Additional information
Release date | September 20, 2024 |
---|---|
Package Dimensions | 24.75 x 17.5 x 15.75 inches, 12.5 Pounds |
Type of item | Accessory |
Language | English |
Item model number | HPC-044U |
Item Weight | 12.5 pounds |
Manufacturer | HORI |
Country of Origin | China |
Date First Available | May 3, 2024 |
Chad –
This is by far the best steering wheel to use for American truck simulator and Euro truck simulator. It really adds to the immersion and realism. I love using it and it has worked flawlessly since I’ve had it. I’ve been using it since I bought it back in September. It’s great to have everything where its supposed to be example: horn,wipers,cruise control,engine brake/retarder etc. I also use it along with my button box. A real upgrade from my g29. I highly recommend it.
Morgan –
Pour les fanatique fini de ats et ets2 c’est le kit de volant à se procurer c’est un must…….. Très intuitif et agréable à conduire bonne année… Merci hori et scs software pour cette belle collaboration
Amazon Customer –
The large steering wheel give you more the feel of a large truck. The 1800 degrees of rotation also add to the truck feel. Not to pleased with the shifter so far. It’s going to take some time to get used to. The gates seem too sloppy and I often miss shifts. They are also very far apart. There’s more than enough buttons to control everything on your truck.
Dtrek1 –
To summarize this review before it begins, let me say this. In regards to the HORI Truck Control System – Do NOT expect high-end quality materials and mechanisms, it simply is not here (I personally was fine with the materials used, but some might find them disappointing especially at 600$). But what you can come to expect (at least in my opinion) is intuitive and fun design regarding button layout that not only immerses you into the game but also gets you to utilize more functions of the game (more on that later).
For two years prior I used the Logitech G920 religiously, so needless to say, I got a good feel for the wheel and its functionality (and quirks), so throughout this review I will be drawing comparisons between the two.
The Wheel
For nearly double the price of the G920, I was coming into this with moderate to high expectations for the wheel, and for me personally, the wheel met but did not exceed my expectations. Something to note, I have not yet been spoiled by a direct drive wheel so I have no comparison to how they operate compared to a gear driven wheel, however, I can say in confidence that the wheel is soft and snappy in regards to the turning/rotation, especially compared to the G920.
Let’s get the Nitpicking out of the way. The Nm is never specified on the page of the product, and I can honestly see why. The force feedback of the wheel was on par, if not slightly weaker than the G920, this (especially at this price point) could be rather disappointing to someone who appreciates the feel of a strong wheel (I personally did not mind), I could quite literally turn/rotate the wheel with my index finger alone, and this was after messing with the force feedback settings within the program the system comes with. Some might find it disappointing that the turn indicator doesn’t stick in position, but this is a very minor issue. My final nitpick about the wheel is that when I was first using the wheel, my sleeve got caught on the left and right joystick whilst turning frequently, thus leading me to stop wearing thick sleeved clothing while operating the wheel.
Now let’s talk about the positives about the wheel. The layout of the wheel itself, in my opinion, is rather thoughtful and intuitive, being well spaced and put in comfortable locations. Because of this, you end up utilizing a lot more features of the game, thus leading to more immersion. The buttons on the wheel itself are not exactly tactile (except for buttons 22-29) but definitely not mushy either, some might want more of a response when hitting a button but I personally did not mind. The layout of the buttons took me a negligible amount of time to get used to, after about 30-45 minutes I had about 80% of the wheel layout memorized. Not only are there logograms/symbols on each button, there is the button number listed below each one, thus making remapping a lot easier to remember compared to the G920. The angle of the wheel itself is much more similar to a real semi-truck wheel compared to the G920, in fact the angle was so shallow that I had to adjust my seating arrangement to be a few inches higher, in order to comfortably operate the wheel and its buttons. Having 1800 degrees of rotation compared to 900 is a completely different ballpark, for the first 5 minutes I felt like I was operating a completely new game. 1800 degrees also means you have much more precise control of your wheels, especially when turning at high speeds or when doing tight maneuvers. I found this to be a big upside, and if you don’t want all 1800 degrees of rotation, there is a customizable software for the wheel that allows you to limit the degrees of rotation (more on that later).
Overall, there is a lot of good things to say about the wheel and a few bad things, but in my opinion, in this situation the good outweighs the bad.
The Shifter
I have the least to say about the shifter, as I am a part of the minority of people who can’t operate an h-shifter/clutch, however, after messing with the shifter extensively in the software and briefly within the game, I can say that they function well and are responsive and precise. I can imagine that the shifter will meet your expectations. Overall I cannot say much bad about the shifter itself, if I had to nitpick, I would say that the range and the splitter on the stick are almost too tactile, and at 600$ some might expect better materials to be used (all plastic is used). That being said, the buttons on the shifter itself were adequate for me, the same thing about the wheel applies to the shifter as well, the buttons are definitely not mushy, but they are not exactly super tactile either. The only button that feels especially flimsy is the parking brake button. Along with that, there are some unmapped buttons that you can assign whatever action you want to them. The desk connection of the shifter takes some adjustment but once it’s in place, it is very hard to move and sturdy.
The Pedals
The Pedals are easily the weakest point of the HORI Truck Control System, in my opinion. To bring up the negatives, there is no carpet solution for the bottom of the pedals, they will slide with ease on carpet, so I ended up having to use a plank of wood to keep them steady, for 600$ even I found this very disappointing. Another thing, these pedals feel significantly lighter than the G920 pedals. Some other notes about the wheel, the base of the pedals are plastic while the pedals themselves are metal, for 600$ some might be disappointed, but I wasn’t too miffed. The default settings of the pedals, in my opinion, were rather sensitive, but I got used to them rather quickly. In my opinion the spacing of the pedals are acceptable and slightly better than the G920. I found myself engaging the wrong pedal a lot less with the HORI pedals than with the Logitech. A final note about the pedals, the connections and wires that are attached are of average quality and don’t seem to be overly flimsy, but I wouldn’t be too rough with them.
The Software
I will touch briefly about the software here. The included software that comes with the HORI Truck Control System solves most of the issues with the wheel, for example. On the second day of owning the wheel, after turning my computer on and letting the wheel turn on and calibrate, I noticed that the wheel was slightly off center, after doing some digging within the included software, I found a recalibration mode that completely fixed the issue. This software works for the functions of the Wheel, Shifter, and pedals and is rather easy to use (at least for me).
To summarize and finalize this review. Would I recommend the HORI Truck Control System? I would say that depends, if you are confidently addicted to truck sim games and plan to play no other types of games with it, then I say it is worth its price.
Overall, if I could give a 4.25/5 I would, but since I cannot, I will round down to a 4.
Also, I already have the two games that are included with the system, so I will leave the steam keys below to the lucky first person who finds them. Happy Trucking and Happy Life! 🙂
BR3YJ-K60IW-RBEE6 (Euro Truck Simulator 2)
ZXZE2-6QYQ7-NK885 (American Truck Simulator)
The score is subject to change if something happens in time and I will make sure to leave date stamps for any updates down below (9-29-24)
Chad –
*Edited at bottom for one week use critiques*
My old set up was a G29 with the 3D printed stalk addon bought from Amazon, a 18 speed shifter mod and a farm sim button box. Everything was a little jerry-rigged together, but it worked and really boosted the immersion factor. It’s a must have for true sim enjoyment. I saw this product announced from the amazing team SCS on a live feed one day and I jumped on the pre-order. ETA for delivery was in December per the announcement and Amazon estimate. Once this big box arrived (2 1/2 months early) I had to get it set up. The process was super easy, the base mounted to my sim stand after removing 4 screws that held together the desk clamp mechanism. The driver and software set up was easy via the Hori website and integration into both ATS and ETS2 was straightforward.
This is what I’ve been wanting for a LONG WHILE now. Something made to mesh perfectly together and loaded with all the buttons you can use to control every aspect. Now, I was a bit skeptical because from what I’ve read you cannot change the button layouts, SCS developers worked closely with Hori engineers to develop this perfect set up, and I’m not even mad I can’t change much, as it’s perfect as is. After an hour or so, It all becomes muscle memory. There are a few AUX buttons you can remap as you see fit, but I haven’t needed them as all so far. **EDIT ~ You CAN remap any button you want. In fact, each one does have numbers to make it that much easier to do.**
The FFB is perfect and the ability to actually use 1800° rotation is phenomenal, really allows turning in tight spots making the game a bit more enjoyable. The shifter has a tension knob to adjust the stifness of the shift gates and a slider for sequential or H. The pre-order discount took a bit of the sting away, but honestly, after using this for about 9 hrs so far, I’d gladly pay full price just for the enjoyability it adds.
**To add, after using for a week now.
1) The pedals. There not really to my expectations. Theres no carpet solution. I have a stand, but many others may not, and this will hinder you without modifications. Which frankly, at this price point, you shouldn’t have to. Also, each has the same feel and resistance. Breaking feels.. fake.
2) The FFB. It is a bit on the weak side. But for trucking, it’s alright. I got my settings cranked up a bit over my old G29 and it works.
3) The shifter. When using the H shifter, I feel like I’m driving a short throw. It don’t have that trucking shift feel. You get used to it, but there’s not really any way you can modify it by adding an extension.
I still would recommend this. And I’m really enjoying it so far versus my old Frankenstein set up. I feel the value here is pretty good for what you get. Especially how much more you can end up spending buying everything high-end and piecing it together. Not to mention the time you would have to spend as well. For a one and done solution, I think this peripheral setup is pretty adequate. 4 1/4 stars (as mentioned in the review above) I will however keep my eyes peeled for V2 if there ever comes a day.
Dtrek1 –
After having it for couple of days. I think I would say it worth the money.
It has some problems, the weak force feedback, the low quality touch of the button, and the side stick. And the lack of an anti-slip mechanism on the foot padel as other users mentioned.
But overall, it creates a unique ATS and ETS experience, making it way more happy to drive with it.
If you want to create the same experience by building your own system, you probably will spend double the money to put together a steering wheel base, shifter, 18-gear shifter head, truck steering wheel, and at least one panel.
In conclusion, it definitely create a good experience and worth the price.
Daniel Levesque –
Ce volant est parfait pour Euro truck et American truck je l’aime beaucoup et je le recommende
Dtox –
Impressionnant
Morgan –
Don’t waste a second longer if you want value for your money. I was not dissapointed in this purchase.