2021 is shaping up to be a phenomenal year to be a fan of sim racing and its relevant hardware.
With the new Thrustmaster SF1000 announced yesterday, Fanatec has thrown down the gauntlet also, finally announcing a new base for their CSL range.
After some rather cryptic tweets, let's take a look at what this announcement from Fanatec shows us!
Latest News - The New CSL DD!
Fanatec has now confirmed the arrival of their latest offering, a CSL Direct Drive wheel for the masses.
https://twitter.com/fanatec/status/1384948468372983810
This latest video shows the base in full and gives us a release date of 'coming soon' with a price tag of £349.95 including VAT.
What we know so far
Fanatec started teasing this wheel before the latest Thrustmaster announcement, with two tweets hinting at its arrival.
https://twitter.com/fanatec/status/1382408320544296962?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1382408320544296962%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gtplanet.net%2Ffanatec-teases-direct-drive-wheel-20210420%2F
The first, from April 14, simply asks "Are you ready?" with an image of what could be the latest direct drive wheelbase. The tweet is published with an emoji with their lips zipped shut.
The next, which was tweeted on April 19, is a GIF showing what could be just about anything. There is, however, a pretty obvious typo in the tweet hinting at a direct drive wheel, with standard being spelled "standardd".
The PS5 wheel
Back in January of this year, Fanatec revealed that they would be pursuing a greater portion of the budget-friendly wheel market.
https://twitter.com/fanatec/status/1384175034386714631
Now, it is highly likely that these tweets are hinting at this wheel, especially when we take the April Fools gag into account.
This 'revealed' the Fanatec DD0.5 which, in hindsight, was likely a half truth. With more affordable wheels on the horizon, a wheel at half the price of the DD1 wheels makes a lot of sense!
Thrustmaster competition
All of this is good news for sim racing fans, as competition always provides us as consumers with the best prices and products possible.
Following the Thrustmaster SF1000 announcement recently, it seems that it's a great time to be a sim racer.
Of course, this new announcement is potentially aimed at budget-friendly options. However, more choice for us as racers is never a bad thing!