The first major update for Thrustmaster’s eSwap controller is here – and it’s as genius as it is weird

If you want a slightly different way to play racing games, there’s really only one option: buy a steering wheel. You can choose how deep you go down that rabbit hole, obviously - if that’s balancing one on your lap, strapping it to your desk, or buying some huge divorce-prompting racing rig. But for racing games, your options are analog sticks, d-pads, or steering wheels. Or, y’know, they were.

A couple of months ago, I reviewed the Thrustmaster eSwap X Pro, a unique modular controller that basically allows you to swap out ‘modules’ where the D-Pad and Analog Sticks sit. It’s also got a bunch of the standard ‘pro controller’ features, some neat audio-based features, and some cosmetic options.

The point is, it’s all modular, swappable, and customizable. It’s a decent controller, and if you want to know more about it, I suggest you read my eSwap X Pro review. Everything said there still stands - but now, that modular setup is fulfilling its true promise.

Enter the eSwap XR Pro. It’s called the eSwap Pro ‘cos it’s still one of those. The X stands for Xbox – and the R stands for… racing. Ladies and gentlemen, this is your new steering wheel alternative. And it’s delightfully weird.

This is the same controller that I previously reviewed with a couple of tweaks and bonuses and at a slightly higher price. For that extra dosh you get a neat white and neon pink color scheme inspired by the palette of Forza Horizon 5, and one major extra – a single additional module in the form of what is basically a mini racing wheel.

It is what it says. It’s a tiny steering wheel that you can mount into any of the analog stick or d-pad slots on the eSwap. Obviously it’s tiny (so you can’t grip it with both hands) but the idea is that it gives you a closer facsimile of a real driving experience… in the palm of your hand.

Does it work? Well, yes, but the learning curve is bloody steep. The racing module has a 95-degree rotation angle, and when released will always return to a neutral, central position.

In reality, it’s a lot like having an analog stick – but without the ability to roll up or down, giving you a nice, linear left-to-right rotation progression. I found two ways to effectively use it.

One was to just prop it under the pressure of your thumb and twist it. At first this was hugely weird-feeling, but with perseverance it begins to work; and it does feel better and more natural than using the analog stick. My advice for getting used to this is to drop the game into the cockpit view. You can then associate the movement of the in-car steering wheel in-game with the movement of your thumb and the racing wheel module beneath it, as the two will match up more or less one-to-one. Pretty quickly I was drifting, paint-checking, and winning races without spinning out.

The other option requires a bit of controller remapping, but it’s a little more immediately accessible – and that’s to grip the tiny wheel with your index finger and thumb and turn it like a racing wheel. This takes your finger off the brake, but you can re-map that to a face button and it works just fine.

The ultimate end goal should be to get comfortable with that first setup, though. Like I say, while weird, after a couple of hours it’d become second nature – and was definitely preferable to playing with a stick. I can also see some interesting uses for this input for non-racing games with left-right input, too… like, I bet you could play a mean game of Puyo Puyo or Tetris with this thing.

So that’s it. This add-on looks weird, but it does work. And felt a little like a stroke of genius once it clicked for me. It’s a great feather in the cap of a decent controller – and holds promise for what other weird and wonderful modules Thrustmaster might be able to come up with.

You can pick up the limited edition Forza controller complete with the module, or grab the racing module on its own, should you already own an eSwap pad.

So, maybe you don’t need that steering wheel after all. Maybe you don’t play enough racers. But with this, you could have a specialist racing control option ready to go… all you need to do is swap modules. It fulfills the promise of this curious controller – and I hope it’s the first of many.