Buying advice please - Next Level v3 Motion Platform

[MarkR]

I'm looking for some advice and thoughts of other owners or people with good knowledge of the product, please.

I always said I'd buy myself a motion simulator if I could afford one and had the room available. Well, that day may have arrived. I'm impressed by what I've seen of the Next Level v3 Motion Platform

This seems to meet all my criteria:

+ Limited space requirements, I don't have room for a huge sim rig but this seems compact enough to work.
+ Works with Oculus Rift VR, that fixed head position setting solution is impressive
+ Great support and regular updates from the developers
+ Available in the UK
+ Works with my current Thrustmaster wheel and accessories.
+ Sub £3k for the full setup, I'm not a pro racer I'm not looking for a practice simulator this is just for fun so the cost/fun balance has to be right.

So help me do the man maths! Is it worth it?

Is there another similar product I should also look at? It would need to be reasonably compact, work with VR, available in the UK without too much hassle and in the same £3-5K price range.

Is there anywhere I can try one or even better several of the systems in the UK?

 

[Jeremy Ford]

Aha, found extra settings under the individual game configurations. It's working in Assetto Corsa, but not RaceRoom. I found out why, it's just doesn't support RaceRoom yet, this Tactile Menu is absent under the RaceRoom menu. Missing from rFactor 2 as well. RaceRoom uses rFactor physics so just looks it's not supporting the rFactor engine yet.

In Assetto Corsa it works okay, and definitely not as refined as Simvibe. With just one transducer SimVibe does a great job at relating multiple sensations at once. The Next Level software is rougher, it isn't able to relay overlapping sensations (at least to me) and it doesn't feel as nuanced. The vibrations feel lacks the same variance (detail) of SimVibe. It sort of comes across as the same level of vibration for each effect, so road texture has it's own vibration volume, and curbs are louder but again has no variance. Simvibe just just it better.

 

[Mr Latte]

Nice work dude....

I recommend you try SSW as it offers some effects and reacts like a GS4 seat does but in tactile.
Currently members here can get 10% discount off it too.

I enjoyed some of its effects while testing it a couple of months back.

 

[anton_Chez]

If you invest so much in a motion platform, i believe you should spend the extra cash and get simvibe. It's well worth the money.

This. The NLR one is basic as. Considering people probably don't have spare bass shakers lying around the house for no reason, it seems like a waste of effort. Good to see them experimenting, but I'd rather the motion software be spot on with more features than muck around with that.

 

[Jeremy Ford]

This. The NLR one is basic as. Considering people probably don't have spare bass shakers lying around the house for no reason, it seems like a waste of effort. Good to see them experimenting, but I'd rather the motion software be spot on with more features than muck around with that.

SimVibe is $89, it's quite a chunk of change. Personally I think it's nice bonus to have the buttkicker support within the motion software, it's just using the same telemetry after all. And less applications running using up system resources is always good. Hopefully NL will support the missing titles and improve the effects later on. It's a good start.

 

[Smoothchat]

Thanks Jeremy,

Your posts are extremely helpful.

I will probably get SimVibe once I get a buttkicker (240v sold out in Australia at the moment)

Your info has helped me confirm that I can use my VRHeadset as the primary sound device and use the onboard audio for the tactile feedback (and no need for a second/dedicated audio card)

Thanks for enlightening me ;-)

Whilst on the subject of tactile feedback, has anyone tried the forcefeedback plugin? I managed to get road feel thru the NLMv3 in Raceroom, but then suffered wild gyrations of the seat if I left the bitumen at any point.

 

[Smoothchat]

Nice work dude....

I recommend you try SSW as it offers some effects and reacts like a GS4 seat does but in tactile.
Currently members here can get 10% discount off it too.

I enjoyed some of its effects while testing it a couple of months back.

I'm wondering, how do we apply the 10% discount?

 

[Smoothchat]

I see that tactile road noise is being passed through to the transducer, I wish we could add it to the motion seat data. Driving is sometimes too smooth and "floaty" on bitumen.

 

[Mr Latte]

I'm wondering, how do we apply the 10% discount?

http://www.racedepartment.com/threads/gametrix-kw-908-jetseat.123280/page-32#post-2524952

 

[Mr Latte]

I would love to turn up the intensity, but also limited the maximum movement of both axis. Too big movements do not feel realistic.

A dedicated "shift-up effect" in on my wish list too.

Raceroom does a great job with the roadbumps. Buttkickers really complete the NLMv3 as they add a lot of detail which the NLMv3 can produce like road feel and small bumps. The awesome impact of a big LFE when you ride the curbs, can't be replicated with a motion system.

A decicated forum would be great.

I know of two ways to be creative to utilise "shift audio" and have it also incorporated with a tone for added punch with tactile. Yet we don't in any tactile software have an option for individual UP/DOWN shifts. It may be a limitation of how the telemetry is used for this effect even if it maybe does something different internally with the tone used.

Unlike other effects in Simvibe or other software "Shifts" do not appear to support MIN/MAX values for a range of tones but only it seems a single fundamental frequency. Of course, some people have added multiple layers in Simvibe to try and widen the tone range used for this effect but it's still limited and far from generating a "sound" with specific detail or characteristic.

This is one example where "Game Audio Tactile" has an advantage over other solutions. As you will get/feel the actual detail characteristic for both up and down shifts. The problem here can be that this sound is maybe lost with all the other sounds, to be centered in on for a tactile unit to use. So how do we boost it and not a pile of other sounds?

 

[Smoothchat]

Nice work dude....

I recommend you try SSW as it offers some effects and reacts like a GS4 seat does but in tactile.
Currently members here can get 10% discount off it too.

I enjoyed some of its effects while testing it a couple of months back.

Thanks for the info.

Buttkicker stock in Australia looks a long way away, so I have ordered a JetSeat and SimShaker (https://andres.shop/)

Solves 2 issues for me right now .... hopefully gives me a bit more small vibration effect, and also electrically isolates me from my seat (I keep charging up statically and risk zapping my equipment)

 

[Soulstoner]

Would anyone have some insight in to the capabilities of mounting my existing Obutto R3volution seat, on top of the NLR Motion Platform v3? It seems that as long as the seat has the standard rail mounts, it will fit. The only unknown for me, is how the motion platform would be mounted under the R3volution seat frame, which is what connects my keyboard tray, shifter mount, etc.

Maybe I would need to get rid of the frame entirely? That is not ideal, as I'd lose the mounting holes for my keyboard tray, shifter mount, and flight stick mounts.



Anyone have experience with this specific idea?



Thank you!

 

[Smoothchat]

Would anyone have some insight in to the capabilities of mounting my existing Obutto R3volution seat, on top of the NLR Motion Platform v3? It seems that as long as the seat has the standard rail mounts, it will fit. The only unknown for me, is how the motion platform would be mounted under the R3volution seat frame, which is what connects my keyboard tray, shifter mount, etc.

Maybe I would need to get rid of the frame entirely? That is not ideal, as I'd lose the mounting holes for my keyboard tray, shifter mount, and flight stick mounts.



Anyone have experience with this specific idea?



Thank you!

I would get in touch with pagnian imports directly. http://pagnianimports.com.au/ They sell adapters for some seats.

 

[Moxley6969]

Would anyone have some insight in to the capabilities of mounting my existing Obutto R3volution seat, on top of the NLR Motion Platform v3? It seems that as long as the seat has the standard rail mounts, it will fit. The only unknown for me, is how the motion platform would be mounted under the R3volution seat frame, which is what connects my keyboard tray, shifter mount, etc.

Maybe I would need to get rid of the frame entirely? That is not ideal, as I'd lose the mounting holes for my keyboard tray, shifter mount, and flight stick mounts.



Anyone have experience with this specific idea?



Thank you!

you can NOT attach that monster of a Keyboard mount to the seat base if you go motion, that would throw the balance out like Craaazy. Also pending your shifter you might also need to make a pivot point adjustment to get it closer to center, as soon as you add a shifter or hand brake far out from your pivot point your severely affecting the center of mass.

 

[Jeremy Ford]

Would anyone have some insight in to the capabilities of mounting my existing Obutto R3volution seat, on top of the NLR Motion Platform v3? It seems that as long as the seat has the standard rail mounts, it will fit. The only unknown for me, is how the motion platform would be mounted under the R3volution seat frame, which is what connects my keyboard tray, shifter mount, etc.

Maybe I would need to get rid of the frame entirely? That is not ideal, as I'd lose the mounting holes for my keyboard tray, shifter mount, and flight stick mounts.

I'd say you'd need to ditch the frame if you wanted the NLR motion. Even if you could mount it, looking at this frame it would raise the seat too much, as the motion platform would require a bracket between the frame and the unit. In your picture the seat is set directly on top of the frame. The motion platform would raise the seat around 8 inches.

 

[Soulstoner]

I would definitely remove the keyboard tray any time I started a motion session.

I came across someone who mounted a v3 under an Obutto Ozone seat which is similar to the revolution, only with different style legs. Seems like it's working quite well for him, as it only raises the seat 4".

I think I'm willing to try... I'm sure Amazon would return it if needed.

 

[sjb266]

Just got my V3.. Any of you guys find the seat wobble a bit excessive when the unit is not in use? I thought it would be much more stable...

It's not a mounting issue .. its mounted to my 8020 rig which is rock solid.. Just the movement in the seat platter..

 

[Smoothchat]

I get some movement, but wouldn't call it excessive when I compare it to the amount of movement in my standard desk chair.

The actual v3 is rock solid. I get a bit of slack in the seat slider mechanism. (Next Level Seat)

 

[anton_Chez]

Mines pretty locked when not receiving a signal. Make sure it's 'parked on pause' and the motor locks the seat in the standard centered position until it receives telemetry to move. You can move it slightly it you push on the pedal deck, but it moves a fraction and you can tell it's solid, I test drive with it off all the time, and it never moves or bothers me while stationary, Basically it's a non seat mover when off.

 

[Soulstoner]

Mines pretty locked when not receiving a signal. Make sure it's 'parked on pause' and the motor locks the seat in the standard centered position until it receives telemetry to move. You can move it slightly it you push on the pedal deck, but it moves a fraction and you can tell it's solid, I test drive with it off all the time, and it never moves or bothers me while stationary, Basically it's a non seat mover when off.

I've read that you need to ensure you're sitting at centre mass with the unit, otherwise it may cause undue stress on the platform. Would you say this is your experience as well?

 

[anton_Chez]

Absolutely, I spent many days trying to solve a problem I discovered using No Limits 2 roller coaster simulator. The way seat and cockpit was put together, my seat was too far forward. I am pretty short, around 5'5, 5'6 maybe (165cm) and I need to be closer to the pedals and wheel than taller drivers. I moved my back end forward a little and that allowed me to move the seat further back on the sliders. That almost fixed it completely. Make sure when you look from the side, the seat is properly positioned over the pivot point of the motor. Further back is better than forward.