While sim racing is fun, it’s also a hobby that forces you to make some pretty annoying sacrifices, especially if you’re just starting out. Those sacrifices are for your wallet, of course—fancy new direct drive wheels and load cell pedals don’t come cheap—but they’re also needed for your living space. If you’re looking for the cheapest possible setup, securing your gear to a table or drop tray will work, but it’s far from ideal, especially with today’s high-torque gear. On the other hand, the right drilling rig requires space, not to mention a large financial investment.
However, if you’re ready to take the plunge, the Playseat Trophy is worth considering. Playseat has been active in the field since 1995, producing racing sim seats mounted on tubular steel chassis that can withstand impact. The company has partnered with Logitech to develop a signature version of its Trophy cab designed to support the new Logitech G Pro direct drive racing wheel and strain gauge racing pedals. It retails for $599 on the Logitech website and goes on sale today (February 21).
Logitech sent me a Trophy set a few weeks ago, and since then I’ve been using it, Logitech’s latest steering wheel and pedals to play Gran Turismo 7. Right off the bat, I’ll clear up some possible confusion and say that the style of the Logitech Trophy is not significantly different from the standard model. Playseat, except that Logitech is properly branded and has a unique grey/turquoise palette. That’s all. Otherwise, the $599 price is no different than what Playseat charges for a trophy that’s delivered directly to you, and it’s designed and functionally identical.
However, I have never used a Playseat Trophy before, all my previous sim races have been on a Wheel Stand Pro and before that on a terrible tray as it was when we entered this niche. If you’re from humble beginnings, the trophy might look like this, but it’s actually quite simple to build. Assembly only requires the included hex wrench and maybe some elbow grease to stretch the seat fabric over the metal frame.
Activation This launcher is very easy to use, has an LCD display to help you stay up to date, and has many built-in security features to keep users safe.
This is where the Trophy delivers the most fun: what looks like a fully formed racing seat is actually just a highly durable and breathable ActiFit Playseat fabric stretched over metal and attached to the frame with numerous Velcro flaps. Yes – I doubt it too. I’m not sure the velcro alone will be able to hold my 160lbs, let alone stiff enough to allow me to fully focus on virtual driving and ignore all distractions.
It’s basically a hammock from a racing simulator, but it works great. Again, getting all the flaps to meet, stretching the seat fabric and sitting where it needs to be is a little tricky, but an extra pair of hands helps. The benefit of the bare-bones design is that the Trophy only weighs 37 pounds, not including the hardware attached to it. This makes it easy to move around if necessary.
The assembly is not bad. It can take more than your time to set up the seat exactly the way you want it to fit your ideal driving position. To this end, almost everything related to trophies is regulated. The seatback moves forward or tilts, the pedal base moves closer or further away from you, stays flat or tilts up. The steering wheel base can also be tilted or raised to change its distance from the seat.
At first I didn’t think the seat could be height adjusted until I figured out what the extended middle frame was for. I wish there was a way to raise the seat relative to the wheels without lengthening the entire chassis by a few inches, but that’s a minor thing for those who are particularly space conscious.
Adjustment, like assembly, is mainly done by tightening and loosening screws with a hex wrench. Trial and error is tedious and annoying, but you only have to mess with these things once. Trophies are a dream once you figure out what works for you.
It won’t wobble, creak, or wobble. To get the most out of a set of load cell pedals or high torque wheels, you really need a strong, solid base to hold everything, and that’s what you get with the Playseat Trophy. As with the non-Logitech version, this rig has a universal board that supports hardware from Fanatec and Thrustmaster, allowing it to expand with your setup.
It’s hard to make a general recommendation for something like the Trophy, which is as expensive as it takes up a lot of space. Personally, I’m quite familiar with more portable folding options like the Wheel Stand Pro and the Trak Racer FS3 stand, but I’ve always found them a little underwhelming and never disappeared into the closet as I would have liked. If you are in doubt about a more “permanent” solution and can live with it, I think you will be very happy with the trophy. Fair warning: once you get settled, a tray table is never enough.
Post time: Feb-28-2023