Soopa Store News, Reviews & Opinion
If you read my personal blog you’ll know that I own a PlayStation 4 and recently bought a steering wheel, pedals and gaming chair for it so I could spend hours driving from the comfort of my living room. If you don’t read my blog you can catch up by reading this post.
After deciding I wanted a steering wheel I set to work researching what PS4 compatible wheels had good reviews and were in my budget. That’s when I discovered that I’d either have to get a chair or a stand to affix the wheel and pedals to. This was starting to get serious.
Fortunately the limited space in my living room restricted the number of chairs I could choose from, assuming I wanted to keep my sofa that is! After hours of online research there seemed to be one option, a Playseat® Challenge chair. The selling point for me was the ability to fold it down, not quite small enough to slide under the sofa but it goes in the wardrobe fine.
The chair is a delight to sit in; it’s a cockpit style so a little snug but very comfortable so long sessions won’t leave you aching and stiff. It took me less than 15 minutes to open the box and slot the chair together. Can’t argue with that!
I was very impressed with the number of Velcro ties that were included, probably more than anyone would need but it certainly made a change from the usual approach of putting in the bare minimum. Construction is minimal with really only 3 parts needing put together.
For the steering wheel, the options for the PS4 are a bit limited but I opted for the Thrustmaster T300 RS, which is also PS3 & PC compatible. I won’t bother copy and pasting the specifications here but will say that as a novice, the Force feedback feature itself justifies the price tag!
Yes, make no mistakes the T300 isn’t the cheapest option but I feel sure that it will last me a while as it can be upgraded at any time with different wheels, pedals and gear sticks. At the moment it is compatible with the following wheels: Ferrari F1 Add-on, Ferrari GTE Add-on, T500 RS GT Wheel and Base-Fixed Paddle Shifters kit. As well as the following pedals and gearboxes: the T3PA – Thrustmaster 3 Pedals Add-on, the T500 RS pedal sets and with the TH8A and TH8RS gearboxes.
Yes, Yes Mr Omneo, that’s all well and good but has it improved your driving??
Well, the answer is…YES! Admittedly the first few attempts were just as bad as when I try with the controller but once I got to grip with things and a few hours later I managed to complete one or two laps without destroying the car.
I’m not sure how many people will, like me, splurge almost £500 on some accessories without trying them out first but despite only owning my kit for a few days I have no complaints. If you already have a more basic steering wheel and are thinking of an upgrade the T300 must surely be on your wish list. From the online reviews I’ve read the consensus is that it is as good as, if not better than, the more expensive Thrustmaster T500.
As I mentioned, the wheel and pedals can be attached to a fixed stand, a chair or even a table top but if you have the room I’d encourage you to opt for the chair as it will allow you to really immerse you into whatever game you’re playing.
While both bits of kit are available from Amazon, supplies can be erratic. I sourced my kit from the Playseat Store, which currently offers free Worldwide shipping.
