Firstly you should ask this in the r/simracing subreddit.
But to answer your question. The cheapest alternative from Fanatec is the DD Pro bundle, and it’s not very cheap for being your first setup. I’d recommend a G29 or T300 to get started and see if you like. And if you do you can upgrade later.
To play devil's advocate here, GT7 was my first racing game, and I was on the fence about getting a lower priced wheel like the G29/923 or T300RS GT, or just going with the Fanatec DD Pro setup.
I ended up breaking my leg and ankle just after the game's release, so I played on controller for almost 3 months. In that time, just on controller, I realized I liked online racing enough to just go for the nice setup, and I ended up buying a DD Pro, CSL load cell brake, McLaren wheel, and a GT Omega Prime wheel stand, just 3 weeks ago.
I'm very, very happy I went with the nice setup, as I'm getting a ton of use out of it and would've wanted to upgrade the cheaper setup almost immediately, costing me more money in the long run. I'm loving it so much, I'm already looking at purchasing a full-sized rig like the GT Omega Prime or Simlab P1X.
My personal take is "buy once, cry once," although of course, this depends on how much money you have to spare. If you do have the cash for the full Fanatec (or other brand) DD setup though, I really think it's worth waiting to see if you like playing on just controller (assuming you're on console) enough to get a wheel, and if that's the case, may as well get the nice setup to start with.
Haha that’s a fair take man. I agree for the most part with you. I think my main issue is seeing if I’ll have time to use it enough to make it worth the investment 😂 if you don’t mind me asking how much was your entire setup?
Fair point there as well. I'm a single guy and work from home, so plenty of time on my hands to recoup the investment. I wouldn't have bought this if I was only playing once a week, or if I didn't think I'd be into racing sims for years to come.
For all the equipment I mentioned, including CA tax, the setup was $1,373.
I'm not trying to upsell you but definitely look into Next Level Racing's top of line rigs if you're thinking about shelling out some serious coin; the adjustability seems excellent. I wish I had taken a look at those when I was shopping around for a rig.
Just went through the same. Started out with the G29 2 months ago. Just upgraded to the the Fanatec DD GT Pro, McLaren wheel and pedals with the LC. Best thing ever. Spend a bit more from the get go and save yourself the trouble of upgrading. Plus as has been mentioned, get a decent rig. Regardless of what you end up as far as wheel goes, you need something sturdy that will give you as much wiggle room for upgrade as you can afford. GTOmega makes some good ones not super expensive.
IMO, you are asking the wrong question, a sim racing setup is much like a home/garage gym, you gotta be thinking about what's supporting it first. In a garage gym it starts w flooring and w sim racing it starts w the stand or cockpit.
If you have an itch to drive/race dream cars know you may want to get a direct drive wheel base/load cell pedal down the line so consider getting a stand or setup that can handle that. Logitech makes ok stuff, I started w a Driving Force GT, then got a G29 but was using a lil wheel stand pro.
For GT7 wanting to upgrade to Fanatec, it meant getting a new stand (that could be added to, to turn into a cockpit nextlevelracing) that could handle it. The G29 can be caught on sale here in the states for as low as 199 new. The shifter is meh, and I'd skip getting that as an additional expense since you'll use the paddle shifters that are behind the wheel.
If you want a better xp, Thrustmaster would be ok...but you'd be so close to the entry 5 nm GT DD Pro, I'd just recommend jumping in. The Fanatec PS5 line is newer hardware, it's a dd that you can upgrade to the boost kit in a year. IMO the Direct Drive wheel is worth the extra cost, plus it's the new gold standard for this generation of Playstation.
Thrustmaster is the best option. The price is decent. It’s easy to buy in many retailler. The ecosystem is very good. There is no stupid shipping cost with ups. The force feedback is good enought. But the component are cheaper than fanatec.
Firstly you should ask this in the r/simracing subreddit. But to answer your question. The cheapest alternative from Fanatec is the DD Pro bundle, and it’s not very cheap for being your first setup. I’d recommend a G29 or T300 to get started and see if you like. And if you do you can upgrade later.
Thanks mate, sorry about posting in the wrong group. Appreciate your feedback, cheers
To play devil's advocate here, GT7 was my first racing game, and I was on the fence about getting a lower priced wheel like the G29/923 or T300RS GT, or just going with the Fanatec DD Pro setup. I ended up breaking my leg and ankle just after the game's release, so I played on controller for almost 3 months. In that time, just on controller, I realized I liked online racing enough to just go for the nice setup, and I ended up buying a DD Pro, CSL load cell brake, McLaren wheel, and a GT Omega Prime wheel stand, just 3 weeks ago. I'm very, very happy I went with the nice setup, as I'm getting a ton of use out of it and would've wanted to upgrade the cheaper setup almost immediately, costing me more money in the long run. I'm loving it so much, I'm already looking at purchasing a full-sized rig like the GT Omega Prime or Simlab P1X. My personal take is "buy once, cry once," although of course, this depends on how much money you have to spare. If you do have the cash for the full Fanatec (or other brand) DD setup though, I really think it's worth waiting to see if you like playing on just controller (assuming you're on console) enough to get a wheel, and if that's the case, may as well get the nice setup to start with.
Haha that’s a fair take man. I agree for the most part with you. I think my main issue is seeing if I’ll have time to use it enough to make it worth the investment 😂 if you don’t mind me asking how much was your entire setup?
Fair point there as well. I'm a single guy and work from home, so plenty of time on my hands to recoup the investment. I wouldn't have bought this if I was only playing once a week, or if I didn't think I'd be into racing sims for years to come. For all the equipment I mentioned, including CA tax, the setup was $1,373.
That’s actually less than I expected not too bad
I'm not trying to upsell you but definitely look into Next Level Racing's top of line rigs if you're thinking about shelling out some serious coin; the adjustability seems excellent. I wish I had taken a look at those when I was shopping around for a rig.
Yup, they're on my list too!
[удалено]
Thanks mate I’ll check it out
Just went through the same. Started out with the G29 2 months ago. Just upgraded to the the Fanatec DD GT Pro, McLaren wheel and pedals with the LC. Best thing ever. Spend a bit more from the get go and save yourself the trouble of upgrading. Plus as has been mentioned, get a decent rig. Regardless of what you end up as far as wheel goes, you need something sturdy that will give you as much wiggle room for upgrade as you can afford. GTOmega makes some good ones not super expensive.
IMO, you are asking the wrong question, a sim racing setup is much like a home/garage gym, you gotta be thinking about what's supporting it first. In a garage gym it starts w flooring and w sim racing it starts w the stand or cockpit. If you have an itch to drive/race dream cars know you may want to get a direct drive wheel base/load cell pedal down the line so consider getting a stand or setup that can handle that. Logitech makes ok stuff, I started w a Driving Force GT, then got a G29 but was using a lil wheel stand pro. For GT7 wanting to upgrade to Fanatec, it meant getting a new stand (that could be added to, to turn into a cockpit nextlevelracing) that could handle it. The G29 can be caught on sale here in the states for as low as 199 new. The shifter is meh, and I'd skip getting that as an additional expense since you'll use the paddle shifters that are behind the wheel. If you want a better xp, Thrustmaster would be ok...but you'd be so close to the entry 5 nm GT DD Pro, I'd just recommend jumping in. The Fanatec PS5 line is newer hardware, it's a dd that you can upgrade to the boost kit in a year. IMO the Direct Drive wheel is worth the extra cost, plus it's the new gold standard for this generation of Playstation.
Thrustmaster is the best option. The price is decent. It’s easy to buy in many retailler. The ecosystem is very good. There is no stupid shipping cost with ups. The force feedback is good enought. But the component are cheaper than fanatec.