As a newcomer to motion I have the advantage of being unbiased toward either platform, but also the disadvantage that I don't know what I want because I have no experience in either too... I could very well buy the NLV3 and be in utter sim-heaven, thinking it's the best in the world. I'm just a bit concerned that if I then ever get the opportunity to try the D-BOX that I'd think it's better and less enjoy my NLV3.
BUUUT... reading about the D-BOX since yesterday and all day today, I'm still not convinced it's a better option than the NLV3. I rather think it's a
different experience altogether. I'm afraid the D-BOX will be nothing without a GS-4/5. As far as I understand the NLV3
does convey g-forces in a way that tricks the brain to believe it through muscle tension. I'm very interested in the tactile feedback that the D-BOX can produce and reading it nobody seems to have tested it side-by-side to a good iNuke + Buttkicker Advance setup. I still believe the Buttkicker will have the advantage, because it is independent of the motion, you can tune it to whatever data you like, you can even split the data over two transducers, one for low and one for high freq. Then you can position them on the chassis where you want. I prefer the clean setup of the D-BOX over motion + tactile + amps, but once you've got your VR goggles on, it doesn't matter
Professional racers trying simulators are also divided:
- one camp says the D-BOX solution gives an accurate replica of the
movement of the car, especially weight transfer and bumps, spring information etc. and this helps them when getting back in the real car, to have an analogous set of data feedback.
- the other camp says the seat mover solution gives them an accurate simulation of the
forces in a car, and as a result actually gives them the correct muscle memory training needed for racing a real car.
Reading the different feedbacks from all over the world, it seems you can't necessary say D-BOX is better than NLV3, but rather that either provide a different solution in tricking the brain in believing you're in a car (both way way way better than 6-DOF). You'd actually have to try both to say which one you like more, it might even depend an the type of cars you like to drive, or the style you drive.
I believe however
VR plays a huuuuuge role in immersion. I will not go back to screens, it feels disconnected and like looking at another person driving, not me. So my biggest concern with any motion is:
how does it cater to VR? Does it work together?
- the NLV3 actually offers a software feature to correct for the motion induced by the system, so your VR reference to the wheel stays the same. This seems brilliant, why other manufacturers don't offer this is a mystery?
- D-BOX or any other full frame mover offer nothing to correct for the movement induced by the system in VR. What concerns me most is that I have not seen any video's of people using D-BOX with VR, it's always triple-screen...why? Or is the motion small enough to not be a problem, why then, does NLV3 offer a solution?
I understand you can strap a controller to the top of your seat, have that tracked by static sensors, use a plugin in Steam to have that motion cancelled out, but that seems cumbersome, and leaves for inaccuracy due to flex and tracking errors. Also the next generation of VR HMD's will most likely be moving to inside-out tracking, so it's a lot easier to have the motion cancelled by a software calculation than tracking.
I don't know maybe I've got it wrong there, maybe the sensor slapped on tracking is really good enough, but why is it a Steam hack, and why is there so little information out there, I don't see anyone of the big sim channels using motion with VR. It's a tricky situation.
So my conclusion: the NLV3 still seems like the best all round motion platform:
- because it can convey road surface (due to fast actuators)
- as well as some degree of g-force
- muscles! Yeah! Get them trained for driving a real car!
- VR correction, seamless hassle free integration, future proof
- relatively cheap
- opens up your budget for a really 'kick' ass tactile setup
When the GS-5 seat finally hits the market, things will change. The D-BOX paired with a GS-5 seat can convey road/suspension feedback including some degree of tactile (yet to be properly tested/compared to buttkckr)
but now with a plausible g-force trick.
This will cover the broad spectrum of racing immersion. But using a D-BOX
without the GS-5 seems like a step down from a seat mover, a different experience, some might prefer but in no way broader, or more complete.
Adding a GS-5 to the NLV3 seems like a good solution too, though I'm not sure if one cancels out the other? Anybody tried this?
So, I'll stick to my original plan and get the NLV3, with some good ol' Buttkickers, tune it to my liking and enjoy the heck out of it in VR. Suspension feedback is cool and all, but g-forces are in my opinion paramount to race driving, and the D-BOX seems like a soulless experience in that regard.
As my opinion is based solely on analysis of information gathered from the internet and my little experience flying in full frame motion simulators when training for my Boeing 767 typerating and successive checks, please take my opinion with a grain of salt, and please correct me if I made any wrong assumptions or incorrect analysis?? I really just want to know whats best.
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