Heusinkveld’s DisplayDash is a sim button box and display hybrid

• Display Dash button box set for release in the Spring
• Pricing around €300-€400.
• Features screens, buttons and rotary switches

Heusinkveld has long been at the vanguard of sim racing pedals and handbrakes, but last year it announced its first steering wheel, and now it has unveiled its first button box and dashboard hybrid.

The SimHub-compatible DisplayDash, as the portmanteau suggests, combines elements of a button box and a data display unit.

A typical button box can be mounted on the side of a sim racing cockpit, with buttons customised to the driver’s preference. The theory being, access will be quicker than cycling through an on-screen menu, or it will add convenience if you run out of on-wheel controls. Typical use cases are windscreen wipers, lights, hybrid power modes or pit limiters.

Meanwhile, a dedicated dashboard (or DDU) is typically a separate device mounted above the wheelbase, delivering large and clear readouts of car information, such as the currently selected gear, revs, and fuel.

Inputs

The DisplayDash looks to merge these two devices into one, with a screen on top and rows of buttons and switches beneath.

These include 12 push-rotaries, four push buttons and one seven-way switch. The backlight colours for the roatries and buttons can also be changed, and can even be set to ‘pulse’.

Unlike many other traditional button boxes, the Hesinkveld devices claim to do away with stickers, as there’s a digital panel above each button explained each function, which is customisable using the ubiquitous SimHub PC software. The inputs are also backed by configurable RGB LEDs.

There’s also a digital dashboard space up top, too, also modifiable. We hope to learn more about the screen in particular ahead of sale. It is powered by a single USB cable and includes a 100×100 VESA mount and an integrated two-port USB hub at the rear.

The DisplayDash follows the unique One steering wheel, where form follows function, thanks to a focus on driver ergonomics.

A prototype, not in its final production-ready specification, was unveiled at the Sim Formula Europe even tin Maastrich, Netherlands. A spring launch is targeted, with pricing set to be around €300-€400.