Conspit 290 GP

Our rating : 9.2/10

Sim-racing steering wheels are a dime a dozen on the market these days. Whatever your racing discipline, you’ll be able to find what you’re looking for quite easily, from more or less all the brands we know well.

Premium manufacturers include Simagic, Fanatec, Simucube, Asetek and Conspit. This last brand has probably slipped under the radar of most pilots, but it’s one that’s active in the high-end segment, mainly steering wheels.

Its catalog mainly covers Formula-type steering wheels, and that’s just as well, because today we’ve got the 290 GP to hand. This is a rectangular wheel, with carbon fiber, aluminum and a large screen in the center. It’s not Conspit’s best, but it’s a wheel worth looking at, as it’s right in the middle of their catalog. Let’s install it on our setup and see how it stacks up against the competition.

Main and technical features of the steering wheel

• 29 cm diameter with rectangular shape
• Aluminum rear structure
• 6 rear paddles: 4 push-pull and 2 analog
• Molded carbon fiber faceplate
• 12 RGB buttons, 4 rotarys, 3 center switches, 2 funky switches
• RevLED on top of screen
• Weight 1.4 kg without QR
• 4.3″ center screen
• Steering wheel compatible only with PC
• TPU handles with thumb notches
• QR with pattern 6×70 mm and 3×50 mm

Design

As far as design is concerned, I think Conspit knows what to do with its wheels. The 290 GP is a beautiful wheel, with a rectangular shape, a carbon-fiber faceplate and a huge screen in the middle.

On the sides we find closed handles, and a whole host of controls dotted around the front of the steering wheel, with RGB on the buttons of course. The faceplate is embossed, giving this steering wheel character. The 290 GP is a handsome steering wheel, in keeping with the Conspit line-up.

Customized assembly

The 290 GP is mounted on a QR with a 6×70 mm or 3×50 mm pattern at the rear. This is standard for the first pattern (6×70 mm), but not so much for the second, since it’s mainly 3×50.8 mm.

Conspit supplies the 290 GP with a USB cable that passes directly through the hub on the back of the wheel. You also have the choice of taking this steering wheel with 2 different QRs direct from Conspit. There’s the CDP, which is a QR compatible with Conspit bases and eliminates the need for a USB cable, as communication is via the QR to the base. And there’s another Quick Release derived from the D1-Spec found on Moza and Simagic, for example.

Mounting the wheel is relatively easy, as long as you have the QR Wheel side of your Direct Drive base. And if you opt for Conspit bases, especially the Ares, make sure you choose the 290 GP with the matching QR.

Manufacturing and finishing

The steering wheel structure is entirely aluminum, with a carbon fiber faceplate. Quite frankly, it’s very premium in terms of build quality, whatever you have in your hand or in front of your eyes.

The grips use TPU for the grip, with a light texture on the latter to improve grip if you’re not using gloves, something you should consider for better immersion.

As for the finish, it’s simply top-notch, with premium materials and manufacturing worthy of a German car brand. You won’t be able to find a flaw on this Conspit steering wheel, even with a keen eye. The brand plays in the premium segment of sim-racing peripherals, and it shows on the 290 GP.

Handling the steering wheel

Let’s talk about how the Conspit 290 GP feels in the hand. First of all, the wheel is 29 cm in diameter, with a fairly rectangular shape. The controls are close to your hands, at least for the most part, except for the switches in the center where you’ll have to remove them from the handles to use them.

Otherwise, I find the 290 GP very easy to handle in general terms. The grips are notched at thumb level, which helps ergonomics on long sim-racing sessions.

However, I’ve noticed that the top paddles are very close to your fingers, and are offset from the others. As a result, if you use the push button to downshift and your index finger is in a slightly upward position on the other side, there’s a good chance that it’ll bang. I would have preferred all paddles to be at the same distance from the steering wheel back-plate, to avoid accidents.

Sensations during play

Conspit’s 290 GP is a good wheel for Formula racing in sim-racing, not least because it’s clearly aimed at this motorsport competition. In its standard configuration, this steering wheel does not come with Conspit’s QR, which offers compatibility with the brand’s bases.

As a result, you’ll have to use the hub at the rear in a 6×70 mm or 3×50 mm pattern to attach your Quick Release. What I didn’t really like was the spacing of the hub, which affects the distance between the steering wheel and the base. It adds more or less 3 centimetres to any sim-racing setup. So, on this point, you either like steering wheels that are close together, or you don’t.

But otherwise, I enjoyed my time with the wheel. I especially liked the fact that some of the buttons, especially those close to your thumbs, are positioned to fit the shape of your hand. It’s not flat like other wheels; it’s angled so that the buttons face your thumbs. As a result, they’re super-convenient to use on the track.

Compatibility

Speaking of track use, the 290 GP isn’t fully compatible with SimHub, limiting you to Conspit’s software for telemetry and steering wheel setup. So yes, you can use SimHub with this steering wheel, but only for the RGB buttons.

As for the rest of the compatibility, it’s PC under Windows, and more or less all Direct Drive bases available on the market, whether from Conspit or other brands, as long as you have the right QR of course.

Value for money

Let’s talk price, shall we? You’ll find the 290 GP with several partners at prices around €600.

So it’s still expensive for what it is, especially as the 290 GP doesn’t come with a QR as standard, but the build quality is there, and with premium materials to boot. I think it’s good value for money for the segment targeted by this Conspit steering wheel.

My verdict

Would I recommend the Conspit 290 GP? Well, yes, if you’re someone who doesn’t have an affinity for one manufacturer, owning sim-racing peripherals from several different brands.

Visually, the Conspit 290 GP is a handsome, ergonomic steering wheel with plenty of controls. It’s true that there are areas for improvement, notably the paddles, and also SimHub, which only supports RGB.

If the brand manages to give us a software update for SimHub to fix the dahsboards and the whole software/display aspect of the 290 GP, this wheel would be almost perfect for many racers. As things stand, it’s worth considering if you can afford it.