Thrustmaster Detail First Force-Feedback Wheel

Thrustmaster’s Motorsport GT Wheel is due sometime this year and supposedly will retail for less than $200. The big news is that it should have force feedback and should revolutionize the industry once support picks up with developers.

The article (quoted below) from GameCenter also mentions a number of titles that should end up including support for the technology and a basic explanation of what it will do.

The text:

In an recent interview with Gamecenter, ThrustMaster’s product marketing manager, Alan Smith, outlined plans for the company’s upcoming force feedback steering wheel, the MotorSport GT. Due out this summer, the wheel is currently in prototype, awaiting distribution to game developers to garner game support.

The MotorSport GT is basically identical to the company’s T2 Driving Wheel except that it adds force feedback technology. Currently, ThrustMaster is completing a specific set of generic force-feedback effects that will be sent to game developers in the form of a software development kit. The canned effects include shudders, jolts, and small vibrations, as well as the tightening and loosening of wheel resistance.

“In a driving game, you could be driving over gravel, which would vibrate the wheel. The vibrations can speed up or slow down in accordance with your speed on the gravel. If you’ve just taken a jump, then the steering will be very loose while you’re in the air,” explains Smith. “Game designers can make the wheel loose in icy or wet conditions. The wheel can rumble during collisions or on bumpy roads.”

Expect creative game developers to augment ThrustMaster’s jolts and bumps with their own effects to simulate unique conditions in their individual games. One of the first of these developers to get its hands on a prototype will be Bethesda’s X-Car development team. X-Car is a driving sim that focuses on high-speed prototype automobiles, using the company’s 3D Xngine, also found in Daggerfall and SkyNet. Beyond Bethesda, Smith expects Virgin Interactive to support the MotorSport GT, presumably for its Screamer road racing games. Microsoft’s Monster Truck Madness is another likely candidate, according to Smith, though Microsoft denies any plans to support the wheel at this time.

Smith is confident that once developers get their hands on a prototype there will be an avalanche of game support for the MotorSport GT. The wheel will be backwards-compatible with driving games that support the T2, though it won’t offer force feedback to these older titles. It will also be compatible with current ThrustMaster pedals. Thankfully, no additional hardware will be needed to connect the wheel to your PC. It will simply plug into your joystick and serial port, and include an AC adapter for added power.

Look for the MotorSport GT this summer for under $200. At least one game should be bundled with the wheel, though Smith could not announce the title just yet.