Mikemav has put together a very interesting video tutorial on how to replace the wheel rim of Fanatec’s recently-released Porsche 911 Turbo S wheel with rim from Fanatec’s GT3-RS wheel.
The idea behind his effort is to equip the multi-purpose console compatible Turbo S wheel with the much nicer feeling Alcantara leather grip the GT3-RS offers. His video tutorial is very in-depth, you can watch the first of seven parts below – The full playlist with all part can be found here.
Even if you don’t plan to make such a swap yourself, the videos are well worth watching for all Fanatec wheel owners as Mike shows and explains a lot of the wheel’s mechanics. Stay tuned for more on the Turbo S wheel as VirtualR will be having a full review in a few days time.
Here’s a cool product for car fanatics who are tired of using those old standard USB-sticks and external hard drives. Flash Rods offers data storage solutions, hidden in scale car models.
Their flagship products are 250GB & 500GB hard drives, built into detailed 1:18 scale models. The models are very detailed with doors and hoods that can be opened, the only hint giving the new purpose away is the USB connector in the back bumper. Check out the Flash Rods website for more details here, USB sticks start around $20 and might be a cool gift idea for fellow car fanatics.
A few days ago, I posted a first story on Željko Roso’s impressive self-made Ferrari F1 steering wheel. After showing us plenty of pictures and a first video, he has released new footage showing the wheel in action in rFactor.
His wheel comes with 14 buttons, 5 rotary encoders, 2 rotary switches as well as clutch and shifting pedals. Also included is a fully-functional display, Željko has spent over 4 months on this impressive piece of hardware.
Several months ago, Japanese sim hardware experts FREX unveiled their canopy screen, an alternative to the traditional three-monitor setup.
Now, the Canopy screen has been tested with a Stereo 3D projector, showing us iRacing and RACE On in 3D below. More info on all their products can be found on the FREX website
Željko Roso has put together a very impressive self-made Ferrari Formula One wheel that comes with 14 buttons, 5 rotary encoders, 2 rotary switches as well as clutch and shifting pedals.
The result of four months of hard work can be checked out in the gallery below. The included video does not just show the wheel in action using rFactor, it also shows some of the building process of this fine piece of hardware.
Corrs78 has gotten his hands on one of Fanatec’s sought-after Porsche 911 Turbo S wheels for the PC and next-gen gaming consoles, sharing his impressions with two HD review videos.
Even though the videos are in French, the high-resolution look at the wheel is interesting for everyone. It shows the wheel in action with Turn 10’s upcoming Forza Motorsport 3 for Xbox 360, Dirt 2 and Need for Speed Shift.
For an even closer look at Fanatec’s newest wheel, you can check out a picture slideshow here.
Following his very popular SLI-M display that was part of many self-built steering wheels, Leo Bodnar has now unveiled a new generation display by showing first photos of the SLI-PRO unit.
The feature-rich SLI-PRO comes with two six-digit displays and a gear indicator, 13 RPM LEDs and six info LEDs at the bottom. The display is connected via USB, offers a connector for five external LEDs and lots of inputs for buttons, switches and two independent clutch pedals.
The SLI-PRO will go on sale in November 2009, costing around $150.
Features:
USB connection to a PC (control and power)
Two bright orange 6-digit displays on each side of the bright red gear indicator
13 RPM / shiftlight LEDs
6 info LEDs at the bottom
Connector for 5 external LEDs
Standard mini USB socket and additional USB connector for direct cable connection (e.g. when permanently mounted on a wheel)
Inputs for 16 buttons and shift paddles, 8 rotary encoders and six 12-position rotary switches
Inputs for two independent analogue clutch paddles with automatic priority (F1 style)
Outline dimensions 102 x 31 mm
Requires only 13mm of space behind the mounting plate (with flat cables attached)
MMG has released new version of the MMG SimRDispXX Manager software, extending the compatibility of their range of sim racing data display to all Simbin simulations.
MMG’s displays are now supported by 11 simulation titles including all Simbin simulations, rFactor, iRacing and Live for Speed. Other new features of version 1.2 include a new user interface and a new automatic unit checker.
The guys over at GTForums.co.uk have gotten their hands on an early example of Fanatec’s sought-after Porsche 911 Turbo S wheel, the first Fanatec wheel to be compatible to all gaming consoles including Microsoft’s Xbox 360.
Furthermore, the 911 Turbo S is the Turn 10 Studios approved wheel to use with their upcoming Forza Motorsport 3 title. Check out the first shots of the wheel below and visit this link for the full story in the GTForums. The Fanatec Porsche 911 Turbo S wheel sells for 229€, the high demand on this fine piece of engineering has caused quite a waiting time for interested customers though.
Next week will see the release of a new version of the MMG SimRDispXX Manager software, extending the compatibility of MMG’s range of sim racing data display to all Simbin simulations.
Below are some previews of the new 1.2 version, the upcoming version makes MMG’s displays compatible to 11 simulations including all Simbin titles, rFactor, iRacing and Live for Speed.
Back in 2008, Canadian company Beta Innovations closed its website, leaving many simulation hardware modders without a source to buy parts that allow them to built their own gauges, button boxes and more.
Now, their products are available again for a short time, everyone looking to get some of their products should act now as it may be the last chance. Follow this link to find a price-list of all items, orders can be placed by following the info in this RSC topic as Beta Innovations is looking to group orders first.
To give you an idea what’s possible with their products, below are two videos showing self-made gauges that have been built using Beta Innovation hardware.
It will take a little longer while until Fanatec’s Porsche 911 Turbo S wheel will enrich the driving experience for both PC and console gamers and the company has used the delay to equip the upcoming wheel with a few new features.
The new wheels now comes with a USB connection cable, giving PC and Playstation 3 users the choice to either use cable or the wireless connection. The new driftmode can also be used on the consoles as no changes in the driver are necessary. And finally, the wheel now comes with ABS brake vibration both for the wheel and the Clubsport Pedals that works in all games on all platforms.
The Porsche 911 Turbo S wheel will be compatible to the PC, the Playstation 3 and the Xbox 360 – Being Fanatec’s only Xbox-compatible wheel and the sole interesting choice for sim racers looking to get a decent wheel for Microsoft’s console. Below is a video of Fanatec’s Thomas Jackermeier, showing off the new features with Microsoft’s upcoming Forza Motorsport 3 title.
I usually don’t cover general PC hardware news but here’s something interesting for sim racing enthusiasts as ATI will be introducing the so-called ATI Eyefinity Technology with their newest line of DirectX 11R adeon graphics cards.
Up until now, sim racers who wanted to use more than two screens in their racing simulators had to use additional hardware like TripleHead2Go to connect their monitors. This is no longer needed with Eyefinity as the newest ATI graphics cards can be connected to multiple screens, allowing the connection of up to six screens with a combined resolution of 8000×8000 pixels.
The technology can be seen at work in the video below, more info on Eyefinity and the possible screen setups can be found on the ATI website. Eyefinity will be introduced with the new range of Radeon 5800-series graphics cards that will be available starting September 23rd.
iRacing has released first screenshots of Brands Hatch, the second European track to make it into their online racing simulation.
The shots show the track as it's currently undergoing the development process, including the laser-scanned surface and the buildings around the track's main straight.
he 3,7 kilometer Brands Hatch circuited hosted 12 Formula One Grand Prix and is well known as a touring car venue these days, hosting both the WTCC & DTM as well as the British BTCC.
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Ferrari F60 & Singapore 2009 – Released
Team LMT has released their first ever public mod for rFactor, bringing Ferrari's F60 Formula One car and the 2009 version of the Singapore Grand Prix to the simulation.
Driven by Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen, the F60 was Ferrari's take on the new rules introduced prior to the 2009 Formula One season. Despite being equipped with the promising KERS system, the car failed to make an impact on the world championship. Along with the car comes the 2009 version of Singapore, Formula One's first ever night Grand Prix.
The team's first public mod for rFactor was helped by many modders who ...
Superleague Formula Game – Released
Image Space Incorporated and the Superleague Formula Series have released the Superleague Formula Game, bringing the 2009 SLF season to the PC.
Based on ISI's popular gMotor 2 simulation engine, the game includes all cars, drivers, rules and tracks of the 2009 SLF season, the second in series history. The virtual SLF cars have been created by none other than CTDP, rFactor's most popular open-wheel modding team.
The game includes six popular European road courses as Magny Cours, Zolder, Estoril, Monza, Jarama & Donington are included. Furthermore, the game includes all of the series rules including the two-race format used on race ...
Forza Motorsport 3 – Review
The third installment of Turn 10's Forza Motorsport franchise brings over 400 cars and 100 to the Xbox 360, aiming to create a new benchmark title in terms of console driving games.
Can the newest Forza give Gran Turismo a run for its money and is the title something sim racer should consider? Read the review to find out.
Endurance Series SP1 – Porsche RS Spyder Evo Previews
Enduracers have released a first batch of previews of the upcoming Service Pack 1 for their popular Endurance Series mod for rFactor.
The previews show the Porsche RS Spyder Evo LMP2 prototype in several paint schemes. Launched in 2007 after a problem-ridden season with the initial RS Spyder model, the Evo proved to be a big success, clinching Porsche countless wins in the American Le Mans Series, the Le Mans 24 Hours and the Le Mans Series.
The first service pack will be introducing several new models to Endurance Series, including the Peugeot 908 and Audi R10 diesel sports cars, the Acura ...
Logitech has released a new version of their driver software for various products, including their popular Logitech G25 & G27 steering wheels.
