TH8 RS Shifter Thread!

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I dunno, but then I'd say to TM that they should communicate better between the sales&marketing department and the R&D department.
Depending on how long this will take and if the CSS is interesting, who knows what I'll do. But I'll wait for now.
 
So nobody that pre ordered this has received it 👎

Mine is due at the end of the month and i hope i see people reporting on theirs before then.
 
Has anyone heard anything more yet about the delay? My webshop isn't even replying to mails. If I don't have a reply by noon tomorrow I might call them and see what is going on, maybe I'll even cancel. Dunno yet. The silence from all parties is just too rude to the people who pre-ordered in my opininion.

Thrustmaster on Facebook:
Joan Kent Really poor customer service. There seems to be a huge disconnect between supply and demand - despite advertising and allowing pre orders - you never delivered on them, leaving loads of people disappointed. Sort it out!!
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Thrustmaster T500 RS ‎@ Joan: sorry for the inconvenience but the level of demands is higher than all expectations. We are doing our best to answer to these asap.
Click to expand...


Let's hope it's before Christmas for Christ's sake. -_-'
 
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Due to demand? That makes it sound like they've had too many orders and they've run out....yet no one in the press or more importantly, on here has one yet.

I'd say no one has had a retail one, full stop. Let's hope I'm wrong and there isn't some manufacturing issue causing the delay
 
I suspect factory costs drops dramatically if you can order a huge quantity of product all at once. So they probably used the preorders to figure out the demand and decided to make a whole lot at once. That's just my best guess going by that statement. From what I've been told game publishers, etc dont make any money from preorders they just use it to figure out how much product they need to push out
 
If that's the case this will be my last product. I don't put money down to enter a friggin' survey for their sake. Seriously WTF?!
I'm sorry, but yeah... things like this due piss me off. And I read on here (after my purchases) that it was the same last year with the T500 RS?
 
LogiForce
If that's the case this will be my last product. I don't put money down to enter a friggin' survey for their sake.
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sucks about delay. but most reputable online retailers do not charge you until they ship the product, so it's not like you are putting any money down
 
Yeah I know for sure that's how game publishers work. But at least they deliver on the preorder date. Thrustmaster has slipped theres which is not cool. Granted, only reason im not sweatin' it because I spent a boatload on all these games that released already. So by the time I'm ready for it I'm sure it will be out

I'm pretty much sure a shifter will not improve my times at all. And wheelstand pro probably wont have a mount ready for awhile either. So i have to wait on them as well. Probably will be like January or so before its all said and done
 
lunarwolf
sucks about delay. but most reputable online retailers do not charge you until they ship the product, so it's not like you are putting any money down
Click to expand...

Well I had to pay before hand here. And that's how it usually goes in my country. So yeah... I did put money down.
 
miata22
I have a reply by Thrustmaster Support today regarding whether can be use alone or not, please read below:

Dear Mr. XXXXX
Thank you for your E-Mail regarding TH8 RS Shifter.

Thank you for your interest in our products.
We would like to apologize in our delay in responding to you.
TH8RS will also work with other wheels, not only T500R, also the racing game must support the clutch and gear shift functions.
A list with compatible games will be made public next week on our sites www.thrustmaster.com and ts.thrustmaster.com
Thank you for your patience and collaboration.
Feel free to contact us for any other information.
Click to expand...

Its been 2 weeks and I haven't seen an update to the games list. I did notice on Amazon.com that they have the release date set to Oct 31. The F1 Wheel Rim was also available yesterday but it sold out within hours.

I don't think i will hear any further news from fanatec about their CSRE/CSW/CSS this month so I think i will pre-order the TH8 shifter now :)
 
maks
Its been 2 weeks and I haven't seen an update to the games list. I did notice on Amazon.com that they have the release date set to Oct 31. The F1 Wheel Rim was also available yesterday but it sold out within hours.

I don't think i will hear any further news from fanatec about their CSRE/CSW/CSS this month so I think i will pre-order the TH8 shifter now :)
Click to expand...

Here's to what Thrustmaster said on Facebook about the delay of the TH8 RS (also posted this in the F1 wheel thread because it happened to enter the conversation).

Here's as to what they said:
Alex Chan ‎@Thrustmaster - what has happened to the TH8 RS list of compatible games that you claimed to have on your website since over 4 weeks ago?
Click to expand...
Christiaan Van Beilen ‎@Thrustmaster: I wonder about what Alex Chan says as well? You promised it would be online last week! The TH8 RS release date was also the 15th! Now I still haven't received my shifter that I pre-ordered about a good month ago, nor has anyone I talked to in many big online sim communities, or reviewers for that matter. So it's not a matter of supply and demand issue or else at least one person would have put his thoughts about it online.

So could you be kind enough to elaborate on the hold-up of the TH8 RS shifter? And preferably a solid date on when we can expect them.

Thanks in advance
Click to expand...
Thrustmaster T500 RS ‎@Alex and Christiaan: you are right there has been some delay and sorry for the inconvenience. We will provide you with positive updates in the very coming days.
Click to expand...
 
Okay... I am kinda pissed. Just got a mail from my shop saying they wont ship till the 16th!!! Gah! So I wrote Thrustmaster a piece on Facebook... here goes!

I am thinking about canceling my order since I have to wait till the 16th of November before my order is sent. And to be honest, I am afraid of further delay and I could spend that 150 euros differently in our month full of holidays and fun stuff.

Now can anyone tell me the reason for the delay here? I reckon it's customs, or more likely it has got something to do with game support being not there yet (for the PS3) for a long while, other then a few PC sims. In other words, Kaz and PD are probably holding things up for GT5. Since there is no game compatibility list released, it's the most obvious reason.
Also the software for the device itself is far from beta, since the driver has v1.1.7.0 according to the .inf, the calibration tool 1.0.7.0 and firmware at v.2.0.

So since we all know Kaz is a perfectionist, I reckon he's taking his time again to get his game ready and make rest of the world wait. If this is the case that is, then it's quite selfish thing to do in my opinion.
Cause if you would've just brought out the shifter, then the rest of the world could've started development for support. Like in the new open community development of C.A.R.S. for example.
Then again, I understand that Guillemot and especially PD wouldn't feel comfortable having a full supported and GT5 branded wheel, but no branded shifter at release. Thus raising lots of questions as to why there isn't support for GT5. In other words a bit of a dilemma. Choosing one or the other doesn't matter, as long as there is communication to your customer base and/or the entire racing (sim) community. Which is where it lacks a lot compared to the communication from Fanatec to its customer base and the rest of the community.

The last option is of course a sudden design flaw, but if the fish were already swimming on the ocean since the original release date was the 15th... let's just say, not likely that there will be an entire new batch to be spread across the globe in only a month. Especially with the current demand.

So... what shall we do? I want to know where I stand as a customer waiting for your product. If it for sure is the 16th then I should've already known about this as I asked about a solid date before, so I doubt it. So let me ask it differently in a boolean form. Will it be available and at the retail stores before Christmas in European countries (for me the Netherlands), yes or no?
Or you know what, if there will be a maybe at least let us know what's going on.
If it's maybe and no reason, i'll take it as a no and get my money back for now and get it at a later date.
Click to expand...

Edit/Update:

Ricky Camara i just got mine yestarday but i cant get it to work on my ps3,i downloaded the new firmaware and and the whell still doesnt want to work...im assuming i did something wromg when doing the update because i think when i did the update i had the F1 wheel attached to the base where it requires the gt wheel...i already try it several times downloading the new firmware but nothing seems to work..:( can someone from Trustmaster help me with this please?
Click to expand...

So everyone, when you get it... HAVE THE GT5 WHEEL ATTACHED!
Also... WOOHOO the first fish have arrived... only not here. *sob*

My response to the guy:
Oh? How odd that I've got to wait till the 16th then. Well, I was yapping too hard then. But a little message from Thrustmaster saying "the first fish are on the ocean" or something along those lines would've been nice and requires hardly any effort.
At least I'll be comforted now that I know at least 1 person has got it. :)
Click to expand...
 
Wow that guy has both the Ferrari F1 rim + TH8 RS shifter? Nice. Too bad his shifter is not working though. Hope you get your shifter shortly. :nervous:
 
I pre-ordered both the shifter and F1 rim. The F1 rim has been pushed back for the u.k to December so I've cancelled that. Christmas is coming up, plus a stack of games and other things to do. Does Thrustmaster not seem to realise this and with the shifter there seems to be no date or information. I don't know anyone who has one, the lack of reason for the shifter delay is sub standard customer service. I'm all for waiting, but with no communication from them on why. It makes me question what happens if you have a real problem with their products.
At least someone seems to have the shifter from the discussion above. That at least gives me hope that I may at least get the shifter that I been waiting for since the wheel was released.
 
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You guys should of learned your lesson already.

Thrustmaster seems to be great at doing paper launches or sparodic dispatches. It took to the begining of Feb for the first UK stock of the wheel to arrive.

Therefore I have little surprise to see again a similar situation with the accessories.
Frustrating Im sure it is but not much you can do.
 
I received the new Fanatec CSR shifter set yesterday and to be honest I don't even think I"m going to bother with the Clubsport shifter. The new aluminum parts and design are great. Mounted and under a custom leather shift boot it feels almost exactly like a real shifter. The clubsport better be amazing or I'm just going to stick with this.
 
I have received an email from my chosen supplier . Delivery has been moved to the end of November :grumpy:

Until then i will keep my eye's open for something else.
 
Sounds like mine will move as well then. I doubt we'll get them this year if this keeps up at this rate. :S

Maybe I should ask Thomas to send me those CSR shifters instead. Then I at least have something to shift with. lol
The clubsport shifter still looked nice though on the design pictures. I wonder how far development is. ^_^
 
 
Google is your best friend :).

First batch available next week :
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005QIO40S/ref=s9_simh_gw_p63_d0_g63_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=1W4NCWMBB3W47ZWKMSJG&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846
http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B005L0Z2BQ/ref=s9_simh_gw_p63_d0_g63_i1?pf_rd_m=A3JWKAKR8XB7XF&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0Z9NF7QWBVA6B04GYTKM&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=463375173&pf_rd_i=301128
http://www.amazon.it/Cambio-per-volanti-TH8-RS/dp/B005L0Z2BQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319577495&sr=8-1
http://www.play.com/PC/PCs/4-/23010379/Thrustmaster-TH8-RS-Realistic-Gaming-Gearbox-Shifter-for-PC-and-PS3/Product.html?searchtype=allproducts&searchsource=0&searchstring=thrustmaster+th8&urlrefer=search
SimWare also deliver everywhere (even in Uk):
http://www.simw.com/catalog/product/view/id/6075/s/th8-rs-shifter/category/3/
etc...
 
I wonder if those batches are really there within a week. I doubt it, cause there are lots of shops who just move the date up a week every time as well.
 
LogiForce
Sounds like mine will move as well then. I doubt we'll get them this year if this keeps up at this rate. :S

Maybe I should ask Thomas to send me those CSR shifters instead. Then I at least have something to shift with. lol
The clubsport shifter still looked nice though on the design pictures. I wonder how far development is. ^_^
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The CSR shifters are really nice, surprised me. Big improvement over the old ones.
 
Mayaman
The CSR shifters are really nice, surprised me. Big improvement over the old ones.
Click to expand...

They still give me the impression from videos that they are just tactile switch boxes though. Could you give me a more thorough impression as to how they feel? As i've never owned a Fanatec wheel, so neither the shifters of theirs :ouch:
The only comparison I have is my G25 and that I tried a G27 in the local shop.
 
Logi. The standard and csr shifter set utilize 2 potentiometers. One measures the forward and back travel and one measures the left to right.
It uses a double horseshoe type design, each of which is attatched to one of the potentiometers. A pin attached to the shift knob lower part goes through a slot in those horseshoes. As. You move the shift knob through the internal gates, the pin moves the double horseshoes in unison, thus readjusting the potentiometers.
Your better at electronics than me by light years, you can guess how the potentiometers tie together to indicate 8 different positions of the 6+1(+n).

Tactile is handle by a cylinder with a spring and ball mechanism inside which roll over a series of three indents inside the housing, locking the shift knob in its forward neutral or rearward positions.


Oops didnt mean to type that much.
 
Thanks Caz!
As far as I recall the G25 uses 2 potentiometers as well, making both equally accurate in their readings. Taken that the potentiometers used in both are made equally well of course.
The construction however seems to be more solid and better feeling. The reason I thought tactile switches were used was because of the distinctive click when changing into gear. I reckon the spring must be a lot more powerful then the one in the G25 or G27 to make such a click though.

Sounds like it's not so bad as I thought. And to be honest, I was really confused of the quality seeing that the steering wheels and pedals were high quality. It didn't mix in with the image I had of Fanatec products in general.
 
Anytime i can help. I havent held the csr shifters yet.to be honest, i like the standard porsche one now that i added a heavier shift knob and a couple of other mods. It doesnt really feel that bad, but yeah compared to the rest of the products it is kind of toy like. But it was included with my first wheel ( 911 carrera )
 
Guys, I have both the original Fanatec shifters and the new ones. The original knobs felt like toys. What I did was take off the original knob, and turn the bolt all the way in increasing the resistance, then I added a real chrome and leather shifter for Porsche and a leather shift boot. The damn thing almost feels like the short shift kit in my 968! It's sweet.

But this week I got the new CSR shifters and they are even better, especially with this

http://www.x-cpo.de/index.php?option=com_content&view=section&layout=blog&id=2&Itemid=5&lang=en

Get the shifter mount on that page, it's brilliant! I've added another leather boot I wasn't using and it literally feels almost real.

For the $69 you'll pay and then the $25 or so dollars for a leather boot you can't go wrong. I'll be posting picks next week when my VR3 is done with this mod.
 
LogiForce
Thanks Caz!
As far as I recall the G25 uses 2 potentiometers as well, making both equally accurate in their readings. Taken that the potentiometers used in both are made equally well of course.
The construction however seems to be more solid and better feeling. The reason I thought tactile switches were used was because of the distinctive click when changing into gear. I reckon the spring must be a lot more powerful then the one in the G25 or G27 to make such a click though.

Sounds like it's not so bad as I thought. And to be honest, I was really confused of the quality seeing that the steering wheels and pedals were high quality. It didn't mix in with the image I had of Fanatec products in general.
Click to expand...

Wow, Caz went into a lot of detail. To simplify the description, think of the Fanatec shifters as analog joysticks. Seriously, that's what they are internally. If you've ever seen the internals of a potentiometer-based flight stick, it's a lot like that. The shaft of the shifter extends into the plastic housing, all the way to the bottom. Molded into the bottom portion is a series of divots. As you move the shifter, the spring loaded ball at the bottom of the shaft rides along these divots, allowing it to lock firmly into gear. Instead of springs, Fanatec used polyurethane foam along the sides of the housing to provide resistance for the shifter. Simple, possibly crude, but it works quite well. The shifter is very firm and positive and feels a lot more positive than the Logitech G25 and G27 shifters.

The original Fanatec shifters were mostly hollow plastic. They worked well and the shift action was positive, but you could never shake the feeling you were holding a plastic, toy approximation of a real shifter. You're right in that the quality did feel out of place. The CSR versions are functionally identical but provide a cast aluminum shift knob and shaft. The feel of metal and the added mass make shifting feel smoother, and it goes a long way towards feeling more realistic. You still get the click-clack sound in use, but the feel is better. I also posted a mini-review here: https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?p=6018451#post6018451

The issue with the Logitech shifters is really in the loose, vague feel. The springs that provide resistance to the shift lever are pretty light, as are the springs used with the metal bearing that locks the stick into each position. Logitech did use a lot of metal in the internal construction, so it looks like they built something fairly solid, but with an action that's too light. There's a bit of slop in each position too.

Neither of these designs is perfect, but I prefer the Fanatec shifter in use, especially the CSR. I still can't wait for the ClubSport Shifter. I'm very curious about real user reviews of the TH8RS too.
 

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