MOZA Racing Vision GS Review | Gyro Display | MASK | Blog|
I was provided a free sample of the new MOZA Vision GS steering wheel from MOZA, and I hope to convey as much as possible about its actual use in my review.
The Vision GS steering wheel was provided by MOZA Racing, and I believe it is the first steering wheel in the industry to have a gyro function in the center monitor.
Many systems are used, including rigidity, more than enough buttons, and display functions. Although not all of the top-quality material are selected, the materials used are basically of good quality.
You may be interested in the multiple discolorable glowing LEDs, the UI that can be freely customized within the MOZA software, and so on.
Thanks to you, my blog has grown to the point where it sometimes ranks at the top of Google in Japan if you search about racing simulators, but the number of Youtube subscribers is in the 800s at the moment.
I’m very thankful that they send me samples for my site, which is very weak as a Youtube media, because it means that I can make contents.
Especially, I have not been asked by MOZA Racing to write something like this. I always worry about it, but I wrote freely, including negative things. So, I would like to tell you that I have been provided with a sample product. Also, if you purchase MOZA products from the official website link on my site, I receive a few percent advertising fee. (Viwers purchase from my site about once a month or so. Thank you)
So you are providing me with MOZA’s top-of-the-line steering wheel, which will be priced at $749, €829, ¥11990. While I am grateful for the sample product and the opportunity to review it, I will try to be as honest as possible in my impressions.
The basic performance, such as the rigidity of the steering wheel and the quality of the buttons, is very high. However, this steering wheel is the highest price among MOZA steering wheel. I will write this article from the viewpoint of “how would I feel if I bought one with my own money?”
Conclusion of MOZA Vision GS steering wheel
Good point of MOZA Racing Vision GS steering wheel
- The frame rigidity of the steering wheel is adequate
- Thick M3 sticker that looks costly is selected
- The exterior is made of carbon fiber, and the whole panel has a nice texture.
- The position of the push buttons on the back side is nice.
- The LED buttons have a better texture when pressed than the buttons on the KS steering wheel (they look almost the same).
- The LCD in the center is a touch panel type, with many UIs available, and can be customized quite freely within the software made by MOZA.
- All switches and paddles have a solid feel.
Concern about MOZA Racing Vision GS steering wheel
- Hard to find the point where the steering wheel thumb fits.
- Although this is the most expensive steering wheel in MOZA, the material of the grip is artificial leather. (The FSR steering wheel is made of genuine leather.)
- The blue 3-line mark is made of plastic.
- Paddle contact noise is loud like other high-end MOZA steering wheels. (They are planning to take countermeasures for this in the production version, but I expect the noise to remain loud based on the past trend.)
- The movement of the LCD display when the steering wheel is rotated is slightly jerky due to the gyro sensor (by the way, the LCD can be fixed if it is not necessary to keep it horizontal positon).
(Items that responded that they would be improved from the sample product have been omitted. Please see text)
This movie is supplement of this blog article
Unboxing of MOZA Racing Vision GS steering wheel
Let’s unbox the product!
It came to my house around the end of May 2024, packed in a cardboard box about 15x25x37 cm in size. As usual, plastic black protectors were used on the corners.
So far, MOZA has sent us multiple cardboard boxes from Shenzhen, China, and so far there have been no major scratches or dents on the product boxes that you may concern about.
Back side. We will be excited about this new product. The box above lists it as “VGS,” but the official name of the production version is “Vision GS.”
First, open the box and you will find the small items inside in a small bag.
Here is a list of those items.
From left to right: a sticker for the button, a sticker to put around the button, tweezers, an Allen wrench for the paddle screws, and the instruction manual.
The stickers include the following:
Below that, the steering wheel itself is in its usual bag. I had to take it out once and take a picture! and stored it again, so it is a little off, but I think it was packaged so that the logo is in the middle.
Exterior of MOZA Racing Vision GS steering wheel
The front plate around the LCD is made of carbon fiber.
Blue-plated metal (I think) decoration is installed around the upper left and right muzzled cross keys and around the three dials at the bottom. The left and right rotary keys are made of blue-plated metal, giving the impression that a lot of money was spent on them.
On the other hand, the three blue lines that seem to have no circles around the Mercedes emblem in the middle are made of blue plastic. I thought it would be cooler if these lines were made of the same metal as the surrounding decorations, or if they were illuminated by LEDs, etc. When I asked the MOZA PR person, she said, “LEDs were not adopted because it is difficult for the light to emit evenly and it would affect the overall effect. It seems that this was the result of various considerations.
The white translucent buttons are buttons that can issue LEDs, and the color can be freely changed in Pit House, MOZA’s software. Here is a simple summary of what I did a long time ago below.
The buttons are firm and strong when pressed, and seem to have been selected with the prevention of misoperation in mind.
The blue dials on the thumb area also have a hard feel to them, making them difficult to operate by mistake.
The bottom three dials are also made of metal, which helps to improve the texture. I did not feel any particular problem with the operating feel.
The exterior of the MOZA Vision GS has a futuristic look. Its diameter of 310 mm conforms to the standard size of GT wheels.
Note that it is only 10 mm larger than the 300 mm of the GSV2P steering wheel.
Which is better, the Vision GS or the GSV2 steering wheel? If you ask me, I can’t say, since I don’t own a GS steering wheel, but since appearance is an important factor, I think you should get the Vision GS if you think the “points of concern” mentioned in this review article are trivial.
Materials such as carbon fiber and aluminum alloys are used.
Incidentally, on the back side, there is one black push button on each side, which can be accessed with the ring finger.
The LCD screen of MOZA Racing Vision GS
The centerpiece of this product is the circular LCD in the center. It is 2.85 inches in size.
It has been quite a while since FANATEC said it would release a Bentley steering wheel, but it seems that MOZA released a similar product first.
Like FANATEC’s Ventrace steering, it has a gyro function and the LCD display remains level.
Customizable UI of MOZA Racing Vision GS
Ten preset UIs are provided, but it is also possible to create a your own UI dash display.
This time, users can customize the placement of the parameters inside themselves. This is a feature that is not available in FSR steering wheel, MOZA’s other steering system.
There are several steering wheels with LCD screens available on the racing sim market, and some of them can be customized with software such as SimHub. This Vision GS steering wheel does not. Although expensive in terms of price alone, there should be few products with customizable LCD screens that have a good balance of quality, rigidity, and price like the Vision GS.
MOZA is not considering adding a similar function (Customizable UI) to the current FSR steering
I asked MOZA, “Do you intend to add similar customization function to the current FSR through a software update?” The answer I got was that “since the hardware needs to be updated, the customization function will be implemented when the new updated version is developed and sold. I don’t know what will actually happen. Please use this as a reference.
I tried to customize the parameters in the UI
As for the UI, I think it would be easiest and best to be able to use the one originally set up,
I think that the more expert you become, the more you will be concerned about it.
So I did my best to touch and see.
I will try to display only the speed (km/h) in a larger size in the center. Please see the video there. I made the simple UI around one minutes.
It should play from 8:58. (If it is off, click on the timeline in the overview column or adjust it to 8:58)
From the “Dash Panel” of the MOZA Pit House software, press the “Create New” button to open the software dedicated to UI creation.
Select Text and change the content in the Text section on the right. This time, enter “0” as the initial value. Then, set the Top, Bottom, Left and Right items to Center. We made the text box larger.
To link the information in the race sim to the LCD panel, click the ■ mark in the Text item you just created. Then, a selection screen will appear to choose which parlors to display, so select the ones you need and save them.
Select File in the upper left corner and “Save,” and the file creation is complete for now.
Return to Pit House and press the “Upload” mark to make the UI you just created available for use in the steering wheel.
It seems that you can select various parameters, so there are endless ways to use it.
It is also possible to duplicate a preset and customize it based on the preset, so if the UI of your favorite preset does not have the parameters you need, you can add them. I think this kind of usage will allow you to add your own necessary parameters with less burden.
Grip section is made of artificial leather
Microfiber leather grips (man-made leather) are used. It feels good to the touch and is tightly woven and attached.
On the other hand, I am not sure about the durability of this artificial leather. Personally, I am concerned about hydrolysis. As with any steering wheel, it is probably safe to store it away from UV rays and excessive humidity.
Since the grip of the following FSR steering wheel, which costs less than Vision GS is genuine leather, I wish MOZA’s top-of-the-line Vision GS steering wheel, was also genuine leather, but I guess there were many decisions to be made by the company.
First, I would like to note that I have received feedback that MOZA will improve the product version. As you can see in the photo, the leather treatment on the left and right edges of the sample product was a little sticking out, which was bothersome to us. (For Japanese people under the weaking Japanese currency, we feel this is an expensive product, so I was providing detailed feedback. ) Maybe overseas, it doesn’t seem that so expensive. (What do you think? Is this price cheap for you?) The product version of the FSR steering wheel was installed the leather perfectly. I write this again just to make sure, but they are planning to improve it in the product version.
Rigidity of MOZA Vision GS steering wheel
MOZA Vision GS steering wheel frame
When held, the frame itself does not creak or distort when twisted. It is firm and solid.
MOZA Racing Quick Release
MOZA Racing holds the steering wheel in place by spring-loaded 10 quick-release steel balls that press against a depression in the wheel base. For normal use, the system is completely rigid and has no problems.
If you apply a twisting force (like right hand pushing and left hand pulling) in the direction of extreme forcing, a slight flex will occur, losing out to the strong spring force, but I don’t think you need to worry about it because it is never used in that way.
Although it is a transmission system, regular MOZAs have spring-loaded pins for information transmission and seem to be made to be less prone to failure.
The paddles of this sample product
The Vision GS steering wheel has two on/off paddles for shifting on top and two analog paddles on the bottom. The analog paddles use a non-contact magnetic sensor with an accuracy of 0.03 mm.
There are no problems with the function of the paddles, and the base portion that supports the paddles is aluminum, giving the impression of a solid and rigid construction.
Paddles are loud, but they will be improved
As is the case with all higher grade MOZA Racing steering wheels, such as GS, RS, and FSR steering wheels, the operating parts of the paddle shifters are aluminum. The base part that receives it is also metal. Therefore, when the paddles are operated, the metal parts are made to collide with each other, causing a sound like castanets sound. Some products have a sound deadening pad applied at the time of manufacture, while others require you to apply the enclosed rubber yourself.
The Vision GS sample product this time had a sound deadening pad embedded in it, but its effect was small, and the sound resonated to a certain extent when shifting gears.
When commercializing the product, they will increase the thickness and hardness of the pad to adjust the sound.
About LEDs on the steering wheel
Like all MOZA steering wheels, the upper bar-mounted RPM indicator is customizable with 10 high-intensity LEDs in 16.7 million colors. They can also be linked to the signal display during a race.
Multiple LEDs and LED buttons are used on the steering wheel, which also has a rotating LCD in the center. The price may be appropriate.
Actual use of MOZA Vision GS
I used it on a new R21.
I installed and used it on the new R21, MOZA’s highest wheelbase. When the Vision GS is installed with the quick release, each LED issues as set, the LCD monitor is energized, and the screen is displayed after a while.
As for the FFB of the new R21, it is MOZA’s highest peak and produces up to 21 Nm of torque. I have no complaints about the rigidity of the steering. To begin with, I don’t think there is much to play with in terms of maximum torque. The heavy FFB puts quite a bit of strain on my body when driving with the steering wheel, which slows down the timing of curves and makes it hard to concentrate on driving because it is physically painful. Also, I think it really hurts your wrists and could lead to tendonitis, so please choose just the right FFB strength.
For me, with R21, 50–60% feels just right. If you drive for hours, you may want to go a little weaker.
In general, it is unlikely that you will have any complaints about the stiffness for this steering.
When changing the LCD UI during a race, you will have to bring your hand to the LCD, so you will be driving with one hand. You will probably need bare hands or gloves with free fingertips for the touch screen LCD. (I have checked the instruction manual and Pit House and so far cannot find any commands to change the LCD screen with the switches on the steering wheel.)
I think the best thing to do would be to make a UI that works for you so that you don’t have to change the LCD UI, or create your own UI with the necessary parameters laid out.
I used it with FANATEC Clubsport DD+.
The link is as if it starts at 5:23 of the video.
The Vision GS was originally used with the new R21 by me, but there were days, etc., waiting for an early firmware fix for the Vision GS, during which time the wheelbase was replaced with a Clubsport DD+ from the new R21.
Then I was informed that the Vision GS firmware had been updated. In the process, I connected Vision GS to FANATEC’s Clubsport DD+ using MOZA’s adapter and MOZA Universal Hub.
The MOZA Universal Hub Kit includes above two items and cables. Please check the What’s included in the official page below for the contents.
If, like me, you want to use FANATEC wheelbase, you can use MOZA products with FANATEC’s Universal Hub or Podium Hub. In that case, however, use the metal QR2. Since the axis becomes longer, the moment applied to the quick release is greater, so I think you will be dissatisfied with the rigidity of the old QR1.
I have no complaints about the rigidity of this set (When using FANATEC QR2 Below).
Slight jerkiness during rotation. Gyro sensor response speed is dragging.
he following is a summary of the materials received in advance from MOZA regarding LCDs.
Powered by an ultra-fast 1.3GHz quad-core processor, MOZA VGS performs complex real-time display rendering with nearly zero latency.
The CPU used is a 1.3GHz quad core and the screen refresh rate is 60Hz. Indeed, as stated, the values of gears, parameters, etc. are changed in real time.
On the other hand, when it comes to leveling the screen using the gyro function, the screen does not move with super smoothness when the steering wheel is turned, and the eye can see that there is a slight lag with respect to the tracking of the LCD screen to the steering wheel rotation. I think this is due to the reaction speed and resolution of the gyro sensor.
When I gave my first impression of the device, “I was expecting a slippery screen tracking since I heard it uses a high-performance CPU, but that was not the case,” MOZA gave me the following feedback.
Gravity sensing is affected not only by the quad core, but also by the gyro sensor and algorithms. We are currently working on optimizing it, but it may be difficult to eventually achieve perfect zero latency. Just as there is a certain amount of delay in screen rotation on a smartphone.
During a race, it does not bother me, but I will tell you that it would bother you if you buy it after reading the product nice description and imagining that the leveling function is also super-slippery.
Note that this LCD can be used with the gyro function to keep the screen level at all times, or the gyro function can be turned off to keep the display fixed.
If you are concerned about it, please take a look at the video. I think many people will not mind at all.
Rigidity when using the steering wheel
As a test, I play with the new R21 with a maximum torque of 21Nm, but I do not feel dissatisfied with its rigidity. Also, when I play with FANATEC’s Clubsport DD+, the maximum torque is of course 15Nm, so I do not feel dissatisfied with the rigidity of the system.
To begin with, I don’t think I play with the maximum torque very often. If it is too heavy, it puts quite a bit of strain on your body when steering a turn, which slows down the timing of curves, and it is hard, so you can’t concentrate on driving.
In general, it is unlikely that you will feel dissatisfied with the stiffness of this product.
Thumbnail story
Put your thumb over the top of the frame of the grip and hold the grip in place, as shown in the picture.
In my case, and with respect to the sample product, the more force I then apply, the more my thumb tends to be sucked into the back and my hand is taken upward against the grip.
If I place my thumb over the front of the frame, it will be in just the right position, but as I apply a strong FFB to the wheelbase, I feel that I will end up pulling my thumb into the frame with force. (Although maybe I should set the FFB at an appropriate FFB that would prevent me from doing forceful driving in the first place.)
This may be due to the size of my hands, or maybe there is a better way to grip.
Back to “thumbs”, I think I read somewhere that thumbs should not be put in the steering wheel for safety reasons, but I have seen many F1 drivers with their thumbs in the steering wheel. (The thumb of the left hand in the image is firmly placed in the back of the steering wheel.)
With KS steering and FSR steering, you can hook the first joint of your thumb in just the right position. the KS steering’s grip is made of rubber, so it has some grip. the FSR’s genuine leather is also non-slip. It is also easy to position my thumb. (Is it because I got used to it to some extent? The shape?)
Compared to them, I felt it was difficult to position my thumb with my hand.
Perhaps the synthetic leather of the Vision GS will become accustomed as I use it, but this is my impression at the moment.
With the sample Vision GS steering wheel, there is stitching on the thumb area when used with bare hands, which some may find uncomfortable.
This will be improved in the production version, and the stitching will be eliminated in the thumb section.
In line with this, the shape will be changed and the thumb may be positioned more easily. (So far, there is no mention of changing the shape of the frame in the production version.)
Access to the buttons is sometimes a little difficult to reach the cross keys on the grizzly when the grip is held deeply. The FSR steering wheel and KS steering wheel have easy access to these cross keys as for the RSV2, the larger diameter of the steering wheel that came with it made it difficult to access them.
Planned areas to be addressed from sample product
I was sent this Vision GS at the end of May 2024. In contrast, the release date is July 23 at 10:00 am Japan time. I received the Vision GS less than two months before the release date. Since it was sent to me quite early, I used it and gave our first impressions in good faith in early June.
As this is the most expensive steering wheel from MOZA Racing, I sent detailed feedback and questions to MOZA. Their response is also noted.
It seems that some of them will be reflected in the product.
I am always concern if I should publish the negative content, but I wrote from the point if I paid around 120,000 yen in Japan, what would I think? I am reviewing this from the user’s point of view. (In my case, the compensation for this review is only a sample product, so I would expect the same problem-free quality as the product, which is similar in some ways to those who purchased the product at their own expense).
From the point of view of someone who is involved in design and quality control, you might think, “Just keep your mouth shut there.”
Poor adhesion of parts (to be improved)
When I turned the steering wheel over, the key (metal) on the left stick came off. The cause was that there was not enough glue. I fixed it by applying a smear of glue. It did not break, it just came off.
I think that information will be made known during production and inspection to ensure that this does not happen in the commercial version, and that the product will be produced with some degree of care. I believe that this information will be made known at the time of production and inspection.
Clicking of the right cross key was reluctant at first, but later improved.
At first, I was reluctant to click the right cross stick. For the left direction, I had to press harder to hear the click. However, after repeated operations, the reluctance decreased and it became possible to operate with the same pressure in all directions. Even if the same thing happens to those who have purchased the product, they may quickly get used to it after using it for a while to see how it works.
Top and bottom placement of paddles causes mishandling and glove pinching (to be improved)
The sample paddle shifter has four paddles in total, but the distance between the upper and lower paddles is narrow, and depending on the material and shape of the glove, the glove could easily get caught between the upper and lower shifters. This is not a problem once you get used to it, but the close proximity of the upper and lower paddles may cause mishandling, so it may be something to think about.
When I reported this, I received a response that the shape of the upper and lower paddles will be changed in the product.
Summary of MOZA Racing Vision GS Steering Wheel
The Vision GS steering wheel was provided by MOZA Racing, and I believe it is the first steering wheel in the industry to have a gyro function in the center monitor.
Many systems are used, including rigidity, enough buttons, and display functions. Although not all of the top-quality products are selected, the materials used are basically of good quality.
Many people are interested in multiple glowing LEDs, a UI that can be customized by themselves, etc.
Positive point of MOZA Racing Vision GS steering wheel
- The frame rigidity of the steering wheel is adequate
- Thick M3 sticker that looks costly is selected
- The exterior is made of carbon fiber, and the whole panel has a nice texture.
- The position of the push buttons on the back side is nice.
- The LED buttons have a better texture when pressed than the buttons on the KS steering wheel (they look almost the same).
- The LCD in the center is a touch panel type, with many UIs available, and can be customized quite freely within the software made by MOZA.
- All switches and paddles have a solid feel.
Concern about MOZA Racing Vision GS steering wheel
- Hard to find the point where the steering wheel thumb fits.
- Although this is the most expensive steering wheel in MOZA, the material of the grip is artificial leather. (The FSR steering wheel is made of genuine leather.)
- The blue 3-line mark is made of plastic.
- Paddle contact noise is loud like other high-end MOZA steering wheels. (They are planning to take countermeasures for this in the production version, but I expect the noise to remain loud based on the past trend.)
- The movement of the LCD display when the steering wheel is rotated is slightly jerky due to the gyro sensor (by the way, the LCD can be fixed if it is not necessary to keep it horizontal positon).
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