With the introduction of their pedal sets, newcomers Asetek SimSports have put their foot firmly in the door of the SimRacing world. That was not enough, however: The Danish manufacturer unveiled not one, but three wheel bases to fully dive into the SimRacing market – and what they have come up with looks impressive.
It would have been one thing to develop one wheel base, but Asetek went the extra mile to cover all levels from beginner to pro with their direct drive devices. At the top of the range, there is the 27Nm Invicta base, the entry-level base La Prima boasts a respectable 12Nm, and in between, the Forte base slots in with 18Nm.
Asetek Founder and CEO André Eriksen introduced all three bases in detail in a YouTube video. The main differences are their strength and some features, such as USB ports (that can even handle third-party devices, as Eriksen states) or a different amount of LED strips on the case, but the quality should be the same. Moreover, the bases will be upgradeable. “You buy a new PCB board, power supply and LED strips, and you have a Forte base”, Eriksen cited an La Prima upgrade as an example.
The quick release of the bases has been designed to work without wires or Bluetooth, much like Fanatec’s interpretation, but an unexpected bonus is that Asetek has opened up the design to make wheels by other manufacturers work, too. “We did not want wires flapping around or rely on a Bluetooth signal that can drop off – also, being locked into someone’s ecosystem can be annoying”, explains Eriksen.
Along with the bases, a formula-style wheel was shown, and another was teased to go along with the La Prima base, which is also going to get its own pedals as well. In fact, the La Prima is only available in a bundle with the upcoming wheel and pedals – which still makes it a great deal. Console compatibility is in the works, but not officially available yet, according to Eriksen.
Asetek Direct Drive Wheel Bases – Pricing
- La Prima – 12Nm – Bundle with wheel & pedals – €1349,99
- Forte – 18Nm – €999,99
- Invicta – 27Nm – €1499,99
Pre-orders are opening on Friday, November 11th, and for this, Asetek has another ace up their sleeves: SimRacers who have bought pedals from the manufacturer before the first bases ship will receive a €200 gift card for Asetek’s web shop, meaning the discount is still active should you order pedals at the time of writing. Eriksen promises: “We do our very best to get the wheel bases to you before the end of the year.”