Turtle Beach VelocityOne F-RX Formula Wheel Review

The ecosystem astir Turtle Beach’s competent VelocityOne Race instrumentality and pedal set, which grew earlier this twelvemonth with the accomplishment of the large worth VelocityOne Multi-Shift, precocious expanded again with the instauration of a butterfly-style racing rim: the F-RX Formula Wheel (which is besides compatible with Turtle Beach’s newest, entry-level nonstop thrust bundle, the KD3). If you’re unfamiliar with the conception of a look wheel, representation a steering instrumentality with the apical and bottommost wholly chopped away, and the lone mode to grip it is astatine 9 and 3 o’clock. In the discourse of sim racing, they’re the champion mode to replicate virtually racing modern unfastened wheelers, prototypes, and GT cars, due to the fact that these are the sorts of steering wheels these cars typically travel equipped with successful the existent world.

There are a assortment of reasons for this. Race cars similar those listed supra tally with a precise constrictive steering range, and you’ll lone ever request to grip the instrumentality astatine 9 and 3 o’clock to tackle immoderate circuit (meaning the remainder of the rim is superfluous). Your hands besides request to stay astatine 1 spot connected the instrumentality due to the fact that that’s wherever the displacement paddles are. The driving presumption successful a contention car is besides mostly overmuch antithetic to that successful a regular accumulation car, and a afloat steering instrumentality whitethorn artifact a driver’s presumption successful a mode a look instrumentality (with the full apical information of the instrumentality chopped out) does not. Formula wheels aren’t cleanable for each sim racing scenarios (they’re wildly impractical for drifting and rallying, nor are they earthy for NASCAR), but they marque a batch of consciousness if your driving tastes see immoderate of the astir fashionable games successful the sim racing abstraction (like iRacing, F1, Assetto Corsa Competizione, Le Mans Ultimate, Project Motor Racing, and galore more).

The Turtle Beach F-RX Formula Wheel is really a beauteous charismatic upgrade for some of Turtle Beach’s existent wheelbases, peculiarly since it sits astatine the little extremity of the fund erstwhile it comes to formula-style sim racing wheels. It’s a precise sturdy rim with a satisfying and logical fastener layout, and it’s decidedly been mostly enjoyable to usage successful the close racing contexts.

Turtle Beach VelocityOne F-RX Formula Wheel – Design and Features

I should enactment instantly that the Turtle Beach F-RX Formula Wheel’s speedy merchandise collar is bespoke to Turtle Beach wheelbases, truthful that means it’s presently lone compatible with the VelocityOne Race and the VelocityOne Race KD3. You can’t conscionable popular it onto any wheelbase you mightiness own. This makes it a precise circumstantial merchandise for a precise circumstantial customer, but it does correspond a genuine boost to Turtle Beach’s progressively decent VelocityOne racing ecosystem.

The F-RX is constructed with an aluminium frame, and it feels precise beardown and rigid successful the grasp. It’s 304mm successful diameter (11.97”), which is simply a pleasingly realistic size, and the grips are rubberised and good curved and shaped for comfy and assured control.

There are 10 mechanical, RGB-backlit buttons – 5 connected the near and 5 connected the close of the rim, arranged successful unsmooth semicircles for casual thumb access. These buttons diagnostic customisable lighting. In summation to these, determination are 3 rotary encoders connected the look of the wheel, arsenic good arsenic 2 much angled towards wherever your thumb rests – 1 facing the near grip and the different facing the right. Below those angled encoders are 2 analogue-style nubs; they person a precise abbreviated propulsion but their small, concave surfaces and clicky actions marque them elemental to use.

On the backmost the F-RX features 4 paddles – 2 magnetic shifters and 2 programmable clutch paddles (the second of which usage Hall sensors).

A 10-LED displacement airy runs crossed the apical of the wheel’s face, framed betwixt immoderate minimal branding (which is considerably much subtle than the ample logo that adorns the rims that travel with the archetypal VelocityOne Race and the caller KD3). I don’t find these peculiarly crucial; lone the brightness of the displacement lights tin beryllium customised (as opposed to the colours) and virtually nary Xbox games really look to beryllium sending this benignant of info to Turtle Beach wheels, anyway. That is, erstwhile I’m playing thing like, say, Assetto Corsa Competizione connected Xbox, I’m focusing connected the on-screen HUD for these kinds of ocular aids. The lone Xbox games listed to nonstop telemetry information to Turtle Beach wheels are F1 24 and F1 25.

Turtle Beach VelocityOne F-RX Formula Wheel – Performance

First and foremost, the F-RX is suitably satisfying to clasp and contention with. Considering I person alternatively ample hands, that’s not ever a given. My idiosyncratic penchant would person been a flocked decorativeness due to the fact that I similar the consciousness of it and my hands get little clammy (I don’t play racing sims with gloves, but I bash cognize it’s not an uncommon trait successful the sim racing community). However, the rubber decorativeness connected the F-RX’s grips is good nonetheless. I bask not lone the signifier of the rim, but besides the thickness of the grips. It feels comfy to grasp for extended periods, and sufficiently chunky. That is, it doesn’t consciousness dainty oregon toy-like astatine all, which is pleasing.

It’s besides a precise nicely weighted rim, giving it a robust and steadfast consciousness with nary existent flex oregon creaking, though astatine conscionable 1.38kg (3.04lbs) it’s not excessively dense for the little torque VelocityOne Race KD3 wheelbase. It does wiggle precise somewhat astatine the basal of the speedy merchandise collar, but not successful a mode I detected portion really racing.

The buttons connected the look of the rim person a satisfyingly tactile enactment which requires much than an accidental magnitude of unit to activate. Their audible, mechanical click takes distant immoderate of that mushiness you sometimes get from buttons without it. I would wager this would beryllium peculiarly utile feedback for players who bash similar to deterioration gloves. The buttons are acceptable successful metallic plates fixed to the rim’s outer ammunition and look they’ll beryllium rather hardy.

The 3 rotary dials connected the look of the instrumentality each person 12 settings, and they person a nice, dense click to their rotation. They each request a precise steadfast twist to clunk into each disposable setting. That benignant of mechanical feedback is precise utile successful knowing the adjustments you’re making without needing to instrumentality your eyes disconnected the racing. As usual, I should enactment that portion the F-RX rim is compatible with some PC and Xbox (like the archetypal VelocityOne Race and KD3), you won’t get the functionality of all these buttons and dial settings erstwhile playing connected Xbox (where the ceiling for controls is constricted to what tin beryllium assigned to a traditional, 16-button controller).

The magnetic shifters person steadfast and crisp actions. There’s a small flex astatine the basal of the heavy metallic paddles, but it’s thing terrible and lone noticeable if you’re squeezing importantly harder than necessary. The arsenic heavy clutch paddles are conscionable arsenic rigid arsenic the shifters, but they person a softer action, and the instrumentality unit is accordant nevertheless overmuch they’re depressed.