Asetek Forte Formula Button Box

Simrace giant Asetek Simsports hardly needs an introduction these days. When they’re not launching new products, they’re busy improving their current ones—something we recently experienced with the update to the T.H.O.R.P. system on the Invicta pedals.

For this review, Asetek asked us to test a product that falls somewhere between those two categories: the new Forte Formula Button Box. You can see it as an update to the Forte Formula Steering Wheel, which we’ve reviewed before. But it’s also a brand-new button box.

To review this new button box, Asetek also provided us with a separate set of Formula LMP Handles, which need to be mounted on the button box. Together, they cost €689.68—€604.99 for the button box (excluding shipping) and €84.69 for the LMP handles (excluding shipping). If you use the discount code “simraceblognl,” you’ll get 5% off your order and help support us in creating content.

Packaging & Contents

The shipment from Denmark took two days to arrive at our door via GLS. We received two white boxes with the Asetek logo on them. When we opened these outer boxes, the actual product boxes for the button box and the handles became visible.

The first box we unpacked was the Forte Formula Button Box. As we’ve come to expect from Asetek, it’s a neat brown box wrapped in a sleek sleeve. Staying true to the Forte product line, the sleeve has a white base color with a red strip at the bottom. On the front, there’s a nice product photo of the button box itself, with the handles shown as transparent to make it clear they are not included. To emphasize this even more, there’s also a printed note at the bottom that says: “Steering Wheel Handles NOT included.”
On the back of the sleeve, there’s another large product photo, this time without the handles, along with some information about the RaceHub software and the Quick Release system. Finally, there’s a small list of what’s included in the box.

The second box is for the Formula LMP Handles. This one is a very simple brown box with no print at all.

The Forte Formula Button Box
After sliding the brown product box out of its sleeve, we can finally see what’s inside. When opening the box, the button box is immediately visible, but it’s still tucked under a cardboard layer with a cutout window. This top layer also holds the two shifter modules. On the “top side” of the box, we also notice the manuals and warranty booklet peeking out between the top layer and the edge of the box.

Once we remove this top layer, we reach the middle section, which only contains the button box itself, placed in a clean, minimal insert. When we lift the button box out, we discover there’s more hidden underneath. In the bottom layer, we find sticker sheets and a small plastic bag with some accessories. Inside the bag are three hex keys, two black caps for the funky switches, two tiny set screws to secure the funky switches, four rubber spacers to fill any gaps in the wheel (more on that in the assembly section), a plastic tweezer, and finally, eight screws for mounting the handles.

The Formula LMP Handles
As mentioned earlier, the box for the handles is quite simple, but the inside is nicely organized. When we open the box, the first thing we see is a card with a QR code that links to the manual. This card sits on top of a block of black foam that completely fills the box. After removing the foam lid, the LMP handles are revealed. They are securely nestled deep into the foam, which also has an extra cutout for a small plastic bag. Inside this bag, we find one hex key and another set of eight screws for mounting the handles.

The Asetek Forte Formula Button Box

Anyone familiar with the Forte Formula Steering Wheel will notice that at first glance, the Forte Formula Button Box doesn’t look all that different—and that’s true. The core design hasn’t really changed. The Formula Button Box has the same dimensions and the same input options as its predecessor. The center of the wheel is still reinforced with a metal plate for strength, wrapped in a composite material made from carbon fiber and plastic. This was already a very solid foundation, so it didn’t need any changes. However, the Button Box feels much more refined and mature compared to the original Formula Steering Wheel.

The Frontside
The main reason the Forte Formula Button Box is a real upgrade over the original Formula Steering Wheel comes down to the materials used on the front of the wheel. The old Formula Wheel had a lot of plastic, which made it feel a bit cheap. This time, Asetek switched to higher-quality materials.

The twelve push buttons on the Formula Button Box now have anodized aluminum caps. This makes them feel sturdier and a lot more premium. Out of these twelve buttons, four have black caps and eight have gray ones.

It’s not just the push buttons that got an upgrade, the rotary encoders and the Funky Switches (or “Kinky Switches,” as Asetek calls them) now also have metal caps. The Funky Switches also got a color change, going from gray to a nice deep orange. The rotary encoder caps stayed black but got a slight design tweak. They’re no longer conical but shaped more like a pawn piece. The only downside? The little direction indicator that used to be on them is now gone.

The last big improvement on the front is the thumb encoders. All six of them have switched from plastic to aluminum, giving them a more premium and durable feel.

Some things, however, haven’t changed. At the top of the wheel, the two familiar toggle switches are still there, and the wheel still features LED lighting. This includes a V-shaped row of 15 LEDs at the top for RPM indication, plus three additional LEDs on each side for flag indicators. And of course, all the buttons, rotary encoders, and toggle switches have their own backlighting again as well.

The Backside
The back of the Forte Formula Button Box is almost identical to the Forte Formula Steering Wheel. It has six ports for magnetic modules. This includes the default shifter paddles, but you can also add optional Clutch Paddles and Magnetic Input Paddles. Since these use Hall sensors, they’re easy to attach without any wiring.

What is new on the back are the mounting points for the grips. At the top corners and in the middle of both sides, you’ll find cutouts with two screw holes each. These match perfectly with the shape of Asetek’s Formula-compatible grips.

Lastly, the Formula Button Box comes with a fixed Asetek Quick Release. While you can’t remove it, that doesn’t mean the wheel only works on Asetek bases. If you want to use it on another wheelbase, you can do so with the 3rd Party Wheelbase QR Adapter.

The Formula LMP Handles
Normally, the grips are part of the steering wheel, but with a button box, it’s a different story. Here, you can choose and buy a set of grips separately. In our case, we received the Formula LMP Handles to attach to the button box. The LMP grips have the same shape as the standard Formula grips, with one key difference: the LMP grips have a small curve at the bottom, which closes the shape of the wheel.

At first glance, the grips look like they’re made of hard plastic. But once you pick them up, you’ll notice that’s not the case—they’re made of a strong, rubber-like material, giving them a solid and premium feel.

Assembly

Before we can start using the Forte Formula Button Box, we need to mount a few components. We’ll attach the included Formula LMP Handles and the shift modules, and we’ll also install the optional Clutch Paddles.

We start by attaching the handles. Using the included screws and Allen keys, this is a straightforward job. Since the handles don’t fit perfectly into position right away, we have to fiddle them around a little bit before they click into place. Still, it takes us less than a minute to secure each handle.

When mounting them, it’s important to use the rubber spacers that come with the button box. Without them, a noticeable gap appears between the button box and the handle. It’s not a functional issue, but it doesn’t look great. By default, these spacers are gray, but if you want a different color, the Steering Wheel Button Color Kit includes colored options.

Attaching all the modules to the back is also really simple. First, we slightly loosen the paddles so we can move them to their furthest position, which exposes the mounting screw. Then we drop the modules into their slots, tightly secure them, and they’re ready to use. There is one known minor downside though: the mounting screw is placed right next to the magnet, so it tends to pull on the Allen key constantly. But since we only have to attach the modules once, we don’t really see this as a serious issue.

The last thing we do before mounting the freshly assembled wheel on our rig is applying the stickers. Since the stickers go on the lighting and both the stickers and lights are quite small, it’s a bit of a precision job. Even though a tweezer is included, it’s still fiddly to get it done neatly. We definitely recommend taking your time to do this carefully.

Software

With the Forte Formula Button Box mounted on our wheelbase, we can get started right away. We already had the RaceHub software fully updated on our PC since we normally use the Asetek Invicta Wheelbase (review) on our rig. The RaceHub software, which controls all Asetek products, is easy to download from Asetek’s RaceHub page.

The software is simple to use. After installation, you just click the button box onto the wheelbase, and it immediately shows up in the software.

In the wheel menu, we find two submenus: Button Configuration and Shift Lights. Both names speak for themselves, and they contain exactly what we expected.

Button Configuration
In the Button Configuration submenu, we can adjust the LED color for every push button, rotary encoder, and toggle switch. This applies not only to the color when the button is idle but also to the color when the button is pressed. To change a color, you simply click on the button in the menu, then choose from fourteen different colors for both the idle and pressed states.

Since we also have the separately available clutch paddles attached to our wheel, these show up in the menu as well. We can’t change their color, but we can adjust how the paddles work. For example, we can choose how the paddles function and even adjust the clutch’s bite point.

Shift Lights
In the Shift Light menu, we can customize the LED lights at the top of the wheel. Here, we can choose the colors the LEDs show when they light up, and also set the order in which they light up. For example, we can decide at what percentage of the maximum RPM each individual LED should turn on, and with which color. There’s also the option to pick a standard color progression.
One interesting feature on this page is the “Sound at Optimal Shift Point.” We hadn’t seen this before—it gives a short beep at the ideal time to shift gears as a helpful indicator.

LED Menu
Besides the wheel menu itself, the LED menu also controls the lighting functions on the wheel. In the submenus Assists, Flags, and Brightness, we find features related to the Forte Formula Button Box.

Because Asetek has integrated telemetry-driven effects into the RaceHub software, we can adjust some of these settings here. In the Assists submenu, we can choose whether to receive light signals for things like ABS activation or when a car is beside us. We can also select which connected Asetek devices should show these signals. Unfortunately, we can’t change how or with what color these light signals are displayed.

The Flags submenu has a similar layout but only applies to the six Flag LEDs in the center of the wheel. There is an option to make just the Flag LEDs blink or to flash all LEDs on the wheel during a flag situation. Like in the Assists submenu, the colors can’t be customized here either — we have to stick with the preset color combos Asetek provides. Interestingly, the Flags submenu lets you select SimHub, which allows you to load a custom LED profile to get personalized feedback.

Finally, the Brightness submenu lets us adjust the brightness separately for the LEDs on the buttons and rotary encoders, the shift lights, and the flag lights.

Using the Asetek Forte Formula Button Box

With everything set up nicely, we’re ready to start real testing. To put the Asetek Forte Formula Button Box to the test, we’ll be running the necessary laps in iRacing.

The first impressions of the wheel are very positive. Ergonomically, the wheel with the LMP handles feels well designed. The wheel has a nice feel, and all the buttons are easy to reach and operate without having to let go of the wheel. The thumb encoders are placed just right for easy use. For the lower thumb encoder, though, we have to slightly loosen our grip to operate it. But with four encoders within easy thumb reach, this isn’t really an issue.

Besides being well positioned, the encoders feel great to use. They don’t have too much resistance, so you can easily turn them with your thumb. Still, they provide enough feedback with a clear “click” for each step, which keeps them feeling precise instead of flat or numb.

The new materials definitely improved the button box. Though the changes to the feel under your fingers are subtle, they greatly enhance the overall quality impression. The buttons have a slightly concave shape and the metal tops give a more mature, premium feel. Their action feels familiar, with a medium travel and a firm, clean click—not soft or mushy. We’re also big fans of the orange Funky Switches. Besides giving the wheel some character visually, they feel great under the fingers. The joystick is also smooth and satisfying to use, with distinct clicks in every direction, minimal play, and feeling vert steady even when pressed as a button.

That said, there are two downsides to this wheel setup. The biggest one concerns the handles. While they feel comfortable to hold, they don’t offer much grip. When driving without gloves and getting sudden force feedback—like hitting a curb—the wheel tends to slip through our hands. To prevent this, we have to squeeze the handles pretty tightly. Wearing gloves helps a lot, as they provide enough grip to keep the handles from slipping.

The second minor issue is with the stickers on the wheel. Although the stickers seem to be of good quality, a bit of unwanted light leaks through. Next to the lettered cutouts, you can see small specks of light shining through the sticker.

The lighting on the wheel is definitely a strong point. Both the button backlights, the rev LEDs, and the flag LEDs have deep, bright colors that really stand out. They bring the wheel to life and make it a joy to look at.

Conclusion

After a few weeks of driving with the Asetek Forte Formula Button Box, we’re left with a good impression.

With the improvements Asetek made on the Forte Formula Button Box, they’ve definitely taken the wheel up to the next level. Thanks to the new materials, the wheel feels more mature compared to its predecessor.

Still, it keeps the comfortable ergonomics where all buttons and encoders are easy to reach without having to take our hands off the wheel. It’s a nice wheel, and the lighting adds to the experience with bright, deep colors that complete the package.

There are a couple of minor points to watch out for, though. One on the button box itself, and one on the Formula LMP Handles. For the button box, the stickers fall a bit short because some light leaks through them. For the LMP handles, the issue is a bit bigger. Even though their shape and grip feel nice, the material is a bit too smooth to race without gloves. With a sudden force feedback movement, like hitting a kerb, the wheel can slip a bit through our hands. But when we wear gloves, this problem disappears.

All in all, we can say that Asetek has added a great product to their lineup with the Forte Formula Button Box. If you’re interested in the Asetek Forte Formula Button Box, it’s available in Asetek’s webshop for €604.99, excluding shipping costs. You’ll also need to buy a set of handles separately. The Formula LMP Handles we used are sold for €84.69, also excluding shipping. If you use the discount code “simraceblognl,” you get 5% off your order and help support us with content creation.

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