At last year’s E3 Playseat revealed that their coveted Red Bull Racing branded F1 sim-racing chassis would be coming to the US market. While that was great news it was salted a bit with the additional news that it would come with a $1,999 price tag which pretty much put it in the “out of reach” realm for most of us.
However, Playseat recently announced on their Facebook page that a new seat (very similar to the Red Bull unit) will be coming to PlayseatUSA.com and Playseat.com on May 1st. The new seat, dubbed the “Grand Prix” has a similar design and seating position as the Red Bull rig but minus the branding and hard shell for the seat itself. There may be other differences as well but so far all the details have not been made public. Playseat does say that the Grand Prix will cost less than its Red Bull Racing branded brother but as far as how much less remains a mystery.
Given that the non-branded shell edition of the F1 seat retails for $1,799, I would make a guess that the new “softer” version may likely come in between $1,000 and $1,200. Those prices are just speculation on my part though. I guess we will not know for sure until the Grand Prix is released next Wednesday (May 1st 2013).
For a closer look just click the thumbnail below for a large picture.
Our number two item on our top ten gift list is the ultimate in racer-escapeism. Say you have Forza Motorsport 4 and the Fanatec CSR Forza 4 wheel, even though both those items are cool together if you want the ultimate trifecta you need the Forza Mototsport 4 Edition REVO Playseatto complete the experience. There are a lot of racing sim seats out there but Playseat is always at the top of the list due to their construction, limited editions, and ease of use. The Forza Motorsport 4 Edition Playseat is extra nice because they have relocated the steering wheel post to come up from underneath the seat providing better leg room for heel-toe-ing and for more customization they include an adjustable pedal plate so you can set your pedals to the perfect angle for your feet. When you are all done racing the seat folds up and retracts for easy storage. We have had the Forza Motorsport 3 Edition seat for a while and we are getting acquainted with the new Forza Motorsport 4 seat and so far we can tell you that things are going well enough that we would definitely recommend it as a potential gift this season. Although you may need to put in rush shipping to get it by Christmas! By the way stay tuned to MotorworldHype for more on the Forza Motorsport 4 playseat as a full review and unboxing video is coming up soon!
Full Disclosure: Playseat USA is an advertiser on MotorworldHype.com and provided us with the Forza Motorsport 4 Edition REVO Playseat for review purposes.
If you like to race you know that there is nothing worse than the times when you are NOT racing. We try to get our fix by playing games like Forza Motorsport 4 to take the edge off but even then we still can’t quite get the level of realism we want with the standard controller in our hands. Steering with your thumb on an analog stick is nice but it just is not quite the same as holding a wheel in your hands. For an added touch of realism you may want to put Fanatec’s Forza Motorsport CSR wheel on your gift list this year. With up to 900 degrees of rotation, top of the line forcefeed back motors and high resolution steering input sensors this is one of the best steering virtual steering wheels you can get right now and the $249 price tag reflects that. There is also a shifter set and aluminum pedal set available to go with your wheel as well. The full package with the wheels, shifter set, and pedals will run you about $459. While that seems like an astronomical price this set up is pretty high quality, plus there is the added bonus of Playstation 3 compatibility. Before this wheel, consumers had to buy a wheel for their Xbox 360 and a wheel for their PS3. So in a way you are actually getting two-wheels in one. If you want to see everything you get in the package check out our unboxing video. Then add this wheel to your gift list this year or consider it as a gift for the gearhead in your life!
We were lucky enough to be among the first to get our hands on the new Fanatec Forza Motorsport 4 wheel, pedals, and shifter to test along with our review copy of Forza Motorsport 4. The funny thing is the wheel showed up before the game did! So, we decided to do a good ol’ fashioned unboxing video so you can see what you get when you pre-order the set up. We figured since it was a special occasion it was a good time to dawn our 80s-licious driving gloves we got for free when we were invited to a pre-screening of the movie “Driver”. In case you are wondering, the free gloves were the best part of the movie, but we digress..
The first thing we noticed when we opened up the wheel was how light it was. After using it at E3 we were expecting the wheel to feel heavy with all the hardware in it but it was very light weight. We were also pleasantly surprised to find genuine alcantara swatches on either side of the wheel for added grip. Classy!
Second we opened up the shifter set and we were surprised to find that you actually get not one but two shifter attachments! One is a sequential style shifter and the other is a full 6-speed H-pattern shifter with reverse. We like options! Both shifters also had some real heft. We are thinking that is probably due to their construction. Also the H-pattern shifter is slightly larger than the sequential. The only negative to the shifters is that they are both quite loud and clicky, we know that may annoy some but there are others who may not mind at all.
Finally we opened the “Elite” pedal set. The first thing we noticed is that it is really heavy! We realized right away that the weight comes from some pretty heavy duty metal construction. It also appears to be highly adjustable as well. Users can swap the pivot points of the pedals to the top for a more realistic feel and they can also adjust their positioning as well. Finally there is a small knob behind the brake pedal to adjust sensitivity. It is pretty easy to see that the “Elite” set is for the serious simulation racer.
If you are interested in this gear all the parts you will see in the unboxing video are available for pre-order now. The wheel is a fair $249.95 and the shifter set is $59.95, the Elite pedal set goes for $149.95. You can pick up all three pieces of gear for a package price of $459.85.
If you find yourself trying to justify spending that much on simulator gear take comfort in the fact that the wheel, pedals, and shifter are all cross platform compatible. That means they will work on the PC or your Playstation 3. So in a way it is like getting three wheels in one! See, that softens the blow a bit does it not?
Since we did not get our review copy of Forza Motorsport 4 yet we have not attached this set to our Playseat rig yet. We were a little bummed that both did not come at the same time but on the bright side it gives us a chance to figure out if there will be any compatibility issues with hooking up this set to the Playseat Forza Motorsport 3 rig. If you do not already have a Playseat and want to pick one up before you get Forza then we reccomend buying the Forza Motorsport 4 Edition Playseat as it was designed with the Fanatec set-up in mind.
Each part of what you see unboxed is available now for pre-order at Fanatec.com. The CSR wheel will set you back $249.95, the CSR Elite pedal set will go for about $149.95, and the shifter set will cost $59.95 or you can buy the whole bundle for $459.85. While that does sound pricy the MSRP is justified by the fact that all the components are cross-platform compatible. That means you can use this set up on your Playstation 3 and your PC so in a way it is like getting three set-ups in one. Depending on your ability to weild the sword of logic that fact may soften the financial blow a bit.
As I stated earlier we have not set up this rig yet as we are waiting for our review copy of Forza Motorsport 4 so stay tuned for our full review of the Fanatec Forza Motorsport 4 CSR set up and Forza Motorsport 4 soon! For now click on the thumbnails above for detail shots of the Fanatec set up and scroll below for the official unboxing video featuring the debut of the awesome “driver” gloves…
A while back we showed you the upcoming Forza 4 edition Playseat at E3. TodayPlayseat announced on their Facebook page that the new Forza 4 edition seat will come with this new adjustable footplate which is fully compatible with the also upcoming Fanatec CSR Forza 4 wheel and pedal set. It will also be sold alone as an accessory for all of their Revolution style seats so no worries if you will not have the Forza seat you are still covered! In other news stay tuned for a bunch of new Forza 4 content including interviews and our review of the game coming soon.
Every year when we go to E3 we search the show floor for cool games and gadgets that gear heads would love. Last year we fell in love with the Forza Motorsport 3 edition Playseat, this year we paid a visit to Playseatagain and were happy to see that they are going to follow up with a new Forza Motorsport 4 edition seat, complete with a few changes. To help go over all the changes on the new seat we had Trevor from Playseat America walk us through it. Just scroll down for pics and Trevor’s walkthrough of the Forza Motorsport 4 edition Playseat.
DiRT3 is coming out next month and I know more than a few people who are going ape crazy over it and chomping at the bit to get their hands on the game. If you are one of the DiRT franchise super fanatics out there then you will probably dig the new DiRT3 edition “Revolution” simulator seat by Playseat USA. Playseat took the popular Revolution model seat and gave it an awesome DiRT3 livery scheme. If I didn’t already have the Forza edition seat I would totally pick this one up! Look for the DiRT3 edition Playseat to hit the online store this July.
Remember the video of the Playseat F1 rig I showed you guys a while back? Well it looks like Playseat did a Red Bull F1 branded version of it and it is the greatest thing I’ve ever seen at any time in any given place in my entire life! OK, maybe not but this is still pure FRESH! It does cost about $1300 and doesn’t come out until June, but DUDE look at it! It’s even designed to fully recreate the seating position in a real F1 car. I must have it! I probably won’t have it but still! I must!
Playseathas built an F1 racing simulator seat rig! It is about time someone built something like this that a regular person can afford. It looks really fresh and I can’t wait to try it out but I will be waiting for a while. While it comes out in Europe this year we will have to wait until 2012 for this rig to be released here in the states. That part is kind of a bummer but it looks like it will be worth the wait. Check out the video below to see the Playseat F1 racing simulator in action. While you’re watching, if you identify the steering wheel that the guy is using in the video please let me know in the comments!
For those who were looking to pick up a Playseat but was worried that your Forza Edition would clash with your GT5 set up have no fear. At CES Playseat America announced an official Gran Turismo 5 game seat. Not only is this seat decked in GT5 signage but they’ve actually made some design improvements. The attachment plates have been specially engineered to accommodate PS3 wheels such as the Logitech Driving Force GT and the upcoming very expensive Thrustmaster T500. Also on this model the post to hold the steering wheel mount comes out from the seat rather than attaching to the center post. This frees up your leg room and eliminates the need for left foot braking as in the previous model. However, the best improvement in my opinion is that they switched to a stronger powder coat method for all the railing so you wont scratch it up with the clamp screws! Fresh! Although I should say that the GT5 game seat isn’t cheap. It will set you back $599 but I’d much rather spend that money on this rather than a steering wheel. Buy the GT5 PS3 bundle pack, buy the Logitech wheel and then pick up this seat for the ultimate Gran Turismo set up.
Playseat America, the premier manufacturer of gaming furniture worldwide, announces the upcoming release of the limited edition Gran Turismo® 5 edition Revolution Sim-Racing Game Seat to the United States gaming market.
Consisting of several new enhancements and modifications not found on the original Evolution, the next level in Playseat race seats, the Playseat Revolution – Gran Turismo® 5 edition, includes a new, leg friendly design for free range of leg movement and center mount wheel support, elevating the in-home Gran Turismo® 5 racing experience to new levels when combined with a Logitech wheel/pedal set of choice for PlayStation®3 (PS3™). The seat offers ultimate comfort and a realistic racing experience.
This dynamic race seat is modeled after real, rally and stock car seats, complete with helmet stabilizers and a new, patented, fully adjustable steering wheel support with aluminum quick release handle for easy slide adjustment for height and depth, and now accommodates even more third party wheel/pedal hardware sets (Logitech, Thrustmaster, FANATEC) on the market.
Newly designed extra strong, powder coated hollow triangle tubing for wire concealment with additional PU protection to avoid scratching rounds out this dynamic sim-racing chassis, making the Gran Turismo® 5 edition Playseat Revolution the perfect gaming performance enhancer, and the only way to bring the ultimate Gran Turismo® 5 edition racing experience home! Accessories are also available.
The Gran Turismo® 5 edition racing seat from Playseat will be available for consumers to purchase in January, 2011. MSRP $599.99.
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