Club Benefits
Racing wheel peripherals have always fascinated me, but considering how I don’t often play racing games and that I live in a small apartment, I never seriously considered buying such a large and expensive peripheral. Thankfully, our friends at GameSir are set to launch a racing controller that’s ideal for folks like me.
During CES 2026, I went hands-on with the GameSir Swift Drive. And as you can see in the images on this page, it’s a game controller with a steering wheel stuck in its center.
GameSir says the controller is powered by the world’s smallest drive direct motor, which the company developed. This allows the small steering wheel to provide realistic steering. It also has reactive RGB lighting and haptic motors to deliver a more immersive experience.
Using the Swift Drive is an interesting experience, to say the least. I found that keeping your thumbs in the “10 and 2” position gives you the most control, just like with a real steering wheel. The wheel rumbles and twists realistically for its size. While the motors and haptic feedback can be powerful, I was told you can adjust the sensitivity to make it less intense.
The actual wheel has a textured surface that grips nicely to your thumbs. It also feels nice when it’s spinning. The controller is somewhat smaller than an Xbox or PlayStation controller, which is smart since it makes it easier to reach the trigger buttons on the back for accelerating and braking. Despite the steering wheel in its center, I found that the controller was easy to hold and well-balanced. It’s also pleasing to the eye thanks to its white and gray tones.
Though this is a controller designed specifically for racing games, you can use it to play other games. For instance, the right thumb stick on a typical controller exists here as a small nub. It’s admittedly odd to use, but it works well enough for moving the in-game camera around.
The face buttons, shoulder buttons, and left thumb stick also feel good to use and have a great response. Also, the left thumb stick and right nub utilize Hall Effect sensors, so they shouldn't wear out on you any time soon.
One pleasant surprise is that the Swift Drive controller is platform agnostic. That’s important because controllers are usually compatible with just PS5/PC or Xbox/PC (for example). I can’t speak to how well the controller works across different games and different platforms, but the fact that you can ostensibly use it on your gaming machine of choice is significant.
Outlook
The GameSir Swift Drive is easily the most innovative controller I’ve ever seen. While there have been controllers that attempted to include a built-in steering wheel, the Swift Drive takes things further by incorporating a fully functional steering wheel that acts almost identically to the ones on larger peripherals. If I could only play racing games with just one controller, it would be this one.
We don’t yet have pricing for the GameSir Swift Drive, but I was told to expect the controller to launch later this year. As soon as it comes out, you can bet I’ll put it to the test and let you know if it lives up to the hype. If it does, don’t be surprised if it finds a spot in our best PC game controllers list.
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