13 wheels here, all with PMT QR. I also converted the SF1000 even before Peter did it, and I was the one who found out the hard way that the screws inside are glued and you need to heat them up. But i managed to convert it and it worked very well.
I want to add one point that everybody here completly forget. Thrustmaster is a big player, a mass producer of hardware. You can't even compare Fanatec with them. Maybe Logitech plays in the same league. But you can't compare TM with Moza or their R5 bundle, thats absolut nonsens. Go to your hardware dealer and ask him what he thinks about Moza, he will not know what you're talking about, and nobody in the mass consumer world knows what a simucube is. With TM the first manufacturer for the mass market brings a DD wheel. You will see them in 2023 in hardware stores around the world. I am absolutly sure they will bring a very good wheel, i hope it's good (strong) enough and in a price range i can afford.
For the last 2 weeks i was thinking buying a MozaR9. 10 of my wheels are standalone USB driven or without any electronics, so no big deal. But now i have to wait to November and re-think my decision.
 
And an idea regarding the "new" QR system...
I am building a AMG GT3 steering wheel right now, using an Arduino Nano to emulate the TM circuit board of a TM steering wheel. After i uploaded the software to the Arduino, i did a quick check if everything went well and connected the Arduino ( just the chip, without any buttons soldered to the chip) to my T300 (latest firmware), and guess what...it was detected as "Thrustmaster HUB". Interesting...
 

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