Wrist problems with PS5 controller, considering a wheel

[jenson86]

Hi everyone,

this forum seems like full of experienced gamers. I need some advice please.
I have been playing racing games with a passion for many years. Unfortunately since over a year I have lots of problems with my wrist, especially after jamming the R-button for too long. 30min of Gran Turismo is already too much too handle. I basically stopped playing any PS5, which is quite sad
The problems does mainly appear while playing Playstation.

Recently I was at a friends place though and played GT with a (cheap) wheel. I felt no pain Now obviously I consider buying one, plus rig etc. I don't mind spending up to 1k EUR for it, but I am worried that I end up in pain again.

So my question is now, is a cheaper wheel less stressful for my wrist? Less forces?
Is it overall very tiring to race a daily race with a wheel compared to a controller?
Is it even recommended if you are new to wheels to start directly with a Fanatec for example?

Thanks for any help.

 

[eran0004]

Ask your friend if you can borrow the wheel for a few days, that’s probably the best way to find out how well it works for you.

As for cheap vs expensive, as long as you can adjust the force feedback strength I don’t think it matters much.

 

[jenson86]

Thx! Unfortunately I live abroad and won’t see my friend again for a very long time While racing a go kart in snow I had no pain neither, so I think it should be fine and I might go ahead.

Unfortunately the Fanatec Gran Turismo DD Pro (5nm) is sold out. If I buy the 8nm version and then lower the force feedback due to my wrist, I am literally wasting money. Is that correct?

 

[timekiller001]

Thx! Unfortunately I live abroad and won’t see my friend again for a very long time While racing a go kart in snow I had no pain neither, so I think it should be fine and I might go ahead.

Unfortunately the Fanatec Gran Turismo DD Pro (5nm) is sold out. If I buy the 8nm version and then lower the force feedback due to my wrist, I am literally wasting money. Is that correct?

It's really difficult to say from where, as this fully depends on what exactly triggers the pain for you and how it is when you use the wheel for a longer period of time.

But 8nm is not really that much. You don't need a lot of force for that. Also, using the boost kit fully unlocks the potential of the wheel. Not only in terms of strength, but also the effects wheel kind of numb without the boost kit in comparison (Note: For me that is from ACC, as I switched to the boost kit before GT7 came out, so I have no experience with the 5nm and GT7)

 

[jenson86]

It's really difficult to say from where, as this fully depends on what exactly triggers the pain for you and how it is when you use the wheel for a longer period of time.

But 8nm is not really that much. You don't need a lot of force for that. Also, using the boost kit fully unlocks the potential of the wheel. Not only in terms of strength, but also the effects wheel kind of numb without the boost kit in comparison (Note: For me that is from ACC, as I switched to the boost kit before GT7 came out, so I have no experience with the 5nm and GT7)

Thank you. I took the risk and ordered it. With my wrist I can play Padel or Tennis, no issues. I mainly get the pain from playing racing games with a controller. Statically pressing the R-button is the problem. Driving a normal car or go kart is totally fine for me. I saw all types of doctors, did even MRI etc. they found nothing :-( no idea, only solution: Don't touch a PS controller (but buy a wheel instead )

In Malta only the Next Level racing Wheel Stand 2.0 is available https://nextlevelracing.com/products/racing-wheel-stand-2-0/
From the reviews and forum posts I read, it should work ok together with the DD Pro (8nm). Leaves me space for upgrades one day of course, but I hope it is a good start into sim racing.

Super excited :-) Let's see how slow the shipping will be. It said on stock at least on the Fanatec page.

 

[timekiller001]

Thank you. I took the risk and ordered it. With my wrist I can play Padel or Tennis, no issues. I mainly get the pain from playing racing games with a controller. Statically pressing the R-button is the problem. Driving a normal car or go kart is totally fine for me. I saw all types of doctors, did even MRI etc. they found nothing :-( no idea, only solution: Don't touch a PS controller (but buy a wheel instead )

In Malta only the Next Level racing Wheel Stand 2.0 is available https://nextlevelracing.com/products/racing-wheel-stand-2-0/
From the reviews and forum posts I read, it should work ok together with the DD Pro (8nm). Leaves me space for upgrades one day of course, but I hope it is a good start into sim racing.

Super excited :-) Let's see how slow the shipping will be. It said on stock at least on the Fanatec page.

Sounds great 🙂 I think I somewhat know what you mean, holding down the trigger for longer periods of time can be difficult after some time. But with a wheel you have more variety as e.g. you have enough "resting" time on the straights and not one continuous thing to do
Have you tried changing throttle and brake to the right stick, as it used to be in the pre-PS3 era? It should require a bit less force so maybe that can help.

 

[opelgt1969]

Try remapping your controller using the X button for gas to see if using your thumb for gas helps. Or any input for gas that might relieve the pain.

 

[AEKara38]

I had the opposite problem. I broke my wrist last August and couldn't use my wheel for a couple of months. Even now it can be painful if I'm playing a rally game as the FFB can snap the wheel out of my hands (and I'm only using a G923). If your wrist pain is an RSI rather than a break though you should be OK. You might need a shifter though as the paddles will be similar to pressing the triggers.

 

[jenson86]

True, good point with the shifters, but I think the main issue is pressing a button constantly (like gas), shifting gears might be ok. Will see how it goes! I work with the mouse on the PC the whole day, no issues