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?

 

[Mascot]

My NLV3 settings are geared towards quite subtle movement too. You do not need much motion to complement the immersion of racing in VR, but it definitely helps. A lot!

 

[Mascot]

You guys saw this? https://www.reddit.com/r/simracing/comments/9ezek3/traction_and_motionwho_wants_to_speculate/

Interesting, but personally not interested. A while ago I did speculate that this was probably coming. Hopefully the V3 will still be sold alongside it. The low stock levels of V3s in the past few months might be because they've been building stock of this new unit.
For me it looks bulky, with a proprietary weak-looking cockpit (if NL's current crop are any metric), and probably more than twice the price of a V3... and I've never felt the need for 'actual' traction loss in VR when 'phantom' traction loss in VR with the V3 fools my brain quite nicely.
I remain very happy with my V3.

Interestingly, from the photo it looks like not only the rear of the seat slides sideways, but the front does as well. Maybe the (inexplicable ) popularity of drifting is influencing hardware beyond purple anodised handbrakes now?

 

[HoiHman]

It looks like both the rear AND front of the rig have the option to move left and right. Moving the front would revolutionary. Looking at the picture i do not see any NLMv3 compatiblity

 

[Mascot]

It looks like both the rear AND front of the rig have the option to move left and right. Moving the front would revolutionary. Looking at the picture i do not see any NLMv3 compatiblity

Yeah, I mentioned that in my edit above. So understeer, oversteer AND drifting could be simulated? I'm not aware of any other unit that can do that. Some DIY builds maybe can?

 

[ColinMac]

I'm heading there at on Friday. Will check it out!

 

[HugoB]

Yeah, I mentioned that in my edit above. So understeer, oversteer AND drifting could be simulated? I'm not aware of any other unit that can do that. Some DIY builds maybe can?

If it can pivot, that is, otherwise it’s just a lateral movement. You’d need two actuators for rear and front traction loss. Won’t be cheap.

 

[HugoB]

But I agree, wouldn’t want any other cockpit than 80/20, it’s just unbeatable.

 

[Furnace Inferno]

Maybe not getting a NLRV3 last month was a good thing, looking forward to seeing pricing and what it can do. Hopefully you can just stick any rig onto the platform, although the P1 with gear attached at around 80kg it might be too much.

Rig is GT Track:

So it’s just the platform underneath it would seem maybe just traction loss to go with the V3, if they have a reasonably price bundle the Sim Lab P1 can be mounted to I’ll be very tempted. That chair in the promo pic looks terrible.

 

[HugoB]

Maybe not getting a NLRV3 last month was a good thing, looking forward to seeing pricing and what it can do. Hopefully you can just stick any rig onto the platform, although the P1 with gear attached at around 80kg it might be too much.

Rig is GT Track:

So it’s just the platform underneath it would seem maybe just traction loss to go with the V3, if they have a reasonably price bundle the Sim Lab P1 can be mounted to I’ll be very tempted. That chair in the promo pic looks terrible.

The chair is wobbling, there seems to be very little rigidity? Also isn’t that movement set too large?

 

[RobertR1]

Everyone keeps going on about traction loss and yaw but in reality, I much rather have a system that helps me feel the load building up in the car. I'd trade the simulation of traction loss for better feeling of weight distribution, tire load and flex all day. This would also go a long way to solving the sim problem of not being able to simulate understeer well.

 

[Furnace Inferno]

Everyone keeps going on about traction loss and yaw but in reality, I much rather have a system that helps me feel the load building up in the car. I'd trade the simulation of traction loss for better feeling of weight distribution, tire load and flex all day. This would also go a long way to solving the sim problem of not being able to simulate understeer well.

Well ideally you’d have the full shebang with the upcoming GS-5 Seat for G-forces and seat belt tensioner but that’s all $$$.

Realistically that cost also isn’t going to come down too much before things start becoming way too unreliable.

 

[anton_Chez]

Some good points made. I challenge anyone comparing a V3 to a D-Box system to actually fork out the money for one and take it from there. It's all well and good to compare a $20K+ AUD motion system to one that can be had for a touch under $4K AUD. Just like I'd say my wife's Hyundai i30 isn't as good as the blokes Ferrari next door. Well, yeah. I'm also not $400,000 out of pocket.

Hoi, I wasn't advocating people spend money on a product only to then use it at 50% or less of its capabilites. I was stating that there are ways that you can limit that liability if you so wish. Some people care more about the longevity of their possessions and would rather nurse them through use rather than have things unnecessarily break down. Options give you choices and that's certainly what the software has been able to offer in it's latter iterations. I also feel that my settings give a better feeling than what comes out of the box, and others are able to attest to that. The bonus of this is that the platform moves less than what it does normally. Win win to me. I mean people that own super cars don't bang the needle off the redline every gear every time they drive, even though you could expect to be able to do so without fear of grenading an $80,000 engine.

If you tune it right, the platform gives you the correct cues of weight transfer, grip, braking intensity and amount of power that you are putting down with your right foot. All cues that real racers use to understand what their cars are doing on track. Couple this with not being able to just blindly hammer over bigger curbs and certain parts of the road, and you get a pretty comprehensive experience for what is a very reasonable price tag. Coupled with a decent set of pedals and a good to high end steering wheel solution and you are bound to have a great experience. Since I've had my OSW I have been able to correct nearly every slide I've encountered, except for the ones that are beyond saving, of course. This was the case even with my CSW, a very capable bit of kit that pairs with a motion platform sans a traction loss module very nicely.

The fact remains that a lot of people own these systems now, and the chances of hearing about more failures is just a law of averages. My issue is able to be rectified at home, with some spare parts sent out that didn't cost me anything. I'd say that's a minor inconvenience, at worst.

 

[Kranky Pantz]

Anton,those of us in North America are pretty much fuct unless the retailer where we purchased it from takes care of us.
There are zero service centers here, and cracking that proprietary unit open is a no-go.
Seriously, no user replaceable fuse on such an expensive device????
Even most amplifiers have an external fuse to check before entering freak-out mode ;-)
I still feel as though I've dodged a bullet with my $4k CAD refund from Best Buy (as I sit here on my knees thanking the God of Best Buy, LOL!).
Heck, they even gave me a written price match until 2019 to re-buy one at the same price.($500 discount...$3500 CAD + taxes)

My similar DIY will be under $1k CAD, and I'll be able to re-source parts if and when need be, or even upgrade to traction loss or future options if so desired.
Then again, I like to tinker.

Best of luck to you all!
Loved my NLRv3 when it worked, and I've been bitten by the bug as far as motion is concerned.

P.S. SimVibe works with ACC, which leads me to believe that it may also work with the NLRv3 if you use the Assetto Corsa profile in the Connector software.
There's definitely some telemetry output happening in ACC, even during early access.

 

[anton_Chez]

That's unfortunate that the support is not there locally for NA buyers. Hopefully that is something that is sorted in the near future, with such a huge potential market.

I think the platform jumped when I was in ACC menus so yeah I think the AC profile will probably work. No doubt there will be an update soon to support the title. Maybe closer to release.

 

[aliolemon]

Reworked my rig the last days, won some cm (Inches) in seating height and tilted the seat.
I Need to say that i am missing the Acceleration and braking Forces from the NLM V3.
Maybe i am reinstalling the v3, and my own low weight compansates the extra stress of the braking Forces of the Heusinkveld. Combining the two platforms to one brought the Problem of weight Distribution. With the V3 i Need two LFE Buttkickers in front that puts extra stress on the ProSimu actuators. The many compromises ,just made me thinking if two platforms are one two much.

 

[Next Level Racing]

Dear All,

Hope we can assist here with some feedback directly to clear some speculation/confusion.

We can certainly confirm that the Traction+ Motion Platform is not designed to replace the V3 at all.

The Traction+ system features yaw, sway, understeer, traction loss and power slides. Then combined with the V3 it adds lateral force, longitudinal force, roll, pitch and partially heave. V3 users can expect the same level of quality and product here with the new Traction+ motion platform. A big thankyou to users here who have purchased and hopefully are enjoying the V3. The V3 platform has had fantastic feedback from users and professionals and we certainly will continue stocking them globally. The V3 combined with the new Traction+ motion platform is the ultimate motion simulation experience.

We look forward to premiering the new platform at Sim Racing Expo this weekend and also showing our new GTtrack cockpit which has been designed and built for serious sim racers using direct drive wheels and professional pedals. Here's a sneak preview of both -

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=412815535913689

A wholehearted thankyou for your support from the team at Next Level Racing.

 

[Mascot]

Dear All,

Hope we can assist here with some feedback directly to clear some speculation/confusion.

We can certainly confirm that the Traction+ Motion Platform is not designed to replace the V3 at all.

The Traction+ system features yaw, sway, understeer, traction loss and power slides. Then combined with the V3 it adds lateral force, longitudinal force, roll, pitch and partially heave. V3 users can expect the same level of quality and product here with the new Traction+ motion platform. A big thankyou to users here who have purchased and hopefully are enjoying the V3. The V3 platform has had fantastic feedback from users and professionals and we certainly will continue stocking them globally. The V3 combined with the new Traction+ motion platform is the ultimate motion simulation experience.

We look forward to premiering the new platform at Sim Racing Expo this weekend and also showing our new GTtrack cockpit which has been designed and built for serious sim racers using direct drive wheels and professional pedals. Here's a sneak preview of both -

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=412815535913689

A wholehearted thankyou for your support from the team at Next Level Racing.

Welcome to the forums!
Please regularly monitor this thread and keep contributing - I'm sure a lot of V3 users here would appreciate having a quick and easy direct line of communication to air any queries or concerns.

 

[anton_Chez]

Dear All,

Hope we can assist here with some feedback directly to clear some speculation/confusion.

Yes indeed, welcome! The motion+ looks VERY interesting. I am already contemplating how I might incorporate that into my 80 20 chassis setup.....

Also nice to see a re-imagined cockpit aimed specifically at consumers with higher end hardware. The market is certainly shifting quickly in this aspect and many users have moved on from the middle tier equipment in the quest for enhanced immersion and feedback. It's really nice to be part of a growing community of sim racers, software developers and hardware manufacturers alike. Exciting times seeing our hobby really take off over the 2 or so years I've been into it all.

Also, a big thank you to Pagnian Imports (distributors of the V3 platform in Australia) who swiftly provided me with 2 replacement tension springs within a couple of days of me contacting them.

 

[Mascot]

Interesting that harnesses are shown in that video, even if they aren't connected. I'd be a little concerned about adding stress to the motors with a harness, but maybe their use is officially endorsed by NL..?

 

[anton_Chez]

I run a harness. The way to do it is to attach the mounting points to the part of the platform that moves. Rather than to a static part of the rig. That way puts extra stress on the motor. The harness being connected to the moving platform is like it not being there. I had mine incorrectly installed until someone pointed it out to me. With the 80 20 setup now there were a few spots to put it and I quite like how I have it now. It feels good and I don't have to worry about damaging anything. I am not sure if you can see how I've done it in my build log pics.

People might laugh at the harness but it does add a fair to the experience.