Simagic unveils a new generation of its wheelbases dubbed EVO, trying to take the next step with its direct drive hardware. How does the new kit perform, though? Let's find out in our Simagic Alpha EVO Pro review!
April 28, 2025 marks the official launch of Simagic's new generation of wheelbases. The Alpha EVO series could be the biggest technological leap for sim racers in recent years, as the use of a new servo motor design should minimize inertia and at the same time work more precisely and smoothly. But that's not all, there are many new features and functions in their software - today we will focus on the 18 Nm Simagic Alpha EVO Pro, which could be the first high-end wheelbase for well under $1000.
It will replace the 23 Nm Alpha U in my daily use, and in this review, I'll tell you why after having tested several sim titles for you over the last few weeks! And I'll also answer the question of whether you should feel bad if you just bought one of the previous Simagic bases.
Simagic Alpha EVO: Three Versions
The Alpha EVO comes in three variants, all of which use the new so-called "custom 5-pole servo motor". The 9 Nm Alpha EVO Sport is physically identical to the regular Alpha EVO, but has 12 Nm of peak torque, probably achieved with a stronger power supply. The Pro version is 36 mm longer and, at 8.6 kg, around 2 kg heavier than its smaller brothers.Simagic makes a good offer in terms of price, especially with the 18 Nm wheelbase. The Peak Torque to price ratio is probably one of the most attractive offer for a PC Wheelbase to date - $100 USD less than the retail price of a MOZA R16, $200 less than an 18 Nm Asetek Forte and way cheaper than Fanatec ClubSport DD and DD+ - all this might change depending on the tariff and warehouse situation, of course. But this is the status in April and May 2025.
According to Simagic, the main innovation of the EVO series is the new servo motor. Thanks to a lighter shaft, the rotational intertia should be significantly reduced, which simply leads to better response. That's Simagic's approach, rather than making it less affordable with a more expensive motor with higher torque slew rates.
Cog No More
Cogging was the big buzzword when Thrustmaster introduced the T598 last year. In order to control these noticeable steps in the rotation of the wheel without an interpolation filter, a direct axial drive motor was used for the first time. Simagic took a different approach and probably solved the problem of the uneven magnetic field with the direct drive. At least there is absolutely no cogging, even when the motor is switched off.This was different with the Alpha U, where you can really feel the little steps as you turn the shaft. This allowed Simagic to develop a new generation of software filters to achieve even cleaner and more direct effects in certain areas. They call the algorithm DFDF - New Gen Dynamic Force Domain Filter. But I don't want to bore you with too many technical details and marketing, in the end it's how it feels in practice that counts.
Changing over from the Alpha U, I was very happy to find out that the height and length haven’t changed, so my monitors can stay exactly where they are. The slip ring is new and has a higher bandwidth to allow for more features on future wheels. Similar to Conspit, there is also this snap on magnetic port for future dashes.
A big difference from the Gen 1 is the ports on the back. Lots of RJ and USB ports - particularly welcome - the base acts as a USB extender, so we can connect devices directly via CAN, USB and CAN FD protocol. We will also be testing the new 70mm QR-A USB quick release with 3rd party wheels soon, as we will compare the 12 Nm version with other competitors.
How To Mount The Simagic Alpha EVO Pro
As far as mounting goes, the EVO wheelbases are also very versatile, bottom mount, as in my case, side mount, front mount and even desk mount are possible, although I would not recommend using more than 9 Nm on a desk. The mounting brackets can be ordered as an optional extra. Since there are no predrilled holes in the front plate, the front mount addon might also be a solution if you want to add accessories like DDUs or a Sim-Lab Rally Shift Paddle.The cable that leads to the power supply still has the manual power button like the first generation Simagic, but there is now also a power button on the back of the wheelbase, which makes it a bit easier to handle. I also plugged my USB fan directly into one of the USB slots and saved one on my PC.
Software
After installing the latest SimPro Manager software from Simagic, I attached the FX Pro to the easy to use and sturdy Quick Release and turned on the base. I was greeted by another nice-to-have new gimmick, a halo ring light. It's a bit awkwardly placed ergonomically, at least with the FX Pro I rarely saw the ring light during operation, with the Round Wheel it was a bit better.From the outside, the light spectacle is definitely nice, and if you have a bunch of them lined up in a sim center, it can be a cool effect. Still, there are use cases - for example, you can make sure a particular profile is active without having to check the software by color-coding it. And extensive telemetry functions can be set, even the flashing frequency can be changed for active pit limiters, flags, TC, ABS activation and so on.
I already liked the SimPro Manager on my Alpha U, and this is one of Simagic's great strengths that very few hardware manufacturers can match at the moment: User friendliness. Not only are there neatly matched profiles for almost every popular racing game and simulator, but there are even instructions with screenshots of what you should set up in each game.
There are also built-in descriptions of which telemetry data can be used by the wheel. And if that's not enough, there's also an automatic game profile switch on board. This did not always work smoothly with the current development version of the software, if you started the games outside of SimPro Manager, like via Steam, because often a wrong profile was loaded.
Since this already worked with the old version with the Alpha U, this should be an easy fix. The SimPro Manager definitely gives us a lot of options for fine-tuning. There are also some pretty interesting new mechanical filters, such as the Dynamic Prediction Level, which has a machine learning aspect and can pre-calculate and thus improve the response of the wheelbase depending on the driving situation.
The Filter Level setting is basically a smoothing function that can be increased if certain FFB effects seem too abrupt. The profiles that Simagic has prepared for the individual titles sometimes take very different paths, and we'll talk about this now in the hands-on session.
Simagic Alpha EVO Pro Hands-on
iRacing
With iRacing, I liked the "Esport" profile best, with an in-game FFB strength value of 7.5 for GT3 driving. The wheelbase here is very raw and responsive and, like the previous Simagic bases, supports iRacing's 360 Hz FFB. You do not have to enable this separately, the corresponding value for the Simagic API in the app.ini in your iRacing Documents folder should be set to 1 by default.Otherwise, the EVO Pro offers a very natural feel and has the typical iRacing feel without any overtuned effects or gimmickry. Too much weight transfer, which leads to a sudden loss of grip, can be anticipated very well. What I found very impressive was the feeling of the car settling when accelerating and braking. You can literally feel the car tipping forward or backward, it's a real 3D feeling in your hand, if you will.
The power of the wheelbase is more than enough, and clipping is never a problem. Even in Turn 12 at Road Atlanta, it carried all the information, especially when the tires are still cold, you need to be able to make fine adjustments here and the FFB gave me a lot of confidence.
Le Mans Ultimate
If you like detailed and very informative Force Feedback, you can't go past Le Mans Ultimate right now. Even with the Alpha U, it was already my favorite in this regard - the EVO Pro makes everything a touch cleaner and faster in response, I'd say 10-15% if I had to put a number on it.There's no other way to put it than that the wheelbase simply reproduces all road textures 1:1, curbs are a delight, as is the ABS effect when braking in an LMGT3 car. LMU is so crisp and communicative, I had the feeling that this sim currently gets the most out of many wheelbases, and for this one it certainly does. It's just great fun, and I can't complain about the default profile here either.
Beginners have a great starting point, also the important inverted FFB setting is set in the profile - so be careful when leaving the pits for the first time, if the wrong profile is loaded, it can hit back hard. Quick transitions where you don't have to overcome great forces or resistance, as in the Variante Alta at Imola, work excellently without having to sacrifice a rich feeling in the steering wheel and a feeling for the front axle on the rest of the track.
Automobilista 2
In Automobilista 2 I just had to try out the new 1998 F1 Skin Pack by @LadyCroussette. Beautiful work! This was the first season I actively watched on TV as a 9-year-old. And it's such a pleasure in AMS2 with the classic content - the look, the sound - and the FFB fits too. There were no problems with the setup and the steering and road details are very good. So the green light is given for AMS2 players as well!DiRT Rally 2.0 & EA Sports WRC
Rally is a great stage to test responsiveness and quick steering. So I also tested DiRT Rally 2.0 and EA WRC using the Neo X Hub in combination with the Fanatec Sparco rim, a perfect combination for this. Again, I followed Simagic's suggestions for vibration and feedback settings, and the approach is to keep the overall forces low. And this philosophy makes sense, as we need a lot of micro-corrections and quick steering, especially on gravel, to get the car into position frequently.Pure rally gamers and drifters will probably not need the overhead of the 18Nm base, the normal or Sport version will be sufficient. The low inertia approach of the new servo motor really comes into its own here, the cars can be driven very precisely over the gravel stages.
Assetto Corsa & Assetto Corsa EVO
I also tried Assetto Corsa and Assetto Corsa EVO directly with the round wheel. Again, everything went smoothly: The wheelbase was perfectly detected and addressed by all titles using direct input. I was also able to get used to the tire model quickly, although AC EVO still gave me some problems to feel the limit on the BMW M2 CS Racing - but it also has a strange traction control. For AC fans who spend their time with tourist driving, mods like No-Hesi and Shutoko, or drifting, the new EVO series definitely offers a lot of precision and potential.Verdict
Apart from the small hiccup with the profile switch, I didn't have the slightest problem with the wheelbase. I also did several 40 and 60 minute races in LMU over Easter without the wheelbase showing any signs of fatigue or heat. The active cooling system, advertised to "ensure stable and reliable performance", did its job without issues.It's a bit of a shame that the new generation is not yet - at least officially - compatible with consoles. Otherwise, the EVO Pro leaves nothing to be desired.
To be honest, I don't feel the urge to choose the Simucube 2 Pro from our office over this one, and it costs about twice as much. That might be saying something.
That said, I give this package a whopping 4.75 out of 5, as the ecosystem also convinces with great and affordable wheels and the software is pretty much the best out there in my opinion.
If you still have one of the previous Simagic bases, it might be worth upgrading, ideally if you want to make a direct jump in Nm, like from a 10 Nm Mini to a 12 Nm EVO or to the 18 Nm EVO Pro. The difference in precision and smoothness from the Alpha U to the EVO Pro is felt to be about 10% overall, and that was already a really good wheelbase. I never missed the extra 5 Nm. Overall it is a solid evolution in very aspect for a fair price.
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If you have more questions and want more comparisons, let us know in the comments! Also let us know your thoughts on the Simagic Alpha EVO Pro and feel free to join the discussion in our hardware forum!
