Direct Drive on a Budget? Feel VR Kickstarter is Here, But Act Fast!

[Paul Jeffrey]

We heard about the FeelVR Direct Drive wheel project back at the 2017 Sim Racing Expo, and now the plans are a reality with a new Kickstarter campaign launched today.

The team behind Feel VR had an ambitious target to develop and ship a Direct Drive wheel and pedal set for considerably less than any other DD product on the market, and it looks like they are now finally in a position to open up the long awaited Kickstarter campaign, having already surpassed their funding target in just 75 minutes!

At the time of writing the campaign has received over $200,000 in the first day, and if you want to take home an early bird discount you only have the rest of today to act!

I spent a considerable amount of time on a Skype video call with the team at the back end of last year, and it looks like the plans they have in place are very solid and well thought out, with several demonstration models already in action even back in 2017. In fact, the team would be at the Sim Racing Expo in September of last year, although unfortunately we didn't get an opportunity to pop over and say hi whilst we were on site ourselves.

So what is it the team are offering exactly? Well if done correctly, this could be something of a game changer for sim racers looking to invest in direct drive wheel technology - the team are offering a full Direct Drive wheel, and pedals, for the same price as a traditional mid range standard wheel setup.

At present "early bird" investors on Kickstarter can order a DD wheel, two rims (GT and Formula), all the cables and a set of load cell brakes for.... $549! That's cheap.. very cheap indeed..

So what does it look like, and what are the specs? Read on to find out..

The Wheel

As for the pedals, the team at Feel VR have developed an affordable load cell unit that promises to offer a more detailed and consistent performance that traditional spring loaded versions, as anyone who has tried loadcell can testify I'm sure, and if you wanted to pick them up as a standalone item, early bird prices are $149!

The Pedals

All sounds pretty good on paper, let's see what happens once the units begin to ship towards the end of the year...

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Like the look of these offerings from FeelVR? Will you be investing? Can a budget DD set such as this compete in a competitive marketplace, in your opinion? Let us know in the comments section below!

 

[Deleted member 197115]

I really wanted to hear more directly from the team on things like...
Projections for drivers.
Were they planning on bringing in an independent software developer... or trying to do it themselves?
Plans for headquarters...Russia or stateside?

You know that Ukraine is not Russia. I'd be much more comfortable with the product and people behind it if it was.

 

[Brandon Wright]

So, I got to try the Feel VR wheel on Saturday. It's a nice looking and feeling product, seemed well built. Not quite the fit and finish of a Fanatec product but as good or better than Thrustmaster. The caveat is that it was setup on a Playseat Challenge which isn't the most sturdy cockpit/wheelstand and the force of the direct drive wheel created a lot of movement which made it difficult to form a really solid conclusion about the wheel. Another caveat is that I've never driven with a direct drive wheel before so I don't have a good base for comparison.

That being said, driving with the wheel felt pretty great. I drove the 05 IndyCar around Laguna Seca in iRacing for a few laps, the FFB was set a bit too heavy for my liking but even so it felt good and not numb like a normal wheel can at strong FFB levels. The bumps and jolts from the road were really pronounced and direct, much more convincing feeling than a normal wheel. The biggest difference was how quickly and natural feeling it would return to center. Everything felt very firm, crisp, and nice and seemed to provide a pretty realistic experience. But as I said, this was my first time with a DD wheel so most of that can probably be applied to all DD wheels and not just this one specifically.

The pedals seemed pretty decent, probably similar to a set of T3PAs but with the added loadcell. The Playseat base they were connected to allowed a lot of movement which wasn't great and made it hard to judge them accurately. They were a little too close to each other for my liking but I believe that can be adjusted, also a little too stiff for my liking but that too can be adjusted. Overall I'd say they're not bad for the price (I believe they will ring in at $199 by themselves), if you already have some CSPs or better I'd stick with those for sure but if you have DFGT or T300 or even G27 pedals these would be a decent upgrade. I might have got a better opinion of them if they were more securely mounted too.

You can tell they're not a big operation. It was just the one guy doing the demo and he's one of the main guys in the company and even does some of the construction work on the product. So that really needs to be taken into account when deciding whether to purchase/support or not, the quality and warranty support is a huge unknown so it's always going to be a gamble and it's probably only smart to get onboard if you're prepared for it to be a bust. From what I saw I don't think it will be a bust, the quality of the product seemed good but it's too early to say how reliable it will be and how well it will be supported. I'm not saying don't buy it, I'm just saying know what you're getting into. Personally I'm holding out for the Fanatec DD wheel because I already have a few Fanatec rims I should be able to use on it but if it weren't for that I'd certainly consider getting in on the early pricing.

Some pics and a short video.

 

[hotak]

I asked them about warranty and that's what they answered:

"We will formalize our warranty policy and post it in the future. Here is what to expect. We intend to offer a 2-year limited warranty on motors and electronics. The rest of the system is not covered as wear due to use is normal. All damage due to accidents (e.g., drops) or other mis-handling will also be excluded."

Doesn't look bad for me, i got 2 RMA on my T300 RS, so i'm not too concerned about reliability when compared to big companies.

 

[testdriver77]

Looks ok so far but in my opinion the distance between the pedals is to small.
Cant recognize how the pedals are mounted on the base plate but i would prefer more force support to the side (left and right from brake).

According to my Ts-Pc the clicking of the shift paddles is too loud but this is a secondary problem. Usually using a headset this doesnt matter. Its importand that they are durable.
The behaviour of the wheel on this video show for me that its not really "producing" more force then Ts-pc.
But this is a guess because the setting of force is not menitoned.
And the max torque is not the important point.

Anyway, for people which do not have proper set this is maybe a good solution.
In my case i stay with my Ts-pc and Clubsports V3.
This is a solid setup and there is no need to change.

The terms of guarantee seem to be legit. Other brands also offer only 2 years but i think when this is a industrial motor so it will be fine to expect more from it then just 2 years.

 

[Brandon Wright]

Looks ok so far but in my opinion the distance between the pedals is to small.
Cant recognize how the pedals are mounted on the base plate but i would prefer more force support to the side (left and right from brake).

Yes, they were a little too close together for my liking but I think he said that can be adjusted. Just moving the throttle and clutch slightly away from center would do the trick.

According to my Ts-Pc the clicking of the shift paddles is too loud but this is a secondary problem. Usually using a headset this doesnt matter. Its importand that they are durable.

When I was sitting in the room watching others race the paddles had a loud click but not really any louder than my Fanatec rims. When I had the Rift on I couldn't hear them at all though, obviously.

The behaviour of the wheel on this video show for me that its not really "producing" more force then Ts-pc.
But this is a guess because the setting of force is not menitoned.
And the max torque is not the important point.

Oh, I guarantee this thing can produce WAAAAAY more force than your TS-PC. I'm currently using a T300 and the Feel VR had way more force than my T300 is capable of producing even at maximum settings, like a boatload more. After three laps my shoulders and biceps were slightly sore. I didn't see what the in-game FFB setting was so I can't comment on that, I would have preferred it to be about half of what it was. But that added force on the bumps and jolts was what really jumped out and felt awesome, that's where the added power becomes a big benefit IMO. The smoothness with how it rotated and returned to center was the big selling point for me though, it made my Fanatec and Thrustmaster wheels feel like child's toys in comparison. But again, this is probably true of all DD wheels and not specific to the Feel VR wheel.

Anyway, for people which do not have proper set this is maybe a good solution.
In my case i stay with my Ts-pc and Clubsports V3.
This is a solid setup and there is no need to change.

"Need" is such a strong word. There's no "need" for anything above a DFGT, but I could never go back to racing on a DFGT because the experience isn't nearly as pleasing as with my other wheels. But now my T300, which I have been very pleased with, suddenly doesn't seem as pleasing and I really "want" a direct drive wheel now because man it takes things to another level of "realness". Kinda like the jump from monitors to VR, VR isn't "needed" but boy it sure can increase the smiles per mile factor and I don't regret the purchase one bit. You're happy with your setup so don't worry about this new toy, but other people may really want/need a nice upgrade. And some of us have a bad case of Gear Acquisition Syndrome which prevents us from being satisfied with what we have for very long. I'd recommend staying away from any DD wheel demos though because you may suddenly find yourself "needing" an upgrade.

 

[testdriver77]

Btw i am using the Ts-pc at 75% and i am well build person ( ) but after 2h Nordschleife i leave my rig like a body builder
So the the Ts-pc i far away to call it kinda underpowered.
This at 100% should be a torture Or even such DD-wheel.
So thats why i said that more torque is imo not necessary but this depends on personal preferences.

Dont understand me wrong plz. Just shared my opinion
Dont want to put this DD-wheel into wrong light...
Its ok and lets see what the final product will offer.

 

[Deleted member 197115]

The first thing non DD users point to is extra torque they don't need.
Think high end speakers, do you pay extra for them because they are louder?

 

[Full_Ninja]

So, I got to try the Feel VR wheel on Saturday. It's a nice looking and feeling product, seemed well built. Not quite the fit and finish of a Fanatec product but as good or better than Thrustmaster. The caveat is that it was setup on a Playseat Challenge which isn't the most sturdy cockpit/wheelstand and the force of the direct drive wheel created a lot of movement which made it difficult to form a really solid conclusion about the wheel. Another caveat is that I've never driven with a direct drive wheel before so I don't have a good base for comparison.

That being said, driving with the wheel felt pretty great. I drove the 05 IndyCar around Laguna Seca in iRacing for a few laps, the FFB was set a bit too heavy for my liking but even so it felt good and not numb like a normal wheel can at strong FFB levels. The bumps and jolts from the road were really pronounced and direct, much more convincing feeling than a normal wheel. The biggest difference was how quickly and natural feeling it would return to center. Everything felt very firm, crisp, and nice and seemed to provide a pretty realistic experience. But as I said, this was my first time with a DD wheel so most of that can probably be applied to all DD wheels and not just this one specifically.

The pedals seemed pretty decent, probably similar to a set of T3PAs but with the added loadcell. The Playseat base they were connected to allowed a lot of movement which wasn't great and made it hard to judge them accurately. They were a little too close to each other for my liking but I believe that can be adjusted, also a little too stiff for my liking but that too can be adjusted. Overall I'd say they're not bad for the price (I believe they will ring in at $199 by themselves), if you already have some CSPs or better I'd stick with those for sure but if you have DFGT or T300 or even G27 pedals these would be a decent upgrade. I might have got a better opinion of them if they were more securely mounted too.

You can tell they're not a big operation. It was just the one guy doing the demo and he's one of the main guys in the company and even does some of the construction work on the product. So that really needs to be taken into account when deciding whether to purchase/support or not, the quality and warranty support is a huge unknown so it's always going to be a gamble and it's probably only smart to get onboard if you're prepared for it to be a bust. From what I saw I don't think it will be a bust, the quality of the product seemed good but it's too early to say how reliable it will be and how well it will be supported. I'm not saying don't buy it, I'm just saying know what you're getting into. Personally I'm holding out for the Fanatec DD wheel because I already have a few Fanatec rims I should be able to use on it but if it weren't for that I'd certainly consider getting in on the early pricing.

Some pics and a short video.

View attachment 246899 View attachment 246900 View attachment 246901 View attachment 246902 View attachment 246903

Thanks for the video. They really need to get a better rig. The amount the wheel shook the whole rig was scary. First thing I thought is someone is going to get hurt at one of their demos and they'll be sued out of existence before they even get started lol

 

[Brandon Wright]

The first thing non DD users point to is extra torque they don't need.
Think high end speakers, do you pay extra for them because they are louder?

Exactly this. And this was something I couldn't fully understand until I experienced it. It's not how strong the overall force of the wheel is, it's the fidelity and directness of all the little bumps and grooves and jolts you feel from the road and how the whole thing just felt more "real" because of it. Much like high end speakers, sure you can probably crank them louder but the real benefit is all the little details you can hear so much clearer and how they manage to make you feel like you're actually there listening to the band in person. It's a world of difference and now I can't wait to have my own DD wheel. (And again, that can probably be said of all DD wheels and not just this specific one).

Thanks for the video. They really need to get a better rig. The amount the wheel shook the whole rig was scary. First thing I thought is someone is going to get hurt at one of their demos and they'll be sued out of existence before they even get started lol

Keep in mind this seemed to be a one-man show. I got the impression he's just toting all this stuff around in the back of his car and taking the kit across the country (they've been to LA, Chicago, Indy, North Carolina, etc.) so transporting a proper rig around and setting it up/breaking it down by yourself probably isn't ideal right now. They did a demo in Illinois and Indy on Saturday so being able to set it up and break it down quickly is probably pretty important and the Playseat fit the bill for both price and logistics. Props to they guy for getting out there and pounding the pavement though, he seemed very proud of the product and wants to get the word out.

 

[Martijn van Bommel]

@ Brandon Wright ,
I thank you for sharing your experience with the Feel VR ,
was looking for a replacement for my somewhat aging g25 and i think
this would do just fine.
Like you i dont have any experience with a DD wheel but i guess it will be a nice upgrade especially for the early bird price.

 

[Brandon Wright]

@ Brandon Wright ,
I thank you for sharing your experience with the Feel VR ,
was looking for a replacement for my somewhat aging g25 and i think
this would do just fine.
Like you i dont have any experience with a DD wheel but i guess it will be a nice upgrade especially for the early bird price.

Happy to help. Just keep in mind this is a small, new company and we don't know anything about their reliability or technical support. It's a bit of a gamble so don't jump in unless you're ok with the risk involved.

 

[Martijn van Bommel]

I understand the risks, but i really think that this would be an awesome upgrade from my g25.
So i keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best.
But thx for the advice thought.

 

[MegamanAT]

Btw i am using the Ts-pc at 75% and i am well build person ( ) but after 2h Nordschleife i leave my rig like a body builder
So the the Ts-pc i far away to call it kinda underpowered.
This at 100% should be a torture Or even such DD-wheel.
So thats why i said that more torque is imo not necessary but this depends on personal preferences.

Dont understand me wrong plz. Just shared my opinion
Dont want to put this DD-wheel into wrong light...
Its ok and lets see what the final product will offer.

It's not about torque. it's about rotational speed and feedback. you can't compare a ts-pc racer with a simucube-osw.

 

[torsteinvh]

The caveat is that it was setup on a Playseat Challenge which isn't the most sturdy cockpit/wheelstand and the force of the direct drive wheel created a lot of movement which made it difficult to form a really solid conclusion about the wheel.

I have a Playseat Challenge myself due to space restrictions, and haven't even considered the possibility of using a DD wheel. But looking at that video I'm going to reconsider, it looks a lot more stable than I thought it would do.

Coming from a T300 I'm looking for better, smoother feedback quality, not pure strength, so turning the torque down a bit wouldn't matter to me.

 

[testdriver77]

you can't compare a ts-pc racer with a simucube-osw.

^^As far i can see i didnt do that.
Just compared it to this wheel mentioned here.

Btw can i ask you which wheel/s do you own?

 

[Brandon Wright]

^^As far i can see i didnt do that.
Just compared it to this wheel mentioned here.

They're near enough to not make any difference in this argument. You can't compare a ts-pc or any belt/gear-driven wheel with a direct-drive wheel is the point he was making, and I can now confirm that. Trust me, I've owned a DFGT, G27, 911 GT3 RS V2, TS300, and a CSW V2 and the direct drive was in a whole different league compared to any of those.

Look, you've made it quite clear you have no interest in upgrading your kit and that's fine. But some people do want to upgrade, and some people just enjoy talking about new gear, I'm just trying to share my first-hand experience with those who are interested (obviously you don't fall into this category). There's no need for you to keep telling us you see no reason to upgrade. We get it already. Enjoy your TS-PC and let others enjoy what they want to enjoy.

 

[Elaphe]

One question about this steering wheel and about direct drive steering wheels in general: can you fit a real rim directly without any adapter?

And do you know if they will sell the Feel VR's base alone, without any rim?

 

[Brandon Wright]

One question about this steering wheel and about direct drive steering wheels in general: can you fit a real rim directly without any adapter?

And do you know if they will sell the Feel VR's base alone, without any rim?

That I do not know. It seemed to use a similar (if not the same) quick release that Fanatec does but I'm not sure the electronics would work with it. I know other DD systems can use various rims like Fanatec rims or real steering wheels, just don't know about the Feel VR. And I've not seen an option to buy just the base without the rims.

 

[MegamanAT]

^^As far i can see i didnt do that.
Just compared it to this wheel mentioned here.

Btw can i ask you which wheel/s do you own?

I also think you can't compare it to any DD-wheel. Currently I have a G25, T300, T500 and an OSW (SimuCube/, large Mige, SinCos)

 

[Mascot]

I also think you can't compare it to any DD-wheel. Currently I have a G25, T300, T500 and an OSW (SimuCube/, large Mige, SinCos)

Why so many?