GTPNewsWire
Contributing Writer
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This is the discussion thread for a recent post on GTPlanet:
This article was published by Andrew Evans (@Famine) on January 26th, 2021 in the Hardware category.
Fanatec to Launch Cheaper Wheels for PlayStation 5
- Thread starter GTPNewsWire
- 37 comments
- 12,372 views
- 9,676
- Portland, OR
- Jump_Ace
- JUMPxACE
My hopes are dashed for podium pedals!
For now? If they can make some direct mounted podium pedals, I'd buy 'em immediately. For now the CSL Elites are great.
I think it's a good move for them. One of the few drawbacks for Fanatec is the price. While imo it's worth every penny, it makes it harder for newcomers to justify the price and instead they dip their toe in the sim-racing pool with TM/Logi. Their lower margins on the entry equipment could pay off if/when those newcomers want something better. As long as they are solid, they'd get more margins during the upgrade over the next few years.
Jerome
- 1,865
- Germany
- GlamFM
- GlamFM
Here’s a wild guess:
Fanatec will be the official Gran Turismo 7 partner and release an entry level GT branded wheel.
EDIT: the more I think of it the less “wild” my guess seems.
So I’m calling it - Fanatec will replace Thrustmaster as official partner and release a GT branded entry level line that matches Thrustmaster in price.
Fanatec will be the official Gran Turismo 7 partner and release an entry level GT branded wheel.
EDIT: the more I think of it the less “wild” my guess seems.
So I’m calling it - Fanatec will replace Thrustmaster as official partner and release a GT branded entry level line that matches Thrustmaster in price.
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Sounds good.
I want something better than my (now sold) T150 or the old G25 that I'm running with drivehub at the moment. I have hesitated though to invest the 570€ for the cheapest offering in Fanatec's lineup and a T300 is too unreliable for my liking. I also don't want to pay for a new Logitech wheel which essentially still is my old G25, just without the shifter (the imo brilliant one which can be switched between H-pattern and sequential and still works flawlessly).
Thrustmaster has no rivals in the 300-500€ price range at the moment and Fanatec diving into that area is good news, either Fanatec delivers something good or Thrustmaster step up their game.
I want something better than my (now sold) T150 or the old G25 that I'm running with drivehub at the moment. I have hesitated though to invest the 570€ for the cheapest offering in Fanatec's lineup and a T300 is too unreliable for my liking. I also don't want to pay for a new Logitech wheel which essentially still is my old G25, just without the shifter (the imo brilliant one which can be switched between H-pattern and sequential and still works flawlessly).
Thrustmaster has no rivals in the 300-500€ price range at the moment and Fanatec diving into that area is good news, either Fanatec delivers something good or Thrustmaster step up their game.
Corsa
Premium
- 2,104
- United States
I actually had good luck with the T150, provided smooth belt driven reliable performance at a great price.
The T300 however had more problems.
I’ve gone mad recently buying a simucube 2 sport but still have a CSL in the closet as a backup as they are very reliable.
I hope Fanatec is looking toward a T150 design and price point.
- 864
- PA
- attilag78
- TheHun99
I got a brand new G29 just a few moths ago, so I'm not in the market - or better to say, I'm not allowed to be in the market as ruled by the finance committee 
- for a little while but as long as these gonna be PC-compatible, too, I can see myself upgrading to Fanatec in the not-too-distant future.
- for a little while but as long as these gonna be PC-compatible, too, I can see myself upgrading to Fanatec in the not-too-distant future.
- 4
- United States
They generally have great engineering, but their quality control is terrible. I believe this is down to the electronics they source from China. All the issues I've had with Fanatec stuff has been with circuit boards, electrical connectors, or sensors. I've owned: CSW v2.5, V3 pedals, Porsche 918 rim, Formula Carbon rim, McLaren GT3 rim, and the CSSQ shifter. The only product I DIDN'T have to return for repairs is the V3 pedals. I had to return the McLaren GT3 (v1) rim twice, although to be fair that was a known design problem in the quick release that they have since fixed. If you search the iRacing forums you will find A LOT of threads about defective Fanatec gear. You will find even more about poor customer service.
In my own experiences, I can't really complain about the service. Every time I had an issue, I was given an RMA number and told to ship the product to their service center in CA. They reimbursed the cost of shipping, fixed the product, and sent it back free of charge. (everything was under warranty) However, I had to do this 6 times! For 4 of those it meant my rig was out of order for 2-3 weeks. (They will only reimburse standard ground shipping and will only ship back the same way, unless you pay to have it expedited) They will do what they are obligated to do and nothing more. I'm not the kind of person that thinks I should be treated special by any means, but if I owned a company and I saw that a customer had to return my products 5 times, I'd probably kick up the service level on the 6th. Just saying. However, I'm not really complaining. After the repairs I had no more issues. Mostly because I sold everything but the shifter and upgraded.
Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not trying to bash Fanatec. They do make awesome stuff. I loved all of my gear. Everything felt high quality and solid, and the driving experience was quite good. The only reason I don't say it was amazing is because I've been spoiled by a Simucube DD and HPP pedals. I just think people should know what they might be in for. I do think they have improved, and I do think their stuff is still worth it. You really can't get a nicer setup without spending significantly more.
I'm afraid by trying to make a more affordable line up for the PS5, they will source even cheaper parts, and/or do less quality control screening. You see the cost of electronic components usually comes down the the strictness of the specs they are required to meet. If a switch has to be good for 1 million cycles, it will be more expensive than if it only has to be good for 1000. The same goes for assembled parts like circuit boards. A board that is just soldered together and shipped out will be much cheaper than one that is soldered, then inspected and tested before shipping. Like the saying goes, you get what you pay for.
Thank you for that response. I can see now there have been a lot of quality control issues. My comment was based on my own experience and the impression I got from watching one of their videos on how they were managing the production process in an attempt to improve quality.
- 929
- Rego Park - Germany
- PRO_TOO
hey guys,
perfect timing... i just read the article (thx for that) and have a few questions now.
i'm currently building a new Rig and looking for new steering hardware as well. i had the T300RS for 2 years (currently without a wheel for 1,5 years) and it was fine for the time. as my Rig will be a step up in quality this time around, i am looking for better hardware and found Fanatec to be a good choice. the CSL Elite with LC pedals and the regular rim is my current choice... as DD wheels, as awesome as they are, are way to expansive fo the time i'll be spending in front of it. its kinda not in relation for me.
so my questions are: is it wise to spent money on the Fanatec hardware in the next 1-3 month as new hardware is hinted? i wouldnt mind a lower entry price and i really like their customizablility, but i want at least the quality the Elite Kit brings to the table! if they release a 300 euro set, they'll surely have to make sacrifices in quality, right?! i hope you get me.
so is it wise to buy now? the set i'm looking for would be around 500-600 euro atm. what are your recommandations?
Fanatec discounts are usually only offered at black fridays every year (and its the 20% off for a limited supply), do i got that correct? ...and their hardware is only sold via their websites shop (and force2motion.de)?!
i was searching the used markets like ebay but did not find a lot offers (compared to other wheel manufacturers).
any help on that topic or hints and guides are appreciated.
perfect timing...
i just read the article (thx for that) and have a few questions now.i'm currently building a new Rig and looking for new steering hardware as well. i had the T300RS for 2 years (currently without a wheel for 1,5 years) and it was fine for the time. as my Rig will be a step up in quality this time around, i am looking for better hardware and found Fanatec to be a good choice. the CSL Elite with LC pedals and the regular rim is my current choice... as DD wheels, as awesome as they are, are way to expansive fo the time i'll be spending in front of it. its kinda not in relation for me.
so my questions are: is it wise to spent money on the Fanatec hardware in the next 1-3 month as new hardware is hinted? i wouldnt mind a lower entry price and i really like their customizablility, but i want at least the quality the Elite Kit brings to the table! if they release a 300 euro set, they'll surely have to make sacrifices in quality, right?! i hope you get me.
so is it wise to buy now? the set i'm looking for would be around 500-600 euro atm. what are your recommandations?
Fanatec discounts are usually only offered at black fridays every year (and its the 20% off for a limited supply), do i got that correct? ...and their hardware is only sold via their websites shop (and force2motion.de)?!
i was searching the used markets like ebay but did not find a lot offers (compared to other wheel manufacturers).
any help on that topic or hints and guides are appreciated.
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- 4
- United States
hey guys,
perfect timing...
i'm currently building a new Rig and looking for new steering hardware as well. i had the T300RS for 2 years (currently without a wheel for 1,5 years) and it was fine for the time. as my Rig will be a step up in quality this time around, i am looking for better hardware and found Fanatec to be a good choice. the CSL Elite with LC pedals and the regular rim is my current choice... as DD wheels, as awesome as they are, are way to expansive fo the time i'll be spending in front of it. its kinda not in relation for me.
so my questions are: is it wise to spent money on the Fanatec hardware in the next 1-3 month as new hardware is hinted? i wouldnt mind a lower entry price and i really like their customizablility, but i want at least the quality the Elite Kit brings to the table! if they release a 300 euro set, they'll surely have to make sacrifices in quality, right?! i hope you get me.
so is it wise to buy now? the set i'm looking for would be around 500-600 euro atm. what are your recommandations?
Fanatec discounts are usually only offered at black fridays every year (and its the 20% off for a limited supply), do i got that correct? ...and their hardware is only sold via their websites shop (and force2motion.de)?!
i was searching the used markets like ebay but did not find a lot offers (compared to other wheel manufacturers).
any help on that topic or hints and guides are appreciated.
Personally, I think the CSL Elite stuff is a great value. The wheelbase has the same internals as the Clubsport. The motor is just tuned down a little because it doesn't have the all metal chassis of the Clubsport v2.5. The pedals with the load cell brake are great as well. They have decent adjustability and solid construction. Fanatec's pedals, IMO, are their best product by far. That combo will be a big step up from your T300. I'm not sure it will be the same with their new line. That may be more of a lateral move. I also don't know if the new stuff will be compatible with all of their rims and other gear. With the CSL, you are in the Fanatec ecosystem so you can upgrade, get new rims, add a shifter, etc. It's all compatible. As far as being a good time to buy or not... not really, but there isn't much you can do about it. This time last year, you could get some great deals on sim racing gear, but with everyone stuck inside prices are high and shipping can take a while. It is what it is. Since buying used probably won't save you much, I'd say you are better off buying new. Then at least you have the full warranty period to work with, just in case. I do think Fanatec has gotten better with quality control, but keep all the boxes just in case you have to send something in. It makes life a lot easier.
It's also fair to take my comments and those threads about issues with a grain of salt. People are quick to complain when something goes wrong, but how many is that out of the total that never have issues? We don't really know. Maybe I was just unlucky, but that would be some serious bad luck. I just want people to be aware. I'm not trying to steer them away or bash Fanatec. After all, they did fix all of my stuff, and once something was fixed, I never had anymore issues with that piece of gear.
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- 2,414
- The failed experiment entitled “California”.
I second this. It was a tough pill to swallow that I was gonna spend basically 1K on a playseat challenge and the CSL Elite L/C bundle. Sure I could have gone cheaper with the wheel/pedal set. But in all the research I did, going cheaper was just going to cost me more money when I inevitably would have gotten the CSL elite in a year anyways
Now I’m toying around with the idea of upgrading my stuff in the next year or so. If fanatec made some top tier pedals and did a podium DD/pedal bundle in the $16-1800 range.... I’d be all over that.
hopefully they have something along these lines up there sleeve in addition to the entry level set for the release of gran turismo 7. Whenever that is...
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- 332
- Denmark
Not quite - the CSL Elite uses a dust/belt debris sensitive optical wheel sensor on the steering wheel axis (also used in ancient mechanical computer mice and the T150/G29 entry-level wheels) instead of the better Hall effect sensors used in the CSW 2.5
- 1,874
- United States
Actually Fanatec has built their reputation and market share for making good quality sim wheels and pedals with an interchangeable eco system at a better price point for the quality offered than most of their main competitors.
As has been seen lately even much of the CSL line (with the exception of the actual CSL wheel base and CSL Elite pedal set) add ons seems to have been going down a path of being a lot cheaper in materials used in production and since the "Podium" line of products has been introduced you need to now go to the "Clubsport" tier of products to get that actual build and function quality that Fanatec has always been basically known across its product line for with a few rare exceptions of course.
I think those waiting for these new cheaper Fanatec products thinking they are going to get the good Fanatec gear at a G-29 price point are going to be a bit disappointed and find out you do indeed get exactly what you pay for.
As has been seen lately even much of the CSL line (with the exception of the actual CSL wheel base and CSL Elite pedal set) add ons seems to have been going down a path of being a lot cheaper in materials used in production and since the "Podium" line of products has been introduced you need to now go to the "Clubsport" tier of products to get that actual build and function quality that Fanatec has always been basically known across its product line for with a few rare exceptions of course.
I think those waiting for these new cheaper Fanatec products thinking they are going to get the good Fanatec gear at a G-29 price point are going to be a bit disappointed and find out you do indeed get exactly what you pay for.
- 332
- Denmark
If the the new $150 CSL Universal Hub is an indication of what to expect, it doesn't bode well quality wise:
That sounds incredibly frustrating.
That sounds incredibly frustrating.
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- 1,874
- United States
The McLaren V1 rim has been flawless for me since its purchase and is actually a product I consider one of my best value purchases from Fanatec.
I did buy my wheel from Fanatec when they offered a bundle deal that included the metal CLubsport quick release for a really good price so perhaps that has been one of the reasons I have had no problem is I never used the plastic QR.
I will say that many times regardless of the product or brand that if there are 1000 failures you will hear about every one of them but there can be 100,000 that work perfectly that you never hear a word about those. In mass production and in particular where electronics are involved there will be a certain percentage of failures it is just the nature of the beast.
But I am one of those Fanatec customers that thus far has had absolutely no issues or failures of any Fanatec product I have purchased. I do currently have a set of V3 pedals on the way as an upgrade for my CSL Elite pedals with the load cell brake (which still work perfectly) and I have also ordered a V2 version of the McLaren wheel just to have an extra one as I do like that wheel that much.
Guess I just wanted to write this as one of the customers that has absolutely no complaints. I could also say the Same for Logitec as I owned two different wheel and pedal sets from them and one was retired because it would not work with the new version Playstation and the other was retired because I upgraded to the Fanatec CSL products. None of the Logitec products ever gave me a bit of problems either.
Personally I think the Fanatec CSL wheelbase and Pedal set with the Loadcell brake is one of the best quality/value products on the market for sim racing today.
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- 1,874
- United States
Of course I have no actual knowledge of what Fanatec has planned but as successful as the CSL line has been at its price point I do not see it being dropped per say.
Now that they have the Podium line I could see the Clubsport line sort of merging with the CSL line as they have no Clubsport Playstion compatible products like the do in the CSL and Podium line.
If that were the case you could see some of the prices go up a bit on the CSL branded products.
I think they will make a separate line of cheaper products to compete with the Logitec and TM line of products with a wheel and pedal set coming in at around a $300 price range.
I think it is possible that some of the CSL class of stuff design wise will be a part of the cheaper line only made out of less expensive materials and some corners cut to decrease production cost such as the current CSL pedals.
I think the current V3 pedals will be their middle tier and I do believe they will come out with a podium line of pedals made to compete with the likes of Heusinkveld pedals that are considered top of the line stuff.
I do not see them retaining but three different tiers of product though, low, med and high. How they may distribute the naming who knows. Just like now there is a new style quick release coming but Fanatec are being tight lipped about it and/or if it will interchange with the older stuff.
Of course this is all just speculation and personal opinion and in no way reflects what actually may or may not occur but fun to speculate on.
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Whitestar
Premium
- 2,079
- Norway
- Whitestar127
Precisely! I've argued this point before. Unless I see some data that suggest that one manufacturer has significantly more returns than another I would just file it under B for bad luck.
Psst! If you haven't already then I would order the brake performance kit for those V3s. They are a different beast with it.
- 1,874
- United States
I ordered the brake performance kit at the same time I ordered the V3 pedals. Most reviews recommend the kit and also due to the higher cost of S&H if the kit was ordered in a separate order could not see not getting it all at the same time.Psst! If you haven't already then I would order the brake performance kit for those V3s. They are a different beast with it.
Actually both the V3 pedals and the BP kit have arrived. Will be changing out the throttle spring to the heavier option and will be installing a heavier alternative for the rubbers on the brake pedal from the kit as well. Now just to find the time and motivation available at the same time to get everything done and the pedals up and running.
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