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Button Boxes

A sim racing button box puts pit limiter, brake bias, traction control and ignition on physical switches instead of a keyboard, so you find them by feel. Gamer Gear Direct stocks both standalone boxes and wheel-mounted button plates in Australia, for GT, rally and endurance layouts.

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What a Button Box Changes

The gain is not extra functions, it is reaching them without taking your eyes off the road. Switches sit in fixed positions you learn by feel, and a rotary encoder lets you step brake bias or fuel map a click at a time rather than hunting a key.

That matters most over long races and in league events where settings change mid-stint. For a short sprint on a wheel that already has a few buttons, you may not need one at all.

Standalone sim racing button box with toggle switches, rotary knob and engine start

Standalone Box or Wheel Plate

A standalone box sits beside the wheel on a desk or rig and stays still while you steer, which is why toggles and ignition switches suit it. The PXN CB1 Button Box is that format: 30 programmable buttons, a linkage lever and engine start pair, and a rotary knob cycling seven backlight effects.

A wheel plate mounts on the rim itself and turns with it, keeping everything under your thumbs. The Pokornyi Engineering GTB Pro and Pokornyi Engineering RALLY are both carbon fibre fronted plates on machined aluminium enclosures, with backlit buttons, rotary encoders and dual seven-way funky switches.

Carbon fibre wheel-mounted button plate with a telemetry display and rotary encoders

Fitting a Wheel Plate

Both plates use the 70mm PCD bolt pattern, which is the common standard across sim racing rims, so the question is usually spacers rather than compatibility. Thicker rims need a 10mm or 25mm spacer, and these are not supplied. Rims are in Sim Racing Wheels.

On the wheelbase side you generally need that brand quick release: an SQR for Simucube, a MOZA QR, a Simagic QR, a Podium Hub for Fanatec or a 70mm adapter for Thrustmaster. Those are in Quick Releases.

Wheel-mounted button plate with backlit buttons, encoders and funky switches

Choosing Between Them

The dividing line is whether you want a screen. The GTB Pro carries a 4.3 inch telemetry display and four rotary encoders, so it doubles as a dash on the wheel. The RALLY leaves the display out and runs three encoders, which suits rally, oval and truck driving where you are changing fewer things but changing them often.

The standalone box wins on switch count and on keeping big physical controls off a rotating rim. Many rigs end up with both. Mounts and holders for a box are in Racing Simulator Accessories.

Button Box FAQs

What is the difference between a button box and a button plate?

A button box is a standalone unit that clamps to a desk or bolts to the rig and stays still as you steer. A button plate mounts onto the steering wheel itself and rotates with it. Boxes suit toggles and ignition switches, plates suit controls you want under your thumbs.

Will a wheel plate fit my rim and base?

Both plates use the 70mm PCD pattern, which most sim rims share. Some rims need a 10mm or 25mm spacer, and spacers are not included. On the base side you usually need that brand quick release, such as a Simucube SQR, MOZA QR, Simagic QR or a Fanatec Podium Hub.

Do I need software to use them?

The PXN CB1 is plug and play over USB with no driver install. The Pokornyi plates are also USB, and SimHub is recommended if you want to customise the backlighting or feed telemetry to the display.

Can I mount a button box to my rig rather than a desk?

Yes. The CB1 ships with a clamp for a desk edge up to 70mm thick and has rear screw holes so it can bolt to a stand or profile rail instead.

Do I actually need one?

Not for casual racing, where buttons on the rim usually cover it. They earn their place in longer races and league events, where you adjust settings mid-stint and want them findable without looking.

Buying a Button Box from Gamer Gear Direct

We are an authorised dealer for both PXN and Pokornyi Engineering, so everything here is genuine, covered by its manufacturer warranty, and supported locally rather than through an overseas returns process. Stock is held and dispatched from our Adelaide warehouse.

Fitment is the part worth checking first, particularly which spacer and quick release your wheel and base need. Call us on (03) 9961 0240, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, or try one on a rig at our Dandenong South showroom in Melbourne. Full rigs are in Sim Racing Cockpits.

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