I drove 1,000 miles with the Thrustmaster T598 — here’s why it’s the best sim racing setup you can buy for under $500

Thrustmaster T598.

I’ve tried plenty of mid-range direct drive wheels — built to make the lofty heights of the premium sim racing experiences you see the likes of Jimmy Broadbent and SuperGT use all the more accessible. And all in all, they’re great, but just fall slightly short of really giving you that same level of immersion that a $1,000+ rig can give you.

But then, I tried the Thrustmaster T598, and I must admit this is the new budget king for PlayStation and PC racers alike. The secret sauce comes with Direct Axial Drive. This isn’t your standard DD — rather a new kind of flux motor that alters how that magnetic field works to deliver smooth force feedback (I’ll get more scientific about it in the review).