Simagic GT Neo Long Term Review

I feel like this steering wheel needs little introduction. For once, it seems the Sim Racing world has come to a unanimous decision about a product. But 6 months Later, how has it held up? Is it all it’s cracked up to be? Have competitors caught up? This is my long term review of the Simagic GT Neo… I’m Laurence, welcome to the channel

Product affiliate links & discounts

Logo	Brands	Reseller	Discount Code	Link	Ships to	Locations
	Fanatec	Fanatec USA		https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/FANATEC-USA	America	Beverly Hills, California, USA
	Fanatec	Fanatec EU		https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/FANATEC-EU	EU	Landshut, Germany
	Fanatec	Fanatec Australia		https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/FANATEC-OZ	Australia	New South Wales, Australia
	Fanatec	Fanatec Japan		https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/FANATEC-JP	Japan	Tokyo, Japan
	Trak Racer, Simucube, Heusinkveld, VNM Simulation, GSI, Gomez Sim Industries, Cube Controls, Rexing	Trak Racer USA		https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/TRAK-RACER-USA	America	Austin, Texas, USA
	Conspit, Cube Controls, DBOX, Heusinkveld, MOZA, Qubic System, Rexing, Simagic, Simucube, Trak Racer, VNM Simulation, Pimax	Trak Racer UK		https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/TRAK-RACER-UK	UK	Hertfordshire, England, UK
	Conspit, Cube Controls, DBOX, Heusinkveld, MOZA, Qubic System, Rexing, Simagic, Simucube, Trak Racer, VNM Simulation, Pimax	Trak Racer EU		https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/TRAK-RACER-EU	EU	Venlo, The Netherlands
	Conspit, Cube Controls, DBOX, Heusinkveld, MOZA, Qubic System, Rexing, Simagic, Simucube, Trak Racer, VNM Simulation, Pimax	Trak Racer Australia		https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/TRAK-RACER-OZ	Australia	Victoria, Australia
	Asetek	Asetek Global	5% off with coupon code 'LD'	https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/ASETEK-GLOBAL	Global	Florida, USA. Aalborg, Denmark
	Asetek	Asetek USA	5% off with coupon code 'LD'	https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/ASETEK-USA	America	Florida, USA
	Asetek	Asetek EU	5% off with coupon code 'LD'	https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/ASETEK-EU	EU	Aalborg, Denmark
	Simagic	Simagic Direct	3% off with coupon code 'LD'	https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/SIMAGIC	Global	Shenzhen, China, Asia
	Amazon	Amazon Global (will bring you to your local amazon store automatically)		https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/AMAZON	Global
	Apex Sim Racing, Cube Controls, D-Box, Meca Sim Hardware, Moza Racing, RichD-PC, Sigma Integrale, Simagic, Simucube	Apex Sim Racing	5% off with coupon code 'LD'	https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/APEX-SIM-RACING	Global	New Jersey, USA
	Advanced Simracing, Alpinestars, Ascher Racing, Asetek Simsports, Astro Gaming, BDH Race Sim Hardware, Buttkicker, Cobra, Corbeau, Cube Controls, Delta Sim Tech, D-Box, Gaming Zone (Gaming Computers), Gomez Sim Industries (GSI), Heusinkveld, Honeycomb (Flightsim), Ignition Controls, Logitech, Meca Sim Hardware, Moza Racing, MPI, Next Level Racing, Oktane Designs, OMP Racing, Playseat, PT Actuator, Precision Sim Engineering, Pro-Sim, P1Sim, Racing Helmet Collector, Recaro, Samsung, Simcore, Simline, Simtag, Simtrecs, Simucube, Sim Racing Studio, Sparco, Thrustmaster (Simracing), Thrustmaster (Flightsim), Turn Racing, Turtle Beach, Varjo, Venym, Virtual Racing School, VNM Simulation	Advanced Sim Racing	5% off with code LDUSOSWAFIVE	https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/ASR	Global	Montreal, Canada
	Ascher Racing, ASUS, Buttkicker, Cobra, Cube Controls, EPOS, Fanatec, Gigabyte, Go-Race, Gomez Sim Industries (GSI), Heusinkveld Engineering, ImSim, MME SimSport, O-Rouge, OBP, Overclockers, Qubic System, Racelogic, Rexing, Sabelt Sim Racing, Simucube, Sparco, Trak Racer	Demon Tweeks		https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/DEMON-TWEEKS	Global	Wrexham, Wales, UK
	Buttkicker, Conspit, Leoxz, Marina Racewear, Moza, Next Level Racing, Pimax, Qubic System, Sigma, Simagic, Simedal, Simforge, Soelpec	Abruzzi		https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/ABRUZZI	UK, EU	East-Sussex, England, UK
	Streamlabs	Streamlabs		https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/STREAMLABS	Global
	Restream	Restream		https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/RESTREAM	Global
	iRacing	iRacing		https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/IRACING	Global	Chelmsford, Massachusetts, USA
	Coach Dave Delta	Coach Dave Academy		https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/CDA	Global	London, England, UK
	Soelpec	Soelpec		https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/SOELPEC	Global	Istanbul, Turkey
	Moza	Moza UK		https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/MOZA-UK	United Kingdom	UK
	Moza	Moza US		https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/MOZA-US	North & South America	USA
	Moza	Moza EU		https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/MOZA-EU	Global	Europe
	Moza	Moza Direct		https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/MOZA	Global	Shenzhen, China, Asia
	Buttkicker, Cobra, Cube Controls, Heusinkveld, Pro SimRig, Qubic System, Simagic, Simgrade, Simucube, Simutec, Sparco, Turn Racing, VPG	RaceAnywhere		https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/RACE-ANYWHERE	UK, EU	Northamptonshire, UK
	Sim-Lab, Grid Engineering, Sparco	Sim-Lab Direct		https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/SIM-LAB	Global	Tholen, The Netherlands, EU
	Grid Engineering	Grid Engineering Direct		https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/GRID-ENGINEERING	Global	Ontario, Canada. Tholen, The Netherlands, EU
	Cammus	Cammus Direct	5% off with code LDCAMMUS	https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/CAMMUS	Global	China, Asia
	Buttkicker	Buttkicker Direct		https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/BUTTKICKER	Global	Ohio, USA
	Asetek, Gomez Sim Industries (GSI), Next Level Racing, O-Rouge, Simtrecs	SimRaceCity	5% off with promocode: potato-nation	https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/SRC	USA	Fort Worth, Texas, USA
	Extreme Simracing, Simagic, D-BOX, DBOX	Extreme Simracing		https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/EXTREME-SIMRACING	America	Maringá, Paraná, Brazil
	SimRacingBay, Simucube, Ascher Racing, Simforge, Moza	SimRacingBay		https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/SIMRACINGBAY	Global	Slovenia, EU
	Simforge Engineering	Simforge Engineering		https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/SIMFORGE	Global	Chennai, India, ASIA
	Website Hosting	HostGator		https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/HOST-GATOR	Global	USA
	RacGTing Racing Cockpits	RacGTing		https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/RACGTING	Global	Asia
	Getail Design	Getail Design	5% off with coupon code 'LD'	https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/GETAIL	Global	Bergamo, Italy, EU
	Pimax	Pimax EU		https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/PIMAX-EU	EU	EU
	Pimax	Pimax		https://LaurenceDusoswa.com/a/PIMAX	Global	Shanghai , China
	Simagic, Asetek, Fanatec	IRL Motorsports		https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/IRL-MOTORSPORTS	EU, UK	Dublin, Ireland
	BDH	BDH Sim Hardware		https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/BDH	Global	Pocklington, York, UK
	Conspit, PXN, MOZA, DoF Reality, RS, Simnet, CAMMUS, BDH	RACESIM UK	5% off with coupon code 'LD'	https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/RACESIMUK	UK, EU	London, UK
	Asetek Simsports, Cube Controls, Corbeau Seats, VRS	Simpatico Sim Shop	5% off with coupon code 'POTATONATION'	https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/SIMPATICO	USA, Canada	Jacksonville FL, USA
	Conspit	iracesimulators	10% off with code 'LD'	https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/IRACESIMULATORS	EU	Dublin, Ireland
	Bavarian Sim Tec	Bavarian Sim Tec	5% off with coupon code LAURENCE-DUSOSWA	https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/BST	GLOBAL	Bavaria, Germany
	Advanced Sim Racing, Ascher Racing, Heusinkveld, OMP, Moza, Simagic, Simucube	Sim Consultants	5% off Simagic with code 'LD'	https://laurencedusoswa.com/a/SIM-CONSULTANTS	EU, UK	Dublin, Ireland, EU
	Asetek Simsports, Conspit, Cooler Master, Cube Controls, Fanatec, Logitech, Moza, Next Level Racing, Nitro Concepts, ThermalTake, Thrustmaster, Sim Racing PCs, Noblechairs	Overclockers (UK & USA)		https://laurencedusoswa.com/A/OVERCLOCKERS	Global	UK, USA
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	Simsonn	Simsonn	8% off with code LAURENCEDUSOSWA	https://laurencedusoswa.com/A/SIMSONN	Global	Kington, Herefordshire, United Kingdom & China
	MOZA Racing, Asetek Simsports, Simagic, Leoxz, Buttkicker, OverPower, Sparco, KGL Sim Racing, Cube Controls, VNM, QubicSystem, Simline, Playseat, GSI, 3drap, Rexxing, Simgrade, Ascher Racing, Pimax, P1Sim, Venym, Sim Racing Studio, Simforge Engineering, Simucube, VRS, Racing Components, D-Box, TREQ, Sabelt, Heusinkveld, O-Rouge, Next Level Racing, Thrustmaster, SOELPEC, ASUS, Conspit, SimXPro, Sim-Lab, Simtrecs, DOF-Reality, Sim Factory, Nitro Concepts, SimRep Engineering, CoolerMaster, Delta Sim-Tech, PXN, VPG, BDH Race Sim Hardware, SG Racing, DaytonAudio, Virpil Controls, MME Motorsport	Simufy		https://laurencedusoswa.com/A/SIMUFY	EU, Global	Granada, Spain, EU
	Mounts and accessories for Simagic, Stream Deck, Simucube, Fanatec, Asetek, Moza, Logitech, Thrustmaster, Conspit	Sim Sport Gadget	5% off with coupon code 'LAURENCE'	https://laurencedusoswa.com/A/SIMSPORTGADGET	USA, Global	Newark, NJ, USA

1. Introduction

On the left you’ll see all the sections in this video. I’ve put timestamped links to each section in the description below.

Let me start off by addressing the wear on the lower right hand grips as seen in some of the video footage for this review. I caused this damage by using this wheel improperly. I had a hard cast on my hand when I tore a tendon in my right hand, and shouldn’t really have been driving, let alone using such a beautiful wheel. That aside, there is some other whitening of the grips over time which is worse than expected. I’ll cover that in detail in a later section, but Simagic informed me that they have upgraded the material on models manufactured since September 2024.

Simagic is at the forefront of Sim Racing innovation. Where on one side they have to date been unapologetic about not being the cheapest, they really blindsided us here and came out with arguably the best value steering wheel in sim racing in my eyes, a crown previously worn by the Fanatec Mclaren GT3 V2 steering wheel. This wheel is 50% more expensive, which is significant. But I’ll justify that in this review as it’s in an entirely different league.

For context about Simagic’s roadmap, the GT NEO is simagic’s entry level range going forward. Entry level… it sounds silly to even say that…

All of the products in this review were sent to me free of charge for the purposes of this review and nobody other than me has had any say in the content of this video. The links to this product and its competitors in the description are affiliate links and if used will earn this channel some money at no extra cost to you.

2. First Impressions

I was stunned taking this out of the box. It looked nice in photos. But my first impressions of the build quality made me question the price. I was looking for a catch. And I hadn’t even used it yet. Sure, it’s made of convincing plastic and not real crushed carbon. The front encoders and 7 way hats are made of plastic and not aluminium. But it has more buttons and encoders than anything else in this price range. It even comes with clutch paddles as standard. The buttons and front rotaries are backlit. Honestly I’m not sure how Simagic makes any money with this product.

3. Price

It’s only $289, or €300. That’s it. Including the QR. Including the clutch paddles. Including sticker sheet. For that price it will natively work with all Simagic Alpha and Evo wheelbases. For perspective, this wheel would be great value at twice the price, but I don’t want to give Simagic any ideas.

You do have the ability to USB convert this wheel so that it can be used with any wheelbase using a product called a maglink. And if you’re expecting that to be expensive, it’s not. It’s only $20. It’s very clear to me that Simagic is more interested in the consumer base than the money with this product. Sure, Chinese companies have lower running costs in general, but this is aggressive pricing, even for them. Their open-ness, acceptance and even their encouragement of the use of other brands with their products is something we rarely see in sim racing. And it deserves to be celebrated23

4. Installation – Hardware

This wheel works wirelessly with all of your Simagic Alpha and Evo products. However, you can also hook it up to any other wheelbase using a compatible QR. They don’t JUST support 50mm and 70mm configurations. They support everything and anything in between also thanks to clever slotted channels. You only need to hook up 3 bolts on a sim steering wheel setup. Any more is overkill in my opinion. For example as shown, you can see that I’ve also used this wheel extensively with other wheelbases like the Asetek and Moza ranges.

Installing the quick release and electronics is intuitive and quick. They’ve REALLY thought this through. I would have loved to have had a way to install the Asetek QR inside the QR, similar to what Ascher, Cube Controls, GSI and others allow. I’d love for Asetek users to be able to ditch the cable altogether. It must be said that the cable works great as shown, despite being ugly, and doesn’t get in the way so it’s not a real issue.

If you do use the cable, it’s also a great experience. Somewhat similar to the Cube Controls Q-Conn cable, the Simagic MagLink cable is magnetic. You even get a little USB extension cable with it which you can mount to your rig. They’ve thought of everything and don’t charge you a cent extra.

5. Installation – Software

This product is compatible with SimPro, the Simagic software, as you’d expect. And it’s fine. However, I highly recommend using SimHub as I’ll mention in the next section.

The clutch bite point is only adjustable within the software and not with a button combo on the physical wheel. Again I’ll cover that in a later section. Technically speaking, you only need the software for the rev lights and backlit buttons.

6. Buttons

The buttons on this wheel are good. Perfectly functional. There are loads of them. They’re quite clicky but they feel high quality though. Many top end wheels don’t even give you 10 buttons like this. The stickers are good and you wouldn’t be surprised to find buttons like this on a cube controls steering wheel, for example. In fact, these are better. The clicks are clear and crisp. And let’s not gloss over the backlighting. It’s decent with the Simagic software, but couple it with the Daniel Newman Racing profiles via simhub and it comes to life. I’ll link to those in the description below, but the DNR lighting profile flags, spotter calls and other animations give a premium feel.

There are some nubs on the back of the housing which look like they could house rear facing buttons, which makes me think… Could there be a higher end version of this wheel in the future?

7. Rotaries & 7-way hats

The 10 buttons are super impressive, but you also get 4 main rotaries, 2 thumb rotaries and 2 high quality 7-way hats. That’s sensational. Ok, the rotaries don’t have click down functionality. And although the thumb rotaries are aluminium, the front facing rotaries are made of plastic. However, those 4 rotaries ARE backlit and also animated by the DNR profile, which is just sensational. I can’t believe this is a €300 wheel. All of the rotaries give great clear detents with good registration in the software.

The 7-way hats are plastic, but the directional clicks and click down are very premium. The rotation could be slightly nicer though. While you do get a good detent, they can be difficult to grip due to their smoothness.

8. Shifters & Clutch Paddles

The shifters are quiet and accurate. They’re made of aluminium and not carbon. Does that matter? not to me. But it does to some. They do have adjustability. If you find that you need to reach for them, you can slide them out a little to make them easier to reach. Same goes for the clutch paddles. Again features you usually only find on high end wheels.

Note that some companies charge up to $200 extra JUST for the clutch paddles alone. These are lovely and heavy, allowing me to do very accurate launches. I do wish you could adjust the clutch bite point on the fly though. Right now you have to do it through the simagic software which I’m not a fan of. No two launches are ever the same for me so I like to tune my clutch paddles before each standing start.

There is no option for 6 paddles, but nobody really needs that, especially at this price point.

9. Grips

No product is perfect. And with this product, the grips are the slight compromise. It seems like it doesn’t matter if you use gloves or not, these grips will wear. They did for me. By ‘wear’, I mean discolouration. There is not physical damage from normal use on my grips. For expensive products, this could be a deal breaker. But with this wheel, it honestly doesn’t bother me that much. It shouldn’t happen, don’t get me wrong. But the grips still function great. The shape and ergonomics are amazing. They’re quite hard but that’s ok. They fit my hands well.

As I said in the intro, much of the wear on the right hand grip is due to my use of it while wearing a hard cast due to tendon and ligament damage. It exaggerates this problem immensely but it’s important that I highlight it in this video.

It’s not all bad news for the grips though. Simagic changed the material they use from TPE to TPU in September 2024 and have seen better performance. However, they’re still striving for perfection and told me that the material is likely to change again in the near future.

10. Final Thought

It’s affordable, fully functional, compatible with other brands and supports SimHub. It’s just incredible. There’s no excuse not to have this wheel as a Simagic user. While I’m still a massive fan of the Simagic GT4 sim, this blows it out of the water at almost half the price. It’s the best formula or GT wheel that they make. It’s the best value formula or GT wheel that anyone makes. If you’re not a Simagic user, but looking for an affordable and excellent wheel, the GT Neo with the MagLink is perfect. You’d barely DIY an inferior wheel for this price.

Ergonomically, everything’s in the right place. Sure, the 7-way hats and front rotaries are plastic. And the front rotaries don’t click down. But the layout and fun factor of this wheel more than makes up for that. If this was your first formula wheel, and you ‘upgrade’ to a VPG, SOELPEC, or any other super premium wheel, you might be disappointed with your upgrade. This wheel absolutely spoils those on a budget. Simagic has normalised a form of privilege that has ’til now only been available to wealthy sim racers.

The only weakness of this wheel is the grips. Although I haven’t reviewed the newer model, Simagic assures me that they changed the material in September 2024. However, they are likely to upgrade the material again in the future as they are still not fully happy. The wear I experienced was minimal and only manifested itself as a whitening of the grip material.

This wheel’s pricing opens up opportunities for people to buy the ‘slightly better’ version of a wheelbase with the money they save on a wheel. And unlike the Moza KS, the Simagic GT Neo has little or no compromise. In fact, the GT Neo makes the Moza KS feel like a bit of a toy. It feels like a 700 dollar wheel and it never let me down. It’s one of those products that easy to recommend to everyone, and it was an absolute joy to review.

Those nubs on the back of the wheel have my imagination running wild though. Might simagic release a premium version of this wheel in the future? One with real carbon weave, all aluminium dials, higher quality grips, 6 paddles, flag LEDs and more? One thing I can guarantee is that it wont have the value appeal of the GT Neo, no matter how much bling you add to it.

Should you decide to buy this product, and if you’ve found this review useful or entertaining, I have included links in the description which when used earn some money for this channel. There’s no obligation to do so but your support is appreciated immensely. Details about other companies with similar benefits are also listed. I stream every Tuesday and Thursday at 9pm UK/Irish time. Thanks again to Simwear.eu and Simagic for making this review possible and to you for taking the time to watch, hit the thumbs up or comment with your experiences or opinions. I’m Laurence, and I’ll chat to ye later.