The racing wheel market may not be overflowing with choices, but there's certainly more variety now than in previous gaming generations. While this competition has driven prices up in some cases—manufacturers battling to outdo each other with the most advanced features—it’s also made once-premium technology, like force feedback, more accessible than ever. Enter the PXN V99 Racing Wheel, Shifter, and Pedal set, a package that aims to bring an immersive sim racing experience without breaking the bank.
As someone relatively inexperienced at sim racing with a wheel, I feel like the perfect test case for this setup. If you're a beginner looking to experience everything force feedback has to offer, this review will break down whether the PXN V99 is the right starting point for your racing journey.
Unboxing and Design
From the moment I unboxed the PXN V99, I was impressed by the quality of the wheel and its base. The base, in particular, has a design reminiscent of a direct drive unit rather than the more traditional force feedback style, giving it a premium and robust appearance right out of the box.
The wheel itself continues this high-quality feel with a metal faceplate housing 14 mappable buttons, effectively replicating all the key inputs of a standard gamepad. The 300mm wheel rim, wrapped in a grippy yet non-sticky TPR rubber coating, adds to the premium feel, far exceeding expectations for a racing wheel in the $189.99 (£189.99) price range (at the time of writing).
Completing the design are four metal paddle shifters, which feel sturdy and satisfying to use, reinforcing the overall solid construction the wheel gave (at least to me).
That said, not all elements of the V99 feel as premium. The pedal set, for example, takes a noticeable dip in quality. Made entirely of lightweight plastic, the pedals lack the heft and sturdiness you’d hope for. While they come equipped with four rubber pads underneath to help prevent slipping, they still had a tendency to slide on my floor.
The issue is further compounded by the lack of adjustable resistance—aside from changing the angle of the pedals, there's little you can do to fine-tune their feel. If PXN had included more adjustability, such as resistance settings or a way to bring the pedals forward, it could have significantly improved the experience.
Thankfully, the shifter is more in line with the wheel in terms of build quality, featuring metal elements that give it more of a premium feel compared to the pedals.
The inclusion of a 6-speed shifter at this price point is interesting and a welcome surprise, considering most budget racing wheels rely solely on paddle shifters. While many sim racers may default to paddles, having a physical shifter opens up more immersive driving options—particularly for games that truly benefit from manual shifting. It’s a unique addition that helps the V99 stand out among competitors.
Setting up the wheel wasn’t quite as seamless as I’d hoped. While the quick-release system makes attaching the wheel to the base effortless, securing it to a desk using the clamps is a more hands-on process, requiring a hex key to lock it in place. A full racing cockpit setup would likely be the ideal mounting solution, but since I didn’t have that luxury, I relied on the clamps.
The clamps did hold the wheel in place well enough, though I did notice a bit of rattling during force feedback-heavy moments. That said, I'm willing to put that down to my personal setup and perhaps treat it as a sign I need to tidy my desk space—or finally invest in a proper sim rig.
Features and Performance
For its price range, the PXN V99 comes impressively well-equipped, boasting adjustable 900-degree rotation and 3 Nm force feedback powered by driver-free dual motors. To put it through its paces, I primarily tested it with Forza Horizon 5, where I could really gauge how it handles different driving conditions.
Starting with force feedback, the 3 Nm of torque provides a relatively subtle feel while driving on smooth roads, but it comes alive when you stray off-course, hit obstacles, or lose control. In those moments, the wheel delivers a satisfying kick, making it feel like you're genuinely wrestling with a car—especially at high speeds. For a budget-friendly wheel, it does a commendable job of simulating real-world driving forces.
The 900-degree rotation allows for full, immersive steering control too, making tight corners feel natural. That said, there is a red switch on the back of the wheel base that lets you quickly switch to 270-degree rotation for more arcade-style driving.
However, there is a noticeable disconnect between the immersive force feedback from the wheel and the lack of resistance from the pedals. With every pedal feeling similar and offering no real feedback, the experience loses some of its simulation quality. The brake pedal may be a touch heavier when pressed, but it's by no means accurate to real life.
This is where the paddle shifters helped to restore some of that immersion. They offer a satisfying click when pressed, though I did find them a little too close together. With two paddles stacked on each side, misclicks became a slight issue, though overall, they were still my preferred method for shifting gears over the manual shifter.
One design flaw that stood out—and has been noted by others online—is the placement of the spokes connecting the faceplate to the wheel rim. I found the four-pronged design obstructed my natural hand placement, making it slightly awkward to grip comfortably. This became particularly frustrating when needing to reposition my hands mid-race, as I often found them blocked by the spokes.
I can't help but think a more traditional horizontal handle design would likely offer a more intuitive and comfortable grip. While this is primarily a design issue, I do believe it affected my overall performance, as I was frequently adjusting my grip instead of focusing solely on the road.
Software and Customization
As part of PXN’s racing lineup, the V99 is compatible with the PXN Wheel app, allowing for a handful of customization options. Through the app, you can tweak settings such as turning radius, force feedback response, and the output curves for the clutch, brake, and accelerator pedals—all of which add a layer of personalization to the experience.
I didn’t delve too deeply into fine-tuning every setting, but adjusting the force feedback output did help slightly with the rattling issue I mentioned earlier. That said, the app itself is quite basic and lacks the polish or depth found in other sim racing manufacturers’ software. Even PXN’s own NEXUS app—which seems like it might support racing wheels in the future—feels like a step up in terms of design and usability.
I also attempted to adjust the pedal response through the app, hoping to add some much-needed feedback to their feel, but nothing I tweaked made a significant difference. In fairness, I don't know what I was expecting to happen here seeing as I was playing around with each pedal's linear response curves, but it felt like it was worth a shot at the time.
Ultimately, the app is functional and provides enough control to fine-tune the V99 to an extent. However, I do find it odd that it’s only available as a mobile app. I expected there to be a PC version for easier adjustments, but as of now, PXN doesn’t offer one, which feels like a missed opportunity for a racing wheel designed primarily for PC and console gaming.
Verdict
Overall, the PXN V99 is a solid entry-level force feedback racing wheel, offering novice sim racers an affordable way to experience force feedback without breaking the bank. It delivers a respectable driving feel, with decent force feedback and a well-built wheel base, making it a compelling option for those looking to step up from a controller.
However, the package isn’t without its flaws. The pedals are the biggest letdown, lacking the build quality and resistance needed to match the otherwise premium feel of the wheel. The wheel design itself also has a few missteps, such as the closely spaced paddle shifters and the awkwardly placed spokes, which can interfere with natural hand positioning.
That said, at a fraction of the price of high-end force feedback wheels, some, but not all, of these issues can be slightly overlooked. As a result, the V99 is fairly good, for the price, but it stops quite a few places short of being truly great.
