It was only in the last six or eight months that I decided to take the plunge and learn to drive using a manual transmission in Gran Turismo 7. Having used automatic throughout my driving career, going back to Gran Turismo 1 and the Need For Speed: Underground series, I never really felt like I needed to move over to Manual. Paddle shifting became second nature so when the Turtle Beach VelocityOne Multi-Shift became available, I thought it was a good idea to see if I could adapt to that just as quickly as with the paddle shifting.
In order to get the VelocityOne Multi-Shift working, I needed to take my Logitech G Pro setup apart and put the Turtle Beach VelocityOne Race components back on the chair. As my Logitech G Pro is PlayStation and PC compatible, I thought it best to use the same components despite the VelocityOne Multi-Shift being universally compatible with other racing setups on PC. This is fair enough, as their first foray into driving hardware, but it also required me to hijack my partner’s Xbox as well, since the VelocityOne Race is only Xbox & PC compatible.
Unboxing the VelocityOne Multi-Shift is as easy as you like, as there are few actual required components in the box. You get the unit itself, along with two different shifting stalks and knobs, an extension bar, appropriate cables, and mounting hardware. As well, you get the setup guide, and some paperwork for warranty, etc.
The unit itself is very simplistic in design, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s a muted black in colour and has a couple of buttons on the top for functionality, and a toggle switch on the right side of the unit to swap between the standard H-Pattern gear layout and the Sequential gear layout. The gear shaft collar is a very nice material, not quite leather, but similar, and there is a cap near the top of the unit that flips up and hides the screw for the built-in table clamp. Overall, a very nice and simple design, with no extra nonsense and frivolity.
Installing the desired shifter knob is as easy as threading it into the bottom part of the shaft that sits inside the collar. Depending on which option you go with, you may have to rotate the indicator on top of the knob to face the right direction for what you’re doing. This is only required when using the Sequential knob, though, so it’s not something you have to do a lot.
“In the hands, both shifter knobs for the VelocityOne Multi-Shift feel great.”
In the box is the mounting hardware if your current rig supports it. Since I am currently using the Playseat Challenge, I was forced to become a bit creative in my efforts. Finally I found a way to get my coffee table aligned such that I could mount the VelocityOne Multi-Shift properly. Under the flap on the top of the unit, there is a screw that allows you to adjust the built-in clamp so it can be mounted to a table or desk. Surprisingly, I found that this was a very sturdy option, standing up to both my and my 5-year-old daughter’s best efforts to shift gears.
In the hands, both shifter knobs for the VelocityOne Multi-Shift feel great. The regular handle feels exactly like one you’d find in a proper car, while the Sequential knob has a rounded-off look that you might find on an older vehicle’s gear lever.
In terms of functionality, the H-Pattern gear shift features seven total gears and a reverse gear as well, and switching between them has a satisfying heaviness to the shift that makes it feel like it’s actually slotting into a gear in your actual car. As someone who was quite unfamiliar with analog shifting in a car, it took some time to work out where the gears were while not having to look down at the unit. Once I got it, though, things clicked and I was having a lot of fun whipping around Mexico in Forza Horizon 5.
“If you have a Turtle Beach VelocityOne Race setup, or any other PC sim racing components, as the VelocityOne Multi-Shift is universally compatible…”
On the other side of the coin, is the Sequential gear pattern, which was not as fun for me. During the testing I did for it, I found that there was far more play in the path that the lever took to find the gear. Even though it really is only moving the lever either up or down, depending on if you’re upshifting or downshifting, I still didn’t get the same excitement from using the Sequential pattern.
It became an instance where I wasn’t sure if the gear was found, as there were multiple times that I would shift up and feel like I had pushed the lever all the way forward, but the car was still in the lower gear. The same happened a couple of times for downshifts as well.
I mentioned earlier that there were two buttons on the top of the main unit. They are labelled High & Low and Hand Brake. The former is used for games like Truck Driving Simulator when you need additional (up to 14) gears or the like, whereas the latter can be used to transform the gear lever into the handbrake for whatever car you happen to be driving. I got a lot of enjoyment out of the latter, pulling fun slides in Forza, and it forced me to learn to control the car with one hand as the other was on the handbrake lever.
The VelocityOne Multi-Shift is also compatible with the Turtle Beach VelocityOne Tuner app for firmware updates and calibrating the gears for each respective pattern. Also, while using the VelocityOne Race base, it shows you in the corner of the screen a little shifter icon to indicate that it is connected to the base. A nice little touch, I thought, to show exactly what is being used.
Overall, I really enjoyed using the VelocityOne Multi-Shift. I found it to be a charming addition to the setup that provided exactly what it says on the box. I probably wouldn’t use it for any of the F1 series of games or anything that requires very quick ups and downshifts until I was far more comfortable with the layout; going from 3rd to 5th happened far more often than I care to admit.
If you have a Turtle Beach VelocityOne Race setup—or indeed any other PC sim racing components, as the VelocityOne Multi-Shift is universally compatible—and need an extra bit of immersion, then the VelocityOne Multi-Shift is a great option, and at $179.99 CAD, it’s not egregiously priced either.
- Seven-Speed H-gate Gearbox Plus Reverse
- On-the-Fly Sequential Mode Switch
