THE ruffles direct drive are on the rise… If they also become cheaper, we won’t complain!
Car simulation games are always more enjoyable with a steering wheel, but at this level, two schools exist: on the one hand, belt systems (or gears) and, on the other, those with direct drive (direct drive). .
On the latter, the motor is directly connected to the steering shaft while on the former, the transmission passes through belts. The direct drive has much more power for a more precise and more immersive simulation. It is also much more expensive… well maybe not always.
Load cell And direct drivekézako?
Confirming its ambitions in the gaming peripheral market, Turtle Beach has indeed just announced its first steering wheel, a few weeks after presenting its joystick for aerial combat, the VelocityOne Flightdeck.
A classic pedal board, but – in appearance – solid © Turtle Beach
On the steering wheel side, Turtle Beach has logically kept the name of its range and the product is therefore called VelocityOne Race. A product which consists of two essential parts: a flying block and a pedal board, sold as a bundle, with no separate sales planned at the moment.
For the pedalboard part, Turtle Beach seems to combine what makes such a product successful. It weighs 4 kilograms on the scale for good stability, has customizable pedals and a load cell braking system called Dynamic Brake Tek.
Such a system makes it possible to achieve better sensations, something more realistic by no longer determining the braking force with a simple potentiometer, but by using a real force sensor.
A bonus screen and control block
Just for good measure, Turtle Beach also seems to have pulled out all the stops for the flying block. The latter is therefore direct drive so that it no longer relies on belts or gears, even if, surprisingly, the brand does not insist that much on the term direct drive.
Turtle Beach, however, insists on the presence of its K: Drive engine which must produce “ high-fidelity direct force feedback ”, the brand ensuring “ an ultra-realistic and powerful response » before mentioning the transmission « roughness and changes in the track “.
Another advantage of the VelocityOne Race is its screen – the Race Management Display – in order to authorize the “ Real-time race telemetry data monitoring […] and customization of orders “. The Tuner software is designed for maximum adjustments and we are talking about a hand-stitched leather steering wheel as well as Mag-Shift paddles for changing gears.
Turtle Beach finally mentions the presence of a modular block – Control Unit – to further enrich the adjustment options. On paper, all this makes the VelocityOne Race look great, which is already up for pre-order on the manufacturer’s website for delivery from February 26.
And this is where Turtle Beach wants to strike hard. We tested the Logitech G Pro Wheel and Thrustmaster T818: two very good direct drive models… unfortunately at stratospheric prices that Turtle Beach intends to make obsolete with its price of 699 euros for the complete kit. Intriguing, despite a “flaw”: it is only compatible with PC and Xbox.
Source : Turtle Beach
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