VRS Sim Racing Wheel Base full torque locked behind paywall

UDFP20 product page showing the features of the wheel base.

The company VRS, known for selling sim racing equipment, has launched a product, the uDFP20 Wheel Base, which is readily capable of certain performance, but this performance is locked under an additional software purchase.

Background

In the Sim Racing market, there are a lot of different options when it comes to wheel bases. Most of the time, the consumer will choose an option based on budget to performance of the wheel base.

The performance of a wheel base is more often than not tied to its peak torque capacity. Force feedback is another factor, but the choice most generally comes down to how much power the wheel base is able to make.

Incident

VRS here, sells you a wheel base, a piece of hardware, that is fully capable of a 20Nm torque output, at a price of $449.

For this price though, the base will be shipped set-up with a firmware lockout, and your hardware torque output will be limited to 6 Nm.

VRS uDPF20 Product purchase page showing "You'll receive an Upgradable Torque Wheel Base and a torque unlock code for (X)Nm. (upgradable to 9, 12, 15, 20 Nm)"

If you want to enable the higher torque, that your base is fully capable of, you need to purchase a "software unlock code".

To use the full 20 Nm, of the same wheel-base you already have, and is fully capable of, you'd have to pay an additional $398, for a grand total of $847.

Almost double the price (88.64% price increase) than the price you initially paid, for the same piece of hardware.

At the moment, you are currently forced to buy the wheel base on a "lower" torque setting than its max rated power.

Then, and only then, after you purchased the wheel-base, you will be able to purchase the unlock key to "access" the 20 Nm.

VRS offers the option to simply buy the 20Nm wheel-base, as a "different" product, the DPF20 base. This one is without this "upgradable" torque, for a price of $799

This means, they are selling you the exact same product, which is essentially a mige 130ST motor with software on-top, at complete different prices.

It is important to keep in mind that, if you purchase the "non upgradable" one, you are still fully able to adjust the peak torque of your wheel with their software. You can do this with almost any direct drive wheel on the market.

That practice is completely misleading for new people in this field that are looking to buy decent hardware for their hobby.

It is made to trap lower budget consumers into paying more in the end for something that they already own.

Solution

The company defends this practice saying "this new product is a separate offering for those that like the idea of buying in steps".

1. It is not a "new product" by any means. It is a separate offering for the exact same piece of hardware.
2. When "upgrading" your output torque, you are effectively purchasing nothing since this is something you already own.
3. They sell the exact same product that is not software locked $47 cheaper, and you can still adjust its power to your liking via their software

To best inform customers when making a purchasing decision, the following solutions can be implemented:

• Completely stop this misleading practice and remind people that they can adjust the peak power of their wheel base via the provided software.
• Re-adjust the price of the product so that both "upgradable" and "non upgradable" versions are the same price after reaching the 20 Nm mark, since they are the exact same product.