Assetto Corsa Dream Pack Teaser #2

Assetto Corsa Dream Pack - Teaser #2 | BMW M235i 

i'm not a huge fan of the series 2 from BMW, but this car looks sweet!

DSD 2014 RACE KING r12 LED

Check out the newly released LED r12 button box by DSD.

I've been wanting a button box that lights ups. These look to be pretty cool!

The DSD Race King r12 LED has the following functions:

• 10 LED Illuminated Pushbuttons
• 1 Lighted FVS Button
• 5 On/Off Toggles
• 4 Two Way Momentary Toggles
• 1 12 Position Rotary Switch
• 4 Two Way Rotary Encoders each with Integrated Push button

For more info and how to order check out:  The DSD Race King r12 LED

Here enjoy some more cool pics of the new LED box

 

New DLC for Grid Autosport

Check out the new DLC availalbe today for download in PC, PS3 and XBOX360. I know I'll hurry how to download it. :)

Fanatec Talks New Gen Consoles and their Wheels

   

     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

Check out Fanatec New F1 Carbon Fiber Edition Rim

     So are you wanting a new sexy rim to mount up to your Clubsport base? Well check out the new Formula rim with real CARBON fiber!

The new rim functions the same as the existing Formula rim with the same amount of buttons, but the style is completely different. The 3D effect of the Carbon Fiber makes it looks different from every angle. This rim is sexy and exhibits the pure racing style we love.

It also comes with exchangeable grips and Fanatec has plans to offer different colors and material options in the future.

Available very soon at a price of USD $249.95 (excl. tax) or € 249,95 (incl VAT)

Buttkicker SE Amp Kit Unboxing

Check out our video review on the new offered Buttkicker SE edition Amp kit. I really like the simplicity of this kit along with the ease of use as one amp controls the volume of 2 mini LFE transducers. If you got the funds get the complete kit of 2 150 watt amps and 4 mini buttkickers Sim Xperence edition.

Sim Xperence takes the already awesome Buttkicker Mini LFE and provides physics based tactile response to your simulator. The SimVibe Edition Buttkicker is designed for unique tactile signals generated by SimVibe software. Because SimVibe is physics based, rather than audio based the signal provided to the Buttkicker transducer is "faster" and more intense than a standard low frequency audio track could provide. With this kind of signal a standard mini LFE can easily reach its pistons limit of travel (bottom out) and rattle.The SE Edition uses a damping acoustic foam to reduce the noise generated by rapid piston travel.

That's basically Sim Xperence write up, but what you get is a less noisy transducer that I have been testing for around 4 weeks time putting it through it's paces. I can attest to what Sim Xperence is advertising. These SE edition transducers are super quite. Only rattle you get is from your TEETH!
Try it out you want regret it.
Below is some more specs from Sim Xperence.

• Improved ButtKicker internals are optimized for SimVibe
• Improved Response and Detail
• Reduced Transducer Noise
• Frequency Response - 10Hz - 250Hz
• 50 Watt Minimum
• 150 Watt Maximum when used with SimVibe which produces a crisper, harder hitting signal than traditional audio
• 250 Watt Maximum when used with a traditional audio signal
• Impediance - 4 Ohms
• Weight - 2.2 lbs
• Height - 3"
• Width - 4.75"
• Length - 4.75"
• Uses standard ButtKicker Mini LFE casing and mounting dimensions
• Mounts to SimXperience Stage Series motion simulators via optional MOUNTING PLATES

ButtKicker Links:

2 amp setup/4 SE Mini LFE

1 amp setup/2 SE Mini LFE

Sim Xperence website

T500RS Brake Mod Kit from Basherboards

Installation instructions: Download

For myself and apparently many others the stock T500RS "Realistic Brake Mod" isn't quite satisfactory... Thus, upon using my pedals for the first time I immediately came up with the idea to use some urethane skate board bushings. So far it works excellent for me and many others. The feel of the pedal after doing this is very similar to a load cell pedal and makes being consistent much easier. I am offering this simply because I think this is a great mod and because finding the proper bushings has proven difficult for some. (As does making the retaining plate)

This is now being offered as a kit which includes 4 bushings. Two 70 durometer bushings and two 60 durometer bushings should allow you to mix and match the bushings to create a pedal stiffness that is to your liking.

Your purchase gets you the following:

- Two 70 durometer RipTide urethane bushings
- Two 60 durometer RipTide urethane bushings
- Retaining plate

Installing the mod is simple and only takes a few moments. It installs using the Thrustmaster "Realistic Brake Mod" plate, the existing rubber and spring are removed and replaced by these bushings. The retaining plate is then secured using the original screws.

This item is shipped USPS First Class both domestically and internationally. Please allow a minimum of 10 to 15 days for international shipments. All orders are shipped within 48 hours as long as stock is available.

Get these at: http://basherboards.com/T500RS-BMK

IbuyPower Gaming PC Review

IBuyPower Gaming PC Review

By: Larry Ray

Track Junkie Racing

Where Sim Racing Lives!

 The Review

   I was recently in the market for a gaming PC. Now my criteria for the gaming PC was to be fast, render high end graphics to handle the latest video games like Battlefield 4 and sim racing games like IRacing, Rfactor 2, F1 2013 and the like. It also needed to be upgradable in the future. This PC had to have all that and still come into a budget of $2000 shipped to my door. I did slightly go over budget with $2044.40 being my total, but I can live with it considering all the free gear I received including Word and Excell. Well I was fortunately able to do it thru IBuyPower with their custom pc builder website. You can find IBuyPower at http://www.ibuypower.com/ .

As you know there are many choices to buy a PC’s from, but I needed a real hardcore gaming PC. Not just a off the shelf gaming PC you get from Best Buy or online at Dell. Those places offer great PC experiences as I have bought many from them in the past, but this time I really needed to fit a budget and get the most for my dollar along with it being upgradable in the future. As soon as I started navigating thru IBuyPower website I knew I liked it as it listed out great buys of prebuilt pc’s and gave me options to customize my pc like no other I have used in the past. Now these options were not the lacking options you find at other websites that offer i3, i5, i7 processor options with SDD hard drives or 7200 rpm hard drives. IBuyPower goes much further than that.

With IBuyPower I was choosing normal options like the Processor (i7, i5, i3), Video Card, Hard Drive, Blue Ray and such. But what separates IBuyPower from the normal mainstream PC store was how deep I got to dive down into each option. I didn’t have one choice of processor, I had three choices. I didn’t have to get a quad core i7, I could choose a 6 core or 8 core processor. I didn’t have one choice of video cards to choose from. I had all the choices of video cards that are made in the past 2 year and even the latest cards that came out like the ATI Radeon R9 290X or the Nvidia Titan. I not only chose ram size I wanted I could even choose heatshielded ram that looks great and helps with heat dispation over the standard selection. I got to even choose the motherboard and power supply I wanted to insure easy future upgrades. For hard drives I could choose my operating system to boot up on the faster SDD and have a 7200 RPM 1TB hard drive for my other documents and data. If I run out of hard drive space I can easily add another SDD or reg hard drive to it. Even when I was looking to water cool or not I had the choices in front of me. The options were almost endless. 

                      

With these options was also verbiage to educate yourself on what to buy to fit your needs. Now you owe it to yourself to read over the options to see what’s going on. Don’t worry though if you’re new to PC building or just don’t know what components work with each other. IBuyPowers website will flag you when something isn’t compatible and even tell you what to choose down the list to make your combination work. For instance I choose a high end 4gb memory video card. The system flagged me saying I needed a bigger power supply for it. That's great right? I thought so too.

 

Some people ask how a big PC ships to my door undamaged and how is their quality control. Well they got that covered. Your custom PC is built and boxed up in quality materials of foam. It’s actually boxed up in the original PC tower case and then put into a bigger box that has foam padding all around it. Also if you opt for your video card protection they include a sealed foam pouch inside the case that wraps itself around the video card keeping it from bouncing around in the shipping trucks. You must remove it before turning on. Now the only disappointing thing was I had to pay for the foam pouch to be placed inside. I feel this $5 worth of foam should be free as it’s also saving IBuyPower from the hassle of returned PC from the overzealous delivery drivers. The option wasn’t to much at $19 for peace of mind, especially when you’re considering the cost of the PC.

For Quality Control IBuyPower seems to be on top of things. A bonus is they update you along the way with your build. I received the following updates which I really appreciated.

1/9/2014 0:00 Shipped Shipped: FEDEX xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

1/9/2014 0:00 Processing The order has been packaged and is awaiting shipment

1/8/2014 0:00 Processing Burn-in inspection/testing is complete and has been sent to Shipping.

1/8/2014 0:00 Processing Quality Control inspection/testing complete and has been sent to Burn in.

1/8/2014 0:00 Processing Assembly of the computer has been completed and has been sent to QC.

1/8/2014 0:00 Processing The materials needed for the order have been gathered.

1/8/2014 0:00 Processing Materials are now being gathered to complete the order.

12/31/2013 0:00 Processing Payment has been successfully received/approved.

12/30/2013 0:00 Processing The order has been received and will be reviewed/processed by a sales rep.

12/28/2013 0:00 Submitted Order Submitted by Customer

I have one other great comment about IBuyPower. I was receiving many free downloads of games during their Christmas specials and somehow did not get one of my codes for BattleField 4. No problem as I emailed the customer representative that handled my order, (Which they assign to you and email the customer as soon as your order is received) and he got right back to me even though it was after their working hours for the day. He immediately handled the problem and noticed that they were out of free game codes for BF4, so instead he offered up 2 other free game codes which was Assains Creed 4 and Tom Clancy Splinter Cell Blacklist. I of course took it with a smile as they were also A+ games. Who doesn’t like free games?

So if you’re in the market for a great PC you owe it to yourself to checkout IBuyPower and what they have to offer. You won’t be disappointed. See below for my PC Specs for your reference and included pictures.

PC Specs:

1 x Case NZXT Phantom 410 Gaming Case - Black

1 x Processor Intel® Core™ i7 4930K Processor (6x 3.40GHz/12MB L3 Cache) - Intel Core i7 4930K

1 x Motherboard Gigabyte GA-X79-UP4 -- 4x PCI-E 2.0 x16

1 x Memory 16 GB [4 GB X4] DDR3-1600 Memory Module - FREE Upgrade to DDR3-1866 ADATA XPG V2

1 x Video Card AMD Radeon R9 290X - 4GB - Single Card

1 x Case Lighting Cold Cathode Neon Light - Blue

1 x Power Supply 750 Watt - Corsair RM750 - 80 PLUS Gold, Full Modular

1 x Processor Cooling Liquid CPU Cooling System [Intel] - Standard 120mm Fan

1 x Primary Hard Drive 120 GB ADATA S510 SSD -- Read: 550MB/s, Write: 510MB/s - Single Drive

1 x Data Hard Drive 1 TB HARD DRIVE -- 32M Cache, 7200 RPM, 6.0Gb/s - Single Drive

1 x Optical Drive 24x Dual Format/Double Layer DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW Drive - Black - FREE upgrade to BLU-RAY Reader Combo Drive for Primary Optical Drive

1 x Sound Card 3D Premium Surround Sound Onboard

1 x Network Card Intel Pro 10/100/1000 Network Card

1 x Operating System Microsoft Windows 7 Professional + Office Starter 2010 (Includes basic versions of Word and Excel) - 64-bit

1 x Warranty 3 Year Standard Warranty Service

1 x Advanced Build Options iBUYPOWER Specialized Advanced Packaging System - Protect your investment during transportation!

1 x Advanced Build Options Tuniq TX-2 High Performance Thermal Compound - The best interface between your CPU and the heatsinks

1 x Advanced Build Options Professional wiring for all cables inside the system tower - Achieve exceptional airflow in your chassis

1 x Advanced Build Options Professional wiring for all cables inside the system tower - Basic Pro Wiring

1 x Flash Media Reader / Writer 12-In-1 Internal Flash Media Card Reader/Writer - Black

1 x Free Stuff [FREE] Thermaltake eSPORTS CHALLENGER Gaming

1 x Free Stuff [FREE] - McAfee Antivirus PLUS 2014 - FREE with any System ($49 Value)

1 x Free Stuff [FREE] - GG Cruiser PC200-I Headset w/ large 57mm drivers for clear audio - FREE with any System ($29 Value)

1 x Free Stuff [FREE Game Download] - AMD Gold Reward - Select 3 Free Games - Free with purchase of AMD Radeon R9 280X, R9 290 and 290X Graphics Cards

1 x iBUYPOWER Labs - Internal Expansion [6-Port] NZXT Internal USB Expansion System