The sim-racing peripherals manufacturer Simagic has become a key industry player in just a few short years. The recipe is simple: a team with a passion for motor racing and expertise in electronics, backed up by real professional drivers. The result: products from this brand are prized by sim-racing fans, and for excellent reasons.

Simagic’s catalog of sim-racing peripherals is rather limited. True, its products cover the majority of motor racing, but there isn’t a peripheral for everyone. The brand focuses on a few products in order to control its manufacturing, and also the degree of immersion they provide. Let’s face it: only Logitech, Thrustmaster and Fanatec have been in the industry for decades. The rest of the brand pool has been around for ten years at most.

Among the peripherals offered by Simagic is the GT Neo steering wheel, aimed at satisfying drivers who are fans of GT and Formula 1 racing. In what follows, we’ll take a closer look at this steering wheel through a test on our setup.

Main and technical features of the steering wheel

• GT/Formula-style steering wheel with rectangular shape and 30 cm diameter
• Rubber grips for a good level of grip
• 4 metal rear paddles, 2 magnetic and 2 progressive
• RevLED on upper front panel in 3 colors
• 14 controls in all on the front of the steering wheel, including 4 rotary encoders in the center, 2 thumb switches, 5 rubber buttons on each side and 2 funky switches à la Fanatec
• QR derived from the D1-Spec on the rear, but in a revised version this time, facilitating insertion and removal
• 2 adjustable-spacing pallets
• Compatible with all Simagic bases on PC, as well as SimPro Manager for button mapping

GT Neo design

The first thing you notice about the GT Neo is the forged carbon fiber. But in reality, it’s all a sham. Yes, there is forged carbon fiber on the steering wheel, but this material is added to ABS plastic during the molding process.

Visually, I must say, it’s still beautiful. The faceplate houses all the steering wheel buttons, which are either backlit or have an RGB contour, like the rotary encoders. Two rubber grips are fitted on the sides, offering a 09H15 driving position. Overall, the GT Neo is an eye-pleasing piece of equipment, even if the brand didn’t actually use forged carbon fiber for its structure.

Customized assembly

As on other Simagic wheels, the GT Neo uses the QR derived from the D1-Spec to attach the wheel to the brand’s base, or any other base for that matter if you have a universal hub, as the wheel has a USB-C socket on its back-plate.

To fit the GT Neo, simply pull on the burgundy ring, align the QRs (wheel and base side), insert and you’re ready to go. Communication with the base is wireless, and the wheel only needs to be powered to operate, and this is done via very small connection pins.

Manufacturing and finishing

As I said above, the GT Neo uses ABS plastic reinforced with forged carbon. It may look weak on paper, but the steering wheel structure is very solid, even with a Simagic Alpha as a base.

In terms of build quality, the steering wheel uses a well-made rubber on the grips, which gives a very good level of grip without gloves. You can drive with gloves, but it’s not really necessary, as is the case with other steering wheels that use this kind of material.

Let’s move on to the finish. It’s honestly top-notch, and on all the parts that make up this steering wheel. All the wheel components fit together perfectly, the soft rubber buttons don’t catch when pressed, and the rear paddles are superb to the touch, as well as being made of metal. The GT Neo is a steering wheel that doesn’t use noble materials, but it’s no less premium.

Handling the steering wheel

The basic riding position is 09H15, with the emphasis on comfort. As soon as you take the GT Neo in your hands, you’ll quickly feel at ease, able to go from one lap to the next without stopping.

All the buttons, of which there are 10 on the faceplate, are accessible without any hand gymnastics. The same goes for the rest of the controls, such as the 2 “funky switches”, encoders, switches and paddles. The ergonomics of the steering wheel are excellent, thanks in large part to its rectangular shape and 30 cm diameter.

What’s more, all controls are backlit with RGB LEDs and configurable via SimPro Manager. It will only take a few minutes to get your bearings with the GT Neo, thanks again to the team behind it, who are passionate about motor racing.

Sensations during play

Once set up on your sim-racing setup, configuration of Simagic’s GT Neo is a snap via the brand’s SimPro Manager software. All steering wheel configuration is centralized and easy to perform. I have to admit that the software interface is fixed, at least the size of the window, and this is probably due to the fact that the steering wheel is represented in the center with zones that are directly accessible for settings, which must be a nightmare for developers if the interface were dynamic. But that’s not the point.

As I mentioned earlier, the GT Neo is a steering wheel that feels great in the hand. Mounted on a Simagic Alpha, the GT Neo has no flex on its structure, giving us excellent stability when racing. What’s more, the placement of the controls is so well thought out that you’ll have no trouble getting used to this wheel, whether in GT or Formula racing.

As for the rubber on the grips, it proved to be very comfortable during my sessions. Even if your hands sweat, you’ll have no trouble using the wheel without gloves. So yes, you can drive with gloves on, and all buttons and controls will be usable without a hitch, unlike some of this wheel’s competitors. Simagic uses quality materials, and gloves become an accessory to enhance immersion.

Which brings us to the driving position. It’s 09H15, with a steering wheel shape that provides a very high level of comfort. Between the diameter of the grips, the position of your thumbs on the faceplate and the position of your hands on the steering wheel, the GT Neo is a very natural steering wheel to drive.

GT Neo steering wheel compatibility

This steering wheel is no exception to the Simagic rule of cross-platform compatibility. In other words: the GT Neo is PC-only, with full compatibility with the entire Simagic range of bases. As far as Direct Drive bases from other brands are concerned, the GT Neo can work with them without any problem, provided you have a hub that can act as an intermediary between the various QRs.

Value for money

Currently listed at €369 on various online retailers and other authorized Simagic distributors, the GT Neo offers very good value for money, especially after using it on a sim-racing setup, even though it’s made largely of plastic.

My verdict on Simagic’s GT Neo steering wheel

When I tried out the GT Neo, I expected a certain level of immersion and build quality, since it’s still a Simagic product. But in the end, I have to say that this steering wheel simply exceeded my expectations.

Between build quality, price, racing immersion and above all comfort, Simagic’s GT Neo has everything to please GT racing fans. It’s a steering wheel I’d recommend without the slightest hesitation if you’re looking for quality equipment.