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?

 

[rikirk]

I found the culprit in the USB pins. So it's all good now. Still working on getting the rig back in place with the parts and pieces I have handy for the higher seat position.
I used a MDF board for now to mount the seat since the holes are overlapping; will order a metal plate and sliders later to give a seamless look and provide some mechanical tilt.
I also need to find a suitable harness for the last touch.
Not sure I would be able to play with the software tomorrow, but I will definitely report back on my findings.

 

[Kranky Pantz]

Glad to hear that you've sorted it out.
Makes me wonder if you bought my old returned unit from last month.
Probably not though, as that one had no power after it locked up and died.
If you don't mind me asking, you mentioned that it was a steal...how much did it cost?

 

[leeroy605]

Anyone in here use tactile transducers with their motion platform?

Just wondering what the best place to install them are, looking to put one under the seat and one under the pedal deck (for now!).

For the seat is it best to install it somewhere attached directly under the seat or attached to the motion platform itself?

Or is attaching it somewhere under the seat to the chassis itself best? Thanks!

 

[aKy0001]

Im using Simvibe in chassis mode, 2 transducers left/right beside the front pedals on my alu rig, 2 transducers mounted directly on the side-mounts of my seat (simply drilled holes into them to bolt the transducers onto the plate)

Works really well, great feeling of road textures or driving over curbs and easy location of of left or right side

 

[leeroy605]

Im using Simvibe in chassis mode, 2 transducers left/right beside the front pedals on my alu rig, 2 transducers mounted directly on the side-mounts of my seat (simply drilled holes into them to bolt the transducers onto the plate)

Works really well, great feeling of road textures or driving over curbs and easy location of of left or right side

View attachment 273313 View attachment 273314

That's very nice and neat, I like that. Feeling must be good having it directly bolted to your seat.

Would not work for my setup unfortunately due to my seat choice, but will remember it for when I get a proper bucket seat!

 

[o Tiger Feet o]

Pre orders being taken for the rear motion thingy. Just look at that bundle package price

https://www.force2motion.de/Next-Level-Racing/

 

[o Tiger Feet o]

The different V3 editions for different rigs is quite a good idea. Making installing easier can't be a bad thing...?

 

[anton_Chez]

Oooof, 6,000 euro for the traction loss alone. You can build an 80 20 chassis with the V3 platform, a seat and harness and still have some change left over in comparison.

I don't see this being anywhere near as popular as the V3 platform itself. Even I'm now no longer interested in this product at all.

 

[blanes]

I had not seen the price mentioned anywhere yet but I will try confirm that when I go down the Gold Coast this week to hopefully take a ride on it !

 

[BrainsBush]

Oooof, 6,000 euro for the traction loss alone. You can build an 80 20 chassis with the V3 platform, a seat and harness and still have some change left over in comparison.

I don't see this being anywhere near as popular as the V3 platform itself. Even I'm now no longer interested in this product at all.

Agree. My daily job is sales (in ICT) but this I cannot 'sell' to my boss (aka wife). Even for myself this is a bit too much money for my hobby. It is probably worth the value/money for the quality product you get. Still curious who will buy this add on and publish a review.

 

[Ecstreme]

Hey guys. hope you're all well. Since updating to the new software I've had a few glitches. The motion compensation tried to turn itself on during a league race and then turned itself off again, messed up my race!! Also last night I heard the USB disconnect sound and the seat changed settings. It then reconnected again but didn't feel right. I had to reboot the PC. Anyone else had issues? I'm tempted to roll back to previous software if I can.

Also, there seems to now be tactile feedback for rFactor2 when riding on kerbs. I don't like it and want to turn it off. I prefer the jetseat feedback for rumble. I couldn't find a setting anywhere to turn this off. Any ideas?

Cheers guys.

 

[Steve D]

Hey guys. hope you're all well. Since updating to the new software I've had a few glitches. The motion compensation tried to turn itself on during a league race and then turned itself off again, messed up my race!! Also last night I heard the USB disconnect sound and the seat changed settings. It then reconnected again but didn't feel right. I had to reboot the PC. Anyone else had issues? I'm tempted to roll back to previous software if I can.

Also, there seems to now be tactile feedback for rFactor2 when riding on kerbs. I don't like it and want to turn it off. I prefer the jetseat feedback for rumble. I couldn't find a setting anywhere to turn this off. Any ideas?

Cheers guys.

No such problems since updating recently myself.

The issues might all be USB or hardware related, rather than to do with the software and if I were you I'd contact support, (there's a hyperlink in Help & Support menu / General tab), in the first instance. They might be aware of potential issues if bugs have been reported by others but if not they will probably ask you to provide a Snapshot file, (located in the Help & Support / Snapshot tab), so that they can dig a bit deeper.

If your seat was suddenly out of it's usual alignment and won't sort itself, despite a reboot, that can sometimes point to a dirty optical sensor and the internal cams not reading the calibrated position. It's a 5 minute fix, if that is the problem, but again it's best to contact support and provide that Snapshot file as you will need to break the warranty security sticker to get inside the unit and they will give you the green light if needs be.

With regards tactile being enabled, I can't say I've noticed anything different when enjoying rFactor2 that wasn't there before so just check that nothing has been enabled in the Tools & Diagnostics / Tactile Feedback Configuration menu. Same applies with regards your VR compensation issue. (Tools & Diagnostics / VR integration)

Definitely something weird going on!

 

[Ecstreme]

No such problems since updating recently myself.

The issues might all be USB or hardware related, rather than to do with the software and if I were you I'd contact support, (there's a hyperlink in Help & Support menu / General tab), in the first instance. They might be aware of potential issues if bugs have been reported by others but if not they will probably ask you to provide a Snapshot file, (located in the Help & Support / Snapshot tab), so that they can dig a bit deeper.

If your seat was suddenly out of it's usual alignment and won't sort itself, despite a reboot, that can sometimes point to a dirty optical sensor and the internal cams not reading the calibrated position. It's a 5 minute fix, if that is the problem, but again it's best to contact support and provide that Snapshot file as you will need to break the warranty security sticker to get inside the unit and they will give you the green light if needs be.

With regards tactile being enabled, I can't say I've noticed anything different when enjoying rFactor2 that wasn't there before so just check that nothing has been enabled in the Tools & Diagnostics / Tactile Feedback Configuration menu. Same applies with regards your VR compensation issue. (Tools & Diagnostics / VR integration)

Definitely something weird going on!

Thanks Steve, I'll do that. It's just happened again whereby the seat disconnects after 50mins and reconnects again. I've just checked the connection and switched USB ports. I've also realised that the tactile feedback I don't like is on the left side - it just rattles when I hit a kerb. The right hand side does not and feed good. How very strange!

 

[anton_Chez]

I noticed Monday night in my race that kerbs were WAY more pronounced in rFactor2 than I previously remembered. I quite liked it. I tried to replicate the feeling in other sims and in Raceroom at least, I couldn't. I wonder if anything changed in rFactor2 itself, but I doubt it. I run dedicated tactile and I definitely noticed the change. At first I couldn't tell that it was the V3 but later on it definitely felt like an additional effect. It actually has directional feedback, too. So left side for left kerbs and right side for right. I was very suprised.

I didn't change anything in my software. I run rFactor2 at least once a week so for me to notice it only now must mean something is different. For reference I was driving Bathurst 2014 on Monday night, if that helps to compare. I haven't been into any other track for further investigation. Just jumped out of AC now and I can't say I noticed any tactile effect on kerbs coming from the V3 in there. Of course from my buttkickers, yes.

I have had the odd occasion where the unit will shut itself off for a brief second or two, sound the disconnect signal, then reconnect and continue operating as normal. This can happen if there is too much movement occuring especially at the out limits of the range of movement and also if you have turned up the intensity at all. It's like a safeguard but I've only ever had it happen when using the No Limits 2 rollercoaster game and on the very odd occasion while racing, where the track is super bumpy or abnormally feeding motion to the platform (off track, bumpy corner under braking at the same time, etc.)

 

[David Martinez]

In my case if I have noticed the effects when stepping on the pianos in rfactor2 and I love them. If someone discovers how to put them in AC, it would be fantastic

I also use Simvibe for the rest of the effects and oculus, the whole set is a delight.

 

[anton_Chez]

Yeah they must be new for people to be noticing them now. They feel really good!

 

[rikirk]

It's working and finally installed last night.

First and foremost Matthew at NLR is the greatest guy, he kept in the loop and always followed up my emails at once. That means a lot. Some vendors are just nice with you before they empty your wallet.

I went through most of YT and forums to grasp as much info as possible, specially about post processing which it's still grey area.

The V3 is definitely a great improvement to the VR experience. It's all about finding the right settings and I really thank you all here for posting yours. Will do my job as well when happy with the result.

My biggest concern was having the seat moving with a static pedal platform and it's not a problem at all. I understand you might loose some coordination while accelerating, but feels actually very good and realistic when braking hard. In this respect, I guess the harness it's the next step, thinking of a 5 point to be attached straight to the 80/20 adding a couple of good springs at the back. If anyone knows a good load value, please do share. Thinking about 20lb, but might be too much.

Since the holes of the Playseat and the V3 are offset, I had to use a MDF board to make a template until I get a 3 mm stainless steel plate and gain that precious half an inch down and a much better looking platform.

Simvibe vs NLR … well I am also a proud owner of the AF2 and I was holding until the new SimVibe Plug-n-Play hits the market eventually by xMas before going tactile. Still, I am wondering if just a buttkicker under the V3 will do the job. I am not interested in RPM vibration or any shift effects and I want to keep the whole system quiet as it is now. I am aiming just to a realistic suspension feedback when using AC and ACC (love rF2, too) and I am worried with the moving seat I will loose the benefit of the transducers in this area. Can you please share your knowledgeable advice on this?

To be continued soon.

 

[anton_Chez]

If you mount the buttkicker directly to the platform via a plate or something similar as I did, you will feel it. You are correct in saying that the feeling will be slightly reduced because of the motion working as well, but it's still a worthwhile endeavour to incorporate at least a little tactile. The V3 will not replace a tactile unit. It depends on the unit you choose, what program and what settings you use.

 

[rikirk]

Thank you Anton. As mentioned, my question is if getting 4 transducers through simvive will provide suspensions feedback over the V3 movement or should I just give up and get a buttkicker to enhance the feedback through the NLR software for bumps and curbs.because I would not feel the physics of the suspensions from the telemetry anyway. Just saying because I have simvibe alresal due to the AF2...

 

[anton_Chez]

I run Simvibe with 2 Mini LFE units. I also run SSW with Simvibe for the braking downforce effect. Basically I feel everything when running motion. I use engine and suspension with Simvibe and I use gear shift and braking effect with SSW at the same time. With motion. I feel it all.

Again, it depends on your units, your software, the way you power the units and also where you place them. If that's all not terrible, you will fee it. I remember going from a static rig to a motion platform that the feeling was dulled. But this could be a number of reasons first of which being the way you acutally place the units on the new setup. It might not be the motion that dulls the feedback but less ideal placement depending on available options compared to your previous setup.