Simagic M10

Our rating : 9.4/10

The big names in sim-racing are brands with decades of experience, such as Fanatec, Thrustmaster, Logitechas well as others who have been offering breathtaking products for less time (Simucube for example). It’s undeniable that having experience in a segment is important for a brand, especially when it comes to product quality. But in sim-racing, it sometimes takes expertise and courage to develop and release new technologies to appeal to racers, but also to innovate in the sector.

The simplest example of a company that knew how to innovate is certainly that of Simagicthe Chinese manufacturer of sim-racing peripherals. The brand was launched in 2018 and is already one of the leading names in sim-racing thanks to a number of products, including their very first base: the Simagic M10. Of course, other bases followed, each one more successful than the last, but the M10 has played an important role in Simagic’s success in recent years.

In what follows, I’m going to introduce you to the M10 and tell you about its strengths and weaknesses, what it offers in terms of feel and give you my opinion on it.

Main and technical characteristics of the base

• Base Direct Drive with max. torque of 10 nm
• All-metal construction
• PC-compatible only
• Three-phase motor
• 1000 Hz refresh rate for communication with sim-racing titles and 40000 Hz for force feedback

Design

Currently on the market, the Direct Drive bases have a very similar design, whatever the brand – well, except for Logitech and its G Wheel Pro. As for the rest, it’s typically a metal/aluminium case, small enough for those not too powerful, with notable differences only in the driveshaft.

For the M10The base is a good size, with a CNC aluminum housing and carbon-fiber covers. It’s sober, even, with a single color dominating the peripheral (matte gray) and a few logos here and there. All in all, it looks great as far as I’m concerned, and this base will go perfectly with any sim-racing setup.

Customized assembly

Mounting the M10 is fairly easy to do, but will still take a little time, especially if you don’t have a cockpit. Of course, you can mount this base on a table, but I’d advise you to take a cockpit, as the 10 nm torque will most certainly damage your furniture, especially the weaker ones.

Otherwise, there are fixing points underneath for all mounting and installation needs. What’s more, the user’s guide is very precise, which is quite rare for a Chinese manufacturer. If you’re used to swapping sim-racing setups, mounting the M10 won’t take you long. If not, you’ll just have to be patient.

Manufacturing and finishing

On this point, I really have nothing to say. The M10 is Simagic’s first base, but the manufacturer has pulled off a masterstroke by offering an extremely well-finished product, with a build quality that would make sim-racing brands with over 10 years’ experience pale in comparison.

It has to be said that the company is made up of racing enthusiasts, so it’s only natural to see them producing such a well-finished product. The body is aluminum, you have carbon fiber covers and the paint is matte gray, I’d say. It’s beautiful, and the build quality is simply outstanding for a first product. Typically, the first peripherals are made on the fly, but this is not at all the case with the M10.

Having inspected the base thoroughly, I didn’t notice any burrs, badly machined parts or other manufacturing defects. It’s just perfect.

Getting to know the base

The M10 is a good-sized base, I must admit. Some say it’s rather large for the motor’s power (10 nm). As far as I’m concerned, I think it’s a good size, in line with what’s currently on the market, whether it’s by Simagic or other brands such as Moza Racing.

In terms of weight, it’s a bit heavy, as are virtually all Direct Drive bases. Direct Drive . On the M10You can attach a steering wheel thanks to the in-house QR, and the connection is wireless. I’m not against such connectivity, but if you don’t like it, there’s always a wired (USB) connection at the back. Once again, this shows that the company is passionate about motor racing and offers you several options on the steering wheels. In fact, the M10 is compatible with several of the brand’s wheels, giving you a wide choice of sim-racing peripherals to suit your racing preferences.

Sensations during play

Let’s turn now to the in-game sensations provided by the M10. I’ve tried it on a number of titles, from sim-arcade to pure simu, and this base is simply outstanding. In-game sensations are present at every level, and force feedback can be hard-hitting, getting into your hands, or very gentle when you ask nicely.

The motor on this base is controlled via 3 processors, which gives it a rather linear power output – and torque, incidentally. The sensations are ultra-realistic, whether it’s changes in grip, vibrators, the transition to dirt or percussion; you’ll feel everything in minute detail. Honestly, it’s crazy to get this level of feedback from a manufacturer with only a few years’ experience in the game, and from a base that’s only developing 10 nm of torque!

By the way, I’d advise you to turn down the base power in game, as by default, the engine is a little too communicative for my taste. Well, not communicative in the sense of the word, but rather too fast. It can jerk too quickly, and that’s a bit annoying when racing. Nothing too bad, of course, but it’s different from what the competition is doing, such as Fanatec for example.

However, the M10 base is still excellent for sim-racing, both for the sensations it provides and for the immersion you’ll feel while racing.

Compatibility

As with many other manufacturers of premium sim-racing peripherals, with the exception of Fanatecthe M10 is only compatible with PCs, which is a real shame as far as I’m concerned. I’m all for sim-racing on the PC for the simple reason that the best simus are on this platform, but I also have to think about console racers who want to have a good time and improve on titles like Gran Turismo or Forza Motorsport. On consoles, there’s no real pre-mium competition, since we only have Fanatec offers quality products for Playstation and Xbox.

Title level M10 will work perfectly with all available sim-racing games, fromAsseto Corsa à Dirtto Forza Motorsport. On this point, you have nothing to fear.

Value for money

Priced at €650, the M10 is still a rather expensive peripheral. Premium quality, yes, but expensive all the same. Nevertheless, its value for money is pretty good, for the simple reason that the materials are premium, the level of detail is pushed to the extreme and the gaming sensations are very good, even excellent if you spend some time fine-tuning this base.

My verdict

For a first Direct Drive base, Simagic has struck hard with the M10. It’s still a bit expensive for my taste, but it offers excellent gaming sensations and powerful, fluid force feedback, plus other features like wireless connection to the steering wheel.

As far as I’m concerned, the M10 is a base that I can easily recommend to runners who only do sim-racing on PC. If you’re that kind of person, go ahead and buy the M10 without the slightest doubt. But if you’re a multi-platform (PC and console) runner, I suggest you look elsewhere, at Fanatec for example, which offers quality bases that are compatible with PC, Xbox and Playstation.