Podium DD's VS Simucube 2's

[Darren Byrne]

Hi guys, the past while I was trying to find good comparisons between these two models of dd's. Has anyone tested both ? I understand that the software for these aren't complete yet but is there any clear winner here ? thanks.

 

[Deleted member 197115]

Controller, FW, and SW are just as if not more important.
Plus Granite Devices are literally dealing with all sorts of industrial motors for a living, so I'd guess their motor selection process was a bit more educated.

 

[TedBrosby-]

Sorry for all of you who are frustrated by waiting. Generally patience is best, but do what makes you happy.

There is no point being religious about this stuff. It is great to be informed, but these are toys after all. Try not to stress over them.

I do think with all the comparative language, people lose sight of the fact a direct drive wheel isn't the end all and be all. I would have been fine with my CS 2.5 for many years. These are a nice to have, not a must have item.

You say that, but the general opinion on this sub is "Fanatec bad, if you don't like Simucube, it's your fault you did something wrong".
To be honest, I regret my premium subscription. The community here is just an echo chamber of people patting each other on the back for repeating the same things. But I'm glad you're happy with your Simucube.

 

[RCHeliguy]

You say that, but the general opinion on this sub is "Fanatec bad, if you don't like Simucube, it's your fault you did something wrong".
To be honest, I regret my premium subscription. The community here is just an echo chamber of people patting each other on the back for repeating the same things. But I'm glad you're happy with your Simucube.

FWIW some people predicted that I would get a Fanatec DD and at the time I felt they were not giving Fanatec a fair break.

I don't consider Fanatec bad. If you read way back to the beginning you can read where I was.

If you think this is all confirmation bias, from so many people that made the same decision, it is possible. However you have to accept that you may have a similar bias in the opposite direction.

I initially thought that Fanatec could hand SimuCube their lunch on this, but I also decided that I was not going to buy in until I saw reviews from reputable sources and many people had them in their hands.

From my viewpoint and from what I've seen on this forum over time there is lots of gnashing of teeth over new products, but once a consensus is reached it is reached because something has proven to be a good product.

Some people will get religious about these purchases and defend whatever they own. However while I've heard a bunch of people defend the DD1 and DD2, I've heard many more have buyers remorse and then get a SC2 and I have not seen the reverse. Over a year's time and on multiple forums and FB groups and Discord groups it has played out exactly the same way.

 

[TedBrosby-]

FWIW some people predicted that I would get a Fanatec DD and at the time I felt they were not giving Fanatec a fair break.

I don't consider Fanatec bad. If you read way back to the beginning you can read where I was.

If you think this is all confirmation bias, from so many people that made the same decision, it is possible. However you have to accept that you may have a similar bias in the opposite direction.

Actually I have no personal feelings about either.
I own a ClubSport v2.5 but my objective opinion of Fanatec is: Good value for the price, but a bit anti consumer with their non standard mounting, and I am not a fan of the mild vertical flex in the QR or their decision to disable FFB if you don't use a $250 Podium Hub or $350 Universal Hub.

But I'm fair, and I don't do any of the double standards about criticism that almost every SC2 owner I've seen on RaceDepartment has done: criticism about SC2 is usually followed by "it's not that bad though" or "I'm sure they'll resolve it", but any criticism of Fanatec is always overly harsh, any efforts they make to update their software is ignored. Seriously, half of the criticisms you all make are based on their first driver version and even Barry Rowland himself said that the new driver was a massive improvement over the first driver he tested with the DD2.

And I did read all your messages. I don't get how early reviews of a product made you into such a Fanatec hating machine. Maybe I should critique SC2 entirely and only on the reviews of their SC1?

 

[DrRob]

Well at the end of the day nothing you read in any forums matter.
You should test the products you consider on your own and decide on which you like best.
I wasn't able to test the SC2 before, but had tested the DD1. It could've turned out as the worst purchase ever, but didn't. The end.

 

[Hiro Abe]

Guess I'll lend my .02 cents.

I came from a CSW v2.5 and loved it. I posted a number of times that I am Fanatec fanboy born from having a number of their products and never having an issue with any of them. I always considered them to offer quality products at a number of differing price points. I don't understand the sentiment of "anti consumer" because of their non-standard mounting. Fanatec is a for profit company who wants consumers to buy into their complete ecosystem. I don't understand why people would fault them for it. But I digress.

When I entered the dd market I was pretty excited for Fanatec's offering and certainly was skewing towards one of their DD bases. So, why did I end up with an SC2? It wasn't necessarily the reviews and reactions I was reading since I was hearing negative reactions on both fronts though on the SC2 side it seemed to be more software based than hardware. My tipping point was that Granite Devices has been involved in the dd market for awhile now and have established a pretty solid track record. Yes, the SC2 is essentially a new gen dd but there's a lot of first-hand knowledge and experience that went into its development and was a fact that brought a lot of weight with it in my decision making.

 

[TedBrosby-]

It looks like SimRacingBay will update stock on July 10th, so mark your calendars I guess.
Apparently the SC2 Sport sold out in 4 minutes. 90 SC2 Pro units sold out in 15 minutes. But in my opinion, don't assume that means you'll have more time to buy the SC2 Pro. They had a website issue and stock didn't become available until nearly an hour after their initial drop time schedule.

Unfortunately I'm on JST, so my ability to buy will depend on the time units are available. To be honest, it's really difficult to buy which kind of seems like you have to make a rush decision regardless of whether you think it's the best wheel or not.
Also, while a lot of people say they haven't had issues, I don't believe any product is completely immune to failures or issues. Nothing out there is bulletproof, no matter how many anecdotes you have. And the fact is, Fanatec has a distributor in Japan but Simucube doesn't. So if I did have an issue, I'd have to deal with overseas shipping/logistics to get issues worked out. If it's a simple matter of them shipping me components to replace, it's probably doable, but if there's any reason I have to pay to ship the wheelbase myself, I probably won't buy an SC2 because shipping 10+ kg overseas would be cost prohibitive to me.

 

[metalnwood]

A rush decision is one when the vendor has some stock that is currently on a 'sale' that only runs to the end of the day giving you some pressure.

Not having stock, making you wait weeks to even get an opportunity to purchase one, with nothing to do but research the product seems like it is on the completely other end of pressuring you in to buying one

Go with what gives you the best gut feeling, if you are risk adverse to getting a SC2 because of what could go wrong then thats OK, it's for you to weigh up the risks against the product you will get.

Just don't use it and for the next X number of months wonder if the SC2 is a better wheel, that won't help you either.

 

[Michael Curry]

I am sticking with Podium. Great resale value and should have support long into the future. It works great, love the detail and speed.

 

[deandsfsdfewsad]

with Simucube design they run a dual cpu which manages the realtime operating of the device, with more compute throughput Granite devices can develop more sophisticated filtering to take advantage for me I see that as a big factor as the future potential of the device is huge

 

[RobertR1]

https://granitedevices.com/wiki/SimuCUBE_firmware_releases for OSW owners. this is a major redo of the software to be inline with the SC2 code. "Static force reduction" filter which was a big point of SC2 has been ported to OSW owners also.

 

[Glaniu]

with Simucube design they run a dual cpu which manages the realtime operating of the device, with more compute throughput Granite devices can develop more sophisticated filtering to take advantage for me I see that as a big factor as the future potential of the device is huge

these processors are low in computing power. Question: what processor does Podium have?

 

[metalnwood]

these processors are low in computing power. Question: what processor does Podium have?

What processor does the simucube use and why might it be seen as low in computing power for the job they are tasked with? It's not running at our computer speeds but neither is there a need to. I understood that what they put in gave them room to expand their filters over the lifespan of the wheel.

 

[deandsfsdfewsad]

according to Fanatec, they're using a single compute unit in relation to Simucube which use a dual cpu architecture. I personally don't know how both compare in terms of IPC from simucube to fanatec but in theory, having more processing abilities enables simucube to undertake more complex filters and mathematical processes whilst remaining in a realtime operation, like a cars ECU would. With more sophisticated processes the realtime loop begins to break down meaning latency creeps in which would become noticeable to the user at some point... The advantage of this additional compute overhead means simucube can develop more complex filters without breaking the realtime operation, meaning there is a lot of future potential for the device. On another note, I like that it's passively cooled to me that's a big bonus having a closed unit where crap can't enter and fans don't need replacing.
Personally I think both are solid options, for me simucube seems the way to go from my past experience with Fanatec but I certainly wouldn't be unhappy with a DD1/2, I personally think it could be more attractive with both including kill switches and 5 years guarantee + a rim discount of sorts for locking you into the ecosystem

 

[JakeMerr]

It looks like SimRacingBay will update stock on July 10th, so mark your calendars I guess.

I read it as they will update on when the next lot of stock is due in on the 10th?

 

[Deleted member 197115]

https://granitedevices.com/wiki/SimuCUBE_firmware_releases for OSW owners. this is a major redo of the software to be inline with the SC2 code. "Static force reduction" filter which was a big point of SC2 has been ported to OSW owners also.

SC1, not OSW.

 

[jakburn2029]

Has Fanatec sorted out the play in the quick release on the Podium dd2 yet?

This has put me off going the fanatec route at the moment.

On the other hand I got an email from simracingbay telling me the sc2 pro was in stock, .....about eleven hours after they had sold out .

So I have more chance of stepping in Rocking Horse 5h17 than getting an sc2.

I need more options, but the market seems somewhat limited.

J

 

[Zboubi]

[QUOTE = "jakburn2029, message: 3218163, membre: 872945"]
Fanatec a-t-il encore réglé le jeu dans la version rapide du Podium dd2?

Cela m’a dissuadé d’emprunter la route des fanatec pour le moment.

D'un autre côté, j'ai reçu un e-mail de simracingbay m'informant que le sc2 pro était en stock, ..... environ onze heures après la rupture de stock .

J'ai donc plus de chance de monter dans Rocking Horse 5h17 que d'obtenir une sc2.

J'ai besoin de plus d'options, mais le marché semble quelque peu limité.

J
[/CITATION]

Getting a simucube 2 is actually a pain in the ass.

I ordered in April and i depend of my resseller.

 

[Darren Byrne]

SC1, not OSW.

https://granitedevices.com/wiki/SimuCUBE_firmware_releases for OSW owners. this is a major redo of the software to be inline with the SC2 code. "Static force reduction" filter which was a big point of SC2 has been ported to OSW owners also.

Is this a positive? Im maybe a few days away on pulling the plug on a sc2 pro, but the price point of the vrs dd is tempting.. aren’t there many options for that mige motor? Ioni, argon, simucube? What is the current best model and spec of Mige to have today? Thanks

 

[metalnwood]

Is this a positive? Im maybe a few days away on pulling the plug on a sc2 pro, but the price point of the vrs dd is tempting.. aren’t there many options for that mige motor? Ioni, argon, simucube? What is the current best model and spec of Mige to have today? Thanks

I am not quite sure about your question wrt the new SC software and the VRS? Software updates to the SC1 and SC2 are not relevant to the VRS wheel.

It's hard to say what mige is better, I have had both, the small on the argon and then I got the larger one when I built a sc1. That also came with the much improved encoder so it's very difficult to say which motor would be better from my experience. Of course with the upgraded encoder and SC1 the overall system was better and it happened to have the large mige attached.