Feed aggregator

Philips LatteGo 4400 Series: Two-minute review

The Philips LatteGo 4400 Series is a fully automatic bean-to-cup espresso machine that’s a great option for smaller households or anyone making their first venture into the world of one-touch coffee machines. It’s very similar to the LatteGo 5500 Series that my UK-based colleague, Cat Ellis, has previously reviewed, and just misses out on a few preset drink recipes.

Otherwise, the two machines adopt the exact same dimensions, meaning their bean hopper and water tanks are the same size at 275g and 1.8L respectively, and, as the name implies, the 4400 Series on review here also uses Philips’ LatteGo milk-foaming system. This sees a milk carafe clip onto a steam nozzle on the front of the machine, with the idea being that you fill it with just enough milk for your chosen drink(s) once it’s attached.

Given the two machines make coffee in the exact same way, you’d expect the review of the 4400 Series to read largely the same, then, wouldn’t you? Well, while I do agree with much of Cat’s review of the 5500 Series, and that the Philips espresso machine does produce good-tasting coffee, I picked up on a few niggles during my time using the 4400. These mainly relate to the LatteGo system and the steps required to brew a coffee. I’ll explain more about both in the performance section of this review.

Ultimately, the Philips 4400 LatteGo coffee machine is incredibly simple to use and offers everything you need to make a great coffee, whether it be a simple espresso or ristretto shot, a larger latte, cappuccino or even a few iced drinks.

As with the 5500 Series, the 4400 Series doesn’t offer cold coffee extraction. If you want to make an iced drink, you’ll need to add ice cubes to a glass or mug for the machine to then pour on a hot shot of espresso. This machine can’t make iced lattes, so if you do want a milk-based iced drink, you’ll need to make do with pouring cold milk directly into your glass or mug.

If you like cold coffee, then you may not like the flavor profile delivered by the 4400 Series, and, as Cat found in her review, once the ice melts it can make the coffee taste weaker. Personally, I enjoyed making iced drinks using the Philips 4400 Series, but it’s ultimately a matter of personal preference.

Furthermore, having previously reviewed the De’Longhi Magnifica Evo Next automatic espresso machine, I found myself preferring the taste of the coffee produced by the Philips machine instead, and I appreciated the smaller footprint it took up on my kitchen counter.

However, as a plant milk drinker, I did prefer the level of milk foam produced by the De’Longhi’s LatteCrema system compared to the LatteGo milk-foaming system used by the Philips machine.

Philips LatteGo 4400 Series: Price and availability

• List price $799.99 / £599.99 / AU$1,199
• Available globally
• Often discounted

The Philips LatteGo 4400 Series is available globally with a list price of $799.99 / £599.99 / AU$1,199. At the time of writing, however, I was able to find it discounted to £499.99 in the UK and below AU$1,000 in Australia.

The 4400 Series sits one step down from the flagship 5500 Series, offering 12 hot and cold drink recipes compared to the 20 options found on its higher-spec sibling.

Its list price places it in a similar category to the De’Longhi Magnifica Evo Next fully automatic coffee machine that I’ve previously reviewed.

The two machines are similarly specced, although the De’Longhi unit is much larger. The Philips 4400 Series would therefore be my recommendation if your kitchen is on the smaller side.

(Image credit: Future)

• Value score: 4 / 5

Philips LatteGo 4400 Series: Specs

Name

Philips LatteGo 4400 Series

Type

Fully automatic bean-to-cup espresso machine

Dimensions (W x H x D)

9.7 x 14.6 x 17in / 24.6 x 37.1 x 43.3cm

Weight

17.6lbs / 8kg

Water reservoir capacity

1.9qt / 1.8 liters

Milk frother

Yes (automatic)

Bars of pressure

15

User profiles

2 (plus guest)

Philips LatteGo 4400 Series: Design

(Image credit: Future)

• Compact, ideal for smaller kitchens
• Intuitive, button-based navigation
• Easy to clean and maintain but cleaning agents sold separately

The Philips LatteGo 4400 Series is a relatively compact bean-to-cup espresso machine, coming in at 9.7 inches / 24.6cm wide and 17 inches / 43.3cm long.

As a result, it makes placing it on a kitchen countertop quite easy, as it can be placed in a corner, for example and up against the wall, since the water tank slides out from the front. The brewing group head is accessed via the side behind the water tank, making maintenance just as simple.

The machine is controlled via a series of touch buttons on the front, which flank a 2.3-inch color display. A selection of popular coffee-based drinks have dedicated buttons on the front – including espresso, long black, cappuccino and flat white – while the remaining hot and cold drinks are accessed via a ‘More Drinks’ button.

You’ll also find a ‘Profile’ button on the front, which is used to cycle through two main profiles – Yellow and Blue – and a third guest profile to ensure your saved presets aren’t overridden.

The non-removable bean hopper is accessed at the top. All you need to do is remove the tinted plastic lid – by being tinted, it helps to prevent light from degrading the flavor of the beans – which is also airtight to maintain freshness. If you want to adjust grind settings, that’s done via a control dial set inside the bean hopper.

It’s not particularly large with a capacity up to 275g of beans, but this makes it a good option for single-person or couple households. Plus, the fact it’s airtight means you can leave beans in between uses and not worry about them spoiling, as opposed to pouring in just the right amount of beans for the drink you want to make.

As is the case with the De’Longhi Magnifica Evo Next I’ve previously reviewed, Philips says to only operate the grind adjustment whilst beans are being ground. It took me a little while to figure out how to actually use the dial, and after consulting the user manual, I realized you have to first press down on it before rotating.

There are 12 grind settings to choose from, with the halfway point setting 6 being the default. Philips says this should be ideal for most users, and recommends not adjusting it until you’ve made 100 to 150 drinks. I found during my review period that I did have to adjust to a finer setting – I settled on 4 – to achieve a thicker crema and a more flavorful coffee.

The Philips 4400’s LatteGo milk-frothing system comprises a small carafe that attaches to a steam nozzle on the front of the machine. It’s designed to be filled with just enough milk for whatever drink you want to make, as opposed to being stored in the fridge with leftover milk between uses. You can still store the milk in the fridge if you wish, but just note the lid isn’t airtight.

I liked the idea of this, but in reality I came across a couple of slight niggles.

(Image credit: Future)

The carafe has markings on the side for a single cappuccino, a single latte macchiato or two cappuccinos. I filled the carafe with oat milk to the line for the single cappuccino and poured one, and found it didn’t use all the milk.

Plus, when you’re selecting a coffee to make, you can adjust the volume of coffee and milk that goes in. If you adjust the volume of milk, for example, then you’ll need to ensure enough is in the carafe, making the markings somewhat redundant.

I’ll speak about it more in the performance section, but I also wasn’t overly happy with the level of (or lack of) milk foam produced by the system. Full-fat dairy milk did fare a lot better than plant milk during my tests though.

The Philips LatteGo 4400 Series does have some other design features that I found useful, including a deep grounds container bin and a decently sized drip tray. The machine will let you know when the ground container needs emptying, but this won’t be that regular since it’s capable of storing a good amount of waste.

Another positive I noticed was how well-packaged the machine was, and that Philips used predominantly recyclable cardboard.

One thing worth noting is that you aren’t supplied with any cleaning tablets or descaling solution. Having reviewed coffee machines from De’Longhi and Australian brand Sunbeam, both of which do supply some cleaning products with their machines, I had expected the same from Philips.

Cleaning tablets can be bought online from stores such as Amazon, but it’s an extra cost you’ll need to consider. While the AquaClean filter should last some time – it will cease working once 95 liters (around 625 coffees) of water has flowed through it – it will also be an additional expense to replace.

As long as you keep replacing the filters on time, then you won’t need to descale the machines for 5000 coffees – 8 filters worth. At $20 / £12 / AU$29 per filter, that’s about $160 / £96 / AU$232 to delay the need to descale, but slightly less if buying in bulk.

In comparison (depending on your water hardness), without the filters, you would typically need to descale up to about 10 times for 5000 cups, with the total cost around half of buying new filters.

Finally, another thing I noticed was when removing a sticker on the front of the machine referencing the fact it can make 12 different coffee-based drinks, it left some adhesive behind (the white part to the right of the coffee spout in the pictures).

(Image credit: Future)

• Design score: 4.5 / 5

Philips LatteGo 5500 Series review: Performance

• Great-tasting coffee with some grinder adjustment
• Good level of personalization
• LatteGo milk-foaming system not without fault

The Philips LatteGo 4400 Series is an incredibly easy espresso machine to use. Once you’ve got it set up – this involves testing your water for hardness and installing the supplied AquaClean filter if required – you’ll be brewing a coffee in seconds. The central color display provides information clearly, and buttons are logically laid out to navigate through menus and drinks to adjust settings.

There are 12 drinks to choose from:

• Espresso
• Coffee
• Long black
• Cappuccino
• Latte macchiato
• Caffè crema
• Caffè latte
• Ristretto
• Flat white
• Iced espresso
• Iced long black
• Iced coffee

Once you’ve selected a drink to make, a secondary screen allows you to adjust the strength and volume. In some cases, increasing the volume of coffee will mean the machine will have to grind beans twice, which can increase the speed you go through a bag. I increased the volume of my daily flat white from the default 80ml to 100ml, for example, and I had to wait for the machine to grind a second dose of beans before it was finished.

If you tweak the settings for a drink, whether it be strength or volume, the machine will save them for the next time. Each time you make an adjustment, it overrides the previous settings. If two people in the same household want the same drink but with different settings, I would recommend taking advantage of the two individual profiles to store personal drink preferences. Switching between profiles is simple thanks to a dedicated button on the front panel.

If there are more than two people in your home and each has their own preference, you’ll be better served by stepping up to the 5500 Series model, which has 4 profiles plus a separate guest profile.

The machine doesn’t provide feedback regarding grind size or whether it’s ideal for the beans you’ve used – something you will find on De’Longhi machines that have BeanAdapt technology such as the Rivelia – but you can manually adjust the grind setting to produce a well-extracted espresso. The default setting of 6 should be fine for most use cases, although I did find for the beans I used, the crema wasn’t as thick as I would like, and it dissipated relatively quickly. As mentioned previously, I was much happier with the result once I adjusted the grinder to setting 4 for a finer grind.

(Image credit: Future)

Where I experienced a bit more of an issue was when using the LatteGo milk-foaming system. Having read about it on the Philips website and in my colleague Cat’s review of the more feature-packed 5500 Series model, I was expecting great results from the company’s take on automatic milk frothing. I wasn’t entirely satisfied with the performance, although I think some leniency should be applied.

Firstly, the milk carafe is a little awkward to attach to the steam nozzle. Not frustratingly so, but it requires a more steady hand compared to the approach taken by De’Longhi, whose LatteCrema milk carafe easily inserts into a cutout on the front of its machines.

Secondly, there are markings on the side of the carafe to indicate how much is required for a particular drink. In practice, I found these to be inaccurate, and I always had some leftover milk in the carafe. Because the lid isn’t airtight, I had to pour this away if I knew I wasn’t going to have another coffee soon after the first.

Finally, despite using a barista-level brand of oat milk, which has a higher protein content to assist with producing a thicker foam, the milk pushed out into my coffee mug lacked any real resemblance to proper foam. It was certainly foamier than if I just poured milk from the carton, but when I compared the results to using my Nespresso Aeroccino 3 milk frother, it was a clear win for Nespresso. I also tested the LatteGo system with full-fat dairy milk and it did produce a much thicker foam.

(Image credit: Future)

Where I want to give some leniency is the fact that I wasn’t super satisfied with the results of the De’Longhi LatteCrema system when I reviewed the Magnifica Evo Next automatic coffee machine. I’ve yet to try similar systems from the likes of KitchenAid or Smeg, but I do wonder if the way they – creating steam and mixing with milk to aerate it – is that effective on the whole. In my mind, if you enjoy cafe-quality levels of milk foam, then you’ll be better served by an espresso machine with a steam wand.

I also experimented with iced drinks using the 4400 Series, although as Cat discovered in her review of the 5500 Series, the 4400 Series machine doesn’t actually produce cold coffee. Instead, you’re instructed to put ice cubes into a mug or glass, which then cools the coffee down. Philips does say water and coffee produced for iced drinks is “warm” rather than hot, so it will cool down quicker when poured over ice. I didn’t necessarily mind this approach, but it did make me wonder why there are iced drink recipes in the first place. I could just as easily place ice in a mug and run a regular espresso shot, rather than select iced espresso.

The 4400 Series only has three iced drink presets: iced espresso, iced coffee and iced long black. I like an iced latte and so poured cold milk into a glass with ice cubes and ran an iced espresso shot. For my tastes, the result was superb, and my partner enjoyed his iced long black. The 5500 Series does have a preset for iced latte, which pours cold milk via the LatteGo system.

(Image credit: Future)

Finally, the Philips 4400 LatteGo uses what the company calls SilentBrew technology to keep noise levels to a minimum. It’s also Quiet Mark certified, meaning it’s among the quietest in its product class. Knowing this, I assumed I’d hear near-silence from the machine during use, but in reality it was louder than I had expected. Using the Decibel X app on my iPhone and standing next to the machine, I recorded a measurement of 69dB when the machine was grinding beans and around 60dB when espresso was being poured. That’s louder than the KitchenAid KF8, which is also Quiet Mark certified. We recorded a measurement of 66dB when grinding and an average volume of just 44dB in our KitchenAid KF8 review.

• Performance score: 4.5 / 5

Should I buy the Philips LatteGo 4400 Series?Philips LatteGo 4400 Series scorecard

Attribute

Notes

Score

Value

Affordable and often discounted, although other great options can be picked up for less during sales.

4 / 5

Design

Compact size will suit most kitchens, easy to clean and intuitive interface

4.5 / 5

Performance

Great results across all drinks, just don’t set your expectations too high for the LatteGo system

4 / 5

Buy it if...

You have limited kitchen space

The Philips LatteGo 4400 is a compact, narrow machine and only needs side access to remove the water tank and brewing group head. You can push it into a corner no problem.

You’re new to automatic coffee machines

This machine is incredibly easy to master, with clear and intuitive drinks, menus and settings. You’ll be brewing coffee after coffee in no time.

Don't buy it if...

You have a large household

The 4400 Series only has 2 selectable profiles. If you have multiple coffee drinkers with different preferences, you’ll likely end up overriding each other’s settings.

You like cold-brewed coffee

While you can make good iced drinks with the 4400 Series, it doesn’t produce authentic cold-brew coffee. It also can’t make iced lattes.

Philips LatteGo 4400 Series: Also consider

If you're not sure that the Philips LatteGo 5500 Series is the right coffee maker for you, here are two other options for your consideration.

KitchenAid KF6

It’s a little bit more expensive, but the KitchenAid KF6 has the looks to back it up and it produces a superb shot of espresso. Plus, it’s incredibly easy to use.

Read our full KitchenAid KF6 review

Ninja Luxe Cafe

You’ll need more space in your kitchen to accommodate it, but this bean-to-cup machine from Ninja produces fantastic espresso and is packed with features, including grind size suggestion, weight-based dosage system and an automatic milk frother.

Read our full Ninja Luxe Cafe review

How I tested the Philips LatteGo 4400 Series

I tested the Philips LatteGo 4400 Series over a period of two weeks with some coffee beans from a local supermarket that I had used before. I tested the water hardness using the strip supplied in the box and fitted the water tank using the instructions provided.

I tested the LatteGo system of the 4400 Series coffee machine using fridge-cold full-fat dairy and a barista oat milk. I tested the machine's ability to produce a variety of hot and cold drinks.

For more details, see how we test, rate, and review products at TechRadar.

The Philips 4400 Series LatteGo espresso machine is a great option for smaller households, but it's not without its quirks.

The 2025-26 NBA season is here, and there's been a few changes in the basketball media landscape. Here's everything you need to know about what's changed and how to watch the NBA in Australia.

Turtle Beach took the feedback and returns to market with a grown-up and bargainous direct drive racing bundle that beats all similarly priced models.

Turtle Beach Velocityone Race KD3: One-minute review

Previously a headset specialist, Turtle Beach has expanded into the more distant shores of sim peripherals lately and has had some especially impressive first forays into flight sim gear. The original VelocityOne direct drive bundle didn’t stick the landing quite as well over in the sim racing space, but this revised KD3 version addresses a lot of user feedback, and the result is simply our favourite budget-end direct drive bundle.

Both the wheelbase and pedals are equally at home on a desktop setup or installed on a racing seat, which is a smart move at this price point since the split of users who race one way or the other is far more even than at a higher price. Although there’s some plastic present on both the base of the pedals and the framework of the wheel, this doesn’t detract from what’s a solid and detailed driving sensation.

Torque weenies will be quick to point out the low 3.2Nm output from Turtle Beach’s direct drive motor, but in reality, it doesn’t feel weak to drive. There’s enough muscle here to make a car feel weighty, and to articulate a rear-end slip well enough for you to react to it.

(Image credit: Future)

Conversely, the wheel is the weak point of the whole bundle. The buttons are uninspiring and feel cheap to press, and while the magnetic shifters feel great, the visual design isn’t going to turn many heads.

But Turtle Beach has a plan: a rather excellent FR-X formula-style wheel unit, sold separately for $225 / £189. If you buy that wheel plus the base bundle, you’re still in competitive pricing territory with the Thrustmaster T598, Moza R3, and Nacon Revosim, and you’ll have arguably the best wheel out of the lot.

One question mark to consider before purchasing is that, since Turtle Beach is just getting started in the sim racing space, the product ecosystem is limited at present. There’s nothing to upgrade to higher up the pricing ladder, so if you wanted to swap in a better set of pedals one day, or affix that FR-X wheel to a motor with a higher torque output, you’re banking on Turtle Beach continuing to expand its range of gear. With that said, at this price, it’s well worth the gamble.

(Image credit: Future)Turtle Beach Velocityone Race KD3: Price and availability

• List price: $449.99 / £329.99 (around AU$690)
• Cheaper than both the Nacon Revosim and Thrustmaster T598
• Worth factoring in the $225 / £189 FR-X wheel upgrade

Truthfully, the price is what makes this bundle as exciting as it is. There’s been a lot of activity in and around the $500 / £500 direct drive bundle mark in 2025, but the build quality, sensation, and design of this one make it the best value of all. Turtle Beach has undercut Nacon’s Revosim, and the Thrustmaster T598 - two bundles that offer extraordinary value in their own right.

The tradeoffs to hit this pricing aren’t obvious or troublesome, either - a basic wheel with a mostly plastic construction, and a plastic pedal base. Most value-conscious sim racers can live with that in order to enjoy the considerable benefits.

The FR-X wheel is the jewel in Turtle Beach’s nascent ecosystem, and it’s a borderline-mandatory upgrade to this bundle, which unlocks mechanical switches, a great input layout, and a much more premium look and feel. It’s priced at $224.99 / £189.99, and you should add that amount to the price of this bundle unless $399.99 / £329.99 is the hard limit of your budget.

Turtle Beach Velocityone Race KD3: Specs

Weight

14.4lbs / 6.5kg

Peak torque

3.2Nm

Features

Magnetic shifters, adjustable angle, killswitch, rev display

Connection type

USB-A

Compatibility

Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC

Software

VelocityOne Tuner

Turtle Beach Velocityone Race KD3: Design and features

• Solid, adjustable pedals
• A lot of detail from just 3.2Nm
• Well-designed for desktop use, suitable for sim rigs too

Turtle Beach has clearly been paying attention to the feedback it garnered when it brought the first VelocityOne bundle to the sim racing market. This newest iteration looks more sophisticated and takes more of its design cues from the world of motorsport than gaming, allowing it to sit flush against the likes of Fanatec and Moza’s grown-up, serious-looking wheel bundles.

I’m a particular fan of the compact, no-nonsense motor design. It’s surprisingly small and neat, with a killswitch at the top and some additional buttons on the right-hand side, which add inputs for the three central buttons on an Xbox Wireless Controller.

The wheel mounts to the motor via a sturdy quick-release design, which doesn’t require any screwdrivers. Just pull the quick-release mechanism back towards you, then pull the wheel off. It feels secure and tight when the wheel’s affixed, and allows you to swap between two different wheel models easily – more on that below.

The supplied wheel is the weakest element of the bundle, but by no means is it unfit for purpose. It’s simply that there’s a plasticky feel to the upper and lower portions of the wheel, north and south of the texturized grips, and a rather basic finish quality. There are 20 total inputs to assign, the majority being simple face buttons, but there are two scroll wheels, reachable with the thumb while driving, for mapping to functions like traction control or engine mappings.

Is it a thing of beauty? Not particularly. But it deserves credit for a sensible ergonomic button layout, and for its size. Not many wheels at this end of the price bracket are full-size, and when you’re driving in titles that really benefit from a round wheel like EA Sports WRC, it’s a real benefit to have that full-size maneuverability.

(Image credit: Future)

There’s a two-pedal base supplied with this bundle, and although the brake doesn’t feature a load cell design with different elastomers that can be swapped in and out manually, you can still adjust the tension by twisting the spring housing.

Turtle Beach FR-X wheel

(Image credit: Future)

Available for $224.99 / £189.99, Turtle Beach’s formula-style FR-X wheel expands the company’s nascent racing ecosystem and… well, it’s just fantastic.

Everything about it, from the full-scale size, rubberized grips, to the mechanical buttons and aluminum dials, feels incredibly premium. It’s such a step up from the rather basic round wheel that’s bundled with the KD3 that I’d personally just add on this wheel’s price to the bundle and consider it mandatory.

That still keeps it in the realm of the Thrustmaster T598 and the Nacon Revosim, but offers you the additional value of having two wheel shapes to swap between when you play, say, a track racing sim and a rally title.

If the point needed labouring any more, it’s worth mentioning that the construction quality and layout are certainly on par with Fanatec wheels that sell for double the price. Well done, Turtle Beach.

Typically, you find that budget-end direct drive bundles offer less stamping resistance, since it’s the more experienced and serious sim racers who want the all-out leg workout of a GT car’s brake pedal resistance, and so it proves here. For my personal driving style, I found I was able to dial in enough tension in order to apply plenty of braking and find the sweet spot just before locking up. That’s the most important aspect. If you want your sim racing setup to feel exactly like a GT car, you’ll need a stiffer brake. If you just care about lapping quickly and consistently, Turtle Beach’s design works very well.

The plastic base that houses the pedals is another concession to this bundle hitting an affordable price point, and when compared to Thrustmaster’s very sturdy, all-metal pedal base construction for the T598, it does look and feel cheaper and offers less customization. However, it stays put admirably well on a variety of floor surfaces, making it pretty ideal if you prefer to race at your desktop rather than in a sim rig.

In fact, while both the pedals and wheelbase can be easily mounted to a racing seat, it’s during desktop use where their practical and sensible design really shines through. Take the desktop mounting clamp, for example: this is often an aspect of affordable direct drive bundles that feels like an afterthought, but here, one simple but sturdy part slots into the underside of the motor and lets you screw it into place, with minimal chances of your legs knocking into it. Simple as that.

It’s definitely worth noting here that while the supplied wheel feels quite basic, for $224.99 / £189.99, the FR-X wheel is an absurdly well-put-together formula-style wheel with loads of luxurious touches, and it really elevates the whole experience. See our boxout for more details on it.

Turtle Beach Velocityone Race KD3: Performance

• More torque than you’d expect
• A sturdy and detailed driving experience
• Comfortable layout

Sim racers love to talk… well, torque. The Nm output of a direct drive wheelbase is often cited as a crucial spec when someone’s weighing up their options, and on those terms, the 3.2Nm on offer from this model seems meager.

However, using torque output as a measure of how detailed or immersive a wheelbase can be is simply too reductive. The Thrustmaster T598, for example, has 5Nm on paper, but it’s capable of 100% torque overshoot and, in real terms, feels as powerful and resistant as any wheel I’ve tested.

It’s a similar story with this wheelbase. While it isn’t so powerful that I feared for my thumbs when I crashed, it’s got more than enough torque to articulate subtle weight transfer, traction loss, road rumble, and brake lockups. And yes, when you crash, it feels like you’re crashing.

(Image credit: Future)

If it lacks anywhere, it’s in how quickly it delivers those sensations. At times, particularly when racing lightweight vehicles like F1 25’s F1 cars or open wheelers in Automobilista 2, the front end feeling is slightly dull and imprecise. However, in road cars and GT vehicles that you’d find in Assetto Corsa Competizione or Assetto Corsa Evo, I noticed this far less.

In the end, that slightly dull delivery is another concession to price. Just like the stamping force on the brake, it takes you marginally out of the immersion of controlling a real vehicle, but has little to no impact on your lap times.

Elsewhere in performance terms, I love the spacing of the pedals, the size of the round wheel, and the articulation of the large aluminum magnetic shifters. That lets me compete in longer races without feeling fatigued, and having all the face buttons arranged within easy reach of my thumbs helps a lot, too.

(Image credit: Future)Should I buy the Turtle Beach Velocityone Race KD3?Buy it if…

You drive with a desktop setup, but might move to a rig
Desktop mounts seem to be a stumbling block for many bundles, at the budget end or otherwise, but Turtle Beach’s smart design makes it easy to clamp the motor to a desk, while the pedals stay put on any floor. That said, it’s equally at home mounted to a Playseat.

You’re feeling thrifty
This really is some incredible value Turtle Beach has crammed into one box, and if you can live with some high-plastic construction to the wheel and pedal base, there are few other tradeoffs.

You race rally and road
Spend the extra $225 / £190 for the magnificent FR-X wheel, and you’ve got a mini-modular setup with both a round wheel and a formula-style option, depending on the driving style you need.

Don’t buy it if…

You want to buy into a big ecosystem
Turtle Beach is just getting started in this vertical, so as yet, the future upgrade options are limited when compared to Fanatec’s range, for example.

You’re a torque snob
Only 3.2Nm? Surely you can barely feel the road? In reality, there’s plenty of power here, but if Nm is what counts to you, there are similarly priced rivals with higher output.

You’re a Gran Turismo fan
Bad news, Autumn Ring Mini aficionados – this one’s PC and Xbox-compatible, so your PS5 racing activities will need separate hardware – consider the Thrustmaster T598 instead.

Turtle Beach Velocityone Race KD3: Also consider

If the Turtle Beach Velocityone Race KD3 doesn’t bring you out of your shell, try these similar alternatives.

Turtle Beach Velocityone Race KD3

Thrustmaster T598

Nacon Revosim

Price

$449.99 / £329.99 (around AU$690)

$499.99 / £449.99 (around AU$899.99)

$799.99 / £699.99 (around AU$1435)

Weight

14.4lbs / 6.5kg

14.1lbs / 6.4kg

52.9lbs / 24kg

Peak torque

3.2Nm

5Nm

9Nm

Features

Magnetic shifters, adjustable angle, killswitch, rev display

Modular pedal base, detachable rim, 100% torque overshoot

Direct drive, customizable button covers, quick release wheel, two-pedal base, phone mount attachment

Connection type

USB-A

USB-A

USB-A

Compatibility

PC, Xbox Series X|S

PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, PC

PC

Thrustmaster T598
Thrustmaster does things differently than the competition with this industry-disrupting, axial drive wheel. Sure, the motor is massive and a strange shape, but it delivers an incredibly nuanced and powerful drive. Those who complain that its 5Nm torque output isn’t enough clearly haven’t driven one with the feedback strength maxed - it’s more than enough to snap your thumbs off.

The big consideration here is compatibility - if you’re a PC-only sim racer, then both are great options, but the Turtle Beach is Xbox-only on console while the T598 is PlayStation-only.

For more information, read our full Thrustmaster T598 review

Nacon Revosim
Priced higher than the others, Nacon’s Revosim does its best to justify the extra outlay with bombproof build quality and tons of extras, including a smartphone mount and several load cell configuration options for the brake, bundled in the box. The feeling is robust and detailed, but like the Turtle Beach wheel, the ecosystem is as yet very small, so there’s not much long-term upgrade or expansion potential.

For more information, read our full Nacon Revosim review

(Image credit: Future)How I tested the Turtle Beach Velocityone Race KD3

• Tested in F1 24, F1 25, Rennsport, ACC, and AC Evo
• One week of testing on a desktop
• Both the bundled KD3 wheel and FR-X wheel tested

Force feedback implementation and input schemes can vary from one title to another, so my testing process when a new bundle shows up at the door always involves a variety of games. And, indeed, a variety of vehicle types within them.

For the past week, I’ve been hotlapping in F1 24 and F1 25, obsessing over tire temps in Rennsport, whittling down the odd hundredth from my PBs in Assetto Corsa Competizione, and trying to ignore the low frame rates in Assetto Corsa Evo. In all titles, the KD3 feels powerful and just agile enough to convey the key info about the platform. Button mappings and default axis values all feel sensible, too.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed October 2025

The Ninja Luxe Café Premier coffee machine is regularly sold out for a reason – now's your chance to snap one up with a huge 35% discount.

U.S. chess grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky died this week at age 29. Former world champion Vladimir Kramnik had accused Naroditsky, among others, of cheating in the sport.

(Image credit: Antony Jones)

TP-Link vulnerabilities reveal recurring coding issues and incomplete patches which could gift attackers full control of affected routers.

Mico, the new face of Copilot, is your new AI companion from Microsoft.

The new Prime Video show Malice looks like a must-watch for fans of British revenge thrillers.

Nike compares its new system, which helps runners and walkers move with less effort, to electric bikes.

The famous holiday bird is projected to get a price hike as high as 40% ahead of Thanksgiving.

The new game from Annapurna Interactive is about picking yourself up and finding meaning in life again -- with a big mech suit, naturally.

You can now tweak your Instagram Stories with more AI video and photo restyling effects.

An extendable solar roof can add useable mileage to Nissan's diminutive EV and the tech is going into production.

The browser wars are back.

Over the past few days, cattle ranchers and agricultural groups have been sounding the alarm that a plan to import more foreign beef would hurt struggling ranchers.

(Image credit: Brandon Bell)

Galaxy XR leverages features like eye tracking and Google Gemini AI for a smooth, immersive experience.

Gift cards are ideal for hackers since they can easily be redeemed or sold without sharing personally identifiable data.

Looking for an ISP in Boston? We've done the work for you. Here are the best internet providers in the city, tested and reviewed by CNET's experts.