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…
To celebrate the E3 2011 reveal of Forza Motorsport 4 the guys at Turn 10 Studios took over the event deck at LA Live for a massive party. There were top notch cars every where you turn including the first Gumpert Apollo which took a short outing from the CEC West LA show room to come to the party. One of the highlights was the debut of the Top Gear test track in Forza 4. The Turn 10 Crew brought over a hydraulic motion rig, set up a lap time board, and party goers were challenged to post up their best lap time in a Kia Cee’d. Every 30 minutes the fastest lap holder would win a special Stig prize pack that included a messenger bag full of Top Gear DVDs, Stig Alpinestars racing gloves, a “I am The Stig” shirt, and a Meguiars car care kit. Once everyone posted up their lap times the crowd was treated by an impromptu appearance by The Stig himself! After The Stig had a riveting interview with MC Tommy Kendall party goers were treated to a live set by Mix Master Mike and Travis Barker!
While the party was going on I managed to pull John Wendl (content director for Turn 10 Studios) to talk about all the new feature we can expect in Forza Motorsport 4 when it comes out this fall. Just scroll down for a few party pics (more in our Facebook Gallery) and the interview.
Last night the guys at Turn 10 Studios threw a massive party to celebrate Forza Motorsport 4but before that the MC of the party Tommy Kendall stopped by the Xbox booth at E3 2011 to try his hand at the game himself. They say that those who are good at racing games would probably do well racing in real life, but judging by the video below I don’t think that works in reverse! In a display of bravado that could only come from a real race car driver Tommy turned off all the driving assists, however for a bit of insurance he kept his competitors on easy mode. Yet, that still couldn’t save him from finishing in last place!
After E3 came to a close that day Tommy headed over to the Forza 4 party where he played host. During the festivities party goers were joined via television by Top Gear’s Jeremy Clarkson who introduced a very special guest, The Stig!. Master Of Ceremonies Tommy Kendall attempted to get an interview with Top Gears tame racing driver but it did not go so well.
Check out TK’s go at Forza 4 and his attempted interview with The Stig in the videos below!
As promised in the other post here is actual video of the new Fanatec elite Forza Motorsport 4 Wheel in action on the E3 2011 show floor. As you can see the elite version will accept attachments like an e-brake and H-pattern shifter. It also appears to come with the same metal pedal set as the standard version. Also notice the awesome carbon fiber steering hub! From what I was told the elite is still a prototype so it may look slightly different once it is released. I think it looks pretty damn cool already! I will try to get more info on this wheel from Fanatec ASAP! In the meantime enjoy the video below!
So I have a small update on the Fanatec Forza Motorsport 4 wheel. First off there will be two models available. A “standard” and “elite”. The standard looks to come with what any other wheel would however the wheel is much beefier than the offical Xbox wheel and features metal construction. It also appears to come with a metal pedal set. The elite has a more stout electric motor which I would venture to guess has more accuracy than the standard. It also comes in a different housing and features a carbon fiber center piece. What really sets the elite version apart is that it can take attachments such as a handbrake or H-pattern shifter. I will try to get more info from the Fanatec guys tomorrow. I will also have some video of the wheel in action. In the meantime check out the pictures I shot of the wheel at the Forza Motorsport 4 exhibit.
These are shots fresh off the E3 2011 show floor of a new Forza Motorsport 4 branded steering wheels for the Xbox 360 by Fanatec. Stay tuned for more info, pics, and video of the wheel in action.
This is a video I shot yesterday morning at the Xbox E3 2011 Press Conference. This preview is just a tip of the iceberg for the flood of Forza Motorsport 4 info that is going to be rolling in. Here are a few hints that the video drops: Kinect functionality with head tracking, 80+ OEMs, community car clubs, community rivals, 16 player racing, monthly expansions, world tour mode, and Top Gear content (Top Gear test track anyone?). Stay tuned for a short video of game play footage and keep checking back for more Forza 4 info from the E3 show floor.
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