There’s something deliciously low-tech about wedging a DualSense into a plastic rim and pretending you’re Lewis Hamilton. Gioteck clearly agrees, because its new FR5 Racing Wheel does exactly that – and, against the odds, it works.
Design & build
The FR5 is a 360-degree ergonomic grip with 220-degree rotation, bolstered by dual metal bearings and an auto-centring mechanism. In the flesh the plastics feel tougher than the price tag suggests, and the rubberised rim adds just enough texture to avoid sweaty-palmed slides mid-hairpin.
Mounting options are refreshingly versatile: a chunky screw-down table clamp for desk jockeys, a padded lap mount for sofa racers, or bare-bones “grip only” when you just want to wave the thing around like you’re on Mario Kart Wii. The clamp is the clear winner – rock-solid even under frantic Scandi-flicks.
Setup
Clip your DualSense (or a PC gamepad) into the dock, fire up a title with motion-sensor steering and you’re away. On PS5 the wheel shows up instantly; on Steam Deck we needed a minute in Steam’s controller settings to map gyro to steering, but that’s hardly Gioteck’s fault. No drivers, no firmware faff, no power brick.
On-track performance
We started gently with My First Gran Turismo, the kid-friendly GT taster Sony dropped alongside the wheel’s launch. The FR5’s generous travel makes micro-corrections doable without twitchiness, and the auto-centering keeps the nose straight on the way out of bends. Graduating to Gran Turismo 7 uncovered the rim’s biggest limitation: no force feedback. You get convincing tilt steering and decent rumble from the underlying pad, but the nuanced tug of a dedicated wheel is absent.
Switching to PC, Forza Horizon 5 on Steam Deck was a giggle – carving through Mexico’s traffic while lounging on the sofa with the lap mount feels gloriously wrong yet somehow right. F1 2024 demanded finer inputs and exposed a hint of latency at extreme lock, but never enough to punt us into the wall.
Comfort & ergonomics
After two hours the FR5 was still comfy. The rim’s 28 cm diameter sits between a Logitech G29 and a Thrustmaster T128, so adult hands don’t feel cramped and younger racers can still reach the buttons on the pad. The bearings keep the action buttery; only the faint creak of plastic under heavy stress reminds you you’re not in Fanatec territory.
Value for money
At £39.99 RRP – and £29.99 at Argos until 25 Feb 2025 – the FR5 undercuts every “proper” wheel by a country mile. You lose force feedback and pedals, but if you just want to steer with something wheel-shaped the bang-per-quid ratio is stellar.
The Absolute Verdict
Gioteck’s FR5 is the training wheels of sim racing – and we mean that affectionately. It won’t satisfy hardcore drivers chasing tenths, yet for newcomers, kids or anyone who can’t justify a three-figure setup it’s a cracking gateway gadget. Clip it on, boot up GT7 and tell your wallet to relax.
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