Turtle Beach has announced three new racing wheels launching September 9th, marking a significant expansion of their sim racing lineup. However, the question remains whether these new products can overcome the teething issues that plagued their original VelocityOne Race wheel launch in 2024.
The New Lineup
Turtle Beach’s latest offerings target three distinct market segments with varying price points and capabilities:
VelocityOne Race KD3 ($449.99) – A direct drive system featuring 3.2Nm of force feedback, 2,160° rotation, magnetic paddle shifters, and dedicated pedals. Turtle Beach positions this as their “serious racers” option with modular design suitable for desk setups or dedicated racing rigs.
VelocityOne F-RX ($249.99) – A Formula One-style wheel add-on featuring ten mechanical switches with RGB backlighting, five rotary dials, magnetic paddle shifters, clutch paddles, and an LED RPM dashboard. This wheel is compatible with existing VelocityOne wheelbases.
Turtle Beach Racer ($179.99) – A wireless racing wheel designed for casual users, featuring 2.4GHz low-latency connection, 30-hour battery life, integrated lap mount, and controller mode for non-racing games.
Learning From Past Mistakes?
The original VelocityOne Race, launched in February 2024 with a 7.2Nm direct drive motor and $649 price tag, faced significant challenges that offer lessons for these new releases. Early reviews highlighted several concerning issues that Turtle Beach needs to address with their new products.
The most significant problem was software immaturity. Reviewers noted that “the software and lack of fine-tuning seem to be holding it back tremendously, the same problem nearly all new sim racing companies have experienced when first joining the direct-drive market.”
Force feedback inconsistency plagued the original wheel. As one review noted: “There were times the VelocityOne Race delivered this but too often the immersion was broken by odd behavior or a lack of power altogether.”
Hardware quality control also presented issues. The pedal set faced criticism for “flex in the plastic housing and occasional input registration problems,” while the button box was “let down by poor execution” with inputs that “fall a long way short of the wheel’s overall build quality.”
Aggressive Pricing Meets Tough Competition
The VelocityOne Race KD3’s $449.99 price point puts it in direct competition with established players, but the comparison isn’t favorable when considering value propositions. The Moza R3 bundle, priced at just $359-399 for a 3.9Nm direct drive wheelbase, steering wheel, and pedals, offers nearly identical specifications at a significantly lower price.
This pricing pressure is particularly challenging given that Moza has already established Xbox compatibility and proven reliability in the market. The R3’s compact design, aluminum construction, and a far more mature software ecosystem make it a formidable competitor that Turtle Beach must directly address.
The budget Turtle Beach Racer at $179.99 faces different but equally challenging competition from established entry-level options like Logitech’s G29/G923 series, which offer proven reliability and widespread game compatibility.
Software and Ecosystem Concerns
One of the original VelocityOne’s most criticized aspects was its software maturity. Early users experienced firmware issues that required updates within days of launch, and game compatibility problems persisted across multiple titles.
Compatibility issues were particularly problematic, with users reporting that “the wheel worked on some games but not others,” including popular titles like F1 23. These software challenges highlighted the difficulty new manufacturers face when entering the established sim racing ecosystem.
The new wheels will need robust software support from day one to avoid repeating these issues. Given that all three products launch simultaneously on September 9th, Turtle Beach has limited time to ensure comprehensive game compatibility and stable firmware.
Market Positioning Challenges
Turtle Beach’s entry into sim racing represents a significant departure from their audio peripheral expertise, and the learning curve has been evident. While the company brings strong brand recognition and retail relationships, translating that success to the technical demands of force feedback hardware has proven challenging.
The VelocityOne F-RX wheel add-on at $249.99 highlights another concern – ecosystem lock-in. Unlike competitors who offer broad compatibility, Turtle Beach’s wheels work exclusively within their own ecosystem, limiting upgrade paths for users.
The September 9th Test
With all three products launching simultaneously on September 9th, Turtle Beach faces a critical test of whether they’ve learned from the VelocityOne’s rocky debut. Success will depend on several factors:
Software maturity – Can they launch with stable firmware and broad game compatibility from day one?
Build quality – Have manufacturing and quality control processes improved since the original launch?
Value proposition – Can they justify pricing against established competitors like Moza’s R3 despite being more expensive?
The Bottom Line
Turtle Beach’s three new racing wheels represent an ambitious expansion, but they enter a market that’s become significantly more competitive since their original 2024 launch. With Moza’s R3 offering similar specifications at lower prices and established players like Fanatec and Logitech maintaining strong market positions, Turtle Beach needs flawless execution to succeed.
The company’s biggest asset remains their retail relationships and Xbox integration, but hardware quality and software maturity will ultimately determine whether these products can overcome the challenges that plagued their first sim racing venture. September 9th will reveal whether Turtle Beach has learned from their past mistakes or if they’re repeating the cycle of launching products before they’re truly ready for the demanding sim racing market. If you would like to learn more, you can check out Turtle Beach’s official website here.