Fanatec ClubSport Shifter Still Worth it in 2023? (Review)
The Fanatec ClubSport Shifter has been out in the market for several years now. In fact, from my quick research, this product was released way back in 2014 making it 8 years old. Of course, it has undergone a few updates but considering Fanatec hasn’t made a new shifter to this day, is it still any good? Well, the guys over at Fanatec were kind enough to send me this for review, so in today's video, I’ll be telling you all whether I think the ClubSport Shifter V1.5 is still worth it in 2023.
The Fanatec ClubSport Shifter is fairly simple in design. It's made entirely from metal giving it a premium feel but considering its weight, I would recommend mounting this onto a dedicated cockpit or wheel stand. Thankfully, with hard mounting capabilities on all four sides as well as underneath, it certainly won’t be a problem to do so.
Included with the shifter, you receive two metallic knobs, and the RJ12 cable which connects back to your wheelbase, but more on that soon. Within the internal confines of the casing, all components are made of metal. Moreover, it makes use of hall effect sensors to greatly increase the life expectancy and durability of this product shift after shift.
Since this shifter allows for both H-pattern and sequential use, Fanatec provides two knobs to best suit your needs. Interchanging between them doesn’t take more than a few seconds and you can also attach your own third-party knob. Although considering the high-quality look and feel of the gray anodized knobs that come standard, I don’t reckon many will.
As mentioned, you can switch between both H-pattern and sequential modes and I was pleasantly surprised at how simple and quick it is to do so. It’s all done with the flip of a switch, no need for extra tools, removal of the knob, etc. Though the ability to easily switch between those two modes may be the biggest positive to many, for me it was actually something else. You see, unlike many shifters I’ve tested, this one allows for you to drastically adjust the resistance felt between switching gears. The difference between the heaviest and lightest setting is extremely noticeable and this gives you immense versatility to not only best suit your personal preference, but also get the most realism out of the car you’re driving.
So, you can switch between both sequential and H-pattern modes, you get two knobs, and you can adjust the resistance. But, how does it actually perform in game? Honestly, very well.
In the H-pattern mode, the shifter has a comfortable throw, and a very smooth and realistic feeling. Previous shifters I’ve tested have either had a very mechanical or an extremely vague feel, but this one sits comfortably in-between with a nearly identical feel to what you’d expect in a real car. This is only reinforced with the ability to fine-tune the resistance. There is a good enough distance between gears and the shifter tends to guide you into the right position making miss-shifts very rare. Moreover, the reverse and seventh gear are locked to further prevent any accidents from happening. Basically, in order to reach reverse gear, you must push down and slot it into the first gear position and similarly, to access 7th gear, you must push down and slot it into the 5th gear position. While this of course will make it impossible for you to miss-shift while going from 4th to 5th gear, it comes with the drawback of making it harder to shift from 6th to 7th and you’ll have to push down while moving up which can take up valuable lap time.
Consequently, using the ClubSport shifter in its sequential mode, feels nothing more than fine. It certainly does the job it’s intended to do but with an underwhelming tactile feel, there’s really not much to say about it. It’s absolutely great to have both an H-pattern and a sequential option, but I find it to clearly shine in one area more than the other. The sequential mode lacks the immersion and haptic feedback you’d want when thrashing a rally car down a forest, but it ultimately does the job. It’s also great that you can easily and quickly switch between the modes so I can’t complain too much about it. My main suggestion would be that if you plan on using this primarily as an H-pattern shifter, absolutely go for it! But if you plan on using it as a sequential shifter first, and an H-pattern second, there are better feeling sequential shifters out there so consider looking into other options first.
As per the negatives, other than the slightly underwhelming feel of the sequential mode, I hate how this shifter will only plug into a Fanatec wheel base… unless you spend an additional $20 to buy the adapter needed to connect it via USB. Now back in 2014 when nearly everyone buying this shifter was deep in the Fanatec ecosystem, this may not have been a big deal, but now, with so many wheelbases available that’s definitely not the case and making it a $20 add-on to use this shifter independently of a Fanatec wheelbase is quite petty.
Before I forget, I should talk about console compatibility. If you connect this shifter to a compatible Fanatec wheelbase, you may be able to use it on Xbox or PlayStation assuming the game you are playing has a manual option. However, if you buy the adapter and plug this shifter via USB into a console, it, unfortunately, will not work.
In conclusion, I’m actually a big fan of the Fanatec ClubSport shifter. Overall, it looks and feels good, offers lots of adjustability, fine-tuning, and cool quirks, and at its $260 price point, I would say that it’s fairly priced. Released back in 2014, the ClubSport shifter to this day remains Fanatec's only H-pattern shifter, and after some time with it, I can certainly see why. Ultimately, why fix what is not broken?
