The short answer
Neither is essential, but both make a finished rig easier to use. A dash display moves gear, speed, delta and shift lights off your screen and in front of you, like a real car. A button box gives you real switches for controls you'd otherwise hunt for on a keyboard. Add them once your chassis, pedals, wheelbase and wheel are sorted.
What a dash display does
A dash shows live data from the game: gear, speed, revs, lap times, delta to your best lap, fuel and shift lights. With it, you can turn off on-screen overlays and keep the view clean, the way you'd drive a real car. It's especially useful on triple screens, where overlays can sit awkwardly.
What a button box does
A button box puts ignition, pit limiter, lights, wipers, brake bias and other controls on real switches. Once mapped, you can find them by feel mid-race. It's most useful in endurance and multiclass racing, where you adjust the car often, and when your wheel doesn't have enough buttons for every function.
What we stock
Dash displays
- Simagic MagicDash 4: $199. It pairs with Simagic Zeus wheels, which we sell without the MagicDash so you can add it.
- GRID Display DDU-5: $328
- GRID Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Dashboard Display Unit: $599
- GRID Brows: $119
Button box
Mount a dash on your wheelbase with the Sim-Lab DDU Mount ($99), and find button box holders in chassis accessories. Prices are current at the time of writing. Shop dashboards and button boxes.
Three questions before you buy
1. Does your wheel already have a screen or enough buttons?
Some wheels have a built-in display and plenty of controls. If yours does, a separate dash or button box may add little. If it's a simple rim, they add a lot.
2. Where will it mount?
A dash usually sits on or just above the wheelbase, behind the wheel. A button box sits beside you or on the wheel deck. Make sure neither blocks your view of the screen.
3. Do you want the replica experience?
If you drive the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, the GRID dash and button box together recreate that car's cockpit, and pair naturally with the VPG Porsche 911 Cup wheel.
Our recommendation
- Simagic Zeus wheel owners: the MagicDash 4
- A clean, general-purpose dash for any rig: the GRID DDU-5
- Endurance racing or a rim with few buttons: add the GRID button box
- Porsche Cup fans: the GRID 911 GT3 Cup dash and button box together
Building a whole rig? Read how to build a sim racing rig, or contact us and we'll help you choose.