Another Fanatec wheel arrives!

[Fanatec...]

It is possible that we make a non-branded wheel in the future but as Mikemav said, this will only change the design of the wheel. The high price-performance stays the same.

 

[Timppaq]

Well, it would make me much more interested if there was no Porsche logo on the wheel. And I'm a great Porsche fan 👍 Feels a bit "stupid" to drive a different make car & seeing the logo in front of you.. takes away little of the immersion. But that's just me. Anyways, great to see someone challenging the other maker as it only can be good for the gamers. 👍

 

[versapak]

Well, it would make me much more interested if there was no Porsche logo on the wheel. And I'm a great Porsche fan 👍 Feels a bit "stupid" to drive a different make car & seeing the logo in front of you.. takes away little of the immersion. But that's just me. Anyways, great to see someone challenging the other maker as it only can be good for the gamers. 👍

How much looking at the wheel do you do while you are driving?

If it just says Fanatec on the front, how is that any different than Porsche? Either way it isn't Ferrari, Honda, Lotus, Ford, Lamborghini, etc... Would you need a different wheel for each make of car you choose in the game?

As long as the wheel has a quality feel and handles great, then I am in the game.

Now I could understand if you just didn't like the Porsche wheel designs in general, but to say that the branding itself kills some of the immersion (in games that in most cases encompass a huge mix of brands that no one wheel could ever truly be representative of) just seems silly.



.

 

[Timppaq]

How much looking at the wheel do you do while you are driving?

If it just says Fanatec on the front, how is that any different than Porsche? Either way it isn't Ferrari, Honda, Lotus, Ford, Lamborghini, etc... Would you need a different wheel for each make of car you choose in the game?

As long as the wheel has a quality feel and handles great, then I am in the game.

Now I could understand if you just didn't like the Porsche wheel designs in general, but to say that the branding itself kills some of the immersion (in games that in most cases encompass a huge mix of brands that no one wheel could ever truly be representative of) just seems silly.



.

Fair enough, but that's the way it is for me.

And if there was a Porsche logo on the wheel, maybe I had to look the wheel too much then.. Might affect my times.



.

 

[kikie]

Is Fanatec looking into building a generic wheel and not a Porsche branded wheel? If so, I would be vewwy, vewwy interested as the reviews of the G27 are not as good as I expected.

I've heard that before, and just wondering the thinking behind it? Are you really opposed to the Porsche brand, or is there another reason? Because I've heard it argued before "if it didn't have to be official Brand X" (or whatever), "it would be cheaper to purchase." I don't necessarily buy that. If it's a good value vs the G27 for what you get then it's still a good value with the symbol from Stuttgart on it as well, IMHO.Besides, without Porsche $$ to fund the startup of this division we might not have these products (I'm just guessing there, could be way off base.) Anyway, /conjecture, I digress...

It is possible that we make a non-branded wheel in the future but as Mikemav said, this will only change the design of the wheel. The high price-performance stays the same.

That's a very odd statement you made there Thomas/Fanatec.

We had this conversation before and you said that a Porsche wheel is more expensive than a generic wheel (not much but more expensive).

mikemav said:

... Are you really opposed to the Porsche brand, or is there another reason? Because I've heard it argued before "if it didn't have to be official Brand X" (or whatever), "it would be cheaper to purchase." I don't necessarily buy that. ...

You said:

It is possible that we make a non-branded wheel in the future but as Mikemav said, this will only change the design of the wheel. The high price-performance stays the same.

As far as I understand, you are saying that the price will be the same, due to the high-price perfomance (your answer is based on mikamev's answer, saying that he thinks that the price will be the same), or are you saying (between the lines) that the high performance price will be the same (and that's a good thing) but the wheel will be cheaper because you don't have to charge the customer for the license (Porsche) fee?

Remember this:

I'm interested in a "Fanatec generic wheel" and not a "Porsche" wheel, because I think that a Porsche wheel is more expensive. The same hardware with a generic wheel, is less expensive. I'm not sure but I think that the costs for acquiring a Porsche license to build a Porsche wheel is calculated in the retail price.

The assumption that the brand "Porsche" makes the wheel more expensive is true but you overestimate it. The license fee is very reasonable and probably lower than what other companies pay for a "Gran Turismo" brand.

In fact without Porsche there would be no high-end wheel on 360. Period.

The reason for the high price of the Porsche wheel is due to the enourmous production cost because of the very expensive materials we use.

the leather wheel rim is made in the same factory as BMW produces their leather stuff. And we need to send leather, PU foam, belts etc. from Europe to China because nothing can compare in quality.

Most of the cost is hidden in the electronics and the belt drive and is hard to see. But once you drive it you will feel the difference.

In fact if we would sell the wheel on a normal retail channel we would have to ask for a price in the region of 600€. With or without Porsche brand.

the leather wheel rim is made in the same factory as BMW produces their leather stuff.

Why? In God's name, it's a toy... .

That you use high performance parts/electronics is a very good and positive thing but to use very expensive (your exact words) real leather for the rim is overkill (again my opinion).

In fact without Porsche there would be no high-end wheel on 360. Period.

Fair enough!

I'm interested in a "Fanatec generic wheel" and not a "Porsche" wheel, because I think that a Porsche wheel is more expensive. The same hardware with a generic wheel, is less expensive. I'm not sure but I think that the costs for acquiring a Porsche license to build a Porsche wheel is calculated in the retail price.

The assumption that the brand "Porsche" makes the wheel more expensive is true but you overestimate it.

How do you know that I overestimated it? I never said that it is too expensive, I just said that it is more expensive, exactly the same thing what you said.

link(# 812)

To aswer mikamev's post:

Don't get me wrong, I'm very, very interested in a Fanatec wheel/pedals. Much more than in a Logitech wheel. But I have to say, it's a toy IMHO and I don't need a more expensive toy (e.g Porsche wheel in your case). A generic wheel, like the Logitech G25, is much more appealing ...

and I will add this; a Porsche wheel is snobish (my opinion!).
Porsche is my favourite car, but only the new 997 GT3 and the GT3 RS.


To end this long post, I'm very interested in a Fanatec wheel and CS pedals and I don't think that the Porsche wheels are overpriced, the opposite. But if I can get a generic Fanatec wheel at a slightly lower price with the same hardware, no Porsche license fee and no very expensive leather, than I would get that one instead of the slightly more expensive Porsche wheel (life isn't cheap and every penny I can save is always a good thing). If you compare the G27 with the Fanatec wheels, it's obvious which is the better choice. (I'm only talking about the GT3 RS wheel, not the more expensive TurboS wheel)

Only 2 gripes I have about the Fanatec wheels:

• The belt. I read on the internet and it has been mentioned before in this thread, that a the belt can wear out pretty fast. I still don't know if this is true.
• The lack of plug & play feature. The G27 is a plug & play wheel, the speed7 pedals from BRD are plug (calibrates by pushing some buttons in a certain sequence and watch the red/green/yellow led's on the little box between the wheel and the pc) & play.

Thomas/Fanatec... keep developing new hardware, you're doing a very good thing and you make a lot of people happy (maybe me included in the near furture !

 

[versapak]

That's a very odd statement you made there Thomas/Fanatec.

We had this conversation before and you said that a Porsche wheel is more expensive than a generic wheel (not much but more expensive).

mikemav said: You said: As far as I understand, you are saying that the price will be the same, due to the high-price perfomance (your answer is based on mikamev's answer, saying that he thinks that the price will be the same), or are you saying (between the lines) that the high performance price will be the same (and that's a good thing) but the wheel will be cheaper because you don't have to charge the customer for the license (Porsche) fee?

Say the license is $10 a wheel (Obviously that is a BS number that I am making up. I have no idea how much the license actually is, so it could be I am way off, but anyway...). Taking a $350 wheel down to $340 may technically make the wheel cheaper, but in the grand scheme of the overall market, do you think it would actually make a difference in who could afford the wheel? In that sense... No, it won't really be cheaper.

Why? In God's name, it's a toy... .

That you use high performance parts/electronics is a very good and positive thing but to use very expensive (your exact words) real leather for the rim is overkill (again my opinion).

Fair enough!

It is done specifically for Versapak, because it is that kind of quality that I am looking for.




.

 

[mikemav]

Say the license is $10 a wheel (Obviously that is a BS number that I am making up. I have no idea how much the license actually is, so it could be I am way off, but anyway...). Taking a $350 wheel down to $340 may technically make the wheel cheaper, but in the grand scheme of the overall market, do you think it would actually make a difference in who could afford the wheel? In that sense... No, it won't really be cheaper.



It is done specifically for Versapak, because it is that kind of quality that I am looking for.




.

I agree. And as far as the high quality leather being overkill: well, I don't look on something at this level and expense as a "toy." I know it techinally is, but not how I look at it. Maybe others do. However, I spend a couple of hours a night on average on sim racing. I only spend 30 minutes a day on average commuting in my real car. So I actually handle my "toy" wheel more than my real car steering wheel, LOL! So I want it to be high quality, realistic feel, and built to last.

Look, I used to have a 2005 M3 Convertible (E46 BMW.) Loved it, had it for 2 years, but I sold it for good money just about when the warranty was to expire (and the economy was about to drop off the face of the earth.) I'm glad I did. Now I drive a G37s sedan which is fully paid for (by the BMW sale) and under warranty for several more years. It's great for my 30 minutes on the road a day. Besides, I can fire a virtual M3 up in rFactor, GT5P, FM3 or other sims, as well as hundreds of higher end cars I'd never get to drive in reality. Of course it's not the same, but it works for me, especially with a wheel rim of a caliber that would fit in such a car in reality. Just my 2 cents...

 

[oqvist]

If I want a toy I just get some of the sub 30$ wheels... They have unbeatable toy wheel force feedback and very nice plastic toyish pedals Turbo S and GT 3 RS is certainly not competing in that segment so I suspect many like me do appreciate the feel of real leather or alcantara to increase the immersion in our simracing. It´s part of the package that makes these wheels so great. Though I wished it smelled better lol

I was annoyed by DFPs rubber and I missed the momo force leather on the G25 so yes for me it does matter

I also don´t know what you find contradictive with Thomas reply Kikie?

Maybe the next wheel will actually be a higher end version then what´s out now and cost more. Maybe they will make some budget version or whatever nobody knows so a bit pointless to speculate. Maybe there is other forces at play that increases prices or such it´s just speculation at this point

You would also have to take into acount marketing and such. With no porsche license they would be harder to market. As mentioned Microsoft would probably ignored them and potentially less sold wheels otherwise too. There is a reason why just about all hardware manufacturers are prepared to pay licensing costs be it thrustmaster and ferrari, logitech and gran tourismo/momo, Fanatec and Porsche

As for the belt drive I haven´t read of any single failure of the belt drive itself but of course the 911 turbo is still young

It´s an old saying that belt drive isn´t reliable. Fanatec claims to have solved that problem and haven´t been proven wrong yet anyway. But no I don´t expect the Fanatec wheels to last together either. I suppose you need to pay for the Frex FFB wheel or an ECCI to get that.

 

[Fanatec...]

kikie
Wow you spend a lot of time writing this post.
The leather qualits is needed because there are simply gamers who sit longer in front of a TV/PC than in a car. How many Porsche drivers are there which drive their cars 3-4 hours on a daily basis? Therefore our quality must match if possible. Of course we could use rubber.

The belt is a good example for this high-end approach as well. It is made in the UK and then shipped to china because we could not find anything comparable in China. It is used in life-support machienes and it will not wear out.
We have a gaming life test were Chinese workers are playing 24/7 in a game. The wheel does not get a single minute of rest and it survived over 2000 hours. With a daily playtime of 2 hours this is 5 1/2 years.

The plug&play will be much improved with the new PWTS. There is no need to set back the system date anymore. And we are in contact with all major racing game makers now to support our wheels. It just took a while that they took us serious

 

[Gheth]

Must admit I do find the leather finish off putting because my hands sweat almost constantly to a degree and profusely whilst gaming. I'm pretty sure I could make the GT3 RS Alcantara wheel disgustingly shiny in a short space of time as well

 

[Raitziger]

"Must admit I do find the leather finish off putting because my hands sweat almost constantly"'
Use driving gloves.

 

[oqvist]

I thought of getting such not for it making my hands sweaty it don´t but for the smell . But it would look so silly if someone noticed I bought some I have resisted. I get enough flak for my racing shoes already

 

[Psychotext]

Punch them in the throat.

 

[Biggles]

We have a gaming life test were Chinese workers are playing 24/7 in a game

Disgraceful that you are abusing your workers this way!

( 💡 I wonder if I could get a job like that?)

As I stated before, I would have preferred a "generic" wheel. It's a bit odd driving another make of car with such an obviously "Porsche" wheel. I think the idea would be to have a high quality "gaming wheel" rather than a "copy" of a RL wheel.

However, I have found that it actually does add to the immersion when using it to drive the Porches in Shift. 👍 (Which conversely proves the point, that it does make a difference & a generic wheel would be better for general purposes! )

 

[Psychotext]

Maybe you could stick a round silver disc over the middle to make it look generic when you're not racing Porsches.

 

[Gheth]

"Must admit I do find the leather finish off putting because my hands sweat almost constantly"'
Use driving gloves.

Yes I guess I could , but they would have to be cotton which limits the effectiveness and I'd also need a number of pairs for washing.. which all sounds a bit too much as well as looking ridiculous

 

[Raitziger]

but they would have to be cotton

why cotton? I have classic leather gloves which work nice.

 

[oqvist]

I guess there is more getting an email about F3 now.

As I understand it we don´t get Forza 3 as promised but an 50 euro coupon code that is only valid in Fanatecs web shop? So will Fanatec then carry Forza 3 in their web shop or could they as an alternative ship it with those that got on the slow boat ferry. Should have minimum four weeks so should be possible you would think

 

[bevo]

I guess there is more getting an email about F3 now.

As I understand it we don´t get Forza 3 as promised but an 50 euro coupon code that is only valid in Fanatecs web shop? So will Fanatec then carry Forza 3 in their web shop or could they as an alternative ship it with those that got on the slow boat ferry. Should have minimum four weeks so should be possible you would think

I did ask if the coupon will have an expiration date and he said no. There's nothing left for me to buy from the fanatec shop except a 1200$ cockpit and that's a little out of my price range.

I'm kind of upset about the no forza 3. I'm going to have trouble finding it now, because all the stores I've called have already soled all of their pre orders. It will be weeks now before I can find a copy. I was counting on the free copy and now I'm kind of screwed for awhile. I've stood by fanatec through all of their screw ups, but this one has really aggravated me. It is definitely the the last thing I ever pre order from them. They should have stilll sent the copy of forza 3 or at least of gave us an option for the coupon.

 

[versapak]

I did ask if the coupon will have an expiration date and he said no. There's nothing left for me to buy from the fanatec shop except a 1200$ cockpit and that's a little out of my price range.

I'm kind of upset about the no forza 3. I'm going to have trouble finding it now, because all the stores I've called have already soled all of their pre orders. It will be weeks now before I can find a copy. I was counting on the free copy and now I'm kind of screwed for awhile. I've stood by fanatec through all of their screw ups, but this one has really aggravated me. It is definitely the the last thing I ever pre order from them. They should have stilll sent the copy of forza 3 or at least of gave us an option for the coupon.

Yeah, I too am bummed about that. I had canceled my pre-order when Fanatec announced that we would be getting one from them.

Unfortunately I think it has to do with the large amounts of people telling Fanatec they already were buying the game, and they wanted money from Fanatec instead, or that they were buying the CE version, and they wanted money from Fanatec instead. There were also people complaining that it we weren't going to have it when it launched, then could we just have money from Fanatec instead.

Now we are getting "money" from Fanatec instead.

You gotta be careful with that vocal minority. If the majority remains silent, the minority can easily get what it wants.

 

[oqvist]

This coupon draws more people to the web shop and encourages people to spend money so it´s perhaps a better deal for Fanatec. More convenient at the very least but from my end it´s not nearly as good and it´s not what was promised. I was one that got hooked by this felt like to much a luxury since I just replaced my 911 turbo for the GT 3 RS. I wasn´t asked anyway if I wanted a web shop coupon instead of a Forza 3 copy. It was a promise made as early in june that I just took for granted Fanatec would stand by. 50 euro coupon could be an option rather then a replacement that wouldn´t been a problem.

However Thomas used the word probably when there was questions about it on the blog that they would sell Forza 3 in their web shop in the future. That would be quite okay in my book even if I wished all preorders would get it with their wheel.

I mean I have bought like 75 % of their wheels, turbo, GT 3 RS Clubsport and now Turbo S Pure, clubsport table clamp I am not really willing to buy a 4th wheel or something. I can´t even imagine what to spent the money on rather then simulations to actually use all my hardware for.

 

[versapak]

Fortunately there is still some hardware I am interested in, such as the clubsport table clamp.

Given that Forza was never part of my initial purchase to begin with, it isn't really a huge concern. I would have loved to have gotten it, but a store credit is still something for what is essentially nothing. I would have waited for my wheel regardless of whether he offered it or not.

 

[Delphic Reason]

Fortunately there is still some hardware I am interested in, such as the clubsport table clamp.

Given that Forza was never part of my initial purchase to begin with, it isn't really a huge concern. I would have loved to have gotten it, but a store credit is still something for what is essentially nothing. I would have waited for my wheel regardless of whether he offered it or not.

My thoughts exactly... I'm also going to be purchasing the table clamp with my coupon. I'm glad they've given us this option, as I had already preordered the game almost a year ago.

 

[oqvist]

It´s great to have as an option. For those that preferrs this coupon great. We other that wants the game should be getting it as promised since way back.

 

[dumchidumchi]

I posted the following on the Forza forum...but I think here is more appropriate place for it.

How does the final production wheel, std/CS pedals work with GT5P? I know this is a Forza forum, but the main reason I'm considering this wheel is because it works with both Xbox360 and PS3. Already watched jonboy's videos, but would like to have some more reviews on the final product.

Anyone knows if Fanatec has sent a Porsche wheel to Polyphony Digital for them to check out? We all know Logitech works very closely with PD. Also, I'd seen Logitech wheels all over Polyphony Digital office from the videos on the internet. But I'd never seen a Fanatec wheel there. Would it be nice if GT5 add the "ABS vibration brake" function on the CS pedal?

One more thing, does the CS pedal comes with the steel plate for you to mount on? I saw some pictures on Fanatec showing a black colour steel plate for the pedal. Not sure if that only comes with the std pedal or CS pedal. Some of you are drilling holes to the Playseat EVO to mount and secure the CS pedal. Wonder if it's possible to just mount the CS pedal to the "included" steel plate and velcro it to the base of Playset EVO pedal base.

 

[Biggles]

I didn't get any kind of separate "steel-plate" with my Clubsport pedals. Frankly, the CSPs are too big for the Playseat Evo frame. They are just at a whole different level of RL "heavy-solidity" than the G25 components, or even the Fanatec wheels/shifters.

I don't know if anyone else has posted this, but I just received the G25 pedal adapter from Fanatec, & I can report that it works well.

 

[oqvist]

what is this steel plate? You are sure you aren´t talking about the steel plate for the standard plastic pedals? They have a steel plate to increase mass and make it more stable

 

[dumchidumchi]

Aha, so that "Black colour steel plate" I saw the picture of on Fanatec site is for increasing weight on the standard pedal.

How do you guys mount your CS pedal to the Playseat EVO pedal base? It looks too big for the pedal base and velcro won't do the job. Really would like to hear or see some pictures on how you guys do yours.

Thanks.

 

[Delphic Reason]

Just received an email from Thomas. Should have my Turbo S in a week. Now I just need to order the table clamp, and a few extra pedal/shifter cables for the cockpit (resuming work on cockpit when wheel is received).

It's so close I can smell the leather.

 

[oqvist]

Aha, so that "Black colour steel plate" I saw the picture of on Fanatec site is for increasing weight on the standard pedal.

How do you guys mount your CS pedal to the Playseat EVO pedal base? It looks too big for the pedal base and velcro won't do the job. Really would like to hear or see some pictures on how you guys do yours.

Thanks.

You may not want to hear this but I would forget all idea of mounting the CSP pedals on the Evo. It´s pedal plate is neither large or sturdy enough for them. Since you get the Turbo S maybe you can grab some cheap G25 pedals somewhere if you don´t want to change cockpit? Evos pedal plate is designed for these and I find them better then the stock fanatec pedals too.

You can nixim mod the brake though the Evolution again is really not stable enough for that it flexes quite a bit.