The GRID1 comes in two configurations – a standard automotive model, and a karting-specifc model. SimCraft took the “sim” part of their name very seriously, and the GRID1 karting unit features extremely accurate karting ergonomics. Not only is the steering wheel base canted at the right angle to mimic the steering feel of a kart, the sim features a karting-style seat and SimCraft even went the extra mile to engineer karting pedals, too.
I drove the GRID1 automotive sim and I have to say that the motion is just enough to not be intrusive, but present enough to give your brain the proper feedback about what the car is doing in the yaw dimension. It really was quite awesome.
This year’s PRI show actually featured a dedicated eSports area where quite a few sim vendors came to show off their wares. While sim vendors have been present in a small way here and there in the show previously, the new eSports area really took things to the next level.
Shown here are the Forte pedels from Asetek. Asetek made their mark in the CPU and GPU cooling space, and recently went full-bore into the sim racing market. Not only do they have several different pedal set choices of increasing price and feature range, they also have a complete set of wheel bases ranging from a powerful 12Nm to a forearm-breaking 27Nm, along with two formula-style wheels and a number of wheel rims and button box combinations.
The steering base/wheel market is really heating up, so expect to see continued innovation (as well as lowering prices!) in the future.
Sticking in the electronics arena, Haltech continues to drop new and exciting products. On the back of their iC-7 color dash, the new uC-10 features a massive 10-inch display with minimal fuss. That minimal fuss may not work for everyone, as the uC-10 doesn’t feature shift lights. What it does feature instead is a massive list of… features! With 512MB of on-board logging capacity, and 10 analog inputs, 4 digital/pulsed outputs, and 4 pulsed inputs, the uC-10 can serve as a complete data hub for your race vehicle. Compatible with the Haltech NSP software and with CAN capability for not just Haltech ECUs, the uC-10 is some serious hardware.
On top of the uC-10, Haltech also has expanded their Nexus line of ECUs to include the Rebel LS, a plug-and-play package for the Gen III and IV LS motors that comes with not only the ECU, but also a terminated harness and a Bosch 4.9 wideband O2 sensor. It’s also compatible with drive-by-wire. If you’re looking to LS swap the world, this Nexus 3-based LS-focused control package is a serious deal, and it starts at only $1495 for all that stuff!
I also heard a rumor that there might be some vehicle-specific DI applications in the works, too. We’ll see if maybe Santa brings those for the 2024 PRI show!
1 comment
Somebody get Mike a MotoIQ hat. I know you used to have them, that’s how I got mine. 😉