The Invicta Direct Drive Wheelbase is the best hardware piece Asetek can offer. This review will enlighten you about why these kind of wheelbases have their sense and their market.
First, to clarify: despite the acquisition that took place in recent days, the official information is that Asetek Simsports continues its path unchanged. New products are expected this year, with everything continuing to advance in Denmark.
Starting an analysis is always challenging, especially for highly competitive products like Direct Drive wheelbases. Fortunately, I’ve tested many of them, and while they’re quite similar, each retains its own personality and delivers a slightly different experience. The great thing is that modern technology consistently meets purchase expectations. With the Asetek Invicta Direct Drive Wheelbase , we can go even further.
Introduction
Asetek is not new to the peripherals business. It has been in the market since 1997 and operates worldwide, manufacturing its own liquid cooling systems and for other major brands like Corsair or NZXT. It has temporarily partnered with many others such as HP or Asus and has always focused on creating more and better cooling products while avoiding what is known in the financial world as bad or meaningless diversification.
Since mid-2020, they have embarked on a small but dedicated adventure. Their CEO is a big fan of motorsports and believes that great things could still be done in the simulation peripherals market. Therefore, the company created an exclusive branch for simRacing-related products. From then until now, they have populated their ecosystem with virtually everything needed to enjoy the hobby, and they have done it brilliantly.
Packaging
Once again, impeccable. Same style as with the Invicta pedals, with foam packaging (that doesn’t leave any residue) keeping everything well organized for possible repackaging in case of moving or relocating. If I had to mention a downside, I don’t like the printed cover that makes it difficult to put in or take out the cardboard box, but it looks very nice once everything is closed.
We must consider the space and weight (11,3 kg) these motors occupy, so everything needs to be well protected.
Construction
The front and rear ends are made of plastic, which are actually decorative covers. For the front assembly, I needed to remove the front cover as the brand itself indicates in its videos. The rear cover protects the electronic part that serves as the motor controller. The technology comes from the Finnish company Simucube and is housed along with the rear connections. It eliminates any USB that is not a Type-C factor, which tends to be more expensive depending on the use. The central part that constitutes the motor and its housing is made of steel and aluminum.
It features longitudinal LED strips that are customizable through the RaceHub application and serve to indicate different states of the base. The Asetek Invicta Direct Drive Wheelbase has a design that doesn’t leave anyone indifferent and matches the rest of the peripherals that are being released. Perhaps it’s not the most beautiful, but it remains pragmatic when it comes to accommodating a servo, which is ultimately what most users are looking for.
Interiors
Speaking of motors and specifications, we have the licensed controller technology from Simucube with a multimillion-dollar agreement reached in late 2020. If Granite Devices is involved, we know we can trust it. And of course, the other essential element of any respectable OSW (Open Sim Wheel) is not missing; the Mige motor.
With these fundamental ingredients, we can only expect good things. This is a pair of elements that have been extensively tested in the simRacing universe over the past few years, with a reliability close to 100%. They have been assembled in numerous conditions and improved and optimized by different manufacturers to squeeze out every last meter per second.
Optimization is precisely what we’re talking about because Asetek has incorporated the best components for these motors. They have equipped them with a 22-bit encoder with over 4 million steps, optimizing the maximum torque of 27 Nm and with a slew rate of 9.4 N/ms. All of this has been achieved through collaboration with engineers from Mige, Simucube, and Asetek themselves.
Assembly
Asetek offers three mounting options, but most of them require the acquisition of a new mount. For the writer, perhaps this is the only downside of this ecosystem, as until now, both Simucube and Simagic, as well as the traditional Mige, maintained a form factor that could be carried over from one product to another, allowing external manufacturers to offer their own mounts.
In this case, you can choose a front mount (which is the one I have chosen), a side mount similar to Fanatec’s, or a bottom mount where, if you’re lucky, you may not even need the most basic mount. For the latter option, there are pre-installed nuts on the bottom of the base to screw it into different positions.
Asetek may justify the installation of emergency or power buttons, but I understand that if you choose not to use a brand-specific mount, each user will have to attach them to their cockpit as best they can, as has been done until now. In Asetek’s option, everything fits perfectly, but it does come at an additional cost.
Software
RaceHub is a simple application that is lightweight and follows Scandinavian design philosophies. It is practical and does what is expected of it without unnecessary frills. In this case, we have the necessary configurations for degrees, inertia, damping, forces, slew rate, hardness, and travel of bump stops, all spread across several customizable profiles.
Furthermore, as is common nowadays, it allows the creation of our own profiles for each game, which can be saved or automatically executed. As we do in these cases, everything is set to the maximum and smoothing filters are kept to a minimum to experience the full potential of the base and the “raw” sensations it can provide.
Usage
With the front mount sold by Asetek, the usage is very straightforward, and it looks great in any cockpit. In case you’re wondering, the front mount is adjustable and can adapt to almost any design, both externally and internally, with a maximum opening of 64 centimeters.
The power and safety switches are illuminated in blue and green LEDs. With a simple and satisfying touch to the power button, we are ready to use the base, which will go into standby mode automatically after a period of inactivity indicated by the blinking of the start button. To restore force feedback, we simply touch the button again, and voila, we regain activity.
In terms of heat, it doesn’t get hot enough to burn and there is absolutely no noise. The power supply also remains silent throughout, something that was already overcome years ago, and we don’t experience any oscillations to set an index at the beginning. Everything feels very natural and aims for simplicity.
Although it’s more related to the wheel rim, which we will discuss shortly, the simplicity of the quick release (QR) and its operation is worth mentioning. It is as consistent as the Simucube’s QR but with built-in electronics and without getting “stuck.” I’m eager to see it in action with other wheel rims.
Behind the wheel
Looking at other reviews, we have mentioned that we have the natural ingredients of what would be a top-range OSW but optimized to the extreme. So the least we can expect is that its performance is as good and accurate as the other designs based on Mige and Simucube that we have tested.
And for those who don’t know, that’s a lot and very impressive. This base could easily compete with more expensive Simucube 2 models while offering exclusive features. To have built-in electronics, top-notch safety and power buttons, a 22-bit encoder, a 400W power supply, and a QR with open electronics for other manufacturers is an undeniable achievement.
And once we get behind the wheel, it doesn’t disappoint at all. It is as smooth as the most refined Direct Drive systems we have tested and as powerful as bases that cost much more. The slew rate value allows us to detect even the slightest imperfection, feel it, and react to it. It offers immediacy, but also a tremendous amount of fidelity without any strange artifacts or peculiar behaviors. At times, it may even feel like it operates with overly conservative settings and lacks a certain aggressiveness… until we push it to the limit and find ourselves trying to tame a wild young stallion.
Each car, simulator, wheel rim, and configuration provides a new and different flavor and handles the force feedback (FFB) in its own way, while maintaining astonishing precision and reliability at all times. The wheel rim and base give a high-end sense of weight and solidity, something that I would have hardly thought possible at this price point a few years ago.
Final Verdict
We’ve reached the key point where it’s time to speak clearly about this wheelbase. The specifications show they’ve included everything good we’ve known from Direct Drive since its beginnings, optimized it, and packaged it beautifully at a fair price. That should give you an idea of my opinion.
Everything has positively reassured me. Each detail is better than the last, with the only fault being it doesn’t satisfy my darker, more subjective quirks—like WLFE compatibility. I expect that in a firmware update this year.
This is no longer a new product. Asetek Simsports has time to refine it further with software improvements this year. The hardware is solid, and everything else is ready to push it to the limits.
The complete Invicta ecosystem, with this wheelbase at its core, offers one of the most quality, solid experiences currently available in a virtual cockpit. The peace of mind that everything fits perfectly and works flawlessly at a reasonable price is extraordinary.
The wheelbase is available individually or in bundles with a wheel, or with a wheel and pedals.
You can buy it on Asetek official website (5% OFF using this coupon: boxthislap)
Or in the amazon retailer:
This website uses affiliate links which may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.
