Polyphony Digital has announced Moza Racing as a new official peripheral partner of the Gran Turismo World Series, but the big news is buried a little further down the press release…
Moza is developing a steering wheel controller in collaboration with Gran Turismo, that will be natively supported in Gran Turismo 7.
In other words, a PlayStation-compatible Moza wheel is coming.
Moza’s First Step Onto PlayStation
If you follow sim racing hardware, you already know Moza.
Founded in 2012 by a group of automotive engineers and simulation enthusiasts, the company has built out a full ecosystem of direct drive wheel bases, steering wheels, its “Active Pedal” force feedback pedals, and even motion systems.
What Moza has never had is a product that works on a PlayStation console.
Its hardware has been almost entirely a PC affair, with a minor foray into Xbox territory with the R3 back in 2023. In terms of force-feedback wheels, Sony’s console has remained the exclusive domain of Logitech, Thrustmaster, and Fanatec, and breaking into that club is a big deal both for Moza and GT7 players.
Of course, today’s announcement doesn’t include any details about the new wheel itself, and no release window beyond “the future”. But the fact that it’s being developed “in collaboration with Gran Turismo” suggests this is more than a simple compatibility patch.
Series producer Kazunori Yamauchi’s comments hint at how the partnership came about, and it started somewhere unexpected (though perhaps not surprising for Yamauchi-san): camera equipment.
“My first experience with MOZA was actually through their camera stabilization gimbals. Gimbals and steering controllers both use the same type of technology in that they exercise very precise control over electric motors, so I had my eyes on MOZA’s developmental ability, technology, and reliability for a while now,” Yamauchi said.
Yamauchi added that he was “excited to see the expanded possibilities to develop a steering wheel that is optimal in the eyes of ‘Gran Turismo’.”
Moza CEO and founder Chenyong Guan called the partnership “an exciting milestone” for a company whose mission has been “to make professional-grade sim racing more accessible”.
Fanatec Remains a GTWS Partner
Things get a little awkward when you consider Fanatec remains an official peripheral partner of the Gran Turismo World Series.
That means the championship is now sponsored by two directly competing wheel manufacturers at the same time. Fanatec currently holds the Gran Turismo license for its GT DD Pro and GT DD Extreme wheels, and World Series competitors will continue racing on Fanatec hardware for the time being.
Whether that remains true is now an open question. If Moza’s new wheel lands well, it’s not hard to imagine it pushing its way onto the World Series stage, and it makes the next generation of Gran Turismo-branded wheels a genuinely competitive contract for the first time in years.
To be clear, the real winner here is Gran Turismo players.
Fanatec has effectively had the official Gran Turismo hardware space to itself since the GT DD Pro launched in 2021, and a serious challenger means both companies now have to fight for your money on performance and price. More competition in this corner of the market is good for everyone.
Browse Moza’s Current Lineup
If the announcement has you curious about what Moza already makes, you can browse its full range of wheel bases, wheels, and pedals at the Moza Racing store. GTPlanet is a Moza affiliate partner, which means we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you if you buy through our links.
What’s Next
Yamauchi closed his comments by asking fans to “look forward to the new products that will be released through MOZA”, so expect a proper product reveal at some point, possibly timed around a World Series live event. We’ll be covering it when it happens.
