Meet the Thrustmaster T-GT II for PS5

The Thrustmaster T-GT II has been unveiled, having leaked a week earlier. Here is everything you need to know about the official PS4 and PS5 steering wheel, including the price, improvements and included pedals.

Four years on from the original Thrustmaster T-GT comes the T-GT II designed for Gran Turismo Sport. It works with other racing games. and is the first officially licensed steering wheel for the PlayStation 5 and is compatible with the PS4 and PC.

Thrustmaster claims 23,000 hours of “intense work” has gone into refining the T-GT. The fruits of that labour manifest in three new systems: Drift Curve Calculation (T-DCC), Real Time Force feedback (T-RTF) and AEC-Q components.

Thrustmaster T-GT II: What is T-DCC?

Drift Curve Calculation is said to maintain responsiveness regardless of the situation, allowing drivers to make more precise movements. In theory, this should help you control your digital vehicle in rally games or anytime you want to go sideways.

What about T-RTF?

Real Time Force feedback, meanwhile, increases the speed at which the T-GT II calculates force feedback. An onboard processor does the calculations as opposed to a console or PC, reducing the issue of deadzones and latency.

AEC-Q is?

Then there is AEC-Q, which refers to the AEC-Q-certified printed circuit board that lives inside the T-GT II. Used in the automotive world, its inclusion is said to offer “maximum levels of durability and quality over time”. So it should last longer.

What about the motor & other features?

As with its predecessor, the T-GT II uses the 40-watt T-40VE linear brushless motor to generate torque. About six newton metres of it, which is enough to be realistic but less than its Fanatec rivals.

It also uses the same Depth FeedBack force feedback (T-DFB) system designed to make driving as realistic as possible, with steering wheel and suspension vibration provided through the steering column.

Other features from its predecessor include the T-Lin system, which ensures force felt by the user is proportional to the game, and T-FOC, which ensures fast delivery of increased torque and compensates for drops in power.

In addition, there is T-MCE, which is a cooling system that keeps the wheel cool. T-Turbo, meanwhile, delivers constant power at up to 400 watts.

When it comes to the build quality, expect the same leather steering wheel, two mini joysticks, four on-the-fly rotary selectors, metal paddle shifters and your usual PlayStation buttons.

Plus that large turbo-shaped power supply unit and the T3PGTII pedals are said to feature “new European industry automotive components and configured in a competition mode” used for e-sports competition.

The Thrustmaster T-GT II release date?

Interestingly, the UK will have to wait longer than Europe to buy the complete T-GT II kit comprised the wheel, servo base and pedals. I’d guess it is Brexit related. The release date for Europe is the 23^rd of June 2021, while the UK has to wait until the 1^st of September.

Could be worse, the wait for North America and Canada is the 5^th of October and the rest of the world merely gets a “late 2021” estimate. The same estimate for anyone who wants to buy just the servo base and wheel or just the servo base.

What about the price?

The recommended retail price (RRP) for the servo base, steering wheel and T3PGTII/T3PA three-pedal set is £699.99 / $799.99 / €749.99.

Drop the pedals, presumably so you can buy the far superior T-LCM offering reviewed on the channel, and the price is £599.99 / $699.99 / €649.99 worldwide. The servo alone is £449.99 / $549.99 / €499.

I shall be annoying my friendly contact at Thrustmaster to check this wheel out more thoroughly, so stay tuned for that. In the meantime, watch my other sim racing videos and maybe even subscribe.