I do wish they'd simplify the designs a bit. I think all the angles everywhere make their wheels look cluttered compared to competitors more elegant and naturally flowing designs. Cube COntrols are guilty of this too. Too much unnecessary complexity going on visually.
@boostedmedia I haven't seen Fanatic wheels in real life but a lot of them look toy like to me with there colouring. I have the la Prima and it does look better in real life but I understand the criticism from others.
It was an amazing look for the Pedals tbh, and I get them wanting to somewhaz keep the color scheme they had there. But that orange and black just really destroys the looks of their wheels.
To me it has a 70's supercar vibe to the design and you either like it or don't. I myself went with the Simagic as for me, design vise they look definitelly up there with the best ones..
Not offering the paddle accessories for the LA Prima wheels feels like a missed opportunity. People on a budget are more likely to purchase accessories down the line and most won't be tempted into an upsell to a Forte wheel.
I do agree with you.. I am waiting on my La Prima to arrive in next few days It would have been nice to have the option to add the extra paddles and overall they would make more sales, like you said. As for me, I will skip upgrading to the Forte button box, and wait for the invicta. Asetek mentioned in replies they will be launching 2 invicta wheels. So my next upgrades will be the wheel and upgrade to Forte base. But overtime
Thanks Will, this was the detailed look at the new Asetek wheel rims I was waiting for and have placed my order for a La Prima button and the Orange D shaped rim with confidence armed with information I have gained after watching this video.
I was gonna go full La Prima, but was able to get a TK base open box for super cheap from Microcenter, so I went ahead and chucked what I saved into the round leather w/ Forte BB, and I'm absolutely loving it. Superb products and amazing feel. I hope you've found yourself equally pleased. I upgraded after 5 years on a T300, so I have no frame of reference on DD, but I can't imagine a 10-12nm kit gets any better than this. I watched a lot of sim racing garage reviews in addition to Will's and found reasons to avoid other bases, though I almost pulled the trigger on Alpha mini and likely would of if these wheels hadn't been released.
@@bonedawgstudio5649 I am still impressed with my wheel and pedal setup from Asetek mate and still finding ways it’s a step up from my original Accuforce DD wheel base. The D shaped rim has really helped with the immersion when racing GT style cars.
Micro Center is awesome. Wish we had one here in Arizona. I visited one in California a few months ago while on vacation and they had a rig set up for customers to try out with a Simucube wheel and pedal set up. Very cool.
I absolutely love Asetek's ecosystem and modularity of their designs. It is incredibly well thought out, and this is very difficult to achieve BERFORE releasing a product as opposed to doing things retroactively. Regardless; I ended up going with Simagic alpha mini and a GTS wheel because it was a few hundred bucks cheaper and I honestly don't see myself buying a ton of 3rd party wheels that would take advantage of the Asetek quick release. And the Alpha mini didn't require any extra mounts for my rig, so it'll be way easier for me to install.
I am still super happy with my alpha mini and GTS wheel! FFB Strength is more than I expected, and the level of detail compared to a belt driven wheel is impressive. I also love how it looks, such a small form factor and nice black aluminum casing. Highly recommend!@@sstetsiv
@@sstetsiv ASETEK has a resolution with 22BIT chip thats 4,000,000 bits of resolution per 1 turn of the wheel. mini is like 18BIT 262,455 not even close.
To be fair, if all that was available when I bought the stuff for my rig 2 months ago, I might've gone for Asetek, but going with them (and LaPrima stuff was impossible to find through resellers, on Asetek site only) meant the formula-style wheel only for a while. Not the main stuff I drive at the moment. Too bad I guess. Great stuff nonetheless Will
Ya, this was a big concern for me because I love to drive rally games as well. I ended up only going Asetek because of the MicroCenter "TK Bundle" which is basically a La Prima/Forte hybrid Tony Kanaan signature bundle for $800. With the new WRC game out, I've been anxiously waiting for these wheels and some other accessories like handbrake/shifter. It's been a good product and I'm happy with their stuff, but I'm also NOT driving one of my favorite styles of racing because the ecosystem isn't fully flushed out yet. So I can't blame you for going elsewhere.
Yep not having round wheels a couple months ago is there only thing that kept me from upgrading to Asetek they only had F1 wheels but I wanted there la prima bundle so bad and the Tony Kanan one was only $800 for a full setup but didn't make a round wheel so I went Moza R12 with CRP pedals and CS wheel I really don't regret my decision but these new Asetek wheels look really good and it's priced well
what I don't get is why the quick release has to be $150 / €150 when they can make an entire button box for $280 / €280. IMO that quick release (while very nice) is way overpriced
The only thing that puts me off about Asetek is that - like Fanatec - they have at least some of their production done in China. Moza, Simagic, and Logitech are all actual Chinese companies. The only 2 brands i know of that are not tied to China, is Thrustmaster (100% US) and Simucube (Finnish company, produced in Italy). As expensive as Simucube is, at least it only supports allies, and its WAY more premium then the Thrustmaster DD wheel. Im not sure how long the US will remain an ally, but at least i dont expect them to become my enemies anytime soon, so for now im ok with buying from them too, but not AS much as im ok with Simucube 🥰 If you add together the employers tax, and the tax employees pay, and the VAT, then where i live, that adds up to around 67% that goes to the government...
Man they really need to hire a proper product designer. I almost pulled the trigger for Asetek, but man the initial wheel bundles with the toy like design and tacky rubber handles just turned me off... Nice to see they have wheels with good to touch materials now, even if the hub design still looks cheap despite being good quality.
So.. the question I had when I first saw these.. given the more cost overall.. what do these do that the stand alone wheels dont? It's not like you're going to buy a few different wheels, one button base, and swap them.. they dont quickly swap.. so it would be a bit of a pain in the ass to undo the 6 or so screws to put a different wheel on the one base. Or is that the actual intention? I assume the primary point of the two pieces instead of all in one like everyone else has, is to allow you to maybe choose a round wheel instead of the other styles for the particular button base? I just dont know that I see what the advantage is for spending more on this setup if you plan to get similar wheel/base anyway? Plus, some of the fancier wheels have OLED screens and other things in them and more buttons, etc on them.
Covered in the video. It’s not done this way for quick swapping. It’s done to allow more space for buttons without having to have the box sit in front of the rim like the Fanatec rally button box does.
@@boostedmediaYes, and also you DO have the option to switch if you for example drive one type of cars for a while then want to switch to another and drive that for a while. Having options is never wrong.
coming from a 350mm wheel for rally, drift and roadcars and a CC f-pro for gt and formula cars, i've decided to jump into the asetek ecosystem with a forte wheelbase, a QR for the fpro and the 350mm wheel and i've also went ahead and got a laprima buttonbox with the comfort+ round wheel, thinking the 330mm will be better suited for rally and streetcars. my 350 wheel did not have any buttons so i was forced to use a rig mounted buttonbox for keybinds like brake bias or tcs etc. i'm still keeping it around for drifting since that's just playing around and i dont really need quick access to any buttons. Very keen to try out the new setup next week when i get it all installed. the laprima with 330mm wheel should be the weapon of choice for my upcoming mx5 cup league on i-racing early next year. just enough time to get to grips with all the new stuff, and to learn a bit of iracing as well since it's been over 6 years since i last had that software installed and i assume lots has changed.
@@pulsefiend the wheelbase is great. La prima buttonbox wirh the comfort + round wheel is also good. Big fan of asetek now. Saving up for invicta pedals.
I want that closed D + Forte button box + Prima wheelbase so bad. I think that's my dream goal for next year if I'm still into all of this. Thanks for all the info around this!
@@unotoli Haha it’s tempting but I need to be ‘financially responsible’ for a bit. That’s good advice though. Edited: And what I meant to say was Forte button box. I want the option of clutch paddles. I actually want the Prima wheelbase. Higher Nm is lost on me as I usually opt for weaker FFB.
Why no one puts the Simagic GT Pro Hub in comparison with the Forte Hub? It has the same features, it's cheaper, and comes with dual clutch included. It's 479 usd (if you include a wheel rim, 390 without a rim) against 499 for the Forte. The Simagic offer seems quite better in terms of looks and features.
I understand where your critisims and scepticism is coming from. But China is providing nearly all small and server motors for most car brands worldwide. It is not magic stuff they do and quality problems are not a real problem Simagic users have to deal with more then with Fanatec for example. And spyware...i dont know. I m dar more afraid of data krakens like Google or Meta.
IMO Asetek dropped a massive clanger here, all 330mm rims, I wouldn't want any of them. If I switched to Asetek it would only be for the wheel base (and possibly pedals) then I would be looking at 3rd party steering wheels. It's nice they are producing quality products, I just wonder how much market research they did?
The button box still look like cheap plastic while the quality actually might be better than it looks. The rims look really nice though. Wish they would offer a third party button box for other bases
Asetek gear is nice and is a proper competitor. But yeah I share the same notion as to why they look a bit more toyish. Even the Fanatec Mclaren GT3 Replica which is made of plastic, look more genuine wheel. (I mean duh its a replica but still) The Simagic GT NEO also looks more real life wheel.
In February I was debating between asetek and Logitech. I chose Logitech The FFB is great but the lack of ecosystem support has been terrible. Wish I would have went with asetek
I'm in the same boat. Bought into the Logitech G Pro system, with the hopes of having more wheel options by now. Sadly, not yet. I've heard this is changing soon though. Logitech is aware people are not happy with the current offerings, and hinted that more wheel options are coming 'soon' (tm). I guess we'll see. I love the Logitech G Pro wheel + pedals. But more wheel options is something I really miss.
I’m saving up for the la prima base so a smaller (300mm or less) round wheel rim would be the ideal starter once I buy into the ecosystem. So much so that I wouldn’t even be interested in third party rims from there on out. My pathway would be base, button plate + ‘mini’, then after a shifter or e brake I would come back for either a C suede rim or the OG la prima formula from release…this company has shown to not only listen to the community but implement their input and address their shortcomings, gives me a little more trust in them compared to the complacency of Logitech/thrustmaster and the nightmares I hear from fanatec Reddit. Moza had me entertained but I have a hard time arguing against the quality for the price this ecosystem can give me access to, just feels (looks) levels better
All rims are quite the same, yet when assembled it costs more than a standalone pick. Recent DD+ preview on this channel gave me more hope in terms of telemetry >> additional FF (AccuForce and recently Logi with TrueForce tech) AND their slew rate graphs.. Sadly, no RU-vid channel that capable of getting all wheelbases for review makes a direct measurment comparison ;(
On other hand, their quick-release adapter is quite user friendly. Still, could be better if wheel part would be a once-piece, with all mechanics on base side.
One more frustration - why they are not using a quarter-turn or one-touch fasteners to fix those Rims? No tool, quick swap solution. Would hate to mod it myself (I am still not decided between DD+ and Asetek Forte).
Clubsport wheels are not cheaper, if you compare csl wheels... Why would you buy dd+ if you can get g29 cheaper? /S And if you are talking about the button box, count buttons alone. Materials are top notch, visually ppl can be upset tho... Idc I watch the road ahead when I'm racing and buttons are handy.
@@The33FunI agree about buttons and especially encoders. My concern was about price of button-box + rim, and similar selection of the latter (basically offering a single selection). DD+ sounds best option of 15-18nm/1k, plus future implementation of "TrueForce" that made magic for Logi. LaPrima + formula rim is my second best (previously first) option. Will wait a few more months for reviews and QR2 pricing (so far it's crazy uncertain in Fanatec eco system)
i love Asetek, how they attach to the feedback of the community, their quality, their transparency. I love my Forte Wheelbox and Pedals. But their Wheels-Designs ... i still cant get used to it, even after using my Forte Wheel for 10 months. It works fine, Buttonplacement is fine, it feels good. But the overall aesthetik is a bit off and i read that under every video to their wheels in the comments. I hoped the new wheels would catch me more but it seems i have to took a thirdparty wheel with a quickrelease adapter.
Happy with my Logitech Pro (I wish there were more wheels and a pro shifter) but I’ll watch this anyways cause I enjoy learning about all the different brands
Hope the next generation will have numbers around the rotary encoders although I would not buy another wheel when the first one is still working. At least some stickers to attach could do the trick. And yes, some don't like the toy look. If they would improve this they had so much more customers
That’s why we made the universal QR for people to use their wheel of preference. We have sold quite a few and if the design was to your preference, then perhaps our current customers would not have bought. If one steering wheel manufacturer had it all right, no competitor would have existed by now. Point is taste is very subjective and instead of trying to please all with our design, we instead is pleasing all by giving them the option of using the wheel THEY like the most 👍
At 7:00 - Why would you not compare ClubSport hub rather than CSL hub? My reason for asking is the price and build quality are a bit more similar on those two options.
Why didn’t you guys compare the Formula 2.5v? I feel like that’s a very quality wheel and cheaper than these wheels. I know the CSL is similar cause it’s “open eco” but I still think fanstecs entire eco system should be considered since that’s what makes their eco system so strong when other companies only have like 4 or 5 wheels
I was wondering if they are going to release any wheels or button box within the Invicta name like their base and pedals? Overall I really like their Forte lineup but would be nice to know before purchasing.
I don't really get the idea that Fanatec is a closed/locked down ecosystem. The Podium hub costs the same as the Invicta hub and also allows the use of any wheel. The only difference is that Asetek has the USB passthrough, which admittedly is a great feature, but that doesn't mean Fanatec is a closed ecosystem. You also can't attach any wheel to an Asetek wheelbase without buying their hub. I'm ignoring the fact that Fanatec doesn't include the QR2 with the Podium hub at the moment.
They missed a few opportunities that will keep a lot of people away from their ecosystem I’m afraid. 330 mm is just to big but you already noticed that. And the orange accents are ruining it, at least for me. If they ever go full black on their stuff I’m coming onboard and buy everything from Asetek. Oww and a little bit less aggressive curve on top of their wheels/button boxes would be better to imo. The rpm lights look a bit weird like this.
Awesome video as always guys, thanks so much! Not gonna buy any of these but love watching anyway. I'm really trying to like the design as I love the look of the rest of their gear, but there's something about those button boxes that just don't look right. Cant put my finger on it though. Definitely looks better on open wheels than closed.
Hi Boosted looking to get a smaller sim F1 size on the Asctek wheel base using the Adapter what wheel would you suggest low cost and need paddles ? cheers for the help.
The design of the Buttonbox and Shifters is horrible for that Price and it is impossible to buy a Sparco or Omp for this Buttonbox. Looks like Wheel from Bandai Namco for a Tie Fighter .
Toller Rewiev bis auf die Kratzer.... das ist mir beim APM Paddels auch passiert bis ich Tape verwendet habe. Das Design ist Typisch Scandinavisch so Saab und Volvo Style eben. Mir muss es Optisch auch gefallen, in der Hinsicht ist es nicht mein Geschmack. Kenne zwei Leute die hatten die Invicta Pedale, haben alle beide wieder verkauft und sich andere Hersteller gekauft.
I agree, I really like the ffb on the logitech base and ease of use. However I am frustrated with the lack of no eco system. Debating selling it and going asetek or simucube.
@@davebell771 looks like we have to wait till Oct 24 at the latest to see gear. Logitech will be simracing expo in Oct and they seem to be hinting they will have something by then. A rep on reddit has also advised that F1 wheel wheel will way under €500 under in response to soon anticipated 3drap wheel. Have definitely contemplated selling mine but figured would take massive loss given current eco-systen situation. Hopefully patience will be rewarded.
I didn't know that as it looks to be radio silence from logitech. I hear what you are saying about loosing finically in the current market and lack of ecosystem. October is a fair time out.. I am not sure I am that patient.
@@davebell771 logirich is head of simulation at Logitech and was on the launch vids for the dd. He is active on Reddit. Up until earlier this year they were pretty cagey but are not hinting a bit but still keeping cards close to their chase. Apparently a bit to expect this year including software but being vague (launch will fall somewhere between now and October). They have shared it's taken so long because their r&d (product development) is exhaustive to ensure good products. Yes waiting till then seems so far away especially if early adopter.
The 150k Martindale rating seems a bit high. I would love to strip down a wheel and put the fabric under the martindale machine we have at work, unfortunately i dont have the money to strip a wheel 😂
The Stickers are nicely presented? Yeah, right, about as nicely presented as a chicken on an indonesian market. But a great Review as always, of course! 👍 Especially interesting regarding the comparison to Fanatec.
really wish fanatec would come out with something a bit more modern for xbox. i really tried to justify the universal hub v2 on the black friday sales but just couldn't when competitors have hubs like these.
Hi Will ;) In one of your videos(or this video?), you mentioned stickers for Asetek wheels. Unfortunately, I can't find anything. I kind of like the idea of a single wheel hub for different rims, but I'm not a big fan of Asetek's wheel look. Can anyone here direct me to a right place? ;)
I am not a fan of the blank plate look, it is like buying a lower spec car and you are reminded every time you get in the car that you could not afford a better car.
Its a bit of a polariser. Their reason for doing it this way makes sense, but of course it does also limit you to only being able to use their rims with their button boxes. But then there's always the universal hub too.
I had many Fanatec wheels in the past and now the Asetek formula wheel and the button box. I can report that they feel much better and are much more comfortable.
If they would come with h a clever quick release I'd give them a chance. But who wants to change rims like that? during a session? come on... you'll end up with more wheels anyway.
Anecdotal but mine feels absolutely rock solid. Perhaps there are some QA issues with some units but I'm absolutely delighted with mine. Very satisfying to swap out wheels and no play. I do only have la prima base though so perhaps the high torque bases pose more of an issue
This is pretty cool stuff and im glad that there are more and more competitors to sim racing but Acetek is a shitty company that is holding back the AIO industry with patent trolling. Im glad i already have my csl DD
Name 1 thing fanajunk makes thats better then Asetek or Simucube for that matter? Ohhh but fana has console🤭so we better not talk about it or the console fanboys will get you
I prefer brushed aluminum over carbon fiber. It's more rigid and I prefer the extra weight since it results in a natural damping feel that filters never really get right. Asetek's logos and design philosophy isn't for me.