Agree, the price diff is vast, difficult to understand. The perf diff between a Mige and Lenze (for eg) is not huge for example. I also dont get why certain features only available to Ultimate. Smacks of deliberate hardware constraint by software. Nevermind Ultimate early access…
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Most of the software development done so far, have been done with Simucube 1. There just hasn’t been a good point to compile all different improvements together and release a good, tested firmware. There have been some alpha releases with bug-fixed Simucube Wireless Wheels around all this time, for Simucube 1.
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Except you said yourself its up to the wheel makers if we will even be allowed to buy them because you wont be selling them directly. Which would leave us early adopters out in the wind.
The thing that annoys me the most is that this has obviously been in the works for a long time. It would have been much better to not lead us on into thinking this was for our OSWs when it was actually a completely different direction. At least Fanatec announced their DD well in advance so if you wanted to wait you could instead of buying something only to find out something better was coming out soon. I get this was something that had to happen but I feel it was poorly executed…
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Is their anything to suggest that the pro is even going to be better than an OSW? Cosmetics, and being self contained aside, that is.
I can see the ultimate being better; but who is really going to pay for that?
Wait until you see the results from the extensive motor testing we did. Even Sport is better than a popular motor being used with Simucube 1.
Edit: but in what way it is better? Thats the main point. There are another factors in play here than just plain driving feel. As an integrated, CE approved and tested product with compliance for current and upcoming regulatory requirements for no-load idle current, there are immediately issues that have to be cared for.
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Do you know when you will publish these results?
I’m in the fortunate position that I was just about to order an OSW, rather than owning one and worrying about the levels of support I can expect to receive in the future.
My concerns are more focused around how noticeable the improvements are in terms of the feel of the wheel.
Also how soon are the units likely to ship, and how well tested have they been? Don’t follow Fanatec’s model 
Just my 2c.
I don’t think GD could have announced it months ago. Imagine all those buyers who would hold off their purchase until SC2 was announced. Then all those businesses with SC1 on their shelves without buyers. Maybe these businesses could have have told their customers, hang fire for a bit. Something is happening but then again, they’d still be left with units they couldn’t sell.
GD can devote more time to Simucube rather than trying to troubleshoot DIY builds. How many SC1 have had the wires around the wrong way, or can’t install firmware. Maybe with SC2 it will negate all those time consuming processes.
Perhaps now GD will be taken seriously by game devs and support for Simucube will be built in rather than an afterthought by hacking ini files.
I would like to see Simucube software for SC1 go open source to the community so development doesn’t stall. I know from experience that once a new product is announced all development for previous incarnations stops.
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Having purchased numerous vehicles in one year, only to see the next fall a new model come out; and purchased many a GPU and CPU only to see months later a new version come out, I empathize with what should be momentary disappointment with the abrupt realization that a product one owns is no longer the latest model. However, it is unreasonable to expect a for-profit company like Granite to be satisfied with the few hundred dollars of gross revenue it made off each of us and suspend innovation and improving its competitive position.
I pose this question for those of us who own a SC1 system: is your SC1 rig any less powerful, any less supported, any less amazing than it was yesterday? I can say, for months after Granite got its last dollar from my purchase, it has gotten better and better with Granite’s improvements to firmware and expanded support in sims and mods. I won’t be able to help coveting new capabilities and features that owners of shiny new Fanatec Podium wheels or SC2 systems are showing off in a few months. But can I say I’ve been wronged or betrayed because an outstanding product I am enjoying every day has been improved upon? Not rationally can I say that.
The SC2 systems look amazing, and I expect that they will perform amazing. Should we resent that a version 2 is out such that the version 1 is no longer the latest? My answer comes in the form of a question . . . would we want Kunos to stop with AC, Reiza to stop with AMS, iRacing to stop refining, S397 to suspend development of DLC’s or an rF3? Of course not. Maybe the sting of progress is a little more when our investment has been a grand instead of $50, but our Mige motors and SC1 boards will still be humming beautifully even when SC2’s and Podiums are on others’ rigs.
I hope Granite makes bank off its good work. And SimXperience, and Fanatec, too, for that matter.
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Thank you for two great ‘voices of reason’ above, guys, there is hope for the world.
It will still turn tomorrow, and the day after, as it did yesterday and the day before.
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Are there any official End of Life dates on the Simucube 1 boards, specifically end of manufacture/sale ?
This will be useful for planning purposes for owners within the existing Simucube 1 ecosystem.
This is really exciting. Can’t wait to see the testing results
There’s nothing wrong with releasing new products but there is a reasonable expectation of transparency into the development roadmap for existing customers.
As consumers who put a reasonable investment into your ecosystem, it would be great to have details around what will become of the S1 development goals and roadmap. That would alleviate a lot of the uncertainty.
Right now the general impression people can reasonably take is that “S2 is where the focus will be. S1 might get some updates down the road.”
I’m also a bit concerned that these points were surely discussed internally and yet there was no detailed communication to the community as to the lifecycle continuation of the S1 platform.
Congratulations simucube, now you are like the rest.
“The king is dead, long live the king”
Luck.
Your thinking on this is just not factually accurate.
GD has never released a DD wheel/ecosystem before today.
What you bought that contained GD parts were the Simucube HID, the Ioni controller and a free FW/GUI. Either you did the diy build yourself, or, another builder assembled those components, plus a few others from other suppliers, together, flashed a FW and gave you a wheel.
From that perspective, logically speaking, they had no obligation to share any roadmap, as they gave not sold you a DD wheel. Yes, you have a wheel based on GD controller hardware, but those are by the way, also used in many industrial CNC processes.
Prematurely sharing roadmaps have led to companies closing doors for good, in a tight market-space, it would be unwise/foolish. Hopefully this point can be understood by all. We are all curious about the next level developments, but if we use the sim-world as a yardstick, history has taught Suppliers that this exact approach is the best one.
With all that said, reread the release carefully, also consider Mika’s feedback, and you will find zero reason for concern wrt SC1. Of course, due to hardware limitations on that aging microcontroller architecture, there will come a point where further FW enhancements is just not viable, but you will have a fully stable and functional osw that you can use for however long you see fit.
This from one member to another 
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I share this argument in part, because if I find it right to progress with development, and create an SC2, I do not agree with removing all the supporters of the project the possibility of updating themselves, as for example happened with encoders. For me it was one of the most beautiful and important features of this project, unlike other manufacturers that forced you to change everything when you released a new model, with this platform you changed the updated component, a bit like you do with a PC.
Then behind all the words of the commercial I think there is also a lot of marketing, because the best engine talk has been tackled several times, it depends a lot on what you are looking for, speed or a more damped effect, not all of us have the same tastes.
Personally I have OSW for 3 years and I was very happy, switching to SC2 for me is just the idea of having the latest model, I’m thinking about it, but I wouldn’t want to get into the vortex of SC2 … then SC3 … then SC4 …
The OSW pre-made systems from the same channel partners you’re using to sell the new range has a pretty well defined formula. The business is built on a channel distribution model so turning around saying “well we can’t responsible for what the channel does!” is an absurd reason considering that the channel is not making fundamental changes to your underlying platform. How many OSW end users are using a firmware/software stack that’s different to the one you develop and support?
I’m not asking to share roadmaps that are detrimental to the business on announced products. That’s an unreasonable ask. However, it’s completely normal for companies to release software enhancement roadmaps and provide EOS (end of support)/EOL (end of life) notifications in advance on existing platforms. The entire enterprise technology stacks works off the model. All those companies continue to be in business and thrive so this notion of sharing information killing off the company is ill founded.
I don’t need to reread or consider Mika’s feedback. What I and others want is a formal communication with the future of S1 development and its EOS (support) status. If you’re trying to be build a reputable business, don’t ask people to read between the lines.
Please be aware I am a private board member here, same as you, and not employed by GD
As a business development manager for a large global automation company, I am fully aware of roadmaps. Roadmap in this context specifically refer to released products, available on the market, life-cycle planning and end-of-life information /notifications. Fully agreed.
Wrt to resellers vs agents, perhaps you can go and look at the difference? GD has zero liability wrt to the actions of the reseller distributor. Your assumption that such responsibility/liability should exist in the 1st place is absurd.
And that FW stack you are on about? Please realise it is something that was developed by GD at no cost to you, me, or any of the other users. It was tackled by a Mika, simply because it was supposed to be open-source, but there was almost nil input from the community If we had to wait for the community developers, as was the original intention, we would all be in the dark ages, using mmos FW.
Just to put things in perspective for you. I suspect you have no idea about the history and development path up to this point in in time. I have been involved from day 1 to this point, this is why I can state with absolute clarity and confidence that your take on this is factually incorrect.
Why I ask you to reread Mika’s comments, if you did, you would have realised that he have indicated that there has not been any EOL decision. I have worked closely with the GD team over many years now, know them well enough that they will follow due-diligence.
Anyway, I am out of this one, you have your view and I have mine…
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I appreciate your time to engage. Yes, we have different perspectives. Mine of an outside/consumer’s. Your’s that of being in the inner circle. What we need now is for the granite team to be bridge that gap. Take good care.
Thanx Robert, my apologies if my views are expressed on the strong side, I am just a bit frustrated after the events of today and perhaps mostly due to a misunderstanding of where current SC1 users are at in this process.
I am pretty sure Mika and Team GD will communicate the SC1 EOL and related topics when it is such time.
But I can’t speak for the guys, my POV is only my own…
You take care too, hang around, there’re lots of fun to be had still
Cheers,
Beano
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