Jumping ship. Drive Hub experience? TMX-Pro for GT Sport?

Miscellaneous Off-Topic
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I’m sure this won’t be popular posted in an FM7 forum, but I’m jumping ship.

I’ve grumbled for a while on here about my disappointment with the X1 and FM7 online experience. To recap, I feel like I got my monies worth FOR THE GAME with the offline mode. But I didn’t invest in this hardware for offline play, or for other games. I invested in X1 and TMX-Pro plus FM for online play, which without using profanity has probably probably best described as a very bad joke. They (T10) just want to cater to the kiddies to broaden the sales appeal (ooh mommy!I want the racing game for my birthday!), and I get that. It’s about the money, and I’m just not their target demographic. I simply should have been more educated when buying in, and should have ignored the morons that write game reviews for the various online sites. Got it, done…

I don’t think I’ve even turned on the xbox in the last 2+ months. I’ve been out riding my sport/adventure bike and working on my real desert trucks while the weather was oh so nice (Phoenix AZ). Now the furnace has arrived, and I’m interested in something to do under AC mid-day. Clearly FM7 isn’t it.

I tried to sell my whole setup for a fair price beginning many months ago. Got a few “I want it”, but no follow through. FM7 is done for me, written off, and I’m fine with that. I can probably sell the X1 by itself easily enough. But nobody that wants to invest in a decent entry level wheel is interested in xbox (or so it seems from my experience).

So with that background, more to the point.

As I see it, I’ve got a few options.

It’s a little late in cycle for buying a PS4 AND new wheel/pedal/shifter set to go with it PLUS GTS. So maybe wait for and next gen? But that doesn’t give me anything for the summer heat.

And I really don’t want to build yet another PC to deal with. However, my TMX Pro works on PC, and that opens up a much better (wider at least) set of options (circuit, rally, etc). But I just want a low stress jump on and play (online) when it’s just too hot to do what I need to be doing outside. But at over $1k (DIY) for what I would consider entry level rig with HD (or better QHD) monitor, I just can’t get behind this one. Since the 90s I always build my own work computers and built game computers in the past, so I’m up to the task, just not really what I want to be doing for my mid day break games. But not closing the door on this option just yet.

And, I think the TMX Pro setup I have is a good level of wheel for me. I’m never going to spend what it takes to get a Fanatec, just not that interested. And a poster here put me onto the Drive Hub a few months back when I was grousing about this locked-in issue and was daydreaming about switching to PS4. It sounds good, but I learned my lesson with X1 and FM7 about listening to anything the online sites say, so I want to ask here whether anyone has specific experience with it, particularly with respect to using it on PS4 with GTS? I know buttons won’t be 1:1 like a dedicated PS wheel would be, but would I just be buying into grief beyond that?

Sorry for the long post, but I wanted to give some decent background to see what any of it might trigger for recommendations I may not have considered.

One other thing I will toss out there is that I’m very drawn to FM7 divisions like Muscle Cars and Road Racing. Trans Am racing type of stuff. Mainly due to my age and the fact that I owned/raced several of them. My driving experience was just beginning (early 80s) when the cars of that era were readily affordable and those were “the good times” for a late teens boy with invincibility issues. That was one of the draws to FM, and ideally whatever comes next will have support for that era AND online racing that helps eliminate the trash.

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BTW, I have searched and read a bit before posting this. So for reference I’m adding links to one post I found on here, and one on another site. Sorry for the full URL links, but on this primitive joke of a forum, that seems to be the only option.

Edit: Ok, when I post and then edit, I get the full control UI, so editing the links. Looks like it uses standard markup after all. I thought I remembered that this site didn’t use standard markup?

Edit 2: I also just noticed that Quick Reply is the only option at the bottom (where I generally am when replying), but there is a “Post Reply” at the top that gets the full UI.

Post on this forum

GT Planet forum post

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So you ask in FM7 forum if drive hub works good with GTS?
LOL

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Why not? Is no one on this forum allowed to own a PS4 and play GTS? How do you know the OP hasn’t posted to GT Planet as well?

It’s possible you’re still at school and are still ‘learning’…

“LOL”

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Yes, I knew my post would raise a few eyebrows here.

But this forum does have members who have discussed their extended experience with racing games across multiple platforms with GTS seeming to be the most common. But also PC2, AC, and many others. And while some of those more broadly experienced members also mentioned having multiple wheel systems, I can’t imagine they all do, and thus might be able to offer insight not found by just reading existing (generally older) posts regarding my questions.

I also asked here because of that, and I’m already a member here. And not on specific games/system forums because I’m not yet a member on them, and at this point I’m not sure which direction I want to go. As I tried to describe, GTS has probably been most on my mind because it seems to be the most liked for the features that matter to me. But PC, AC, and others might be a better answer, but that depends on platform choices, and possibly influenced by the ability to reduce the wasted investment in X1 for racing.

Choosing the X1 and FM based on my earlier reading turned out to be a pretty bad choice for me, and I’m hoping to make a better one now. Or I may just decide that racing games simply aren’t what I thought they would be for me, and find something else to do…

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Buddy of mine uses the TMX Pro/Drive Hub combo on his PS4 without issues. Just make sure to have the latest firmware installed as it ships with an old version for some reason. Then it’s all just plug and play and ready to go. FFB and all other functions work as they should.

Saw an ad for the Drive Hub on Facebook the other day…they are offering a 25% discount and free shipping to select countries. The discount code is DRIVE25. Use it during checkout and you’re good to go. Here is a link: https://collectiveminds.ca/shop/allconsoles/drivehub/

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Perfect! Thank you!

Now to figure out if I want to invest in a late cycle PS4+GTS, or build a game system (not likely), or find something else to pass the hot summer days…

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If you do decide to get a PS4 you’d basically be only getting it for GTS, where if you went with PC you’d have access to a few more options and would definitely be able to play next gen stuff with it.

Course a PS4 would be cheap and handy to get set up and if you’re only interested in playing online it might be your best choice.

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I completely agree, which is why I’m in (and have been in) a bit of an “analysis paralysis” situation.

I don’t want a repeat of FM7 + X1, but PS4 + GTS is cheap (now) and I read/hear that GTS addresses most of my biggest complaints about FM7, mainly the online issue. The Drive Hub makes the proposition tolerable, but GTS appears to be a lot more fiddly setup/tune, requires more time investment (general play overhead/learning wise), and again leaves me on a locked in system just as you say. Plus GTS doesn’t have the range of vehicle support in the classes I prefer (classic Trans Am etc). Clearly a game computer is the best and most flexible solution regarding game options, but comes with a huge initial investment plus ongoing overhead and (seemingly) much more common issues as you typically get when you have random collections of hardware, drivers, patches, etc. I particularly remember all the FFB issues discussed here, Emu, and so on. In the end, I work daily on a computer I built and maintain, and I manage most of my families computers, I’m just not looking to add (and fund) another build just to play games through the summer.

Sadly, just no clear winner over all.

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Have you tried Project cars 2 or Assetto Corsa on Xbox… i would do that before changing your whole set up.

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I haven’t. But considering how cheap the “pre-owned” copies have gotten, I probably should.

Those haven’t been as high on my list as they otherwise would have been for 2 reasons. First, they don’t provide the cars/series I really like. And second, I’ve read in various places that their online participation isn’t great most of the week/day. I think I read phrases along the lines of “You are lucky to find 5 or 6 people to race with” when you just pop on for a race at some random non-peak time. And, according the impression I’ve developed, GTS has a huge online following with lots of folks ready to race at any given time.

But, as you suggest, and I opened with here, for the low cost of entry, it’s probably best to start with that and see how it goes. We’re already into the too hot to be outside most of the day (at or close to 110*F and getting hotter, with humid “monsoon” weather arriving soon), so that provides not only the cheapest route, but the quickest. I guess I should have reevaluated my early decisions, but had locked in on getting away from the X1. I didn’t mention it earlier, but I had thought at some point I might be trying out VR, and the X1 doesn’t really provide that avenue.

I’ll have to go back and review again, but I seem to recall PC2 has more of the cars I like, and a better career mode to keep me interested if/when I can’t find online races, so I will probably give that one a try. Thanks for shaking up my tunnel vision.