INTRODUCTION

   Growing up in the 90's with games like Test Drive, Sega Rally Championship and Need for Speed had a profound effect on me and so even though I'm well in my 40's i still enjoy playing such games on the PC. Still even though back then any racing wheel (with or without pedals) would do the trick after driving fast cars for almost 20 years nothing feels real enough and well this is actually why I’ve been looking for anything that can come even close. SimSports is a brand new player in the market and since they are owned by my friends over at Asetek i just had to check their lineup out starting with the Forte Brake & Throttle Pedals released in the market last year.

   A Danish garage-to-stock-exchange success story and global leader in mechatronic innovation, Asetek (ASTK) designs, manufactures and sells gaming hardware for next-level immersive gaming experiences. Founded in 2000, Asetek established its innovative position as the leading OEM developer and producer of the all-in-one liquid cooler for all major PC & Enthusiast gaming brands. In 2013, Asetek went public. In 2021, Asetek expanded its offering of gaming hardware solutions when it introduced its line of products for next-level immersive sim racing gaming experiences. Asetek is headquartered in Denmark and has operations in China, Taiwan and the United States.

   The Forte Brake & Throttle pedals were released right after the higher-end Invicta model last year and are aimed towards gamers who are looking for the best but can't quite afford the latter full hydraulic model (there's roughly an 80% price difference after all). Still thanks to its patented M.L.C.P.C. (Mechanical Load Cell Powered Cylinder) design the brake cylinder produces a realistic brake experience which can withstand even up to 180kg of force. Of course, the Forte Brake & Throttle pedals are quite unique not only because the end user is able to adjust the force required for both pedals (from soft to hard) but also because SimSports has equipped them with a 2-stage system which makes it possible for the brake pedal to react to further pressure even when pressed at 100% (fluid compression in regular cars). On the other hand, the throttle pedal is based on a 16-bit magnetic wireless hall TPS (Throttle Position Sensor) with no mechanical wear and zero maintenance (THROTTLE)Finally SimSports by Asetek allows full control of the Forte pedals (travel and hardness settings) also via the RaceHub PC software and yes, there's even a single RGB LED bar placed on them the color of which you can adjust. So, let's see if the Forte Brake & Throttle pedals by Asetek SimSports is the ones to get.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

The Forte Brake & Throttle pedals arrived inside a white and red box the front of which is taken by a large product picture.

Three product pictures are placed at the rear of the box and are used to showcase the main product features.

Packing is good with several pieces of cardboard securing the pedals in place.

Along with the Forte Brake & Throttle pedals inside the box you'll also find a USB-C to USB-C cable, USB-C to USB-A cable, two Allen keys (3/5mm), two elastomers (plus 1 which is pre-installed), spring (plus 1 which is pre-installed), several stickers, mounting screws, cable tie, product warranty paper, safety information paper and the manual.

THE FORTE BRAKE & THROTTLE PEDALS

Thanks to the black anodized aluminum of the base and the CNC machined pedal arms the 457mm long, 212mm wide and 256mm tall Forte Brake & Throttle pedals look great (in the above picture you can also see the all-black anodized aluminum pedal plates).

Asetek SimSports has placed their logo next to the RGB LED bar.

The M.L.C.P.C. (Mechanical Load Cell Powered Cylinder) design of the brake pedal may not be quite as realistic as full hydraulic systems but according to its specs it should come really close.

Orange painted parts are adjustable including the pedal stops shown above.

Both pedal arms are designed to accept forces up to 200kg (burst pressure up to 700kg).

The throttle pedal end stop can also be adjusted and yes i do recommend tweaking every stop since that alone could further optimize your experience.

Hardness is fully adjustable (gain access by removing the orange parts shown above) and to that end Asetek SimSports provides the end user with a total of three interchangeable elastomers for the brake pedal and two interchangeable springs for the throttle pedal.

The USB-C port is placed at the top front as seen above.

At the base of the Forte pedals, we find 4 mounting screws and a cable which can be used to add the extra clutch pedal.

It may seem as a bit too much to some people but the RGB LED bar looks very nice.

The Invicta Sim Racing Boots by Asetek SimSports is the ideal companion regardless of which pedals you're using and so we got two pairs in the lab to check out.

RACEHUB V2.3.1

You can download the RaceHub software from Asetek's website to gain more control over the Forte Pedals.

Once you install the software it will detect your SimSports devices and check for firmware updates.

From within the software, you can calibrate the pedals and even create pedal response maps which can in some degree add to realism (cars don't have a linear response after all).

The color and brightness of the RGB LED bar can also be adjusted from within the RaceHub software.

As expected, you can also import and export profiles from the RaceHub software.

CONCLUSION

   Asetek was kind enough to supply me with their Forte Brake & Throttle pedals months ago but having to assemble a 2nd simulator cockpit in the lab (and also having to build a 2nd simulator system) ended up pushing many reviews back one of which was obviously this one. Anyways with that small parenthesis out of the way the Forte Brake & Throttle pedals are clearly the best I’ve ever used (and the only standalone racing pedals at that) and at least in regards to design/looks and build quality (these have a life expectancy of up to 1 million activations) they have nothing to be jealous from fast car pedals (quite the contrary). Performance however is what most of you will be looking for and even though driving a good sports car is not something that can be replicated even by the Forte pedals they do perform a lot better compared to even the pedals used with the brand new Thrustmaster T248 racing wheel (this also includes all Logitech wheels released to date and many Thrustmaster ones). Needless to say, you might need to spend quite a few hours tweaking the adjustable parts of the Forte in order to get the optimal results but trust me when i say it's well worth the effort. Now if i was to nitpick I'd say that the design of the Forte pedals means you can't have them at the same angle as with most pedals out there (for example i had to reconfigure the pedals end of the Next Level Racing cockpit for use with the Forte) but that aside (which is something very easy to get used to) everything else really checks out. The Invicta racing boots add to the overall realism and so if you’re looking for a pair of shoes just for use with your racing system, I do recommend giving them a chance (unfortunately these aren’t recommended for use with real cars – something which I was hoping to do later on).

   Price is probably the sole drawback of the Forte Brake & Throttle pedals by Asetek SimSports since at the time of this review they retail for no less than USD549.99 inside the USA (Asetek SimSports US) and for 573.10Euros inside the EU (Asetek SimSports EU). Of course, the PC market is huge and since according to sales numbers Asetek is doing very well with their SimSports brand their target audience is clearly consumers and professionals alike who place realism and quality before cost. Cost aside the Forte Brake & Throttle pedals do deliver what they get advertised for and since they do in fact tick most boxes on my list, they deserve the Golden Award.

PROS

- Near Excellent Build Quality (1 Million Activations)
- Design
- Performance (Realism)
- Adjustable Sensitivity (Soft/Hard)
- Adjustable Parts
- RGB LED Bar
- RaceHub Software (Adjustments)
- Clutch Connection Available
- Almost Maintenance Free

CONS

- Price (For Some)
- Angle of Pedals (Positioning)