Turtle Beach VelocityOne Race Wheel and Pedal Set Review

For almost 20 years, Turtle Beach has actually been mostly understood for its comprehensive choice of video gaming headsets — however over the previous number of years the business has actually shocked its slate with a brand-new flight simulation variety. Now it’s aiming to take what it’s achieved in the sky and equate it to the circuit with the VelocityOne Race wheel and pedal set.

As far as very first efforts go, this direct drive race wheel and pedal combination is rather decent for where it sits among the best racing wheelsThere are a couple of concern marks around the restricted performance of some of its more distinctive flourishes, some locations where it might be a bit stronger under pressure, and some essential holes in video game assistance on launch.

Turtle Beach VelocityOne Race– Design and Features

The VelocityOne Race wheel and pedal set, which is the initial step in what will be an expandable environment, features whatever you require to set it up and race instantly. That is, there are not a surprise table secures you’ll likewise require to purchase, or any other surprise expenses; it’s all here, which’s constantly welcome.

The VelocityOne Race wheel can be straight bolted to devoted sim racing rigs, although my sim seat is a custom-made wood system and has more in typical with a conventional desk when it concerns installing. For this, the VelocityOne Race wheel has a set of table secures incorporated straight into the wheel base itself. The clamps (which can accommodate surface areas as much as 50mm thick) are all-metal and are tightened up with an Allen secret. The Allen secret can be found in the bundle as a bespoke tool that extends from a customized metal grip. A much shorter secret would’ve offered much better utilize however I like the reality that the tool has a devoted real estate within the wheel base itself, so I will not lose it (simply do not leave it in while you’re racing; it makes a huge racket as it clatters around like insane, and makes an otherwise whisper-quiet direct-drive wheel base rattle like an old gear-driven one).

Thanks to their metal building and construction, the clamps feel satisfyingly tough. I was pleased to be able to tighten them up significantly more than I’ve ever felt great enough to tighten up the plastic secures that featured the Logitech and Thrustmaster wheels that I’ve been utilizing for the previous a number of years.

The 5.62 kg (12.39 pounds.) system does rock forward a portion under force– the back of the wheel base will a little raise with down pressure on the wheel– however it definitely never ever felt unsteady, and I have not needed to re-tighten the clamps even after a number of days of routine usage.

The wheel base itself has the look of an older (and bigger) belt and pulley-type, although it’s in fact simply a plastic shell real estate a direct-drive system. For those of you who choose the smaller sized and more practical appearance of blocky modern-day direct-drive wheel bases (like Fanatec or Moza, for example) the VelocityOne Race wheel base might appear a bit plump in contrast, however there’s absolutely nothing naturally undesirable about it (and, undoubtedly, a few of that girth is devoted to real estate its incorporated display screen).

Exposure for the trapezium-shaped display screen has actually been well thought about, and my view of it through the wheel is totally unblocked. The D-shaped wheel itself is 300mm (11.81″) in size, which I discover a fantastic and sensible size for my sim racing and driving functions. It’s simply a hair smaller sized than the wheel rim on the Thrustmaster TS-XW Racer I’ve been utilizing for the previous a number of years (which itself is a 1:1 scale tribute to the real-life Sparco P310 Competition wheel).

The contouring on the VelocityOne wheel feels comfy and, while I have an individual choice for wheels cut with suede, the leather-wrapped rim is well sewn and feels properly grippy. The exposed plastic face of the wheel has actually been provided a carbon fiber look; I choose basic, exposed metal however this is great enough. The buttons and selector wheels feel great and are quickly reached, however they do get a little rinsed under the customisable backlighting.

The magnetic shifter paddles have a good, clicky action, and there are 2 extra analogue paddles that can be utilized for clutch, throttle, brake, or handbrake.

The wheel rim connects to the wheel base through a ball-bearing design fast release system that’s comparable however not similar to fast release systems presently utilized by other guiding wheel producers. Raising the fast release collar to snap the rim to the base is simple, and the connection feels extremely stiff. If there’s any motion in between them, it’s not something I’ve identified while racing.

An additional accessory for the wheel base is a distinctive button box which includes a selection of buttons, turning dials, and switches (consisting of a cool, military-style rocket switch cover over a big metal toggle). The button box slides in and connects to the base really quickly, however the thin metal strip it’s installed on does enable it to wiggle a little under pressure. The larger issue with the button box, nevertheless, is performance associated– which we’ll evaluate in a minute.

The pedals include an accelerator, brake, and clutch (which can be laid flat if you ‘d choose that 3rd pedal out of the method). The brake can likewise be vibrated left or ideal a little depending upon whether you desire more area in between the brake and accelerator, or less). The brake has a 50-kilogram load cell, while the clutch and accelerator have adjustable springs. Modifications to those springs are simple and made by hand, however the impacts of stated change felt quite small under my feet. Grip pads for both carpet and smooth surface areas are offered in the plan; I discovered the latter helpful to level the pedal box on my sim setup. A note for those of you have fun with a desk set-up and might utilize a wall to rest the pedal box versus to avoid it moving– the port to link the pedals to the wheel base (or your PC) is on the front and not the side, so you will require a modified option to represent the cable television. The braided cable televisions and recessed ports are excellent, however you will not have the ability to have the cable television smooshed in between the pedals and your wall.

Turtle Beach VelocityOne Race– Performance

As a direct-drive wheel, the distinctions in between the VelocityOne Race and the gear-driven and belt-and-pulley wheels I’ve mainly utilized for several years are plain. It is, without concern, a considerable enhancement. Force on the wheel begins efficiently and quickly, and it does so calmly (when I got rid of the clamp tool, that is). The VelocityOne Race has 7.2 Nm of torque, which feels extremely firm and totally enough for the video games I’ve checked over the recently.

General feedback strength can be immediately changed on-the-fly through a devoted dial on the button box, however that does bring us around to the core weak point of the button box: that is, it’s an excellent concept hamstrung by a variety of frustrating cautions. The issue is that there are a variety of buttons on the button box that are hard-coded to carry out particular functions. The big ENGINE START button, for example, is the wheel’s ‘on’ button. This, sadly, puts users in a position where they have a beautiful, round button that overtly states ENGINE START … that can not be mapped with that function.

I envision that’ll be a strange obstacle for PC gamers to come across. On Xbox, where the ceiling for controls is normally restricted to what can be designated to a standard controller, it’ll most likely be less of a concern. The adverse effects of this on Xbox, nevertheless, is that the button box is just restricted to replicating existing buttons on the wheel. At this moment, it’s a little like the extra set of fret buttons on a Rock Band guitar, where you can play solos greater since … it looks cooler. I understand looking cooler can suffice– as a huge dork, I will yield I did get a great deal of enjoyment from mapping convertible roofing system controls in Forza Horizon 5 to a toggle on the button box, however I confess didn’t actually include any real performance.

Simply over 2 lots racing and driving video games are presently validated as suitable with the VelocityOne Race on Xbox, consisting of the current Forza Motorsport and Forza Horizon 4 and 5I likewise attempted a range of others with plug-and-play profiles, consisting of EA Sports WRC (which stills feels exceptional regardless of its continuing tearing issues) and some much deeper cuts like 2019’s Wreckfest and European Truck Racing Championship (which are Xbox One racers I still completely take pleasure in).

At this minute, neither Assetto Corsa Competizione or F1 23 are dealing with the VelocityOne Race on Xbox. This is an enormous embarassment today, however it’s likewise something I’m sure will be dealt with sharpish. There are likewise no video games on Xbox that presently support live telemetry being outputted to the wheel base’s screen.

That kneecaps the screen to a substantial degree for those of you wanting to mainly (or just) use Xbox, however it does not indicate the screen’s an overall bust. It does stay important to browse the wheel’s numerous choices and menus. The user interface is simple to utilize utilizing the dial, choose, and back buttons on the wheel rim, and changing alternatives is all rather pain-free– whether that’s tweaking FFB settings or simply changing the lighting colour. Several profiles are supported, too, so you can quickly have actually various settings gotten ready for various video games (or various users in your house).

There’s likewise a quite awesome headset mixer consisted of in the VelocityOne Race’s software application, which is a great touch and undoubtedly plays to among Turtle Beach’s previous strengths. There’s a 3.5 mm audio jack supplied on the wheel base.