Over the years, Zwift has proven that it knows how to smooth out the pain points in user interactions. In a continuing effort, Zwift today announced a new product called Zwift Play. But hardware is only part of the announcement.

At the heart of Zwift's announcement is the perception that the interface is problematic. At the moment, interacting with Zwift is cumbersome. Some people use a companion app on their phone, reach for the keyboard from the bar, use an AppleTV remote control, or various wireless mouse and keyboard setups. But none of these options are great.

Zwift user research shows that the more a user interacts with other users and the interface itself, the more distance they will go. To make this interaction easier, both the addition of new hardware and software changes were necessary.

To explain the hardware, it makes sense to go back a bit and start with the software aspect. The first step was actually in April when users saw the changes to the action bar. At that time, "Coffee Stop" was rolled out as a way to take time off when needed without losing groups, and "Teleport" was announced as a way to jump to a friend or robo-pacer when needed. But these changes were only part of the story. Unbeknownst to users at the time, the idea was to put the action bar in a more prominent position in terms of the interface. It didn't actually change the way the interaction worked, but it did set the stage for future changes.

And recently, Zwift has also taken steps to address the lack of usability around the steering wheel: since 2019, Zwift has a way to control the steering wheel, but almost no one uses it. The main reason is that it is difficult. It is very rare to find an event where steering is enabled, and even if you do, there are only a few ways to actually do it; Zwift has set the stage to solve these problems by turning on steering by default, without telling anyone.

Today, with the stage set for easier interaction, Zwift has introduced hardware that takes advantage of the software: the Zwift Play, a pair of controllers modeled after gaming hardware that wrap around the curve of a drop bar. By placing your hand on the hood and turning it slightly further back than you would when using the brakes, you can interact with Zwift while riding.

In terms of physical shape, each side mirrors the other and includes four buttons and paddles. The buttons are placed on a small shelf toward the inside of the bar; on the left side, the rubber buttons have arrows and are fairly close to each other. On the right side, there is a space between the buttons, and the combination of label color and text makes it look less like a D-pad. The paddles, on the other hand, are located in front of the curve of the bar and behind the brake lever, and they move left and right to show how much they are being pressed. Rubber straps hold the controller in place.

The rest of the physical design continues to mirror the game hardware; like the Playstation controller, it has a built-in lithium-ion battery. It has approximately 20 hours of use, and if you inevitably forget to charge it, a split USB cable allows you to maintain Bluetooth connectivity while charging. Each controller uses a separate Bluetooth channel, so AppleTV users have no choice but to use the Zwift Companion as a bridge. While this system works fine, it is another barrier for some users, and Zwift is trying to solve it with this announcement.

It is no coincidence that Zwift is making the announcement while cyclists around the world are enjoying the sunshine outdoors and moving away from indoor training. This is not a desperate attempt to bring riders back indoors, but rather a deliberate embrace of the off-season for indoor riding. Today's announcement gives brands and users the opportunity to get off to a slow start. While the hardware is in its final form, the combined hardware and software experience continues to evolve and is officially in beta.

Currently, the basic functionality is set. Paddles pull in the direction you want to go to steer and push to brake; UI interactions use arrow keys for navigation, and buttons on the right controller correspond to selecting options and backing out of choices. The controller has direct buttons for ride-on, power-up, route selection, and changes during a workout. A new and important action bar is immediately accessible.

If you want to quickly see how it feels, Zwift is launching a new course for that. In fact, this is an updated version of the Repack Ridge course that debuted the last time Zwift introduced steering. The course has been renamed Repack Rush, and Zwift describes it as a winding course that will "dodge brake pads, snag boost pads, and collect time bonuses to make time." As before, the point seems to be to showcase what can be done with the new features, rather than to introduce a new core part of the Zwift experience. Will the day ever come when this style of comprehensive gamification becomes a core part of the Zwift ride experience?

For now, the plan seems to be to bring this system closer to the Zwift you know and love. As for the "beta" tag, it is more likely to apply to steering than anything else. As already mentioned, steering is fully enabled by default. As part of its changes, Zwift has made it clear that it is the brand's upcoming game initiative, but not an exclusive one. At launch, there will be an option to change the defaults for each event, reverting to no steering, steering only, or a mixed experience. It is open to future developments.

Whatever its future looks like, what Zwift is doing will look a bit different than what you get with Wahoo or RGT. Unlike those services, there is no period of time at the start of an event to check for steering. If you do not have a steering device paired, your experience will be the same as it is now.

Pairing a steering device is not a decisive advantage. There is certainly potential to gain by taking a better line or using a draft, but it is also a greater responsibility. Without steering enabled, moving through a group is, as it is now, just a matter of how hard you pedal combined with the physics modeling of the game. If you add steering, you have to manage it yourself and could do a worse job; Zwift is cautious about pay-to-win experiences (those with the best equipment will have the advantage), and all of us are welcome to participate in the testing.

Zwift Play hardware is available for immediate purchase in the US, UK, and European Union only at Zwift.com/play. To indicate that it is a beta version, the initial price is US $99 / UK £99 / EU €99 for a limited time. The expected MSRP is $149 / £149 / €149, but no expected end date for the promotional period is given.