Cronus Max Plus V3

[Ant]

This all started when I purchased Assetto Corsa for my PS4.  When I first checked the wheel compatibility list my Fanatec Porsche 911 GT2 wheel was on the supported list, so I didn't even think to check again before purchasing the game.

After buying it I decided to check the forums and, guess what, AC has dropped support for Fanatec wheels.  Now I am not going to get into the politics of this other than to say that it appears to be some deal between Fanatec and Sony.  There is some interesting consumer law questions here, but I am not going there.

Anyway, I got determined to play the game with my wheel so I started looking at options.  The first one I came up with was GIMX which uses a Raspberry Pi or Arduino and an add-on USB board.  The USB board was going to cost around $50 + shipping and whilst looking I came across the Cronus Max Plus (http://cronusmax.com/) which was $89 + shipping, although I could have driven to the retailer and saved on that.

This looked to be a whole lot simpler to setup than GIMX and just as, if not more, useful over the long term.  I ended up ordering one and it arrived last night.

What is it
Effectively it is a device, the size of a slighty fat USB stick, that converts controller inputs between different protocols.  This means, for my use, my Fanatec GT2 appears to my PS4 as a Logitech G29.  It can also be used with controllers so you can use an XBox One Controller (or Elite) with your PS4 etc.  It supports XBox One, 360, WiiMote, DS4, DS3 and several other controllers.  For the bluetooth controllers you can still use them wireless with a BT adapter connected to the CM+.  In addition to this you can download game packs, or program your own, that do things such as holding the X-button down to double jump in Destiny (for example).  I have only tried it with my wheel so far.

Setup
Setup was pretty easy, but is a little complicated with the PS4.  It requires connecting a DS4 to port 4 of a USB hub and the wheel to port 1.  This is due to how Sony do their encryption with peripherals.  You then connect the hub to the CM+ which is plugged into a USB port on the PS4.  CM are currently working on their fanatec support on the CM+.

After flashing some firmware to the CM+ and working out which port was which on my PS4, I plugged everything in, set my wheel to PS3 mode and was away.

Performance
What can I say here.  I was pretty impressed.  I now have wheel support in Assetto Corsa, DriveClub and Project Cars.  The input of the controls is fantastic and no lag as far as I can tell.  The Force feedback is a little of a mixed bag.  Assetto Corsa is really good, DriveClub I had to turn up the FFB in the game settings and Project Cars will require some tuning which I probably won't bother doing as it has native support for the Fanatec wheel.

My next trick is to try my wheel on the XBox One, which will suddenly have a G920 connected to it!  This should make Forza and DriveClub a lot more fun as well.

I have yet to try the CM+ with controllers to see how that goes but I imagine it is going to be a relatively painless exercise and will make playing some titles a lot easier.  I will probably avoid using X-AIM and using it as an aimbot though!  Is it considered cheating (not the AimBot which definitely is)?  I will leave that up to the comments to talk about.  I will be open and honest if I am using it in game though.

Overall though, for what I wanted, which is to breath new life into my, not so old, wheel the CM+ has more than delivered on my expectations.  The people at Cronus have also been fantastic and have really stepped up to support all the frustrated Fanatec users out there.  I can't say much else because of NDA.

[M-Rossi]

I heard of the Cron max but never used it.
I use the Venom X Transcoder Box, which does the same sort of thing, it lets you use any xbox, ps3 control, as well as any mouse or keyboard on a ps4. I dont think it has wheel support though.


I use it to use a mouse and frag with some fps games. Has a heap of customization with settings to tweak it to feel just right.

They have an interesting product for soccer games, Venom P but i havent tried it. Next time you are playing fifa or pes online, you may be playing someone using this!

[mimix]

Sounds like a nice piece of kit.

Though, just on the GIMX option for anyone else out there thinking, not sure where you were looking to have a $50 board option. I ordered an Arduino micro and CP2102 converter for just under $15 all up delivered off ebay. Paired with a laptop this has the Logitech DF GT wheel working pretty well on PS4.
If I get a RPi or similar, then i'd look at the wireless solution (or a more compact setup)

I have not tried a keyboard & mouse, other console controller, or for another console though, don't think it would be an issue since the configurations are all listed in the app.

i did mention previously: http://thewhirlpoolresistance.com/index.php/topic,1853

[Ant]

Yeah, there are a bunch of scripts for the CM+ for FIFA and PES.  I haven't looked at them in much detail.

[Ant]

Sounds like a nice piece of kit.

Though, just on the GIMX option for anyone else out there thinking, not sure where you were looking to have a $50 board option. I ordered an Arduino micro and CP2102 converter for just under $15 all up delivered off ebay. Paired with a laptop this has the Logitech DF GT wheel working pretty well on PS4.
If I get a RPi or similar, then i'd look at the wireless solution (or a more compact setup)

I have not tried a keyboard & mouse, other console controller, or for another console though, don't think it would be an issue since the configurations are all listed in the app.

i did mention previously: http://thewhirlpoolresistance.com/index.php/topic,1853

I already have a RPi and an Arduino, so this may have been the lower cost option but don't tell my wife that!  The CM+ is a nice tidy solution that is pretty much self contained.  Strangely, normally I would lean towards something like GIMX but I am happy with my choice on this.  I do remember you posting on GIMX earlier, which is what sent me in that direction to start.

As an aside, this was the board recommended for the Arduino with GIMX: https://littlebirdelectronics.com.au/products/teensy-2-0.  I then found the CM+ and stopped my research on GIMX.

[SmashedPumpkin]

Interested to see how well it works with xBone and Forza. I will never get another FFB wheel, so having the 1 wheel for both systems would be ideal.

[mimix]

Sounds like a nice piece of kit.

Though, just on the GIMX option for anyone else out there thinking, not sure where you were looking to have a $50 board option. I ordered an Arduino micro and CP2102 converter for just under $15 all up delivered off ebay. Paired with a laptop this has the Logitech DF GT wheel working pretty well on PS4.
If I get a RPi or similar, then i'd look at the wireless solution (or a more compact setup)

I have not tried a keyboard & mouse, other console controller, or for another console though, don't think it would be an issue since the configurations are all listed in the app.

i did mention previously: http://thewhirlpoolresistance.com/index.php/topic,1853

I already have a RPi and an Arduino, so this may have been the lower cost option but don't tell my wife that!  The CM+ is a nice tidy solution that is pretty much self contained.  Strangely, normally I would lean towards something like GIMX but I am happy with my choice on this.  I do remember you posting on GIMX earlier, which is what sent me in that direction to start.

As an aside, this was the board recommended for the Arduino with GIMX: https://littlebirdelectronics.com.au/products/teensy-2-0.  I then found the CM+ and stopped my research on GIMX.

Yeah I looked at the recommended board too, and then saw the cheaper options.
I went the total cheapest way coz I wasn't sure it was actually going to work. As nice as those specialised units are, I wasn't sure it was going to work and support FFB as well. Saw mixed reviews on that front so didn't want to go that route and end up with nothing.

Good choice tho

[Ant]

And to add to this, I was quite happily playing Arkham Knight earlier with my XBox One controller connected (wired) to my PS4.  Hopefully my 360 controller will charge overnight so I can try this wireless.  I did have to remove the beta firmware to use it, but that takes all of 15 seconds.

[Ant]

Interested to see how well it works with xBone and Forza. I will never get another FFB wheel, so having the 1 wheel for both systems would be ideal.

Haven't tried it yet, but from what I can tell it will work as a controller with rumble, but the FFB is not so great.  Cronus seem to have better support in the PS range.  They have a PS4 wheel edition that totally remaps the wheel to look and respond as a G29.  I might put up a query to see if they are thinking about doing the same for the XBox One as a G920.

[Ant]

Interested to see how well it works with xBone and Forza. I will never get another FFB wheel, so having the 1 wheel for both systems would be ideal.

It appears they are planning a wheel specific version so I would hold off for now.

[raz81]

Scum

[spazmanaught]

Scum

Yeah I put that into the same category as a aimbot. Cheat away cheater!

[Ant]

LOL, mine has been sitting on my desk beside my computer for ages so not that stressed. I do like using it to use the XBox Controller on the PS4 though (without game packs). They also use them in competition to reduce lag on the controllers.

It does, still beg the question of where the line is though. Should we ban Elite controllers or Relentless (hair triggers) or... I agree the CM+ and it's ilk are the extreme. I have tried the gamepacks, and you do feel like you are cheating. Some of the functionality I like and think should be implemented in the games anyway, like auto-sprint... we have anologue joysticks for a reason, but the breath-hold, quick scope, auto aim(ish) etc. are a little extreme.