GameSir is no stranger to experimenting with unique controller features — its Tarantula Pro can automatically swap its face button labels to accommodate alternate layouts, and its Pocket 1 clamps Game Boy controls onto your phone. What sets its new Swift Drive controller apart is a small steering wheel located smack-dab in the middle of the gamepad that’s connected to what GameSir calls the “world’s smallest direct drive motor” providing force feedback effects for racing games.
Pricing and availability hasn’t been announced yet, but GameSir has revealed plenty of details about the Swift Drive’s features and functionality. The steering wheel uses a “high-precision” Hall effect encoder with “up to 65,000 levels of resolution for ultra-accurate steering.” Its movement can be adjusted between 30 and 1080 degrees of rotation, and the wheel itself can be removed and swapped with alternate styles. Hall effect sensors are also used in the Swift Drive’s joysticks and buttons, while its triggers are further enhanced with individual haptic motors to simulate the feeling of ABS braking and wheel slip.
The Swift Drive will rely on a 2.4GHz wireless connection to your gaming machine and, even with reactive RGB lighting effects and its various haptic motors, battery life is estimated to be between 20 to 30 hours between charges.
For racing sim fans not as concerned with portability, GameSir’s new Turbo Drive provides a more traditional steering wheel and pedal setup with a yoke-style wheel that clamps to a desk. Like the smaller Swift Drive controller it features 2.4GHz wireless connectivity, Hall effect sensors in the wheel’s encoder, throttle controls, and shifting paddles, plus extensive customizability including limiting the wheel’s rotation. Its most unique feature is a built-in turbine fan that simulates airflow and enhances the feeling of speed. With the fan on, the Turbo Drive’s battery life is estimated to be around 15 hours, but turning it off will let you play for up to 50 hours before a charge is needed.