Fanatec has told customers waiting for its upcoming racing wheelbase, the ClubSport DD+, that it is delaying the release of the product due to delays in Sony's licensing process. Originally scheduled to be released in December, the DD+ is in limbo until Fanatec can negotiate with the console manufacturer.

"The ClubSport DD+ is the first product on the market to incorporate Sony's new security electronics," an email sent by Fanatec to pre-order customers reads. 'As such, the product approval process is comprehensive and time consuming. Initially, we expected approval to be granted much sooner. We are still awaiting approval and are therefore unable to ship the products you have ordered at this time."

It states.

"We hope to have an update on this by mid-January and are doing everything we can to expedite the approval process and get this exciting new product to you as soon as possible."

I contacted Fanatec and asked for further information they could share about the specific cause of the delay.

I spoke with one customer who is waiting for an order, originally expected around December 27, and was referred to an October Fanatec forum thread in which Fanatec noted that the console's license is still subject to final product approval from Sony. An update to the same thread also noted that pre-orders are now open, except for Japan.

Licensing is tricky. It was only recently that Microsoft announced that it was cracking down on third-party wireless controllers, and in light of this decision, we recommend checking out this article by Duncan Robertson of GamesRadar on what the licensing process actually looks like I encourage you to look at the specifics regarding the dedicated chipsets required for the PlayStation and Xbox pads. He also mentions regular meetings with representatives.

To put it in perspective, Fanatec has sold officially licensed Sony products in the past, including Gran Turismo DD Pro and the Podium line. It also works closely with Sony. From the aforementioned statement, it appears that Sony's new security electronics threw an unexpected curve at the company. However, judging from the reactions of those affected, the message should have been clearer.

What is hard for customers to swallow is that they pre-ordered products in October and were given an estimated ship date starting in December, with licensing issues in January and no confirmed ship date thereafter. However, I have asked Fanatec if this is the normal practice and will update if I hear anything back on this point.

Two threads on the Fanatec subreddit (thread 1, thread 2) are full of complaints about the delayed process. Several users report that they have cancelled their orders, but many are wondering why this licensing issue has only now come to light.

The DD+ wheelbase has been developed to comply with the requirements of the official PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 console licensing program. This is only an issue for the more powerful 15 Nm (Newton meters, units of torque) ClubSport DD+ model. The lower-powered 12Nm DD models are not PlayStation compatible.

Ultimately, what this means is that PC users will be forced to wait for parts they don't actually need by Sony's approval, while PlayStation users will look elsewhere When the ClubSport DD+ arrives, it should be an impressive unit. I am a fan of the old CSL DD wheelbase, and this one is better in every way. However, I can see why some would look elsewhere for their next upgrade.

At the very least, Logitech's G Pro racing wheel is compatible with the PlayStation and can rock up to 11 Nm.