Thrustmaster TS-PC RACER Ferrari 488 Challenge Edition Coming

It seems that Thrustmaster is getting ready to release yet another new Ferrari Licenced Force Feedback racing wheel. While not yet officially announced, several web stores have leaked the coming of a new Thrustmaster TS-PC RACER Ferrari 488 Challenge Edition wheel.

As the name suggests, the new wheel makes use of the already available and very well received TS-PC RACER force feedback base unit which is fitted with what looks like an 8:10 scale Ferrari 488 Challenge replica rim.

Judging from the included pictures, the 488 Challenge wheel is made out of a brushed metal steering plate and a hand-stitched suede or Alcantara wrapped rim. The wheel plate housed 6 push buttons, two what could be 4-way momentary switches (or maybe just regular metal push buttons), and two big colored rotary dials. Last but not least the wheel plate features a built-in rev-meter made up out of 15 colored LED’s.

The wheel also comes with two large, wheel-mounted metal sequential paddle shifters as found on the TS-XW Racer SPARCO P310, 599XX EVO, and Sparco R383 Mod rim.

The new Thrustmaster TS-PC RACER Ferrari 488 Challenge Edition is currently listed online for roughly between €649 and €689 taxes included. It is to be expected that the wheel will be marketed without the inclusion of a pedal set.

At the time of writing, Thrustmaster did not yet make an official product announcement but considering the fact that they have already communicated the Ferrari 488 Challenge Edition wheel to international retailers, should indicate that an official introduction is imminent.

  

TS-PC Racer Wheelbase

To satisfy the requirements of the most demanding PC racers, Thrustmaster implemented a new motor. This brushless 40-watt motor’s responsiveness generates remarkably dynamic and powerful effects, along with skillfully optimized Force Feedback. The motor provides exceptional velocity (dynamic torque) which can be fully manifested in all racing conditions, from long stall curves (STALL mode) to super-responsive zigzags (DYNAMIC mode).

To ensure that the motor’s velocity is always available, Thrustmaster has developed an embedded cooling system: MCE*, which stands for “Motor Cooling Embedded”. This innovative piece of technology maintains the motor’s performance level during quick successions of power demands by ensuring that there is no overheating while remaining silent. This results in 50% more dynamic response, and 4 times greater stall force compared with Thrustmaster’s other Force Feedback wheels.

Also with a view to maintaining the motor’s dynamics under all types of racing conditions, the new F.O.C. algorithm (for Field Oriented Control) boosts the precision of Thrustmaster’s H.E.A.R.T (HallEffect AccuRate Technology) system providing 16-bit resolution (65,536 values), dynamically optimizing the response to intense precision demands. The motor responds dynamically and swiftly to increased torque requirements, thereby offsetting and preventing losses in terms of power.

An external TURBO power supply has been specially designed to provide continuous power and phenomenal peak power (400 watts), ensuring that the wheel is able to respond to high-speed and often very high-intensity commands from games. The power supply’s toroidal shape ensures optimized efficiency versus heat at 86%, thanks to its finless design.

To allow all users to fully customize their TS-PC Racer according to their own personal preferences in terms of the type of game, driving style or vehicle used, the TS-PC Racer is fully compatible with the entire Thrustmaster racing ecosystem, including: the Ferrari F1 Wheel Add-On, Ferrari Alcantara Wheel Add-On, T500 RS GT Wheel, TM Leather 28 GT Wheel Add-On…, the TH8RS and TH8A shifters, and the T3PA and T3PA-Pro pedal sets – as well as with other USB pedal sets on the market, or pedal sets equipped with a DB9 connector (via the Thrustmaster DB9 PEDALS T.RJ12 ADAPTER).

Official Webpage – www.thrustmaster.com