A New Fanatec Wheel announced - possibly coming to consoles soon

[Elandyll]

http://www.isrtv.com/fanatec/fanatec...-v2-announced/



This is a modular wheel that is releasing first with PC supoprt exlcusively (the wheel support on next gen is a bit of a mess right now, cf table below as an example for Project Cars), but Fantec says that their design will allow for a motor base that is common, and an add-on wheel that can be platform specific.
They also say that one of the two lead console platforms has already signed with them, but they are not saying which one just yet.

It is to be noted that the price for this type of product (servo + modular) is apparently well priced:
$499 if you pre-order (the release model will be $599 if no pre order).


Here is the specific quote about the release concerning the consoles:

The ClubSport Wheel Base V2 is the next generation of ourwheel base but there is also a strong demand of wheels for “Next-Gen” consoles. People were asking us to make their wheels compatible to the Xbox One and Playstation 4 but if we want to make it official and legal then we need to follow the rules of the console makers and they clearly do not allow
that.

So how can we make a product where there is a chance that the customer can keep at least most of the equipment he purchased? We can easily make the pedals, shifters and handbrake compatible and this is what we did but what about the base unit?

And how can we make a product multi-platform compatible if we can only get approval for a license if the product has only the symbols of either one console on it?

We came up with an idea which brings modularity to a whole new level and protects your investment. If you play on PC then just go ahead and purchase the wheel base as it is and you will not be bothered with symbols which might hurt your eye.

But if you want to enjoy the painless simplicity of a console with its great exclusive racing simulations then you will get the option to buy an optional steering wheel which will
add full console compatibility to this base.

We want to achieve compatibility to both Xbox One and PlayStation 4 and we are happy to announce that we already signed a contract with one of them. We will announce this product at the end of this year.

There will be multiple steering wheels available in different price ranges and they will compatible to several Fanatec base units from mid-range to direct drive.

About Wheel compatibility in general:

A lot has been said about how devices compatibility have been handled with the current gen (PS4/ XB1), which is to say "not well". But the Wheels/ sim gear for racers/ sim fans are particularly problematic.

It's a mix of having to licence the devices with the console makers, the patents by Immersion (Haptic feedback patents supposedly expiring in Nov 2015 apparently) and Logitech deciding in January 2013 to exit the console device market (thus not providing support beyond the most basic one).

Result for Project Cars, with the list of supported wheels:



Needless to say that a new system with a more modular approach might be a very welcomed idea.