Earlier this month, we had reported that a teaser on the official Thrustmaster website unveiled just a few highlights on what was believed to be the official Gran Turismo 5 steering wheel. Now the company has brought to light its T500 RS wheel and pedal set that is fashioned for GT5. The simulator provides PS3 players precision and power while offering them a more realistic driving experience.
The wheel and pedal set respectively weigh 4.6kg and 7.3kg with the wheel’s central spokes section, pedal set and gearshift levers are all designed using metal. There are sequential gear levers found atop the base sport large 17cm levers while the wheel offers a 1080° rotation with adjustable three full turns. The height and spacing can also be amended according to the player by providing two positions namely suspended GT style and floor-mounted F1 style.
Kazunori Yamauchi, CEO of Polyphony Digital and Senior Vice President of Sony Computer Entertainment said, “The goal that I set for the Thrustmaster team was to design for me the most precise wheel ever developed, without any latency – to accurately reproduce the sensations of GT5, and let users truly feel the emotions experienced by drivers on real racing circuits.”
The brake pedal features adjustable resistance and a removable mod while the pedal set is complimented with a textured foot rest that is fashioned entirely out of metal. The company also endows the T500 RS with responsive Force Feedback effects that play out through a 65W industrial motor and hence offering 150mNm at 3000 RPM. The built-in large dual-belt system delivers a sooth behavior while zooming down the tarmac. In addition to these attributes, the combo is infused with the magnetic sensor-based H.E.A.R.T HallEffect AccuRate Technology for providing a 16-bit resolution and 65536 values on its steering axis.
The T500 RS wheel and pedal set from Thrustmaster is slated to unveil across North America and Europe on January 5 for individual prices of 599.99 USD (approx. Rs. 27,110) and 449.99 GBP (approx. Rs. 31,369). The offering will hit Japan later on January 25, 2011.