These last few years we’ve seen an explosion of new Sim Racing on the scene. One of the brands that have generated a lot of hype is Asetek Simsports. Asetek impressed us with their Invicta and Forte pedals, and we have been eagerly awaiting their wider ecosystem with extremely high expectations.
With bold claims from Asetek SimSports of the Invicta Wheelbase being a genuine rival to the likes of the Simucube 2 Ultimate at around half the price, that may seem like wishful thinking. Further to this, the La Prima and Forte Wheelbases share a lot in common with the Invicta when it comes to build quality and driving experience for a significant drop in price. So let’s dive in and find out just how good these Asetek Direct Drive Wheelbases really are, and where the sweet spot is in their range.
Asetek Wheelbase Ratings
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The Asetek Direct Drive Wheelbases are good. Here’s why:
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.
But What’s The Catch?
I’m not sure you should consider it a catch, as there is no taking away from the fact these wheelbases give an incredible driving experience. However, we did run into a number of Quality Control issues with our first samples. Keep in mind the units used for this review are from the first production batch. They are not pre-production or prototype.
We spoke to Asetek at length about the issues we encountered and here is how they have been addressed:
- No power to the wheel initially.
- This was caused by a faulty crimp connection internally. They tell us they will be re-terminating these connections on all stock to ensure nobody else experiences this.
- Random Power Cutouts
- This has now been fixed with a firmware update to reduce transient power draw spikes. We have not been able to reproduce the issue since the fix.
- Wheel can be pulled off the quick release without pulling the lever due to the slope on the latch
- A stiffer spring is being used which has completely rectified this issue.
- Front mounting brackets had material defects that had to be ground off to fit properly.
It should be noted that Asetek Simsports put a hold on shipping to customers while they made the necessary fixes above, so we are confident the issues we encountered during our review process are now resolved, and the updated hardware we have received has had none of these issues or any other QC issues at all.
Asetek Invicta Vs. Forte Wheelbases
Is the Forte all you need?
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.
However, the Forte wheelbase is noticeably less reactive in more rigid cars like GT3, F1, etc. The difference is less noticeable in softer cars like street cars, GT4, GR86, etc to the point where in the GR86 for example I would struggle to tell the difference between the two bases. I believe this is due to the Slew Rate. That is the motor’s ability to change its rotational speed over time. Specifically, the slew rate is a measure of how quickly the motor can accelerate or decelerate its speed from one level to another.
Asetek state that the Invicta wheelbase has a max slew rate of around 9.5Nm/ms. Which is similar to that of the Simucube 2 Ultimate, although hard to compare directly as the measuring method may vary.
The Forte wheelbase has a reported max slew rate of 6.7Nm/ms which could be the reason why the Forte is “only” on par with the force feedback experience of the Simucube 2 Ultimate, and doesn’t quite match the responsiveness of the Invicta.
At the torque levels I run, the Forte feels almost indistinguishable from my Simucube 2 Ultimate which is extremely impressive when you consider it is around one-third of the price.
So having experienced both the Forte and Invicta, I would say there is definitely value in going for the Invicta if your budget allows it. But I certainly don’t think anyone would be disappointed with the Forte.
Sim RACING
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Asetek Forte Vs. La Prima Wheelbases
Is La Prima Strong Enough?
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.
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