With the advent of home consoles and quality sim-racing peripherals, notably Direct Drive bases, many gamers have taken up this discipline. There are many titles on the market, with a mix of arcade, sim-arcade and simulation. Each game tends to satisfy a different segment of the virtual racer market, whether it’s those seeking pure Need For Speed fun, those immersed in Gran Turismo and Forza Motorsport racing, or, of course, drivers who are in it for the performance and realism.
Among the brands present in the sim-racing segments, we have Simucube, a Finnish manufacturer of “premium” sim-racing peripherals according to their website. As far as I’m concerned, Simucube is a cut above the rest, like Rolls-Royce is to Mercedes. The company was founded in 2007 under the name Granite Devices, and is still active in the industrial market for servo motors and electronics in general.
Simucube is a relative newcomer to the sim-racing industry, compared with Fanatec, for example, which has been in the game for over 20 years. Simucube boasts 10 years on its odometer, but the company has quickly made a name for itself as the world’s ultra-premium leader in PC sim-racing equipment.
Which brings us to today’s topic: are Simucube’s products, especially the Direct Drive bases, compatible with home consoles like the PS5? Well, unfortunately, no, Simucube’s peripherals are not compatible with home consoles, whether PS5 or Xbox Series X/S.
But why? Given that Simucube is considered the world leader in terms of premium sim-racing peripherals, Sony and Microsoft would gain by letting gamers use this brand’s products on their platform, right?
In truth, the question is trickier than it seems. The manufacturers of home consoles, namely Microsoft and Sony, operate a very strict policy in terms of the peripherals that can be used on their platforms. Each brand has to collaborate with sim-racing peripheral manufacturers to offer specific profiles that take into account the equipment thanks to chips that are integrated into Direct Drive bases or steering wheels.
If Microsoft or Sony don’t validate the products, they won’t be able to run on consoles. What’s more, these peripherals need to sell in very large numbers to make the brand attractive to Sony or Microsoft, as these manufacturers earn a percentage on products sold.
The only alternative available to you on PS5, or Xbox for that matter, is Fanatec. The German brand offers a wide catalog of sim-racing peripherals that are not only high-performance, but also suitable for virtually all motorsport disciplines.
0 Comments