Best Cheap Direct Drive Bundle: Fanatec vs Logitech vs MOZA vs Thrustmaster vs Asetek

The small and cheap direct drive wheel base trend started way back when Fanatec released the CSL DD in 2021. Since then, seemingly every sim racing brand has its own small direct drive wheel base and bundle.

Logitech has the RS50, MOZA has its own R3 and R5, Thrustmaster has the T598, Asetek launched its budget Initium wheel, and Fanatec has its Ready2Race bundles.

All of these sim racing bundles share similar characteristics. They are all designed to be entry-level direct drive sim racing bundles. They include a small direct drive wheel base, steering wheel, relatively budget pedal set and offer plug and play capabilities.

If you are looking to buy an all-in-one sim racing bundle, and don’t know which of these brands or racing wheels to choose, we’ve got you covered. This is our ultimate guide to the best direct drive sim racing bundle, where we compare Logitech vs Fanatec vs Thrustmaster vs MOZA vs Asetek.

All cheap direct drive bundles compared

Let’s start by comparing all five of the cheap direct drive bundles that I believe offer the best value and performance.

Components	Price	Pros
Asetek Initium	€570 / $599	PC only. Complete bundle
MOZA R3	£399 / $399	Xbox compatible. Complete bundle
Fanatec Ready2Race	€399.95 / $569.95	Xbox compatible. Complete bundle
Thrustmaster T598	£449.99 / $599.99	PlayStation compatible. Complete bundle
Logitech RS50	£599 / $699	Xbox & PS5 compatible. Wheel bundle

The specific direct drive bundles I’ll be comparing range in price, from the cheapest Fanatec and MOZA bundles priced at under £/$400. Through to the most expensive Logitech RS50, which codes just under £600.

---

What do you get as part of a budget direct drive racing wheel bundle?

With any sim racing wheel or ecosystem, you want to have the essentials which allow you to race. These essentially include a wheel base, which is the box that houses the motor that produces force feedback. A steering wheel which is attached directly to the wheel base. A set of pedals to control the throttle and brake. And a desk mount to allow you to easily set up your racing wheel.

• Wheel base: The wheel base houses the internal motor. This motor is the part of any racing wheel that generates force, allowing you to feel force feedback while sim racing. With a direct drive wheel base, the motor is larger, and directly mounted to the wheel shaft, which lets you feel more detail and power.
• Steering wheel: Your steering wheel is the part of your sim racing setup that you interact with the most. Not only is it used to control your car directly, but also houses a range of controls that let you interact with your car and game. A wheel is often mounted to your wheel base via a quick release which lets you remove your wheel and swap it with another.
• Pedals: Sim racing pedals come in a variety of formats, but always include at least two pedals, one for the throttle and another for the brake. Some include a third clutch pedal. With a complete sim racing bundle, they normally connect to the rear of your wheel base to allow for plug and play capability.
• Table clamp: Not all wheel bases include a table clamp, however, bundles normally do. This will make it much easier to set up your racing wheel by mounting it to any surface.

Do all of these bundles include all of the items above?

Each of the bundles I’m comparing in this guide include a wheel base, steering wheel and pedals. Other than the Logitech RS50, which currently only includes a wheel base, steering wheel and table mount. The Logitech RS pedals are set to be released at a later date, and may be added to the bundle in the future.

---

MOZA R3 Bundle

I’m going to start with the cheapest direct drive bundle available, the MOZA R3. This is an Xbox and PC compatible sim racing bundle, that includes everything you need to go racing. When I say everything, I mean everything, including a decent table clamp.

The R3 is the first console-compatible racing wheel from Chinese brand MOZA Racing, who have been dominating the sim racing space since their launch in 2022.

This sim racing bundle features a 3.9Nm direct drive wheel base, which is also the smallest of any in this guide. To celebrate the Xbox compatibility, MOZA styled the wheel base in the shape of an X, and its actually a pretty neat design. The all-metal construction follows MOZA’s excellent build quality, and the performance from the racing wheel is incredibly good.

The R3 is the most underpowered wheel base out of all the brands I’m comparing. However, the performance is still a good step up from budget-friendly racing wheels such as the Logitech G923 and Thrustmaster T128.

The main downside of this excellent bundle is the pedals. This is a trend across most sim racing bundles that are priced at the budget end. The pedal set is normally where quality dips, and this is true with the SR-P Lite pedals that are included with the MOZA R3. Although, you can easily upgrade them and maintain Xbox compatibility.

---

Asetek Initium Bundle

Asetek Sim Sports built their reputation within sim racing by producing high-end sim racing hardware to rivals brands such as Simucube. Their high-powered direct drive wheels and hydraulic pedal sets are among the very best money can buy, however, they are priced firmly on the premium end.

The Initium lineup was launched in 2025, with the aim to be a budget-friendly alternative to brands such as Fanatec and MOZA. The bundle itself includes the small Initium wheel base that is direct drive powered, and capable of up to 5.5Nm of peak torque. This is much more than the MOZA R3, and lets the Initium wheel compete directly with the Fanatec CSL DD.

Included in the bundle is a circular steering wheel featuring a lot of inputs and a built in rev light display. There is also a pedal set which are surprisingly impressive. These pedals feature a glassfibre reinforce construction and are capable of upto 140KG of force.

They don’t offer load cell technology which is a shame, but at this price range, this isn’t a surprise. The MOZA R3 pedals also do not offer a load cell pedal.

--- Article continues below --- Shop Sim Racing Discounts

---

Fanatec Ready2Race Bundle

Fanatec was the first brand to introduce a small direct drive wheel with the CSL DD, quickly followed by the PlayStation-compatible GT DD Pro. Since then, they have offered both of these wheel bases as part of Ready2Race bundles.

A Fanatec Ready2Race bundle includes a wheel base (either the CSL DD, GT DD Pro or Clubsport DD), along with a steering wheel, quick release and pedal set. There are plenty of Ready2Race bundles to choose from, starting from €399.95, and exceeding €1500.

In this guide, I’m looking at the most affordable Fanatec bundle, the CSL DD Ready2Race bundle which features the 5Nm CSL DD wheel base, CSL Pedals and CSL P1 steering wheel.

This bundle, much like the MOZA R3, is plug and play and Xbox compatible. The 5Nm direct drive wheel base is the oldest of any in this guide. However, it still packs a punch and offers excellent force feedback. In fact, I’ve had my CSL DD wheel base since the launch day back in 2021, and it still gets used often today.

The real perk with this bundle is the relatively affordable route into the Fanatec ecosystem, which is notoriously expensive. Once purchased, you can upgrade most parts of this bundle. The wheel base features an upgrade kit that can boost the performance up to 8Nm of peak torque. You can upgrade the pedals, and swap out the steering wheel thanks to the Fanatec QR2 quick release.

---

Thrustmaster T598

The newest Thrustmaster wheel is the T598, which offers direct drive performance in a smaller form compared to the more expensive T818. It’s direct axial drive motor utilising zero cogging technology which is the new buzzword within sim racing. It essentially means that the rotation of the wheel is much smoother than older wheel bases.

You get 5Nm of peak torque, offering a goof range of force feedback, at a similar performance level to the Fanatec CSL DD above. Much like the Fanatec bundle, you get a detachable steering wheel, although the T598 does use Thrustmaster’s clunky quick release system which is seriously lacking compared to other brands.

Despite this, the wheel base does have some tricks, include a built in dash display that can show a range of displays and telemetry. The new Thrustmaster HARMONY technology also improves the overall force feedback detail, letting you feel a wider range of effects when racing on track.

Unlike the MOZA and Fanatec bundles above, the T598 offers exclusive PlayStation and PC compatibility.

---

Logitech RS50

The final direct drive bundle I’d recommend is the newest. The RS50 is the latest sim racing wheel from the powerhouse Logitech. Previously known as kings of the budget sim racing wheel thanks to its G27, G29 and most recently G923. The American brand has since ventured into more premium sim racing hardware.

A few years ago, Logitech released its G Pro wheel, which offered 11Nm of peak performance, with a rather expensive price tag. Now, they have released the RS50, which is a cheaper racing wheel that still offers direct drive technology.

The Logitech RS50 can output 8Nm of peak torque, making it the most powerful in this guide. It is also one of the largest in size, but does offer both PlayStation and Xbox compatibility. Although, you can only have compatibility with one of these consoles per wheel.

Logitech has designed the RS50 to really compete in the mid-range direct drive market, targeting the more powerful Fanatec GT DD Pro, and MOZA wheels such as the R9. This does make it the most expensive direct drive bundle in this comparison, and it comes with another negative. The bundle that is currently available does not include a pedal set.

The Logitech RS pedals are set to be launched later in the year, and are currently only available to purchase individually. However, if you already own any Logitech sim racing pedals, you can use them with this RS50 via the Logitech G Hub Adapter.

---

FAQs

---

• Written by Rich Article updated on September 29, 2025 Tags: Buyers Guide, Sim Racing Product Guides

---

Grab Your Sim Racing Gear Here

You can use the links below to shop for your favourite sim racing products, or for any products that we may have recommended. These links are affiliate links, and will earn us a small commission, with no additional cost for you.