I just switched my PS4 for an Xbox One. I had a T300RS racing wheel and I absolutely loved it, and now I’m looking for a replacement. I’m planning on getting a couple Forza games and Project Cars for Xbox One, and would like to hear some opinions on the Thrustmaster TX.
I’ve read a lot of awful reviews stating that the wheel can potentially die within a few hours, or that it can take a few months (which is also unacceptable). Some people even had them DOA. I really don’t want to purchase the Mad Catz wheel, and the Logitech G920 will be far too expensive when it comes out.
Basically I’d like to be reassured that Thrustmaster has ironed out the kinks either through hardware or firmware updates, and that it’s now safe to buy (if that’s the case. Please don’t sugarcoat!)
If I buy it, I’m thinking either Amazon, Best Buy, or the Microsoft store. Does anyone have any experience with their return policies if the wheel did stop working? I want to buy from the place that’s the easiest to deal with in these situations, even if it costs a little more.
Just giving a heads up here, but this will more than likely be moved to the hardware and peripherals section on the forums.
That being said, I know there are still those that have problems with their TX dying on them, but it’s not as frequent as it once was. That could be due to the fact Thrustmaster has gotten better about QA or that there just isn’t as many being sold, so you don’t hear about it as often. Either way, it is the cheapest FFB wheel on the market right now and it’s essentially the same base as the T300RS you’re coming from. The biggest difference and downside to the TX is the rim that comes with it. The T300RS came with a very nice rim. If you do end up purchasing the TX, I would strongly suggest purchasing the GTE rim or it’s leather equivalent soon after. As for places to buy, I’d say go through Amazon as they have one of the best return policy and procedure in the business. Hope this helps and good luck!
I think the failures were due to firmware issues. There’s a new one out at the moment, best thing if you do buy one is to update immediately before you use it. I bought mine approx. 18 months ago second hand, and updated the firmware as and when it comes out. up to now it’s been fine, lots of force feedback and pretty comfortable to use. Maybe the wheel is a tad small, but other than that it’s very good. Just a word of caution though, if you’re using it on Pcars, turn the FFB down to start with…
Mine arrived the other day, loaded with v48 firmware and I updated it to v49.
Someone else mentioned the PSU change? I don’t think that’s correct, mine is quite a recently manufactured wheel and the PSU is internal.
OP, the wheel has been great fun but one has to learn how to use it. You’re going to get slammed to bits by the controller people at first and most likely break out into oversteer situations. Just keep at it. All I’ve adjusted is the sensitivity by shifting it to low and it feels just right to me. It does change the feel of FH2 and for me makes it more a simulation rather than an arcade sim.
When I was using the controller, the only cars I could handle were AWD. With the wheel, I’m finding my AWD cars to be a bit of a pain to drive…particular the oversteer. Now here’s the strange thing. I could never get the handling correct for RWD cars with the controller, but with the wheel I’ve accidentally discovered that RWD feels great and more controllable with the wheel. For instance, I bought a McLaren P1 many months ago, but the thing would break out into spins etc when using the controller. Today I accidently picked it rather than my AWD Veneno for an S2 class race. It was an absolute pleasure to drive. Sure there was some oversteer, but as soon as I let off the gas I could easily pull her back into line.
So for me, it’s a complete overhaul of my approach to playing FH2. Before the wheel, I was using the controller with AWD cars and Chase view. With the wheel, I’m starting to seriously think about going RWD only and am using the cockpit view.
Still on my first TX (initial batch with original FW preinstalled), logged about 600 hours on various race games and it still works like a charm TM slightly improved the following batches after the initial production batch showed worrying amounts of devices beeing DOA or burned up after just a few hours. One of these changes was to move the powersupply from internal to external which could imply that there were some heat issues perhaps. However, TM was confident enough to significantly reduce the time the cooling fan runs after using the wheel with one of the firmware updates, so the heat issues seem to be resolved now.
Dont forget that a FFB wheel is more likely to require repairs/parts replacements sometime during its life, compared to other gaming peripherals. The forces it has to cope with are significant and the manufacturers still need to strike a good balance between general part-quality and production costs, its a tough market out there.
I suggest the following: If you are living in a country that has an official TM-distributor or even better, local TM support, then go ahead and get one. In these countries, their support is usually very swift and you’ll get a replacement within a few days if its covered by warranty, without any extra costs. In rater “exotic” countries however, it can take up to weeks or months until its being replaced, so just be aware of that. However, still better than buying no wheel at all, right
Most people i know do not have any major issues with TM wheels and they are all happy bunnies given that TM’s addons are generally good priced and of very reasonable quality, its just the base thats pretty expensive (and you still dont have free choice of rim)
Looks to me like if you go with the TX without buying the extras it your cheapest option but if you buy the upgrade pedals,shifter and rim you will be just shy of $700.00. The G920 with the shifter is at $460.00(if the price remains where it is at). I owned a couple of Logitech wheels and liked them both, but I have never had a Thrustmaster.
I"m kinda in the same boat except I have a CSR and no PS4 or Xbox one. I’m glad I waited to buy anything now and I think I’m going to let the dust settle a little more before I do.
I live in Canada and the exchange rate has driven prices up quite a bit :(. I looked at importing a CSR but it was quite a lot after shipping and duties. I think I’ll stick with the basic wheel setup for now…I mean I used to use the official Xbox 360 racing wheel so this is still a step up from that haha. I might get some clutch pedals later if I see a good deal, but for now I’m fine with just the base set for $400CAN.
I’m leaning towards getting a PS4 because I can at least use my CSR for Pcars and then later down the road get a G29, its just hard to buy a new counsle and a new wheel at the same time. I still think I’m going to wait a bit longer, save a little more and see what happens.
Edit: The more I have been reading/find out about Pcars the more I think I need to steer clear of that game. Not trying to derail this thread its just more thing for me to consider.
The first TX I bought new in August of 2014. It came loaded with a fairly new driver (v45 at the time I think). I updated it as V47 had just come out and went to play it in Forza 5. Wheel lasted 30 seconds before it locked up and made a bad burning smell. After that it was dead on both the Xbox and PC (wouldn’t register or calibrate) so I returned it. The second one I also bought new and had for 9 months but I decided to get rid of it before the warranty expired (it’s only a year in Canada). There are still lots of stories about people on their second or third TX wheel. As for whoever said they have external power supplies I never heard that. Both my wheels had internal ones and the manual itself says some do and some don’t. So I never heard they changed all the wheels. One of the last firmware updates optimized the cooling fan so I’m not sure if that helped, but it seemed to kick in less often.
I’m waiting to buy the Logitech G920. I just wasn’t confident in the reliability of the TX and the accessories (pedals, wheels and shifter) are too expensive. The G27 that the G920 is based on was very reliable from most accounts so I’d rather spend my money on that. Yeah the force feedback may not be quite as strong, but I always found that too strong force feedback felt too artificial. The TX has very strong force feedback. Some people say the TX wasn’t notchy, but mine still felt notchy, so I’m not sure if it was just my wheel or what.
I think overall the TX may have slightly better feedback than the G920 (I’ve never actually used a G27 so I’m just repeating what I’ve heard) but I would suspect the G920 will be more reliable (also has a 2 year warranty from Logitech). Remember that the TX is about $300 U.S. now that’s it’s been out for almost 2 years (was $400 new). The pedals the TX has are poor and the rim is a cheap hunk of plastic. Adding the pedals with a clutch (T3PA $100), shifter (TH8A $150) and better steering wheel (GTE ~$100 or 28 Leather GT rim $150) are way more than buying the G920 and shifter for $460. Everyone is complaining about the price of the G920 but I think it is decently priced. The G27 came out in 2009 and was almost $400 then. The price just fell as the wheel aged and inflation also needs to be factored in. The G920 has metal pedals (they’ve added a rubber bumper to the brake pedal for better feel), an aluminum leather wrapped wheel and they’ve added a hall effect sensor to replace the optical sensor in the G27 that caused problems. Seems like it’s built for durability.
Inside Sim Racing has reviews of the TX up and a preview of the G29/G920. There are also a few quick reviews about the new Logitech wheels on YouTube. Maybe wait another month to see some reviews of the G29 (the G920 is mechanically identical just with a few less buttons). The TX is great so long as it works. For me I wanted new pedals, a better rim and the shifter. When I saw all three could be had in the G920 for less I got rid of my TX and decided to get a Logitech G920.
I’ve been an advocate of the TX since getting one a year and a half ago, but this past weekend dulled my enthusiasm a bit …
I decided to all-in and get both the T3PA-PRO pedal set and TA8H shifter. Plugged them both in and tried a few laps … the car would both randomly mis-shift (e.g. registering fourth when I’d put it in second) and spontaneously shift, including into reverse while on a straight! Frustrating to say the least. After searching around online I found some indications the DIN socket in the wheel base may be to blame, so I hunted around online, and found possibly the only TX in stock within a hundred miles was at my local Fry’s, so I went and snagged it.
After getting it home and bolting the base to my Playseat, I upgraded the firmware from 48 to 49, plugged everything in, and a few laps: perfect! I was really pleased with how the pedals and shifter felt, so went online to race with some friends. During the course of the increasingly frustrating afternoon the replacement base spontaneously rebooted four times! Each time required me to quit FM5, unplug the base’s power, plug it back in, and restart the game
Suffice it to say this wheel will be going back to Fry’s for a refund, and I’ve ordered a third wheel from Amazon to test this coming weekend. Fingers crossed …
The Thrustmaster TX is a superb wheel the “dying within a few hours” scenario seems to be with european models bought in the uk. Mine had a UK plug (was told to look out for that) and ive had it since march 2015 nothing has gone wrong with it whatsoever its been reviewed by the best sites and is a clear winner try isrtv they are the go to people for sim rig and wheel advice they all say TX servo is better than any on the market…TX uses brushless motors not 15yr old tech ahem! Logitech!!! And the TX is cheaper so no brainer get the TX
The Thrustmaster TX is a superb wheel the “dying within a few hours” scenario seems to be with european models bought in the uk. Mine had a UK plug (was told to look out for that) and ive had it since march 2015 nothing has gone wrong with it whatsoever its been reviewed by the best sites and is a clear winner try isrtv they are the go to people for sim rig and wheel advice they all say TX servo is better than any on the market…TX uses brushless motors not 15yr old tech ahem! Logitech!!! And the TX is cheaper so no brainer get the TX
Just read Skunkworks post its the funniest UNTRUE thing I have ever read on this forum not the bit about bad experiences but the the whole price tag thing yes the TX comes with a plastic and rubber rim and yes only two pedals but dude wake up and read facts before posting the TX is £150 cheaper than the whopping £399 Logitec are asking and the TX uses newer technology as for inside sim racing they stated that the quality of logitec was ok “OKAY” for £399 i want AMAZING they didnt much the plastic shifter which costs another £60 so thats £459 and it has a horrible deadzone no amount of configuring can cure…on the upside of Logitec’s package the pedals do look pretty good for an in the box set but t3pa’s they are not and th8a the toy like shifter from logitech it is not. Good luck with whatever you decide to buy but Skunkworks that is a lot of money to spend for “ok”
I recently bought the logitech G920. It’s going back to Logitech and instead I’m investing in the new pedals and shifter for my Thrustmaster. The G920 is not half the wheel the TX is. FFB is not good at all.
