The MOZA Vision GS marked MOZA Racing's first foray into the premium sim racing wheel segment. Could the futuristic wheel be one for your setup? Here's our buyer's guide accompanied by some useful tips, tricks and settings.
The MOZA Vision GS steering wheel is here, sporting a futuristic look and a circular center display that made many sim racers think of the yet-to-be-released Fanatec Bentley GT3 wheel. The display is the Vision GS's main attraction without a doubt, but of course, there is more to a wheel than just a screen.
Different Wheel Types For Different Styles
Before you buy a steering wheel, you should know a few basics and, above all, make an informed purchase decision, because not every steering wheel is suitable for your own driving style. Many factors come into play, the first of which is your budget. At the time of its release, the Vision GS starts at $750 or just under €830. MOZA currently offers eight different steering wheels, and the Vision GS is also compatible with all wheel bases the manufacturer offers, from R3 to R21 - unfortunately only for PC at the moment. If you mainly drive road cars, NASCAR, trucks, rally or drift, you are probably better off with one of the round wheels.In single-seaters, GT3s or prototypes, which are currently the most popular categories in online racing, you might prefer a Formula-style wheel. Of course, this also has something to do with the steering angle, because in these disciplines you usually use between 360 and 540 degrees of wheel rotation and have to turn much less than in a hairpin-laden rally stage.
MOZA Vision GS vs. Other MOZA Wheels
So, let us assume that if you are interested in the Vision GS, you see yourself more in the GT3, Hypercar or Formula category. If we stay in the MOZA ecosystem, we still see four different wheels ranging from €309 to €829. The KS, GS V2P, FSR and Vision GS differ in their various elements, namely form factor and thumb rest, grip material, diameter, weight, button layout, and display.They all feature shift LEDs and magnetic shift paddles, dual clutch paddles, and thumbwheel encoders. The central element of the Vision GS is the central circular display, which, along with the futuristic design, is the biggest innovation compared to the FSR. I also find the diameter of 310 mm compared to 280 mm on the FSR to be a little more comfortable, especially on the GT cars. When turning in a formula car, the FSR is slightly ahead.
The buttons on the FSR and GS V2P are a little easier to reach with your thumb than on the Vision GS, particularly at the top of the wheel, but that is not a huge game breaker for me. The Vision GS also has 2 buttons on the back, which I think is a good idea. If you go for the Vision GS, the 310 mm diameter, the slightly higher quality materials including microfiber leather and the bold design will probably be the deciding factors - and the fact that you want something special on your rig.
MOZA Vision GS Hands-on
The Vision GS comes with the steering wheel, a storage bag, two sheets of stickers for labeling the buttons, a pair of plastic tweezers for applying the stickers, a wrench for unscrewing and adjusting the rear paddles, and an easy-to-follow instruction manual. The aluminium quick release is very intuitive to use and very sturdy. The easiest way is to use the ball bearing notches as a reference; with a little pressure, the quick release engages automatically. To release, simply pull back on the black ring with a little force. It should be mentioned that the Vision GS is also compatible with other manufacturers' bases using the MOZA hub and adapter kit.To set up your Vision GS you will need the MOZA Pithouse software which can be downloaded from the MOZA website. You can also use this software to update the firmware of your products. The first tab under Home is the Wheelbase settings. In my example as seen in the video, we are using the R12 base, for which there are also some presets. If we move the mouse over GT, for example, we see presets for AC, ACC, iRacing and AMS2.
I can say that I really like the ACC and iRacing setups right out of the box. For most of the cars I drive, it is a good starting point. Next to each setting, there is a small exclamation mark that explains what it does via a help text. In the wheel tab you can see all the buttons and check their function.
Pithouse Settings
On the right, we find an important setting for our dual clutch paddles: You can specify whether they should share an axle or form a separate axle. In Axis Combine mode, you can set a bite point so that, for example, pulling the left paddle will only engage the clutch at 40% of its range. This helps a lot with nailing standing starts as fast as possible in the Porsche Cup or Super Formula in iRacing, even if it was not perfect here. I think 30/70 is a bit better in the Porsche Cup. When the light turns green, you immediately release the right clutch and then slowly release the left clutch. If you do not need it in this function, you can also set it to Button Mode.The Band Knob Mode determines whether your knobs take one of 12 fixed positions or function as + and - toggle switches. You can also configure the RPM LEDs and some telemetry functions. In various simulations, you can set signals when your ABS or TCS engage, for example, as well as flags or the active pit limiter. This gives you a racing feel and visual feedback on what your systems are doing.
MOZA Vision GS Display Options
At the top right you will find the Dashboard Settings area, which relates to the 2.85" circular screen of the Vision GS. There are almost no limits to creativity here, and this is what sets the Vision GS apart from the FSR and its predefined speedometers. The presets here can be copied or customized, or you can build something completely new and switch between pages using the touchscreen. You can drag telemetry and graphics into the template and spend hours with it.You can also turn off the so-called gravity sensing, which automatically keeps the screen level when turning the wheel. For me personally, this is the better option. Not everyone needs a screen on the steering wheel, but with this level of customization, it is definitely useful, especially if you want to race without HUD displays in the game. The inputs, or even tire values or lap times, can be easily toggled with a swipe while driving.
At the moment not all telemetry works 100% in every simulation. For instance, I have not yet been able to get the track map to work at all. Apart from this, ACC and iRacing are among the most complete in terms of values displayed. There are no special settings needed to get it to work. On the MOZA website, you can find FAQs and instructions on how to enable telemetry for all major racing games if it does not work out of the box. You should also check in Pithouse to see if your games have been detected and configured, then communication and profiles are usually created.
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What are your impressions of the MOZA Vision GS? Would you consider adding it to your sim racing setup? Let us know on Twitter @OverTake_gg or in the comments below!
