The wait that Fanatec teased back in April is over…almost.
The latest Fanatec App (version 1.5.1.2) ships firmware that finally brings FullForce to the CSL DD and Gran Turismo DD Pro wheel bases, the affordable end of the company’s officially-licensed lineup. The only issue is it doesn’t work in Gran Turismo 7 yet.
We flagged this update as coming when Fanatec announced it in April, alongside the power bumps for the pricier ClubSport DD and DD+ bases. Now the firmware is actually here. To get it, download and install the latest Fanatec App, which walks you through flashing the base.
For the uninitiated, FullForce is Fanatec’s name for the high-frequency force feedback effects that ride on top of the main directional forces (like curb texture and road surface detail) sent straight through the motor.
It’s the same technology that arrived in Gran Turismo 7 with the Spec III update last December. On a 5 Nm or 8 Nm base that was never built for it, the extra layer of detail is a welcome upgrade.
The Catch
Because of the way Gran Turismo 7 handles specific licensed hardware, FullForce is not currently active on the GT DD Pro when you’re actually playing the game. Fanatec says support is “coming in a future update,” but that’s up to Polyphony Digital, and there’s no date attached.
It’s a little messy, as the wheel everyone bought for Gran Turismo now supports the feature that Gran Turismo added in December, except the two can’t talk to each other yet.
GT DD Pro owners can feel FullForce in other supported sims today, just not in the one with its logo on the box. This is a “your hardware is ready, your game isn’t” situation, and the fix has to come from Polyphony’s side.
If You’re Shopping
If you’re buying rather than upgrading, it’s worth weighing the GT DD Pro against its bigger sibling.
We never reviewed the GT DD Pro itself, but we did put the Gran Turismo DD Extreme through a full review, and it’s the more capable option. It’s built on the DD+ base, FullForce is already established on it, and the same April update pushed it to 18 Nm of torque.
Either way, GTPlanet readers can take 5% off at Fanatec.com with the code GTPLANET-5 at checkout (it applies to anything not already on sale and doesn’t expire). Our discount breakdown covers what you save on each bundle.
The Engineering Behind It
The more interesting part of Fanatec’s announcement is how the feature got onto these bases at all, because they were never designed with it in mind.
Unlike the ClubSport DD and the newer Podium DD bases, which run on a single high-performance microcontroller, the CSL DD and GT DD Pro split their processing across two separate chips.
Getting FullForce to run across both of those controllers without adding latency was, by Fanatec’s own account, the hard part. The team also rebuilt how the base’s internal systems pass data around to make room for the upcoming Podium Pedals and a new pedal curve selection option in the Tuning Menu.
There’s a bonus for anyone running the 8 Nm Boost Kit. Optimizations discovered during Podium DD development carried over, and while peak torque stays at 8 Nm, holding torque (the force the wheel can sustain when you’re loading it up, rather than the brief peaks) climbs from 6 Nm to 8 Nm. You should feel that most during long high-G corners and quick direction changes. As a side effect, the separate Peak and Linear FFS settings disappear on Boost Kit configurations, since they’re no longer needed.
FullForce works on every CSL DD and GT DD Pro base, including older ones still using the QR1 quick release. That said, Fanatec recommends QR2 for the full effect, as the newer connection preserves more of the fine detail FullForce is meant to deliver.
The Waiting Continues
FullForce on the GT DD Pro is good news that landed slightly early.
The hardware is sorted, the engineering work is done, and the feature is live in other titles right now.
Whether it’s worth jumping on today depends entirely on how patient you are waiting for GT7 to catch up. We’ll update when Polyphony flips the switch. In the meantime, the Sim Racing Hardware forums are the place to compare notes if you’ve already flashed the new firmware.
