In January 2024, I browse the latest announcements from my simulator, including products shown around Sim Formula Europe in Maastricht. I am not attending: I react to the available presentations and images. O-Rouge and GSI wheels, Trak Racer and VNM projects and the Turtle Beach package also feed into my own cockpit ideas and installation choices.
O-Rouge and GSI: wheels that catch my attention
The O-Rouge wheel first appeals to me through its design. Its five-inch central screen, announced 30 cm width and numerous controls match the GT format I enjoy. The presentation mentions clutch paddles, encoders and aluminium construction. I am reacting to an announced high-end product offered for preorder at a substantial price; I do not have it in my hands to assess its grip or operation.
This discovery leads me to examine GSI’s customisation options with the new Formula Pro Elite version. I look at colour, control and quick-release choices, as well as extension options shown in the configurator. The comparison concerns design ideas and announced features rather than a ranking based on testing.
Driving positions that inspire ideas
Browsing O-Rouge, I also stop at the cockpits. The rally and formula positions interest me more than arrangements I find too close to a road car. On my own SIM-LAB, I have already changed height and tilt rather than following the original plan exactly. The images therefore feed a practical consideration of body, wheel and pedal positioning.
The karting cockpit particularly makes me want to build something from profiles and equipment I already own. This is not a new product I claim to have discovered exclusively: it is an existing installation inspiring a personal project. I imagine a low seat, angled steering and a suitably positioned screen, potentially sharing the PC with my main simulator.
I have tried KartKraft, but my usual cockpit position does not fully match a kart. I would like to address that without unnecessary spending. The seat, screen position and field of view remain to be defined. At this date, these are construction intentions rather than a completed second cockpit.
Trak Racer moves into wheelbases
Another announcement discussed is Trak Racer preparing its own direct-drive bases and wheels. The information I consult mentions two torque levels, 6 and 14 Nm. Images remain limited, but they show a manufacturer known for cockpits broadening its equipment.
I am as interested in the future software as in the base’s appearance. An attractive presentation does not yet establish adjustment possibilities or feel. This section therefore remains a reading of announcements available in January 2024.
Turtle Beach: a complete package that leaves me hesitant
The Turtle Beach package combines base, wheel, pedals and a control screen, with announced PC and Xbox compatibility. On paper, a screen that also handles settings and additional controls make it a well-equipped package.
My hesitation mainly concerns upgradeability and the overall budget discussed. I worry about being unable to change the rim as I can with systems I already use. At this stage, I prefer considering a brand familiar from my experience or beginning with used equipment to discover my needs. This is a reaction before testing: the video verifies neither the brake’s performance nor the actual quality of Turtle Beach’s force feedback.
VNM and upcoming channel topics
VNM also shows an aluminium wheel and a base announced at 32 Nm that remains a prototype. The wheel’s format and controls appeal to me, but availability and the final product are still ahead. My brief trials of VNM pedals at friends’ homes are not a complete test either: their personal settings do not necessarily suit me.
I finish with channel plans. The cyclone that passed through Réunion disrupted filming. I have put the T818 back in the cockpit to prepare a comparison with a belt-driven base and am awaiting a cockpit change. These announcements reflect subjects in preparation at that time and my wish to explain in French what interests me in simulator hardware and design.
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