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Fanatec have the largest available ecosystem of products including wheels, pedals, direct drive wheel bases, a shifter and a handbrake (although the shifter and handbrake are well overdue for a refresh). Their products are split across 3 different tiers. The CSL range, which is their cheaper more entry level gear, ClubSport, which sits in the middle, and Podium at the top. Although this gets a little confusing as their new ClubSport DD and DD+ actually provide a marginally better driving experience than the older Podium DD1 and DD2, with smoother, faster response and more force feedback detail. The new ClubSport DD and DD+ also boast Fanatec’s new “FullForce” technology, which adds more granular detail to things like road textures and kerbs for the games that support it (which at the time of writing is none).

Fanatec’s products are also natively console compatible, which is one of the major reasons why their products are so popular.

Worth noting is the fact that Fanatec lock out force feedback on their bases if you do not have a Fanatec branded wheel or hub attached to the base, which will increase the cost associated in using their bases with any aftermarket wheel. There are aftermarket adaptors which can circumvent this.

    As part of our Essential Direct Drive Sim Racing Buyer's Guide we covered the most important details of the Fanatec ecosystem.
    SKIP TO FANATEC OVERVIEW NOW

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Fanatec Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Extensive ecosystem that covers a variety of needs and budgets
  • Natively console compatible (PlayStation & Xbox)
  • Ability to tune force feedback and driving settings or switch profiles directly from the wheel
  • Excellent game compatibility and game level integration (Many games already have presets baked in, etc)
  • Excellent consistency in the driving experience between different games

Cons

  • Slow customer service at time of writing
  • Company’s current financial position appears unstable
  • Software on PC is outdated compared to competitors
  • Force Feedback locked out unless you use their wheels or hub adaptors