It’s a shame really… I was very excited about this seeing as how vrs has always had reasonable prices and really needed a wheel to go with the base and pedals they offer. Saw the price and I’ve immediately written it off.
I think Dan does a good job explaining why the price of the wheel is what it is, but most people don't understand why the price of the wheel base is comparatively lower. The wheelbase uses an off the shelf MIGE 130 motor with an off the shelf encoder, so no design work or custom machining needed to go into those. They are made in Asia in huge quantities, so they are able to get a great price. The cables are custom, but again, does not require any custom machining as they use off the shelf terminations. The power supply is an off the shelf Meanwell unit which is also made in huge quantities and made in Asia. The controller requires a custom PCB, but the components on the board, including the microcontroller are all off the shelf parts and made in huge quantities. The enclosure is custom made, but it is a simple design in sheet metal and is able to made very affordably. The margins on the wheel base are likely greater than on the wheel, so this is not really a cash grab by VRS. Rather, it is clear that they made the business decision to move VRS upmarket, as seen by the part choices and manufacturing location. I was also hoping for a more affordable wheel, but in reality, that would require manufacturing in Asia and lower quality parts. Whether or not this was a wise decision remains to be seen, but at least they aren't gouging customers by selling a low quality product that was mass manufactured in Asia using sub-par parts.
I have to say the price of the wheel doesn't match the material used. The market for wheels, I feel the bar is set so high by so many companies that this is a disappointment.
VRS nailed the pricing on their Wheel Base and on their Pedals but unfortunately they got carried away and wanted to make a huge profit on their Wheel Rim, this price is a joke.
As a virtual reality user that does not need a screen, these wheels are great. Supposedly Williams does not run a screen to reduce steering wheel weight for better driver response. It is the same reason why Thrustmaster went for lighter weight with their direct drive. Great review.
I've waited 3 years for this wheel. Already own the dd wheelbase and pedals.About the price..that's kinda sad ..somehow. too expensive imo. In this case i go for Cube controls or ascher or gomez
Thanks for the review! I was eager to upgrade to VRS base and this wheel because I love my pedals from them. Then the pricetag came and I decided against it. Am not even sure about the base anymore. This is how not do it VRS...
Looks good but definitely disappointed with the price point. Lots of competition in that range, so this doesn't stand out. Was hoping to see a decent offering in the mid range, 500 - 600. As a hobbyist sim racer, I just want a basic universal wheel with dual clutches at an affordable price.
After seeing Boosted Media's review on this wheel, and long thought on what wheel to get to connect to my VRS pro, I ran with the Ascher McLaren Artura Pro USB Wired with the Ascher 5" dashboard separate. I like VRS's pedals and their wheel base unit is nicely done, but this wheel is sort of weird.
Looks like a solid wheel. The price is a bit high. $799 should be top end. Grips for me are a concern. At this price tho, I would rather order the GSI wheel. Kind of a disappointment to be honest. I wanted to get the entire bundle. Just wheelbase and pedals for me.
It should have a price @ 499€ to fit the great pricing of VRS wheelbase and VRS pedals. They better did. a wheel with 300mm and it should have a better look these days. I think this wheel will not find many fans @ this price and the look.
I think even a 750 price would be fine to be on par with ascher and including an option to get it without the clutch for another -150 if the quality is right. But 1000 is just terrible.
Really want to try F-core, cube controls, as vrs is definetly not to my liking, waiting for fcore review Dan! I appreciate honest attitude! Tbh i would go GSI all they way instead of VRS!
Nice review Dan! Looking at the price of the wheel i'm getting more and more interested in the Evil Racing DGT wheel v2. Do you have plans to do a review of it by any chance?
I was think that price gonna be 599-699 Euro max, on ebay have used Ascher F64 v1 for 500-600 euros. Two time better wheel, or new F64 v3 for 1000 euro. Price for VRS is abnormal
i really want to go GSI but due to ergo wants, I can't go there. I sold my FPE to purchase another wheel. you have a review coming out for the Grid MPX in your honest subjective opinion which should I go for? GRID MPX or Cube Controls F-PRO?
Hey Dan, any chance you can run that force tester through your wall of wheels and put that in a Google Sheet or so for future reference? I reckon that would be very useful.
Hi Dan, what are the wheels either side of your head when you are standing? The ones with the blue encoders on the front. They look like the style i'm after. Thanks
@@DanSuzuki Thanks for your reply. I really like the open top and i'm torn between the GT Pro Zero, SRB V2 or putting my own together with a turn racing rim. This looks like another contender. Great looking wheel.
I really like the design of the wheel except for no thumb encoders. However, I truly think that VRS lost a big chance to become a big player. It should be similarly priced as Simagic FX or Moza GS if this wheel were proprietary. That could be understandable even with less gimmicks. That would make VRS-ecosystem fandom. Even though it is universal, the price should not be similar to some over-priced steering wheels. If I have to choose between this and Cube F-Pro or Grid MPX, I will easily choose the latter.
Good review, well done! After seeing the pictures and price, I was not impressed, but after this review I really like the wheel I must say. The way you can switch between USB and wireless makes it stand out. Only wondering if the wheel is detected as the same device if you switch between connection methods. If not, you have to reassign all controls after switching, which would be less than ideal. Anyway, thanks for reviewing it!
Looks like a good wheel but at that price it faces some tough competition. I hoped it would be more affordable because there arent that many formula style wheels with dual clutches below 800€. i can only think of the two polish folks at polsimer and simline who offer reasonable quality at more reasonable prices
Dan Suzuki likes to put three fingers in the bottom cutout. Tee hee I'm torn because I think the VRS wheel is probably everything I *need* and I trust VRS, but there are so many options in a similar price point that have more features. I tend to think that rev lights and thumb encoders should be standard on a formula style wheel at this price.
No, you don't need to spend $1000 on a bare bones wheel with a plastic housing. If you wan't to spend that kind of money on something basic but high quality, look at Ascher Racing or Cube Controls. Especially Ascher Racing builds beautiful wheels. Once you have them in hands they feel substantial and purposeful .It's like sim racing jewelry. Materials, fit and finish, haptics...everything is top notch and beautiful.
The fact that this wheel isn't back-lit is a huge fail also in my opinion. Especially for the price. Also, is Acsher the OEM for this wheel rim? Would make sense why the price is why it is if so.
Very nice and super review like allways. ❤. Do you made a review of rexing formula wheel? Mayaris maybe was name of wheel😁 i see it in your wheel wall😍
Nice review! Why everybody start with F1 wheels? Make them 2 to 3 cm bigger and they are excelent for GT3. I had the formula wheel and the McLaren GT3 wheel from Fanatec and from ergonimics I absolutely prefer the McLaren over the formula wheel. Buttons, LEDs, build quality etc. are better on the formula wheel but the ergonimics is much more important while driving...
Expected around 500-550 euroes...this price is very high. Great encoders indeed but the buttons are loose on it even... Asetek comes with lighting as well and very similar layout, much cheaper and upgradable, more inputs as well. Sorry VRS, but not for me this one...
Sad, looks like someone over at VRS is getting money hungry at the company's expense (reputation). I suppose steering wheel prices in general are wild and I shouldn't be mad at VRS specifically though. But again, I always thought of VRS as one of the few companies that provide somewhat reasonable pricing to performance so I did have some higher expectations. I still like VRS and respect their wheelbase and pedals. Cheers
I'm not sure I can ever understand how a wheel can cost 1000 Euro. A powerful GPU that uses the pinacle of modern day tech costs about the same as a piece of aluminium with two pieces of rubber and basic electronic components.
@@____________________ok While yes, mass production makes it cheaper, overall R&D costs (if you include chip manufacturing) are also enormous. Although I'm not claiming that this wheel is expensive beyond reason, maybe it's all justified if you calculate it yourself. It's just I can't imagine how something as simple as this can cost so much. And it's not even a wheel for a real car, where, in some sense, your life depends on it...
@@DanSuzuki For competitiveness in Rally IMO more than 400° DOR is a handicap and I would even go lower. Walter Röhrl prefers very tight steering angles as well and watch "Walter Röhrl kommentiert seine Nordschleifenrunde". He's steering less than GT3-drivers with a late 60's Porsche😆. His quote "The biggest secret of driving fast is steering as little as needed." doesn't seem only a driving advice🤔
They are trying to compare it to the Ascher F64 and claim „100€ cheaper than the competition“. But looking at the V3 of the Ascher - sorry, the competition is more the F28 V2. Yeah, a few more inputs and the clutch. But it’s not up there with the V3. In the middle, maybe. And a plastic back? So 749€ or 799€ I think is a fair price point.
They probably had to match it with the ascher and future ascher mclaren wheel which all look similar in parts and equipment and since its made in EU, they dont want to drop the price for everybodies sake and profit, most likely same manufacture plus EU tax. I mean atleast its reliable, $500.00 if made in china with plastic button and thinner aluminum plate and no bluetooth.
Definitely not on the quality/price line from VRS. No LEDS, Plastic back, small room for your hands... there are better optiones in that price range, that's for sure!!
Yes but the simagic has the disadvantage of being made of carbon fiber and having unnecessary features like a dash and ugly LED lights,...Jokes aside, The simagic wheel is only compatible with simagic bases, which makes it uninteresting for everyone who has different wheelbase. That said, I don't trust Dan anymore and this kind of "reviews" are not going to fly in the long run.
I dont understand how you can say it's worth the price when GSI gives you the Formula Pro Elite for €250 more... (same criticism for the Ascher and GRID for me though...) Also, Polsimer F74N has LED's for the RPM counting and is also flexless for way less. Only problem I sometimes have with the Polsimer is that the plastic at the back clicks a bit sometimes. The version with clutches costs €590, but it has no BT and less/no software options. Then again, Polsimer raised it's prices and you don't get almost 2x the functionality. To me it feels like if they would make a GSI Formula Pro Elite clone they would ask €1750 for it. I would rather buy a GSI GXL and have some money left for other accessories or spend a little more and buy a GSI FPE. I applaud you for trying to stay away from that conclusion though :).
I try to keep GSI out of these reviews because then all I get to hear is "you're biased" blabla 😅 For a product with great build quality made in germany or netherlands I think the price is fair, it's not cheap, but it's also not horribly overpriced like some people make it look like. It's roughly comparable to Ascher v2 and v3 while being around the same price. Features like thumb rotaries do not impact the manufacturing cost of these wheels and whether you want to add them or not in a product ... well, thats the choice a company has to make - I definitely would have loved to see some on this wheel but then again, in terms of ergonomics this already is kinda smallish, don't see how thumb rotaries could fit in there.
The average simracer won’t really care about this type of review. Taking it apart and going into This level of detail. Having said that it’s a very and good review. Thanks!
Sim Racing has become an elitist thing. Between the cheating and the dive-bombing, call it sending it if you want, it's disrespectful, and new hardware is way out of the price range for most gamers, I mostly just race offline. ZNice wheel, but for 99% of people, who cares.
Enough people care, otherwise the companies who make those products, wouldn't be able to stay alive. You're looking at it from a very egocentric perspective. It's not elitist, just because your own priorities don't line up with it, and it's not more expensive than any other serious hobby. Regular people with regular jobs invest thousands in their hobby, buy motorcycles, high end gaming PC's, Warhammer figurines, RC airplanes, restore a vintage car or buy weed every day and go out to get drunk every weekend. I'm a regular guy with a very regular job and even I can afford to save up and buy something nice, every once in a while,...but then again, I don't spend money on the same things that you spend money on.
