If you missed it on Fanatec's blog here it is below.
Since Fanatec makes such great products there has been lots of discussion about existing wheels not compatible with the new XBOX ONE or PS4. Below is a Q&A about the XBOX ONE version with PS4 coming later.
Check it out!
From Fanatec Blog:
Xbox One Compatibility FAQ and Poll
We are continuously getting a lot of questions, but also complaints from our customers about the COMPATIBILITY of Xbox 360 wheels to Xbox One so we decided to make a FAQ and poll about it.
Q: Did Microsoft allow steering wheels (or other input devices) of the first generation Xbox to be compatible to the Xbox 360?
A: No
Q: Was there a legal and official way to make Xbox (first generation) wheels fully compatible to Xbox 360 ?
A: No
Q: Will it be technically possible to make an adapter to use Xbox 360 peripherals (like steering wheels) on the Xbox One?
A: Probably…..yes but the effort and complication would be significant. The new console uses a completely different force feedback communication protocol, wireless transmission protocol and a different security chip. The security chip needs to be purchased by the 3rd party manufacturer
from Microsoft and it makes sure that only official licensed products can be connected to the console. Only if you get the official approval from Microsoft you will be able to purchase such a security chip for Xbox One. Besides that, given the high development costs and limited market it would not be possible to offer it at a cheap price.
Q: Does Microsoft allow the use of Xbox 360 devices to be used on Xbox One?
A: So far no and there is no indication that this will change. This means it is impossible to make such an adapter. This is the case for any company and not just us. There are other expensive peripherals like music instruments for Xbox 360 which also cannot be used anymore.
Q: Did Fanatec plan to make such an adapter or do you rather prefer to sell new wheels?
A: Of course we would have rather made a simple adapter or even just a firmware update and continue to sell the wheels we have. Instead we now have to develop something completely new. As other companies were faster, the chance of losing customers is very high. This is not in our interest at all!
Q: Can you make such an adapter without the confirmation of Microsoft and sell it directly or indirectly to your customers?
A: Making a device which cracks the security chip of Microsoft is clearly not legal and we would immediately destroy the good relationship with Microsoft. Furthermore we would be sued if we would attempt to sell or even just support the development of such a device. If Microsoft would
allow such an adapter then the whole security chip system would not make any sense anymore as it would suddenly be an open system and you can connect anything to the console. This system actually has positive effects for the consumer as well as it makes sure that all connected peripherals are tested and work with all games. This is not the case on other consoles.
Q: Since when do you know that such an adapter is not possible?
A: Microsoft never confirmed that such an adapter is possible or not and we were waiting up to now. But given the technical complexity and also the philosophy of Microsoft, we do not expect any more that such an adapter will ever come to the market.
Q: Are you working on a new Xbox One wheel and when will it be released?
A: We do work on a next generation wheel and the Xbox One is a key market for us. But at that point we cannot reveal any further information or give a timeline. If there is any announcementit will be made here on the blog.
Q: Why did you not release an Xbox One wheel at launch?
A: We would have loved to do so but the 3rd party peripheral department of Microsoft which authorizes all Xbox peripherals has limited capacity. Therefore other companies which make much bigger business with Microsoft than us got this wheel business first. Our relationship is very good with them but we have to respect that bigger customers get better service. That is a standard business practice and there is not much we can do about it.
The only one who can change that is the Xbox One customer with its’ buying behavior because Microsoft likes whatever the Xbox user likes and buys.
PS: PS4 compatibility will
be discussed separately as it is a completely different and independent
subject
