Let's dive into what Simagic had to offer on their booth this year at the SimRacing Expo. Sadly, this was overall a pretty big disappointment.
The chinese manufacturer had a lot of eyes turned towards its new active pedal. When we arrived at the booth, the pedal was not set up properly, with calibration issues : we witnessed something pressing the pedal, only for it to not spring back up when they released the foot off of it. The compact design looks nice, but ergonomically doesn't suit big feet, as the pedal arm is too small and prevents the foot from resting properly on the pedal plate. This was especially hindering our sensitivity on the throttle.
Simagic's active pedal is clearly below Simucube's Sport pedal, and even Moza's mBooster in our opinion, and feels more like a beta version, despite already being available publicly. The software is also more barebones than the competition here, though you can still manage the stroke and strength fairly well.
Simagic was also presenting new wheels. Regarding its new Zeus steering wheel range, the proposition is also kind of rough there, especially with the customization which is all over the place and gives the impression Simagic don't really know where they want to go themselves.
The Aston Martin Valkyrie replica steering wheel, which we talked about before, was also being shown. It is an accurate replica, and pleasing to the eye, however, the aluminium gray buttons have a lot of play and don't feel premium, but rather close to what you'd find on a cheaper Thrustmaster product. At just under 1000€, we feel clients would be justified to expect a higher quality on that front when other brands offer a better finish for a lower price.
Finally, the KTM steering wheel ends up being the one we liked the most, with its full carbon fiber case. While it still remains a fairly niche product aimed more at fans, collectors and KTM drivers, it shows Simagic actually has the capacity to deliver a quality premium replica. Price is still unknown, and release scheduled for december.
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