Simagic Alpha Review | 15nm Direct Drive Steering Wheel | LONG TERM review | World Exclusive
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- čas přidán 11. 06. 2024
- Simagic brought us the M10 a year ago, and now they've brought us this exciting 15nm wheelbase, the Simagic Alpha! I've already been using and reviewing this direct drive steering wheel for the past 9+ months, and i'm delighted to finally be able to share my thoughts with you!
Start: 0:00
1. Intro: 0:45
2. Pricing: 2:49
3. Wheelbase: 3:57
4. Installation - Hardware: 5:55
5. Installation - Software: 6:54
6. Steering Wheels: 7:40
7. Force Feedback: 11:00
8. Build Quality: 12:14
9. Teething Issues: 12:50
10. Final Thoughts: 14:27
Simagic affiliate links (at long last). Abruzzi ships worldwide
Alpha options:
Alpha GT1-R (round rim) bundle: abruzzi-official.co.uk/produc...
Alpha GT1-D (D shaped rim) bundle: abruzzi-official.co.uk/produc...
Alpha GT4 (formula) bundle: abruzzi-official.co.uk/produc...
Alpha Wheelbase only: abruzzi-official.co.uk/produc...
GT4 rim only: abruzzi-official.co.uk/produc...
GT1-D rim only: abruzzi-official.co.uk/produc...
GT1-R rim only: abruzzi-official.co.uk/produc...
All Simagic products: abruzzi-official.co.uk/wheelb...
M10 Options:
M10 GT1-R (Round rim) bundle:
abruzzi-official.co.uk/produc...
M10 GT1-D (D Shaped rim) bundle: abruzzi-official.co.uk/produc...
M10 GT4 (formula) bundle: abruzzi-official.co.uk/produc...
M10 Wheelbase only: abruzzi-official.co.uk/produc...
Authorised resellers: www.simagic.com/#/PageMainEn/...
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“See you later honey, I’m taking the dd to the park”
It’s good to see this company still exists and continues to bring it.
Hahahaha yeah DD wheels need fresh air too
Amazing job mate ! the quality of your videos and editing getting better every time.
Thanks man! Trying hard to just make the content I enjoy but I also want it at a certain standard :p I’m not a great video editor and only have so many hours to spend on this as it’s a part time gig, but comments like yours make me want keep trying harder and harder.
Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment
As always, great review and very thorough especially on the after sales service aspect of the sales model from Simagic.
I think it’s important to call out. There are genuine intentions there but ultimately I think that your service can only be as good as your reseller makes it and with relatively small margins being made on these products, it’s difficult for a reseller to invest the time in product support.
That said, there will always be owner groups and groups like my discord where we can share and help one another.
I missed this review. Another great review LD. Thanks and keep going
You’re very welcome :)
Great review, and an awesome looking piece of kit. While it's fairly out of my budget for now, it's great to see the evolution of Sim Racing kit!!
Yeah man! People upgrading means that the second hand market flourishes :) I built my way up the ladder with second hand equipment and even now, lots of what i have and use is second hand :)
If anyone else is wondering, the sandy race track towards end of the video is called Bridgehampton Race Circuit 2.0. Thanks to discord members helping me to identify it :)
Haha thanks man :)
@@LaurenceDusoswa Actually me being new-ish to sim racing, i have found it helpful when youtubers mention where are they testing at (in review vids etc). Not sure if you tend to do that a lot or not at all. Sometimes track looks fun, but its hard to find it. Mostly in AC, which has so many custom tracks.
Thanks for another great Review Laurence. You absolutely know you are the reason I got the M10 over the Accufore V2 or the Fanatec DD1 or DD2 and was very very very pleased I did. Looks like you may be responsible for me dropping even more cash now!!
Potato Nation 🥔🥔
Hahaha :) the truth is that you probably would have been happy with any of them but the little things like the ease of use and quick release abs quality of the rims really gives Simagic the edge. In fact I’d not even swap my alpha for an SC2 pro if someone offered, despite the ffb being superior with the sc2 pro
Great review, been looking for this for a very long time. Please do a Simucube 2 Sport vs Simagic Alpha comparison
It's in the works. If there's anything you need to know quickly, jump into my discord (link in description) and shoot me a message.
Great review!! Just in time for upgrade time!
Hahaha I wonder when they will actually ship. I would bet it would be the end of January or maybe even February. I could be wrong but that’s what happened with the m10
Their product line is starting to look very good. So many choices for SIM racers now which is bringing competition to the market which benefits us.
yep exactly! Can't wait to see what the future holds!
These are really tempting i got all Moza stuff atm and i live it ill probably get a R12 and crp pedals this year someone maybe even just a R9 and those simforge pedals that everyone is raving about that are made in india you get like p1000-2000 level of quality even heusnkveld ultimate level of quality and they look good
Nice review. Keep up the good work.
Thank you :) cheers for taking the time to comment :)
Just loving Simagic - they are on spirit...
Yeah they’re doing a good job. I think they’ll become quite mainstream this year. I hope that their products continue to be of this quality.
Awesome review, thanks man! Although, I see they have the M10 kit (base, wheel and quick release) for $899 USD which is very tempting. Although, you just made me buy Meca Cup 1s ;)
That’s an insanely good price! $899! That’s amazing!
Hahaha yeah the cup1s will make a bigger impact on your driving and consistency for sure
This ecosystem has everything for my needs: mid-to-high tier FFB, more than enough power (15nm), world-class QR system, a Formula/GT style wheel *with a screen* , and a round rim for street cars & rallying. (Only thing missing is the USB connection on the QR like Asetek has, but as I alluded to, I think I am good with the two wheels🙂)
Yeah we have amazing choices these days. You can’t really go wrong :)
Thanks for the great video, Laurence! In my area I could get the Alpha with the GT4 (including clutch paddles) for 1650€. Would you recommend the GT4 wheel for ACC? Do you think a simucube sport with a comparable GT wheel would be a better solution?
Get the alpha with GT4 in my opinion. Amazing in ACC. Much cheaper than a sc2 sport with a ‘comparable’ wheel like the ascher f28-sc.
Great review! Would I miss any experience if I choose M10 over alpha. I am coming from G29. I primarily play dirt rally.
Coming from g29 you wouldn’t recognise the difference between the two Simagic wheels. Both are a MASSIVE leap. The m10 is crazy value and just a brilliant purchase. You wouldn’t regret either so it just comes down to budget
Looks nice but my personal opinion is they've missed the mark on pricing. Seems a bit high for only 15 Nm.
Yeah I’ve estimated these prices as there is no set price from Simagic. Resellers can charge what they like. It will be cheaper than what I have quoted most likely.
Hey love your videos, but how is this compared to the U? Is it worth getting thisone? Or should I just get the alpha mini, or maybe directtly for the U? Thanks!
Thanks Laurence, great review. Is it possible to use the simagic wheels with a fanatic shifter?
You’re very welcome! Yes it’s possible. You just need the fanatec USB adapter.
Hi Laurence, what are your thoughts on this being a worthwhile upgrade if you're already an M10 owner? Aside from the awful side exit cabling (no visible wires for me please!) do you think it offers enough of an upgrade?
Personally, yes, if you can afford it. You can probably sell the m10 for good money and the investment wouldn’t be too crazy then. But yeah, if you have the money you won’t regret it :)
I'm going to buy a Silvia just because of this video.
Hahahah DO IT
I live in China ... Just payed 1850 dollars for Alpha + gt4 wheel + simagic HE load cell pedals + AZ racing seat and brackets .... Beat that 🤣👏👏👏
wow NICE! hahaha ENJOY!!!
Hi! Great video! Could you please tell what is the wheel rim and "converter" you are using for drifting at 11:00 with the Sim Magic Alpha. And also, do you think a Sim Magic Alpha Mini (10Nm) would have enough power to preform the same in drifting as seen in your video with the Alpha (15Nm) Thank you!
That is a nardi deep corn with an NRG quick release which fits the Simagic :)
I am yet to drift with the alpha mini but I am sure that it has plenty of power to drift. The m10 already did have plenty of power.
@@LaurenceDusoswa Thanks! Good to hear that :)
I digress. What track are you on in AC at the 15:09 mark? I gotta try that one.
Haha that's one of my favourite tracks to test force feedback on, it's bikernieki ;) www.racedepartment.com/downloads/bikernieki-race-track.17186/
i have decided to buy M10 before watching this review. But now i am indecision.... Waiting for your comparison video, But I may probably can't wait and get the M10 first lol
Hahahaha comparison video should be coming some time this week :)
@@LaurenceDusoswa Thanks for the reply! Hope the comparison video will be out soon so that I can grab one in 2020 year-end sale ;)
Ouch, a little surprised by the price, I was expecting it to be about 25% less. I'm not sure I'd choose this over the other similar options
yeah. I've over-estimated to prices here to protect myself. Resellers can charge what they like and with the M10, my prices were right for many resellers and regions but too low for others and it gave quite a big backlash. Check with your local authorised reseller ;)
Good review. But why go with this, when fanatec dd1, formula v2 and advanced paddles cost 1649 euro? And with a whole ecosystem of wheels on the marked. I remember when they first talking about getting into other markeds than Asia, they said they gonna rock the marked because of price... Well, price is not a sellingpoint anymore, then they have to go for quality of hardware and offcourse software.. I must say.. The formula-ish wheel looks really nice.
@@espressoryen-grdahl9144 the actual price will probably be lower depending on your region.
Besides that, I find the alpha more pleasant to use than the DD1. It also has a better quick release and backlit buttons.
@@espressoryen-grdahl9144 Yeah, the alpha - gt4 bundle is only around 1150 euro in China. Which makes sense why the sales are good in China. If that same bundle goes for 1500ish on the overseas market... I don't know man, especially Fanatec and Thrustmaster products are much cheaper in most of the countries than in China.
Great vid.
Wouldn't be difficult to wire an emergency stop button into the power supply lead.
Probably but I want a neat solution so I’d love something that doesn’t need DIY and looks good
nice video, quick question have you try this with city card driving?
I haven’t tried it, no. You can ask in the Simagic discord if it works
great review
Thank you sir! I think they’ve positioned it well. The M10 is still very relevant and is the best entry level DD wheel out there. If people have a couple hundred extra to spare, this is gonna be the one to go for. I think that the prices will be slightly lower than what I have quoted here though. I’m just protecting myself as I quoted prices with the m10 and nobody was selling the m10 for those prices and I got a lot of stick in comments and messages 😂
@@LaurenceDusoswa yep after trying your m10 i was very impressed and when the time comes to go DD these seem to be a good option.
Great reviews. Can you comment on the difference of feel between the M10 and Alfa on corner exit under load in something like ACC. Assuming you set the nn to 2/3 of the nm used for the M10 so they have the same max force.
There have been FFB updates since I last played ACC on m10 but the alpha will give better clarity in the details of what is available from the game. At the same max force, the alpha is smoother and slightly more responsive.
@@LaurenceDusoswa so you would say it's notably different in feel, I find the M10 to feel like it jolts as you get feedback on corner exit. I don't know if that's the steps in the motor or just how ffb details are provided as never used a servo or belt drive
@@demiquadfpv3333 the alpha is smoother and more powerful but the m10 shouldn’t jolt. Sounds like ffb settings or maybe you have the force set too high for bumps and not high enough for road friction or something. Not sure. If you’re on Facebook there’s a Simagic owner group which shares setting for different sims. Might be worth checking out.
@@LaurenceDusoswa thanks again, there's a discord so I can ask there. discord.gg/NewCFXfy
Simagic M10 vs Simagic Alpha video just released: czcams.com/video/gq2MhaD5zrE/video.html
I'm looking forward to see some raw rally rim from Simagic.... although I suppose this round wheel is doing pretty good
This round rim is amazing for rally and drift! And you can swap it out for a sparco or omp or whatever and retain the button plate :)
@@LaurenceDusoswa hmm.. i thought of this when looking at fanatec or asher racing wheels but.. this comment just opened up a whole new horizon right now.
Thank you for your wise ideas.
@@teknastyk glad it helps a little! Or maybe it just makes things more difficult :p if you have specific questions you are welcome to join us in my discord server.
i noticed that there seems to be a simagic alpha mini coming out soon Laurence have you had hands on with that yet or some time soon ?
No I don’t know if I will get a chance but I’m encouraging people to ask their distributors to send me one to try out. I am getting the Simagic sequential shifter soon but no mention of the alpha mini yet
@@LaurenceDusoswa hope you do get one to test I keep looking at DD the new Fanatec CSL DD sound pretty good but I have zero patience so dont fancy waiting 2 years for stock lol
quick question! cant seem to find a video on it but, how would i go about using the simagic alpha wheel base and g27 pedals and shifter? i got it hooked up and only the gas and clutch are working. shifter and brake pedal does not work! help!?!?
how are you hooking up the pedals to make the gas and clutch work? You need a specific adapter. Your local reseller will be able to help you
Great review bro. Where I live the alpha 15 is 40% more expensive than the Mini. I never experienced any DD wheel. Currently I have a Thrustmaster T300RS. Which one should I get? The alpha 15 or the Mini?
Get the mini of the price gap is so high
I’ve seen £1450 for this with the GT4 wheel which is an astonishingly good price. Do you know of any front mounting brackets? Do the front mounting holes match that of the simucubes? Great video btw.
Yeah that's a good price. I've over-estimated the pricing in this video so that people aren't disappointed. I don't know of any front mounting brackets but i'm sure it should be easy enough to find some with a 9cm pattern. They mounting holes do not match the simucube, no. Thanks for the feedback
@@LaurenceDusoswa thanks for the reply mate. Think I’m going to take the plunge. Coming from the csl elite. Very excited.
Nice upgrade! And you’ll be able to sell your csl elite quite easily second hand
if you have a chance to buy DD1 or Alpha or a SC, at the same price, wich one you would pick ? Nice review btw
Ok so to be specific:
DD1 plus podium paddles plus Formula V2 rim
Vs
Simucube sc2 pro with ascher f28-sc
Vs
Simagic alpha with GT4 rim
Yeah I’d choose the alpha. It’s just really nice to use and swap out wheels abs it’s super easy to set up.
And the ultimate package is to have a round rim like the gt1 with your open rim (gt4) and because you can swap them in seconds, Simagic wins. I know some people with Fanatec wheelbases who don’t switch out their steering wheels between car types because it’s more effort than it’s worth. It shouldn’t be.
I'd go Fanatec or SC just for the company alone. Bigger more established companies, which means they will be around in 5-10 years to make firmware for your expensive wheelbase, No guarantee with these small new players. Now if the prices were also 50% lower, but considering the price of this, Might as well go with the other 2.
My 2 cents.
You should do the new alpha ultimate if you have the opportunity to. I have a alpha mini and would love to see if its a worthwhile upgrade later down the road from someone who's used every single one.
Yep there’s one on the way!
@@LaurenceDusoswa Perfect! can't wait
Thank for the review, my t300 just died and i want to jump to a dd wheel. Im in Canada and the Simagic alpha mini is 1300$ with the gt4 wheel and the alpha is 2000$ with the gt4 wheel. Is the alpha really worth 700$ more? The 2000$ range is almost enough for a SC2 pro here but without a wheel tho
The wheels are incredible and make a big difference. I cannot comment on the alpha mini yet but expect to have on for review in the coming week
What’s the best one the dd1 or the alpha 15nm
I have a CSL elite wheelbase and I'm looking into the Alpha Mini and Alpha. The official reseller in my country told me the Alpha Mini + GT1-SR is 1650 USD + 21% VAT and the Alpha + GT1-SR is 1950 USD + 21% VAT. Would you say the 300 usd difference is worth it? I wanna get something that will be the last wheelbase I need. I know 300 usd might not be much but it is quite a difference due to the exchange rates in my country.
The wheelbase upgrade is worth it. However, I'd avoid the GT1 rim. It's just a bit dated. Go for the GT Pro hub with a round/D rim.
I prefer the old GT4 wheel with its "rubber" coating! I hope both versions are available.
I think I prefer the lettered buttons too. But the grips are smaller on the older one which I’m not a huge fan of
@@LaurenceDusoswa I prefer lettered buttons too, but the numbers would be good!
Great... and I ordered my M10 last week....Dammit!
You didn’t make a mistake though. M10 is amazing. And odds are even if you get to order today, you probably wouldn’t have an alpha until February if 2021 anyway. So go enjoy your m10 :)
It comes Monday...so Psyched!
@@raydannemiller5086 unreal! You should join my discord channel. Loads of happy m10 owners in there
You will not regret your choice 💯
Will this mount on the GTOmega Prime cockpit?
I don't know the answer to that :(
Can I replace the d shaped wheel on the gt1-d with my own sparco?
Yep, should slot straight on I think
Looks like the ports are on the other side on the production version.
Oh really? In theory you can rotate the unit whatever way you like and software ‘center’ it. Interesting though!
Quality review! Really considering a DD wheel bc of the clipping/lack of strength of the T300. Though, I am torn. These are the options:
Simagic M10
Accuforce V2
Simagic Alpha
VRS directforce pro
Fanatec DD1
Was very curious about the Accuforce V2 bc of how versatile sim commander could be in terms of Force Feedback customization but I’m not too sure if it would be worth it over the competitors. Any thoughts would help! Thanks again for the great review!
You’re very welcome! Glad you enjoyed it
@W Richardson what wheel did you buy with the VRS?
Formula agile? Love that car.
Yeah it’s a brilliant little car!
Nice video..one day I’ll own a DD wheel base..the m10 is a decent price though
Nobody starts off with the best. And if they do, I often question if they can ever have the perspective to see how lucky they are. The m10 is the perfect entry to DD.
Speaking about the m10 base do you have affiliated links?
Nope, unfortunately not. I’d be a wealthy man if I did 😂😂😂 I only make some money from fanatec affiliate sales currently. In a way I think it’s good that I don’t make money from this though. Makes people accept my opinions as they are, because there’s no money or incentive for me to make sales.
@@LaurenceDusoswa gotcha..can’t wait for your vnm shifter review when it arrives..
@@PandesalDrift yeah I'm VERY excited about that. It would be amazing to have an affordable alternative to Fanatec in the mid/high end market
Nice!
Yeah it’s a great piece of kit!
@@LaurenceDusoswa thinking about cancelling my CSL DD order and buying the alpha mini GT4 bundle.
@@DavidGarcia-oi5nt The alpha mini has a lot more power. Not sure how the FFB is going to be on either of them but the GT4 rim is really really nice. Do whatever feels right, You wouldn't regret either purchase. My personal choice would be the alpha mini.
At this price, I would rather choose to buy the driver board SimUCUBE or Simucube 2- but I still believe in granite equipment
After all, they have many years of experience
The experience and quality of the SC2 pro does make it a 'better' force feedback product. I do prefer to use the alpha though and i wouldn't swap my alpha for an SC2 pro. But I completely see the loyalty to granite and they deserve it. I want the SC3 to be a game changer.
How much nicer does the simucube feels like? Im driving the m10 now, but feel like im missing some details and smoothness. Thinking of simucube, dd1, vrs or alpha
From a feel point of view, the SC2 pro is about as good as FFB can get. The Alpha is not far behind, but does have 10nm torque less than the SC2 pro. DD1 isn't really a contender if you're looking for silky smooth ffb. The VRS is really nice too and FFB sits somewhere between the alpha and the SC2 pro.
I still choose the Alpha over them all because of the rims and quick release. 15nm is enough for me and I love it. The only reason i'll ever change my wheel is because of my channel. If I didn't have my channel, I'd have no reason to ever use another wheelbase.
@@LaurenceDusoswa so you think FFB of the VRS is a bit better than Alpha? I am considering Alpha and VRS. I don't change wheel very often, so do you recommend VRS over alpha? thanks!
Simagic M10 vs Simagic Alpha video just released: czcams.com/video/gq2MhaD5zrE/video.html
Alpha or alpha mini.. which one do you recommend?
If you can afford the alpha, get it. Your question is a little bit like asking if you should get the V6 or the V8 model :) in my opinion, both are really worth the price you pay.
@@LaurenceDusoswa tq sir
I’ll have to check the local distributors price then for Australia, but more competition on paper looks good
But I’ll have to “make do” with a CSW 2.5 for now 😛
Hahaha poor you 😂😂😂 I’m pretty sure the actual prices will be slightly lower than what I quoted but you never know 😅
@@LaurenceDusoswa They are expensive in Australia, about $2150us
@@Johnny_Thunder wow really? Maybe they're just being conservative like me as I don't think anyone actually has stock yet
@@LaurenceDusoswa Actually I was wrong, they are listed here at $2150us at the moment for pre order from local reseller. Totally ridiculous!
@@Johnny_Thunder wtf!!! That’s robbery
Trying to decide between a VRS and this one. Not an easy decision.
I don’t know enough about the VRS to give you the info that you need :) sorry :)
Same here... First world problems. :D
20 nm just seems so nice. Not sure about the speed output.
So what do you prefer Simagic Alpha or simucube 2 pro
Personally I’d choose the alpha because of the quick release and steering wheel rims... but if force feedback was my only concern, the SC2 wins for sure.
@@LaurenceDusoswa oh ok. I have had a dd2 and now the sc2pro. I like them both for different reasons but im not sure if I could go back would I chose the sc2 pro over my dd2 and my 6 wheels I had
The truth is that there’s very little between all of these devices and it’s the added value like the experience of owning one and using one which sets them apart from the competition. Are you regretting your move?
I don't really know how you could justify this over a DD1 or a simucube with that price.
Simucube easy. Because a cheap wireless simucube rim brings your overall budget to €2000 or so and you need to buy a mount on top of that.
It’s also easy to chose it over the DD1 as the quick release is way better and the rims are nicer and backlit.
Ultimately though, the alpha will probably be cheaper than what I’ve quoted here. I’m just covering my ass as resellers can charge what they like :)
@@LaurenceDusoswa well, i had to check price before the review :D aaand for 1300 from germany, id rethink that simucube part at least.. There are options to go for sc sport and a cheaper non wireless wheel to match the price perfomance, but franky.. they're all sold out here.
@@LaurenceDusoswa Yes. Agreed. Been looking for what to buy and paying 1500 plus a wheel to have crappy pins bent is just a no go.
Simucube, this, or diy alternatives .
Good review. I Do like the way they connect wheels to base and not needing wires, i dont have any issues with my sc wireless wheels but I do like the way they designed there’s . I perfer SC but this is good for more people after a dd wheel package on a tight budget and fits in between SC and fanatec, having more options for consumers is a good thing.
SC2 pro ffb is better. The ease of swapping Simagic wheels while still having that super bright led functionality is amazing. Plus, the quality of the rims is so good. Simucube’s quick release leaves me a little ‘meh’ 😀. It’s effective but lacks passion :p BUT! A little biedt tells me that there are innovations coming from simucube ;) shhh
Hello, I'm Simagic from Korea. Your video is so cool and well explained. I want to put a link on our homepage. Is it possible?
Yes :) everyone is allowed to link to this video :)
@@LaurenceDusoswa Thank you. I'm enjoying your video.
Same price as DD1? Why would I pick this?
Better QR, smoother ffb due to better motor, backlit buttons.
And I think that most will buy their alphas for less than I quoted here.
@@LaurenceDusoswa yeah my local dealer will sell it for $999USD shipped
@@DADRacingYT for the alpha :o WOW!
this one has become quite more expensive than the previous m10. Which was probably considered by many as an more viable direct drive solution (price wise) in comparison to something like simucube or accuforce. Now considering the m10 did have the option to come with both wheels as a bundle (sold out faster than you can spel GTI) it was pretty much a bargain for anyone trying to get into direct drive wheels and not wanting to spend more than a 1000 for starters.
But this: I realy hope they fixed some of their most known issues - i cannot comment as i havent used one nor am i spoiled by the likes of simucube pro and such. But i did see an alpha for sale for about 13xx something €. Its a lot. Considering you add another 2-300 to get a proper simucube... It better be almost as good for this price.
you cannot get a proper simucube setup for 1650. The sport is 1270 and a good wireless rim like the ascher f28-sc is 650 so that already brings you to nearly 1900.
But do also consider that my pricing here is a conservative estimate. Most will actually purchase for cheaper. I had to over-estimate as i simply don't know how much resellers will charge as it's not something that is controlled by Simagic.
my problem is that it's too closely priced to a simucube pro. Yes, with a wheel the pro is more expensive, but i really don't want to buy something for 1.500€ and then upgrade it for 2.000€ to get the simucube :(
We’ll see what the final pricing is like but if you can get an sc2 pro with wireless rim that seems like good value. Which rim is that with? I can’t see it for cheaper than €2200 or so.
@@LaurenceDusoswa a B16L-SC
button panel costs 525€. If i wanna go fancy i take the flat 330mm Mark Five Wood Rim ( www.moto-lita.co.uk/steering-wheels/mark-five-wood-rim-flat/ ) which costs about 220€.
The simucube 2 pro is another 1440€.
That puts me roughly at 2.200€, but with a nice wooden wheel, an awesome ascher button panel with nice magnetic shifter paddles and a DD that can go up to 25nm torque (which is nice with a bigger wheel)
i could also buy a cheap 60€ wheel, or a used one, and bring the price down, but i like wooden wheels.
For me, the M10 is in a far better location than the alpha. Investing in an M10 is a great step before upgrading to a servo-DD, but the alpha is price-wise just a bit too close to the Simucube pro. If you never plan to upgrade the alpha its a good spot, but for me, going that high in cost i can take the extra step for the "premium" product.
Excellent comment! Yeah if you have the extra money it’s definitely worth thinking about a SC2. If I had the choice between an alpha with and the sc2 pro I would still choose the alpha even though the ffb isn’t as good. I love to use my equipment lots and swapping rims on the Simagic is an experience in itself. The Simagic rims are exceptionally good too. I think it still represents great value, but because the m10 has the same QR and oem rim selection, the m10 is the best value easy to use/setup DD wheel on the market in my opinion.
I believe that not one alpha owner will wish they had bought an SC2 and vice versa. It’s incredible that we have such great choice these days
@@LaurenceDusoswa i completely agree with you :)
The wheel swap with the simagic is incredible! The reason i even found out about the simagic products is because i was looking for a good wheel like the simagic GT wheel. Then i saw the M10, watched a bunch of reviews and was ready to buy it, but sadly they were all sold out in Europe. And buying them from China causes massive tax dollars, which would make it as expensive as an Alpha bought in Europe.
Wanted to get the M10 and 1 or 2 years later upgrade to Simucube.
They called it simupube as a direct competitor to simucube
Hahahaha
How does compare to a simucube 2?
Comparison video coming soon but the sc2 has better ffb as you might expect from the bigger motor. The alpha is better value for someone like me who enjoys a good quick release and high quality rim.
In a blind test, most people, especially those who have never used DD, wouldn’t tell the difference.
Look forward to the comparison video the only issue is supply they are out of stock everywhere
Love there hweel and there pedals lol all you need tbh lol
I haven’t tried their pedals but the wheelbase and rims are 🔥
Is it worth switching from m10 to alpha?
only if you have some money to burn. Then it's worth it. The alpha is better. but maybe, 10-20% better
@@LaurenceDusoswa thank you, i ordered the m10 and i can take the alpha by adding the difference!
Great :) nice of your reseller to allow that :)
If I was going to spend over €1,000 on a wheel I'd buy the FANATEC instead. I thought Smagic goal was to make direct drive systems affordable but it's still too expensive for a big motor with a wheel connected directly to it.
You are assuming that the fanatec units are better? Either way, the motor used for the Alpha is a very expensive motor. Unless the price of the motor comes down, DD wheels like this will stay at this price. Do bear in mind that the Fanatec DD units use a different motor.
@@LaurenceDusoswa I'm not assuming the fanatec is better. I don't know anything about those direct drive wheels you pointed out but the FANATEC is compatible with XBOX and PS4 which is why I would buy it over the others.
In my opinion the FANATEC wheels are not worth the money. I had a FANATEC GT2 porsche wheel and it had to be replaced three times. The first replacement they gave to me it took FANATEC support 10 days to reply to me and another week and a half to get them to agree to replace it. I swore I would never buy a FANATEC wheel again. Well I broke that promise and bought the CAR Non elite wheel and that was ok for a year but it slowly started getting slower (Pun unintded) and stiffer as well as losing FFB. So I bought a Thrustmaster T150 which is still going strong about six years later.
After about two months I bought a Thrustmaster TX ad gave the T150 to my brother which he used every day for six years. I got the T150 back from my brother a week ago and realised how weak the FFB is in it and that rubber crap is horrible and sticky on the wheel rim. So I'm going to buy a T300 wheel base in a few weeks
what a about HP Reverb G2? look at all the hardcore sim racer on youtube, they use VR now days.
Time to sell the m10 and get this
Hahaha it’s great news for those looking to get an m10 too :) the circle of life of sin hardware is allowed to progress and people can buy perfectly good hardware at a slightly lower, second hand price :)
Although this does seem like a great DD option, Fanatec do offer a bundle for the dd1 with a rim and the podium shifters for a mighty €0.05 cheaper fanatec.com/eu-en/bundles/podium-racing-wheel-formula-for-xbox-one-pc
Yep but the fanatec QR sucks. The rim feels a lot cheaper than the Simagic rims too.
But the elephant in the room is that the actual price that people pay will probably be less than what I have quoted. I have over estimated to protect myself. When I announces m10 prices they rose almost immediately and people weren’t happy with me even though I don’t have a say in the prices or anything else 😂 I’m just a guy who uses and reviews hardware :p
They had a chance to make a splash and they face planted with that price!
Well, the price is a conservative estimate. It’s most likely going to be cheaper
We have the base on sale here at Sim-Motion for $1099 ;-)
i think the m10 was only an option because of the big price difference to the competing products (dd1, simucube etc). If I have the choice between a simucube pro base for 330€ more in here germany. Yes, then I buy the simucube. 10 Nm more and a much much much better software.And better for the reseller market. Yes, then I buy the simucube. 10 Nm more and a much much much better software.The sport variant costs only 130€ more.
It is also better for the reseller market.
For me the simucube lacks good (€500) wheel rim options and the Simagic wireless system and quick release is a lot nicer in my opinion. But if ffb matters the most to you then simucube is better for sure :)
@@LaurenceDusoswa Thanks for reply. Don't get me wrong. I like the simagic m10 base. I've been using it for almost half a year. no problems. But i'm switching to the simucube now, because the power is a bit too little for me and i want the smoothness of a servo motor.
Wireless steering wheels are not important to me. I build them myself anyway.
@@ThePape78 nice :) you’ll love the simucube. Have you ordered yet?
@@LaurenceDusoswa Yes, a few days ago quite spontaneously:-) . I am very excited to compare the two bases
It's too expensive for 15 Nm and no ecosystem.
You should ask Virtual Racing School to send you the DirectForce Pro, it's priced at 1000 euros for 20 Nm direct drive wheel base, mounting bracket and adapter versus 1199 for the Fanatec DD1, so we can get the steering wheel for free. I wonder how much it will cost in Europe. And VRS is making an ecosystem with their steering wheel and own pedals and from the image they look as advanced as the Heusinkveld.
Yeah I'm not sure if VRS will be interested in sending me one. Simagic is creating their own eco-system too though, i highlight that in this video. Also, the prices i quoted here are probably a bit of an over estimation to be honest.
M10 was basically a copycat of the Accuforce, Alpha a copy of the Simucube 2. The Chinese are good and without scruple when it comes to copying.
What's next?
The original simagic products were based on the same hardware and firmware as the accuforce yeah but the m10 and alpha are all developed by Simagic themselves. I don't know if it's fair to say that they're copies. I've had the Simucube 2 pro in for review too and it's vastly different. I'm doing a comparison of the two in the coming weeks.
Do bear in mind that most sim hardware is made up mainly of chinese parts too :)
@@LaurenceDusoswa I mainly mean the optical appearance when I said copies. In this regard the Alpha really looks like a SC2 clone
@@Tintop drop into my discord and I’ll show you some pics of them side by side. You’ll be surprised just how different they are in size and layout.
What is it like un ac and acc, seen terrible reviews about this before, and with acc being so popular thats not a good image
Terrible reviews? Got any links?
@@LaurenceDusoswa not terrible reviews just bad comments on how dull and cheap the ffb felt in those 2 games, I would have to search for them, watched about a month ago on the m10 obviously, but in saying that, its software driven and given ur comments on software updates maybe its been fixed but till I see a good review about the base and game I wouldn't jump in. Thats alot of cash, especially in South africa
I’m a bit confused. This review is about the alpha. Are you talking about the m10? Or are you talking about the ACC force feedback?
@@LaurenceDusoswa I'm talking about simagic software that runs their base having had bad reviews in the past that make the ffb in acc feel bad, this is the same company so same base software so wouldn't purchase alpha without seeing good review on how it works well in other games besides the dated and expensive iRacing. Sorry didn't realise I wasn't coming across correctly
I don’t know which software issues you’re talking about. I used both the m10 and alpha in ACC and AC and the ffb is great. I’m not sure if you have picked up the wrong info somewhere.
,🤸
Cheers!
NAH Chinese products should be half the price of fanatec. Thats the risk factor.
Where do you think fanatec gets everything from :)
@@LaurenceDusoswa lol good point
This aged well with fanatec products breaking and always up for repair.
I’ve had terrible experience with them.
Never with simagic so your prejudice is white racism
If i spend this kind of money them i dont care anymore if its €1600 or €2200. I would rather go the more expensive way that gives me a decent warranty in a western country.
Hmmm... you still get a normal warranty. And most of the stuff you already own is most likely mainly Chinese :p
I can't fathom why would one buy this when Fanatec will give you a whole ecosystem of wheels and more power and refinement than Simagic for similar price with the DD1/DD2. Factor in the about to be released DD CSL which will be 350 for a 8Nm base and the competition just cannot cope. All the "get yourself a Mige and you'll be cheaper off" is an illusion. When one considers the hustle with having a Mige wheel with cabled wheel connection, the price of a wheel with a button plate and the fact that concerning troubleshooting and software you're on your own, it becomes clear that we really need someone to stand up to the task and really start competing with Fanatec. Otherwise in 2 years time we'll have a monopoly on sim-racing steering wheels. It's already difficult to recommend anything else than Fanatec if one considers all of mentioned above and not just wheelbase price. By no means is this a healthy situation and the fact that a Chinese company cannot compete even on price is worrying to say the least.
For me, I bought it because the wheels are really nice with their backlit buttons, the form factor is great, the quick release is amazing. But I entirely understand why someone would buy fanatec and depending on the person's needs, I often recommend Fanatec.
Mate fanatic is designed for entry level novices whereas all the other companies have all these settings so ppl can get the wheel just right for them
This aged well 😂
As anticipated 😅
@@Max__apex😂😂😂
Chinese company? I’ll pass
most stuff you have is chinese. I bet the device you're using right now to type is chinese. Don't be xenophobic on my channel please.
Probably brought one since everyone had no problems with them. Hahaha
You don’t know what I have. I have some stuff but I make an effort to buy American, German Italy. How dare you?