Sim Gaming Expo 2026 - Chicago, Sept 18–20
North America's first expo for sim racing, flight & VR. Test the latest gear, meet the creators, score show-only deals. Schaumburg, Chicago - September 18–20.
Sim-Lab has arrived at Sim Gaming Expo 2026 with quite a bit of new hardware, and the biggest surprise is finally seeing its upcoming Porsche 963 steering wheel in public. The Dutch manufacturer has also brought its new DDS TorqueSync direct drive wheel bases to Chicago, alongside additional control and display hardware that appears to be part of its rapidly expanding ecosystem.
The Porsche wheel is easily the headline attraction, especially after Sim-Lab first teased a 963-related project earlier this year. We now have our first proper look at the finished direction of the product.
The new wheel takes its design directly from the Porsche 963 LMDh prototype, giving Sim-Lab another officially inspired piece of high-end motorsport hardware. The overall shape, control layout, grips, and center display closely follow what you would expect from a modern endurance prototype.
Sim-Lab has not yet released the complete specification sheet, pricing, or availability details, so there are still plenty of unanswered questions. Based on what is being shown at the expo, though, this is clearly being positioned toward the premium end of its steering wheel lineup.
This also continues Sim-Lab’s move toward licensed and replica-style hardware. The company already offers products inspired by Porsche and Mercedes-AMG machinery, but a 963 wheel brings its lineup directly into the current Hypercar and GTP era.
Sim-Lab is also giving attendees another opportunity to try its DDS TorqueSync direct drive ecosystem. Two versions are planned, with the DDS26 producing 26 Nm of peak torque and the considerably more powerful DDS39 reaching 39 Nm.
Both use an industrial AC brushless servo architecture, a 24-bit encoder, integrated power supply, and Sim-Lab’s TorqueSync technology. The control system operates at more than 100 kHz, with the company placing a heavy emphasis on low latency and precise torque delivery.
The ecosystem is designed to remain relatively open as well. USB data and power passthrough allow third-party steering wheels to be used without forcing drivers completely into proprietary hardware.
Pricing sits firmly in high-end territory at around $1,499 for the DDS26 and $1,999 for the DDS39. Sim Gaming Expo is currently one of the few places where attendees can actually try the bases before their wider rollout.
The 963 and DDS bases are not the only interesting pieces on display. Sim-Lab has also shown additional control hardware around its booth, including what appears to be a new button box or control panel that has not yet received a complete public product announcement.
For now, details surrounding that unit are limited. Sim-Lab appears to be building out the electronics side of its ecosystem considerably, so seeing another dedicated control device alongside its wheels and wheel bases makes plenty of sense.
This is probably the bigger story behind everything Sim-Lab is showing in Chicago. For years the company has been best known for aluminum profile cockpits, mounts, and accessories, but its current direction stretches considerably further.
Sim-Lab now has its own direct drive wheel bases, premium steering wheels, displays, button boxes, software, pedals, and an increasingly large collection of integrated electronics. RaceDirector is becoming the software layer tying much of that hardware together.
The Porsche 963 wheel fits directly into that strategy. Instead of simply providing the chassis that other manufacturers mount their hardware onto, Sim-Lab is moving toward being able to supply almost the entire simulator itself.
The Porsche 963 steering wheel is easily the most exciting new product Sim-Lab has brought to Sim Gaming Expo, especially after months of teasing. We still need pricing, complete specifications, and a release date, but getting a proper look at the wheel confirms where that project has been heading.
The DDS26 and DDS39 are equally important for the company in the long term, while the appearance of additional control hardware and the SimRep partnership shows that Sim-Lab has plenty more coming.
For a company historically associated primarily with cockpits, its booth at Sim Gaming Expo 2026 looks increasingly like the showcase of a complete sim racing ecosystem.
Inside Sim Gaming Expo 2026: New Hardware, Huge Simulators and Everything We Saw - OC Racing says:
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