Asetek Confirms October 6 Launch for New Shifter and Handbrake

Asetek Dual Mode Shifter and Load Cell Handbrake

Asetek Racing has confirmed the final launch date and pricing for two of its most anticipated upcoming sim racing peripherals, with the company’s new Dual Mode Shifter and Load Cell Handbrake launching on October 6, 2026.

The Danish manufacturer had previously confirmed only an October release window. Its new official Shifter and Handbrake launch page now provides a specific date alongside pricing for both products.

The Dual Mode Shifter will cost €184.03 excluding VAT / $219 excluding sales tax, while the Load Cell Handbrake is priced at €150.42 excluding VAT / $179 excluding sales tax.

That means Asetek customers now have considerably more information than when the two devices were originally given a general October launch window, although complete technical specifications are still expected ahead of release.

Asetek Dual Mode Shifter Launches October 6 for €184.03

Asetek Dual Mode Shifter
Asetek Dual Mode Shifter

The most notable of the two products is the Asetek Dual Mode Shifter, designed to provide both H-pattern and sequential shifting from a single unit.

That approach allows sim racers to move between traditional manual road cars, historic racing machinery and sequential-equipped competition cars without mounting two separate shifters to the cockpit.

Asetek has priced the Dual Mode Shifter at €184.03 excluding VAT in Europe and $219 excluding sales tax in the United States.

The product is scheduled to join Asetek’s lineup on October 6, 2026.

The combination of H-pattern and sequential functionality should make it particularly attractive to users who compete across multiple types of simulation, where switching between gearbox layouts can otherwise require separate pieces of hardware.

Asetek describes the new products as being developed, engineered and built by its own team in Denmark, with an emphasis on physical resistance, feedback and precision.

Asetek Load Cell Handbrake Costs €150.42

Asetek Dual Mode Shifter 2026

Launching alongside the shifter will be Asetek’s new Load Cell Handbrake.

Asetek has confirmed a price of €150.42 excluding VAT in Europe and $179 excluding sales tax in the United States, with availability scheduled for the same October 6 launch date.

As its name suggests, the device uses load-cell technology to measure the force applied by the driver rather than relying exclusively on lever position.

That type of input measurement is particularly relevant for rally, drifting and rallycross simulations, where drivers often need to control how aggressively the rear wheels are locked rather than treating the handbrake as a simple digital input.

Asetek already uses load-cell technology throughout parts of its pedal ecosystem, including its Forte pedal systems.

The new handbrake extends that force-based approach to another important cockpit control and fills one of the most obvious gaps in Asetek’s hardware lineup.

RaceHub Support Is Already in Place

Asetek has been preparing its software ecosystem for both products ahead of their commercial launch.

RaceHub 4.5 introduced support for the Dual Mode Shifter and Load Cell Handbrake in August, despite neither device being available to customers at the time.

That software update was one of the clearest indications that development had entered its final stages.

With the October 6 release date now confirmed, RaceHub support should already be in place when customers begin adding the new hardware to their setups.

Asetek’s RaceHub software platform acts as the central configuration environment for the company’s sim racing ecosystem, handling calibration and hardware settings across supported Asetek products.

Adding native shifter and handbrake support gives existing Asetek customers another reason to remain within the same software environment as their wheelbases, steering wheels and pedals.

Asetek Is Filling the Gaps in Its Sim Racing Ecosystem

The arrival of a dedicated shifter and handbrake represents an important expansion of Asetek’s product range.

The company has spent recent years building its ecosystem around Direct Drive wheelbases, steering wheels, pedals and cockpit hardware, but shifters and handbrakes remained two notable omissions.

The Dual Mode Shifter and Load Cell Handbrake address both gaps simultaneously.

For existing customers, that means a larger proportion of a complete sim racing setup can now be built around Asetek hardware and configured through the same RaceHub ecosystem.

The Dual Mode Shifter may prove particularly important because combining H-pattern and sequential functionality avoids requiring two separate products for drivers who race a wide variety of cars.

The Load Cell Handbrake, meanwhile, gives rally and drifting users a dedicated Asetek solution rather than requiring a third-party peripheral.

What We Still Don’t Know

The October 6 announcement answers the two biggest outstanding questions when the products launch and how much they will cost but Asetek has not yet published complete individual specification sheets for either device.

Details such as adjustment ranges, maximum handbrake force, mounting dimensions, included accessories and the full range of mechanical configuration options remain to be confirmed publicly.

Asetek says additional information will be released as the October 6 launch approaches.

For now, the commercial picture is considerably clearer.

The Asetek Dual Mode Shifter launches on October 6 for €184.03 excluding VAT / $219 excluding sales tax, while the Load Cell Handbrake arrives on the same day for €150.42 excluding VAT / $179 excluding sales tax.

With RaceHub support already available, both products are now less than five weeks away from completing another major part of Asetek’s expanding sim racing ecosystem.

See you on the track!


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