Introduction

I would like to thank Fanatec/Endor AG for supplying the review sample.

Fanatec is a brand name owned by Endor AG. The company has the subtitle "The Brainfactory". It was founded in 1998 and specializes in input devices for consoles like the Playstation and the PC. They recently announced a Prosche 911 Turbo wheel, which is an exact replica of the car's steering wheel. It has taken some time for it to reach retail, but Fanatec wanted to make sure that the look and feel of the steering wheel to be perfect. We are fortunate enough to be one of the few to get to review the unit for you guys.



Features

• Original Porsche 911 Turbo steering wheel design
• Licensed by Porsche Lizenz- und Handelsgesellschaft GmbH
• Authentic metal Porsche logo on wheel
• Hand stitched leather wheel manufactured according to Porsche quality standards
• Compatible with PC and Playstation 3 (all games which support ForceFeedback wheels)
• 6+1 Speed H-pattern gear stick with realistic shifting feel
• Additional exchangeable sequential gear stick included
• Wireless pedals with + 100 hours battery life time (low battery warning on display and optional power supply cable for simulators)
• Realistic clutch pedal with declining resistance
• Pressure sensitive brake emulation with soft-stop
• Diameter of wheel is 300 millimeters
• Gear sticks are interchangeable and can be mounted on the left or right side
• Turning angle can be adjusted in the wheel to 900°, 360° or 180° or in 1° steps by software
• For PC: Strong table clamps with quick release, special non-slip rubber pads, and Velcro strips on the pedals keep everything in place. Integrated nuts allow the strong fixation on a gaming cockpit
• For Playstation: Attachable lap wings and the attachment of the gear sticks to the wheel allow comfortable game play in the living room without the use of a table
• Illuminated button symbols switch automatically between PC and Playstation
• Powerful Mabuchi RS 550 Motor as used in RC cars delivers extra strong ForceFeedback effects
• Additional 2 Force Feedback actuators in the wheel simulate motor vibrations
• Extra smooth and silent belt drive without mechanical dead zone
• High resolution wheel sensor
• TUNING functions with LED display
• Saves up to 5 wheel set-ups
• Adjust ForceFeedback strength during game play
• Adjust sensitivity independent from the game

Package

The package of the 911 Turbo wheel is quite uneventful. It is made of fairly thin cardboard and has a plastic handle so that you may carry it home from the store. There are no fancy pictures, nor any type of description on the outside. All you will find is a sentence which unfolds as you open the package: "Take a deep breath, relax, not yet! GO GO GO!". A nice little touch as you will certainly be excited to unpack such an exclusive item.

The Parts

The entire box is filled with various parts. Starting with the most important, the steering wheel. It has a diameter of 300 mm and uses real leather. It is an exact replica of a 911 Turbo steering wheel. Then there are the pedals. The entire base unit is made of plastic and - sadly - the pedals are as well. It would have been nice to see some sturdy metal instead. You never know how hard you may hit the brake in the midst of a virtual race. Fanatec includes two types of sticks for shifting. The traditional 6 gear and the sequential variant.


To put together the entire unit you will require the two included metal bars. These combine the wheel and your choice of gear box. The two cables connect the three parts (wheel, gear box & pedals). There are also two USB devices included. While these may look similar, one is a USB receiver for the wireless wheel and the other is a 1 GB Flash Drive, which holds the manual and software.


Two leg covers give you the possiblity to place the unit on your lap. One of the wings of our review unit has a noticable crack. This has two reasons. The more obvious is the cramped, unpadded package and the other is the plastic used. While the build quality of the entire unit is excellent and the paint job is perfect, but the quality of some of the parts seem to differ from the rest.


Four batteries are also included. You will need these for the pedals to function. A power supply rounds up the entire package. It is needed to power the steering wheel itself. The supply is rated for 2.5A, much more than any USB port can supply.