Asetek Invicta Formula Steering Wheel – Review

Asetek Invicta Formula Steering Wheel – Review

The Invicta Formula Steering Wheel is the long-announced and eagerly awaited high-end flagship from Danish manufacturer Asetek, who are already competing in the upper class of sim racing with their wheel bases from the Forte and Invicta series. This review will reveal how the individually configurable wheel performs in everyday use and what surprises it has to offer.

Ordering and shipping

At the start of the market launch, the Invicta Wheel will only be sold directly via Asetek, where it can be individually configured (see next chapter). The manufacturer then assembles the steering wheel by hand according to the buyer’s wishes and ships it after completion. Accordingly, a longer production and delivery time is to be expected than for steering wheels that are not freely configurable (approx. 2-4 weeks). According to Asetek, pre-configured steering wheels with specific color schemes will also be offered directly from stock at a later date.

The product tested here was provided by the manufacturer. No influence was exerted on this review at any time.

Configurator and prices

A special feature when ordering is certainly Asetek’s powerful configurator, which makes it possible to customise the colors of the buttons and encoders in groups in the following colors at no extra charge:

• Black
• Grey
• Purple
• Red
• Blue
• Orange

The following options are also available, whereby the grips, for example, are interchangeable with the familiar La Prima and Forte wheels.

• Front Plate
  • Woven Carbon: 0€
  • Forged Carbon: 0€
• Handles
  • Without: 0€
  • LMP: 64.99€
  • Regular: 69.99€
  • XL: 84.99€
  • Suede: 84.99€
• Shifters (Paddles)
  • Regular: 0€
  • Forged Carbon: 49.99€
• QR
  • Invicta QR Adapter: 99€
  • Without: 0€

Depending on the components selected, the total price is between €1249.99 for the basic version without grips and €1484.96 for a wheel with QR, carbon paddles and XL or leather grips. For buyers from the EU, the usual national VAT will be added.

Unboxing and scope of delivery

As soon as you unbox the steering wheel, it becomes clear the high standards the Danish manufacturer Asetek sets for its own Invicta series. When you open the environmentally friendly packaging, you will find, for instance, a hand-signed card signed by CEO André Eriksen and the employee responsible for assembling the steering wheel – a nice gimmick! The package, in which the Invicta Steering Wheel is safely stored, also contains fabric gloves and a whole armada of sticker sheets with additional tweezers.

• Asetek Invicta Steering Wheel
• QR (if selected, pre-assembled)
• Handles (if selected, pre-assembled)
• Fabric gloves
• Tweezers
• Sticker sheets for Rotary Switches (3 pieces in a total of 6 colors)
• Sticker sheet with labels for buttons and thumb encoder
• Sticker sheet

Specs

Design features:

• Anodized aluminum buttons
• Anodized aluminum thumb wheels
• Anodized aluminum rotaries
• 144 input options
• 47 aRGB LEDs
• 4 mm carbon front plate (woven/forged)
• Exchangeable handles
• 4.3″ 800 x 480 pixels LCD touch panel
• Ø70×6 mm mounting pattern for Quick Release or other 3rd party wheelbase mounts
• USB-C connection for 3rd party wheelbases

Software features:

• Display configurable in RaceHub or customizable with SimHub compatibility.

Dimensions:

• 300 mm diameter with Regular and LMP Handles.
• 304 mm diameter with XL and Suede Handles.

Compatibility

In terms of compatibility, Asetek is (finally) breaking new ground with its new high-end wheel and, unlike the La Prima and Forte series, no longer relies on a QR integrated into the housing. Thanks to the now completely removable Asetek QR, it is now also possible for the first time to equip an Asetek steering wheel with any QR solution or to use your own QR extensions, for example. A standard 70mm bolt circle with threaded holes on the back is now provided for this purpose, which is compatible with many QRs.

For data transfer, Asetek relies on a conventional USB connection without proprietary protocols or similar. Accordingly, you can also use the USB-C port (this is also where the Asetek QR is connected) to connect the steering wheel directly to the PC. Here, however, you have to be creative when it comes to the strain relief of the cable and, depending on the QR, the cable feed-through. Unfortunately, there is no simple coiled cable solution out of the box if you don’t want to use the 3rd party wheelbase QR adapter from Asetek.

Features

The Formula Invicta Steering Wheel is undoubtedly the most extensively equipped steering wheel from Asetek to date and offers a whole range of features across a width of around 300 millimetres, first and foremost of course the centrally integrated 4.3-inch display.

Buttons

The Invicta Steering Wheel offers a total of 144 different input options, which are divided into the following areas, whereby the basic scheme has been retained in comparison to the previous wheels:

• 12 Buttons: As with the Forte Wheel, Asetek has again installed 12 buttons here, with 2 of the buttons being placed on the back for the Invicta Wheel. The buttons are now fitted with an aluminium cap and are somewhere in the middle of the pack in terms of actuation force.getesteten Wheels. Due to the design of the interchangeable handles, the buttons on the back are positioned comparatively far in the centre, but can still be easily reached with the index or middle finger even with small hands.
• 3 Rotary Switches: Three rotary switches are located in the centre of the lower section of the wheel, which can be configured via software both as normal encoders (+/-) and as rotary switches with 12 positions (Hold / Pulse mode). In contrast to the previous wheels, interchangeable aluminium caps have also been used here, which, in conjunction with the firm rotaries, provide a pleasant operating feel.
• 6 Thumb Encoder: Three aluminium thumb encoders are mounted on both sides, which, unlike most other wheels, are very wide and therefore very comfortable to operate. They are comparatively smooth-running.
• 2 Rocker Switches: In addition, two rocker switches that return to their original position are integrated into the front panel with a corresponding recess.
• 2 Kinky Switches: Last but not least, two kinky switches (funky switches – press, turn left and right, up, down, left, right) have been installed, which can just about be reached without having to take your hands off the steering wheel thanks to their positioning. A high-quality aluminium cap is also used here.
  

Paddles

Asetek installs a total of six paddles on the back of its Formula Invicta steering wheel, four of which are digital and two analogue. The tested steering wheel was configured with paddles made of forged carbon fibre, more on this in the Materials chapter. The paddles are each housed in a carbon fibre composite housing, which offers a good compromise between weight and strength. They can each be adjusted in a range of around one centimetre using a screw.

• Shifter paddles: The magnetic shifters can be operated very smoothly and are equipped with an end stop that significantly dampens the shifting noise. Overall, a good compromise between crisp shifting and acceptable noise levels.
• Option paddles: The option paddles mounted above the shifters have the same design as the shifters and offer two additional function buttons within easy reach.
• Clutch paddles: The two analogue paddles can be configured and used as double clutches as well as buttons or separate axes. In terms of resistance, they are in the centre of the field (comparable, for example, with the Podium Advanced Paddle Module from Fanatec or the Artura Pro Steering Wheel from Ascher Racing) of all the steering wheels tested.

Screen

A key component of the Invicta Formula Steering Wheel is undoubtedly the built-in LCD display with a size of 4.3 inches and a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels. While most manufacturers rely on a VoCore display, Asetek goes one step further and uses its own solution. This means that not only can a refresh rate of 60Hz be achieved, but the display can also be controlled both via Asetek’s software (RaceHub) and via SimHub. For example, it is also possible to display the RaceHub animation for waved flags dynamically over a selected SimHub dashboard. More on this in the Software chapter.

The display is very cleanly framed by a cover and, according to Asetek, should also have touchscreen support on the software side in the future, which would already be possible in terms of hardware.

LEDs

Asetek remains consistent with the LEDs and follows the same approach as on the Forte Formula Steering Wheel. Each button and the three rotary switches are equipped with aRGB LEDs, which are controlled via RaceHub. The various telemetry data can be displayed dynamically here: ABS/Lockup, Car Spotter, Device Input, ESP, TC.

In addition, there are three flag LEDs on each side of the display and 15 RPM LEDs, which can also be set via SImHub.

Handles

Asetek also goes one step further when it comes to handles and currently offers the most varied selection of handles:

• LMP
• Regular
• XL
• Suede

In addition to the good rubber grips already familiar from the Forte and La Prima Formula steering wheels, larger XL grips or leather-covered grips can also be selected as an alternative, increasing the size of the wheel to a diameter of 304 millimetres.

The version of the steering wheel tested here is equipped with LMP grips, which are slightly softer than the standard grips and have a slightly textured surface. This makes them even more comfortable to hold and at the same time less susceptible to dirt and grease deposits. They are therefore (and not least because of their cool look) the clear(!) recommendation.

The grips are firmly attached to the steering wheel with four screws each and can be easily replaced later or in the event of excessive wear. All you have to do is remove the shifters, which are bolted to the chassis from the outside, and you can then replace the grips in a few seconds. This is probably unique in today’s high-end sim racing steering wheel market.

QR

If you already have an Asetek base and opt for the Asetek QR, you not only benefit from a backlash-free connection, but also from wireless data and power transmission via the integrated USB connection between the base and wheel.

If, on the other hand, you opt for your own QR, you have to get creative with the USB connection. However, there are more and more DIY solutions available, such as the wireless QR from Dan Suzuki (video). Less experienced users, on the other hand, should use the 3rd party Wheelbase QR adapter from Asetek, which must be used in combination with theAsetek-QR.

Materials

Unlike previous steering wheels, Asetek uses an aluminium housing for the Invicta Formula Steering Wheel. This is cnc-milled from a solid block and then elaborately anodised and provided with additional highlights. Together with the four millimetre thick carbon front plate (either forged or woven carbon), the result is a solid, ultra-stable steering wheel with a reasonable weight of only around 1.5 kilograms without QR. Asetek definitely lives up to its high-end claim here and you can tell from the very first second that the steering wheel has been manufactured with great care and the workmanship is excellent.

As already mentioned, you can choose between forged carbon and a carbon composite material for the shifters. With the latter, the shifters are not only flat, but also have a slightly curved shape, which makes them even easier to hold. The rational choice for the shifters should therefore be the carbon composite version, but simracers are generally not always completely rational and the paddles made of forged carbon are definitely the more eye-catching option…

The only minor drawback is Asetek’s solution regarding the button labels. Although these are basically a good idea, they can only be positioned correctly with lots of finger sensitivity and are even more difficult to remove, despite the tweezers supplied. The labels for the encoders, on the other hand, are better as they fit exactly into their recesses and can be reused several times.

Software

The in-house software RaceHub and optionally SimHub are used as software solutions:

RaceHub

Just in time for the release of the wheel, Asetek has also launched the fourth version of the RaceHub software, which extends the range of functions significantly once again and enables even non-experts to fully utilise the potential of the wheel out of the box. Compatible with almost all current sim racing titles, you can configure the color of the LEDs and, as already mentioned, the display and the RPM and flag LEDs.

Although the version of RaceHub used in the test was still in beta status, there were no failures or other major problems during the entire test period. There is hardly any other manufacturer where the plug & play experience is as good as with this Asetek wheel, which shows the fruits of the wheel’s extremely long development time.

Rachehub-Dashboards

Asetek supplies three different ready-made dashboards for its own software:

• Formula
• GT
• Road

These contain information tailored to the respective vehicle class and offer additional optional overlays for flags and vehicle assistance systems such as TC and ABS. An additional integrated feature is the ability to adjust parts of the dashboard to the steering wheel rotation so that they are always almost perfectly levelled.

SimHub

Already in the run-up to the release, there were (very) loud calls from the community for SimHub compatibility. Asetek has taken this on board and offers it in an unusual way. Both the RPM LEDs and the display itself can be operated via RaceHub in a SimHub mode, which can be activated once the wheel has been added to SimHub (a beta version provided was used for this test). In this case, SimHub takes over the control of the LEDs or the screen and you are completely free in the configuration or selection of the dashboards.

The user can therefore either choose the very convenient solution via RaceHub or use SimHub, which offers significantly more options for customisation, but also has a much steeper learning curve in this respect.

According to a request made to Asetek, it would also be theoretically possible to control the lighting of the buttons via SimHub, but this feature is not yet being implemented.

Asetek Invicta Style SimHub Dashboard

To ensure that the ‘Invicta look’ also finds its way into SimHub, you can find an unofficial SimHub Invicta dashboard here, which is based on the RaceHub dashboards and can be downloaded here free of charge.

Driving impressions

Conclusion

With the Invicta Formula Steering Wheel, Asetek has made a more than successful entry into the high-end simracing steering wheel segment. Compared to the Forte series, the choice of materials has once again been significantly improved, coupled with excellent workmanship, giving the steering wheel an absolute premium character, which is emphasised not least by the possibility of individual configuration.

Together with the packed feature list and the great software implementation including additional Simhub support, the Formula Wheel is targeted at absolute enthusiasts without making operation and configuration a science. If you want to afford the premium wheel, you get an excellent overall package that fits seamlessly into the Asetek ecosystem and has no significant weaknesses.

This makes the Invicta Formula Steering Wheel a more than clear recommendation, especially for current owners of an Asetek base and all those who want to become one.