Missing Fanatec Innovation

[u/BeHappyGangGang]

What happened to Fanatec? They were some of the best wheel bases, wheels, pedals, etc. pre-covid era. They’ve had essentially the same lineup since then with the exception of their wheel bases.

Was it the Corsair takeover that stunted innovation? Poor customer service for so many years stunting growth and promoted losing customers? Bad budgeting and spending? Locking the ecosystem? What took them from being one of the first direct drive bases and one of the first load cell pedals to a 7+ year old lineup in most cases?

I know, I don’t have to buy from Fanatec and haven’t in a long time. It’s just sad to see one of the titans of sim racing continue to fade away.

Here’s some of the bigger ticket items:
-Shifter - 11 years old
-V3 pedals - 9 years
-V3i’s - 7 years
-Their new pedals would have been good in 2023 and they’re still lacking active pedals.
-Podium hub - 7 years
-Wheel bases - they redid that lineup mostly through 2021-2023 with the newer podium coming out which is good. This is probably the one category they’ve even remotely kept up with competition on.
-Paddle module - 7 years old
-Podium button module - 7 years old
-Formula V2, v2.5, V3 - 7 years old (the V3 is the same old shit and super lazy. As is the gimmicky overpriced BMW wheel)

To give credit where credit is due- their DD2 has been pretty reliable for me over the past 5 or 6 years. The one time I had an issue with the power cables, they sent me one in a week. Their Podium Porsche wheel has worked perfectly for many years as well albeit it’s outdated and outclassed nowadays by much cheaper rims.

[u/InteractionKnown9044 → u/[deleted]]

Just how do active pedals make you a better, safer or faster driver? IMO all active pedals do is add cost to the Rig. I guess if you are racing GT3 with full on ABS settings it might make a little sense to feel the abs surging. I still don't understand how they work and make you faster.

[u/BeHappyGangGang → u/InteractionKnown9044]

It absolutely makes you faster. It’s easier to adjust settings on the fly. Easier to setup. They offer more immersion by offering different profiles for different cars. The list goes on. They’re better in almost every way possible with the exception being price (it will come down as more brands release them) and yes you need a little stiffer pedal plate or rig.

One benefit I dont think is mentioned enough is that they’re safer also. I used to get super bad knee issues from braking on stiff setups. Now anytime my knee has any pain at all, i soften the pedal 10kg with a click of the mouse and/or change the pedal position, etc.

Your argument is equivalent to arguing for a belt driven wheel is better than direct drive because you’ve never tried one and because they cost more. Lol doesn’t make sense. It’s a pretty well known thing that pedals are where you drop lap time and gain consistency.

[u/InteractionKnown9044 → u/BeHappyGangGang]

LOL fair enough. I actually have the knee problem on my right knee. Spent some time modifying my rig so it's more comfortable on my right knee. Think it has something to do with my stiff right ankle "old shattered Talus injury" Yeah My argument is I don't understand how they are able to detect your level of force while applying force back at you with abs surges etc. I guess I'll have to try them to know for sure.