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Gran Turismo DD Pro - The wheel everybody was asking for
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I am incredibly proud to introduce the official Direct Drive Wheel for Gran Turismo®. I can assure you that Fanatec has been waiting for this moment with just as much anticipation as you. I've been dedicated to the idea of developing a Gran Turismo licensed product for the past 15 years, and it has been a pleasure to work directly with legendary game designer Kazunori Yamauchi and his team at Polyphony Digital. I believe we have created the best officially licensed Gran Turismo product ever, and I can’t wait to see what you think of it.
Here's a quick summary:
- The first licensed Direct Drive wheel for PlayStation®5 (fully compatible with PlayStation®4 as well)
- The first official Direct Drive Wheel for the Gran Turismo™ series
- Package includes steering wheel, wheel base, table clamp, pedals, power supply - everything you need to start racing
- 5 Nm peak torque using included power supply
- 8 Nm peak torque unlocked with Boost Kit 180 (sold separately)
- Wheel base is compatible with entire Fanatec ecosystem
- PlayStation®5, PlayStation®4, and PC-compatible out of the box
- Pedals can be upgraded to load cell brake technology (upgrade kits sold separately)
- 699.95 €/$ (in EU incl. VAT)
The Gran Turismo series has one of the most significant legacies in sim racing. This is the series that introduced many of us to the idea of a more realistic type of racing in a video game. Polyphony Digital pioneered the realistic racer on the original PlayStation, and the release of a new version for each PlayStation generation is always a big event. We’re super excited about Gran Turismo 7 coming in early March 2022, and of course we have been working hard to prepare this product to be ready in time.
In fact, we are offering the option to air-freight the very first units before Christmas! You can enjoy your existing PlayStation 5 or PlayStation 4 racing games, including Gran Turismo Sport, on this incredible new hardware while you wait for the big Gran Turismo 7 release in March.
The CSL DD has received universal acclaim from reviewers and customers alike. The Gran Turismo DD Pro uses the same groundbreaking technology, with an all-new direct drive wheel base at its core. This compact base packs a surprising punch, particularly if you add the Boost Kit 180, which allows the maximum 8 Nm of peak torque. Our patented FluxBarrier technology and the lightweight internals (including a carbon fibre-reinforced steering axis) helps to communicate force feedback detail with remarkable clarity.
Steering wheel designed by Polyphony Digital.
This unique 280 mm steering wheel for Gran Turismo DD Pro was designed by Polyphony Digital, providing the perfect interface between you and the game. The white OLED display and diffused RevLED strip offers useful visual information while driving and operating the Fanatec Tuning Menu, which is a first for a Gran Turismo-licensed wheel. A unique array of four 5-way directional sticks sit alongside the familiar PlayStation® inputs.
Strong, high-precision, two-pedal set.
This isn’t your typical bundled pedal set. The pedals for Gran Turismo DD Pro are solidly built from steel, with precise and durable Hall sensors that allow you to stay in control with smooth throttle and brake inputs. These pedals are compatible with the CSL Pedals Load Cell Kit (sold separately), which is the perfect upgrade to take realism to the next level. The pedals can also be combined with the CSL Pedals Tuning Kit, if you would like to upgrade to metal pedal plates.
We’ve included a table clamp in the box as well, so this is truly a ready-to-race package for an incredible price.
The Gran Turismo DD Pro will be available to pre-order from November 26th, starting at 699.95 €/$ with deliveries in March 2022. Check out GTDDPRO.fanatec.com for all the details.
A standalone version of this PlayStation-compatible wheel base is also on the way, subject to Sony Interactive Entertainment’s final product approval.
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Introducing the CSL Steering Wheel BMW!
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Today at BMW Sim Live 2021, we revealed a new product in our expanding CSL Series. I’m very happy that we continue to grow our partnership with BMW. The introduction of the real steering wheel for the 2022 BMW M4 GT3 race car (Podium Series), and the GT2 V2 replica (ClubSport Series), and now the CSL Steering Wheel BMW at just 139.95 €/$ means there is an officially-licensed BMW wheel for every budget.
The new 300 mm diameter CSL wheel might look familiar to you but we did not just slap a BMW logo on a P1 wheel. BMW designed the beautiful graphics on the front plate and the same design continues seemlessly into the wheel grip texture. The copper/black colour scheme is stylish and classy and makes this wheel a real eye catcher.
The product is available for pre-order on the site now!
The BMW Sim Live 2021 live stream is viewable on... https://www.twitch.tv/bmwesports
We're committed to developing high-performance sim racing hardware at affordable prices. The introduction of new, lower-priced wheels in our CSL range like this BMW and the upcoming P1 V2 (plus Black Friday Edition in limited quantities!), makes the move to direct drive technology more attainable for more people. These wheels combined with the CSL Pedals and CSL DD deliver the best value on the market for a race-ready direct drive setup.
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The Podium BMW M4 GT3 wheel is almost here! Here’s the information you’ve been waiting for.
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As you probably know, we are a bit behind schedule on the release of the Podium Steering Wheel BMW M4 GT3. I won’t bore you with the details, but this has been a very tough year for product development and manufacturing across the entire industry. In particular the automotive sector has been hit hard, and because we use so many automotive-grade materials and chips in our products, we have been hit with the same kind of setbacks.
But we’re on the final stretch now, and we are already shipping units to BMW Motorsport for the real cars. Those units are still built by hand on a small scale but we are now ramping up production to increase the output.
Now for the information you’ve been waiting for: the Podium Steering Wheel BMW M4 GT3 will be available for pre-order for 1399.95 €/$ starting December 20th.
So it is not the 4000,- or 5000,- of similar real world race car steering wheels as rumored by some people. Although it is certainly the most expensive wheel in our line up it is well below other motorsport wheels and even well below other simracing wheels out there.
This product is exactly the same wheel that goes into the real car. It’s not a replica. This has never been done before and I am very proud of what we’ve been able to achieve here. The original announcement video is below:
If you’re interested in seeing the whole story, check out this documentary:
The wheel is of course compatible with our new quick release system and the price is of course including this new QR. But it is also compatible with our QR1 system which is included as well so you have the free choice.
I also suggest that you tune into the BMW Sim Live 2021 live stream later today... https://www.twitch.tv/bmwesports
Further information and technical details available on bmw.fanatec.com.
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We’re announcing our Black Friday 2021 deals early! And there’s more to come…
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This year we’re bringing back a fan favourite—the classic P1 wheel—with some improvements. The CSL Steering Wheel P1 V2 will be our lowest priced wheel at 119.95€, and we’re doing a special introductory price just for Black Friday at 99.95€. This Black Friday edition has a different grip texture compared to the standard version, otherwise the specifications are the same.
The CSL Steering Wheel R300 is a combination of the CSL Universal Hub and Podium Wheel Rim R300, which is a 100€ discount. This deal will only be active for the Black Friday weekend.
We’re also introducing the final products to complete the CSL Pedals line-up: the Load Cell Kit and the Tuning Kit! The CSL Pedals Load Cell Kit also has a special introductory price at 119.95€, just for Black Friday. Once this offer ends, the Load Cell Kit will be 139.95€, but we will continue to offer a bundle with the CSL Pedals + Load Cell Kit for 199.95€.
The CSL Pedals Tuning Kit will also be available for pre-order starting on Black Friday. These elegant aluminium plates add the finishing touch to your CSL Pedals. They look and feel really great.
And by the way, there will be one more new product shown on Black Friday and I have the feeling that some people are already waiting for it.
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CSL DDs shipping early!
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I’m happy to tell you that the production batches for the first wave of pre-orders (existing customers) have been shipped by air, and they have arrived even earlier than expected.
As you may know, there have been some challenging circumstances for all electronics manufacturing this year, with the semiconductor shortage and an ongoing shipping crisis having a global effect on production and availability. But we really appreciate our loyal customers, so we've invested extra money to ensure that you get your CSL DDs on time.
The first pre-order starts shipping from today. You’ll find your tracking number in the ‘Orders’ section of your account once it is processed.
We’ve also continued to improve the performance of the CSL DD with firmware development, and there is a mandatory driver update that will give you a better experience with your new hardware: ensure that you download Fanatec Driver 409 (or newer) and use it to update the CSL DD firmware and all your connected devices:
The update applies some fixes and performance improvements, including a smoother overall feeling and optimisations to the damper effect. The driver user interface has been overhauled and is easier to use. Check the changelog included with the driver download for the full details. Please note that all the reviews out there were made with the old firmware/driver.
Here’s a video guide to help you get started:
Please post your first impressions here in the blog!
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New live chat with instant access to our support team
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We’ve been working hard behind the scenes to improve and expand our customer service and technical support departments. Part of this evolution is to return to a live chat system that provides a better personal customer experience.
The new live chat feature—which works seamlessly with an upgraded chatbot—will allow you to access both customer service (order enquiries, general enquiries) and technical support (hardware/software enquiries, troubleshooting) more efficiently.
Forwarding queries to other team members is now possible, meaning that you can switch topics and reach the correct department within the same conversation.
The chat is downloadable/printable, which can be helpful for in-depth technical support tips or product consultation.
During the initial roll-out of this feature, the operating times for both customer service and technical support queries are Monday to Friday from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m (CEST). We’ll monitor the usage carefully and expand the opening times in the near future, with the plan to offer technical support chat during weekends too.
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The beginning of a new era: Fanatec and Polyphony
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Finally! I waited so many years to make this happen:
"Fanatec announces partnership with PlayStation Studios, Polyphony Digital
Landshut, Germany – 13.7.21 – Fanatec, the leading brand in sim racing hardware, has entered a partnership with Japan-based game studio Polyphony Digital. Together they are developing new Gran Turismo®-licensed racing peripherals using advanced force-feedback technology, with the aim to reduce the distinction between sim racing and real-world racing.
Founded in 1997, Fanatec introduced several significant innovations to sim racing over the years, including the incorporation of belt-drive technology in consumer-grade wheel bases, introducing load cell brake technology and contactless sensors to mass-market pedal sets, and launching the first ever direct-drive system for PlayStation®4. Its partnerships with leading automotive manufacturers and world-famous racing series have helped to increase awareness of sim racing, making it an integral part of modern motorsport.
When Polyphony Digital released the first title in the Gran Turismo series in 1997, it redefined what was possible in racing games, and was critically acclaimed for its detailed graphics, vast number of licensed cars, and realistic driving physics. In 2001, Gran Turismo™ 3 pioneered the use of force-feedback on home consoles. With the Gran Turismo franchise Polyphony Digital has engineered a world-renowned, finely tuned, and accessible game that everyone from casual to competitive drivers can enjoy.
Thomas Jackermeier, CEO of Endor AG, parent company to Fanatec said:
“For many years, Kazunori Yamauchi has pushed the limits on the software side and played a massive role in making sim racing popular. Now we have joined forces with the shared goal to continue to merge virtual and real-world racing together. We have several exciting projects in the pipeline and I can’t wait to see how they perform in Gran Turismo.”
Kazunori Yamauchi, CEO of Polyphony Digital and producer of the Gran Turismo series added:
"For many years, Fanatec has been one of the outstanding companies on the leading edge of simulation hardware technology. While the quality and performance of their products is impressive, it's their desire to innovate in motorsports that resonates with us the most. Polyphony Digital and Fanatec share this same spirit and long-term ambition, and I'm really excited about what we can create together."
More details about the partnership products between Fanatec and Polyphony Digital will be announced soon."
There is no product announcement so far but the first product of this partnership will be announced in a couple of weeks and production is planned to start this year. The industrial design will be made by Polyphony Digital just like they did with other GT licensed products before and I am sure it will be perfectly integrated in their racing titles as other GT products before.
And we have bigger plans so stay tuned.
32 comments 8.1K views 33 comments 0 points Most recent by Alberto Rosignuolo
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Podium series expands: Bentley GT3 steering wheel. Extraordinary starts here.
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This is the most ambitious wheel we have ever developed. We continue on our path to merge Sim Racing with Motorsport! With the Podium Steering Wheel Bentley GT3 we have made something awesome: the real steering wheel used in the Continental GT3 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb Challenge car which can also be used in a simulator. The wheel you'll be able to purchase from our website is exactly the same as the one used in the real car.
This is our first wheel made with a magnesium core which is the ultimate material to combine light weight with strength and stiffness.
Another first for us is the large circular display, which is not only a treat for the eye, it also provides valuable telemetry data and information to elevate your sim racing experience to new heights. The Podium Steering Wheel Bentley GT3 is developed in close partnership with Bentley Motors Limited, and it is truly special to reach this sim racing milestone together with such an iconic brand.
Stand out from the crowd.
You’ve never seen a wheel quite like this. The spectacular circular display dominates the front face, with a stunning forged carbon bezel and CNC-machined aluminium rotaries with signature Bentley knurling.
Striking timepiece.
The included mount can be used to showcase the wheel on either your wall or desk. Powered by a USB connection, the wheel can be displayed as a clock inspired by the traditional timepiece found in the Bentley Continental GT. It can also replay preloaded race telemetry from famous laps, showing pedal and steering inputs, gear changes, G-meter, and a track map.
Our transition to become a motorsport company has just started. We are working on even more exciting products like this in order to make the Podium range the best of the best in sim racing and car racing.
Visit Bentley.Fanatec.com for all technical information. Price and availability to be announced.
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CSL DD pre-order final wave now open. Available to everyone in all regions!
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The third and final pre-order wave is now active in all regions, meaning that the CSL DD and its accessories are now visible on the site to everyone, but it is still limited to one unit per customer.
As a reminder, the CSL DD (5 Nm) starts at 349.95 EUR (incl. VAT), 349.95 USD (excl. VAT), 599.95 AUD, 47,900 JPY.
When you add it to the basket, you’ll be asked whether you wish to upgrade to the Boost Kit 180 (8 Nm). If you add the Boost Kit 180 in this way, the discount will automatically be applied, meaning that you will have 8 Nm direct drive performance for 479.95 EUR (incl. VAT), 479.95 USD (excl. VAT), 829.90 AUD, 65,500 JPY.
We are also listing a CSL DD + Boost Kit 180 Bundle, which is simply another way to add the two items to your basket with the same discount applied.
Here’s some early pre-reviews of the 3 community choices. I think you made the right choice as all 3 are super professional and entertaining videos. Special award goes to MC James for his great song. Thanks for this earworm ;)
Enjoy:
"I'm honestly amazed at how good this thing feels. When it comes to the fidelity I'm getting here, this is every bit as good as a DD1 or a DD2 is." - Will Ford (Boosted Media)
“You can very much feel the responsiveness, that snappy acceleration of the wheel that makes feeling the grip limit and catching the car that much easier” - Chris Haye
"I would definitely recommend that if you do get one of these, that you get it with the high power power supply, the difference between 5Nm and 8Nm is absolutely humongous, and it really just transforms the experience" - James West (GamerMuscleVideos)
The response to the pre-order waves has been incredible. Without a doubt, this is the largest product launch in the company’s history. We’re reshaping the sim racing world together!
Some of you may have noticed that the shipping date is changing as more pre-orders are placed. The date you see when completing the purchase is the date valid for your order. The delivery estimate is related to several production batches due to arrive at different times in our warehouses.
We are working hard to ship products as quickly as possible but as you’re probably aware, general availability of chips and other components has been limited this year, which is impacting us along with the rest of the tech industry. However, the estimated shipping dates shown on the website right now are precise and we are really confident there will not be any further changes.
One last word for the PS version: We plan to ship it this year as well so if you have a PS4 or PS5 then I suggest to wait.
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CSL DD pre-order Wave 1 begins, and new wheels are available! UPDATE Wave 2
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The wait, at least for some of you, is now over. The first wave of CSL DD pre-orders is live on the site: customers who are eligible (previous order history with Fanatec, subscribed to the newsletter) should have received an email inviting them to log in to their account, where they can access the CSL DD category of the website and make a purchase (limited to one unit per customer). In case you haven’t received the email, please check your spam folder. Also note that due to the strict data protection regulations in Germany (GDPR), there can be a delay in permission to contact you via newsletter.
Pre-orders for the CSL DD (5 Nm) start at just 349.95 EUR (incl. VAT), 349.95 USD (excl. VAT), 599.95 AUD, 47,900 JPY, or you can select the CSL DD + Boost Kit 180 bundle (8 Nm) for 479.95 EUR (incl. VAT), 479.95 USD (excl. VAT), 829.90 AUD, 65,500 JPY.
The Boost Kit 180 and CSL DD Table Clamp are also available separately.
For everyone else, you’ll have to wait for the next pre-order wave. To be eligible for Wave 2, you just need a Fanatec account and you must be signed up to notifications through the landing page newstandardd.fanatec.com.
CSL Pedals available for general pre-order today!
The all-new CSL Pedals and CSL Pedals Clutch Kit is also available for pre-order on the site today. Unlike the CSL DD, the CSL Pedals and CSL Pedals Clutch Kit are available for all customers to pre-order. The CSL Pedals Load Cell Kit and Tuning Kit will be available at a later date.
Introducing the ClubSport Universal Hub V2 and ClubSport Universal Hub V2 for Xbox!
The ClubSport Universal Hub is back, with revised electronics, magnetic shifters, and an upgradable quick release. It is now available in two variants: Xbox-licensed, and non-Xbox licensed.
The ClubSport Universal Hub V2 is compatible with PC, and can become compatible with PlayStation systems if connected to a PlayStation-licensed wheel base. It is pre-installed with the ClubSport Magnetic Paddle Module as standard and includes small and large paddles to suit a wide selection of wheel rims. It has an exchangeable quick release so it is ready for the transition to QR2.
The ClubSport Universal Hub V2 for Xbox has the same specifications as above, with the addition of Xbox compatibility. This version comes with removable Xbox button caps, plus racing-style caps and an ‘F’ sticker for the FunkySwitch if you wish to configure it for multi-platform use.
But wait, there’s more! Here's the new ClubSport Steering Wheel Formula V2.5!
This new variation of the Formula wheel has a timeless black and white colour scheme, the highly requested perforated leather grips, and magnetic shifters as standard. This wheel is compatible with PC, and can be used on PlayStation systems if combined with a PlayStation-licensed wheel base.
Note: we are starting to ship the quick release in a separate package for these new steering wheels, so it requires a small amount of assembly. So when you add a ClubSport Universal Hub V2, or ClubSport Steering Wheel Formula V2.5 to your basket, and see the quick release listed separately in the basket, this is normal!
There’s much more to come, stay tuned!
UPDATE 1
Wave 2 is rolling and we are now open for all registered Fanatec customers and everybody who registered at the landing page. In order to see the product you must be logged in!
The first shipment is already sold out and the shipping date is now October.
PS: You might have noted that we made some changes to our website and although orders much more than in Wave 1, it looks like the website can finally handle the load.
86 comments 10.9K views 87 comments 0 points Most recent by Marco Hasenburger
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Introducing the limited edition ClubSport Steering Wheel F1® 2021! UPDATE: Sold out!
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Here is the new limited edition ClubSport Steering Wheel F1® 2021, officially licensed by Formula 1™! As always, we’re limiting the number of units to match the year, so this time there are 2021 units available worldwide.
Glow in the dark.
Phosphorescent material is injected into the new rubber-coated button framings and thumb encoders, allowing them to glow green in a darkened room. Even the front Fanatec logo glows!
Podium Advanced Paddle Module included!
The biggest upgrade for this year is the pre-installed Podium Advanced Paddle Module. This gives you two superbly responsive magnetic paddles on both sides, plus dual analogue paddles that can be used in four modes, including an advanced clutch bite point mode for making the perfect start. The colour combination of 3 mm-thick carbon fibre paddles and black anodised aluminium clutch paddles is exclusive to this wheel. And at 399.95 €/$, this is the best price for the Formula wheel with Podium Advanced Paddle Module we have ever offered (150 €/$ price advantage).
Customisable button caps!
11 customisable black button caps are included, along with the full set of stickers from the ‘Button Caps and Sticker Set’, allowing you to add your personal style to what is already a unique version of our F1 wheel.
Loaded with tech!
The ClubSport Steering Wheel F1® 2021 remains packed with the same advanced technology as the previous years’ wheels, including multi-colour RevLEDs, FlagLEDs, an OLED display, and a huge number of inputs: thumb encoders, 12-way multi-position switches, 2-way rocker switches… the list goes on.
Available for pre-order today for 399.95 EUR, 399.95 USD, 629.90 AUD, 54,900 JPY.
The product page will show a counter indicating the number of remaining units in your region. Note that after the counter reaches zero, a small number of units might reappear on the counter as a result of order cancellations.
UPDATE:
After only a few hours we are sold out in all regions and all 2021 units are gone.
THANK YOU!
There are always some cancellations or wrong orders so we might start selling a few units of this product in the next weeks. Check back from time to time to see if there is something available.
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CSL DD - your questions answered!
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Thanks to everyone who submitted questions about the CSL DD, we feel and share your excitement! This video answers the most commonly asked questions about the CSL DD:
To summarise the pricing structure for all regions:
CSL DD with standard power supply (5 Nm): 349.95 EUR (incl. VAT), 349.95 USD (excl. VAT), 599.95 AUD, 47,900 JPY.
CSL DD with Boost Kit 180 (8 Nm): 479.95 EUR (incl. VAT), 479.95 USD (excl. VAT), 829.90 AUD, 65,500 JPY.
Boost Kit 180 purchased as a separate upgrade: 149.95 EUR (incl. VAT), 149.95 USD (excl. VAT), 259.90 AUD, 20,000 JPY.
CSL DD Table Clamp: 29.95 EUR (incl. VAT), 29.95 USD (excl. VAT), 49.95 AUD, 4,490 JPY.
We decided that the most environmentally friendly approach is to ship all CSL DDs with just your selected power supply in the box. So if you select the bundle with the Boost Kit 180, your CSL DD package will only include the larger power supply.
Additional year warranty for CSL DD (with either power supply): 49.95 EUR (incl. VAT), 49.95 USD (excl. VAT), 79.90 AUD, 6,700 JPY.
CSL Pedals (two pedal set): 79.95 EUR (incl. VAT), 79.95 USD (excl. VAT), 129.90 AUD, 10,500 JPY.
CSL Pedals Clutch Kit (adds a third pedal): 39.95 EUR (incl. VAT), 39.95 USD (excl. VAT), 64.90 AUD, 5,490 JPY.
CSL Pedals Load Cell Kit and CSL Tuning Kit These accessories are not available yet. We will announce pricing and availability later this year. The CSL Pedals with Load Cell Kit will be below 200,-.
The CSL DD with Boost Kit 180 is significantly cheaper than the ClubSport Wheel Base V2.5, and yet it has much higher performance as a result of direct-drive technology. While peak torque is similar, the fidelity, responsiveness, wheel speed, and acceleration are all superior to the belt-driven system, and this is why the ClubSport Wheel Base V2.5 is also no longer in production.
Pre-order waves explained:
Due to very high demand, CSL DD pre-orders will be limited to one unit per customer. To keep it as fair as possible, we are also rolling out pre-orders in three waves:
First wave:
- Must use an existing Fanatec account with previous order history
- Must be subscribed to the Fanatec newsletter
- One unit per customer
Second wave:
- Must have a Fanatec account
- Must be subscribed to updates through newstandardd.fanatec.com
- One unit per customer
Third wave:
- Available on the website for everyone
- One unit per customer
Drivers were pouring over the CSL DD (together with the Podium Steering Wheel BMW M4 GT3) at this weekend’s Fanatec GT World Challenge event at Circuit Paul Ricard, which generated additional hype alongside another fantastic Fanatec Esports GT Pro Series race! We received plenty of positive feedback; drivers were surprised by its fidelity (having immediately come from the much stronger Podium DD2 bases used inside the Fanatec Arena) and its ability to deal with the sophisticated BMW wheel.
We also can’t wait to hear about the three pre-production units that are being tested by your selected YouTubers.
Some of you have noticed our Steering Wheels section in some regions has been quite limited recently, but this will be resolved very soon, stay tuned for more product announcements!
106 comments 29.7K views 107 comments 0 points Most recent by Rupak Chatterjee
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CSL DD - three early units available for review, vote for your favourite channel! UPDATE
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It won’t be long before you see a full roll-out of CSL DD review units across all major sim racing channels, but we have three early units ready for review today.
In order to make it as transparent and fair as possible we decided that the community should pick the reviewers to make sure that the test results will be 100% objective and critical. We have nothing to hide and have full confidence in our product so YOU will be the one to decide who has the privilege to review one of the most anticipated sim racing products of 2021.
Please vote for your favourite YouTube channel. The poll includes a list of popular options, but if we’ve missed one (and I am sure we did) you can vote ‘Other’ and name them in the comments below. If you are a reviewer and you think that you should be on the list because you are much more popular than the guys below, then shout out and let us know.
The top three channels with the most votes will be sent a CSL DD unit for review by the end of this week.
Please do not vote twice for the same channel!
UPDATE
The result of the poll is clearly showing the 3 winners: Sim Racing Garage, Boosted Media, and Chris Haye.
However, after speaking with Barry from Sim Racing Garage, he stated that he would rather wait for the final retail version of the CSL DD to put it through the normal Sim Racing Garage review process, which means that his review will come later. Barry is doing things properly and this is why he is so popular so how can we not respect that decision? But rest assured he will be in the first batch of the final review samples and he will take his time to make a thorough analysis and the deep review this product deserves, Instead of Sim Racing Garage, the third early CSL DD unit and CSL Pedals will go to YouTube channel GamerMuscleVideos.
All three are excellent choices and I can't wait to see the results.
Keep in mind that these are only the first three test units, there will be plenty more full review units closer to the actual release date and thank you for all the suggestions for additional reviewers. Please feel free to add more and we will take care of them.
These units are pre-production, which means some aspects of them are not up to the specification of the actual retail units. Boosted Media, Chris Haye, and GamerMuscleVideos will be able drive with them using any game they wish, and test the force feedback with and without the Boost Kit 180. They will also be able to try out the new CSL Pedals for the first time, together with some of its accessories. Of course we will share the videos with you as soon as they roll in.
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The revolution continues: The new CSL Pedals
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We want to make the entry to the Fanatec ecosystem more affordable without sacrificing anything which made our Fanatec brand so popular. Our mission is to make high-end sim racing equipment more affordable.
Therefore the mission was to create the ultimate Sub-200 €/$ Load Cell Pedals with the same durability and precision as pedals which are in a completely different price region.
The result is the CSL Pedals. No short-cuts. No fakery. Pure performance.
- All metal construction
- High-resolution contactless Hall Sensors (12-Bit!)
- Full adjustability
- Very low entry price with multiple options to upgrade
- Optional Load Cell Kit for professional braking feel
- Optional Clutch Kit
- Optional Tuning Kit with aluminium pedal plates
Standard Configuration:
With Load Cell Brake and Tuning Kit:
Starting at just 79.95 €/$ (€ incl. VAT, $ excl. VAT), the CSL Pedals are the perfect compliment to the CSL DD, and a great way to get started in sim racing.
Pre-orders open soon, and it will ship together with the CSL DD.
PS: And we are not done yet ;)
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The new standarDD: The CSL DD
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So when I made the post on April 1st, not many people thought that a product like the Podium DD 0.5 could be true but in fact, aside from the name and the picture, everything was true.
YES it costs only 349,95 € (incl. VAT) / 349,95$ (excl. VAT).
YES it comes with a carbon fibre composite axis. This increases responsiveness and acceleration a lot.
YES it comes with the patented FluxBarrier™ technology allowing exceptional efficiency.
YES it is built by robots and this increases the quality and lowers the cost.
Yes, it’s real. We had some fun for April Fools, but we have indeed developed an all-new direct-drive wheel base for €349.95. Bringing this advanced technology to the CSL Series took a little more effort than cutting a Podium base in half, that’s for sure.
This is nothing other than a complete game changer. There is little doubt that Direct Drive wheels are far superior to any belt or gear-driven wheels out there. We wanted to make this new technology available for the mass market without taking any shortcuts in quality or performance.
A key factor is the brand-new, 100% custom motor. It was developed in Germany specifically for sim racing, with patented FluxBarrier™ technology achieving remarkable efficiency for its size. The force feedback detail and performance is unlike anything else close to this price point.
Up to 8 Nm peak torque.
With the standard power supply, peak torque is 5 Nm, this is almost the level of a CSL Elite Wheel Base. But there is also the Boost Kit 180, an optional larger power supply unlocking the full 8 Nm.
The CSL DD uses an improved, automotive-grade, all-aluminium quick release. This component is user-exchangeable, ready for the transition to the all-new QR2 system (coming soon). And of course we are working on more DDs, including PS5 licensed DDs, as well.
DD is the way to go in all our product lines.
We will ship it in Q3 this year and pre-orders will open as soon as we have a reliable shipping date.
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Incredible new era of esports at Monza!
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We have just witnessed something special. Did anyone think the day would come when sim racing results would count for actual points in a real-life race weekend? It was almost unreal to see the full grid of GT cars lined up on the Monza straight with “FANATEC” on the windows, and it marks the next step for us as a company and for sim racing in general.
Congratulations to Arthur Rougier for scoring the maximum real-world championship points for Emil Frey Racing in the opening round of the 2021 Fanatec Esports GT Pro Series. You can re-watch the virtual 60-minute sprint race here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlbftoazLbE
The biggest takeaway from the weekend is that the battles on the virtual track were just as genuine as those in reality. The teams were clearly taking the competition very seriously, and this was only possible through the incredible hard work by everyone at Fanatec and our partners to provide a means to practice, qualify, and race on identical equipment.
While the live audience in the Fanatec Arena was limited due to COVID restrictions, there was a great atmosphere, with spectators emotionally invested in the race, reacting with ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ after each incident and with spontaneous applause after every clean pass. It’s easy to imagine how this enthusiasm will escalate once our lives return to normal and the track paddocks are busy again.
This is a huge moment for sim racing and something we should all be proud of.
Want to know how the Fanatec Esports GT Pro Series works? Catch up on all the details of the Fanatec Esports GT Pro Series in this video explaining the structure and rules:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmoSq2Qs894
Full Monza report available here:
The 2021 Fanatec Esports GT Pro Series continues at Circuit Paul Ricard on May 28-30.
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The sensational low cost DD has arrived! DD 0.5
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Millions of you asked for this product and we listened! A direct-drive wheel base with near-Podium performance at the price of an entry level wheel base!
We gave this almost impossible task to our brilliant engineers and their solution was ingenious: cut our DD1 in half! Everything will be smaller, even the giftbox and the driver software.
And while we were at it, we even integrated the super-innovative FluxBarrier™ technology. I can’t really explain what it does but it is sensationally good… as if it came straight from the future.
Of course we needed to save weight to reduce the shipping costs so we made the internals from carbon fibre, another innovation for sim racing and indeed electric motors in general.
The result is our brand new DD 0.5, available for €/$ 349.95!
This product combines the latest technology at a low cost, something we could only achieve by producing it completely with robots and selling it with chatbots. Even this text was generated by our new blogbot.
Watch out for more details soon.
Your Tombot
47 comments 52.3K views 48 comments 0 points Most recent by Alexandros Annivas
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Now for something completely different…
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Who doesn’t love a V12? We’re fans of real and virtual cars...
Fanatec has proudly supported the ‘Breadvan Hommage’ project, a one-off design exercise by Niels van Roij that references the legendary Breadvan of the 1960s. I’ve always loved unique car design, and that carries into our own products. We want to surprise and innovate, rather than following expected trends.
As a lifelong race fan, I have always been fascinated by the history of racing, particularly the 1960s, where the rules were far less restrictive, and aerodynamics was barely understood.
The original ‘Breadvan’ is a great example of the crazy ideas being thrown around during this era. Giovanni Volpi ran Scuderia Serenissima, a racing team and customer of Ferrari. After a falling-out between Enzo Ferrari and his lead engineers, Scuderia Serenissima employed several of Ferrari’s key staff. Ferrari then refused to sell any of the latest 250 GTOs to Volpi, and as a result, Volpi decided to create a competitor to the 250 GTO, based on a 250 GT SWB. As Giotto Bizzarrini was the lead designer on the GTO, now working for Volpi he was able to employ all the same technology, developing further improvements, including using the Kammback aero principle, which resulted in the iconic shape that became widely known as the ‘breadvan’. Because of its superior aero, it blasted past Ferrari’s own 250 GTOs in its first outing at Le Mans, but was forced to retire after mechanical issues. It went on to win other GT races the following year.
The tribute car uses a 550 Maranello as a base, but much like the original Breadvan, after its extensive modifications it is no longer badged a Ferrari. We think it is a fitting tribute to one of the most interesting race cars of all time.
https://www.topgear.com/car-news/retro/revealed-one-ferrari-550-based-breadvan-hommage
https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/niels-van-roij-design-unveils-tribute-ferrari-breadvan
Niels has designed some remarkable vehicles over the years, you can follow his coachbuilding projects on the Niels van Roij Design website.
https://twitter.com/NielsvanRoij
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Fanatec's groundbreaking GT3 Partnership Means Teams Earn Real Points from Sim Racing
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This is big news for sim racing.
We’ve all seen real-world pro drivers compete in sim racing, but it has always been for fun, for charity, for practice, or for bragging rights. But what if sim racing events counted towards a real-world championship? We’ve made it happen. Our multi-year deal with SRO Motorsports Group introduces a brand new concept to merge sim racing and motorsport even closer together.
Fanatec is now the title sponsor of the GT World Challenge Powered by AWS and the new GT2 European Series.
Yes, we are talking about the real cars.
But this is the more exciting part:
For the first time in global motorsport history, sim racing will directly influence the outcome of a real-world championship.
During all five rounds of the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup and Total 24 Hours of Spa, esports contests will be hosted using Assetto Corsa Competizione, the official video game of the Fanatec GT World Challenge Powered by AWS. Both Pro and Silver teams will nominate one actual race driver to participate in a virtual race which awards championship points. The official rules and regulations will be announced at a later date.
This is truly a groundbreaking milestone for motorsport as well as for esports. Never before have we seen an athlete compete in both virtual and real life for championship points. This increases the importance of sim racers for race teams and in future you will rarely see a race driver who is not training in a simulator at home. I hope other racing series will follow as this is a great way to reach a young audience and allows online-races at any time of the year at minimum cost. A great and entertaining addition to the loud and exciting track racing we all love.
And of course in this series, the new BMW M4 GT3 will use a Fanatec steering wheel. It all comes together and S.R.O. and ourselves have even bigger plans.
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Introducing the CSL Universal Hub, and the new Firmware Manager!
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Let's start 2021 with a cool new product. The ClubSport Universal Hub is one of our most popular products, due to its flexibility and countless adjustment possibilities. But it comes at a price and we want to bring this type of hardcore sim racing product to a broader audience.
Performance and value.
Our new entry-level hub offers many of the advanced features of the ClubSport Universal Hub at the much lower price of €149,95 / $149,95 (EU includes VAT) and we can ship from today.
An innovative slider mechanism allows effortless positioning of the button islands and shifter paddles to suit different wheel sizes.
The hub has threaded holes for 3 x 50 mm and 6 x 70 mm mounting patterns, meaning that all current Fanatec wheel rims can be attached, and it is also compatible with many wheel rims from brands such as MOMO, Sparco, or OMP.
Packed with features and inputs.
Alongside eight standard buttons with snap-dome activation, the integrated button islands also feature a 2-way rocker switch, two 2-way toggle switches, and a 7-way FunkySwitch™ with rotary encoder functionality. The shifter paddles are reinforced with a honeycomb structure, shaped to fit most wheel rims. The width of the paddle positions is adjusted together with the button islands as part of the slider mechanism. Snap-dome activation gives a reassuring click with every shift.
Tuning Menu access.
Access the FANATEC® Tuning Menu with just the press of a button. Adjust your wheel base force feedback and other hardware settings while you drive using 7-way FunkySwitch™ and LCD display.
Tool-free Simplified Quick Release.
No clamping bolt required! The improved Simplified Quick Release Adapter clamps easily to the steering shaft by hand, without the need for tools. The adapter is also removable, and can be replaced with the ClubSport Quick Release Adapter, unlocking High Torque Mode on Podium wheel bases.
Firmware Manager simplifies the hardware installation process.
Alongside the new product is Fanatec Driver v400. Driver v400 marks a big improvement in ease-of-use, with the introduction of Firmware Manager, which guides the user through all firmware updates step by step, including instructions and functions to calibrate wheel centre, shifter, and more.
Firmware Manager can also save your Tuning Menu settings and restore them automatically after the update if you wish.
You will also be informed if a new steering wheel is attached which the currently installed base firmware doesn't recognise/can't support. If shown, you must download the most recent driver from the product page and update the firmware. Full details are available in this forum thread.
As always, this package will be available in the Download section of every relevant product page. We’re committed to improving the user experience, and this is just the start!
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The McLaren GT3 is back! And better than ever
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Following our Podium Steering Wheel BMW M4 GT3 announcement, we heard plenty of requests for a GT3 wheel in a lower price bracket, and something for Xbox owners, so here it is (again) !
The CSL Elite Steering Wheel McLaren GT3 V2 might look very similar to the original version, but there have been several significant refinements to this proven design.
Realistic magnetic shifters, multi-purpose paddle system.
That’s right, the CSL Elite Steering Wheel McLaren GT3 V2 now has magnetic shifters. The mechanism is completely revised, with a longer throw, and it’s still possible to upshift and downshift with one hand. The dual clutch paddles are also improved. It feels really awesome and avoids all kind of shifting issues.
White OLED display.
This is the lowest-priced wheel in the Fanatec range with an OLED display, now in white. Use it to access Tuning Menu features and show game telemetry (where supported).
Multi-Position Switches with rotary encoder functionality.
The new Multi-Position Switches feature advanced multi-position modes and endless rotary encoder functionality for wider compatibility between racing sims. Up to 54 inputs are directly accessible on this wheel.
Tool-free Simplified Quick Release.
No clamping bolt required! The improved Simplified Quick Release Adapter clamps easily to the steering shaft by hand, without the need for tools. The adapter is also removable, and can be replaced with the ClubSport Quick Release Adapter, unlocking High Torque Mode on Podium wheel bases.
Officially licensed for Xbox®.
We’re really pleased to be adding another Xbox-licensed steering wheel to our range. Attach this wheel to any compatible FANATEC® wheel base and the whole system (including attached peripherals such as shifters, pedals, or handbrake) will work on Xbox One® and Xbox Series X|S. Of course, it works on PC too, and on PS4 and PS5 when combined with a PlayStation-licensed wheel base.
The CSL Elite Steering Wheel McLaren V2 is available to order today!
Also, we’ve just launched a new offer with our friends at iRacing. Add a three-month iRacing subscription to your basket for just $/€1! (This offer is available with the purchase of any Fanatec Steering Wheel, including Racing Wheels and Bundles. Valid for new iRacing accounts only.)
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Fanatec and BMW Motorsport bring virtual and real-world racing closer together than ever
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This is a very special day for me and probably one of the most important milestones in my career.
Revealed at BMW SIM LIVE 2020, the Podium Steering Wheel BMW M4 GT3 is a groundbreaking product for the industry. For the first time in sim racing history, a steering wheel has been developed simultaneously for both real and virtual racing.
This is the actual wheel for the 2022 BMW M4 GT3 race car, engineered by Fanatec in collaboration with BMW Motorsport.
The product you buy in our webshop IS the wheel in the car. Without even updating the firmware you can just swap between the simulator and the car.
But now it’s time to finally admit something. The video we made about our BMW GT2 wheel nine years ago was a bit fake:
We actually made a connection for the wheel and the car but it was never really used in the race car. But this little marketing magic has turned into reality now.
Homologated for GT3 racing by the F.I.A., the Podium Steering Wheel BMW M4 GT3 is built for ultimate performance, with a full carbon fibre construction, optimised with feedback from BMW Motorsport pro drivers. It features molded carbon casing with 8 layers, RGB LED-backlit front buttons, backlit 12-position rotary switches, new and very firm custom thumb encoders, dual-action magnetic shifters, dual-Hall sensor clutch paddles, a motorsport grade quick release and more.
Engineering a wheel suitable for both a race car and Fanatec wheel bases was an exciting challenge for our R&D team, incorporating new electronics and meeting rigorous standards for stiffness, water and dust resistance, and shock proofing. The end result is a wheel that feels incredible to use, whether you’re sitting in the real car or your sim rig.
Seeing BMW works driver Philipp Eng step out of the BMW M4 GT3 on stage at BMW SIM LIVE, disconnecting the wheel from the car and immediately connecting it to a Fanatec simulator to drive some laps was a proud moment for the whole team. This is what he had to say:
“The first time I heard of the idea to design the BMW M4 GT3 steering wheel to be compatible with a simulator, I was flabbergasted – because I was thrilled by the concept from the word go. You have to take your hat off to the pioneering role that BMW Motorsport and Fanatec have taken on here, and to the courage to implement a project of this kind. I know the people who were involved in the development at BMW Motorsport and at Fanatec, and never doubted that they would design a superb steering wheel. Compared to the steering wheel in the BMW M6 GT3, for example, the new wheel has extremely good ergonomics. It is very comfortable to hold. You can tell that real professionals have been at work in every area.”
The wheel is due to launch in Q2 2021, and we can’t wait to tell you more!
Head over to bmw.fanatec.com for all the details.
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You won't want to miss this... BMW SIM LIVE 2020 (Special Announcement)
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Don't forget to tune in at 4 p.m. CET for BMW SIM LIVE 2020.
The debut BMW SIM LIVE last year was a huge success, and it'll be a fantastic show again today, with some great racing and a special announcement from Fanatec. We're excited... you've never seen anything quite like this!
Links:
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Black Friday 2020
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Those of you who have followed our company for a while are aware that we don’t run special discounts very often. Fanatec is a high-end brand and we prefer to consistently offer great quality and value every day. But this year has been full of surprises, and we’re keeping our Black Friday 2020 deals nice and simple, offering a 20% discount on our most popular products for PC, PlayStation, and Xbox.
Bear in mind that we have allocated a limited number of units for each deal, and there will be a counter displaying the number of remaining units clearly displayed on each product page. In total there will be over 14000 products discounted. However through our experience of previous Black Fridays we recommend that you act quickly. Also to ease the pressure on the site, we won’t communicate a specific time when our deals will be online, only that they will be live before noon CET on Friday November 27th.
The following products will be listed at a 20% discount, exclusively through our website:
[Prices in Euro and USD]
CSL Elite selection:
CSL Elite Wheel Base + - Officially Licensed for PlayStation (works on PS4 / PS5)
Regular Price: €/$ 399.95
BF 2020 Price: €/$ 319.96 (20% discount also applies to AUS)
Limited to 2000 units worldwide
CSL Elite Racing Wheel - Officially Licensed for PlayStation (works on PS4 / PS5)
Regular Price: €/$ 499.95
BF 2020 Price: €/$ 399.96 (20% discount also applies to AUS)
Limited to 3500 units worldwide
CSL Elite F1 Set - Officially Licensed for PlayStation (works on PS4 / PS5)
Regular Price: €/$ 699.95
BF 2020 Price: €/$ 559.96 (20% discount also applies to AUS)
Limited to 2000 units worldwide
(Note: Due to the lack of PlayStation-licensed products for the Japan region, we will offer the CSL Elite Wheel Base V1.1 at the same 20% discount)
The Fanatec Classics:
ClubSport Wheel Base V2.5
Regular Price: €/$ 549.95
BF 2020 Price: €/$ 439.96 (20% discount also applies to AU, and JP regions)
Limited to 2500 units worldwide
ClubSport Universal Hub for Xbox
Regular Price: €/$ 349.95
BF 2020 Price: €/$ 279.96 (20% discount also applies to AU, and JP regions)
Limited to 1000 units worldwide
ClubSport Steering Wheel Porsche 918 RSR
Regular Price: €/$ 399.95
BF 2020 Price: €/$ 319.96 (20% discount also applies to AU, and JP regions)
Limited to 1000 units worldwide
ClubSport Steering Wheel BMW GT2
Regular Price: €/$ 299.95
BF 2020 Price: €/$ 239.96 (20% discount also applies to AU, and JP regions)
Limited to 1000 units worldwide
ClubSport Steering Wheel Formula Carbon
Regular Price: €/$ 299.95
BF 2020 Price: €/$ 239.96 (20% discount also applies to AU, and JP regions)
Limited to 1000 units worldwide
The deals will go live on Black Friday itself, November 27th, before noon CET and will continue until all allocated units are sold out.
Note: The Black Friday 2020 offers cannot be combined with other promotions or voucher codes.
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The F1 Esports Pro Series is back!
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Following the huge success of the Virtual Grand Prix season, where many F1 stars and other celebrities competed in F1 Esports events during the global lockdown, the F1 Esports Pro Series is back for its fourth season. Ten F1 teams are fighting for the championship, with the highest ever prize fund of $750,000.
The format has been expanded for 2020, with longer races, more live streams, new venues, and a new qualifying show. More details on the official site.
The opening two races in Bahrain and Vietnam were broadcast yesterday and were closely contested as ever. With equal car performance and identical sim racing hardware provided by Fanatec, it really could be anyone’s championship. Alfa Romeo executed a perfect one-two finish in race one, with Jarno Opmeer finishing one tenth ahead of teammate Dani Bereznay.
In race two, last year’s champion, Ferrari Driver Academy Hublot’s David Tonizza began the defence of his title with an impressive win at the Hanoi street circuit. You can watch the full live stream archive on the official F1 YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qiAzJuJjDY
Race three starts this evening at 20:30 CEST (all remaining live shows start at the same time), with the live stream available on F1’s official Twitch, YouTube, and Facebook channels, and on TV around the world.
14 Oct: Live Show 1 - Bahrain + Vietnam
15 Oct: Live Show 2 - China
4 Nov: Live Show 3 - Netherlands + Canada
5 Nov: Live Show 4 - Austria
18 Nov: Live Show 5 - Great Britain + Belgium
19 Nov: Live Show 6 - Italy
16 Dec: Live Show 7 - Japan + Mexico
17 Dec: Live Show 8 - Brazil
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The CSL Elite Steering Wheel WRC launches today!
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Officially licensed by the World Rally Championship (WRC), the CSL Elite Steering Wheel WRC is perfect for mastering the most demanding rally stages. This wheel will be used in official WRC Esports competitions.
The wheel looks familiar but it is a complete new development and has very little in common with the CSL Elite P1 steering wheel.
NEW:
- Thicker grip
- Removable shifter paddles to be able to use static shifter paddles
- New 5-way joystick with much better click feeling
- Exchangeable quick release
- New simplified QR quick release with no tools needed and no flex
- New frontplate and backplate design
- Changed position of the buttons
Only the display section on top and the shape of the buttons remain the same. All the rest is new.
It makes your PC / PlayStation wheel base compatible to XBox and of course it works with the new Xbox Series X as well. A perfect allrounder and works brilliant with rallye games like the new WRC 9.
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PS4 wheels compatible to PS5!
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Today, Playstation finally made the announcement you were waiting for for such a long time.
Your Fanatec wheel bases and racing wheels which are officially PS4 licensed will be compatible to the new PS5!
This is a consumer friendly and important decision and makes sure that you can continue to use your valuable equipment for a very long time.
Microsoft already made a similar announcement so all current console products in our portfolio are future proof.
I can also tell you that we are in close contact with Polyphony so it is very likely that our wheels will be fully supported by GT7 from day 1.
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Pricing stability
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You might have noticed that a lot of sim racing products from other companies have become more expensive since the pandemic started due to a big increase in shipping costs and also because supply is not enough to fulfil the demand.
Against the trend, we are trying hard to keep our prices stable so that our customers can plan their investment even if that means we are giving away a lot of profit.
The German government decided to reduce the VAT for German customers ordering here in Germany (not for orders from outside of Germany). We keep the prices stable as we have a common price for whole Europe anyway but this allows us to keep the worldwide prices at the current level as the tax we save here in Germany is a small compensation for the increased logistic costs worldwide.
The recent overload in our service department was also caused by the many pre-orders we have and with faster shipments we can avoid that.
We think global and not national and hope that our international community will appreciate this step.
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NASCAR Bans the confederate flag
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I would like to express my full support for the decision of our partner NASCAR to ban the confederate flag which is a political symbol and was used by many supporters of slavery.
Any sport should not be a platform for political activists. Drivers, team members and the audience are at a race to enjoy the action or amuse themselves.
I would feel very uncomfortable if somebody would wave a Swastica besides me and I am not even jewish with relatives which were killed by the Nazis. Forbidding the Swastica is not against the Germans or against German pride. It is to ban a symbol of cruelty and I am not offended by such a ban because I absolutely never ever sympathised with the diabolic and racist exctinction of jews, gypsies, homosexuals and other minorities.
It is not about left or right. It is about wrong or right. And if you don't like that decision then I would kindly ask you to listen to those comments and rethink your position. This is not against the South, it is against stubborn supporters of slavery and please don't be the one who is offended now because someone took away your toy.
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Service situation
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Dear Sim Racers,
I would like to explain the situation we are facing at the moment.
Since March we are getting an unusual and unexpected amount of orders. This has to do with the lock down but also with the increased promotion of sim racing as replacement for the real life race events. This is obviously no reason to complain and we are super happy about the new popularity of sim racing in general.
The orders on some days were suddenly five times higher than in January and the January numbers were already 60% above the previous year. But despite that we are temporarily sold out of many products the demand is still crazy high and still three times higher then what we planned.
This means we have a shortage of manpower to handle all sales enquiries and technical support issues. We need to at least triple our staff from one day to the next and it takes time to train them in order to be effective.
A part of our team still has to work from home and this means distraction from kids which are still not in school etc. At the same time, our production can hardly keep up with the huge and sudden increase and this is causing products on pre-order. Logistics are also hard to control with a lot of uncertainties due to the pandemic which is always problematic as there will be delays and wrong shipping dates. But despite the external factors, we also have massive bugs on our new website which is causing a variety of avoidable issues and I clearly have to apologize for that. It looks like we picked the wrong webdesign agency but we are about to solve this problem as well within the next weeks.
Please note that we are urgently looking for a variety of new employees and have a clear preference for people with sim racing background so please feel free to apply for a job at Endor.
While we build up our team I would kindly ask you for patience. It can take over a week to get back to you on your messages but you will get a response.
Please support us with the following:
- Do not send us reminders or ask us when we will come back to you. Rest assured we will get back to you within 14 days. If not then you are welcome to remind us.
- Your tracking info will be sent when the product is dispatched. Please don't ask for tracking info.
- Please read our FAQ and the manual before contacting us. This could avoid 30% of support inquiries.
- Please don't be mad at us. Our team is really working hard.
Please feel free to share this article if you find some unsatisfied customer in social media so they get a better understanding. Thank you.
Despite all the difficulties I am happy to welcome a lot of new Fanatec owners and wish them a lot of fun with our equipment.
Thomas
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The Limited Edition ClubSport Steering Wheel F1® 2020 is here, alongside a special offer for the F1®
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We proudly introduce the new limited edition ClubSport Steering Wheel F1® 2020, officially licensed by Formula 1™! Following our annual tradition, we have a strict limitation of 2020 units available. The new wheels ship on July 7th, pre-orders open today!
Unique forged carbon!
The 5 mm carbon fibre front plate now features a forged carbon finish. This design continues to the shifter paddles, also finished in forged carbon.
New single magnetic shifters!
The biggest upgrade for this year is the new ClubSport Magnetic Paddle Module. This is a simplified version of the Podium Advanced Paddle Module with a single shifter on the left and right, featuring a strong magnetic resistance and ‘click’, giving a solid, positive feel to every shift. The 3 mm-thick carbon fibre paddles are finished in forged carbon, which is exclusive to the F1® 2020 wheel. Of course, the modules are still upgradeable to the Podium Advanced Paddle Module if you need that extra pair of paddles and the analogue ‘dual clutch’ system.
Perforated leather grips and customisable button caps!
This year, the genuine smooth leather grips feature perforations to provide superior breathability over longer race sessions. In addition, 11 customisable black button caps are included, along with the full set of stickers from the ‘Button Caps and Sticker Set’.
Loaded with tech!
The F1® 2020 remains packed with the same advanced technology as the F1® 2019 wheel, including multi-colour RevLEDs, FlagLEDs, an OLED display, and a huge number of inputs: thumb encoders, 12-way multi-position switches, 2-way rocker switches… the list goes on.
Codemasters F1® 2020 Deluxe Schumacher Edition!
For just 1 EUR / 1 USD / 1.50 AUD / 120 JPY, you can also add the latest official Formula 1™ game from Codemasters, F1® 2020 Deluxe Schumacher Edition, to your basket! You’ll find the option to add the game (on the platform of your choice: PC, Xbox One, or PS4*) in the shopping cart, and you will receive the game key when it launches on July 7th.
Please note: all customers are eligible for this game deal when they place an order of any Steering Wheel (including Racing Wheels and Bundles) in our webshop, so tell your friends!
*PS4 Game Key is currently not available for pre-order, pending approval from Sony Interactive Entertainment.
UPDATE
SOLD OUT in the the US and Australia
...and in Europe
Only 7 units left in Japan. Go Japan!
UPDATE 2
Due to a technical problem, the game was not available on Friday. Several customers cancelled the order and re- ordered once the game was available again. We therefore have a few more units available.
Rest assured that the total number of produced units is not more than 2020. This includes marketing units.
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Limited Edition ClubSport Steering Wheel F1® 2020 coming soon!
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Much like the previous two years, we are celebrating our ongoing partnership with Formula 1 by launching a new, limited edition steering wheel. In 2018 we revealed the gold-accented F1® 2018 wheel, which introduced the new-generation features now found in our ClubSport Steering Wheel Formula V2. Last year, we went for a bright silver theme, can you guess what’s next?
We’re really excited to show you this one, as it not only looks incredible, but it includes some new technology and new materials as well. The wheel will be available on our website in all regions on Thursday May 14th, at 3PM CET. The wheel is restricted to 2020 units worldwide; you don’t want to miss this!
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Fanatec donates half a million face masks
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Fellow Sim Racers,
In these crazy COVID-19 times where it feels like the world is turned upside-down, we wanted to do our part to help. We decided to buy and distribute 500,000 CE-certified mouth and nose masks to the city of Landshut, where Fanatec HQ is located. Together with the city, we formed a plan to source half a million masks. With the help of our employees located in China, we worked hard to make it happen. With the massive demand it took us two months but we’re pleased that the citizens of Landshut have finally received their masks. The full consignment of masks arrived three weeks ago and 80,000 units shipped directly to households last week. The rest of this delivery, valued at 500,000€, will be donated to retirement homes and other medical institutions, distributed directly by the city of Landshut.
But that’s not all. Until further notice we will make donations of one nose and mouth mask with every purchase on the Fanatec website. The masks will be donated to hospitals, nursing homes, and other locales that are of utmost importance for society and its functions - decided by the city. You’ll see the counter which shows the amount of masks donated on our front page.
We believe that if people work together to protect each other and the ones that need it the most and with a united effort, we will come out of this pandemic stronger than before. You’ll find the full article (in German) here: https://www.wochenblatt.de/gesundheit/landshut/artikel/325750/firma-spendet-stadt-halbe-million-masken
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Fanatec teams up with WRC
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We’re excited to announce our official partnership with WRC eSports!
The multi-year agreement means that all upcoming WRC eSports activities will be powered by Fanatec equipment, and it also gives us time to develop dedicated products for sim rally driving in close cooperation with WRC.
The first Fanatec-powered invitational WRC eSports event already took place in January, ahead of the start of Rallye Monte-Carlo in Monaco. Unfortunately other real rally events are postponed for now due to the current global situation, and we’re all looking forward to their return, but for now, online WRC sim events are the best way to enjoy this thrilling sport.
To kick off the partnership, we’re backing this week’s #RaceAtHome WRC Weekly Challenge in WRC 8. Available from tomorrow (April 23rd) to anyone playing WRC 8 on all platforms, the task is to master Rally Argentina’s El Condór special stage. The WRC Weekly Challenge presented by Fanatec will stay open for a week. Good luck!
An all-new WRC-branded steering wheel will be launched later this year, here’s a teaser:
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New: Customisable Button Caps!
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This simple but highly effective upgrade will make your Fanatec steering wheels unique.
The new Button Caps and Sticker Set allows for a huge variety of steering wheel customisation - combine coloured backgrounds with black or white text/symbol stickers for more than 20,000 variations.
The 127 different black and white text/symbol stickers include all commonly used sim racing button assignments, including brake balance, DRS, and engine/fuel management.
The caps are easy to install and compatible with most Fanatec steering wheels. Plastic tweezers are also included to avoid fingerprints and for easy removal of existing caps.
The new button caps have a different shape which allows to add two stickers (colour+symbol) and get a flat surface. It is therefore more advanced than any other sticker set which is available on the market.
98 additional rectangular stickers are also provided for drivers who prefer to place the button labels on the wheel itself. Some small Fanatec logo stickers are also included.
We’d love to see photos of your Fanatec wheels with the new button caps, we’ll share our favourites on our social channels!
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SARS Co-V2 status UPDATE More regions stop delivery of parcels
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Dear Simracers
Nature just sent us a little reminder who the real boss is. We realize how vulnerable our system and society is. Stupidity, selfishness and ignorance are the assistants of the virus. I am guilty as well as I did not realize the impact on our health system and did not understand in the beginning that the virus itself might be as deadly as the flue but the impact will be dramatic just because humans have zero immunity and it takes time to prepare human mankind to a new species of virus.
Now we need to avoid the collapse of our health system by changing our habits and give up a lot of our freedom and the things we love for a while. And we need to stay reasonable and calm. Panic helped to get awareness so even the simple minded understood the danger but I am not afraid of getting Covid-19. Most of us will get it sooner or later and will be just fine.
So what is the impact on our business and on you as a customer of Fanatec?
Demand is strong and gets stronger every day as Simracing is apparantly the only motorsport you can perform at the moment
Our inventory situation is still ok and our factories are working on a reduced level but of course we do not know how long our supply chain will work as in some critical areas the delivery services already stopped working. Therefore we recommend that you get whatever you need until supply lasts. We might need to raise our prices if demand is higher than supply.
Our team is mostly working from home office or took a holiday as some of them need to take care of children which cannot go to school or simply stay at home to reduce the spread of the disease. This means that it can take longer until you get a response and repair times will take longer as well. Please be patient. Thank you.
Development is affected as well so a few prodcts might be delayed. The good thing is that I did not tell you about the upcoming goodies yet so I don't have to justify any delays. 😜
It is a very special time and we all can learn and get stronger if we use the time of slow motion and limited possibilities for good. Take care about the elderly and protect them. Be responsible so that our doctors can do their jobs without beeing overloaded. Give your favourite small businesses, bars and event organizers etc. your financial support if you can. Help your neighbours and stay together. Stay at home or places where you can keep some distance and follow the new rules. Reduce contacts as much as you can IRL. This is certainly not the end of the world. It can be the awakening of humanity.
And of course enjoy simracing at home 😉
Take care
Thomas
UPDATE
More and more regions are affected heavily so that delivery services like UPS will stop delivering our products. Some shipments already have been returned to us.
Before you place an order, please make sure that your region is not affected. Thank you!
English - https://www.ups.com/de/en/service-alerts.page?id=alert1
Deutsch - https://www.ups.com/de/de/service-alerts.page?id=alert1
Please place your order in time if you plan an upcoming purchase.
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Huge Upgrade for your Podium DD! Much more fidelity and faster response
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When the Podium Direct Drive systems launched earlier this year, we included an improved Tuning Menu system compared to our belt-drive wheel bases. Several driver and firmware optimisations followed, along with FanaLab, which is becoming more flexible and powerful with every version.
Today, we’re introducing the first Performance Update for the Podium Series, which is available as a beta driver package (v352). This includes some major driver optimisations and firmware updates for the DD1 (including PS4 version) and DD2 wheel bases and motors.
FFB Optimisations:
- Reduced FFB latency by 23% - latency is the enemy of simulation, so lower latency means a general performance improvement in all aspects of force feedback.
- Increased resolution of the FFB signal to 16-bit (65536 increments) instead of 8-bit (256 increments) - this also helps with smoothness and response. The fidelity is now 256 times better!
- Improved FFB linearity - a more linear response means more consistent torque delivery across the dynamic range.
- Improved motor control with significantly less ‘loss’, to resemble the raw FFB signal more precisely. Simply described, the previous motor handling acted like a slight filter on noisy FFB but also reduced detail (1:1 game FFB can be quite rough and noisy, therefore we have added a new filter to the Tuning Menu called "Force Interpolation" - more on that below).
- Improved Spring Effect calculation to improve oscillation behaviour.
- Improved Damper Effect calculation to improve oscillation behaviour.
- Improved Natural Friction calculation to solve unwanted vibration.
New FFB Features:
- Linearity Mode “LIN” reduces maximum FFB output by a small amount to guarantee a consistent output between peaks and holding forces. Improved general linearity between game output and torque output.
- Force Interpolation “INT” (similar to the ‘Reconstruction Filter’ on OSW/SimuCube) filters and smoothens the incoming rough game FFB signal and increases the refresh rate. For example a 60Hz FFB signal (e.g. iRacing) looks like rough steps on a graph and can also feel like this, but using Force Interpolation, the signal is recreated as a smooth curve. In comparison to FEI, this filter is a lot more powerful as it doesn't influence latency as much, has a better smoothing algorithm and doesn't eliminate effects completely.
- Natural Inertia "NIN" simulates additional weight on the steering axis. This can be particularly useful when using light wheels like the P1 or McLaren GT3. It also makes the Natural Friction setting feel less ‘sticky’ on direction changes.
Other notable changes and fixes:
- All Tuning Menu parameters have been rearranged into a more logical order. Now the list starts with the settings that are constantly influencing the steering independent from the game, followed by FFB settings only influencing the game effects, then the vibration effects, and then settings dependent on connected hardware.
- Added dynamic tooltips in the Tuning Menu, which makes more effective use of the OLED, and should make Tuning Menu adjustments more intuitive and less intimidating for beginners.
There are many more improvements and fixes included in this update - a full list of changes are available in the forum.
We recommend that everyone with a Podium wheel base should try it! And because many of the optimisations are within the firmware, the Tuning Menu and motor performance improvements apply to consoles too.
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Black Friday 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 ...
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After reading all the feedback about our Black Friday 2019 offers, I thought about what could explain the negativity of some posts.
In the lead-up to the holiday season, and we all make wish lists, and if we don't get what we want, it can be disappointing. I think many of us know that feeling if you look under the Christmas tree and the thing you dreamed about is not there. Perhaps this is a similar situation.
What did we do differently compared to recent years? Not much. We always offered just a few products with a decent discount and even announced limited editions (Formula 2018) or new products (McLaren). We don’t encourage customers to wait for Black Friday because we prefer continuous sales and not big peaks.
Where we clearly failed was to manage expectations. And this is the reason for this post; I want to manage the expectations for future Black Fridays.
Future sales will be based on these basic rules:
- Fanatec usually does not run sales or special prices throughout the year. There is one day per year when we sell products at a discount, and this is Black Friday.
- There will be only one or two products (bundles or individual products) on discount. There will never be a general discount of X% on all products or free shipping. This would just accumulate most sales to this one day and create massive handling and logistic problems.
- The discounted products will be popular sellers, but unlikely to be newly launched products or products we’ve had on sale before.
- The discount will be significant and in the range of 20% to 30%.
- On top of the discounted products, we might sell a limited edition with special colours or better materials like the Shifter with Carbon Fibre knobs this year which als has a price advantage of about 30%.
- We might also use Black Friday to launch a new product without discount.
This is how we did it in the past and this is how we want to do it in the future.
Fanatec products usually have a very long life cycle; products like the BMW steering wheel have remained in our portfolio for over eight years. The prices on our products usually only go up over time (due to manufacturing costs and inflation), which means strong used value too. We are not fans of stimulating sales with discounts and we prefer to convince customers with quality, features, functionality, and a strong price-performance ratio. Our general pricing already represents good value due to the fact that we sell directly from our own website instead of retail.
I don't believe in cheap. I believe in value. The craziness around Black Friday does not change our principles.
And please don't get hyped nor disappointed. Buy the things you really enjoy and nothing more.
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Black Friday 2019 UPDATE2 A big THANK YOU
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It’s that time of year again, and we have some great new offers and new product reveals for Black Friday!
The Black Friday Deals will be available from November 29th at 09:00 CET until Cyber Monday (December 2nd), exclusively through our webshop.
CSL Elite Pro Kit - Officially Licensed for PS4™ at 699.95 € (Europe only)
- This offer is only valid in EU and is strictly limited!
- Race-ready Fanatec package for PS4™ and PS4™ Pro combines the CSL Elite Racing Wheel for PS4 and the CSL Elite Pedals LC
- Wheel base provides realistic force feedback thanks to Fanatec ClubSport technology
- Fully metal, adjustable CSL Elite pedals
- CSL Elite Loadcell Kit included! Load cell technology greatly improves brake feeling and consistency.
ClubSport Pedals V3 + Brake Performance Kit at 299,95 €/$, 37,900.00¥, AU $499.90
Buy the legendary ClubSport Pedals V3 with the Brake Performance Kit for less than the normal price of the pedals alone!
- High performance pedals with Hall sensors on throttle and clutch pedals for precision and durability
- Pressure sensitive load cell brake system with custom-made 90 kg sensor and tool-free stiffness and travel adjustment
- 12-bit resolution (4096 values) on all axis
- Alternative D-shape pedal plates included, with adjustable extensions
- Brake sensitivity can be adjusted through the Tuning Menu while driving
- Vibration motors on throttle and brake pedals to simulate TC, ABS, and other effects
- Exchangeable throttle springs. Two springs with different strengths are included.
- Optional damper kit for gas and brake with adjustable damping resistance.
- Full multi-platform compatibility
- Full metal construction of CNC-machined aluminium
- Brake Performance Kit stiffens and shortens throw to behave more like a race car pedal, greatly improving on-the-limit threshold brake feel.
ClubSport Shifter SQ V1.5 Limited Edition 2019 for 259,95€, US $199,95, 28,900.00¥, AU $349,90
- The ClubSport Shifter SQ V1.5 Limited Edition 2019 comes in a unique colour scheme, featuring a matte grey body, anodised red lever, and matte carbon gear knobs.
- Shares the same high-performance specification as the standard ClubSport Shifter SQ V1.5: Full metal construction, seven gear H-pattern mode, reverse gear with realistic inhibitor to prevent accidental shifts, realistic sequential mode with strong haptic feedback, instant switching sequential and H-pattern mode.
- Carbon Fiber gear knobs, compatible to popular automotive standards (value ca. 80 €/USD)
- Adjustable shift feeling and resistance
- Multiple mounting options on all four sides and bottom
Introducing five new Wheel Rims!
ClubSport Wheel Rim NASCAR at 149,95 €/$, 20,000.00¥, AU $259,90
Drivers, start your engines! Grab the officially licensed NASCAR wheel rim for the most realistic oval racing experience!
- Officially licensed NASCAR product
- Three-spoke aluminium wheel rim with a 35 cm diameter
- Genuine Alcantara© grip
- Genuine Alcantara© hub cover with embroidered NASCAR logo
ClubSport Wheel Rim Classic 2 for 129,95 €/$, 14,900.00¥, AU $199.90
The Classic wheel rim returns in a new colour!
- Perfect for vintage road cars and historic racing cars. The thin, large diameter rim creates an authentic feeling of driving a classic car.
- Three-spoke aluminium wheel rim with a 35 cm diameter
- Polished, anodised silver finish
- Black ‘F’ signet in centre of silver metal hub cover
ClubSport Wheel Rim R330 for 129,95 €/$, 14,900.00¥, AU $199.90
Multi-purpose, fully round wheel with ergonomic grips. The smooth leather is durable and comfortable, and features stunning blue and orange accents.
- Three-spoke aluminium wheel rim with a diameter of 33 cm
- Genuine smooth leather
- Neon blue centre stripe
- Neon orange stitching
- Fanatec ‘F’ signet embossed in centre of black metal hub cover
ClubSport Wheel Rim Flat 2 for 129,95 €/$, 14,900.00¥, AU $199.90
The compact size and light weight makes this wheel perfect for open-wheel racing and any race car requiring fast steering inputs. The evocative polished silver and red colour scheme is a nod to classic Formula cars.
- Three-spoke aluminium wheel rim with a diameter of 27.5 cm
- Polished, anodised silver finish
- Red synthetic suede
ClubSport Wheel Rim GT Alcantara® for 129,95 €/$, 14,900.00¥, AU $199.90
A variation on the popular ClubSport Wheel Rim GT, using genuine Alcantara®. The striking lime green accents add a splash of colour to any simulator setup.
- Three-spoke aluminium wheel rim with a 33 cm diameter
- Genuine Alcantara® grip
- Genuine leather lime green centre stripe
- Lime green cross stitching
Of course, the five wheel rims will also be available as ClubSport Steering Wheels. The site will be updated with the newly announced hardware very soon.
What is your favourite offer?
UPDATE
Our Black Friday 2019 deals and new products are now online. Don’t delay, the reduced prices will only last until Cyber Monday, at 9:00 CET or until we run out of stock.
UPDATE 2
Thank you for the most succesful Black Friday in the history of Fanatec!
We had incoming orders every 2 seconds during peak time and we sold 26 times as much as on a average day in November. The new products were received very well and the remaining limited edition shifters will not last for long.
Thanks to all new and existing customers for your trust in us and I wish you a lot of fun with your new products.
Feel free to post pictures 😃
241 comments 47.3K views 242 comments 0 points Most recent by Cesar J Quintero
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Podium Steering Wheel Porsche 911 GT3 R
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Our new flagship modular steering wheel, the Podium Steering Wheel Porsche 911 GT3 R, finally launched on the webshop today! It is available for pre-order in all regions, and will ship in December.
The individual components are also available separately, including the new officially licensed Podium Wheel Rim Porsche 911 GT3 Cup in two finishes, and the Podium Advanced Button Module. A ClubSport Universal Hub for Xbox One version of the Porsche steering wheel is also available for pre-order.
The Podium Steering Wheel Porsche 911 GT3 R is the ultimate wheel for GT racing, combining the complete set of modular steering wheel components from the Podium range to create a high-performance, full-scale replica of the Porsche 991 GT3 R wheel.
The Podium Steering Wheel Porsche 911 GT3 R includes:
- Podium Wheel Rim Porsche 911 GT3 Cup
- Podium Button Module Endurance
- Podium Advanced Paddle Module
- Podium Hub
Official Porsche replica!
The Porsche 911 GT3 Cup rim is a premium quality replica of the real Porsche wheel based on original CAD data, built to automotive-grade quality. The brushed and anodised aluminium rim is covered in genuine, premium leather, available in both suede and smooth finishes.
Introducing the Podium Button Module Endurance!
This advanced modular component includes two 12-way Multi-Position Switches with rotary encoder functionality, toggle switches, analogue stick, FunkySwitch, and 10 buttons. The integrated 2.7” 256x64 resolution OLED display is able to display more information than ever before, through our new Intelligent Telemetry Mode (ITM). The deep contrast of this display is truly stunning!
The most authentic paddle system ever.
The incredible Podium Advanced Paddle Module is part of the package, adding a dual analogue clutch paddle system and two pairs of magnetic shifters, built to automotive quality: carbon fibre paddle plates, aluminium cage, contactless Hall sensors, high-end switches.
Podium Hub at its core.
This Podium-spec steering wheel is defined by the high performance core hub, a gold anodised aluminium monocoque using a strong space frame design. The Button Module Endurance connects directly to the DataPort-C, unlocking the full potential of the Podium Hub.
Compatibility.
The Podium Button Module Endurance also fits on the front of the ClubSport Universal Hub for Xbox One, meaning that you can create a version of the ‘GT3 R’ design that is compatible with Xbox One. We are offering two ClubSport Steering Wheel Porsche 911 GT3 R packages that include the Podium Wheel Rim Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, Podium Button Module Endurance, and ClubSport Universal Hub for Xbox One. At the moment, the Podium Button Module Endurance and bundles with this product are only compatible to our Podium DD Wheel Bases but we are currently working on a firmware update to make more Wheel Bases, like our ClubSport Wheel Base V2.5, compatible.
Black Friday 2019.
Our Black Friday offers will be revealed on Monday, stay tuned! We can’t wait to show you more!
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Welcome to the new Website!
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Finally we launched the new webshop which is based on a more modern platform and with a fresh design.
We’re glad to hear so much positive feedback about the new design already. We’ve been hard at work fixing the last few issues that have appeared during the transition period.
A few known issues:
• We are aware that customers with active discount codes are not currently able to use them on the new site. We aim to have this resolved by tomorrow.
• The changeover has resulted in a delay to support communication and RMAs. Please bear with us while we catch up on the support tickets.
• The CSL Elite Steering Wheel McLaren GT3 has been temporarily removed from the site due to a specific bug; it will return as soon as this is fixed.
• Cockpit accessories are not currently available in the US region, this will be resolved as soon as possible.
There are several more bugs we need to fix and things we want to improve and we will continiously work on it.
Please feel free to leave comments, suggestions or report bugs if you like. It is always helpful if you include screenshots, urls or a description of what system/browser you are using.
Do you like it better than the last one?
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Fanatec HQ is moving and we still need more people!
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The company has expanded beyond the capacity of the current premises, so we’re moving our headquarters to a bigger location, still within our beautiful home town of Landshut, Bavaria.This will happen on Friday, October 11th.While the move has been planned to be as seamless as possible to minimise disruption, please excuse some small delays in communication with our sales and support departments during this time. Note that the Support Chat feature on the website could be affected on Friday and though the weekend due to the transfer of our network infrastructure.The new HQ is bigger and leaves space for expansion. Perhaps it will be YOUR workplace. We already hired 40 more team members this year and we are still looking for electronic engineers and programmers, a PR manager or project managers for example.We have about 30 new projects which wait for completion as we plan a massive product launch to expand our product portfolio in all directions. Stay tuned.
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Introducing FanaLab: Beta Version available now!
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FanaLab is our new PC software that allows fine-tuning of Fanatec hardware settings and features. We originally designed this software for the Podium Series wheel bases, but as the development scope has grown, it now alsofully supports the ClubSport Wheel Base V2.5 and CSL Elite Wheel Base +, as well as improving display functionality on all Fanatec steering wheels, plus improved control over vibration motors in compatible wheels and pedals. The CSL Wheel Base, CSL Elite Wheel Base V1.1 and the ClubSport Wheel Base V2 are compatible as well but with limited functionality as the Tuning menu cannot be synced. We are working on improving the compatibility of at least the CSL Elite Wheel Base V1.1 as this can be fixed by firmware.With this new software, you’ll have another means of adjusting Tuning Menu values on-the-fly, with a wider overview of the settings compared to the wheel displays. You can save as many profiles as you like, and create an unlimited number of Tuning Menu presets. These can be assigned to automatically load when you launch your favourite sim from FanaLab, and you can export and share your best profiles with your friends.We’ve also enabled new dynamic FFB effects driven by car telemetry data. At this stage, we’re including a speed-sensitive damper and an additional damper for driving in reverse, with more dynamic features to come, for example front suspension effects, countersteer effect, and Dynamic Force Enhancement. The speed-sensitive damper is useful for taming high-speed oscillation without needing to add too much ‘natural’ damper or friction, meaning that you can have a very active wheel at low speeds, and a stable one at high speeds.In addition, display functionality has improved on all wheels, as FanaLab allows you to select what available telemetry data is shown, and the order of priority. The activation point for all RevLEDs can also be changed, and the new RGB RevLEDs and FlagLEDs allow for custom colours.FanaLab is now available for freeBear in mind that this is beta software, and that sim support will improve and new features will be added over time. We welcome your feedback; please discuss any technical aspects of FanaLab in this dedicated section of the forum.
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DD2 review of Barry from SRG
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Here it is!The long awaited review of Barry Rowland. The master of disassembly! And while I always have some screws left over after I re-assembled everything he always manages to put back everything perfectly.
This is our very first DD wheel base and it is a great honour for us that he sees the overall experience you get with our DD at the level of the very best last gen DDs out there. Thank you, Barry!
He also gives a great explanation of the Fanalab software and it looks like he liked it a lot.
A few notes I would like to mention:
1. With an upcoming new firmware you can also turn down the torque only if you press the power button short and to turn it off you press it 2 seconds.
2. The flex in the QR will not cause any lack of fidelity as it is not rotational flex. You can also avoid it by using the locking bolt if it bothers you. I personally doubt that there is any chance that you notice that while driving.
3. Fanalab will be available for all wheel bases and not just Podium4. The dynamic force feedback damper works now
PS: The Fanalab software is really close to release now and it is just a matter of days or weeks and not months.
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Mircosoft announces compatibility of Xbox One Accessories with next gen console Project Scarlett
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Good news for owners of Fanatec Xbox One steering wheels!Not only can you play all your current games on the new console you can also sync your achievements and most of all continue to use your accessories as it all comes forward with Scarlett.
It is a very user friendly move which will make existing customers very happy and makes sure that your investment in expensive peripherals is not wasted as soon as the new console launches.Now personally I hope that PlayStation does the same and everyone will be happy.
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CSL Elite Wheel Base V1.1
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The original CSL Elite Wheel Base was out of stock in most regions for quite some time now as we were working on an improved version. This CSL Elite Wheel Base V1.1 is now ready to ship to customers.
- Same advanced electronics as the PS4 versions of the CSL Elite Wheel base minus the PlayStation security chip.
- Improved force feedback
- New appearance with new front plate, silver top and Fanatec logos on the side
It is the perfect entry level to the Fanatec ecosystem if you play on PC or Xbox One (Xbox One steering wheel needed for compatibility). If you already have the original CSL Elite Wheel Base you don't need to bother about upgrading as the changes are not significant enough to justify an upgrade.
25 comments 7.6K views 26 comments 0 points Most recent by Thorsten Rinkenberger
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Podium peripherals UPDATE: Products are now available for pre-order
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I would like to give you an update about various Podium related topics:Podium KillSwitchThis product is available from today in all territories for immediate shipment.We are also working on a new firmware which allows to decide if you just want to turn off the force feedback or to turn off the complete unit.Podium Mounting BracketsThis product will be available in the first half of July. We made a last minute change to make it more compatible to 80/20 cockpits and not just the RennSport Cockpit.Podium HubWe will show and explain this product on the 28th of may and will put it on pre-order. The exact delivery date will be announced as well but you can expect a launch in August/September.Podium Software (Final name still pending)The software has still some major problems and is simply not ready yet but you can expect at least a good beta version in May so you can try it out.If you have further questions, please let me know.UPDATEWe just put on a few more goodies online on our website. Besides the Podium hub we also have new products available.Podium Wheel Rim R300This is the perfect allrounder. With a diameter of 300 mm it is perfectly balanced for any GT racing series and the automotive grade leather and aluminum is on a different level.ClubSport Button ClustersThis is a set of button units which you might know from the ClubSport Universal hub. In fact they are identical so if you have one of those you can either use them to install an additional button cluster on your ClubSport Universal Hub or to the Podium hub. With a set of Button Clusters and the Advanced Paddle Module you have a total of 10 buttons and 2 analg axis available. If you need more you can get one of the upcoming button and display modules which will fit between the wheel rim and the Podium or ClubSport hub.Podium and ClubSport Steering wheel R300These are pre-configured packages for you. It is the beginning of our modular steering wheel system.
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DD2 motor permanently for DD1
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Originally we developed a special lower spec motor for the Podium DD1 and the Racing Wheel but it turned out that we could not meet the specs.We therefore decided to develop a new motor for DD1 and use the DD2 motor in the lower spec models as an interim solution to fullfil the pre-orders.We decided now that we will permanently use the bigger high-end DD2 motor in the smaller models as well until a new Dd1 motor is ready but this will still take quite a long time.Together with the bigger motor you will also get 3 years warranty instead of 2 years on both DD1 and Racing Wheel.As you can imagine, this comes at some price as we are forced to increase our prices a bit due to the extremely low margin we make on our DD1 which does not allow us to recoup our huge R&D expenses for many years. Here is the new pricing:Podium DD1:EU: 1199,95 EuroUS: 1199,95 USDAUS: 1699,90 AUSJ: 159.900 YenPodium Racing Wheel:EU: 1599,95 EuroUS: 1599,95 USDAUS: 2599,90 AUSPlease keep in mind that the Podium Racing Wheel not only includes a steering wheel but also the magnetic shifter paddles. This makes is the best deal for PC racers and the PS4 compatibility is a free bonus.Order now if you want to purchase at the original low prices as the price change will be effective on May 7th (9:00 UTC+2)
171 comments 15.8K views 172 comments 0 points Most recent by Maurice Böschen
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Introducing the new ClubSport F1 2019 Steering Wheel - Limited Edition UPDATE
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As already mentioned last year we want to make a limited edition Formula steering wheel every year. Last year our production run of 2018 units of the gold F1 wheel were sold out within 24 hours during Black Friday 2018.This time we've created something special as well and we are giving priority to our Podium Series pre-order customers who ordered for the very first release date which had to be postponed.Those customers received a voucher of 350 Euro/USD which can be used on any product and they also get the first chance to look at the new ClubSport F1 2019 Steering Wheel and order it before anybody else.More details can be found in the newsletter we sent to customers today and will be revealed in a blogpost tomorrow.
UPDATEThe new steering wheel is now available in the webshop to everyone.
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Please help us to find the right name for our new software package UPDATE Please Vote!
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We already announced that there will be a new software coming together with our Podium DD Wheel Bases and so far the project name is "Podium Software".This is just a working title and now we need a final name for it. Of course we already have some ideas but this community probably knows best how to call it.The name should
- describe the functionality of the product or at least has some association
- be independent of the product line as it will work with all Fanatec wheel bases
- be innovative and unique
- be short and memorable
This is what the software can do for you:- Synchronize the Tuning menu settings of the wheel base with your PC for unlimited amount of different setups
- Save and load the optimal settings automatically as soon as you launch a game
- Allows up to five settings per game so you can even fine tune your favourite cars
- It reads out telemerty info from the game
- Show various info on the Tuning Dirsplay
- Change the colour or style of your rev lights
- Map functions like traction loss on the flag LEDs or vibration motors
- Create customized force feedback effects
- Share your setup with the community or easily get the best setups into your wheel base
Please write your suggestion in the comment field of this blog post.We will pick our favourites and make a poll in a few days so you can vote for your favourite.The winner gets a nice surprise and eternal glory.UPDATE: Please vote on page 1Thanks for the fantastic feedback and the sheer amount of creativity. Some of the suggestions made me love and there are plenty of good candidates. My team selected their favorites and we want to know your opinion as well.
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