PXN VD4, VD6 and VD10 – Direct Drive Ecosystem Review

PXN VD4, VD6 and VD10 – Direct Drive Ecosystem Review

The Chinese manufacturer PXN is expanding its portfolio upwards and now also covers the range up to 10 Newton metres with its new direct drive wheel bases from the VD series. There are also three new round steering wheels and a pedal set for beginners. After an initial test at Gamescom 2025, we have now also tested the products in detail in our simracing PC test rig.

Ordering and shipping

PXN is taking a multi-pronged approach to selling its new line-up. In addition to sales via its own shop with warehouses in various countries (USA, UK, Canada, Australia, Europe and China), the products are also offered via Amazon, among others. PXN specifies a delivery time of three to seven days for most products and currently does not charge any additional shipping costs.

• Bundles
  • PXN VD4 + W AS Bundle: 369 €
  • PXN VD6 + W AS Bundle 469 €
  • PXN VD6 + W DS R2 Bundle 499 €
  • PXN VD10 + W DS R2 Bundle: 499 €
  • PXN VD10 + W CS R2 Bundle: 559,00 €
• Wheel Bases
  • PXN VD6 Wheel Base: 339 €
  • PXN VD10 Wheel Base: 399 €
• Steering Wheels
  • PXN W AS Steering Wheel: 139 €
  • PXN W DS R2 Steering Wheel 199 €
  • PXN W CS R2 Steering Wheel: 279 €
• Pedals
  • PXN PD HM Pedals: 99 €

5% PXN Gutscheincode / Coupon code: simracingpc

The product tested was provided by the manufacturer for the duration of the review. At no point was the content of this review influenced.

Scope of delivery

The scope of delivery of the individual products is clearly organised. The bases are supplied with four screws for mounting, an Allen key and the necessary cables. A USB-C cable and a fabric bag are included with the steering wheels. The pedals are supplied with an additional spring for more resistance and mounting material.

Mounting

The assembly chapter is quickly dealt with. The bases each have four threads on the underside, which have a lateral distance of 78.4 millimetres (vertical distance: 43.5 millimetres) from each other. What appears arbitrary at first glance quickly turns out to be Fanatec’s standard hole pattern. This means that the base can be mounted on almost any rig currently available. All you then need to do is plug in the supplied power supply unit and connect the base with the supplied USB-C to USB-A cable.

Side mounting and the use of a front mount are not intended.

Compatibility

All of the hardware is designed for use on a PC and is compatible with all current simulations. In the test, only the RPM LEDs remained without function in the current Early Access version of Assetto Corsa EVO. The following ports are located on the back of the base, which allow current and future accessories from PXN to be connected:

• PC/Console Port
• Shifter Port
• Pedal Port
• Other Accessories (USB-A + USB-C)
• Emergency Switch Port
• Power Button + Indicator
• Power Socket

QR

As a QR, PXN relies on a tried-and-tested NRG-style solution. This allows the manufacturer’s steering wheels to be operated wirelessly, with data and power being supplied via the QR’s pins. The connection worked as usual during the test. None of the three steering wheels or wheel bases tested had any noticeable mechanical play in the connection or disconnections during operation. A USB passthrough is currently not available.

By selecting the QR, you can easily connect third-party USB steering wheels mechanically via an additional NRG QR.

Direct Drive Bases

The centrepiece of the line-up are the new VD series direct drive wheel bases. The bases are each equipped with a compact aluminium housing with plastic covers on the front and back. They differ only in length. They are each equipped with a servo motor which, according to PXN, is also fitted with an encoder with a very high resolution of 24 bits for this price range. The following three bases are currently available:

• PXN VD4 – 4 Nm (5 Nm Peak): The smallest of the three bases is currently only available as part of a bundle. It has a maximum constant torque of 4 Newton metres and a peak force of 5 Newton metres. It is primarily aimed at beginners and those switching from a G29 or a T300 base, for example.
• PXN VD6 – 6 Nm (7 Nm Peak): The upgrade to the VD4 base is the VD6 version, which with its 6 and 7 Newton metres lies between the other two models. Here you are in a force range that can be categorised somewhere between desk and rig. Especially in combination with the smallest of the three available steering wheels, the base can develop a force that is already sufficient for many simracers.
• PXN VD10 – 10 Nm (12 Nm Peak): The largest model is the VD10 Base with a maximum force of 10 / 12 Newton metres. This puts it in a range that competes with the current competition from Simagic, Fanatec, MOZA and others and is slowly moving towards the high-end range.

Force Feedback

The most important question now is, of course, how they perform on the track. One thing can be said in advance: compared to the manufacturer’s first models, which were more like toys, the bases in the VD series offer significantly better performance. They perform well in their respective performance ranges. They have no reason to shy away from the well-known competition, but with slightly sharper presets, they could score even higher here and there. If you reduce the damping a little, you get very direct force feedback that can reproduce smaller details well.

Somewhat surprisingly, the smallest version was particularly impressive in the test. In combination with the 280 millimetre PXN W AS Steering Wheel, which only weighs around 1,065 grams including the QR, the relatively low maximum strength of the base on paper is significantly more powerful and is also fun for an experienced simracer. As an entry-level set, the corresponding bundle is therefore an attractive alternative to the 5 Newton metre Fanatec CSL Base or the MOZA R3/R5.

The VD6 base is somewhat more difficult, with a current price of 339 euros, which is too close to the significantly stronger and only 60 euros more expensive VD10 base. Anyone interested in this force range should definitely use one of the two smaller steering wheels in order to get the best possible, i.e. maximum force feedback.

The VD10 base is the spearhead of the range and once again significantly improves in terms of force feedback. In contrast to the VD6 base, the price-performance ratio is once again much more convincing and, with its maximum 12 Newton metres of peak torque, the base reaches an area that many simracers consider to be the sweet spot. The base offers significantly more power and is particularly impressive in combination with the 1477 gram PXN W DS R2 Steering Wheel in the test. On the software side, however, it definitely still has reserves.

Specs

VD4

VD6

VD10

Steering wheels

Although the three available steering wheels have a similar design, they differ massively in terms of diameter, weight and quality. In principle, they can each be used with a USB-C cable, but then do not offer support for the built-in RPM LEDs.

• PXN W AS Steering Wheel (280 millimetres, 1065 grams): The entry-level wheel has 19 buttons, which feel like typical controller buttons familiar from consoles. There are also two practical but rather smooth-running thumb encoders (+/-), which are fitted with plastic caps. At the back, there are two relatively smooth-running magnetic shifters that are well implemented for this price range, as well as two analogue paddles that can be combined in the software to form a dual clutch. The wheel scores points above all for its extremely low weight, which is achieved through the combination of aluminium for the steering wheel rim and plastic for the housing. The gripping surfaces are well made for this price range, offer a good grip and also impress in terms of torsional rigidity. Eleven additional adjustable RPM LEDs have been installed on the top.
• PXN W DS R2 Steering Wheel (300 millimetres, 1475 grams): The W DS R2 Steering Wheel wheel has slightly crisper buttons and two rotary switches that are now designed as regular encoders. The D-pad has been replaced by a joystick, and the central PXN logo can also be used as an additional button. Four paddles have again been installed on the back, which, like the back of the housing, are now made entirely of aluminium and feel much crisper. Overall, the steering wheel including QR weighs around 1475 grams, which is also due to the 20 millimetre larger diameter in comparison. There are also 11 RGB LEDs in an unusual arrangement on the top.
• PXN W CS R2 Steering Wheel (330 millimetres, 1840 grams): In comparison, the W CS R2 Wheel offers the best material feel and uses similar buttons to most MOZA wheels. These are illuminated and can be adjusted separately in colour (see picture in the assembly chapter). With a weight of 1,840 grams and a diameter of 330 millimetres, the wheel should ideally be combined with the VD10 base, as otherwise you will lose out on maximum force feedback strength compared to the other two wheels. The large steering wheel is particularly suitable for road vehicles (including drifting) and is very comfortable to hold.

According to PXN, additional steering wheels are already in the works. We were able to see a first preview, which was not yet publicly available, at this year’s Gamescom in Cologne. There will definitely be more to come from PXN in the future.

Specs

PXN W AS Steering Wheel

PXN W DS R2 Steering Wheel

PXN W CS R2 Steering Wheel

Pedals

The pedals included in the smallest bundle don’t come as a big surprise. They have a functional design and are primarily aimed at beginners. Buyers of one of the larger wheel bases should either wait for the upcoming Loadcell pedal set from PXN, which was presented at Gamescom, or look elsewhere. Desk drivers, however, can purchase the pedals without hesitation, as you can’t go wrong with the visually familiar entry-level pedals.

Specs

Software

PXN uses its own software solution called PXN SimRacing to manage the individual components. This is already state of the art in some areas and offers a range of presets as well as the option to export and manage profiles. There are also the typical settings. Other manufacturers sometimes offer more options here, but this is not always an advantage.

The properties of the wheels can be configured in a separate section. This is particularly interesting for the PXN W CS R2 steering wheel, as the colour of the illuminated buttons can be freely configured. There are also settings for the RPM LEDs, each of which can be manually set to a percentage of the maximum speed of the current car.

Driving impressions

Here you can find a direct comparison of the three bases. The differences are somewhat smaller when choosing the steering wheels. However, the VD10 base also offers significantly more power with the much larger and heavier WCS-R2 wheel. In the test, all three combinations managed to get into the usual lap time range within a short time (five to ten laps).

Conclusion

With its new simracing hardware, PXN is doing a lot of things right and the manufacturer has succeeded in shedding its image as a toy manufacturer in the simracing sector. The products are in line with their price on the current market and in some cases even stand out from the majority of the competition.

In the test, the PXN VD4 + W AS bundle was particularly impressive and proved to be a very good alternative for beginners. The combination of the compact direct drive base with the very lightweight wheel, which is nevertheless equipped with a number of functions, provides good force feedback and is currently one of the most interesting offers in the price range below €400.

The VD6 and VD10 also provide good force feedback, but could still be optimised a little on the software side. In a direct comparison, the VD10 Base is the clearer buy recommendation, as you get four or five (peak) Newton metres more for a comparatively low surcharge of just €60.

5% PXN Gutscheincode / Coupon code: simracingpc