Thrustmaster TS-XW 2021 REVIEW | Still Worth It?
Thrustmaster's TS-XW Wheelbase was first released back in November of 2017 with the release of the Thrustmaster and Sparco lineup. More recently, this wheelbase has now released as a stand-alone, but nearly four years later, is it still worth your money? Let's find out.
Starting at around $400 for the wheelbase itself, no wheel, no pedals, just the wheelbase, it's not aimed at the beginner market, and it's fair to say that this is intended for those who want a significant upgrade over their beginner gear, but don’t want to sell a kidney for other higher-end offerings in the market. So while I go along with this review, the price and value for money will be a heavy factor in my final recommendation. And before I say anything, I should mention that I did receive this product free of charge from Thrustmaster, however, I received it for completely unrelated reasons and this review is not paid for nor influenced by them in any way. Just thought I'd mention that.
Finally, for the simplicity of this review, I’ll split it up into three main parts. The positives, the negatives, and my final thoughts and recommendations.
POSITIVES
Alright, let's get started with the positives. Taking a look at it from a design perspective, it's a great-looking wheelbase. It has a brushless red plate that glistens under light and looks pretty cool. Furthermore, the TS-XW has some additional red accents throughout which says a lot about its attention to detail. Its body is composed mainly of tough plastic, and although it is plastic, it doesn't feel or look cheap like say, the Logitech wheelbases. Overall, an extremely solid and rigid construction. On another note regarding its design, the power supply included with the TSXW is unlike any other I've ever seen, take a look:
This wheelbase also works as a hub for all other compatible Thrustmaster gear. So your Thrustmaster pedals, shifters, and anything of that sort plug directly in here which is very practical. The TS-XW also features a cooling mechanism that does a fantastic job at keeping temperature levels low and barely making noise while doing so. From the three or so months that I have used this, I have barely even heard the cooling system.
Underneath the wheel, there are of course mounting holes that connect to nearly any cockpit out in the market. If you are using this on a desk, which I don’t recommend, the TSXW comes with a clamping mechanism which I’ve never used so I can’t comment on it. As this is a review, I should go ahead and mention that the TS-XW works on Xbox and PC but not PS4.
And of course, we can’t talk about the positives without mentioning the actual performance of the wheelbase. From the time I've used this wheel, I have nothing but good things to say regarding my experience with it. The TS-XW provides precise and quick responses and more force feedback than I’ll probably ever need. With an adjustable angle of rotation from 270 to 1080 degrees, this wheelbase will also suit all playing styles whether your playing F1 2020 or some truck simulator. Moreover, the wheelbase is belt-driven and as a result, there is higher precision, faster responses, and very importantly, lower noise coming from it. Regarding the noise, it is extremely impressive. Upgrading from my G29 which sounded like a few pans falling from stairs, the TS-XW is surprisingly silent.
When it arrived, the wheel came nicely packaged and arrived without a scratch. If you’re interested, here's a link to an unboxing video I made a few months ago.
Finally, to top off the positives, the wheelbase features Thrustmaster's quick release system which makes it relatively straightforward to swap out to compatible wheels. As a result, you can switch from a rally-style to a GT-style wheel or any such configuration with relative ease.
NEGATIVES
Now moving on to the negatives, let me just start by saying that in my opinion, maybe other than its price, there's nothing I would consider a deal-breaker. There are just a few things that I’ve found a little annoying throughout the last few months. One of them is the screw needed for the quick release. While the mechanism to put in and switch out wheels is straightforward and quick, Thrustmaster requires you to also screw in the wheel when it's attached. So pretty much, you put in the wheel and successfully use the quick release mechanism to put it in place, but you still need to put in an additional small screw. Here's my theory, Thrustmaster designed their quick release mechanism but once everything was set and ready to go, they realized that under significant forces, the wheel becomes loose and as a result, they included a little screw as an afterthought. So it's not technically a quick-release mechanism as the process of unscrewing, removing, putting back in, and screwing again still takes at least around a minute once you get the hang of it. It's technically possible to use the wheelbase without attaching the screw but after a few minutes, you will notice the wheel loosening.
This next one will likely not apply to most but it applied to me so I’ll mention it. My current cockpit is the Next Level Racing GT-Track and when this wheelbase is properly attached and I went to connect it, I struggled to plug in its power cable and really had to force it in for it to work. Just due to the design of the included cable, it hit the plate holding the wheelbase and although it worked after a little persuasion, I wish I didn't have to bend the cable like this:
Finally, the TS-XW requires you to download its drivers and software, which is common for nearly any wheel. Within its software, you can tone up or tone down the force feedback of the wheelbase. However, and I don't know why the software doesn't allow you to adjust the force on the fly. Instead, every time you're in a game and adjust the setting, you have to restart the game for the change to be recognized. I will give Thrustmaster the benefit of the doubt and suppose this might just be a problem within the game and not the wheelbase.
Finally to top off the negatives, although I don't know its exact weight, this is still a heavy piece of gear. This may or may not be seen as a negative but keep this in mind if you have a delicate desk or DIY cockpit. For those with cockpits that hold up the wheel with a single tube, I used this wheelbase on my OpenWheeler cockpit and I never had a problem with it, so you will most likely not have a problem with it either.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Overall, the Thrustmaster TS-XW Wheelbase which debuted in 2017 is surpassing the test of time. The TS-XW provides precise and fast responses, more force feedback than I’ll ever need, and stays surprisingly silent while doing so. With its impressive and coming from previously using the G29, truly game-changing performance, the Thrustmaster TS-XW wheelbase remains a solid, reliable, and good-looking mid-range wheelbase for users looking to become truly competitive and bring the immersion to the next level. Coming in at $400 for the wheelbase alone, it's not aimed at entry-level users and it surely doesn't feel like so. Although I do wish they would address the little annoyance regarding its quick release.
