Fanatec Announcements: CSW V2 Reviews Out

  • Thread starter Crispy
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Finally :) and I think having 2 options is pretty good. I love my DSD seq shifter so wouldn't really want to part with it so having an option to get a CSS H shifter only is fine by me :)
 
Concerned it does only say under compatibility - Compatible to all Fanatec wheels but no mention of windows and also 7th gear only if connected to a CSW.

lol..and it says over 2kilos in weight :s
 
It looks like they will need to provide a USB adapter for it to be stand-alone. Based purely on the photos and description.
 
mrbasher
It looks like they will need to provide a USB adapter for it to be stand-alone. Based purely on the photos and description.
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They don't have one in the accessory list. So if one is in the works or not, no clue. Haven't heard about it either recently.

Also its quite expensive, but still cheaper than I thought it would be. In comparison a TH8 can be had for 100 euro/usd ish, is a standalone item and has sequential.
7th gear only with CSW (though I hope a firmware update will change this in the future) is also a let down for a lot of folks I suppose.

It should feel twice as good as a TH8 to make it worth it, especially when you wish to replace your TH8 with it.
I am going to await some reviews myself as to the feel of the thing. If possible video reviews

That said, it is a hell of a lot better than the in my opinion toy shifter (Porsche and CSR shifter sets) Fanatec only had prior to this. The internals look well thought out and engineered and it really seems like a solid piece of engineering.
If I only had Fanatec gear with no or those old shifters I would definitely consider an upgrade. Especially since I love H-shifters. Never used the sequential on my TH8 though, because its a bit of a hassle to switch and re-align the plates every time. Which is no worry here.

Edit: Just read with the CSS with SQ you get two knobs. Nice. :)
 
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As niche a feature as it would be, I am a bit disappointed they did not include a vibration motor. Having the gear lever vibrate when the revs get high or you mid shift would have been amazing.
 
paskowitz
As niche a feature as it would be, I am a bit disappointed they did not include a vibration motor. Having the gear lever vibrate when the revs get high or you mid shift would have been amazing.
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How about using tactile transducer mounted to the shifter and driving it with Simvibe sound to you? I am sure the revs would be more accurate and more pronounced than any little vibration motor would be able to produce. Besides, vibrations come in via the gearbox housing and car chassis to which the lever is mounted. So it should be pretty accurate in reproduction too.
If you want pure audio feedback you will have to cut off a lot of the frequency range with an equalizer with cut off filters.

I wish personally it had more of a shifter FFB system that would reproduce gear grinding sensations. Though this might require a miniature gearbox to be added. :P

ibuycheap
Submitted by Thomas on Mon, 04/22/2013 - 17:41.
"Perhaps somebody comes up with a standalone adapter for the shifters and then you could use all gears with any wheel. Hmmm...maybe not a bad idea..."

http://911wheel.de/?q=node/9780#new

Looks like they won't be making one.
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Looks indeed like a silent hint to Basher I think.
 
Hmm....

I said I wouldn't make one but... Maybe it's time to finally have a chat with Mr. Jackermeier.

Edit: Well, Thomas now has a PM waiting for him on his blog.
 
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I think not making it a standalone device was a bad move for fanatec. For it to compete with the TH8 now it will need after market support from Mr. Basher. He makes great products, but at a price. To add the adapter cost to the shifter along with the shipping cost and your over $300 for the CSW shifter (as a standalone device). Is this shifter $200 better than a TH8? I think I can safely say for myself any many others its not a big enough improvement to justify the higher cost. Just my opinion, but I think Fanatec missed the mark with this shifter. I just dont see the value for the higher cost.
 
It should be possible to make a cheap adapter for the Fana-Less of the world. Very simple technically, and inexpensive if there will be competition for such an adapter.
 
Fatkrakr,

My device, IF I make one would be on par with the FL2 that I sell, which is approximately half the price of the SFA1. The main reason for the cost of the SFA1 is the components used in it, they aren't cheap.

However, the parts necessary to create a USB adapter for the Clubsport Shifter would pail in comparison to the SFA1. The reason for this is that the SFA1 has to act as a USB host, like a computer... This adapter acts as a device, which is much simpler.

I do see your point though and it is valid. It would without a doubt be cheaper for Fanatec to have the adapters produced in China themselves.
 
I see Mr. basher. That still puts it at over twice the price of a TH8. Im not sure what Fanatec was thinking with this move. It doesnt even fit in with theclub sport line as being compatiable with all other products for pc.
 
I do agree. The "support" piece of this is my main reservation. Much like the adapter I thought of making which would allow people to use their CSP set with a T500, I have to wonder if it's worth the effort. If the shifter doesn't work for any reason and it's using my adapter, I will be the first person asked for support... I'm a one man operation at this point! :)
 
LogiForce
Also its quite expensive, but still cheaper than I thought it would be. In comparison a TH8 can be had for 100 euro/usd ish, is a standalone item and has sequential.
7th gear only with CSW (though I hope a firmware update will change this in the future) is also a let down for a lot of folks I suppose.

It should feel twice as good as a TH8 to make it worth it, especially when you wish to replace your TH8 with it.
Click to expand...

Diminishing returns though. Very rarely is it that something twice the price is twice as good (we are talking subjective opinions here of course). If it's something I am in to, I personally will very readily pay a premium.

That said, based on my expectations of the product, I think the prices are fair for all but your continent.
 
mrbasher
I do agree. The "support" piece of this is my main reservation. Much like the adapter I thought of making which would allow people to use their CSP set with a T500, I have to wonder if it's worth the effort. If the shifter doesn't work for any reason and it's using my adapter, I will be the first person asked for support... I'm a one man operation at this point! :)
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One good man is better than a group of numpties. :)
 
While I am not in the market for a shifter currently, the CSS looks damn good. Will the quantities be limited due to it only being compatible to Fanatec Wheels? I realize Thomas' intent to make you purchase more Fanatec products with the shifter (smart bu$iness move), but could be slighting the masses I feel. I assume it is something Thomas is willing to test out.
 
Archangel
I will check out the CSS for sure when it hits the market, looks very solid. My only other options is the Trustmaster and the SST, I have been looking to buy a new wheel and pedal set for a while, but I will hold of a bit more for financial reasons as I would want to get it all at once.

Oh and also, I have some problems focusing reading MADCAP's posts couse I always end up staring at his avatar.
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💡 even I look at it first too
 
This is not an announcement from Fanatec, but from myself. :dopey:

I announce an appology for judging the Fanatec retail products wrongly based on my beta products.
The reason I am doing this is because I just came from HoiHman's house and drove with his setup, which include a retail CSW, CSR E and CSPv2.
The CSW was a day and night difference from my beta CSW and it can not be compared. My wheel lacks power and has slippage issues that were not present on HoiHman's retail products at all.

So I appologize for anything negatively I have said in the past that was based upon my experience with my beta CSW. Many statements are incorrect and some might need adjustment.
I still think that both the T500 and CSW have distinct characters as wheels. I still feel the CSW force feedback is dampened in comparison to the T500, which is a very sharp wheel in response. Personally if I could let both wheels have sex and get a baby out of them than I hope it would have the dampened feel of the CSW with the sharpness of the T500 when sudden forces are applied.

I also wrote a letter of appology to important Fanatec staff members (Thomas and Armin) as I know I do have some influence online, which might have effected Fanatec somehow. Besides that, it's never nice to hear someone say something negatively about something you made while you know they can only base it upon something beta, and thus an experience different from any other person on the planet.

Anyways. Will write something really good about HoiHman's rig tomorrow, in his thread of course. I am sleepy after driving 600 ish kilometers orso. ;)
 
Cote Dazur
Thank you Logi, never easy to admit making a mistake, it takes character.
Looking forward to your review on HoiHman's rig.
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Thanks. What I experience made such an impact on me and made me feel really guilty about stuff I said.
I hope the guys at Fanatec will accept my email.

I still need to digest the experience over night, but it was just an unbelievable blast. That man really has an awesome setup. The tactile was amazing too and a single buttkicker really doesn't cut it. He only used Simvibe and basically didn't use an EQ either (even though he has one). :drool:
In any case an experience I will not forget and something I will yap more about tomorrow. Else I just continue typing until I feel satisfied that I have said everything I could say about it without make much sense. :dopey:
 
On sim-wheel sharpness, two comments. One, belt tech may play a role. Non-cogged belts always have at least a small amount of slip. And Two, still trying to figure out the odd behavior of a T500 after the 2nd step in a step test. The T500 might have been designed to feel a certain way on purpose (not necessarily a bad thing) to aid immersion and car control. Fanatecs seem to be designed to just transmit the signal to the sim-racer. Excellent linearity for instance.
 

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