Make sure to watch our detailed close look at the Asetek Direct Drive hardware and software in our video review to get a complete picture of these products.  But let’s skip ahead to what makes the Asetek Invicta Wheelbase stand out as one of the best…

• At comparable torque levels, Invicta Base offers the best Force Feedback I’ve felt in terms of raw detail and communicating what the car is doing, and at a significantly lower price point than the likes of the Simucube 2 Ultimate.
  
• At comparable torque levels, Forte Base offers performance that is difficult to distinguish from the Simucube 2 Ultimate at a fraction of the cost.
• Extremely smooth operation. Generally less filtering is required to achieve a quality feel. This means sharp and highly detailed force feedback is retained without grain, noise or torque ripple.
• Polarising wheel designs, but Forte and La Prima wheels both have rigid construction and good ergonomic layout with high-quality components for the price.
• Clean software that integrates the entire ecosystem into one convenient package.
• Force Feedback quality is relatively consistent between different sim titles (except Assetto Corsa which felt quite robotic and notchy without some in-game filtering added).
• High general build quality throughout.
• Relatively small form factor which is less likely to interfere with monitor placement than some alternatives such as the Logitech G Pro Direct Drive Wheelbase.
• Very convenient Quick Release with upcoming partner wheel support which will allow third-party wheels to be connected in a cable-free manner.

There is one main difference worth considering when putting the Asetek Direct Drive wheelbases head to head, and it’s not Peak Torque.

The Asetek Forte Wheelbase has more than enough strength for the vast majority of people so I don’t think the extra 9Nm of torque available on the Invicta is a compelling reason to pay more on its own.  As with the Invicta, I also tested the Forte with a variety of heavier and wider diameter wheels, and again these added a slight dampening to the FFB but didn’t detract from the driving experience overall, so should not be a factor here.

We received the La Prima Wheelbase a few weeks after reviewing the Invicta and Forte, and at 12 Nm we expected the La Prima wheelbase to have plenty of strength for most situations and that it might just be lacking a bit in responsiveness compared to the Forte, in a similar that the Forte did to the Invicta.  This was not really the case. The difference between the La Prima and the Forte was less than what we found in the Forte to the Invicta, making it almost indistinguishable from the Forte when both were set to 12 Nm peak torque.

Even when using wheelbases with more than twice as much torque available, I have them set to around 12-14 Nm peak torque. Anything above that is only felt in collisions, and if I were to have it any stronger, it would be overwhelming and detract from the experience.  This makes a very strong argument for the 12 Nm La Prima wheelbase being a much more sensible choice within the Asetek range.  Make sure to watch our full review of the La Prima Bundle to get the full picture of why I think it is such good value.