As I have mentioned in a few of my other racing product and game reviews, sim racing occupies a significant portion of my free gaming time. While the vast majority of it is on Gran Turismo 7, I do spend a decent amount of time in the Assetto Corsa EVO Early Access and F1 25. I enjoy trying new racing setups when they become available, and the Initium Racing Bundle from Asetek became available, so I was very interested to see what they came up with.
First things first: each piece of the bundle comes in its own box, so there are three separate unboxings. The pedals include the units themselves, the requisite paperwork, a USB-C connection cable and two replacement springs to adjust stiffness. The wheel base comes with the base, a table-mount clamp, a proper USB-C connection cable, a setup guide and warranty information, as well as the power cord and brick. The Initium wheel is packaged with the wheel, a setup guide and a sheet of stickers to label the buttons according to your chosen mappings.
Setup of the Initium Racing Bundle is quick and straightforward, with the necessary bolts and an Allen key included. I ran into an issue right away, however, as the base did not fit the bolt holes on my current racing chair (the Playseat Challenge), so I had to use the table-mount clamp instead.
The base includes four bolt holes with sliding connections, allowing it to fit different setups. Since I was using the table clamp, it took a few tries to figure out how to stop the sliders from moving so I could secure the bolt. Eventually, I worked it out, and about 20 minutes later, I had the wheel attached and the pedals set up on the floor.
My first impression of the wheel was that it looked very intriguing. I don’t usually use a wheel with a lot of extravagance to it; the Logitech RS Track wheel is very understated. By contrast, the Initium wheel is built to stand out. With four light coloured buttons in each of the four corners and a directional pad and controller-esque buttons in their corresponding places, as well as two in the middle, and two dials at the bottom that can be used to scroll through your different mappings.
“Set up of the Initium Racing Bundle is quick and easy…”
I elected to not use the stickers to indicate the different button mappings, as I utilized two different games to test out the Initium Racing Bundle and I didn’t want to confuse myself. The wheel itself is wrapped in a very comfortable rubber lining that provides a ton of grip and is very easy to hold. The paddle shifters on the back fall easy to the fingers and are magnetic so it is easy to tell when the shift has been completed.
The wheel feels light in hand during gameplay, which is high praise considering some wheels I have used feel heavy and bulky, making them uncomfortable over long sessions. Despite occasionally fumbling for buttons in the middle of a race—largely due to muscle memory from my current wheel—I was still able to locate the right ones in the heat of the moment without disaster. The textured rubber grip is soft and provides excellent control without becoming sweaty or slippery, an impressive feature for an entry-level setup.
Moving on to the Initium wheel base, this is where the bundle truly shines. Delivering five newton-metres (Nm) of force feedback, with an upgrade option to eight Nm, the Initium provides terrific road feel while driving. When I deliberately drove the car off track into a gravel pit (definitely not due to inferior driving skills), the wheel clearly conveyed the change in surface texture. The difference between tarmac, kerbs and gravel was distinct, with feedback that felt authentic rather than random vibration.
The five Nm of force feedback is a strong starting point for newcomers to sim racing or those upgrading from a setup without force feedback. It is powerful enough to deliver immersion without being overwhelming, and not so weak as to feel pointless.
The Initium wheel base features a straightforward connection system, with five USB-C peripheral input ports on the back, along with a USB-C PC connection port and a power brick connection. The power button is also located at the rear, which feels unusual since most wheel bases place it on the front for easier access, though it is not a major issue.
The pedals included with the Initium Racing Bundle are where the package falls short. Starting with the positives, the pedals are well built, with a visual design that matches the wheel and wheel base. They are also user-friendly. Each pedal comes with a replaceable spring, allowing for increased stiffness if desired, and swapping them out is surprisingly easy.
“I was thoroughly impressed by the Initium Racing Bundle from Asetek, and could comfortably recommend it to newcomers and upgraders alike.”
The pedals are textured differently to help distinguish them, which is helpful if you use one foot for both braking and acceleration. (That said, this is more useful when driving without shoes—if you are wearing them, perhaps leave them at the door.) With no clutch pedal included, traditional manual shifting is only possible if you purchase the optional third pedal.
Where the Initium pedals fall short is in the construction of the assembly. I prefer a fair amount of travel distance in my pedals, but the Initium set does not provide that. They move only a short distance before reaching the end of their range, making it difficult to ease on and off the brakes and throttle. This hinders driving ability when negotiating corners, trail braking and more. The throttle pedal also lacks resistance, with nothing to prevent you from slamming your foot down and spinning the tyres. Without feedback, it is hard to judge pedal pressure, a problem compounded by the limited travel distance.
These are the gripes of someone who knows what he likes, and your experience may differ. For an entry-level setup, the Initium pedals perform admirably and can withstand considerable abuse. (Take it from me, I put them to the test in Assetto Corsa EVO on the Suzuka track.) With the option to upgrade to a load-cell pedal set, the Initium can be even better.
The Initium Racing Bundle runs on Asetek’s RaceHub software, which lets you adjust base feedback settings, LED shift light controls on the wheel and more. It is easy to use—something of a theme in this review—and never more complicated than it needs to be. Firmware updates are also handled through RaceHub, getting you back on the track quickly.
Overall, I was thoroughly impressed by the Initium Racing Bundle from Asetek, and could comfortably recommend it to newcomers and upgraders alike. Coming in at a price of $599 USD, it’s on par with entry-level setups from Fanatec as well, so there is a good bit of competition available. If you want a no-nonsense wheel set up, the Asetek Initium Racing Bundle is worth your consideration.
