ProCoach

Eyefinity is the same way...

masterianvii

I recently put together a guide on building a complete simulator, and on a budget too. If you go for all of the "high-end" stuff, you'll probably have gear better than even what the F1 teams use. (I know, bold statement. )

http://www.mockracer.com/2014/12/how...ivingroom.html

ProCoach

Good article! I love my 918 wheel on the Fanatec!

CXC Simulations

Peter is correct. Our systems are for people that want max performance gear, their simulator to arrive fully turn-key, tuned to the enth degree and white-glove support (for even the silliest questions).

DIY guys who like to tinker tend not to be our customers initially but some do end up buying our stuff after trying one

It's just like cars. The more you are willing to spend, the more performance/reliability/service you get........generally, there are always exceptions!

ir_fuel

I've never driven a sim with a motion rig (not counting the one at your local amusement park when I was 12 years old ). I'm really curious, now I have some experience with sims, how much this increases immersiveness, since most of the forces I encounter in a car (except for bumps) are long-during ones (braking, cornering g's ...) and I really wonder how a motion rig can transfer this.

sbelles

I tried one of CXC's rigs once. Just amazing but out of my league.

masterianvii

A typical motion rig with actuators will never be able to reproduce or give you sustained forces. It's just a momentary acceleration of the seat from a particular angle. SimXperience tried a completely different concept not too long ago, with a G-Seat, where the seat has plates that apply pressure in order to reproduce sustained forces. Some users are reporting quite positive feedback, but have not tried it personally.


About a year and a half ago I was visiting Dubai and Abu Dhabi, so I went to Ferrari World and tried their motion simulator, which was a real Ferrari strapped on top of a gigantic rig. The motion was disorienting to say the least, and there was naturally so much lag in the system it was counter productive than immersive.


I did try an actuator based sim (kind of like the CXC) couple of days later at the Dubai mall, and that was far better, but it was really like very enhanced force feedback, rather than simulating the motion of the car.



The thing is with any motion simulator, you simply can't replicate the amount of g-force in a car. There will also always be some lag between the sim's physics and the motion rig. The motion rig also creates its own momentum, and any sudden change in direction will ultimately lag behind. So the wider the range of motion, the more potential there is for the rig to be out of sync with the sim.

The interesting thing about any simulator system, especially a very dynamic one like a racing simulator, you obviously can't channel the virtual motion and feedback in the same as a real race car on track. So you have to try to deliver as much information as possible, and often that information is delivered differently. Your brain just has to do a bit more work to associate the different delivery mechanism with your expectations.

Having said that, with enough acclimation to a simulator, it doesn't quite matter if the simulator shakes, rattles, or rolls, as a driver you'll eventually be able to get useful feedback from what the virtual car is doing which will ultimately affect your ability to control the car and get some immersion. The key of course is that the feedback signal is fast and as synchronized as possible (minimum lag) ...and this is just for the tactile feedback!

RSAErick

Wow, this thread has me dreaming of new ways to spend some serious cash! Cockpits, video cards, G-seats, hydraulic race pedals - please stop before I do something stupid...

I had an opportunity to try one of CXC's simulators at the LeMay Car Museum in Tacoma, WA: http://www.cxcsimulations.com/news/c...-lemayseattle/

It was hyper cool, but I'm one of those that suffers from motion sickness - I even get a touch of motion sickness when I'm driving at the track. I just couldn't handle more than about 10 minutes in the CXC simulator. The motion enhanced the simulator feel; however, there is a lot of inaccuracy that can sometimes distract more than enhance. I don't want to sound overly critical, but most on this forum know the 'real' thing too well, so I expect that we have very high standards. There were times when the CXC rig did some amazing stuff: I recall some long sweeping corners that build up G's gradually - the simulator did a good job of giving the lateral G feel! Impressive stuff. Still, due to motion issues, I think that I'd be more interested in the G-seat that materianvii described.

Someday I'd love to have the funds to go all-in with a static rig. But I'm only to the level of playing Forza 5 with my racing wheel attached to the coffee table. Does anyone have a recommendation for a good quality wheel stand that I can move between my TV room and my computer room as needed? Stability would be key. Thanks in advance.

Veloce Raptor

This is a great and timely thread, as I am beginning to shop for a simulator for my home...

User 52121

Yeah I've had issues with motion, too - specifically, the lag. More distracting/disorienting than anything IMO. Even on the better systems, there was always just that SPLIT second delay. However, I do know some people that swear by it (including one friend of mine with a pretty nice racing resume who relies on his simXperience "stage 5" setup for training).

To the OP: I think the big question is going to be, what's your budget? That will dictate a lot. A reasonable starter system can be built from scratch for at or under $2k if you build it yourself. Figure more like $3k if you go with something pre-built. You can buy a wheel/pedal combo for under $300 or you can spend several thousand.

And of course, you'll probably get lots of opinions if you search - but MOST folks here on RL use iRacing. Excellent tracks, excellent car models, good solid community. IMO it's tough to beat.

User 52121

I bought one for myself as a Christmas present. LOVE IT. Huge step up from the old Logitech.

Now I hear people raving about the direct-drive wheels (like the simXperience Accuforce wheel) saying they are an even bigger leap. Tough to justify (or hide from the wife) almost $2k for simulator parts though...

masterianvii

Yep, I can't recommend it enough. You've probably seen the review I did on it.
http://www.mockracer.com/2015/01/sim...ce-review.html

It's well worth the entrance fee.

masterianvii

I hear good things about this stand: http://wheelstandpro.com/ People on iRacing who have this are saying its very sturdy.

ProCoach

Most folks I know could care less about the ultra high end stuff, the wheels are a good example.

G27=~$275 (with pedals that can be modded),

Fanatec CS Base plus GT or 918 wheel=~$750 (plus $250 for CS2 pedals)

ECCI or Bodnar direct drives=~$2000 plus (+$2000 pedals, http://www.h-engineering.net/sim-pedals-stock-update/)

While it's fine for aliens (people who spend all the time on their sims), these are, for most, tools to work at learning tracks better. For that, the basic or mid-level offerings work well, IMO.

I may sell two of my three systems soon, so if you (VR) are interested, PM me. Static with either triple and single (or no) screen, both have Fanatec Rennsport Cockpits, Core i7 with AMD 7870 GPUs, either Logitech G27 or Fanatec GT2 wheels, Fanatec CS pedals and maybe even my "vintage" Todd Cannon special pedals (identical as made for Dale, Jr. and Justin Wilson) at good savings.

Veloce Raptor

Email sent, thanks