Fanatec: Manufacturer of racing bikes for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series gets the competition going

Hardware news Fanatec: Manufacturer of racing bikes for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series gets the competition going

Therefore, we were present this weekend together with the teams of the German brand to report on the Fanatec Esport GT Pro Series event, the eSport part of the European GT3 Championship. And in the space reserved by Fanatec we were able to get our hands on some new functions, some announced and eagerly awaited, others still confidential. Here’s a quick look back at this warm-up session with the brand’s innovations.

CSL DD: Fanatec only changes to Direct Drive

We talked to you back in May that the CSL DD is a reality that we were finally able to work on for a few laps on the track. The servo motor, which will serve as the basis for future bundles, has the double specialty, in “Entry-level” of the brand, at $ 349

When using a belt or equipment, you lose information either through absorption or through the addition of artifacts. For us, direct training is therefore the only possible way forward for the future of sim racing. The only way to provide faithful sensations and the information necessary for piloting. With the CSL DD we want to offer this technology to as many people as possible without compromising on quality. Thus, the CSL DD uses an engine that we developed specifically for sim racing, and not an engine from another industry.

It should be noted, however, that we were able to test this steering wheel all day on the Assetto Corsa in excellent conditions (Fanatec cockpit, BMW wheel) with the power supply that allows the motor to achieve 8 Nm against 5 with the base diet . And under these conditions the result is clearly a success. The sensations are those of a direct drive, with a precisely reacting motor that gives us quite a lot of force. The feel is close to that of a DD1 that would have been set to 50%, but a resistance limit that, at certain critical moments, when the force of the arms exceeds that of the motor, gives the CSL DD some accents of the brushless belt motor.

So no, the CSL DD can’t keep up with the DD1 or DD2 in terms of performance, but it can it explodes everything we knew so far at Logitech and Thrustmaster regarding the correctness of the information provided. However, we will need more in-depth testing and personal comparisons to really express our opinion. What shouldn’t be too late, the first models are coming in June. Fanatec also immediately announced the introduction of a new crankset from the CSL range. Crank that we haven’t been able to test yet, but which should be included in the next test.

Steering wheel podium BMW M4 GT3: The “real” steering wheel

This is clearly a first in the world of sim racing. First, Fanatec developed a steering wheel for a well-known automobile manufacturer, in this case BMWwhich is pretty incredible. In addition, this bike, which is supposed to fit in the real BMW M4 GT3, can also be connected to a Fanatec base. We also had this on the Castellet race track, as the BMW M4 GT3 Podium steering wheel was installed on the CSL DD base for our tests.

So here is obviously a product that will only affect a small fraction of gamers, as the price of this bike is likely closer to $ 1000 (or even more, we didn’t have precise information) than the already sizeable $ 400 that Fanatec practices with its replicas. But the, There is no replica as the wheel is exactly the same whether you buy it from the Fanatec website, buy it as a spare part from BMW, or came with your BMW M4 GT3.

However, we did not shy away from having this wheel in our hand, its haptics clearly designed for use with gloves, its thick buttons, but with quite pleasant resistance, its notched wheels that do not have to be operated voluntarily with two fingers, and this finish that surpasses anything we’ve seen before and promises exceptional durability. Great art.

A new bike in the manufacturer’s collection

At the end of this visit to the Paul Ricard Circuit, we came across a new, not yet announced wheel model that can be combined with a Podium HUB. This is’a GT bike, good round, with a diameter that appears to be 32 centimeters. To confirm. On the finish side, this wheel features a thickly stitched leather reminiscent of the Thrustmaster Leather 28 GT Wheel add-on model that comes with certain T300RS packages. However, the controls we had in front of us were taken from the brand’s existing catalog, with a HUB and pallets from the Podium range. The result is a very comfortable model that is particularly versatile and which, thanks to its advanced paddles, seems suitable for rallies, GT races as well as F1 and Protos. While waiting to find out more about its name and price, it is easy to imagine that this classic but really well-made wheel will be one of the models that will be celebrated by gamers.

Pressure on Thrustmaster, Logitech and the smallest structures

With the release of its Direct Drive for 349 dollars, Fanatec is putting consumer manufacturers under considerable pressure. While persistent rumors at Logitech speak of a direct drive model and a new eSport-style base could see the light of day at Thrustmaster, the German manufacturer has thrown everyone off course and is using direct drive as the standard for die-hard sim racers. At the same time, Fanatec, with its expanded range of more professional models, its numerous accessories and its connection to the automotive industry, is also increasingly able to establish itself in relation to more specialized and specialized structures. We can bet that his future products in the Podium range can compete with those of Simucube, Heusinkveld and other brands at often exorbitant prices. Especially that Fanatec maintains console compatibility as a key benefit, much appreciated by pilots who do not want to do the configuration on a PC.