Steering Wheels

Video games, at least in the beginning, are a fairly inexpensive hobby. Sure, a console will set you back a few bills, and games cost substantially more than a physical copy of a movie (I hear some people still buy those). But on a cost-per-hour basis, gaming has its advantages.

Over the past few weeks there’s been plenty of excitement in the Forza camp as the days remaining until the release of Forza Horizon 3 tick away. The beginning of the month saw the original Forza Horizon make its way onto the Games With Gold platform, available to all players with an active XBL Gold subscription.

Fanatec has just announced the latest addition in its extensive lineup of sim racing accessories: the CSL Elite wheel base and pedal set. The new model sits below the existing high-end Clubsport V2 model, but is usefully more powerful than the original V1. It is compatible with both Xbox One and PC platforms.

With no delays in sight, only days remain until the console version of Assetto Corsa is available to the public. PS4 and Xbox versions of the game are scheduled to see daylight on August 26 in Europe and August 30 in North America. To further increase anticipation, Kunos Simulazioni has launched a sheet listing all the supported driving accessories you’ll be able to use in the game:

Only one week is left until the worldwide release of F1 2016. To ensure loyal supporters can prepare all the required equipment for their first drive, Codemasters has released the full list of compatible controllers and steering wheels for the game. Hopefully you’ll be able to find your beloved product in the list below:

Quality steering wheel support is a prerequisite to a complete and pleasant experience for modern driving sims. Nowadays it is almost impossible to expect significant sale results from driving simulators unless they support plenty of accessories that the market clearly demands.

In amongst the many announcements made at last week’s Copper Box blow-out of Gran Turismo Sport, Thrustmaster made a quiet reveal of their own on the show floor, showing off a new wheel coming in the future that will presumably be the official steering wheel of GT Sport.

If you were a rally car, what kind of life would you like to live after your pavement-punishing career finishes? Would you cruise around local sales auctions, hoping some driver will take you for another exciting motorsport adventure, or would you give yourself over to peaceful days of dust collecting in automotive museums, to the joy and happiness of all the visitors? Our friends over at InsideSimRacing found an even better solution: full-size simulator.

Prominent accessory manufacturer Thrustmaster is back in the spotlight with another interesting product – the TMX Force Feedback racing wheel, with highly adaptive force feedback effect. The new steering wheel has been officially designed for Xbox One, but the manufacturer ensures full compatibility on Windows platform PC’s as well.

Hardcore driving enthusiasts should be able to tell how comfortable a good rig must be to push the thrill of virtual driving to higher level. rSeat is responding to the market by releasing the newest N1 rig hardware.

(EDITOR NOTE: The majority of the links below will only show the sale price starting at 00:01 Friday. eBay UK Lightning Deal links may change and/or expire at any time.)

After teasing us last week, Fanatec has shown off their newest product in full, the CSL Steering Wheel P1. Compatible with the Club Sport Wheel Bases (the original as well as V2), the CSL wheel is unique among the existing lineup, as it doesn’t require the Universal Wheel Hub to perform on the XBox One.

Sim racers on Microsoft’s system look set to get a new option in the increasingly-crowded affordable wheel market. Fanatec released the above image on Facebook yesterday, showing a leather-clad wheel with an integrated information panel and centre-line. Visible behind the wheel are the expected flappy-paddles, but beyond that, there isn’t much more info available in the original image Fanatec supplied.

In what has already proven itself to be one of the most active years yet for sim racers, the commotion continues with Fanatec’s recent announcement of their newest product made in cooperation with Turn 10 Studios and tailor-made for Forza Motorsport 6, an official Forza Motorsport-branded ClubSport Wheel Rim GT.

The core of a customized configuration:

Fanatec, the manufacturer of many high-end sim racing accessories, has announced a special limited-time sale to celebrate “Black Friday” weekend. The deals focus on their “CSL Seat” and the two of their detachable wheels, the BMW M3 GT2 and “Formula Black” rims.

The Logitech G27 remains one of the most popular and widely used wheels in sim racing, thanks to its sturdy construction and nearly ubiquitous compatibility with console and PC racing games. Although it can’t quite offer the same range of features or technology that today’s high-end wheels provide, it is still one of the most affordable ways to upgrade from a controller.

The new T300RS introduces full compatibility with the PlayStation 4 with the addition of the console’s new “Share” button, while retaining PS3 and PC compatibility as well. Angle rotation of up to 1080-degrees is supported, and the wheel is interchangeable with Thrustmaster’s Ferrari F1 Wheel, Ferrari GTE Wheel, and T500RS GT Wheels.

GTPlanet recently had the opportunity to sit down with Sony Computer Entertainment Europe’s President and CEO, Jim Ryan, for a round-table discussion on the business end of the Gran Turismo franchise.