Xbox One Compatibility FAQ and Poll

edited May 2014 in Blog

We are continuously getting a lot of questions but also complaints
from our customers about the COMPATIBILITY of Xbox 360 wheels to Xbox
One so we decided to make a FAQ and poll about it.

Did Microsoft allow steering wheels (or other input devices) of the first generation Xbox to be compatible to the Xbox 360?

No

Was there a legal and official way to make Xbox (first generation) wheels fully compatible to Xbox 360 ?

No

Will it be technically possible to make an adapter to use Xbox 360 peripherals (like steering wheels) on the Xbox One?

Probably
yes but the effort and complication would be significant. The new
console uses a completely different force feedback communication
protocol, wireless transmission protocol and a different security chip.
The security chip needs to be purchased by the 3rd party manufacturer
from Microsoft and it makes sure that only official licensed products
can be connected to the console. Only if you get the official approval
from Microsoft you will be able to purchase such a security chip for
Xbox One. Besides that, given the high development costs and limited
market it would not be possible to offer it at a cheap price.

Does Microsoft allow the use of Xbox 360 devices to be used on Xbox One?

So
far no and there is no indication that this will change. This means it
is impossible to make such an adapter. This is the case for any company
and not just us. There are other expensive peripherals like music
instruments for Xbox 360 which also cannot be used anymore.

Did Fanatec plan to make such an adapter or do you rather prefer to sell new wheels?

Of
course we would have rather made a simple adapter or even just a
firmware update and continue to sell the wheels we have. Instead we now
have to develop something completely new. As other companies were
faster, the chance of losing customers is very high. This is not in our
interest at all!

Can you make such an adapter without the confirmation of Microsoft and sell it directly or indirectly to your customers?

Making
a device which cracks the security chip of Microsoft is clearly not
legal and we would immediately destroy the good relationship with
Microsoft. Furthermore we would be sued if we would attempt to sell or
even just support the development of such a device.
If Microsoft would
allow such an adapter then the whole security chip system would not make
any sense anymore as it would suddenly be an open system and you can
connect anything to the console.
This system actually has positive
effects for the consumer as well as it makes sure that all connected
peripherals are tested and work with all games. This is not the case on
other consoles.

Since when do you know that such an adapter is not possible?

Microsoft
never confirmed that such an adapter is possible or not and we were
waiting up to now. But given the technical complexity and also the
philosophy of Microsoft, we do not expect any more that such an adapter
will ever come to the market.

Are you working on a new Xbox One wheel
and when will it be released?

We do work on a next generation wheel and
the Xbox One is a key market for us. But at that point we cannot reveal
any further information or give a timeline. If there is any announcement
it will be made here on the blog.

Why did you not release an Xbox One
wheel at launch?

We would have loved to do so but the 3rd party
peripheral department of Microsoft which authorizes all Xbox peripherals
has limited capacity. Therefore other companies which make much bigger
business with Microsoft than us got this wheel business first. Our
relationship is very good with them but we have to respect that bigger
customers get better service. That is a standard business practice and
there is not much we can do about it.

The only one who can change that
is the Xbox One customer with its’ buying behavior because Microsoft
likes whatever the Xbox user likes and buys.


PS: PS4 compatibility will
be discussed separately as it is a completely different and independent
subject
Xbox One Compatibility
  1. Do you think that Fanatec is to blame for the missing compatibility of X360 peripherals on XBOne?106 votes
    1. Yes
      17.92%
    2. No
      82.08%
  2. Do you expect that Xbox One wheels will be compatble to the successor console of Xbox One?106 votes
    1. Yes
      38.68%
    2. No
      61.32%
«134

Comments

  • James ArmentiJames Armenti Member
    edited May 2014
    How about develop a new xbone logic board for the csr-elite that we all got burned hard on!, Never did I think that when I spent $600 on the wheel,  that 6 months down the road you guys would completely drop the wheel support and pretend like it never even existed (no wheel rims etc). off to ebay while it's still worth something!. so much for ordering a CSS!
  • Good article Fanatec and worth putting up.
    I have no interest in an Xbox One wheel until they announce more racers. Forza 5 is very average, I sold mine after a few weeks so no rush for a wheel IMO.

  • I never expected backwards compatibility, its not something Microsoft do with their consoles, not since the very first XBOX despite there being very little difference in button setup or features. They make money from peripherals, they want manufacturers making peripherals for their console to help sell it so they would not make controllers backwards compatible otherwise it would hurt their and their hardware partners sales if everyone kept using their favourite last gen controller, its business and its Microsoft's business - their playground so to think a smaller company like Fanatec could come in and override all that with a simple adaptor is misguided as much as we might have liked it to be the case.

    Thrustmaster and Saitek/Mad Catz are much bugger companies with bigger budgets and larger resources to throw at making budget plastic wheels for the new consoles. The majority of console racers are just not interested in spending a few hundred $/£/@As it stands there are really no great racing titles on the next gen systems at this moment in time (and I say that as a Forza fan).

  • If fanatec make a wheel thats compatible with the PS4 , XBox 1 and PC and its not too expensive I will buy it. Just please make a decent wheel similar to the CSR Elite wheel thats not over €500.

    Also can I request some kind of sticker or something to make the face of the standard CSR black instead of silver? I would prefer if it was black.
  • edited May 2014
    I only use my PlayStation for platform games.

    PC is where it's at when it comes to Sim racing.
  • Je préfère mon club sport sur ma Ps4 avec Pc CARS , ma Xbox revendu ...



    Partager https://www.facebook.com/ProjectCARSFrance
  • Thanks for the FAQ Thomas but honestly this should have been posted back in october/november...

    Your fans have been asking all those questions for over 6 months now and been completely ignored until today.
  • Danke für die klärende Worte, wobei man diese Infos bereits bekommen konnte, wenn man google etwas bemüht hatte. 
    Nun ist aber alles an der richtigen Stelle übersichtlich und klar erläutert. 
  • Philipe, we made several announcements already and as explained in the FAQ, it is still possible to do it but only if Microsoft wants to. That is what we always said.
  • I hope that the wheel in development for Xbox One/ Ps4/ Pc, will also be retro-compatible with xbox360/PS3....
    Otherwise, it will be fastidious to change wheel on the rig each time we change platform.
  • Why wait six months to tell us you were unprepared for the Xbox One launch? It's not like the XB1 was launched by surprise, you had years to work with Microsoft on your plan before launch. We all knew it was coming. This announcement should have been made last October.

    You should have developed an new board that would allow you to sell new official XB1 versions of your existing wheel products. The "new" FF protocol is about how the system communicates FF with the wheel, it does not specify that new FF motors or new physical architecture be in place. You could have offered a discount to existing owners to buy this new wheel. We would have known what we were getting into.

    If there was a "wait list" for these chips, because as you say, Thrustmaster is a bigger company and got more attention, then you should have told us when the chips will be available and have your new wheel design ready to go. A date. Preorder page. Some sense of what's next besides just leaving us all out to hang.

    Now I have $1000s of hardware sitting there collecting dust, and no plan stated on whats going to happen with it. I would buy a new Fanatec wheel today if it meant I could use the pedals and shifters, and I don't need it to be anything different that the CS or GT wheels you have now. They are great.

    Yes, Microsoft has policies. But you had a responsibility to understand those policies, form a plan, and communicate that to your customers BEFORE LAUNCH.
  • turn 10 said in a interview on inside sim racing ,said they were waiting on makers of racing wheels to come to them for help on making a wheel for xbox one.that was years ago,so they had plenty of time to make a wheel.its just being lazy. I spent all this money on a wheel for 360 ,I wish I would have waited
  • It is strange that people still don't get it. I guess you just need somebody to complain to and we are more easy to reach than MS.

    Let me get that straight:
    • Fanatec NEVER confirmed Xbox One compatibility for their products. You all purchased X360 wheels and you all knew or should have known that the Xbox (first generation) wheels did not work on Xbox 360
    • If you assumed that your wheel will be future compatible than it was just YOUR assumption and nothing else. We did not advertize it in any way that this is likely or even possible.
    • Up to this date, MS can change their policy at any time and suddenly allow such an adapter. It is just not likely but it is possible. How can we make an official statement about something which is beyond our control?
    • The situation did not change in the past 6 months and what we are saying now is what we always said. It is technically possible and we want to do it but it depends if MS likes to do it. So far they don't
    • It is not just about buying some chips. To make an official peripheral is a long and complicated process for MS and a company like us. It takes several months to get it done and ONLY if MS wants it.

    Hope that was clear enough now. I have a great understanding for your frustration but you are talking to the wrong guys.

  • Jason FarrisJason Farris Member
    edited May 2014
    If it takes several months to get it done... well it's been several months. Where is it?

    The idea that you had to wait until the console was out is nonsense, you could have been working on it for years, the XB1 launch was not a surprise.

    And while you didn't directly advertise future compatibility, you did launch a Forza Motorsport branded product, there is some inference of partnership and future compatibility with the Forza Mototsport franchise. It's your responsibility to be clear with your customers. Not post things like "haha, we never said that exactly so sorry you wasted your money".

    Selling wheels in the last months of the 360 generation without a clear warning that they WOULD NOT WORK with the next console is disingenuous and you know it.
  • Timo StrabergTimo Straberg Member
    edited May 2014
    Klare und gute Ansage, Thomas. Es war auch schließlich keiner verpflichtet, sich eine Shitbox 1 zu kaufen. Ich frage mich eh schon seit Monaten, was an Forza so toll sein soll, daß ich deswegen den Microsoft-Idioten das Geld in den Hals schieben sollte. Als bekannt wurde, das MS die Abzockerpolitik weiter aufrecht erhält, habe ich die 360 und alles was damit zu tun hatte sofort verkauft. Die meisten Rennspiele hatte ich eh auf der PS3.
    Als ich dann das CSW auf mein Rig gebaut habe und die ersten Runden gedreht habe, war mein allererster Gedanke: du hast alles richtig gemacht. Hab schon fast 'ne feuchte Hose bekommen beim auspacken. 
    Übrigens Thomas: ich stimme Micha Herrmann's Kommentar aus der anderen Diskussion zu und würde es sehr begrüßen, wenn ihr ein deutschsprachiges Forum mit implementieren könntet. Nicht, daß ich etwas gegen die englischsprechenden Brüder habe, aber das wäre schon eine tolle Sache, die Kommentare ohne Übersetzungsprogramm zu lesen. ;) 
  • Jason,
    MS did not announce incompatibility and that is for a good reason as they were making dramatic spec changes just before the launch of the console. Not even MS knew the final specs of their own console and you want us to make such a statement?

    So, did any of our competitor send out any warning about any of their Xbox 360 products before launch?


  • Your competitors didn't have to send out a warning.

    1) they weren't selling gear nearly as expensive as yours to begin with
    2) they had new products ready to go for the next generation

    It's difficult to believe that considering your partnership with Turn10, the fact that Turn10 used Fanatec wheels during the development of Forza5, that you had no idea that we wouldn't be able to use any Fanatec products.

    At this point you have a responsibility to let us know EXACTLY what's happening next. Do you have a new wheel in development? When will it ship? What accommodations will be made for people who bought your previous wheels late in the last generation?

    Answer these questions and you might just retain your customers.
  • Kevin WattsKevin Watts Member
    edited May 2014
    If it takes several months to get it done... well it's been several months. Where is it?

    The idea that you had to wait until the console was out is nonsense, you could have been working on it for years, the XB1 launch was not a surprise.

    And while you didn't directly advertise future compatibility, you did launch a Forza Motorsport branded product, there is some inference of partnership and future compatibility with the Forza Mototsport franchise. It's your responsibility to be clear with your customers. Not post things like "haha, we never said that exactly so sorry you wasted your money".

    Selling wheels in the last months of the 360 generation without a clear warning that they WOULD NOT WORK with the next console is disingenuous and you know it.



    Jason you are being unreasonable. If the XBOX One specs were so well known, were set in stone for so long where are all the games? Surely developers had a long time to write their games following your logic? Microsoft changed their mind at the last minute over the DRM, what's to stop them changing their mind over other aspects? Fanatec could spend thousands developing a wheel then have to junk it all if something gets changed or Microsoft sign an exclusive deal with another manufacturer like Thrustmaster, its pretty standard practice for Microsoft so I'd be really careful not to commit if it was me making the decision. F
  • @ Kevin... the top two console race franchises launched on Day One. That's where all the games are... Day One.

    The hardware spec for XB1 was set for nearly a year before they started shipping. Rewriting the DRM is not the same as rewriting a controller interface. That was set in stone... and one only needs to look at MadCatz and Thrustmaster to know that the spec was available as they have products in the launch window. Nonsense.





  • Thrustmasters wheel is terrible and madcats are quite probably the worst company i have ever had the misfortune to deal with! I was amazed at the quality of all my fanatic equipment and compared to the real simulators i was looking at the value for money is outstanding i still look at it every time i use it and think how have they made it so cheap! In my industry i deal with equipment that is far less complicated to produce and has a far larger market and sells for 1000%'s mark up!
    Nobody with any common sense thought there 360 wheels would be compatible with the xbox one! If they did they were extremely nieve!
  • It doesn't matter that Thustmaster and MadCatz wheels are not great. I agree... they are not great.

    But they DO EXIST, which is more than can be said for the Fanatec solution. Moreso, they actually told their customers that they would exist, and when, and for how much money.

    We bought the pedals and the shifters on the idea they would continue to be compatible with new wheels. They were expensive. We're owed a REAL answer as to when this new wheel is coming out and what it will be and what it will cost.

    Disappearing for six months is COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE and you should be ashamed Thomas.
  • I just wanted to know will be created a new steering wheel or a wheel? ie me that I have the csr elite have to buy a new steering wheel and car body or I will release the csr elite wheel and replace it with the xbox 1 rutota? answer me please
  •  Now I have $1000s of hardware sitting there collecting dust
    Wow, Forza seems to be your most loved thing in the universe to buy equipment worth $1000s to play just one game and even being so naive to think that it works with everything whatever might come out in the future eventhough nothing points to that.

     We bought the pedals and the shifters on the idea they would continue to be compatible with new wheels. They were expensive.
    I don't see Thomas saying anything different than that at the moment. He said long ago that they are trying to make their future XBOX1 wheel compatible with current accessories and so far I haven't read him saying the opposite.
     Selling wheels in the last months of the 360 generation without a clear warning that they WOULD NOT WORK with the next console is disingenuous and you know it.
    I'haven't read so far that XBox360 has been discontinued. Microsoft has even said that it is still supported until at least 2016. So your last months of 360 aren't so last yet. They are still making games for it and people are still buying those consoles. 

    Although I don't know what your nationality is, you seem to have american mentality. I remember a story once told that there was an american lady that used to dry her cat in the owen. One day she bought microwave owen and dryed her cat there, but of course killed the cat and sued the manufacturer that its manual didn't say you can't dry your cat in it. You also seem to want to see in every products description not what system is supported but what system isn't supported.

    By the way, have you already written to every wheel manufacturer and told them to add warning to their every product that they might not be supported by PS4 games? (I like being sarcastic)
  • Paul EdwardsPaul Edwards Member
    edited May 2014
    Ok. So Micro$oft, predictably, has stiffed us again... Moving on...
    Tell us about PS4 compatibility please Thomas. Will our existing Fanatec wheels, CSR etc... work with PS4 (with the relevant in-game drivers), once there's some decent driving games out?
    I jumped ship fom PS2 to Xbox 360 in the last round of consoles, and I'm not terribly precious about having to make the jump back again, if it means that I can save the £££ I spent on my CSR, and not have to spend out on another wheel.
  • Robin SekerisRobin Sekeris Member
    edited May 2014

    I think its hilarious that some people here are suggesting that Fanatec should compensate them with some kind of future discount on a new wheel, because they have bought a wheel that will not be supported on a new console.

    You should not assume that a wheel will be supported on future generation consoles, as this is not up to Fanatec. You could have asked Fanatec about this before you made the purchase and they would have said they can not garantee anything.

    I have read for months that support for Xbone would be very difficult: this is not news.

    On a more positive note: There are still racing games being developed for Xbox 360, like Grid autosport.

    I myself are a Sony guy, so I still have my hopes up that my assembly will be supported on PS4, but I wouldnt harrass Fanatec if that will not be the case.

     

  • Kevin WattsKevin Watts Member
    edited May 2014
    One decent racing game made by a first party studio who had members on the team who had input into the hardware in the XBOX One, where are all the others? Just like EA, Thrustmaster and MadCatz have money to throw at development and can take any hits caused by delays and changes of hardware or software requirements. Fanatec is a smaller company making quality devices rather than mass market plastic units
  • One decent racing game made by a first party studio who had members on the team who had input into the hardware in the XBOX One, where are all the others? NFS is a racer suited to gamepads for fast twitch controls. EA and Activision have money to throw at development, they have strong relationships with the platform holders and in fact influence them to some degree through their multi million dollar franchises. Do you see the similarities with the hardware? Thrustmaster and MadCatz/Saitek have money to throw at this, to make cheap controls made of cheap materials. I would guess they employ more people in the PR departments than Fanatec have employee's in total yet you still only get updates on new products when they are about to be released and that information is fed through faceless Facebook and Twitter accounts instead of what we have here - a more direct dialogue with the man at the top.

    I don't know why you keep saying there was some inference from Fanatec about future compatibility when Fanatec NEVER said anything like that at all and your wheel was sold as an XBOX 360 compatible wheel, at no point did the product description make any promise of future compatibility. I'm afraid this is a fabrication in your own mind only.

    The XBOX 360 is still on sale and will still be on sale past the XBOX One's first anniversary and developers are still producing AAA titles for it so its nowhere near the "last months of the 360 generation" far from it. No other manufacturer regardless of cost is giving warnings about future compatibility as like Fanatec they all sell their hardware as XBOX 360 compatible and like Fanatec do not make any promises of future compatibility.

    You are not in a position to demand anything, regardless of when you bought your hardware. You paid Fanatec for the advertised goods and they delivered those goods, they made no promises on what it would be compatible with in the future. I can understand your disappointment but you really should be taking this up with Microsoft as its clearly out of Fanatec's hands.
  • So stock  car rim huh? Let me guess... 300$ too?

  • Glad to see there are reasonable people in this forum (Marek, Robin, Kevin).  I usually don't contribute to forums, but thought I might chime in here to try to help keep things reasonable and positive.

    I, too, disagree with posts in here angrily ranting about "Fanatec should have done this, Fanatec should have done that, Fanatec should do this immediately because I want it," etc..  As Marek points out, this may be largely due to an American mentality.  As much as I hate to say it (as I am American), he may be right.  An example I've seen recently is the following: after an all day/night, unorganized, riotous (without cause) street party at UCSB (the college I attend as a grad student) was handled appropriately by officials, uproar emerged blaming the cops for "ruining the fun".  In that case as well as this one, there are many people who feel entitled to everything without any responsibility or self-accountability.  I can say that I have (unfortunately) witnessed a lot of that behavior throughout my college years.  I can't speak for whether this is a problem in other countries or how widespread it is in the states, but I can say that not every American thinks and acts in this manner.

    As for the particular "issue" here, I own an Xbox One and would like to see a Fanatec product supporting the new console.  Does that mean I will post angrily about why it is not yet available or demand that it or info about it be released immediately?  No.  Does it mean that I hate Fanatec as a company since they don't have a product or specific info about one yet?  No.  Does it mean that Fanatec has forever lost my trust?  No.

    I admire Fanatec as a company.  I had a 911 Turbo S wheel back in 2009.  I had a blast with it until it was stolen about 6 months after I received it.  I haven't had another wheel since then, as it was a stretch to make that purchase in the first place as a college student.  Money isn't quite as tight now, and I am in the market for an Xbox One wheel, preferably Fanatec as their stuff has great value for what you get.

    I have considered the alternatives (Thrustmaster and Madcatz), but I don't think those will provide the quality experience and value a Fanatec wheel would.  So I am patiently waiting for the product that I know will be of better quality and value.  Would a release date estimate be nice, even as imprecise as a year (2014, 2015)?  Yes.  But that is up to the business to decide and I respect their choice.  Whether or not they post a release date, there will be angry internet rage posts.

    I just hope there are enough reasonable and patient people out there to provide Fanatec the business it needs to continue producing great products with great value.  Great job Fanatec, keep up the great work and don't be discouraged by the internet rage posts :).  By the way, they appear everywhere, just take a quick look at any YouTube video.
  •  Do you have a new wheel in development? When will it ship? What accommodations will be made for people who bought your previous wheels late in the last generation?

    Answer these questions and you might just retain your customers.
    If you read the FAQ you would get your answers. They have a wheel in development but they dont know when its going to be released. I bought a CSR and I don't expect Fanatec to accommodate me in any way what so ever for doing so.If you bought your equipment assuming it was going to be compatable with the PS4 and Xbox 1 then its not Fanatecs fault you made such an assumption.
    We bought the pedals and the shifters on the idea they would continue to be compatible with new wheels. They were expensive. We're owed a REAL answer as to when this new wheel is coming out and what it will be and what it will cost.

    Disappearing for six months is COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE and you should be ashamed Thomas.
    I bought the CSR Elite pedals because they are miles better than the G25 pedals I used to own not because I assumed they were going to work with future Fanatec gear. It is unreasonable to demand real answers about what their next wheel will be and a release date and its price. I dont think Fanatec owes me anything.
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