This is my biggest gripe with the patch, because I use a joystick. It's very difficult to do any rev matching/blipping/lifting. I realize I should get a wheel, but that's not the reason I'm making this post.
Your average user who has downloaded the demo for the first time will probably have very little invested in hardware, and thus will probably be using the keyboard. The new patch makes it even harder and even less fun to drive on the keyboard. This in turn will lead to a higher number of first-time users giving up in frustration after five minutes because they didn't have fun.
Now, before you go and say that this is a simulator is for hardcore racing enthusiasts only, and that you don't want/need them in the game, consider this: there are many cruisers and drifters who have paid for an S2 license, and I would say they represent a sizeable amount of income. Without their involvement and their money, I would bet that we would all still be stuck on Patch Q.
If you want to dedicate this program to hardcore folks only, that's your choice. But you will never finish S2 because the cash flow won't be there. If you can't cater this simulation to at least some of the more casual participants then you're targeting too specific an audience and new license purchases will dramatically slow down.
After all, the whole point of the demo is to lure people into buying the full license, right? It worked for me, mostly because the demo was pretty playable for me without having to invest a dime in any new hardware.
I think if you started a poll, you would find the majority of users started playing the demo with something other than a wheel. If you want continued cash flow and continued development, that's who you need to cater to.
+1. I also use a joystick. My understanding has always been that most cars with sequential (i.e. paddle shift) transmissions will do throttle cut/blipping for you.