- The low cost of the Thrustmaster T98 is designed with children and entry-level players in mind, according to product marketing manager Xavier Pieuchot
- Pieuchot says the T98 is "everything you need to make your first step into a racing game"
- He also says the low cost meant Thrustmaster couldn't implement force feedback, but that it's more suitable for children
Thrustmaster's new, Ferrari-licensed T98 is a low-cost racing wheel designed for kids and wheel newcomers, but this meant the manufacturer couldn't add one key feature.
Speaking in an interview with TechRadar Gaming at Gamescom 2025, following the T98's announcement, Thrustmaster product marketing manager Xavier Pieuchot explained that the wheel's $100 / £89.99 / €100 price tag allows first-time wheel users to get started cheaply, particularly children.
"It's not aimed at sim racers, it's aimed at kids, for first-time steering wheel users," Pieuchot said, "but there is a big market here because all the guys now playing sim racing [games] with pro stuff should start with something cheap at the beginning, so that's why we have launched this one [the T98].
"Below €100, most of the time you get very cheap design, very cheap plastic as well. Here we bring [the] Ferrari license, so we can't say that it's a replica because it's not 1:1 scale. But it's very inspired by the GTB.
"Basically, you have a kind of replica, good-looking steering wheel and everything you need to make your first step into a racing game."
However, because of T98's low cost, this meant the company couldn't afford to implement force feedback, a common component found in many of the best racing wheels that uses an electric motor to generate realistic resistance.
Pieuchot explained that since it's a more budget-friendly product, it couldn't offer the same experience as a wheel with force feedback power, adding that it would be more suitable for small children anyway.
"You have a product which looks like a steering wheel, so you have a better immersion of driving a car, but we know that at the end it's not the way you start and get serious with sim racing, so that's why," he said. "And, as I said, [the] motor is the most expensive part of the steering wheel.
"So if we want to achieve the below €100 target, we just can't afford the feedback," he said. "It's way easier and safer for a family to put a steering wheel like this in a kids' hands."
The Thrustmaster T98 is available now and is compatible with PC, PS4, and PS5.
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