One of the biggest frustrations for sim racing enthusiasts isn’t just the cost of upgrading their setup. It’s finding out that a new wheel, pedal set, or wheelbase often means replacing nearly everything else, too.
For Asetek, that was a problem worth solving.
Sim Racers Want Flexibility
Speaking with Insider Gaming at the SimRacing Expo in Charlotte, NC last month, Asetek CEO André Eriksen said the company intentionally designed its sim racing ecosystem around compatibility, allowing users to mix and match hardware instead of forcing them into a single brand’s lineup.
“We believe in competition,” Eriksen said. “We have confidence enough that we actually do it both ways. If you have another wheel base, you can use our wheel. But also, if you have our wheel base, you can get an adapter and buy someone else’s wheel.”
It’s a philosophy that stands in contrast to much of the sim racing market, where buyers are often encouraged—or required—to stay within one manufacturer’s ecosystem when upgrading components.
Eriksen said avoiding that lock-in was a deliberate decision from the beginning.
“We wanted to have one piece of software where you should be able to control all of our products,” he explained. “You should be able to upgrade firmware, configure everything and do it all in one app.”
The same approach extends to the company’s hardware. Rather than requiring customers to replace an entire setup when moving up to more premium equipment, Asetek designed many of its products to serve as upgrade paths.
Gear That Grows With You
One example is the company’s pedal lineup. Entry-level pedals can later be upgraded with additional components, while buyers can move through Asetek’s different product tiers without having to start over from scratch. The company applies the same thinking to its wheelbases and steering wheels, allowing customers to upgrade individual pieces instead of replacing an entire rig.
For consumers, Eriksen believes that flexibility matters just as much as price.
“I think that was paramount for us,” he said. “When we build new products, we can actually upgrade. You can just start off by upgrading the wheel, or this wheel, or this wheel.”
The strategy also reflects the realities of today’s economy. Eriksen acknowledged that many sim racers can’t justify spending thousands of dollars on a complete setup all at once, making incremental upgrades a more realistic path into the hobby. Rather than asking customers to replace perfectly good hardware, Asetek wants them to build their setup over time as their budget allows.
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That approach presents its own challenge, however. Asetek is competing against household names in sim racing, including Logitech, Fanatec, and Thrustmaster, companies with significantly larger marketing budgets and years of brand recognition.
“The difficulty, of course, is the brands that you just mentioned,” Eriksen said. “They’re so established… that’s our challenge.”
Instead of trying to outspend those competitors, Eriksen believes the products themselves—and the company’s customer-first philosophy—will ultimately win people over.
“I think where we are differentiating is exactly on the products, the way we do things,” he said. “There are people who actually appreciate dealing with a smaller company, where someone actually picks up the phone.”
For Asetek, breaking into a crowded sim racing market isn’t just about building premium hardware. It’s about giving players the freedom to choose the hardware they want without forcing them into a single ecosystem. That, Eriksen hopes, is a difference more sim racers will begin to appreciate.
In other news, read about what the Project Motor Racing team is doing to regain players’ trust after a troubled launch. And for even more Insider Gaming delivered directly to your inbox, sign up for our newsletter.
Mike has been covering the gaming industry since 2012, and has reported on some of the largest events in the industry while also working as an investigative reporter. Outside of…
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