MOZA mBooster Active Pedals – First impressions at Gamescom 2024
Somewhat surprisingly for many sim racers, the Chinese sim racing manufacturer MOZA Racing presented a premiere prototype of its first active pedals called MOZA mBooster Active Pedals at this year’s Gamescom in Cologne. Simracing-PC was there on behalf of MOZA itself and, like hundreds of enthusiastic sim racers, was able to try out the pedals for the first time and get a first impression.
Prices and availability
The most frequently asked questions about the mBooster pedals are, of course, about the price and the release date. MOZA-Racing has not yet provided any concrete details here, but has made it quite clear that the mBooster pedals will probably be significantly cheaper than the Active pedals of the only current competitor. MOZA has also not yet made any concrete statements about the planned release date. However, it can be assumed that we should probably note the end of 2024 / beginning of 2025 in our calendars.
Compatibility
In addition to the price, the question of compatibility should also be of great interest to most Simracers. Fortunately, MOZA is staying true to itself here and has announced that the mBooster Active Pedals will not be limited to the manufacturer’s ecosystem.
Directly connect to PC and compatible with almost all branded bases, fully supporting MOZA’s wheelbase lineup.
It is therefore very likely that you will not necessarily need the CRP2 pedal set that is prepared for the Active Pedals and, similar to the Simucube Active Pedals, you can use them as a supplement to existing pedals. Whether and for which third-party pedals the two ports on the side (Throttle / Clutch) will be accessible is not yet known.
With a length of just under 40 centimetres, the pedal is not exactly small, so a suitable extension for the base plate of the CRP2 pedals was also used at Gamescom. However, simracers with an aluminium rig should have no problems mounting it on the rig.
MOZA mBooster Active Pedals in detail
With common pedals, the resistance is usually generated via elastomers and the pedal force is measured via a load cell or a hydraulic sensor. With the MOZA mBooster Active, the pedal pressure is also measured via pressure sensors (two 200-kilo loadcells are used here, which are integrated directly into the faceplate), but the movement of the pedal itself is controlled entirely via the software. The force of the underlying servomotor is transmitted to the pedal via a ball screw, which means that the pedal can be freely configured in terms of hardness, damping and response behaviour.
The pedals are made entirely of aluminium and, according to MOZA, have a typical operating noise level of just 44 decibels. Embedded in the loud background noise of a trade fair such as Gamescom, the pedals could not be heard in action.
MOZA mBooster Active Pedals in action and first impression
At this year’s Gamescom, as already mentioned, it was possible to do the first laps with the new CRP2 pedal set with integrated mBooster Active Pedals as brakes. Assetto Corsa Competizione served as the simulation, and the McLaren 720s GT3 EVO was driven at Spa Francorchamps. Remarkably, the prototype survived the trade fair torture (Wednesday to Sunday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. in continuous operation) without any failures despite a few adventurous trade fair visitors.
The mBooster Active pedal provided on site (used as a brake) had been set up to be very trade fair-friendly and therefore not too hard and with a relatively large amount of travel. In addition, there was relatively strong damping, especially when releasing the brake pedal. The result was a feeling that was very easy to control for beginners, but also quite unresponsive. By contrast, the high preset ABS setting of the McLaren made it possible to feel the ABS effect very clearly in the foot. The pulsating pedal makes it very easy to tell when the ABS intervenes and the behaviour of the brakes also seems much more realistic than would have been possible with shakers.
The first impression of the prototype pedal is very good, even if the settings used on site don’t quite match our personal preferences. The inputs are reproduced delay-free and the pedal feels very smooth. With the help of the software (see next chapter), you can then adjust the individual settings to your own preferences and probably utilise the great potential of the pedal even better.
Software
On the info page for the mBooster Active pedals, MOZA provides a brief insight into the driver and the setting options. The following settings can already be seen from the screenshot:
- Start and end position: These can be set with millimetre precision and define the start and end point of the pedal travel.
- Damping: The damping can be adjusted here, divided into two sections (damping when pressing and releasing the pedal).
- Friction: This can be used to simulate an artificial friction effect caused by the motor and adjust its intensity.
The screenshot also reveals that, in addition to customised pedal curves, there will of course also be force feedback effects. MOZA itself already mentions the following features on its website:
MOZA’s proprietary telemetry database enhances force feedback realism, delivering precise ABS feedback during braking, dynamic throttle feedback for traction control, vehicle vibrations, gearshift impacts, and G-force effects for a truly immersive driving experience.
Initial conclusion and outlook
Even if a few short test stints at a trade fair are of course not enough to get a conclusive picture of the MOZA mBooster Active Pedals, the first impression was already very promising and leaves us eager for more. Next week will feature a detailed review of the CRP2 Loadcell pedals from MOZA (spoiler: they are a clear upgrade to their predecessors), which could become even more attractive with the addition of an active pedal. Perhaps MOZA will even be the first manufacturer to succeed in getting active pedals out of the absolute enthusiast market in terms of price…
