The Thrustmaster T598 is a 5Nm DD wheel that competes with the Fanatec CSL DD.
The new Thrustmaster T598 is here , a Simracing wheel with 5 Nm Direct Drive technology with overdrive. It has just been released at a very interesting price of 599$ and best of all, it includes rim and pedals.
We’ve been waiting a long time for a proper DD wheel from Thrustmaster that can compete with the Fanatec CSL DD. And it has arrived!
Below I will tell you about all its features and my personal opinion.
Thrustmaster T598 base features
These are the most interesting features of the T598:
- Direct axial drive motor: with a constant torque of 5 Nm and overshoot (I’m not sure what that means).
- Display with race information and adjustment of settings on the base. Allows to display parameters such as gear, revolutions, speed, best time, position.
- Compatible with PlayStation and PC, with official Playstation license.
- Removable 30 cm steering wheel ring with magnetic gear shift paddles.
- 2 metal pedals, with the possibility of adding 3 pedals.
- Modular design that allows changing the steering wheels, rims and pedals according to the user’s preferences.
- Metal pedals.
Personal Opinion T598
To be honest, I have to say I haven’t had a chance to try it out yet, although I’m looking forward to it. I’ve contacted Thrustmaster to let me have a test one and then I’ll do an in-depth review.
Direct axial drive motor: new direct drive generation
The direct axial drive motor is the next generation for simracing, enabling precise and well-defined steering response without cogging. Thrustmaster promises greater precision than conventional direct drive wheels.
The overdrive functionality greatly increases its power and delivers super-boosted effects with ultra-low latency of 5ms. HARMONY technology is responsible for generating high-frequency vibrations to faithfully feel the bumps, skids and even the smallest details of the track in every game.
Thrustmaster T598 pedals
The mechanical pedals look very good, they are very similar to those of Fanatec. And although it only comes with the accelerator and brake pedal, the truth is that you can add a third pedal with load cell thanks to the Raceline Pedals Upgrade Kit.
On all pedals the hardness can be adjusted thanks to the different springs and the 3 adjustment notches, allowing 9 different hardness positions.
It is also very interesting that the pedals have pads to prevent your foot from slipping while driving.
Sportcar steering wheel rim
The ring has a special Playstation design with typical PS5 controller buttons and 12 freely assignable buttons for game-specific functionalities.
The hoop is 30 cm in diameter which for me is a very good size, I usually play with 32-33cm hoops, and it also has magnetic cams so it looks very good.
It also weighs very little, 811gr. Although I don’t think this is very important.
Pros and Cons of the T598 Handwheel
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| State-of-the-art direct drive | No clutch pedal |
| Very good price | |
| Multi-platform support (PS4, PS5, PC) | |
| Magnetic cams | |
| Interchangeable handwheel | |
| Good quality and size hoop | |
| Interchangeable pedals and rim. | |
| Wide compatibility with Thrustmaster accessories |
What is the price of the Thrustmaster T598?
The Thrustmaster T598 is a great value for money. For only €499 it is on par with the Fanatec GT DD Pro for playstation which costs €699 as you can see.
Yes it is true that the GT DD pro has 5NM but it can be upgraded to 8Nm but for the price they have, I think the Thrustmaster T598 is more interesting than the GT DD Pro.
The steering wheel can be purchased on the Simufy website, which is a Spanish website with many years of experience. From our point of view it is the best option to buy.
Read our comparison of Fanatec GT DD Pro vs Thrustmaster T598
