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!

 

[Timobkg]

Am I the only one who thinks it looks good?

I think it's confused about who they're trying to market to.

Their design uses a ton of flashy cutouts and "gamer red" paint, and even RGB lighting in the wheel stand, but most sim racers don't want that. They want something that will disappear rather than calling attention to itself, so that they can focus on their screen(s). They don't want something trying to draw their attention away from the track.

It really feels like they didn't do any market research to see what's out there and what people want. Their product has a lot of flash, but sim racers looking at direct drive wheels aren't after flash - they want substance and dependability.

 

[MegamanAT]

that is not correct. it will make you faster.

@natedogg1867 do you have an osw?

 

[Elaphe]

I agree. It should look like something serious, industrial, designed for fuctioning, so any decoration or anything unnecessary from the practical point of view is against the idea the potential customer of a direct drive could have.

 

[Mirek Falkowski]

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.

I am using Playseat challenge with 12nm stepper motor direct drive and it is allright

 

[hellfudge]

Here's another preview

(positive, I guess). Maybe I'll just buy it cause it's so cheap so no biggie if it turns out thrash

 

[MegamanAT]

that is not correct. it will make you faster.

How many of you disagree voters own an OSW?

 

[Nobkins]

I've been following progress of the Feel VR as a backer. Their FAQ on the kickstarter page now has a lot of info on that answers a lot of the questions / concerns people have been raising.

It is available here:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/feelvr/feel-vr-the-affordable-direct-drive-racing-wheel-a/faqs

 

[Mascot]

I think it's confused about who they're trying to market to.

Their design uses a ton of flashy cutouts and "gamer red" paint, and even RGB lighting in the wheel stand, but most sim racers don't want that. They want something that will disappear rather than calling attention to itself, so that they can focus on their screen(s). They don't want something trying to draw their attention away from the track.

It really feels like they didn't do any market research to see what's out there and what people want. Their product has a lot of flash, but sim racers looking at direct drive wheels aren't after flash - they want substance and dependability.

Yeah, I can't get beyond how trashy it looks. I'm not in the market for a setup like this but if I was, the aesthetics of this pack would be enough to put me off no matter how well it reviewed. It's like a toy, My First Sim Wheel by Fisher Price or something. Whoever did the industrial design on this thing should think of a career change. These boys should have approached an industrial design degree school and offered the chance for the class to be involved in a live project. They'd leap at a chance like this on a real product in development, and Feel VR would have a whole suite of excellent designs to choose from, for free. They'd probably have advised them NOT to call it 'Feel VR' either, which makes absolutely zero sense as a name for a sim wheel and is actually misleading.

Also, I know their logo is supposed to be an eye but once you see Dracula Bugs Bunny's mouth you cannot unsee it.

Can't help feeling these boys have fatally condemned their own product before it's even out through some sloppy, badly-judged and ill-conceived decisions.

 

[DayGlow]

I thought about it, but for some reason shipping to Canada is $160usd vs $60 to every other country. So it pushes the price of even just the pedals up to the point I might as well look at more premium products.

 

[Nobkins]

The developers have confirmed that:
"We plan to make customization kits available after the shipment like custom colours kit or whatever will be highly demanded."

 

[Mascot]

The developers have confirmed that:
"We plan to make customization kits available after the shipment like custom colours kit or whatever will be highly demanded."

Not a bad tactic.

Make a butt-ugly product that's cheap enough to temp buyers despite its horrible looks, then sell accessories to mask the ugliness.

Genius.

 

[Brandon Wright]

I can't figure out what looks horrible about it, looks fine to me. I would do away with the red but that's not enough for me to declare it to be butt-ugly. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Not like I'd see it often anyway, what with that box I strap to my face and all.

 

[dud]

Warning: OT AF

I hope people clearly understand that a DD will *not* necessarily make you quicker.

Obviously. Not enough carbon fiber!

But if you want it for increased immersion, that’s another thing. My personal view is that the underlying software driving the FFB hasn’t quite matured to the point where a DD wheel can confer an actual competitive advantage.

In all seriousness, that software needs to be open source. Not the hardware drivers themselves (USB, motors etc). But the translation software from events to how they try to "tell" the users, without a question.

I think the DD wheel companies are cutting their own flesh by not driving this forward.

 

[Caton XII]

I was interested in this but... the noise is a very annoying fact.

I heard it on the videos and no, I can't support this anymore on my G29 when I'm out the track (that's not very often but when It comes, my nerves started to getting high ! ^^).

Well, I will investigate for a real good one quieter even if It will be expensive. ;-)

 

[bsmooth]

"Last Wheel you'll ever buy.", maybe they should take a cue from TSW Thomas-Superwheel. I've had it for probably about 15 years at least, and its been thru upgrades as well. Its built to last and it just plain works well and isn't flashy at all, but its not FFB. You don't read a lot about them , because there not meant to be flashy.
akin to a good tool they just do there job and they are there when you need them.
I would really love to try a full motion wheel instead of a 180 degree one, but all are FFB, which I don't need or really want. Yes I could just get one and not use the FFB I suppose.
Don't need the flash just nd it to work and last.

 

[Mascot]

I would really love to try a full motion wheel instead of a 180 degree one, but all are FFB, which I don't need or really want. Yes I could just get one and not use the FFB I suppose.

Have you ever tried a FFB wheel?

 

[Robert Bachmayer]

Huh, how does this work?
I don't think I'd bother racing without ffb.
I mean setting it too high and fighting the wheel is one thing, but how do you know what the car is doing without any ffb.
I wouldn't consider ffb as "flash" but rather necessary, or else why bother.

 

[Emery]

but how do you know what the car is doing without any ffb.

In the old days, we didn't have ffb. You use the screen and sounds to figure out the car is doing. Really, it's pretty obvious when the car is understeering... crank in more steering and you don't turn. Detecting oversteer requires more experience, but essentially the point your aiming at will start going off to the side instead of staying put where you're aiming.

 

[Robert Bachmayer]

Yes I remember the old non ffb wheels, they were sh!t. Can't imagine why anyone would still be using one.

 

[Paul Blythe]

Just joined the Kickstarter ... Been looking at getting a DD wheel for a while, seen the Feel VR project and saved it for latter viewing. Thought I best act while it's still active, making use of the discount offered from full retail prices. Opted for the Feel VR Bundle, so wheel, 2 rims and peddle set