What Is a Button Box? Your Complete Guide to Sim Racing Control Panels

If you've ever fumbled for a keyboard shortcut mid-race - or tried to adjust traction control while keeping your hands on the wheel - you already understand the problem a button box solves. This guide walks through what a button box actually is, what it lets you control, the different types available, and how to pick the right one for your setup. Whether you're just getting started or shopping for a premium upgrade, there's an option here for every budget.

What is a button box in sim racing?

A button box is a standalone control panel designed to sit within reach of your sim rig - either mounted to your cockpit rail, bolted to a monitor stand, or clamped to a wheel stand. It gives you instant physical access to in-game controls that would otherwise require taking your eyes off the screen or hunting for a keyboard shortcut.

The defining feature is immediacy. Rather than alt-tabbing or fumbling for a hotkey mid-corner, you reach out and flip a switch, turn a dial, or press a button that is always in the same position. Quality button boxes use real hardware: metal toggle switches that click into place, rotary encoders with positive detents, and latching push buttons that give clear physical feedback.

For sim racing specifically, the goal is cockpit-style control. Real racing cars have banks of switches and rotary dials for everything from pit speed limiters to multi-map ignition settings. A button box recreates that experience at your desk or in your sim cockpit.

What can you control with a button box?

The short answer: anything your sim can map to a button or rotary input. In practice, the most common use cases for dedicated button box controls are:

• Traction control - step up or down through TC settings without looking
• Brake bias - shift front/rear balance on the fly during a stint
• Engine map / power modes - switch between fuel or power settings
• ABS settings - increase or reduce ABS intervention
• Pit limiter - toggle on/off in pit lane
• Fuel mix - manage fuel consumption in endurance racing
• Multi-function dials - rotary encoders that scroll through numbered settings
• Camera controls - switch replay angles or toggle views
• DRS, wipers, lights - sim-dependent, but very satisfying on a toggle

Rotary encoders are particularly useful here. Instead of pressing a button repeatedly to scroll through TC levels, you turn a dial - the same way a real car's driver would adjust settings on the fly. Combined with physical toggle switches for binary functions like pit limiter, you end up with a genuinely driver-focused control surface.

Why use a button box instead of a keyboard or wheel buttons?

Speed

Reaching for a keyboard while driving means a hand off the wheel - and even a split second of distraction costs time and risks control. Physical buttons in fixed locations let your hands develop muscle memory. The right control is there without thinking about it.

Consistency

Keyboard shortcuts work, but only when you can find the right key while driving in anger. A button box is always in the same place, with the same layout. After a few sessions, common adjustments become completely automatic.

Immersion

There is something genuinely satisfying about reaching for a real switch to change brake bias, rather than pressing F9. For anyone running an enclosed cockpit or trying to replicate the feel of a real car, physical inputs are a noticeable upgrade in how the whole experience feels.

Why your wheel's buttons aren't always enough

Most sim racing wheels have buttons, but they sit on the face of the wheel - which means they rotate with it as you steer. Mapping critical settings to wheel buttons can work, but the physical position of those buttons changes constantly as you turn. A button box sits still, which makes muscle memory much more reliable for high-frequency adjustments.

Types of button boxes and how they work

Not all button boxes are the same. The range runs from compact plastic units with basic inputs right through to CNC-machined aluminium button plates built for professional setups. Here's how they compare:

Premium button plates from builders like Pokornyi Engineering sit at the top of the range - they're machined from aluminium billet to the same tolerances as professional motorsport hardware, with real automotive-spec toggle switches and rotary encoders that last for years of heavy use. The difference in feel compared to an entry-level plastic unit is immediately obvious.

Is a button box worth it for you?

The honest answer depends on what you are spending most of your sim time doing.

If you are doing short, casual sessions in arcade-style titles, a button box is probably overkill. The improvement to experience is relatively minor when you are not chasing lap times or running endurance stints.

If you are regularly doing longer sessions, dialling in car setups, running multiclass races, or trying to shave time from your laps, a button box has a noticeable impact on how efficiently you can make adjustments - and how natural the driving experience feels overall.

The barrier to entry is lower than most people expect. An entry-level button box like the PXN CB1 starts under $200, and even at that price point the difference is meaningful for anyone who has been using keyboard shortcuts for in-sim adjustments.

Button boxes and control panels at Gamer Gear Direct

GGD stocks button boxes and sim racing control panels across a range of price points - from entry-level USB plug-and-play units through to professional-grade machined aluminium button plates. Here's what's currently available in the showroom and online.

Entry Level - Available at GGD

PXN CB1 Button Box

$179.00

• ✓ 30 programmable inputs
• ✓ Metal toggle switches + rotary encoders
• ✓ USB-C plug-and-play, no drivers needed
• ✓ VESA-compatible rig mount included

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Mid-Range - Available at GGD

Pokornyi Engineering RALLY Button Plate

$799.00

• ✓ Purpose-built rally-spec button plate
• ✓ CNC aluminium construction
• ✓ Rotary encoders, toggles and push buttons
• ✓ Cockpit and quick-release mount compatible

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Premium - Available at GGD

Pokornyi Engineering GTB Pro Button Plate

$1,399.00

• ✓ Professional GT-spec button plate
• ✓ Premium CNC machined aluminium
• ✓ Full input array for multi-class racing
• ✓ Pairs with Pokornyi quick-release system

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Alternative approach: button controls integrated into your wheel hub

If you are already running - or planning to run - a Logitech RS wheelbase, there's another way to get dedicated control inputs without a separate button box. The Logitech RS Wheel Hub uses a quick-release rim system, and each compatible RS-series rim includes its own button layout. Swapping rims takes seconds, and each rim brings its own set of face buttons and inputs with it.

This approach works best if you want a clean cockpit with no additional panel to mount. The trade-off is that your button positions change as the wheel rotates - which is fine for less time-critical functions like lights or wipers, but less ideal for high-frequency adjustments like TC or brake bias where a fixed button box has a clear ergonomic advantage.

Wheel Hub System - Available at GGD

Logitech RS Wheel Hub

$299.00

• ✓ Quick-release rim system for Logitech RS
• ✓ RS-series rims include face button inputs
• ✓ Compatible with all Logitech RS rim options
• ✓ Clean setup with no additional panel to mount

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Browse the full range of button boxes and control panels at Gamer Gear Direct's sim racing button box collection, or drop into the Dandenong South showroom to see the hardware in person before you buy.