Fanatec Announcements: CSW V2 Reviews Out

[Lawndart]

This did seem a bit (WTF?) at first... A V2 a year after new console launches... As if there is that big of a demand?

But then I saw this hidden in the description;

• Other gaming consoles: The compatibility can be upgraded with (optional) steering wheels which will be available at a later point.

This seems like a solid indication that Thomas could just add the RFID chips to wheels to support PS4 and Xbone and not need to upgrade the base... If this is in fact accurate then he can put the base on the market now for PC and PS3 folks and worry about the steering wheels later, it's quite intelligent...

 

[Mayaman]

As a beta tester of the V1 and owner of every Fanatec item, do we get invites? Just curious.

 

[fatkrakr]

This did seem a bit (WTF?) at first... A V2 a year after new console launches... As if there is that big of a demand?

But then I saw this hidden in the description;

• Other gaming consoles: The compatibility can be upgraded with (optional) steering wheels which will be available at a later point.

This seems like a solid indication that Thomas could just add the RFID chips to wheels to support PS4 and Xbone and not need to upgrade the base... If this is in fact accurate then he can put the base on the market now for PC and PS3 folks and worry about the steering wheels later, it's quite intelligent...

There is this from the Fanatec official announcement.

We want to achieve
compatibility to both Xbox One and PlayStation 4 and we are happy to
announce that we already signed a contract with one of them. We will
announce this product at the end of this year.
There will be multiple
steering wheels available in different price ranges and they will
compatible to several Fanatec base units from mid-range to direct drive.

So v1 and probably the elite will be with a rim purchase. My guess is XB1 is what they have signed currently because that gives MS all they care about, a fee per wheel that works. With Fanatec hoping Sony will take the same deal.

 

[Mayaman]

Sounds good to me, now you can have one wheel that works on everything. Pretty brilliant actually. Swap rim, got to PC, swap rim, go to Xbone, swap rim, go to PS3, swap rim, go to PS4. Making the best of a hard situation. Yes it will cost more money but you only have to buy what you play on.

 

[Lawndart]

There is this from the Fanatec official announcement.

We want to achieve
compatibility to both Xbox One and PlayStation 4 and we are happy to
announce that we already signed a contract with one of them. We will
announce this product at the end of this year.
There will be multiple
steering wheels available in different price ranges and they will
compatible to several Fanatec base units from mid-range to direct drive.

So v1 and probably the elite will be with a rim purchase. My guess is XB1 is what they have signed currently because that gives MS all they care about, a fee per wheel that works. With Fanatec hoping Sony will take the same deal.

If history repeats itself then I would assume that "one" is Sony, and MS could likely come later... If the need is there... Sony seems to be outpacing MS 2-1 in the US alone and that market share will likley increase due to wider interests globally to the PS platform, MS has had to rely heavily on the US...

 

[JerseyDriverSS]

Anyone have there V1 up on ebay yet? I'm ready to get myself a bargain being that i'm only interested in PC. Even at 495.00 for a V2 it is pretty tempting.

 

[fatkrakr]

If history repeats itself then I would assume that "one" is Sony, and MS could likely come later... If the need is there... Sony seems to be outpacing MS 2-1 in the US alone and that market share will likley increase due to wider interests globally to the PS platform, MS has had to rely heavily on the US...

Very well could be. I just think its MS because Fanatec already have a working relationship with MS and the Xbox 360. All MS really want is the licensed chip for each wheel. Fanatec have no or at least haven't had anyway a working relationship with Sony. I also believe that Sony's chip is in direct response to how the Fanatec wheels snuck in on the PS3 also. So might be some fence mending that still needs done there.

 

[fatkrakr]

Anyone have there V1 up on ebay yet? I'm ready to get myself a bargain being that i'm only interested in PC. Even at 495.00 for a V2 it is pretty tempting.

That gives me a great idea for Fanatec to do a trade-in option. You trade-up and get say $275 (???) off new base. Fanatec offers the wheels for sale with factory cleaning and over haul making sure its working properly and has the latest firmware. No warranty or maybe 90 days. Say for around $325 (???). Still following invite only, you would need to return the old base in the factory packing complete, with all shipped parts to keep cost down on Fanatec's end, that way Fanatec can also re-use the packing to ship to the new owner making sure it arrives safe. Maybe adjust the pricing a bit so Fanatec still keep there profits right, but sounds like a win for all to me.

 

[chromatic9]

Wow, exciting stuff. All I want is a top quality wheel that works on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

Since wheels are normally PC plus one console. If I was to buy the new V2 Fanatec for example, I would hope its PC + Xbox One and you buy a second wheel rim to for the remaining PS4 console.

Doesn't matter which console has the main deal, I just assume it will be Microsoft. Or does this mean we need 3 wheel rims and nothing can be done?

Another point is if Fanatec get some sort of deal with Sony/MS would we still have to pester each dev team to support this new wheel or would there be something in the contract to encourage support.

 

[TJisA1337NOOB]

Wow, exciting stuff. All I want is a top quality wheel that works on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

Since wheels are normally PC plus one console. If I was to buy the new V2 Fanatec for example, I would hope its PC + Xbox One and you buy a second wheel rim to for the remaining PS4 console.

Doesn't matter which console has the main deal, I just assume it will be Microsoft. Or does this mean we need 3 wheel rims and nothing can be done?

Another point is if Fanatec get some sort of deal with Sony/MS would we still have to pester each dev team to support this new wheel or would there be something in the contract to encourage support.

I could be totally wrong but I would think the Xbox One and PS4 wheels would be able to be used on PC as well.

 

[Flying_Kefran]

I was thinking that once the V2 price will be stabilized at 599 after the launch phase, this will create room for a simplified base in the 349-399 euros area.
This could be interesting

 

[LogiForce]

*snip*

Another point is if Fanatec get some sort of deal with Sony/MS would we still have to pester each dev team to support this new wheel or would there be something in the contract to encourage support.

I can tell you already that if the support on PS4 and XB1 becomes available than SMS will support it instantly in Project CARS. This is something I can guarantee as it is something the developers have guaranteed, about wheel compatibility in general, to us WMD members in the past already.

Forza and Gran Turismo are games I can't speak for though. However, at some point they will have to follow.
The best bet is to, as a community, go pester the developers of Turn10 and Polyphony Digital with mass request to support the Fanatec CSW Base v2 when it becomes available.
Another tip would be to go make petitions to get the point across in an easier viewable manner for those developers as well. That way they don't have to do the 'count' to see how much demand there is for this to happen.

 

[paskowitz]

@Fanatec... if you are around, a couple questions good sir...

1. Is it possible to announce which console you have signed a deal with before pre-orders go up?
2. Is the current universal hub one of the wheels that will work with this console?
3. Will the CSW base v1 continue to be sold?
4. Will these new "console rims" work with the CSW base v1?
5. If yes to #4, will attaching these rims enable the CSW base v1 to work on current gen consoles?
6. Any particular reason you decided to stay with a belt drive system and not go direct drive (pros and cons of DD?) Just curious.
7. Is the 7NM peak output with or without overclocking?
8. For the multiple steering wheels at multiple price ranges, I assume that is referring to the console compatibility enabling wheels?
9. Is the interchangeable steering wheel feature (just that, nothing else) of the universal hub compliant with console manufacturer's rules? (Obviously, buttons will not carry over)
10. Is there a time table / schedule for sending out invite emails?
11. Do invites apply to CSW v1 base beta testers?
12. Even though the CSW v1 base is pretty quiet, has noise changed at all for the v2 base?
13. After console compatibility is confirmed, is game compatibility still on a game by game basis?

 

[LogiForce]

13. Yes, game developers still need to implement the drivers made by Fanatec for the wheel to function in that game. Of course for a driver to be made Fanatec has/had to aquire a license first and a Devkit with the SDK tools to be able to make the driver in the first place. So technically its like this...

1. Console manufacturer's move: Fanatec (or any hardware manufacturer) sends a request for a license, and thus also a devkit and SDK, to Sony/Microsoft. It is than up to the console manufacturer to grant or deny Fanatec (or others) this license.
2. Hardware manufacuter's move: Fanatec (or others) has at this stage obtained a license and other necessities to be able to code up the driver for a specific console. After this is done, Fanatec (or others) can than send out a message to game developers that they have a compatible driver and hope that the game developer would be so kind to them and the racing community to support their wheel. Also the driver will be send to Sony/Microsoft so they can implement it in their console's OS (Operating System), or in other words to sort out compatibility for navigating the PS4 or XB1 menu system.
3. Game developers move: As the notification is received from Fanatec (or others) the developers can now choose to simply implement the driver or not and make an in-game wheel profile. This profile contains next to button assignments the necessary 'behind the scenes' FFB settings.
4. Gamer's move: Update the game to at least the version where wheel compatibility is implemented, plug the wheel in, attach the necessary rim and... happy gaming!

That's the entire procedure in a nutshell.

 

[zr1chris]

Looks a bit out of my range and need, though I am sure that base is an awesome piece of hardware.

Will continue to watch for updates on lower budget bases and for the console compatible rims.

Same here.

 

[mrbasher]

Thomas, should you read this,

I know for some reason you've decided to avoid responding to most of what I've written on public forums... Maybe that's a good thing for us both. However, I have a very public request to make:

My CPX adapter has I believe netted you a rather nice increase in sales over the last 7 months or so on your CSP V2 and CSR Elite pedals... Sales you would not have otherwise had. What do you say I get one of these "invites" to give to a person of my choosing?

Prost

Edit: Also, hello to my second customer EVER, zr1chris.

 

[Fanatec...]

I cannot answer all those questions for various reasons but I try to answer at least some of them. Be sure that we did not forget to announce something and we rather did not reveal all information intentionally in order not to make false promises we cannot keep later on for example.

@Fanatec... if you are around, a couple questions good sir...

1. Is it possible to announce which console you have signed a deal with before pre-orders go up?
No
2. Is the current universal hub one of the wheels that will work with this console?
No
3. Will the CSW base v1 continue to be sold?
No

6. Any particular reason you decided to stay with a belt drive system and not go direct drive (pros and cons of DD?) Just curious.
A direct drive is more powerful than most customers ever need but it is faster. It is a good concept but comes at a huge price. The CSW V2 has the same smoothness and steering precision and enough power at a fraction of the cost.


7. Is the 7NM peak output with or without overclocking?
With
8. For the multiple steering wheels at multiple price ranges, I assume that is referring to the console compatibility enabling wheels?
correct

10. Is there a time table / schedule for sending out invite emails?
It will not happen before end of next week
11. Do invites apply to CSW v1 base beta testers?
Sure. They did a great job for us
12. Even though the CSW v1 base is pretty quiet, has noise changed at all for the v2 base?
yes but we did not measure it

Thomas, should you read this,

I know for some reason you've decided to avoid responding to most of what I've written on public forums... Maybe that's a good thing for us both. However, I have a very public request to make:

My CPX adapter has I believe netted you a rather nice increase in sales over the last 7 months or so on your CSP V2 and CSR Elite pedals... Sales you would not have otherwise had. What do you say I get one of these "invites" to give to a person of my choosing?

Prost

If I will make such an announcement in public my inboxes will be flooded with requests

In general there is no reason not to support you.

 

[miata13B]

How long of an eta is the V2 for the general public that does not receive an invitation? Reasoning being is that a time frame for those of us that will not receive one would like to know.

 

[zr1chris]

Edit: Also, hello to my second customer EVER, zr1chris.

Wow! I didn't know i was your 2nd customer! Well, it's been my pleasure. That filter you sold me for my Porsche pedals still works perfectly. Some of the best money i have spent up to this day! Great work! 👍

 

[Lammy77]

Does the CSR Elite get rims to support PS4 or Xbox 1?

 

[Punknoodle]

@Fanatec... I've only just purchased the Clubsport Pedals v2 from your website and was about to order the CSW v1 but held off when I heard the announcement, thinking the CSW v1 would continue and you were bringing out something else - I wanted to see what it was. In hind sight I should have ordered when I could!

My question, is I see you are sending invites down the line, starting at people who have bought the CSW and CSR elite, and then down to people who have bought pedals etc. If I purchase the rims I want to use now, does that increase my chances of getting a preorder invite? Not sure how the ranking system works..

Keen to order as soon as possible

Thanks

 

[Flying_Kefran]

Quantities will be limited (very limited ?) So it will be somehow unfair whatever is system is put in place.

Priority will be given to Clubsport or CSR-E owners but imagine you have already bought 4 Fanatec wheels + sets of pedals... but not the CSW/CSRE... you could appreciate moderately to be considered a lower priority than someone who bought an only wheel.

 

[Spike125]

Great news Thomas, I was waiting for that announcement for a while now, and I'm very happy with the features list so far.
Really hope to get an invite, specially since my Elite is starting to fade now after 2 1/2 years of heavy use.

 

[paskowitz]

I cannot answer all those questions for various reasons but I try to answer at least some of them. Be sure that we did not forget to announce something and we rather did not reveal all information intentionally in order not to make false promises we cannot keep later on for example.






If I will make such an announcement in public my inboxes will be flooded with requests

In general there is no reason not to support you.

Awesome! Many many thanks for the reply.

 

[spacecowboy73]

Does the CSR Elite get rims to support PS4 or Xbox 1?

I would like to know this as well. It seems people are saying it should be supported but I haven't seen it answered directly. I just don't want to get my hopes up if it isn't the case. Thanks.

 

[Flying_Kefran]

CSR Elite is a discontinued product for Fanatec so we should not expect too much (I have one CSR-E with a Formula rim myself)

If they give priority to CSR-E / CSW owners to pre-order the new base, it is likely because those 2 wheels will not be upgraded to equivalent functionality.

 

[Mayaman]

^^^If that is the case I can't wait for my invite, I've got two CSW and a CSR E LOL

 

[spacecowboy73]

CSR Elite is a discontinued product for Fanatec so we should not expect too much (I have one CSR-E with a Formula rim myself)

If they give priority to CSR-E / CSW owners to pre-order the new base, it is likely because those 2 wheels will not be upgraded to equivalent functionality.

Thanks for the reply, and I see your point, I just really hope you're wrong lol. I don't know if I can justify spending another $500 only a couple years after I bought my CSR-E. Plus my wife probably wouldn't be too happy.

 

[bumer]

^^^If that is the case I can't wait for my invite, I've got two CSW and a CSR E LOL

You are a single man, but have 2 CSW's, CSR E, looking to buy CSW V2, Accuforce wheel, not to mention two Dbox rigs and whatever else you have. Do you even get to use any of them?

 

[Mayaman]