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My Drive Hub Racing Wheel Converter Review
Unless you've been living under a rock for the past few years, you'll be acutely aware of the questionable forced incompatibility issues plaguing the latest generation of games consoles regarding older FFB wheels. Whatever position you've taken in this controversy, one thing's for sure; it's divided opinion in the sim racing community & has sparked much-heated discussion on various forums all over the world. Enter the very clever people at Collective Minds & their elegant solution to this most divisive problem; the Drive Hub Racing Wheel Converter. This device, its makers claim, lets you use virtually any FFB steering wheel on either PS4 or XB1 with full FFB functionality, while offering all the convenience of being plug & play. So, how does it measure up?
To my pleasant surprise, I was given a review model by Collective Minds (who, by the way, I am in no way affiliated with), & I spent four days testing it with three wheels, three games, & two consoles. In this comprehensive review, I will be scoring Drive Hub from 1 to 10 on several different points of interest, & will then be adding up the total score at the end (which will be out of a possible 100). This will be a dual review with a Day One Score, & an interactive Revised Score that will be updated over time in response to customer input as well as that from Collective Minds & Cronus. So, please be sure to let me know what you think in this thread. Let's get started!
Unless you've been living under a rock for the past few years, you'll be acutely aware of the questionable forced incompatibility issues plaguing the latest generation of games consoles regarding older FFB wheels. Whatever position you've taken in this controversy, one thing's for sure; it's divided opinion in the sim racing community & has sparked much-heated discussion on various forums all over the world. Enter the very clever people at Collective Minds & their elegant solution to this most divisive problem; the Drive Hub Racing Wheel Converter. This device, its makers claim, lets you use virtually any FFB steering wheel on either PS4 or XB1 with full FFB functionality, while offering all the convenience of being plug & play. So, how does it measure up?
To my pleasant surprise, I was given a review model by Collective Minds (who, by the way, I am in no way affiliated with), & I spent four days testing it with three wheels, three games, & two consoles. In this comprehensive review, I will be scoring Drive Hub from 1 to 10 on several different points of interest, & will then be adding up the total score at the end (which will be out of a possible 100). This will be a dual review with a Day One Score, & an interactive Revised Score that will be updated over time in response to customer input as well as that from Collective Minds & Cronus. So, please be sure to let me know what you think in this thread. Let's get started!
1) Packaging & Presentation
The Drive Hub arrived well packaged & protected in a thick cardboard outer box, with plenty of void fill chips to keep the contents from coming to any potential harm. The inner box containing the Drive Hub itself is presented in a very attractive gloss red finish, with a nice checkered flag design on it as well as the smart looking Drive Hub & Collective Minds logos. The unit itself, & included USB cable are snuggly fitted into some black protective foam inside for your peace of mind. However, upon opening it I was greeted with a rather unpleasant odour! Thankfully it wasn't originating from the unit itself or the USB cable, but from the inner foam packaging. That said, the smell from the foam had permeated the USB cable's fabric, & six days later it still whiffs a bit (although it is gradually fading). All in all, it's very well packaged & presented, but is slightly let down by the stinky foam. Substituting it for something a little more "hypoallergenic" would be a very welcome change indeed.
Day One Score: 8/10.
Revised Score: coming soon...
2) Aesthetics
The unit itself was a little bit more compact than I had imagined it to be, but was still quite fetching, especially when the LEDs illuminate & the thing comes to life. It has green LEDs on the top which are the eyes of the Collective Minds logo, & they contrast really well with the red LED numerical readout display & black casing. There are also green LED indicator lights at the back where the USB slots are, that activate when cables are plugged in. It also looks the part when mounted to Logitech wheels as a rev counter, & seems to be designed with this in mind as it comes with velcro mounting pads. The included USB cable is good looking, & is covered in a lovely fabric braiding. It's nice enough to look at, but particularly so when powered up.
Day One Score: 8/10.
Revised Score: coming soon...
3) User Friendliness
The device itself is very straightforward to use once you understand how. However, I found the V1 Owners Manual to be less than impressive. For instance, it tells you how to switch between Race Mode & Play Mode, but it doesn't tell you what Play Mode is (this contributed to some trouble I got myself into as I'll explain later). Hopefully, it will be updated as more features are revealed & added. That said, it contained enough information to get me up & running, & after contacting tech support I was soon putting in a few laps in Project CARS on PS4 with my trusty old G25. I didn't get a chance to update the firmware, but the tutorial videos on the Collective Minds website seems to show that it's a very quick & easy procedure. There will always be a learning curve with any new device, but this is made slightly harder by the threadbare V1 Owners Manual.
Update - 26/9/2017: Collective Minds have released some excellent tutorial videos which make up for some of the shortcomings of the V1 Owners Manual (V2 is out now too), & after finally getting around to updating the firmware, which was an incredibly easy thing to do, I'm revising the score accordingly.
Day One Score: 7/10.
Revised Score: 8/10.
4) Performance & Functionality
Now, here is where this thing really starts to shine & come into its own! The short version is this; no matter what I threw at Drive Hub, it performed perfectly & without issue. Seriously! G29 in PS3 mode on PS4 in Project CARS? A cakewalk! G25 on XB1 in Project CARS? Easy peasy! G25 on PS4 in Assetto Corsa & Driveclub? No problemo! CSR on XB1 in Project CARS? Simples! CSR on PS4 in Project CARS & Assetto Corsa? A walk in the park! That said, I did have a ton of other problems while using it. But they all turned out to be wheel, game, driver, or console related, & sometimes it was just me being a plonker by messing something up entirely on my own! I spent four days testing Drive Hub out with every conceivable combo that I could think of, & if the wheel/game/driver/console supported something; it just worked. The FFB is fully working too, it's 100% there with no protocols missing whatsoever. In fact, the environmental effects that are missing in Forza & Horizon when played with Fanatec wheels are actually added back in with Drive Hub's Fanalogic mode! Testing my G29 plugged straight into my PS4, & then plugged into Drive Hub in PS3 mode, yielded exactly the same results; the FFB was identical with no perceivable lag/delay/latency or missing sensations. Even all the buttons & gear shifter modes on my G25 worked; how on earth did they manage that! Also, I have to note that Drive Hub's rev counter was much more useful to me when mounted on my G25 than the G29's, as it didn't move with the steering wheel making it a lot easier to keep track of, & I found myself referring to it more often as a result. Because I couldn't test it with every supported device or combination thereof, I cannot give it a perfect score (maybe some people will have issues with the Drive Hub itself). But out of the three wheels, three games, & two consoles I tested it with, Drive Hub passed with flying colours. An awesome piece of tech; bravo Collective Minds, bravo!
Day One Score: 9/10.
Revised Score: coming soon...
5) Build Quality & Durability
Although I didn't test my device to destruction by putting it in the microwave just to see what would happen (I'll leave that to the YouTube experts), the build quality does seem to be there. True, I did manage to break one of the buttons clickers (the button itself still works fine though), but that was entirely my own fault for pressing it down way too hard after becoming frustrated at not being able to work out what Play Mode is (thanks V1 Owners Manual, thanks a lot). The black plastic outer casing seems to be solid enough & of good quality. The USB slots feel nice & robust when plugging cables in & out. The USB cable is well made, feels lovely, & seems like it will last a long time. As long as the durability is there in the long run, this is going to be another plus for Drive Hub. However, it only comes with a 90-day warranty, so I do hope that's just a business decision & is not reflective of what Collective Minds thinks about their chosen manufacturing process of the devices themselves. Only time will tell...
Update - 26/3/2019: It's been out for well over a year now, & I've not personally heard of any failed or faulty units (my one is still going strong too). Score revised.
Day One Score: 8/10.
Revised Score: 9/10.
6) Tech Support & Customer Service
They've set up their own comprehensive Drive Hub sub-forum over on the Cronusmax forums, & are already active in helping customers out with any issues that have arisen. All of the contact I've had with the Collective Minds & Cronusmax staff has been exemplary, faultlessly so when it comes to the tech support side of things. The only issue I had is when making enquiries of the sales teams regarding the potential pitfalls of international shipping, but more on that can of worms later.
Day One Score: 9/10.
Revised Score: coming soon...
7) Updatability
It's not just the fact that Drive Hub can be updated, but it's the willingness & capability of the people behind it to do so that has me particularly impressed. After launching with a sensible & perfectly acceptable amount of supported wheels & accessories, Drive Hub has the potential to go from strength to strength as regards what is technically possible. Consider this, some of the tech specs of the very popular Cronusmax Plus are; 16 Mhz, 8 bit, 128k flash, & 8k RAM, vs Drive Hub's; 120 Mhz, 32 bit, 1mb flash, & 128k RAM. So, if the Cronusmax Plus can run the PS4 Wheel Edition mode on that, just imagine what the Drive Hub could become capable of in the near future! Since my initial testing, I've now heard through the grapevine exactly what Play Mode is, & all I can say is stay tuned to Collective Minds for more information. I've also heard of several updates that are already in the pipeline & due for release any day now, so watch this space. The future is looking good as regards updates, & after getting a glimpse behind the scenes I feel confident that anyone who owns a Drive Hub is in very good hands indeed.
Update - 13/9/2017: Here's some more information from Collective Minds regarding Play Mode; "As for Play Mode...quite simply it’s unrelated to Steering Wheel functionality [or] compatibility, it’s a feature we are implementing in the near future. It was necessary to cover in the manual as it is built into the very fibre of the product...Play Mode will unlock additional functionality for other devices once it is ready."
Update - 26/9/2017: Firmware 2.0.0 is out now, with Playstation 3 & PC compatibility added, as well as support for 3 additional Fanatec pedals sets; CSR Elite & CSP V1/V2.
Update - 26/3/2019: With regular beta firmware updates, many new devices have been added & lots of bugs have been fixed also. Score revised.
Update - 19/7/2020: Play Mode has been officially abandoned because of technical difficulties. It was going to be a mode whereby you could use almost any controller (DS3/DS4 etc) on any console, similar to what the CronusMax Plus does. I recently got the following message from Collective Minds, "Play mode was the early stages of what is now Cronus Zen... it caused us a lot of support issues with DriveHub and it also became apparent that the CPU was underpowered for the task...It was taken out of DriveHub and put into a more powerful CPU...The Zen does wireless audio crossover and a bunch of other cool stuff as a result..." Score revised.
Day One Score: 8/10.
Revised Score: 7/10.
8) Cool Wall
Sub-Zero, enough said! Ok, I will say some more; Me: "You mean you're telling me that I can use my trusty old faithful G25, which was built for PS3, on my PS4, with all buttons & shifter modes 100% working, with no perceivable lag, & fully functioning FFB with nothing missing whatsoever- & it's all just plug & play?" CM: "Yeah." Me: "How cool is that!"
Day One Score: 10/10.
Revised Score: Not even applicable.
9) Value For Money
At £89.99 all in here in the UK via the Collective Minds website, it's a little bit too expensive in my humble opinion, & I would've much preferred to have seen it debut at £49.99. However, Drive Hub is a niche product in an already niche market; most console racers use controllers, & it's the minority that uses wheels. And out of those who do use wheels, many have compatible ones already, so I can totally understand the current price point as Collective Minds are not going to be selling millions of them. But here's the real question; is this value for money to you? For instance, a PC sim racer with a G25 wheel who wants to play on their PS4 & XB1 will need to buy two additional wheels, so Drive Hub is insane value & will save them hundreds. However, someone looking to buy a PS4 & who only has a well looked after G27 might find it best to sell the G27 on & invest the money in a new G29. Anyway, many of us sim racers are a sentimental lot, & I don't know about you but I'd rather keep my old wheels & use them via Drive Hub, & that makes it priceless. We're all in different situations, so whether this thing is value for money is up to each one of us to decide for ourselves. Seeing as that's the case, I'm gonna give this a neutral Day One Score & will wait to see what the general consensus is before revising it. So, please be sure to let me know your opinions in this thread.
Update - 26/9/2017: A special GT Planet promotional code that gives 10% off when ordering is now available, see post 18 in this thread for more details.
Update - 11/10/2017: This review has been up for a month now, & most people who have responded to this point do indeed feel that it is good value for money, even though it is a little bit on the expensive side. And what with the aforementioned 10% off, I'm revising the score accordingly.
Day One Score: 5/10.
Revised Score: 8/10.
10) Ordering & Shipping
You have two options when ordering; buy from the Collective Minds website, or buy from the Cronusmax website. I've been reliably informed that the Collective Minds website has stock in the UK as well as a few other countries, whereas the Cronusmax site has US stock only. Where you decide to buy from, & whether or not you are hit with Customs charges as a result, depends somewhat on you. Did you do your homework, & read the small print? I'm afraid it's a case of "Caveat Emptor" that is; let the buyer beware! I would like to see more companies put the advice about possible Customs charges in a tick box so that everyone has to read it & tick it before they can press the buy button. I had several email exchanges on this subject with Cronus sales, & when I mentioned I was writing a review I got no further replies. I'll let you make of that what you will.* Because of the potential pitfalls of international ordering & shipping, & until more experiences start coming in, I'm giving this a neutral score as it was of some concern.
Update - 12/9/2017: Here's a quote from Collective Minds in response to this review regarding shipping; "I will only address the Collective Minds portion of this equation as I can speak to that best. There are no Customs charges [for UK buyers if they] purchase it from Collective Minds directly as we ship from our UK warehouse (in fact we offer free shipping to the UK) VAT is included in the price. We also offer Flat Rate shipping to all the countries in the European Union (hope this helps clarify). I will also pass along your feedback to the Cronus folks." Please note that Collective Minds also offer worldwide shipping & have stock in the UK, US, & Canada. Score revised.
* Update - 27/9/2017: It seems there was a misunderstanding as I just got this message from Cronus sales; "I..noticed your email had been accidentally dropped into my spam folder so I’m sincerely sorry for the delayed response...As with [some] overseas purchases over a certain value, the [buyer] has to pay tax and import fees...we do try to make this information available...on the website and through the checkout process...we do ship worldwide and after feedback from yourself and others, have found some room to tune our flat rate international shipping costs to be more agreeable...our shipping is also a priority service with full insurance and tracking." Apologies for assuming the worst. Score revised.
Update - 9/11/2017: The CronusMax shop is out of stock, but is still taking orders. Best to order from Collective Minds in the meantime unless you want a really long wait.
Day One Score: 5/10.
Revised Score: 7/10.
Conclusions
You're not going to be navigating the perilous waters of international shipping every day, neither are you going to be paying for a Drive Hub every day, nor are you going to be dealing with initial setup frustrations every day; what you are going to be doing every day, however, is using the thing & expecting it to perform & function. As long as the durability is there & the support keeps rolling in, Drive Hub has performance & functionality in abundance & is a 9/10 product all day long (& that's all that really matters). Drive Hub is a great launch product with almost unlimited potential to grow. My final word; outstanding!
Day One Score Total: 77/100.
Revised Score Total: 83/100.
Other Reviews
Eurogamer: "DriveHub is such a seamless experience...it has saved a good steering wheel from having a wasteful, premature obsolescence forced upon it...That's what I call value."
Customers: "What a great product! Simple and straightforward setup had us playing in minutes of opening the box! Our old G27 is now back up and running!" - W Deitz.
PS: Please keep this thread on topic; it's for posting reviews, links to reviews, & generally anything about reviews. Keep all other discussions in the Main Drive Hub thread.
Thank you.
This review was perfected using the free browser version of Grammarly, available at www.grammarly.com
Thank you.
This review was perfected using the free browser version of Grammarly, available at www.grammarly.com
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