Revosim's gear shifter and handbrake are a great start to this sim racing ecosystem, but the bundle's price is starting to grow too

It’s a familiar story: a brand unveils a new sim racing line with the promise of it expanding as an ecosystem. Nacon followed the script to a T with the release of its Revosim line last year. The RS Pure wheelbase, while an impressive debut on its own, was clear in its intentions to grow and had connections labelled shifter and handbrake sitting on its rear from day one. But that racing wheel launch came and went, and then, well, nothing followed.

The original Revosim RS Pure bundle: a 9Nm direct drive wheelbase, round wheel, and load cell pedals for £699.90, caught my eye by undercutting plenty of the established names in the space while largely matching them on build quality. It was a mighty fine debut, but a wheelbase and two pedals do not an ecosystem make, and now, almost a year on, that gap finally closes with the RS Pure Hybrid Shifter and Load Cell Handbrake.

Available on their own for £299.90 and £179.90 respectively, or in a bundle for £449.90, this is the duo that starts to mature the Revosim range. There's a £79.90 clutch pedal too, if you want to move to a full three-pedal setup, and it rounds the bundle up to a neat £499.90. There are still walls around this sim racing garden, but they’re not as high as they were before, and there are a few more plants to look at, so is it worth taking a stroll through?

Latest Videos From

Watch full video here:

Design

When I first checked out the RS Pure wheelbase last year, I was seriously impressed by the build quality Nacon had achieved, particularly given the price tag. It was professional, upmarket, and built like a tank. The new add-ons to the range are no different; they all carry the same metal construction, all-black finish, and proper heft.

The RS Pure Hybrid Shifter is relatively chunky and does the job of two gearboxes at once. Flip the side-mounted dial, and you can switch between an 8-speed H-pattern and a sequential mode on the fly. Nacon includes two separate gear knobs, too, a round knob and a foam-topped lever. Resistance is adjustable by a hex bolt on the front, so there's some scope to firm things up or loosen them off depending on how much of a workout you want your arm to get mid-race.

The RS Pure Load Cell Handbrake is simpler on paper; a 150kg load cell tucked inside quite a compact housing, with resistance courtesy of included elastomers or a softer spring that are hidden out of sight under a removable panel. It's happy to be mounted either horizontally or vertically, which is a nicely considered touch that sees it play nicely not only with different rig setups but different racing styles, too.

Both accessories ship with their own desk clamp in the box, two for the Hybrid Shifter, in fact, along with mounting points for more specialist sim racing cockpits. You’ve got a choice of connection methods around the back. You can go directly into your PC with USB-C if you’re not using the Revosim wheelbase, or you can plug into the ecosystem via RJ45 ports on the back of the RS Pure base. This in itself is a nice progression for the range because it allows either of the new accessories to fit into existing, non-Nacon setups.

Features

Both accessories are supported and configured through the same Revosim app that handles the rest of the RS Pure lineup, and it’s available on PC, iOS, and Android. This is also where firmware updates are handled, and while it’s not exactly the most exciting feature to note, I was impressed at how quick and simple this process was. I’ve had real fun and games with some other brands like Turtle Beach making firmware updates a long and drawn-out process with plenty of hoops to jump through, so this was refreshing by comparison.

There's an RS Pure Clutch Pedal joining the team too, which uses a Hall Effect sensor for precision and keeps the same fully metal construction as the rest of the range. There’s adjustable height, tilt, and travel, and two included springs let you tune the resistance to your liking. It's worth noting Nacon makes a clear point of saying this pedal is only compatible with Revosim pedal sets, so unlike the Shifter and Handbrake, it can’t be retrofitted into mixed-brand setups.

Performance

I bolted both units straight to my desk using the included clamps and ran them into my existing RS Pure base over RJ45 rather than standalone via USB-C. Once everything's connected, that strong build quality I mentioned earlier carries through into actual use. It's a proper, adult-feeling setup; the first impression isn’t one that gives away that this is Nacon’s first attempt.

Desk mounting is simple; the bar on each unit just slots straight into the clamp base, no fuss. It’s nice to see these brackets included as standard and not as paid extras, though with both the shifter and handbrake bolted to a desk rather than a rig, the mechanical forces involved were enough to set my monitors bouncing on their arms with every shift or handbrake yank. That's not the fault of the RS Pure Hybrid Shifter or RS Pure Load Cell Handbrake themselves; a proper cockpit would absorb it without issue, but if you're desk-mounting like I was, it's worth being aware of.

In H-pattern mode, the Hybrid Shifter feels noticeably hard and mechanical. It wants a firm, deliberate shove rather than a lazy nudge, which is satisfying in the right mood. The trade-off for that, however, is precision. The target area for each gear is on the smaller side, and it takes a good bit of dedicated muscle memory to consistently land the right one under pressure rather than clip into a neighbor. There's also an irritating rattle from the collar you lift to activate 7th, 8th, and reverse. I’m being picky, but a slightly loose piece that's noticeable in use really sticks out on a unit that’s so well put together elsewhere. Sequential mode is simple and effective with nothing to complain about, and swapping between the round knob and the foam lever takes seconds either way; it's really just down to personal preference.

The handbrake is where opinion is likely to split depending on who's pulling it. For newer or mid-level sim racers, the resistance on offer feels well judged; it’s controllable and forgiving. More experienced racers chasing fine, progressive braking control may find it feels overly soft as a result, though it's worth remembering that crowd probably isn't who Nacon's built this for. The included elastomers and spring are worth experimenting with, and while I ran mine horizontally given my desk-mounted setup, vertical mounting is there too if your rig calls for it.

I don’t have any major gripes with the hardware, which is commendable. Where things get frustratingly familiar is compatibility, because unfortunately, it's the same complaint I had with the original RS Pure wheelbase bundle. I tested across a range of driving titles, including Forza Horizon 5 and 6, RaceRoom, EA Sports WRC, and Euro Truck Simulator 2, and while every single one of them recognized the shifter and handbrake existed and let me bind them, not one arrived with a working preset out of the box. Even hitting the configure button and launching via the Revosim app, manual setup was required every time, and that’s beyond tedious when you don’t just play one game. I get it; compatibility is tricky because you’re working with different developers and some of that blame is shared. But I’m less inclined to continue to grant beginner’s leniency when the wheelbase has now been around for a year; you’re out of your rookie season now, Nacon.

Should you buy the Revosim Pure Add-ons?

If you're already invested in Nacon’s RS Pure ecosystem and rally or drift is your thing, this bundle starts to complete the picture and is easy enough to recommend. The build quality matches the rest of the range; the shifter in particular is satisfying to use once you've got your muscle memory dialed in, and the tool-free customization on both units makes it easy to tune things to your own preference.

Where it's harder to get fully behind is full value if you’re starting from scratch. At £449.90, it’s not the same jaw-dropping deal the original wheelbase bundle was, and the ongoing lack of out-of-box compatibility across popular titles is a recurring frustration I wish had been resolved. It’s good gear, and I hope this is a sign that Nacon is taking the idea of an ecosystem seriously, but it’s not a blanket recommendation over others if you’re chasing the full set. Give it a look, for sure, but make sure you check out others, too.

How I tested the Revosim RS Pure Add-ons

I mounted the RS Pure Hybrid Shifter and RS Pure Load Cell Handbrake to my desk using their included clamps and connected them via the included RJ45 cables to an RS Pure base. For a few days, I tested the experience across a range of titles, along with some dedicated testing and software configuration through the Revosim app.

For more on how we test controllers, check out the full GamesRadar+ hardware policy.

Shopping for your gaming platform? Check out the best PS5 steering wheels and the best Xbox steering wheels.