Thrustmaster Reveals T598: Set to Revolutionise Direct Drive Wheels with Next-Generation Direct Axial Drive

Rennes, October 16, 2024 — Thrustmaster is thrilled to reveal its new sim racing base/wheel rim/pedal set ensemble, ushering in a new Direct Drive motor technology: Direct Axial Drive.

With its slogan “DRIVE INTO A NEW ERA”, at Gamescom 2024 Thrustmaster announced a new era to come in its range and, more broadly, in the sim racing market. After publishing an article explaining the limitations of the current generation of Direct Drive motors (available here), followed by a second article unveiling Direct Axial Drive, the new Axial flux motor technology (available here), Thrustmaster is now making available the world’s first racing wheel to incorporate this brand-new technology. Its main feature: XXL performance for a particularly low price.

T598 is a complete base/wheel rim/pedal set ensemble, officially licensed for PlayStation®5 and PlayStation®4, and compatible with PC.

DRIVE INTO A NEW ERA

A new era has dawned in the world of sim racing. After the advent of Direct Drive motors, the Direct Axial Drive technology designed by Thrustmaster is ushering in new standards. More efficient and less expensive, this Axial flux motor represents the future for tomorrow’s racing wheels. T598 is the first to feature it.

Performance that truly stands out

Zero cogging

The biggest advantage of Direct Axial Drive is the Axial flux motor, which — as a result of its significantly lighter copper structure compared to conventional Direct Drive models — does not generate any cogging (parasitic friction produced by the switch from one magnet to another in the motor). The result: perfectly smooth wheel rim movement, along with clearer and more precise effects. This lack of cogging also makes it possible to avoid employing the anti-cogging firmware used in Direct Drive motors to artificially mask this undesirable effect, which consumes energy and distorts part of the Force Feedback signal sent by games. In addition, latency is significantly reduced, as the motor is able to drive the wheel’s axis without parasitic information or reprocessing of the signal sent by the game. Latency of just 5 milliseconds is absolutely unprecedented in this price range.

Constant torque + Overshoot: The new standard of power

T598 features a motor that puts out 5 Nm of constant torque, which remains perfectly stable throughout gaming sessions — and yet, thanks to Direct Axial Drive technology’s lack of cogging, the motor never saturates. For brief moments, it is able to vastly increase its maximum power far beyond its constant torque. T598 has an overshoot capability of +100% (100% beyond its maximum constant torque): thanks to this, the physics effects in games are more impactful, immediate and accurate, for a more precise and responsive overall feel.

Unlike peak torque (which is often only able to be maintained for a few seconds), overshoot is a true indicator of a motor’s performance, as it defines the capacity to generate more powerful torque, voluntarily and repeatedly, without altering the ability to maintain constant torque.

Next-generation sensations

T598 was designed for demanding gamers looking for enhanced immersion thanks to high-fidelity Force Feedback with respect to the physics in games.

The technological properties of Direct Axial Drive allow T598 to render all of the effects in games like never before:

• The zero-cogging motor’s precision makes the physical effects in games much clearer and sharper: every detail is felt in the gamer’s hands.
• The overshoot capability significantly increases the impact sensation of effects. Gamers feel all the impacts in games with even more intensity.

Direct Axial Drive also incorporates HARMONY technology, generating high-frequency vibrations. Users can feel all of the physics in games, down to the smallest details of the road surface. At high power, these vibrations can extend right into the cockpit. Rumble strips and tire screeching have never been so impactful. The innovative “Gear Jolt” option, allowing gamers to feel gear shifting in the wheel rim, benefits from this technology.

A bundle that’s ready to play on PlayStation® for less than €500

T598 is officially licensed for PlayStation® and is compatible with PS5®, PS4® and PC. On PlayStation®, T598 is plug and play in more than 100 compatible games.

T598 comes as a complete, ready-to-play bundle, including:

• A racing wheel base: T598 Servo Base
• A wheel rim: SPORTCAR Wheel Add-On
• A pedal set : Raceline Pedals LTE

Commercial information

T598 is available at a suggested retail price of £449.99 / $499.99 / €499.99 in the following regions:

• United States: October 19, 2024, only at Best Buy
• China: November 4, 2024
• Europe: November 29, 2024
• Rest of the world: from the end of 2024

Pre-orders: from October 11, 2024