Thrustmaster T128 Review

Manufacturer: Thrustmaster
Where to Buy: Thrustmaster
RRP: £169.99 (or region equivalent)

For fans of racing games, one of the biggest barriers for them to upgrade to a steering wheel from using a control pad has been the cost. Some racing sim rigs can cost thousands of pounds, and even at the lower end of the scale there are some wheels that have been on the market for years that will still set you back £250+, which for a casual player can feel like a huge investment of money even before they’ve started to think about storage or something to potentially fix it to.

Enter the T128, a wheel and pedal set Thrustmaster have released into the wild for fans or even casual players of racing games, and we’ve been fortunate to of got our hands on one to review. Fortunately, I’m lucky enough already own a racing wheel that Santa generously gifted me in Christmas 2020, so I’ve been able to make comparisons and test different racing games over the last week to see how they stack up against each other.

I’ll start with how it felt, as people can often be put off by the sight of plastic pedals. Well, you can put those fears to rest, as I can honestly say I preferred the feel of the plastic pedals against my feet compared to my usual metal ones. The 2 pedals look quite close together in the pictures; I have size 13 feet (Yes, yes I know, I have big feet which also means… big socks) and not once did my feet get in the way of each other. The throttle control felt so much smoother to apply and when playing Formula 1 2022 I was within a tenth of a second of the lap I had set on Time Trial within 3 laps, which for someone with low adaptability like myself was remarkable. Other games I played were Forza Horizon 5, Wreckfest, DiRT Rally 2.0 and Grid Legends and they all felt so smooth to play and the wheel was compatible with all of them.

The cheaper wheel models you can find on the market don’t usually have Force Feedback. This is where the T128 wins again – you get to experience immersive force feedback which lets you feel sensation of racing, so whether you’re riding the curbs in F1 or smashing through Cacti in Forza you can feel it coming through the wheel. There is an easily accessible handbrake button on the T128 as well so you won’t miss having a separate handbrake accessory.

The wheel has plenty of other features as well. You have magnetic paddle shifters (or flappy paddles as Jeremy Clarkson used to describe them), while the wheel also has an angle rotation of up to 900 degrees, so if you enjoy power sliding you won’t be missing out. It has a quick attachment system which makes it suitable for tables or desks. I would recommend going down the wooden route for securing it down as I tried attaching it to the metal fold away frame I have and it didn’t last long on there.

A potential underrated feature on the T128 is the Engine speed LEDs. If you wanted to try manual gears and you get close to the rev limiter the lights on the wheel will start to flash, indicating that it’s a good time to shift up a gear. This is great for drivers who may not want to take their eyes off the road and can use their peripheral vision to stay focused. The list of compatible games for this is regularly updated on the Thrustmaster technical support website so keep an eye on this is there is certain game you wish to play with the T128.

At the time of writing the T128 is currently £169.99 on the official Thrustmaster website, which for a wheel that stacks up well against its competitors as good as it does is a great entry point for people looking to upgrade from a pad. If you did want to purchase some optional accessories it does get expensive (it’s £169.99 for the TH8A manual shifter and £119.99 for the 3 pedal T3PA add-on) but again these are optional extras if you wanted to upgrade further down the line.

Conclusion

The T128 is a great option for those who are considering putting down their control pad and upgrading to a wheel and to not also feel they’re just buying a cheap wheel for the sake of it. The T128 offers great value for money and is must for either casual or more experienced racing sim fans.

Hardware provided by the manufacturer for review purposes.