Cockpits can be a tricky purchase for at-home racers. Temporary ones have a lot of flex while rigid ones can take up a lot of space and can be extremely expensive and hard to build.
One company fighting back against that is GT Omega, whose new Prime Lite cockpit aims to lower the barrier to entry for sim racers of every level.
We were able to try out GT Omega's Prime cockpit last year and loved it, so when they announced the Prime Lite we were intrigued. How would the new little brother stack up? Well GT Omega sent us across the Prime Lite to try out!
Review unit provided by manufacturer. Tested using MOZA R9 & peripherals across a range of games.
The build
A huge box of aluminium profile can seem like a daunting task, but the build of the Prime Lite was a breeze. Now, that doesn’t mean to say it isn’t time-consuming.
While GT Omega's instructions are clear and simple, it will take you some time to unbox and unwrap everything and then get the pieces aligned and secured. It can be done by one person, but is definitely easier with two!
If you haven’t seen one before, GT Omega aluminium profile rigs use bolts and nuts that slide into the gaps in the aluminium profile. These can be finicky, but once you have your method locked in, you’ll be moving swiftly.
The instructions are well laid out and easy to follow. However, that said, I’m still not quite sure why the very last step is to put the feet on the rig once fully assembled. It seems to me it would be much easier to do this step earlier - but I’m just being picky now.
I did also have one small issue. I could not access all four boltholes on my seat to attach it to the frame, as the rails would not move far enough forward to let me get a decent grip and the alan key in the bolt. For now, I have used the rear two holes, and the seat holds just as strongly.
Despite this, the rig did fit nicely in the corner of my home office, with the footprint being suitable even for my small space so it should be great for many home applications!
For the Prime Lite, GT Omega has introduced a quick-release wheel deck. It’s awesome, and I’m excited for it to become the norm industry-wide. It makes moving the wheel deck a doddle, and I’m here for it!
Driving forward
Now, having had the chance to use the Prime Lite for a couple of days, I can definitely confirm it is the new gold standard.
There is absolutely no flex thanks to the aluminium profile, meaning there is no reason to worry about that "Lite" name.
GT Omega sent over their new RS12 seat with the rig which is absolutely brilliant. It's comfortable and easily adjustable once mounted. It's got great support too but of course you can get a more rigid one if you prefer.
The versatility of mounting hardware, in particular the wheel deck, makes the Prime Lite great for multiple racers too. It is hands-down the best entry-level cockpit for sim racing.
Of course, for those looking to spend a bit more, the Prime is there - however, for the vast majority of people, the Prime Lite with the upgraded pedal mount add-on will be ideal.
This is currently the Prime Lite’s one drawback. It uses the old, existing pedal deck which does move slightly, especially with a load cell brake.
Final Thoughts
Despite some very minor niggles, the GT Omega Prime Lite is a new contender in the space that you’d be silly to ignore.
At just £340 (without a seat) it presents excellent value for money for most use cases and can easily be upgraded with other parts of the GT Omega ecosystem.
Having used it for a while now here in my setup, I can confidently say I won’t be upgrading or changing anything for years to come.
