Turtle Beach Velocityone Race KD3 wheel review: simply the best budget direct drive wheel on the market

Turtle Beach Velocityone Race KD3: One-minute review

Previously a headset specialist, Turtle Beach has expanded into the more distant shores of sim peripherals lately and has had some especially impressive first forays into flight sim gear. The original VelocityOne direct drive bundle didn’t stick the landing quite as well over in the sim racing space, but this revised KD3 version addresses a lot of user feedback, and the result is simply our favourite budget-end direct drive bundle.

Both the wheelbase and pedals are equally at home on a desktop setup or installed on a racing seat, which is a smart move at this price point since the split of users who race one way or the other is far more even than at a higher price. Although there’s some plastic present on both the base of the pedals and the framework of the wheel, this doesn’t detract from what’s a solid and detailed driving sensation.

Torque weenies will be quick to point out the low 3.2Nm output from Turtle Beach’s direct drive motor, but in reality, it doesn’t feel weak to drive. There’s enough muscle here to make a car feel weighty, and to articulate a rear-end slip well enough for you to react to it.

Conversely, the wheel is the weak point of the whole bundle. The buttons are uninspiring and feel cheap to press, and while the magnetic shifters feel great, the visual design isn’t going to turn many heads.