Nacon Revosim RS Pure Hybrid Shifter and RS Pure Load Cell Handbrake Add-Ons
design
When I first got my hands on the RS Pure wheelbase originally, I was seriously impressed by the build quality Nacon had managed, particularly given the price it was being offered at. It felt professional, upmarket almost, and it was built like a tank. Nothing’s changed with these new additions, they carry the same metal construction, all-black finish, and proper heft.
The RS Pure Hybrid Shifter is a relatively chunky unit that’s doing the job of two gearboxes at once. Flip the side-mounted dial and you can switch between an 8-speed H-pattern and a sequential mode on the fly. Nacon includes two separate gear knobs too, a round one and a foam-topped lever, and you can play around with the resistance via a hex bolt on the front, so there’s scope to firm things up or loosen them off depending on your style.
The RS Pure Load Cell Handbrake is simpler on paper, built around a 150kg load cell and all tucked inside a fairly compact housing. Resistance comes courtesy of included elastomers, or a softer spring, which are easily installed and switched, and hidden away under a removable panel. It’ll mount either horizontally or vertically too, a considered touch that means it plays nicely with different rig setups and different racing disciplines alike.
Both units ship with their own desk clamps in the box, two for the Hybrid Shifter, in fact, along with proper bolt mounting points for more dedicated sim racing cockpits. Round the back, you’ve got a choice of connection, straight into a PC via USB-C if you’re not running the Revosim wheelbase, or via RJ45 into the RS Pure base if you are. It’s a nice progression for the range, and it means either accessory can slot into an existing, non-Nacon setup without much fuss.
There’s also an RS Pure Clutch Pedal rounding out the wider family, if you fancy going the full three-pedal, heel-and-toe route. It runs a Hall Effect sensor and keeps the same fully metal construction and styling as everything else here. Perfectly blending in to the original pedal set, it offers adjustable height, tilt, and travel, plus a pair of springs to tune the resistance. Worth knowing, though, that Nacon’s clear this one’s only compatible with its own pedal sets, so unlike the shifter and handbrake, it can’t be retrofitted into a mixed-brand setup.
performance
While my usual sim racing setup features a proper Playseat cockpit, those have never played nice with side-mounted accessories so I went old-school when testing the new Revosim RS Pure accessories. I bolted both units straight to my Secretlab MAGNUS Pro desk using the included clamps and ran them into my existing RS Pure base over RJ45, rather than standalone via USB-C. Once everything’s connected, that build quality I mentioned earlier carries straight through into actual use. It’s a proper, adult-feeling setup, and the first impression doesn’t give away that this is Nacon’s first attempt at either accessory.
Mounting in this config is simple enough, the bar on each unit just slots straight into the clamp base without any fuss, and it’s nice to see these brackets included as standard rather than sold separately. One thing worth flagging though: with both units bolted to a desk rather than a proper rig, the mechanical forces involved were enough to set my monitors bouncing on their arms with every shift or handbrake pull. That’s no fault of the hardware itself, a proper cockpit would absorb it without issue, but if you’re desk-mounting like I was, it’s worth being aware of.
In H-pattern mode, the RS Pure Hybrid Shifter feels noticeably hard and mechanical. It wants a firm, deliberate shove rather than a lazy nudge, which is satisfying in the right mood. The trade-off is precision though, the target area for each gear is on the smaller side, and it takes a fair bit of dedicated muscle memory to consistently land the right one under pressure rather than clip into a neighbouring gate. There’s also an irritating rattle from the collar you lift to access 7th, 8th, and reverse. I’m being picky, but a slightly loose part that’s noticeable in use sticks out on something otherwise so well put together. Sequential mode’s simple and effective by comparison, nothing to complain about there, and swapping between the round knob and the foam lever takes seconds either way, really just down to personal taste.
The RS Pure Load Cell Handbrake is where opinion’s likely to split depending on who’s pulling it. For newer or mid-level sim racers, or those with little experience of a handbrake like this (me, for example), the resistance on offer feels well judged, controllable and forgiving. More experienced racers chasing fine, progressive braking control might find it feels overly soft as a result, though that crowd probably isn’t who Nacon’s built this for anyway. The included elastomers and spring are worth playing around with regardless as the difference in feel is apparent. I ran mine horizontally given my desk-mounted setup, but vertical mounting’s there too if your rig calls for it.
Both accessories are handled through the same Revosim app that runs the rest of the RS Pure lineup, available on PC, iOS, and Android, and it’s also where firmware updates get pushed through. It’s not the most exciting thing to praise, but I was impressed by how quick and simple the whole process was. I’ve had proper run-ins with other brands, Turtle Beach among them, turning firmware updates into a long, drawn-out slog with hoops to jump through at every turn, so this made for a refreshing change.
Where things get frustratingly familiar is compatibility, and unfortunately, it’s the same complaint I had with the original RS Pure wheelbase bundle. I tested across a range of titles, with Forza Horizon 5 and 6, RaceRoom, EA Sports WRC, and Euro Truck Simulator 2 among them, and while every one of them recognised the shifter and handbrake as existing, and let me bind them, not one arrived with a working preset out of the box. Despite what compatibility charts may say, manual setup was required every single time, and that’s beyond tedious when you’re not just playing one game. I understand compatibility’s tricky when you’re working across multiple developers, and some of that blame’s shared. But I’m less inclined to keep granting beginner’s leniency when the wheelbase has been around for a year now. You’re out of your rookie season, Nacon.
summed up
If you’re already invested in the RS Pure ecosystem and rally or drift’s your thing, this bundle goes a long way to completing the picture, and it’s easy enough to recommend on that basis. The build quality and styling matches the rest of the range, the shifter in particular is properly satisfying once you’ve got your muscle memory dialled in, and the tool-free customisation on both units makes it simple to tune things to your own taste.
Where it’s harder to get fully behind the new gear is the value proposition if you’re starting from scratch. At £449.90, this bundle is not the same jaw-dropping deal the original wheelbase bundle was, and the ongoing lack of out-of-box compatibility across popular titles is a frustration I’d hoped might be resolved by now. It’s good gear, don’t get me wrong, and I hope it’s a sign Nacon’s taking the idea of a proper ecosystem seriously, but I can no longer call it a blanket better deal over everything else out there.
