Fanatec Announcements: CSW V2 Reviews Out

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Have ISR done there review yet? Is that what the embargo is for to wait for There exclusive.
 
LogiForce
The BMW rim might come to the Elite and if that's true then only for open wheelers you'd want a CSW as that will be the only advantage left I guess. Oh, that and adjustable paddles.
I'm starting to lose the point of putting a CSW on the market though. You could bring the adjustable paddles to the Elite as well as open wheel style rims without rev counters. The only limit you have on the Elite is the way the rim has to connect to the base and the button limit plus no extra features possible like rev counters. The more I think about it the more the CSW looks less appealing.
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One big feature that a lot of people are overlooking that the CSW has over the CSR E is it has advanced built in tuning functions over and above what we're used to with Fanatec wheels.

In the CSW announcement video that Thomas did he talks about these briefly. As an example, the CSW tuning abilities allow it to actually adjust the signals coming from the game itself. Things like the FFB signals can be tweaked up or down separately from the FF setting of the wheel. That hints to me that the wheel would be able to have strong FFB effects from a game that doesn't send a strong enough signal to say get a CSR E rocking to its max output FFB wise.


http://youtu.be/SgnxlWXs_CY


Spagetti69
Have ISR done there review yet? Is that what the embargo is for to wait for There exclusive.
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No. Thomas wanted to give all the beta testers time with the wheel to do a review and the rest of the testers seem to be getting the wheel this week. However, my guess is that ISR will get the exclusive on this and I would expect a review by next week most likely.
 
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Oh I remember Thomas saying they get 30 days to test.
With some members only just getting their wheels or not having them yet.
We should get them around January.
 
amf7
Yeh I see the point...

The gimmick of QR is possibly rubbing off. The ffb will be the same I guess. The bonus is all the rims but until a list if rims are announced its hard to decide. Of course if I review the CSW then I would just get a CSW LOL
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Ive mentioned before that I feel the different rims may have a factor on the FFB. Return to centre speed and possibly change how the wheels may differ in feel.

In the Thrustmaster thread quite a few guys reported about the new F1 rim changing how the wheel responded and felt. We have also seen this on rigs like Chillicokes and others that have adapted larger/heavier rims onto other wheels.

The CSW "BMW Rim" is going to be heavier than the "Formula Rim". For me an interesting area is how/if the CSRE wheel compares to the CSW in PS3 games with the lighter FM4 rim. Will it give it any advantage in speed?

Differences between each wheel could be effected by the rim used from approx weighing 1kg to around or over 2Kg. Time will tell if this has any major or just minor difference to the performance/feel.

For most it will come down to if the X360 compaitibilty is a bonus or the extra features or coolness of the CSW appealing more to each individual. Personally Id love to own both.
 
Spagetti69
Oh I remember Thomas saying they get 30 days to test.
With some members only just getting their wheels or not having them yet.
We should get them around January.
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The reviews will be out well before that. The 30 day reference is in regards to Fanatec beta testing policies......you get 30 days with the wheel and then you get to decide to send the wheel back to Fanatec or buy it for 50% off retail.

Here is a direct quote from Thomas in regards to the embargo:

Fanatec...
The embargo is not determined yet as not all testers have their wheels yet. I want to give at least some days for every tester.

I will send out the wheels today from China so that they should arrive next week at the testers. The testers voted in the poll will get the latest version straight from the pre-production lane.
So I hope that we see the first reviews in week 47
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Obviously we're past week 47 but the rest of the testers should all have their wheels by the weekend.
 
Mr Latte
Ive mentioned before that I feel the different rims may have a factor on the FFB. Return to centre speed and possibly change how the wheels may differ in feel.

In the Thrustmaster thread quite a few guys reported about the new F1 rim changing how the wheel responded and felt. We have also seen this on rigs like Chillicokes and others that have adapted larger/heavier rims onto other wheels.

The CSW "BMW Rim" is going to be heavier than the "Formula Rim". For me an interesting area is how/if the CSRE wheel compares to the CSW in PS3 games with the lighter FM4 rim. Will it give it any advantage in speed?

Differences between each wheel could be effected by the rim used from approx weighing 1kg to around or over 2Kg. Time will tell if this has any major or just minor difference to the performance/feel.

For most it will come down to if the X360 compaitibilty is a bonus or the extra features or coolness of the CSW appealing more to each individual. Personally Id love to own both.
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Yeh that is true... however I don't think it will have a bad effect on FFB. At the end of the day its all about personal preference.

I usually drive single seaters/lmps so the Formula win will be fantastic but on some days I drive DTM.

I am also planning on getting a PC as soon as I have bought a CSW so the CSW does seem to be the wheel for me.
 
Caz
Sandbox, did you come up with a solution to your foot plate problem yet? I never heard back from you with a definitive length.
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Oh I got used to the default plate that comes with the CSPs after using them on a daily basis. I'm pretty happy with the default base now

LogiForce
Glad the squeaks are gone, but not so glad to hear not everyone has their wheel. Means I have to wait longer still. I should become a monk and consider this training. Lol
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It should be getting here any day now I hope. And yeah I'm so glad the squeaks are gone too heh.

LogiForce
Good luck with college then and I really don't know a thing about the 2nd hand market. Maybe someone else can fill in that detail. In my case I would just look at eBay and so on to find prices.

@amf7: look at HoiHmn his post. The BMW rim might come to the Elite and if that's true then only for open wheelers you'd want a CSW as that will be the only advantage left I guess. Oh, that and adjustable paddles.
I'm starting to lose the point of putting a CSW on the market though. You could bring the adjustable paddles to the Elite as well as open wheel style rims without rev counters. The only limit you have on the Elite is the way the rim has to connect to the base and the button limit plus no extra features possible like rev counters. The more I think about it the more the CSW looks less appealing.

Thomas could you please clarify where you want to go with both products, cause I am kinda loosing the point here. Thanks in advance if you do.
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Hopefully the CSR-E will get some sort of formula rim as well even if it lacks the rev limiter. I rarely drive open wheelers atm though so that BMW rim would be more applicable I suppose. Hopefully we'll see that CSW arrive shortly so we can start seeing some more comparisons between these 2 wheels.

Myself though I had to go for the CSR-E because I've always wanted a wheel for my xbox and it will be so awesome being able to use these wonderful CSPs on the console. I never use my thrustmaster pedals much anymore. But I have to when I play GT5. So I am highly looking forward to having more options in that regards. I think that CSR-E has a bit more appeal for the multiplatform gamer and sacrificing some of those awesome features of the CSW will be worth it for the freedom to just quickly switch between platforms.

CSW still looks quite sexy though so unfortunately I think there will be a little bit of jealousy between the various wheel owners.
 
Mr Latte
..... Personally Id love to own both.
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Me too.

I've already preorderd the CSR Elite and was planning to preorder the CSW as well, but the rumors of the next gen consoles will make me probably wait a few months.

All depends though how much i like the CSR Elite.

A company like fanatec needs to innovate their products, so next year perhaps a CSW Elite or just a CSR Elite with quick release, who knows?
It could even be possible that a CSW will work on the PS4 and the next Xbox.

The purchase of the CSR Elite is the best all plaform alternative for now.

If i had the CSR Elite for the half price (like you Mr Latte), i would probably also buy the CSW right away.
 
Well if I let my greedy side out then naturally I would love to have both including the Rennsport cockpit. Well, maybe I should put my birthday money into an Elite next year. Hmmm...

Also Latte I know rim weight matters but wouldn't this negatively impact the CSW BMW rim compared the Elite rim? Cause the T500 F1 rim was smaller and lighter then the T500 GT5 rim.
Hrm, I wish there was more info out there already especially about the CSW cause I have the feeling we are missing a lot still. For example how dynamic its electronics will be for future expansion. All we know is the button support of 111 buttons. But since this means just on/off switches you or in terms of bits just a 1 or 0. Then you could drive other stuff as well. A display for example would surely be possible with it and still have buttons over to use normally.
Ah well, it's hard to decide now if you have all platforms and only the money for one wheel. That's a thing I know for sure at least. ;)

Oh an HoiHmn I am the opposite of Latte as I'll have to test the CSW at some point. So I reckon I'd have more of a financial advantage I think in that respect. But yeah, it's all up to personal budget.
 
Blog Update from Thomas

CSR Elite review embargo ends soon
http://www.911wheel.de/?q=blogs/thomas
Submitted by Thomas on Wed, 11/30/2011 - 18:41.




The embargo for unboxing videos and reports ends today at 20.00 CET. As soon as you detect such a repor, make sure to post here in the comments!

The embargo for reviews is supposed to end next Saturday but in the US there was an issue with the shipment so not all testers have received their wheels yet. If this problem cannot be solved today and the wheels arrive in time, I will postpone the review.

This will give the community testers also more time to get familiar with the new firmware which will be released this week.
 
faddish
I think 20.00 CET is 12pm EST(US)
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To make it easier maybe 20:00 CET equals 20:00 GMT+1 or 8pm GMT+1. Which is if I recall correctly a 6 hour difference with Washington DC.
 
LogiForce
Well if I let my greedy side out then naturally I would love to have both including the Rennsport cockpit. Well, maybe I should put my birthday money into an Elite next year. Hmmm...

Also Latte I know rim weight matters but wouldn't this negatively impact the CSW BMW rim compared the Elite rim? Cause the T500 F1 rim was smaller and lighter then the T500 GT5 rim.
Hrm, I wish there was more info out there already especially about the CSW cause I have the feeling we are missing a lot still. For example how dynamic its electronics will be for future expansion. All we know is the button support of 111 buttons. But since this means just on/off switches you or in terms of bits just a 1 or 0. Then you could drive other stuff as well. A display for example would surely be possible with it and still have buttons over to use normally.
Ah well, it's hard to decide now if you have all platforms and only the money for one wheel. That's a thing I know for sure at least. ;)

Oh an HoiHmn I am the opposite of Latte as I'll have to test the CSW at some point. So I reckon I'd have more of a financial advantage I think in that respect. But yeah, it's all up to personal budget.
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My expectations are that the CSW may only be disadvantaged very slightly in the speed the wheel rotates using a BMW rim as compared to the FM4 Elite rim. Its a theory not proven but based on the simple fact a heavier wheel rim should have a slightly reduced speed. Look at how ISR made a highlight of the CSR rim being lighter than the original Porsche rims. It had to be a notable improvement worthwhile mentioning to bother doing so.

Its not trying to bring the CSW down by any means but if their is anywhere the Elite might have a marginal difference or advantage then I guess this is it.
 
Basically the speed (rpm) should remain the same (once it gets there), but you must mean more damped ffb due to the higher moment of inertia.
 
Yeah we mean the inertia. Due to the extra weight there is more torque of the wheel weight itself that needs to be overcome. It's only slightly but noticeable in certain situations.
Maybe Thomas can tickle the motors more in the CSW to make up for that difference. Although overheating them is no good.

Latte could you release your review in a few when the embargo is gone? That way we can all discuss this a bit better I think.
 
Mr Latte
My expectations are that the CSW may only be disadvantaged very slightly in the speed the wheel rotates using a BMW rim as compared to the FM4 Elite rim. Its a theory not proven but based on the simple fact a heavier wheel rim should have a slightly reduced speed. Look at how ISR made a highlight of the CSR rim being lighter than the original Porsche rims. It had to be a notable improvement worthwhile mentioning to bother doing so.
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It's possible that the BMW rim might be very close to the weight of the CSR E....it all depends on the materials used. One thing people need to keep in mind is the CSR E wheel is not solid Carbon Fiber but carbon fiber layered over aluminum (at least from the pics I've seen that appears to be the case) so the CSR E wheel is not going to be lighter than say it's CSR cousin. So the mass of the main frame of both wheels could likely be very close. I'd also imagine that the BMW rim will use a plastic rim on the outer parts of the wheel obviously covered in Alcantara. I think if both wheels are about the same dimensionally they shouldn't be too far off each other weight wise.

And to support your other statement this certainly wasn't the case with the Porsche wheels compared to the CSR. Having switched from the PWTS to the CSR there is a substantial difference in terms of quickness and fine touch FFB effects between those two wheels......they don't feel anything like each other and that can clearly be attributed to the overall reduction in mass by losing the "airbag" center section of the Porsche design.
 
thehawk05
I'd also imagine that the BMW rim will use a plastic rim on the outer parts of the wheel obviously covered in Alcantara.
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As Thomas mentioned in the BMW video it's not plastic with covered Alcantara. It's rubber with covered Alcantara I think. ;) No such plastic parts on the BMW rim.
 
The advanced tuning feature on the CSW will probably make it faster and stronger than the Elite no matter what rim it uses.
 
Simracer92
As Thomas mentioned in the BMW video it's not plastic with covered Alcantara. It's rubber with covered Alcantara I think. ;) No such plastic parts on the BMW rim.
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If that's the case the CSR E will definitely be lighter.

Richvw
The advanced tuning feature on the CSW will probably make it faster and stronger than the Elite no matter what rim it uses.
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Don't bank on it. They both share the same mechanicals. For that to happen you would have to assume that every console game doesn't output enough FFB signal to work the CSR Elite's FFB motors to max output. The advanced tuning function is geared to alleviate games that don't output enough signal strength to do that

Think about it.....if both a CSR E and CSW are both running on the same game on a PC that outputs enough voltage to work the FFB motors to max output the advanced tuning functions of the CSW are not going to do anything to increase that and make it behave stronger. I
 
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faddish
No worries. Sometimes you read what you want to read. :)
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True, still let the unboxing commence. Also this means we can get full color detailed product shots now I reckon from the testers I hope? ;)
 
thehawk05
Don't bank on it. They both share the same mechanicals. For that to happen you would have to assume that every console game doesn't output enough FFB signal to work the CSR Elite's FFB motors to max output. The advanced tuning function is geared to alleviate games that don't out put enough to do that.
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From 8.15 here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgnxlWXs_CY&feature=youtu.be
Thomas is seen turning FFB up to 130%, and says that you can do the same with SPR and DPR. It might go even higher, this will make it stronger, and might make it faster.
 

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