Let’s take a look at the technology behind the PXN VD Series
For 78% of sim racers, the steering wheel is their primary source of information about vehicle dynamics. That insight, drawn from the 2025 Sim Racing Hardware Survey, highlights a core truth of the hobby: if the wheel doesn’t speak clearly, the driver cannot react instinctively. Yet most direct drive bases still struggle to deliver those crucial cues. Understeer feels like vague resistance, oversteer comes too late, and subtle traction shifts often go unnoticed. The PXN VD Series tackles this disconnect head-on, through a technological leap called the Sense+ Algorithm.
PXN describes it as a force feedback microscope. And for good reason. The Sense+ Algorithm features on all VD Series bases, meaning a heightened feel of the road at any budget.
You can find out more about the PXN VD Series on the PXN Store.
Why Feedback Matters: The Missing Tactility
Real cars talk to their drivers. Through every bump, slide, and tire scrub, drivers receive a stream of tactile data. In simulators, however, players are often left guessing, especially when using lower-end wheels. For newcomers, decoding understeer from generic wheel vibration can be confusing and for competitive racers, missing traction cues can cost valuable tenths. PXN’s goal with the VD Series is to close this sensory gap and turn feedback into actionable instinct. The mission is clear: “NEW-GEN Direct Drive is Now.” That claim is rooted in the work of Sense+, a signal amplification algorithm that extracts real-time physical signals from racing titles and translates them into layered, purposeful haptics.
Sense+ in Motion: Turning Physics into Feeling
Where conventional bases provide a single, undifferentiated type of vibration, the PXN VD Series responds with nuance. Sense+ amplifies only what the game’s force feedback data contains, applying no artificial or predictive elements. The result is a driving experience where physics becomes palpable. With Sense+ active, you can feel ABS activation as a faint tremor in the wheel. During understeer, Sense+ converts vague resistance into distinct, high-frequency oscillations signaling tire scrub. As rear grip fades, the system introduces a subtle but timely countersteer force, letting you catch slides earlier. When transitioning from ice to tarmac in a rally scenario, the tremble changes with the surface. These aren’t effects layered on top of the game engine. They are precise, responsive amplifications of what the engine already simulates, but most bases fail to communicate.
Asked whether this kind of enhancement distorts realism, PXN offers a clear analogy. “Like hearing aids enhance speech, not noise, we magnify critical dynamics buried in game data.”
Built to Perform: 95% of Pro-Tier Feel at Entry-Level Cost
Complementing the hardware is a 24-bit high-resolution encoder, giving the motor the ability to detect over 16 million positions per revolution. In practical terms, this allows the system to capture the smallest steering inputs and road surface variations with incredible accuracy. For direct drive, where subtlety is everything, this level of detail translates into ultra-responsive steering, more refined force feedback gradients, and a natural sense of control that blurs the line between sim and reality.
Control and customization come through PXN’s proprietary PC Software, designed to adapt to drivers of all skill levels. For beginners, it’s plug-and-play. Choose from official presets for popular games or apply recommended community setups with a single click, removing guess work and helping players hit the track quickly.
For advanced users, every parameter is yours to shape. Adjust torque curves, filter settings, signal damping, rotation angle, and more to craft a driving profile that matches your vehicle, style, and circuit. With this deep level of tuning, the VD Series becomes a tool for mastery.
PXN positions the VD Series to deliver 95% of pro-tier performance at a price of up to 66% less than premium competitors, matching dynamic range and latency, but at a far more accessible price point. More than 50 professional drivers have validated this claim, supporting PXN’s mission to make high-quality feedback available to a broader audience.
The Sense+ algorithm’s foundational role in PXN’s R&D roadmap articulates a vision for PXN’s future in sim racing development. The VD Series is more than a product. It represents a philosophy that prioritizes connection between driver and simulation. It doesn’t just simulate the road. It helps you read it.
As PXN continues to refine its hardware and software ecosystem, the company is setting its sights on the next evolution of sim racing technology, one where machine learning, real-time telemetry integration, and cross-platform compatibility redefine what’s possible behind the wheel. The VD Series marks the first step in a long-term vision: to deliver professional-grade performance and precision to every level of racer, from casual weekend drivers to esports champions.
Future updates will focus not only on increasing realism, but also on enhancing the intuitive relationship between driver and simulation, where the wheel becomes an extension of instinct. For PXN, sim racing isn’t just about equipment. It’s about connection, immersion, and progress. The VD Series reflects a commitment to innovation that empowers every driver to feel more, react faster, and drive better. And this is just lap one.
Thanks to PXN for allowing us at Quadriga’s Arch to discover the PXN VD Series!
