Sim-Lab Teases Direct Drive Wheelbase Set For 2025 Release

SimLab DD.jpg
Image: Sim-Lab
A new player is looking to join the Direct Drive game in sim racing: Sim-Lab have teased a wheel base - including bold claims.

Dutch sim racing equipment manufacturer Sim-Lab is primarily know for its range of cockpits and seats, offering different levels of aluminium-profile based rigs for different price points. Chances are that any sim racer who has thought about what rig to get when planning to make the jump to a more permanent setup have heard or seen Sim-Lab rigs.

In recent years, however, the company has started to venture into input devices as well, such as pedals, a handbrake, a push-pull-style rally shifter, and even a licensed replica of the Mercedes F1 racing wheel. Soon, a Direct Drive wheel base is set to join this line-up.

Teased via their email newsletter, Sim-Lab did not actually show much of the incoming base - just a few barely visible outlines. However, the very bold claims accompanying the teaser hint at a great level of confidence regarding the wheel base. The company states that the product "will be the best direct-drive wheelbase on the market".

"Challenging The Status Quo"​

That is not everything, though. Sim-Lab also claims to be delivering "unparalleled torque control technology resulting in incredibly smooth, and highly accurate FFB". This sounds exciting on paper, but will have to be proven, of course - and then there is the question about the base's price point, for which no info is available yet. It is set to release in 2025.

Sim-Lab is aware of the boldness of its claims, stating that it plans on "challenging the status quo in the current market. There are some misconceptions about Servo motors which are persistent, but we're confident in bringing something truly better to the market that stands apart from what's available today".

The sim racing community will be able to gather its first impressions of the base at ADAC SimRacing Expo 2024 from October 18 to 20. Meanwhile, if you want to know how Sim-Lab's XP1 pedals fare against other pedal sets in a similar price range, feel free to check out our pedal comparison against the MOZA Racing CRP2 and Asetek Forte.

What are you expecting from the Sim-Lab Direct Drive Wheelbase? Let us know in the comments below and join the discussion in our hardware forum!
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RedLMR56
Luca Munro
Biggest sim racing esports fan in the world.

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Slapped
Oh, wow, yet another direct drive wheel manufacturer.

Let's see, how many do we already have. Fanatec, Simucube, VRS, Accuforce, Simagic, Leo Bodnar, VNM, Moza, Cammus, Thrustmaster, Logitech, PXN, and the one that I've probably missed, oh Turtle Beach, and I'm still guessing I've missed one.

While competition is generally considered to be good, this niche market is already way over populated IMO, and will likely result in a race to the bottom in terms of quality.
 
C
O geez....I wonder if all the streamers have gotten their free ones in the mail yet...Everyone is about to be sponsored by facking SL lmao
I cant wait to get rid of this T818 and step up to a SC2...I dont need an ultimate im just a simple man...
And while it is neat to see more companies doing it, @Slapped comes in with the key point.
Lets hope we dont end up with a ton of mid-level, just ok-but not great bases. (like mine)
When companies try to cut costs and deliver MORE for LESS you end up with a very mediocre experience (like mine)
Watched a youtube video of a guy beating the piss out of a G wagon and the best thing he said the entire video was this - "Expensive things are expensive for a reason"
In this mindset...I hope its atleats 1500.00 dollars. No wheel included.
Ive grown weary of the plasticy garbage (like mine)
 
RCHeliguy
Premium
I get that SL is successful and branching out because they have the means, but the question becomes whether they start to lose focus and are just trying to grow into new markets for the sake of growth, but without adding any value to the market.

I considered their latest chassis design a step down in the name of differentiation, rather than an improvement of any kind. It is now a hinderance, designed to look cooler but be less functional.

At this point, I question what a manufacturer can add to the direct drive market besides fragmentation, and how many things they can actually do to differentiate another product in this space.

Maybe their goal is to eventually sell a complete simrig with all SL controls and maybe they will price others out of the market with great bundle prices.

Next stop SL motion systems.... ( any bets on this? )

Whether this ends up good or bad, I have no idea.
 
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Chatopex
I feel sorry for the workers; it's unacceptable to run this type of business at a time when the market is saturated with products of all prices and qualities. At the moment, all the companies offering their products now are really good alternatives
 
unpierrot
RiseAndDespair said:
And Asetek.. It would be nice to see a comparison chart with each brand and their specs.
Seems like only yesterday that a belt driven wheelbase was the new cream of the crop, replacing the gear driven ones.
Click to expand...
Here is a small board that gives a technical overview
thefrenchsimracer.com

Direct Drive Simracing - DATA BASE

The information on this page is official information gathered from manufacturers' websites. Are you a manufacturer? Would you like to update your information? Please contact us at: contact@thefrenchsimracer.com Legend: Continuous torque: Torque indicates the motor's "force". This value is...
thefrenchsimracer.com thefrenchsimracer.com
 
Slapped
Chuck Campanella said:
I cant wait to get rid of this T818 and step up to a SC2...
Click to expand...
Is there anything specifically wrong with the T818 that makes you want to step up?

Speaking as a Simucube owner I've found that some lower end wheelbases can be equally, or slightly more, responsive at my preferred lower torque levels (7-8nm). This could be a combination of firmware and the fact that the moving mass of the Simucube is higher due to it needing to support significantly higher torque values.

I bought Simucube just shy of 3 years ago when there was really only Fanatec as competition (which was never in stock even back then). While I'm overall happy with the SC2 Pro, if I was buying today I probably wouldn't go Simucube as I feel that there would be better choices for my particular needs.

It's easy to look at the high end gear and think "wow, I want that", then get it, and find that overall it's way over specced for your needs.

It likely that your preferences are different to mine, but I'm just trying to save you a bit of money here.
 
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D
Owning Simucube 30Nm base from 2019 and I never ever looked back, it goes strong even today. Best spend money. If anyone own DD wheel base no matter the brand I think it won`t get much from newer DD wheel bases becouse difference are marginal if you compare them and not to mention how expensive new DD whel bases are. Not worth the upgrade in my opinion.
 
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C
Slapped said:
Is there anything specifically wrong with the T818 that makes you want to step up?

Speaking as a Simucube owner I've found that some lower end wheelbases can be equally, or slightly more, responsive at my preferred lower torque levels (7-8nm). This could be a combination of firmware and the fact that the moving mass of the Simucube is higher due to it needing to support significantly higher torque values.

I bought Simucube just shy of 3 years ago when there was really only Fanatec as competition (which was never in stock even back then). While I'm overall happy with the SC2 Pro, if I was buying today I probably wouldn't go Simucube as I feel that there would be better choices for my particular needs.

It's easy to look at the high end gear and think "wow, I want that", then get it, and find that overall it's way over specced for your needs.

It likely that your preferences are different to mine, but I'm just trying to save you a bit of money here.
Click to expand...
I appreciate this.
I think I could be looking at as the apex predator if you will. The be all end all in my own head, so its really nice to hear some feedback like yours.
Oddly enough I spent a few hours playing with my settings in ACC, LMU and AMS2 (which i still cant get right)
My main issue was I couldnt understand what the TM software is trying to accomplish, while the SC software seems so much more detailed and in-depth. Nonetheless, I removed any and all harware damping to my knowledge and added a good amount in sim.
This goes totally against what Ive been told but im up to 70% damping in ACC (FFB @ 40%). Details be damned, but there is absolutely zero oscillation under any condition, and that was my biggest gripe with the 818...No matter what I seemed to try the moment you even loosen your grip it swings like mad.
Come to find out, the problem could very well have been a "me" thing. I also have Carpal tunnel in both wrists so its a dance trying to get the strength and feel proper without having numb hands in less than 5 minutes.
 
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P
Chuck Campanella said:
I appreciate this.
I think I could be looking at as the apex predator if you will. The be all end all in my own head, so its really nice to hear some feedback like yours.
Oddly enough I spent a few hours playing with my settings in ACC, LMU and AMS2 (which i still cant get right)
My main issue was I couldnt understand what the TM software is trying to accomplish, while the SC software seems so much more detailed and in-depth. Nonetheless, I removed any and all harware damping to my knowledge and added a good amount in sim.
This goes totally against what Ive been told but im up to 70% damping in ACC (FFB @ 40%). Details be damned, but there is absolutely zero oscillation under any condition, and that was my biggest gripe with the 818...No matter what I seemed to try the moment you even loosen your grip it swings like mad.
Come to find out, the problem could very well have been a "me" thing. I also have Carpal tunnel in both wrists so its a dance trying to get the strength and feel proper without having numb hands in less than 5 minutes.
Click to expand...
I don't think it's a "you" problem at all, what you describe is what many other people described with the T818. It has some weird lag on its loop that makes it unresponsive in crucial moments and brings unpredictable swings because your inputs get too much ahead of the outputs.
 
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P
Darko Jovanoski said:
Owning Simucube 30Nm base from 2019 and I never ever looked back, it goes strong even today. Best spend money. If anyone own DD wheel base no matter the brand I think it won`t get much from newer DD wheel bases becouse difference are marginal if you compare them and not to mention how expensive new DD whel bases are. Not worth the upgrade in my opinion.
Click to expand...
The SC1 unit with the Large Mige is a great combo, excellent hardware and a very good software to go with it too. I would say that the advantages of the newer lineups of DDs come from their rims and QRs, which integrate seamlessly, and at great prices for the quality, with the end result having also a much smaller footprint on your simrig. In comparison, SC1 systems are quite "discrete", for using an electronics term. The other drawback is that firmware is constantly evolving for other brands, while SC1's development has stopped and it's not getting updates anymore. And it's there, on the software side of things, where the biggest gains are found nowadays.
 
Slapped
Chuck Campanella said:
and that was my biggest gripe with the 818...No matter what I seemed to try the moment you even loosen your grip it swings like mad.
Click to expand...
Just quoting you here so you'll see my theory on this.

pai said:
I don't think it's a "you" problem at all, what you describe is what many other people described with the T818. It has some weird lag on its loop that makes it unresponsive in crucial moments and brings unpredictable swings because your inputs get too much ahead of the outputs.
Click to expand...

You know, I'd bet my ability to count my arse cheeks with both hands that this problem lies with Thrustmaster's driver software.

My theory, and it is just a theory, therefore may well be BS, is described below.

One advantage that Simucube wheelbases have is that they don't have any driver software as such (there is an exception but it's an edge case). Sure there's the True Drive app which is used to configure the wheelbases settings, but once set up it's possible that you may never need to use True Drive again.

The reason is that Simucube bases talk directly to the OS (the standard Direct Input driver to be precise). All of the FFB response and associated effects is calculated on the wheelbase itself - There is no driver to get in the way. So you have Sim -> Direct Input -> Simucube Base, and vice versa.

Thrustmaster, on the other hand, uses a driver that bridges Direct Input to the wheelbase. So you have Sim -> Direct Input -> TM Driver -> Wheelbase. The FFB response and effects being calculated by the driver, and then passed to the wheelbase

The issue here is that Thrustmasters driver, which is doing all the calculating, is running on the same PC as the sim is running, and is subject to all of the windows process scheduling idiosyncrancies as any other software, also the FFB signal needs to go through an extra communcation step which potentially adds more latency, and with latency comes a greater risk of oscillation.

With Simucube everything is done on board via firmware therfore eliminating this extra step and any possible scheduling hold ups, meaning that there's less latecy and therfore less chance of oscillation.

As I said, just a theory.

Oh and this exception with Simucube is that with iRacing you need the True Drive app running to get the new 360Hz feedback, otherwise iRacing will just default to it's standard 60Hz feedback. In this case True Drive is acting as a driver, but it's only for one special case with one sim.
 
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Badwheels
Slapped said:
Just quoting you here so you'll see my theory on this.



You know, I'd bet my ability to count my arse cheeks with both hands that this problem lies with Thrustmaster's driver software.

My theory, and it is just a theory, therefore may well be BS, is described below.

One advantage that Simucube wheelbases have is that they don't have any driver software as such (there is an exception but it's an edge case). Sure there's the True Drive app which is used to configure the wheelbases settings, but once set up it's possible that you may never need to use True Drive again.

The reason is that Simucube bases talk directly to the OS (the standard Direct Input driver to be precise). All of the FFB response and associated effects is calculated on the wheelbase itself - There is no driver to get in the way. So you have Sim -> Direct Input -> Simucube Base, and vice versa.

Thrustmaster, on the other hand, uses a driver that bridges Direct Input to the wheelbase. So you have Sim -> Direct Input -> TM Driver -> Wheelbase. The FFB response and effects being calculated by the driver, and then passed to the wheelbase

The issue here is that Thrustmasters driver, which is doing all the calculating, is running on the same PC as the sim is running, and is subject to all of the windows process scheduling idiosyncrancies as any other software, also the FFB signal needs to go through an extra communcation step which potentially adds more latency, and with latency comes a greater risk of oscillation.

With Simucube everything is done on board via firmware therfore eliminating this extra step and any possible scheduling hold ups, meaning that there's less latecy and therfore less chance of oscillation.

As I said, just a theory.

Oh and this exception with Simucube is that with iRacing you need the True Drive app running to get the new 360Hz feedback, otherwise iRacing will just default to it's standard 60Hz feedback. In this case True Drive is acting as a driver, but it's only for one special case with one sim.
Click to expand...
Unless you know the cpu scheduling algorithm, it's a stretch to say that Windows is causing stutter. Also at that level, latency is measured in microseconds. Maybe it's just a sh!t driver. Also even though Simucube keeps calculations in the wheel, you have no idea of the speed of the channel it is using to talk to the OS. And the software on wheel can be bad also at times.
 
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Slapped
Badwheels said:
Unless you know the cpu scheduling algorithm, it's a stretch to say that Windows is causing stutter. Also at that level, latency is measured in microseconds. Maybe it's just a sh!t driver. Also even though Simucube keeps calculations in the wheel, you have idea of the speed of the channel it is using to talk to the OS. And the software on wheel can be bad also at times.
Click to expand...
You are indeed correct to argue the content of my post. As I said in my post, my theory could be utter BS.
 
Skinny McLean
The sim racing community will be able to gather its first impressions of the base at ADAC SimRacing Expo 2024 from October 18 to 20.
Click to expand...

What happened with Sim Lab's presentation, @RedLMR56? One gets the impression they didn't unveil the base.
 

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