OUR CURATED BLACK FRIDAY BUYERS GUIDE
The 2025 holiday season has officially killed the gear and belt drive wheels. Direct Drive (DD) is no longer luxury tech—it is the baseline. We analyzed the market data to find the signal in the noise and hand picked some deals you might be interested in, and yes, we did the currency math (mostly) for our friends up North.
Here is the rapid-fire, no-fluff guide to emptying your wallet responsibly this week.
If we missed anything that wasn’t curated and you thought was big news, head over to our Discord community at www.simracingnation.com and post in our #black-friday thread.
*we have added affiliate links with companies we work with throughout this guide which helps support us through the community
Part 1: Wheelbase Wars
Fanatec: The Defensive Play
Fanatec is protecting its castle. Their "Ready2Race" bundles are aggressively discounted (25-35% off) to lock you into their ecosystem before you notice competitors exist.
The Move: Look for QR2-equipped bundles. They are subsidizing the upgrade to fix their old quick-release issues.
Hidden Gem: The "Refurbished" section. Stack a 10-20% refurb discount on top of holiday pricing.
Verdict: Good Deal. Unbeatable entry-level value, but you are stuck in their walled garden forever.
Moza Racing: The Geography Game
Moza is playing "good cop, bad cop."
USA: Direct discounts are peanuts ($400 USD for the R5 Bundle / approx. ~$560 CAD). A total snooze.
Europe: Distributors like Simufy are liquidating stock. The R16 V2 is 45% off (€549).
Verdict: Bad Deal (USA/CAN Direct) / Insane Deal (EU). North American buyers should find a distributor; direct pricing is weak.
Simagic: The "Goldilocks" Zone
Simagic isn't doing loss-leaders; they are discounting the entire stack.
The Move: The Alpha (15Nm) base is down to $584 USD (~$820 CAD). This is the sweet spot—strong enough to break wrists, cheaper than the "Ultra" tier.
Verdict: Great Deal. Best price-to-performance ratio for mid-range PC racers.
Thrustmaster just launched the T598 Direct Drive and immediately slashed the price (now going for $439.99 USD / ~$619.99 CAD).
The Signal: They are terrified of Fanatec and Moza.
Verdict: OK Deal. The only viable option if you want Console DD without buying Fanatec.
Simucube: Consulting with Sweeney
The "Apple" of sim racing is offering 25-30% off, but capped at 200 units total.
The Price: Simucube 2 Sport drops to €903 (~$1,350 CAD / $960 USD).
The Reality: This is marketing hype, not a sale.
Verdict: Legendary Deal. If you can beat the bots, you are essentially "renting" the base for free due to high resale value.
Asetek SimSports: The Upgrade Path
Big discounts (up to 40%) on bundles via distributors.
The Hook: Buy the entry-level "La Prima" now, upgrade the internals to "Invicta" later.
Verdict: Great Deal. The smartest long-term play for tinkerers.
Part 2: The Bones ( Sim Rig Chassis)
Don't put a Ferrari engine in a Honda Civic. You need at minimum, an 8020 aluminum profile.
GT Omega: The Budget King
The Deal: Prime Lite cockpit dropped to €355 (~$530 CAD / $380 USD).
Analysis: You literally cannot buy the raw scrap aluminum for this price. It kills the DIY market.
Verdict: Great Deal.
6 Sigma Sim Racing: The Canadian Hero
The Deal: "Up t o 40% off" promo(get the deals while they last).
Analysis: They use dual warehouses (Ontario, Canada & California, USA). This is the only option that guarantees zero duty fees for Canadians.
Verdict: Good Deal. The MVP for avoiding cross-border headaches.
Advanced Sim Racing: The Other Canadian Hero
The Deal: Up to 20% off sitewide until November 30th on select products plus 15% off the ASR1 and ASR 3 chassis followed by 10% off the pro chassis and their seats plus a wide range of discounts on other gear.
Analysis: Another company with zero duty fees for Canadians and shipping options to the US too.
Verdict: Great Deal. The MVP for avoiding cross-border headaches.
Use promo SRN5 to save 5% off any other time outside of their Black Friday Deals
Sim-Lab: The Standard
Analysis: Conservative discounts because they don't need to beg for sales. The P1X Pro is still the gold standard for rigidity.
Verdict: OK Deal. Buy for quality, not for the discount.
Part 3: Peripherals & VR
Gomez Sim Industries (GSI): The Flex
The Deal: 30% off the Formula Pro Elite wheel.
Price: Drops to roughly €1,139 (~$1,700 CAD / $1,200 USD).
Analysis: Brings a luxury wheel down to "attainable" levels for enthusiasts.
Verdict: Great Deal.
Quest 3: Promo Credits
The Deal: $100 CAD promo credit for Quest 3 Headsets when you buy through Amazon.ca
Analysis: While not too common for promos to come through, this high tier budget priced headset is the perfect stop for most sim racers.
Verdict: Good Deal. This is a good deal for Amazon power users. You can still buy the headset used for much less though. But on the other hand… warranty is a plus.
Pimax: The Immersion
Analysis: Aiming to replace the dead HP Reverb G2 as the mid-range king.
Verdict: OK Deal. Best visual fidelity for the price right now. If it wasn’t for that crazy prime fee, these headsets would be a astronomically better value.
The Bottom Line
Best Ecosystem: Simagic Alpha 15Nm ($584 USD / ~$820 CAD).
Best Budget Starter: Fanatec Ready2Race (QR2).
Best Canadian Logistics: 6 Sigma Sim Racing and Advanced Sim Racing (No duties).
Avoid: Paying full MSRP for any Moza gear in North America this week.
Thanks for tuning into our buyers guide this week! We’ll see you on Sunday for our usual happenings!
If you see any other deals please join our community and post them for others to see!
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