Turtle Beach’s first racing sim hardware is a direct drive wheel and pedal kit

Turtle Beach has unveiled its first wheel and pedal system designed for racing simulators, following the company’s debut into gaming simulation hardware with the VelocityOne Flight in 2021. The new VelocityOne Race is a direct drive system (meaning it provides more “torque” for better immersion) designed for Windows PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X / S consoles. It’s priced at $649.99, with preorders starting today ahead of its official launch on February 26th.

For that, you’re getting adjustable aluminum pedals and a modular steering wheel control unit that’s equipped with six buttons, five latched toggle switches, three rotary dials, and two analog paddles for the clutch and handbrake. A “race management display” is also integrated into the wheel assembly, which allows drivers to monitor their real-time race telemetry data in supported games like Forza. Additional customizations to things like control mappings and force feedback levels can be made via the VelocityOne Race Tuner companion app, which is available for Xbox, PC, iOS, and Android devices.

The VelocityOne Race’s price and features are comparable to budget direct drive offerings from brands that have already attracted dedicated racing simulation fans, such as the CSL DD (5nm) from Fanatec — though these aren’t typically sold as kits and instead need each component to be purchased individually. Still, Turtle Beach may find some advantages from its existing sizable market presence for gaming hardware and the convenience of purchasing a bundled solution.