Direct drive wheels, which transmit the forces experienced by your car in sim racing games to your hands without the use of intermediaries like cogs or belts, are experiencing something of a golden age. Pretty much every major manufacturer has now made the jump to producing these high-end wheel bases, offering a significant step up in dynamism and realism at increasingly mainstream prices. That includes well-known names like Logitech, Corsair (Fanatec), Thrustmaster and Turtle Beach, but also includes specialist firms like Moza which have disrupted the market with their huge ranges, well-developed software ecosystems and great value offerings.
Now, Shenzhen-based PXN is attempting to pull the same trick, launching a salvo of PC-only wheel bases, wheels, pedals and bundles at aggressive price points. I’ve been testing their top-end VD10 10nm wheel base and their W CS R2 and W DS R2 wheels to work out whether this relative newcomer has carved out an advantage over the giants of the space, and whether they have the potential to join or even challenge Moza as disruptors.
PXN VD10, W CS R2 and W DS R2 review: hardware overview
The PXN VD10 is a relatively low-profile wheelbase versus others with a similar 10Nm rating, which counts as comfortably mid-range in the direct drive market. (Entry-level models tend to be around 4-6Nm, while high-end models top out around 25Nm from what I’ve experienced thus far.) The modest 258x125x125mm dimensions make the VD10 easy to hard-mount into your sim rig with two or four bolts, or clamp to a desk, with both mounting options available in the box.
In terms of design, there’s relatively little of note – the VD10 features a familiar aluminium alloy shell, with grooves cut in to aid heat dissipation. Wheel rims mate easily via the quick release mechanism on the front, while the back contains a laptop-style external power input, three USB-C ports for connections to accessories like pedals or shifters, if used, and a USB-C output that connects to your PC. (No consoles are supported, though using an external adapter ought to make this possible.) An on/off button sits on the back, but there’s no easily accessible emergency stop button, which is a disappointment. The whole unit weighs around 7.4kg, a touch above the similarly powerful Moza R9.
The 330mm W CS R2 and 300mm W DS R2 wheels are a bit more interesting to look at, with nice and clunky magnetic paddle shifters on the back, a pair of analogue paddles below them, and a good selection of face buttons, sticks, dials and other inputs up front. The CS is the more authentic-looking of the two, with wider and squatter backlit buttons, while the DS wheel’s smaller buttons are rendered in white plastic sans backlighting. The CS is also noticeably wider on the whole and uses a full circle design better for rally and drifting, versus the DS with its more middle-of-the-road D shape.
Here’s how the two wheel rims compare, with the larger, rounder CS on the left and the DS on the right.
These differences aside, the overall build quality and construction is similar, with structural metal, stitched faux leather rims and plastic used most other places. There’s a definite step up in quality between these rims and something like the Fanatec GT DD Pro’s more plasticky construction, and for the money I don’t have any substantive complaints.
PXN VD10, W CS R2 and W DS R2 review: software overview
The PXN software package is relatively well-developed, with an overall layout and vibe that reminds me of Moza’s Pit House. Like that software, a main page displays all connected peripherals, with settings for the wheel base, rim, pedals and other accessories showing up in dedicated sections. There are tooltips to explain what each setting does, but I’d still like to see more detailed explanations to get a better idea of what I should change on a per-game basis.
There are also areas to update the firmware of connected devices and see which games are supported. Firmware updates to the base and wheels added support for SimHub, a third-party program that can take over from the PXN software to unlock some extra functionality and better compatibility with games. I used this to get the wheel’s LED shift metre to work in Assetto Corsa Evo, for example, and this worked well with minimum fuss.
You also get the rare ability to get a digital driver’s display on your phone, with the software producing a QR code for you to scan, which leads to a webpage with your live data. If you can mount your phone somewhere within eyeshot, this is a nice alternative to having to spend for a dedicated sim racing display.
The only real complaint I have here is the game support. F1 23 is listed on the games page as a supported game, but I still had to set all of my buttons manually when first loading into the game, which for a button-heavy game like F1 is a bit of a process to go through. I’m not sure if having a preset requires game developer involvement, but just be aware that this is a downside to going with PXN over longer-established players like Logitech, Thrustmaster or Fanatec.
PXN VD10, W CS R2 and W DS R2 review: gaming performance
Following a straightforward hard-mount onto my usual Next Level Racing GTTrack cockpit, I had plenty of fun testing out the wheel base and the two rims, with the bulk of my time spent in Assetto Corsa Evo and F1 23. As the wheel and rims are PC-only, I didn’t spend any time on consoles.
The level of force feedback is immediately evident in Evo, where the ridges of a kerb, a bump in the road or the loss of traction under high-speed cornering or heavy braking is immediately obvious. I’m still a novice to manual shifting, but the paddles here felt well-tuned and provided plenty of tactile feedback. I found the buttons on the DS a little tricky to reach, especially when wearing gloves, but the CS was a bit better with its wider buttons and more sensible arrangement for the four face buttons in the top right. The inclusion of a four-way stick made navigating menus easy, and the brake bias and traction control dials were nice and accessible for per-corner changes if desired.
F1 23 is a little less developed in terms of the force feedback it provides, but with a few menu tweaks I was hitting within several tenths of my best lap times with the (significantly more expensive) Moza R9 or Logitech G Pro Racing setups that I’ve spent the most time with. Again, I found the DS a little more awkward when accessing controls like the Multi Function Display, which allows you to set your next tyre compound or change brake bias. However, you can also accomplish these using one of your two dials (eg brake bias) or by holding a button to give a voice command to your AI engineer (eg change next tyre), so this wasn’t a deal-breaker – and the smaller diameter of the DS made it feel a little easier to turn.
Shifting is something that you’ll be doing a whole lot in an F1 game, and this felt pretty good on both rims – maybe not quite as nice as on the Moza GS V2P GT wheel, but totally fine for my purposes. Having analogue paddles below is also key for F1 games, where you’ll want to use at least one for shifting on standing starts.
Overall, the level of force feedback fidelity and the quality of the wheels was on par with Moza wheels at a similar price, and a tad better than the likes of Turtle Beach. I found the best results at middling levels of torque – say 6Nm. Moza still holds an advantage in terms of tweakables, with better-explained and more granular software controls, but PXN came closer overall than I expected.
PXN VD10, W CS R2 and W DS R2 review: wrapping up
The PXN VD10 and the CS and DS wheels are genuinely decent options at their (currently reduced for Black Friday) price points, offering a good experience right out of the box, easy-to-use (if slightly limited) software and good build quality. The direct drive motors deliver detailed force feedback and provide a clear advantage over cheaper cog and gear-driven alternatives like the popular G29/G920, though you don’t get quite the same level of granular tuning or wide game support as on Moza, Fanatec or Logitech products. The ecosystem is also relatively small at present, with only a handful of rims and wheel bases, but with a shifter, handbrake and button box available, there are at least the most essential accessories.
Overall, I’m impressed with this opening outing from PXN, and it’ll be fascinating to see how their offering develops over time. Moza has proved that it is possible to improve force feedback fidelity, game support and software tuning over time, and if PXN follows a similar trajectory they could become a good value alternative.
