Xbox One Compatibility FAQ and Poll
Thomas Jackermeier
Member
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.
be discussed separately as it is a completely different and independent
subject
- Do you think that Fanatec is to blame for the missing compatibility of X360 peripherals on XBOne?106 votes
- Yes17.92%
- No82.08%
- Do you expect that Xbox One wheels will be compatble to the successor console of Xbox One?106 votes
- Yes38.68%
- No61.32%
Comments
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.
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).
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.
Partager https://www.facebook.com/ProjectCARSFrance
Otherwise, it will be fastidious to change wheel on the rig each time we change platform.
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.
Let me get that straight:
Hope that was clear enough now. I have a great understanding for your frustration but you are talking to the wrong guys.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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
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.
Nobody with any common sense thought there 360 wheels would be compatible with the xbox one! If they did they were extremely nieve!
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.
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.
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.
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.