I’ve followed Nacon’s Revosim RS Pure through its entire journey to disrupt the traditionally expensive premium sim racing market — from the prototype last year to the final hands-on earlier this year. And now, I’ve been racing with it for 100 hours, and I can safely say that this package (mostly) nails it.
You can really tell that a lot of thought has gone into the way this rig is built, and that Nacon has taken inspiration from the pricier market and figured out how to do things in its own way. From the premium 300mm wheel with its well-placed controls to the 9 Nm direct-drive base's powerful feedback and the customizable load cell pedals — the entire setup works together to provide a fantastic driving experience.
And even better? You’re getting this entire setup in one box for $799/£699. Given that you can easily find yourself spending over a thousand bucks for something with this kind of spec sheet, that is serious value for money. So, ever the skeptic I am, I found myself asking “what’s the catch?”
Well, there are a couple. First, this is a closed ecosystem, and a limited one at that for the moment. There’s only PC support (for now), and the wheel connection, ports for the handbrake and shifter are proprietary. This is a solid start, but Nacon needs to move fast to ensure there is support tailored to other racing types like rally and F1.
And second is the app. On paper, it’s simple and effective. I love being able to adjust the wheel’s settings and update firmware using my phone, and the Bluetooth connection is a cinch to set up. But the on-board telemetry is limited to only a handful of titles, and developers have to specifically integrate it. At the moment, that just makes attaching the phone holder feel a little redundant if your racing tastes vary.
But these gripes aside, the Nacon Revosim RS Pure is a stellar sim racing package for enthusiasts with a value price. Let me tell you all about it.
Nacon Revosim RS Pure: Cheat sheet
- What is it? This is an upper mid-range direct drive sim racing wheel and pedal set.
- Who is it for? This is for sim racers who are looking to step up their rig, but are bewildered by the prices to do so.
- What does it cost? You can pick it up for $799/£699.
- What do we like? This is premium quality at a shockingly reasonable price. The 9nm direct drive base provides impressive force feedback, the wheel feels great to use and the pedals are seriously great.
- What don’t we like? It’s PC-only, mounting a monster wheel like this to a desk is never ideal, and the ecosystem is closed off (and limited) for now.
Nacon Revosim RS Pure: Specs
Wheel diameter |
11.8 inches |
Torque (strength of force feedback) |
9Nm (strong) |
Pedals |
Modular load cell - 100Kg sensor |
Ways to attach |
Desk/table mounting with included clamp, and sim-frame screws for a sim rig |
Nacon Revosim RS Pure: The ups
So I set it up, which is really easy with the built-in rails on the base itself to screw in the fixtures to the PlaySeat Formula Instinct racing seat and slide it in. After 45 minutes, the hours flew by in iRacing, Assetto Corsa Competizione (ACC), Forza Horizon 5 and more.
Pole position performance
So let’s get into what is most important here. The Revosim RS Pure wheel packs 9 newton-meters (Nm) of direct drive force feedback, and the modular load cell pedal system packs a 100Kg sensor to detect even the finest of trail braking.
To translate those numbers into driving feel, this is a fantastic wheel and set of pedals to race with. That direct drive offers an impressively realistic wallop of strength, while providing all the finer, intricate details I needed to understand what the car was doing in reaction to my inputs.
Whether it’s the subtle dips in the dirt roads of the Monaco rally or identifying the first early signs of subtle understeer that could impact my lap times at the Hungaroring in ACC, the strength and intricacy of this wheel’s detailed feedback gave me Fanatec levels of confidence in my driving.
Pair that with the fully customizable load cell braking system — really unlocking my ability to trail brake in F1 25 in a way I never felt in cheaper pedals, and this is a great package for sim racing enthusiasts. Just note on the pedal side that if you do want to customize them, you will have to take them apart a fair bit more than you do with something like the Thrustmaster T598.
Oh, and for those who wish to take that immersion to the next level, there are plans to introduce more wheels to attach to that base for more racing styles, a clutch pedal to add to the pedal set and (the main things I missed most in WRC) a gear shifter and handbrake. When will that happen? I don’t know. But more on that later.
A seriously premium package
When it comes to this mid-range price bracket of direct drive wheels, there seems to be a sliding scale between the performance and build quality.
For example, the Turtle Beach VelocityOne Race — strong plastic and good enough direct drive to get a feel of the car. But Nacon has just rocked up and smashed this scale to pieces.
It starts with the unmistakably premium synthetic leather wheel that feels great in the hand with plush cushioning where it matters — built around an aluminum frame for rigidity and buttons in all the right places for quick access.
This is attached to an all-metal direct drive wheel base. That choice of material is sure to eliminate any possible chance of subtly contorting it under the force of that 9Nm torque. Plus, it’s versatile in compatibility with sim seats, given those built-in grooves to add the screw holes wherever you need them.
And to top it all off, the steel and brushed aluminum pedal set has a durability that tops off a super premium build quality with a long-term reliability to give you confidence.
Value for money
And I can’t shout this loudly enough. This is Fanatec levels of premium build quality and direct drive performance — all bundled together for just $799.
Coming into this without the prior knowledge of what a top-tier sim racing setup costs, you’ll probably balk at the price. But when you see wheels of this caliber head up over $1,000 for the wheel only, you start to see how something like this can offer bonkers value for money.
On top of that, you can tell Nacon’s really thought about the experience, too, by packing in Bluetooth to connect your phone. That’s a rarity in sim racing, and it unlocks settings tweaks on the fly entirely from your phone, rather than having to go through the rigmarole of opening the software.
Nacon Revosim RS Pure: The downs
As I settled into the flow on plenty of endurance races, I’d really put the RS Pure through its paces and optimized around them. There are some small issues to note here.
Some desk-use frustrations
So let me be clear. If you care about your desk, you should not be attaching wheels to it with over 5nm of driving force. Not that your surface can’t take it, but it’s just not really a great experience.
Even with compatibility offered by companies, the RS Pure's desk mount wobbles a bit under pressure, especially on cheaper wooden desks. The force from the brake pedal also causes the pedals to move, or pushes the desk chair back.
There are accessories you can buy to put a stop to this (like wheel stops or a pedal box), but it’s a little disappointing that straight out of the box, these aren’t addressed.
The ecosystem may take a while to gain steam
So far, the Revosim RS Pure is a PC-only sim racing rig. Nacon has confirmed that work is happening to bring Xbox and PlayStation compatibility to future wheels, but the question of “when” is one that is tough to answer.
If you’re a PC racer on the likes of iRacing, this will not be a problem. But if you found your love in the likes of Gran Turismo 7, then you’re out of luck with this wheel.
Then comes the follow-up question of modularity. You see, it’s built right into the way this wheel and pedals work, but what about the accessories to hone it perfectly to what you want to drive? Whether it’s a formula-style wheel for F1 or a handbrake + shifter for rally, you’re left waiting on Nacon to offer these — while other more mature brands in the sim racing space already have these.
Also, while the Revosim app on your phone can be used to show race telemetry in select games, it doesn’t use the generic DirectInput standard that a lot of titles do. It relies on game developers to support it, and at this early stage, support is slim. That makes it feel like a bit of a gimmick right now.
Nacon Revosim RS Pure: Verdict
But all of this aside, one thing is clear from my time testing this wheel: Nacon has created a mighty sim racing wheel and pedals on its first try. It’s the combo-breaker of performance and value for money, while also throwing in an impressive amount of modularity, a premium build quality and versatility across a wide range of sim racing types.
If you’re someone who is looking to take the next step beyond that cheap belt-driven wheel you’ve used for years now, this is an awesome upgrade for a reasonable price. Now, we just wait for console compatibility and a bigger ecosystem.
