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Discussion List

  • Unbeatable CSL bundles are now available


    • We have just launched new bundles with our new CSL seat.


      In Europe we bundle it with our CSR wheel and CSR pedals and in the USA we have it available with our 911 GT3 RS wheel and CSR pedals.


      For just 399,95 USD (CSL Porsche edition) or 499,95 € (CSL Forza Motorsport edition) you receive:

      • High quality, full spec cockpit with seat and shifter adapter
      • Belt driven Force feedback wheel with all the Fanatec goodies like Tuning display and alcantara rim
      • Multi platform compatibility with PC and full PS3 compatibility (all racing games) and in case of the CSR wheel even Xbox 360
      • High quality pedals


      And where can you get such a bundle from one manufacturer which makes sure that everything fits perfectly together?


      We will make community reviews for the CSL seat very soon.


       


       


       

    -1 comment 288 views 0 comments Started by Thomas Jackermeier Subscribe to this blog
  • Firmware 756 now available for PWGT2 and PWTS


    • We have a new firmware version for all Porsche 911 GT2 and Turbo S wheels (Xbox versions)


      This version is a release candidate and if there will be no bugs reported we will release it as final firmware.


      Please note that you must follow the the instructions carefully. Installation on Windows 8 might work but is not tested.


      Make sure that you bind your wheel and calibrate the shifter and center position after the firmware update.


      IMPORTANT: If you upgrade to this version then the RF dongle does not work any longer. If you want to use a wireless connection on PC and PlayStation 3 then you must use the original 681 version.


      We will release 756 for CSR, CSR E and PWGT3RS within the next weeks.


      Please make sure you use driver version 144 or higher with this firmware.


      Download firmware 756 for PWGT2 and PWTS



      Download driver 144 64


      Download driver 144 32

    -1 comment 2.3K views 0 comments Started by Thomas Jackermeier Subscribe to this blog
  • CSL Seat is now available for Pre-order


    • The CSL Seat is now avilable for pre-order and the first shipments will arrive before Christas in North America and Europe.


      Please check out the Fanatec.com website for full features of this product and have a look at the intro video.


      (You might notice another product there as well)

    -1 comment 278 views 0 comments Started by Thomas Jackermeier Subscribe to this blog
  • Firmware 037 for CSW available


    • We have a new firmware available for the ClubSport Base with the following changes:

      • LED rev lights supported in PS3 games
      • Alternative button combination to switch to PS3 mode (select + the button in the middle between select and start)
      • Improved initialisiation routine
      • More steady FF characteristics
      • Better linearity of FF signals
      • New updater
      • New fan control




      Please use this firmware only with driver 144 which is included in this package as well.


      Changes:

      • Fixed an issue with RBR
      • Combined pedal mode added (for compatibility with WRC 3)


      Please use this driver only with CSW or with PWX and CSR wheels with firmware of 750 or higher.


      More firmware updates for other models to follow soon.


       


      Download

    -1 comment 473 views 0 comments Started by Thomas Jackermeier Subscribe to this blog
  • New website is up and running


    • Yesterday we finally launched the new website. It took a little bit but we wanted to be sure that all bugs are eliminated.


      Check out the new configurator! We also added more payment options and of course we added the new territories Australia and Japan.


      We are still not finished and the most important things which is missing is a proper community section.


      Please let me  know how you like it and what kind of suggestions you have for the new website.


       

    -1 comment 251 views 0 comments Started by Thomas Jackermeier Subscribe to this blog
  • Australia: The first products are on the way!


    • We finally were able to send the first products to Australia last week and they will arrive in December.


      The only thing missing is the GST number for Endor Australia as it takes ages to get this number from the authorities. We now sent the goods on our risk and hope that we get the GST number in time before the containers arrive.


      We plan to offer the full product range but it will take some weeks until everything is there.


      Although many of you did not believe it anymore it is a fact that we highly appreciate this market and I personally LOVE Australia and the Australians although I have only been there one time. It used to be one of our biggest markets in the past and my target is to make it as strong as it was and more.


      I will let you know once we are able to start shipping the products or start taking orders.

    -1 comment 273 views 0 comments Started by Thomas Jackermeier Subscribe to this blog
  • Black Friday: Get a FREE Formula rim


    • So here we go with the Black Friday offer of Fanatec.


      This year we decided to give you a free Formula rim if you purchase a ClubSport Base with a BMW rim.


      The total price for the base with two wheel rims is just 699,95 (USD w/o Tax and € incl. VAT)


      We have limited supply so this offer only lasts until we are sold out and have no more inventory. It is valid in the USA, Canada and Europe and will only be available for one day.

    -1 comment 450 views 0 comments Started by Thomas Jackermeier Subscribe to this blog
  • Introducing the CSL seat

    • It has been a bit quiet but this is because we were working on a lot of things and there will be an update on the announced new products and the Australian shipments within the next two weeks.

      But we were also working secretly on new product: The CSL Seat

       

      image

      The CSL seat is a stunning construction with a very clever and unique design. It is not only super solid and perfectly suitable for our strong ClubSport wheel. It is at the same time extremely lightweight, fully adjustable in any relevant way and super comfortable.

      It comes with a shifter holder and is fully compatible to the following wheels, pedals and shifter sets:

      • All Fanatec products
      • G25 / G27
      • T500 RS

       

      The seat cover will be easily exchangeable and we will offer additional designs as well.

      Does it look familiar to you? This seat was previously sold under a different name but we came to an agreement with the designer and manufacturer to sell this product exclusively under the Fanatec brand and manufactuered by our factories. Renato is a genious engineer and there are more products in the pipeline from him.

      The production has already started and we will fly in the first units for immediate delivery.

      The price will be 299,95 USD / € and it will be available for pre-order from next week.

    -1 comment 715 views 0 comments Started by Thomas Jackermeier Subscribe to this blog
  • Greger Huttu runs Suzuka (iRacing)


    • Our team driver Greger shows you how to drive a fast lap on Suzuka in a F1 car.


      Greger is one of the fastest guys in the world so enjoy how he drives and perhaps you can learn from it so you can challenge him.


      This is a rare video as not many people have seen Greger driving so far. Usually you just see his virtual car in front of you.

    -1 comment 297 views 0 comments Started by Thomas Jackermeier Subscribe to this blog
  • Driver 142 released


    • We are happy to release a new driver version 142 for all Fanatec wheels.


      We fixed several small bugs and improved wheel detection and  and registry cleanup.


      Please uninstall your previous driver and reboot the PC after installation of 142.


      This time we do not release it as beta version and it is safe to install it.


      Download Driver 142


       

    -1 comment 486 views 0 comments Started by Thomas Jackermeier Subscribe to this blog
  • A unique wheel can be yours! Charity auction is now online.

    • The CSR Elite wheel with Formula rim which was signed by current F1 world champion Sebastian Vettel is now on sale in an eBay auction.

      Due to technical reasons the auction is limited to European customers.

      100% of the auction result will be donated to the Wings for Life organisation which tries to cure and prevent paraplegia. Wings for Life was founded by MotoX world champion Heinz Kinigadner and Dietrich Mateschietz, the owner of Red Bull. Paraplegia can happen to anybody so we fully support this organisation and I hope you will do so as well.

      In return you will get a unique and fantastic racing wheel. A true collectors item.


      image

       PS: No, I dont have any news about Autralia and the ClubSport Shifter Wink

    -1 comment 346 views 0 comments Started by Thomas Jackermeier Subscribe to this blog
  • F1 drivers fight it out on Fanatec ClubSport Wheels


    • Here is the video footage of the race session which was recorded just before the Monza Grand Prix.


      Lewis Hamilton, Heikki Kovalainen and Bruno Senna came with their race engineers and had some innovative race which included a driver change.


      The drivers used the PS3 version of F1 2012 with the Formula rim and our CSR Elite pedals mounted on a Playseat.


      If you watch the video carefully you might notice something in our wheel.


       

    -1 comment 322 views 0 comments Started by Thomas Jackermeier Subscribe to this blog
  • CSP V2 review


    • Doug Meyer of Sim Racing Review has made a very informative review about the new ClubSport Pedals V2.


      Enjoy!

    -1 comment 275 views 0 comments Started by Thomas Jackermeier Subscribe to this blog
  • Porsche 911 GT2 ClubSport edition XXL now available


    • We have a new bundle package available and this time we packed the following things together:

      • Porsche 911 GT2 racing wheel
      • ClubSport Pedals V2
      • Clubsport carbon shifter paddles
      • RF dongle for PS3 or PC
      • Porsche wheel shifter set 


      It is available now for 499,95 USD (excl. VAT) or 499,95 € (incl. VAT).


      This means a discount of about 100 €/USD!


       

    -1 comment 309 views 0 comments Started by Thomas Jackermeier Subscribe to this blog
  • F1 2012 wheel compatibility


    • Codemasters has just confirmed the compatibility of our wheels with their latest racing title.


      Here you can see the full compatibility list.


      Let me know what settings you prefer. Please list your wheel and platform.


       

    -1 comment 827 views 0 comments Started by Thomas Jackermeier Subscribe to this blog
  • What driver features do you want?


    • We are now planning to add more features into our PC driver (not firmware).


      please tell us what features you like to see and describe them as good as you can. Perhaps add screenshots or drawings so we have a better understanding.


       

    -1 comment 286 views 0 comments Started by Thomas Jackermeier Subscribe to this blog
  • Firmware 750B and driver 1.40 UPDATE


    • We finally came up with a new firmware version for almost all wheels. It is still declared as BETA but we solved all known bugs.


      We are releasing it now as open beta so you can report if we still missed some issues.


      Important:


      After updating the firmware you must

      • calibrate the h-pattern shifter
      • calibrate the center of the wheel


      ACL is "Autoclutch". If you have it turned to "on" you send out two different button presses so you can shift and activate the clutch at the same time. This only works with Forza Motorsport and other games where you can assign a button to the clutch axis. 


      In case you have any issues you should first reset the Tuning settings to default by pressing the tuning button for 10 seconds.


      UPDATE:


      PWGT2 and PWTS: The RF dongle will not work with this firmware version due to the increased data transfer rate


      PWGT3RS V2: There was a copy+paste error in the previous file which is now corrected. Please wait a few seconds until the wheel is detected.


      Changelog:

      • Optimized digital pedal input in Xbox mode
      • Fixed issue with ABS not working at 100
      • Optimized ABS rumble on lower ABS values
      • Improved USB input dataflow
      • Optimized cooling (fan) 
      • Optimized force feedback effects
      • Optimized performance with telemetry output on Tuning display


      750B will harmonize perfectly with the new driver 1.40 on PC.


      Please do not update if you are not confident to do so and if you are happy with your wheel as it is.


      Firmware 750B for 

      • CSR
      • CSR Elite
      • 911 GT3 RS V2
      •  911 GT2
      • 911 Turbo S


      Download Firmware


      Driver 1.40 for

      • all Fanatec products:


      Download Driver


      We fixed several issues on the user interface and registry cleanup.


       

    -1 comment 1.8K views 0 comments Started by Thomas Jackermeier Subscribe to this blog
  • Manual for ClubSport Pedals V2 now online


    • The next video manual is about the ClubSport Pedals V2.


      Especially the procedure to fill up the oild is important. You must not use too much or not enough oil to make it work properly.


       


       

    -1 comment 1K views 0 comments Started by Thomas Jackermeier Subscribe to this blog
  • First CSWs and CSP V2s arrive at customers and firmware 32 is now online

    • The first new wheels and pedals arrived yesterday and today in the hands of our customers.

      If you are one of the lucky ones, please post a picture here or on facebook to show your new set-up.

      Some people who ordered with a September delivery will be surprised to get the wheels ealier as we have more inventory rolling in in July and August. But we decided to give no earlier availability date as everybody is happy if it comes earlier and we don't want to mention another deadline which cannot be met. Hey, we are learning. ;)

      In the support section of Fanatec.com you can now download the latest firmware for your CSW.

      The new updater is simplified and works on the most popular Windows systems.

      The electronics of the CSW is entirely different from the CSR and Porsche wheels and therefore the firmware numbers are different.

    -1 comment 351 views 0 comments Started by Thomas Jackermeier Subscribe to this blog
  • CSW and CSR E video manuals are now online


    • Nobody likes to read manuals. But it contains some useful info so we thought to make it a bit more fun to have a look on the functions of your new wheel.


      We will make a dedicated and more detailed video about the tuning settings and how they affect gameplay at a later stage.


      And of course we plan to make more video manuals for all our products.


      Forza MotorSport CSR Elite video manual:




       


      ClubSport Wheel Base

      BMW M3 GT3 rim

      Formula rim


       


       

    -1 comment 343 views 0 comments Started by Thomas Jackermeier Subscribe to this blog
  • Back on track UPDATE 2


    • We just put the new products online on the old website in our webshop.


      The product description and support site is still missing but will be finished this week. 


      Unfortunately we had to send out an e-mail to a few European customers who placed an order last week as the product was actually already sold out. The inventory management system did not work. Of course they will be the first to get wheels from the next shipment and we can guarantee that there will be enough inventory.


      There is a small number of units available from the batch which arrives in early August in US and EU so if you order now, you "just" have to wait a few weeks.


      As we are also clear with order and inventory situation we can ship all open and paid orders in the US from last week and all confirmed orders in EU from last week before the end of this week.


      The new website will have to undergo some intensive review and we will move to a much more powerful server and provider. Of course we learned a lot and therefore we did not announce a specific time to launch the products this time.


      Now it is time to ramp up production without sacrifying quality and fly in more units so we can keep up with the demand.


      There was a bit confusion about the prices for the CSR E. On the new website we actually reduced the price to 499,95 for the first sea shipments which should arrive in a few weeks. So if you are not in a hurry you can save some money in a few weeks.


      And no, we have not forgotten about the Australians but I cannot announce anything specific at the moment so it is still work in progress. Same for Japan.


      Thanks for staying with us during this exciting and crazy launch of the new ClubSport series and I hope that you all enjoy your new gadgets very soon.


       


      UPDATE


      That was fast.


      The next shipment is sold out as well so the shipment date moved to September.


      UPDATE 2


      It looks like we get the performance problems again although this website is on a complete different server. Pleeeease..... not this site as well. We are running out of options. Do we have to sell them on eBay?

    -1 comment 286 views 0 comments Started by Thomas Jackermeier Subscribe to this blog
  • Rock and Rollback UPDATE


    • What a weekend. The team was working almost day and night over the past days trying to fix the damage caused by the server crash on Friday.


      Within minutes we received a huge amount of orders and order attempts although the website was super slow and it was nearly impossible to finalize the order.


      A few hundred very lucky to go through the whole checkout process and make the payment. These customers ordered all inventory of the CSW so that we are sold out for now. 


      The order data we received is not consistent and we need to check if we did not sell more units than what we actually had. Our sales team will have a look at each order and will notify you in case there is some uncertainty. We already sent out e-mails today and you will probably get another email if necessary. Of course we will ship the approved orders by the time stamp of the order placement. 


      There is more inventory on the way so all orders will probably be delivered in July/August. 


      For now we decided to rollback to the old website sometime on Monday and we will not put the new products online at start. We learned quite a few things with this launch and giving a specific time was not the best idea.


      We fixed the the issues but our webserver performance is still not satisfying so we will move to a complete new server and provider and set up everything again. We added several more tests to make sure this will not happen again and the new website will go online within the next weeks.


      As soon it is online I will announce it here and on facebook. Make sure you subscribe to our facebook site so you will be notified


      A big thanks for all the support and encouraging commnents we received. A big thanks as well for my team around the globe which was trying hard to solve the issues. This launch was not working as planned but we learned and will come back stronger than before.


      Thomas


       


      UPDATE


      The server crash has damaged our database and now we have inconsistent data. We need to manually check each order and adress between our system, Paypal and the website and this takes longer than expected. We need to do this properly to avoid more chaos. Sorry for the delay.


       


       


       


       


       

    -1 comment 352 views 0 comments Started by Thomas Jackermeier Subscribe to this blog
  • Welcome to the new Fanatec website! UPDATE 2


    • The wait is finally over and we successfully switched over to the new website.

      You are now ready to order the new products or just have a look at the new website.

      We made it!

      This was a complicated birth and we are exhausted but happy at the same time.

      Thanks for staying with us and beeing such a great community.



      www. Fanatec.com



      Thomas


       


      UPDATE

      Ohhmmmmmmmmmm... I need to stay calm and relaxed.....


      Ok guys. Looks like we have holy grail for sale and a Playmate of your choice will bring it to you for free. Server is collapsing again and begs for mercy. This is sheer insanity and I am going to get more Red Bull for the team.


       



      UPDATE 2


      We have to take the wesbite offline again and fix the issues occured during the overload in the last hours.



      We have received many orders but a lot of people did not get a confirmation email or had other issues.



      On Monday we will analyze all payments we received and all orders we got. We will then try to fix the orders manually if we have received everything or will contact all customers with incomplete orders to ask for the missing information.



      Please don't contact us before Tuesday and give us chance to contact you on Monday. Any individual inquiry will slow down the process.



      I can only thank you for beeing such a great audience. Besides the understandable frustrated comments we have received a lot of encouraging comments as well.

      I hope you forgive us this bumpy website and product launch.



      There will be no more time estimate when the website will be online again but you can be sure that as soon as the site is working fine and is online again you will be notified on facebook and on my blog.



      Thomas

    -1 comment 346 views 0 comments Started by Thomas Jackermeier Subscribe to this blog
  • Server is down UPDATE


    • Since 12.00 our servers collapsed and is down. This is due to the massive amount of users trying to order the CSW or have a look at the new wesbsite.


      This comes unexpected as yesterday there was no such problem under similar load and of course we planned for a massive amount of users by providing plenty of bandwidth.


      Please help us and stop pressing F5 for some time as we cannot transfer the websites under overload.


      UPDATE


      We fixed the server issue. It was a wrong setting. No idea why this was not a problem yesterday. But now there is a new problem in the database which is showing existing customers in EU prices without VAT. Well, I know that most of you will appreciate to pay 19% less and you certainly deserved it with all the pain we give you here but we are not rich enough (yet) to make you such a present.


      The problem occured during the import of the database and only on some of the customers so we were not able to detect it in our testing before the launch and even in the initial tests after the import. In fact the server crash down gave us more time so we were lucky to find it. 


      This is again not a satisfying situation but we will bring this website oline today. Whatever it takes!


       


       


       

    -1 comment 432 views 0 comments Started by Thomas Jackermeier Subscribe to this blog
  • One more day!


    • We tried everything but a last minute bug which occured during the import of the database stopped our launch. This is not a minor bug we could have tolerated and  solved it later so we were forced to make the painful decision and delay the launch for 24 hours.


      I know that this is a big dissapointment and hey I saw your pictures how you lined up and what efforts you make to get to the website in time. I can't deny that we are dissapinted as well as the Endor team is as excited as you are.


      Of course this means our line up competition will last one more day longer and I expect to see even more exhausted people waiting in front of our closed doors.


      You don't have to be nice now and understand our situation. Don't even think about to feel pity for us. I want you to tell us how you feel! Go and express your emotions. Let it out!

    -1 comment 266 views 0 comments Started by Thomas Jackermeier Subscribe to this blog
  • Win a ClubSport wheel UPDATE


    • Patience will be rewarded!







      Tomorrow at 12.00 German time (CEST) we are opening our new website on www.Fanatec.com and at the same time our new ClubSport wheel and ClubSport Pedals V2 will be on sale.







      Obviously this is the most anticipated product launch in the history of anticipated product launches and we want to make Apple & co jealous with the best and longest queue of hardcore fans lining up in front of our webshop.







      So post your picture how you stand in line and wait until our webshop opens on our facebook page.



      www.facebook.com/fanatec



      Show us your tent in your office and the staples of empty pizza cartons on your desk!







      The person who posts the best picture will win a ClubSport wheel with the rim of choice. The competition runs until 5.7. 2012 12.00 CEST.



      PS: You are welcome to post your picture here as well but make sure you also post it on facebook.


      UPDATE


      The amount of likes your picture receives is a very important factor for us to decide about the winner. Make sure you tell your friends to vote for you!


       

    -1 comment 424 views 0 comments Started by Thomas Jackermeier Subscribe to this blog
  • Introducing the Formula rim for CSR Elite

    • A lot of CSR Elite owners want to make use of the function to change the wheel rim on their wheel.

      Therefore we developed the formula rim for the CSR Elite wheel. 

      image

      This wheel rim is only available separately and as an add-on for the Forza Motorsport CSR Elite wheel.

      It features the same amount of buttons as the original wheel rim plus an additional 4-way joystick. Both joysticks have the same function on Xbox and PS3  but on PC it can be mapped with different functions.

      The grips are made with artificial leather which is easy to clean and feel great.

      Of course you will get the same robust metal construction and metal shifter paddles just like on the Formula rim for ClubSport Wheel. There is no quick release and the system is not designed to make rim changes very often. You need to unfasten two screws and unplug two cables so it is simple but it will take longer than the QR of the CSW. You also need to restart the wheel which means on PC you need to restart the game.

      It is required to update the firmware of the base to make this rim work but this is not complicated if you just have a PC. 

      The rim will be available in Q3 and sells for 179,95€ (inclusive VAT) in EU and 179,95 USD (excl. sales tax) in the USA.

      It is the only additional wheel rim planned for the CSR Elite at this point. We will now fully concentrate to make additional wheel rims for the ClubSport wheel. 

      image

       

       

    -1 comment 1.2K views 0 comments Started by Thomas Jackermeier Subscribe to this blog
  • The countdown started


    • The embargo is over and more and more fantastic reviews are coming up. The testers did an incredible job but now it is our turn to deliver.


      We are ready to go and will launch the new website this week. This new website will also allow you to place orders for the CSW and CSP V2.


      We do have inventory of CSP V2 in both EU and USA and we also have small inventory of CSW and rims in EU. The ship for the US market arrives in a few days. We will have coming in more and more shipments by sea but there is a possibility that we will be short on inventory. 


      Tomorrow we will go offline so we can switch to the new website and intensively test it. The new website will go online on.


      Thursday 5.7.2012 at 12.00 pm (noon) German time

    -1 comment 304 views 0 comments Started by Thomas Jackermeier Subscribe to this blog
  • Community test of ClubSport Wheel: Round 5
    -1 comment 379 views 0 comments Started by Thomas Jackermeier Subscribe to this blog
  • Another BETA Driver: 128 UPDATE -> 129


    • We can now offer v128 which fixes many small issues as well as the game crashes.


      The Force Feedback engine was improved further.


      There is still a known issueif you click on the shortcut symbol on the desktop. If you go directly to the game controller property page it will not happen.


      Please report all issues you find so we can get the last issues sorted out.


      In perticular we would be interested how this version compares to alternative drivers you might have installed to run our wheels.


      Driver BETA 128


      UPDATE


      We now solved the rF2 crash and improved the code to stop "hanging" ff signals.


      We still have the issue when you click on the desktop symbol but that should be fixed soon. Please report what other issues you still find.


      Driver BETA 129

    -1 comment 326 views 0 comments Started by Thomas Jackermeier Subscribe to this blog
  • WARNING: Latest Xbox 360 update could cause problems UPDATE


    • Several customers have reported issues with our wheels after they made the latest  update to their console.


      There is also a thread about these issues on forzamotorsport.net


      We are still investigating the issues so please report if you have suddenly problems on the Xbox console.


      Unfortunately this happened at the same time we released the new firmware so it was hard to see what caused the issues.


      Please do not make this update for your Xbox console until the situation is fully clear and we have a slution.


      In case you have problems after the latest Xbox update, it would be great if you report them here.


      What country?

      What wheel?

      What firmware version?

      Detailed description of the issue


       


      UPDATE


      We do not have an official confirmation yet but it seems that the latest Xbox update fixes the issues and the wheels work fine again.


      Thanks to Microsoft for the quick reaction on this matter.

    -1 comment 319 views 0 comments Started by Thomas Jackermeier Subscribe to this blog
  • New beta firmware 742 and driver 125 with big changes for almost all Fanatec wheels UPDATE 3


    • The internal testing was succesful so far so we are now looking for external beta testers for our new firmware. These versions are clearly BETA versions so please install them only if you are an experienced user.


      Firmware 742BETA runs on the follwing wheels:

      • CSR
      • CSR Elite
      • 911 GT3 RS V2
      • 911 Turbo S
      • 911 GT2


      IMPORTANT: If you want to use the RF dongle (for PC and PS3) for your 911 GT2 or Turbo S wheel, please do not update, as with this version you can only use the USB connection afterwards.


      There is no firmware  update planned for the 911 Turbo (not S), 911 Carrera and 911 GT3RS V1.


       


      We made a lot of changes and these are some of them:

      • ACL added to all Wheels
      • 500 Hz update rate
      • Allows use of SDK to show telemetry data on Tuning display
      • Improved force feedback algorithms
      • Improved FF sensitivity around center position
      • Improved center spring
      • DPR and SPR calculation changed
      • Improved navigation in Tuning menu (keep pressing the up or down button)
      • Default Sensitivity = OFF (900°)
      • Changed button mapping to ensure compatibility to older games
      • New initialisation sequence to auto detect minimum ff level required for each individual wheel
      • fixed issue with hanging ff signals
      • Changed button combo for center calibration. Please follow manual of updater (included)


       


      If you use this on PC you also need to isntall the latest BETA version of our driver. Below you find version 125 for 32 and 64 bit.


      It also comes with a lot of changes and we fixed a lot of issues we had in the force feedback core of the driver.


      Like with the firmware, this version of the driver is only for eperienced users yet and not for the general public. Please report all issues you find right here so we can work on them before releasing the final versions.


      Please use this driver version only with 742


      Driver 126 BETA


      Firmware 742 BETA


       


      UPDATE 2:


      When you describe the porblem please make sure to give us the following basic information:

      1. What wheel?
      2. What operating system / platform?
      3. What game / platform shows the issue
      4. Describe the symptoms as detailed as possible


      Thi will help us toreproduce the problem.


      Make sure you take care of the following:

      • Disconnect the cables and reboot the wheel before you test
      • Bind wheel to Xbox again
      • Calibrate center
      • Caibrate shifter 
      • Check FW version to see if update worked


       


      We will summarize the bugs and list them here.


      UPDATE 3


      We  now have driver 126 BETA available which will fix some issues in pCARS and perhaps other games. The damper calculation is imporved to avoid the notchy feeling.


      If you have problems you can find the previeous fw versions here:


      CSR E 715

      CSR 706

      PWGT2 681

      PWGT3RSV2 681

      PWTS 681


       


       


       

    -1 comment 1.4K views 0 comments Started by Thomas Jackermeier Subscribe to this blog
  • More testers for website needed - UPDATE


    • We are very close to release the new website and then we are finally able to start taking pre-orders for the CSW as well.


      If you are interested to help us finding the last remaining bugs please  just make a short post here and Marie will contact you with the log in data.


      Thank you very much in advance!


      UPDATE:


      Thanks for the great response. It is great to have such a helpful communities and so many helpful people. 


      We have almost 100 testers and this is enough to get it fully tested.  Fantastic!

    -1 comment 264 views 0 comments Started by Thomas Jackermeier Subscribe to this blog
  • ClubSport Wheel Embargo Date


    • Next week the last of the community testers will receive their wheels so that the testing period can start. I wanted to give all testers at least 2 weeks for testing so that means that the embargo date of the Clubsport wheel and rims as well as the Clubsport Pedals V2 will end on June 29th at 13.00 German time.


      By that time we also expect that the first shipments of production units arrive in the USA and EU by air shipment. We will make a special launch offer but I will release more information about that as soon as the wheels are on the way so it is 100% sure that they arrive in time.


       

    -1 comment 306 views 0 comments Started by Thomas Jackermeier Subscribe to this blog
  • Great LED support in Live for Speed


    • Gerben has made good use of our SDK and made a fantastic implemention of our wheels in Live for Speed.


      In the video you can see what you can do with the LED display if it is supported by the game.


      In order to be able to properly show this telemetry data you need to upgrade the firmware of your wheel. We are therefore working on firmware updates for the following wheels:

      • 911 GT3RS V2
      • 911 Turbo S
      • 911 GT2
      • CSR
      • CSR Elite
      Aside from the LED support we will add more features but you will see very soon. 
    -1 comment 408 views 0 comments Started by Thomas Jackermeier Subscribe to this blog
  • Production of ClubSport wheel has started

    • We finally started the production of the ClubSport base and rims.

      The production preparation took longer than expected as we decided to make a lot of customized fixtures for each step in order to get maximum quality.

      You can see the production line in a short video I made with my mobile phone and posted on our Facebook page.

      www.Facebook.com/Fanatec

      We will start shipping in May so the first wheels will  arrive in our warehouses in June. We will not airship units this time. The pre-orders will start soon but I want the wheels on the boat so we know when they arrive.

      image

       

    -1 comment 438 views 0 comments Started by Thomas Jackermeier Subscribe to this blog
  • Introducing the new ClubSport Pedals V2

    • We thought about how to make something good even better and came up with the evolution of a legend. The ClubSport Pedals V2.

      The ClubSport Pedal was the first of our ClubSport product line which represent these values:

      • All metal construction
      • High-End technology
      • Outstanding industrial design
      • Unbeatable price performance 

      As you all know there will be more ClubSport products coming up and they all have to match the level of the CSPs.

      The new V2 version is rather an evolutiona than a complete new design because sometimes it is better not to change too much. Here are the new features:

      1. Look
      The pedals now come in anodized black and polished aluminum parts which gives it a more exclusive and classy touch. Of course the colour kits are fully compatible so you can change the look to all black or combine it with grey, orange red or blue.

      2. Hydraulic brake
      We have added an oil damper to the load cell brake to give it a more realistic and dampenend feeling. The feeling can be adjusted by replacing the silicone oil and use different viscosity and by changing the spring tension on the damper. It is simple but very effective. We also made the load cell brake stiffer and with a shorter travel by default.

      3. Degressive clutch mechanism
      Our Japanese friend Teki Ei-Ichi developed a new mechanism for the clutch for us. It gives you a degressive feel just like in a real car. Of course you can still adjust the spring strength.

      There is no Tuning Kit up to now but we will have a kit coming up later. We thought about an upgrade kit as well but there are too many parts to replace so it would be quite expensive and it would be very complicated to install. The CSP achieve good prices at eBay so we doubt that it would be worth to offer such a kit as V1 owners would not save much money but have the hassle of installation and end up with a product with the old look and used parts. Therefore we decided not to offer such an upgrade kit and I hope you agree.

      The CSP V2 will be shipped together with the ClubSport Wheel and we expect the first shipment in USA, EU and AUS in June. We will start taking pre-orders from our new website in May.

      Price: 249,95 € (incl VAT) in EU and 249,95 USD (excl sales tax) in USA. Australian prices still need to be determined.

      Thanks to Amar for the great pictures and to Björn who made the spectacular video.

    -1 comment 883 views 0 comments Started by Thomas Jackermeier Subscribe to this blog
  • Community test for Clubsport Wheel: Round 4


    • Almost all polls are closed so we are almost ready to start ROUND 4 of the community test for our new ClubSport Wheel and ClubSport Pedals V2.


      Let the tests begin!


      We have received the air shipment of the ClubSport Wheels with rims along with brand new ClubSport Pedals V2. I will show you more details about this pedal very soon but you can also expect to see some reviews as well if some testers decide to test them. 


      Sean will now start to ask all testers what equipment they like to test.


      Congratulations to all winners of the polls! It was a close call in many forums and we have a lot of very interesting reviewers.

    -1 comment 281 views 0 comments Started by Thomas Jackermeier Subscribe to this blog
  • Display support for ClubSport Wheel in iRacing EDIT: ...and pCARS


    • Steaphan Turpin made a plug in for iRacing to show different settings in the Tuning display of the ClubSport Wheel.


      You can also see the rev lights working on the Formula rim for the first time.  Please note that the intensity of theblue LEDs will be increased in mass production. On the video the first 3 LEDs on the left appear to be red but they are yellow.


      He used the Lotus 79 on Virginia raceway and on the display you can see the current fuel consumption.


      Together with the wheels for the community testers we will send wheels to all major racing game developers along with our SDK so you can expect broad support in all the upcoming new hot titles.


      EDIT: With the latest build of pCARS our wheels also show the current gear while driving. Mike made a video to show that feature in his fantastic racing setup.


      http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_videoeditor&v=cIkPxK8PIps


       

    -1 comment 562 views 0 comments Started by Thomas Jackermeier Subscribe to this blog
  • Community test for ClubSport Wheel: Round 3

    • We finally started ROUND 3 with the polls to select the community testers.Thank you very much for the great interest and participation in not less than 32 simracing forums of many counties.

      This is probably the biggest community review ever made for simracing hardware and I would like to thank everybody for the application and the efforts they already made to introduce themselves. I am also very happy about the choice we made with the CTMs as they are doing a superb job.

      Sean will update a list to the threads here so you can have quick access to all the ongoing polls.

      CTM: Adam Flockton
      Forum: Codemasters forums
      Link: CLICK
      Winner: Goose83

      CTM: Christiaan van Beilen
      Forum: GTPlanet forums
      Link: CLICK
      Winner: Mayaman

      CTM: Sean Cebron
      Forum: F-wheel.com forums
      Link: CLICK
      Winner: Intimidat3er421

      CTM: Brent Bundy
      Forum: iRacing
      Link: CLICK
      Winners: Todd Bettenhausen, Steve Claeys, Ryan Terpstra

      CTM: Yeison Peralta
      Forum: Apex Racing League
      Link: CLICK
      Winner: AC_Simps

      CTM: Jon Wethen
      Forum: North American Grand Prix
      Link: CLICK
      Winner: Ezza

      CTM: Christophe Godek
      Forum: RacingFR
      Link: CLICK
      Winner: AvereLL

      CTM: Sebastian Keijmel
      Forum: DigitalRacing.nl
      Link: CLICK 

      CTM: Michael Herrmann 
      Forum: KonsolenRacer
      Link: CLICK
      Winner: Fong74

      CTM: Daniel Schumacher
      Forum: PSX-racing.de
      Link: CLICK
      Winner: Mike Voigt

      CTM: Astrid Winter
      Forum: Bockbierbude
      Link: CLICK
      Winner: BladeRunner74

      CTM: Marcel Kleene
      Forum: F1-2010-forum.de
      Link: CLICK 
      Winner: sirschmock

      CTM: Zac Burke
      Forum: ApexSpeed
      Link: CLICK 
      Winner: Keith Carter

      CTM: Remco van Dijk 
      Forum: NoGripRacing
      Link: CLICK
      Winner: zilk1221
      Forum: WMD (Project CARS)
      Link: CLICK
      Winner: chrisracer

      CTM: Nicola Trivilino
      Forum: DrivingItalia.net
      Link: CLICK
      Winner: Schummy1

      CTM: Steven Ciofalo
      Forum: ISI Forums
      Link: CLICK
      Winner: John Crichton

      CTM: Ceth (also known as Neelrocker and Madcat)
      Forum: Hardware.fr
      Link: CLICK
      Winner: gus84
      Forum: Nextgen-auto.com
      Link: CLICK
      Winner: little 
      Forum: Clubic.com
      Link: CLICK
      Winner: kpla46

      CTM: Radek Żukowski 
      Forum: SimRacing PL
      Link: CLICK
      Winner: LesiU

      CTM: Peer Dorn
      Forum: gtrp.de
      Link: CLICK
      Winner: Rudi Raser

      CTM: Kevin Orthey
      Forum: Virtualracing.org
      Link: CLICK
      Winner: Henning Piez
      Forum: VO-Racing.de
      Link: CLICK
      Winner: Daniel A.

      CTM: Michael Haidorf
      Forum: Simracing Deutschland e.V.
      Link: CLICK
      Winner: Guenter Wirges
      Forum: racersleague.com
      Link: CLICK
      Winner: Mauritio Mellies

      CTM: Stefan Kremer 
      Forum: Eutechnyx forums
      Link: CLICK
      Winner: Flanna

      CTM: Alexander Prus (thepatriots)
      Forum: US PlayStation Boards
      Link: CLICK
      Winner: Choate51

      CTM: Darren Blythe 
      Forum: SimHQ
      Link: CLICK
      Winner: F19_CoNa

      CTM: Gianni Longhin
      Forum: LFS ITALIAN COMMUNITY
      Link: CLICK
      Winner: ale85

      CTM: Jani Grundström
      Forum: Varikkosuora.org
      Link: CLICK
      Winner: OdeFinn

      CTM: Iñigo Roger Chalmeta
      Forum: MundoGT.es
      Link: CLICK
      Winner: IRT-KIOSKO

      CTM: Roger Billings
      Forum: InsideSimRacing.tv
      Link: CLICK 
      Winners: Seahawks1Fan, GoCart Death, mikemav

      CTM: Luke Longnecker
      Forum: NeoGAF
      Link: CLICK
      Winner: Yoritomo

       

      On several forums we had more then 10 applications so the CTMs have chosen 10 finalists without our influence. We think that this is the best way to choose an objective tester which is as unbiased and independent as possible. If you still think that we can improve something, please let me know.

      I would like to take the opportunity to wish everybody a happy Easter!

      Happy egg hunt on my blog ;)

       

      Thomas

       

       

    -1 comment 314 views 0 comments Started by Thomas Jackermeier Subscribe to this blog
  • What rim do you want?


    • Let's talk about future wheel rims for the ClubSport wheel.


      We are currently working on four rims of which two of them have been announced already. I would like to encourage you to let me know what rims you like most and what functions they should have like

      • Amount of buttons
      • Amount of shifter paddles (analog and/or buttons)
      • Material of rim
      • Material and colours of the inner rim
      • Diameter
      • Weight
      • Target price
      • ?


      Just let me know whatever you think might be helpful. We have almost no technical limitation on the ClubSport Base.


      These are the rims which are currently under development or in planning phase:

      • BMW GT2
      • FORMULA
      • NASCAR
      • Classic (wood)
      • Classic F1
      • F1 licensed
      • F1 generic
      • LMP1
      • Drift
      • Rallye
      • Porsche GT
      • Simrace special (not realistic but optimized for performance)


      Please note that the order does not indicate any priorities. It can take several years until all rims will be ready for production.


      For the CSR Elite wheel we will introduce the Formula rim for sure and depending on the success of this add-on we will release a GT rim as well. The electronics of the CSR Elite wheel are limited so we cannot have a proper quick release, rev light indicators, analog joystick, encoder switches or the same amount of buttons like on the CSW rims. The CSR E rims have to follow exactly the same specs as the original wheel.


      So please let me know what you want and we will do our best to deliver those rims in the next years.


      PS: We will not make adapters to connect other wheel rims as this brings too many technical problems and issues with warranty and safety.

    -1 comment 437 views 0 comments Started by Thomas Jackermeier Subscribe to this blog
  • Pricing of ClubSport Wheel series


    • As we are getting the final manufacturing cost I can confirm the final pricing of the ClubSport Wheel series.


      Prices are as usual in Euro with VAT included and in USD without sales tax.


      ClubSport Wheel Base: 449,95


      BMW GT2 rim: 249,95


      Formula rim: 179,95


      This is just the beginning so there will be much more rims coming up at a lower and higher price. Pricing for Japan, Australia and Canada will be announced at a later date.


      We are considering to fly in some wheels so this would increase cost a bit but we need to get final quotations for airfreight first.


       


       

    -1 comment 329 views 0 comments Started by Thomas Jackermeier Subscribe to this blog
  • The perfect simracing location


    • Last week I have been at the Hockenheim ring to present two of our RennSport Cockpits with a new racing simulation (not from EA or MS) in the pit which was used by Sebastian Vettel at the last F1 GP in (edit:) 2010.


      The track was used for testing the new Porsche Cup cars for both the Carrera and the Supercup so we had the pleasure to be surrounded by the fastest 911s.


      At this point I cannot tell you anything more about the new racing simulation other that it looked great and the Porsche Cup drivers had a lot fun driving with it. The lap times were very similar.

    -1 comment 332 views 0 comments Started by Thomas Jackermeier Subscribe to this blog
  • Community test for ClubSport Wheel: Round 2


    • We finally get the ball rolling and start ROUND 2 of the community test of our new ClubSport Wheel Base and the Formula and BMW GT2 rims.


      Sean Cebron, or better known as Sonac of f-wheel.com, will take over the handling for all these tests and will notify the appointed community test managers today.


      Here you find a list of all CTMs and the communities they are handling. As soon as Sean receives the link of the forum where to put your application to be selected in the polls will also be listed here.


      CTM: Adam Flockton

      Forum: Codemasters forums

      Link: CLICK


      CTM: Christiaan van Beilen

      Forum: GTPlanet forums

      Link: CLICK 


      CTM: Sean Cebron

      Forum: F-wheel.com forums

      Link: CLICK


      CTM: Zac Burke

      Forum: ApexSpeed

      Link: CLICK 


      CTM: Jon Wethen

      Forum: North American Grand Prix

      Link: CLICK  


      CTM: Yeison Peralta

      Forum: Apex Racing League

      Link: CLICK 


      CTM: Radek Żukowski 

      Forum: SimRacing PL

      Link: CLICK


      CTM: Remco van Dijk 

      Forum: NoGripRacing

      Link: CLICK

      Forum: WMD (Project CARS)

      Link: CLICK


      CTM: Stefan Kremer 

      Forum: Eutechnyx forums

      Link: CLICK CLICK CLICK

      Forum: PC GAMES HARDWARE EXTREME

      Link: CLICK 


      CTM: Michael Herrmann 

      Forum: KonsolenRacer

      Link: CLICK



      CTM: RaceRabbit

      Forum: OvalEggRacing.com

      Link: (Edit: Easter is over but we will release the firmware soon)


      CTM: Steven Ciofalo

      Forum: ISI Forums

      Link: CLICK 

      Forum: RaceDepartment

      Link: (EDIT: Link removed because Racedepartment does not support community reviews)


      CTM: Daniel Schumacher

      Forum: PSX-racing.de

      Link: CLICK


      CTM: Christophe Godek

      Forum: RacingFR

      Link: CLICK


      CTM: Astrid Winter

      Forum: Bockbierbude

      Link: CLICK


      CTM: Brent Bundy

      Forum: iRacing

      Link: CLICK


      CTM: Gianni Longhin

      Forum: LFS ITALIAN COMMUNITY

      Link: CLICK 


      CTM: Sebastian Keijmel

      Forum: DigitalRacing.nl

      Link: CLICK


      CTM: Jani Grundström

      Forum: Varikkosuora.org

      Link: CLICK 


      CTM: Marcel Kleene

      Forum: F1-2010-forum.de

      Link: CLICK 


      CTM: Michael Haidorf

      Forum: Simracing Deutschland e.V.

      Link: CLICK

      Forum: racersleague.com

      Link: CLICK 

      CTM: Ceth (also known as Neelrocker and Madcat)

      Forum: Hardware.fr

      Link: CLICK

      Forum: Nextgen-auto.com

      Link: CLICK 

      Forum: Clubic.com

      Link: CLICK  


      CTM: Darren Blythe 

      Forum: SimHQ

      Link: CLICK


      CTM: Alexander Prus (thepatriots)

      Forum: US PlayStation Boards

      Link: CLICK


      CTM: Nicola Trivilino

      Forum: DrivingItalia.net

      Link: CLICK


      CTM: Kevin Orthey

      Forum: Virtualracing.org

      Link: CLICK

      Forum: VO-Racing.de

      Link: CLICK


      CTM: Peer Dorn

      Forum: gtrp.de

      Link: CLICK 


      CTM: Iñigo Roger Chalmeta

      Forum: MundoGT.es

      Link: CLICK 


      CTM: Roger Billings

      Forum: InsideSimRacing.tv

      Link: CLICK 

      CTM: Luke Longnecker

      Forum: NeoGAF

      Link: CLICK  


       


      We have selected plenty of forums so you should see a lot of unbiased and independent reviews coming up for the CSW. The wheels for the testers are already produced and on the way to our warehouses so testing can start very soon. 

    -1 comment 620 views 0 comments Started by Thomas Jackermeier Subscribe to this blog
  • Time for some news on the ClubSport Shifter

    • It is time to let you know that this project is still alive and we are making good progress.

      I will not reveal any details at this point but this nice picture from our development department is too nice not to post it. :)

    -1 comment 400 views 0 comments Started by Thomas Jackermeier Subscribe to this blog
  • 911 GT3 RS Elite edition now available


    • We are now introducing the latest technology all packed into one attractive bundle.


      It is basically the combination of the 911 GT3 RS V2 wheel plus  the CSR Elite pedals.


      No other wheel can offer the combination of the following features at the price of just 259,95:

      • Big 30 cm wheel rim
      • Genuine Alcantara like in the real cars
      • Belt drive
      • Tuning functions
      • Fully adjustable metal pedals
      • Load cell brake technology


      And much more.


       

    -1 comment 262 views 0 comments Started by Thomas Jackermeier Subscribe to this blog
  • Forza news
    -1 comment 256 views 0 comments Started by Thomas Jackermeier Subscribe to this blog
  • Community test for Clubsport Wheel: Round 1 - UPDATE 2
    -1 comment 478 views 0 comments Started by Thomas Jackermeier Subscribe to this blog
  • New driver version 116 available


    • We have a new Beta version of the PC driver for all wheels.


      Change log:


      1. FFB damper effect now available (and reimplemented, from SW -> HW)

      2. FFB damper and spring effects now could be played simultaneously (due to layering in HW)

      3. Auto-center spring disabled completely from driver and property sheet (for all wheel models)

      4. Diagonal D-pad arrows hidden for CSR and CSR-E models


      Please have a look at it and let me know if you have any issues. Thanks!

    -1 comment 523 views 0 comments Started by Thomas Jackermeier Subscribe to this blog
  • CSR Elite review on VirtualR.net


    • The simracing experts on VirtualR.net have posted a review of the Forza Motorsport CSR Elite Wheel.


      If you want to read it then I don't want to tell too much about the test results but it seems that they were not unhappy about it:


      "...it's safe to say that the CSR Elite is the new benchmark for upper-market steering wheels."


      http://www.virtualr.net/fanatec-csr-elite-wheel-review


       


       

    -1 comment 320 views 0 comments Started by Thomas Jackermeier Subscribe to this blog