Recently upgraded my V2 motion sim to the newer V3 which is bit quieter and has more refined movement via an upgraded digital encoder. Thought I would do a mini review of my impressions while racing, it shows only pCars but the motion for RaceRoom RE is actually even better so I will have to do another vid to show how great that is too. Hope you guys enjoy watching. cheers Be great to get a thumbs up if you like the vid, thanks.
Short vid of my oldest son practicing in the FR3 at Salzburgring. He went ok considering the last race game he played was Grand Prix 4 using my old red Logitech Wingman wheel many moons ago !
I really like the NLR V3. It's small, quiet and it fits my rSeat RS1. I also like the custom software that comes with it... and the pricing is attractive to me. So I seriously think about buying it, BUT I have some doubts.... for the same money I could get the Prosimu T1000 3DOF and this one also got the dimension of traction loss. I can only imagine that this is an important feature for immersion and even more to the point of car control. It's bigger, it has a lot of cables and control boxes to take care of, my beloved rSeat can't be attached to it, it's louder and you don't have a custom software to run/adjust it... So why is it an alternative for me? The only point for me is the traction loss dof. So does/can the Next Level Racing V3 also simulate traction loss or is that not so important at all? Are my concerns unnecessary? I would be glad to hear some opinions/experiences from you guys with motion rigs.
Hey Thomas I see your dilemma and if price is same but you also get traction loss then that could be the decider in favor of prosimu. As much as I love the NL V3 it does not have traction loss and I could not say if that is a huge difference for immersion. What I do suggest is to research the other main difference which is that NL V3 is a seat mover and prosimu moves the whole cockpit. There are pros & cons for each but I decided on a seat mover after reading the different arguments as I wanted motion only for simracing. But is worth reading up on before you decide.
As a new owner of the V3, I am loving it. I was considering something like the Stage 4 from SimXperience, but being in Aus, the postage alone was like $1.5K, so it sort of put it around double the price for me. That unit does have the traction loss module, and apparently they say that it is exclusive to SimXperience, which I found interesting and surprising. If it's such a key feature or component, how could it be that they are the only ones that have it? I mean apart from a DIY build, which if you look at Avenga86's custom built motion rig over on the ISRTV forums, that thing is amazing. He has it but obviously as a DIY it is not a commercially available build. I have seen very expensive rigs and they don't seem to have it either. So I decided to give the V3 platform a go and am very happy with it. I will say that being only 2 DOF seems like a limitation, but the software actually does an awesome job of taking the telemetry data and interpreting what movement would be required to simulate what's happening on screen. So, for instance, it does not have a Z axis (up and down) to simulate heave when suspension compresses, but it does a great job of still providing the sensation with the axis and forces that it does have available to it. I would recommend this unit to someone starting out in the motion game, as it may just provide you what you need without the large footprint and mess that some other larger rigs require. Also, keep in mind anything that moves the entire rig (seat, wheel, pedals, screens etc.) as they tend to not have the speed in the motors to generate those twitchy movements. This is a big factor and a major plus when considering a seat only mover. There is much less weight, therefore the movement is translated instantly to the body when the car reacts on screen.
I can't imagine how relevant traction loss and z-axis movement is and/or how good the NLR V3 can compensate it. I don't care if it is a full motion rig or a seat mover, as long as it can fool my brain. I hope that NLR and Prosimu will attend the Simracing Expo, so that I can experience the systems on my own. I know that systems that costs 3000 EUR are just the entry level for motion rigs, but for me on a medium-term the only ones affordable. So NLR V3 and Prosimu T1000 3DOF are the only products eligible. At least that's what I found out, reading lots of forums and reviews.
Actually in similar price range is also another which I personally think looks very good. Made by a Ukrainian guy who is active on the xsim forums where a few people bought and said it is good. Maybe check it out, just another to consider. http://dofreality.com/ Like Anton I really enjoy the NL V3 but if I had the opportunity I would definitely love to try either of those other rigs to feel the difference in having traction loss. I have watched videos of both of them and really if I am missing out on something I think it is compensated otherwise. I agree re the short sharp twitchy movements over bumps etc. because the V3 does that quite well. Good luck and really look forward to seeing what you end up with Thomas, be sure keep us updated.
Ordered 1 of these, can't wait to try it with VR. I had been using a GS4 seat with VR and it was incredible so I figure I will try proper 'motion' with VR and compare the 2. I will post up when I get it going.
That sounds good and there is another guy HoiHman who also has Gs-4 seat and plans to mount the GS-4 onto the V3. He asked the guys at Next Level Racing and they told him the total weight of user + seat (any seat fitted) = 150 kg so as long as your weight combined with GS-4 is under that you will be good. HoiHman ( Henk ) said the GS-4 weighs approx 30kg. I see you have a DD wheel and I can tell you that having an AccuForce combined with motion and VR feels awesome as the tactile feedback built into the V3 (+ Bkg2 attached) all work in harmony to give an incredible experience. RaceRoom and Assetto Corsa have the best feeling in motion in my opinion. Only drawback of RR is that the motion does not get turned off at the end of the race which does not feel good and is a struggle to reach the mouse to the continue button. I have told them about it but I do not think it is anywhere on their to-do list at this time so it is something unpleasant you just try adjust to without throwing your neck out too much !
I received the NLMv3 this week. I have to say i'm really impressed by it. The noise levels are slightly above the GS-4, which is quiet enough for me to use it during the nightly races. For me personally turning the intensity down to 50-60% improved the realism factor. Probably because the GS-4 is also doing it's work, i can run the NLMv3 at lower settings, especially in the corners I'm still configuring the unit and trying to find the golden combination GS-4 and Seat mover. Initial impressions are pretty good. This afternoon i took the formula US on the ring in VR with full windsimulation. At one point i could not distinguish anymore which device was giving me the feedback: The NLMv3, the GS-4 or the 8 channel buttkicker system, all this while the wind blowing in my face at full speed..... And that when the magic starts happening. I managed to squeeze in a large Buttkicker LFE under the GS-4, sacrificing the ability to move the seat rails backwards, because it's mounted as close to the piviot as it can be. VR-Motion compensation works pretty good and is one of the main factors why i bought this system. Overall: Very satified with my purchase. Are there as downsides, improvements that can be made? Yes - Right now it's imposible to fully disable a certain effect. The minimum slider sensitivity is 20% - The vibration when redline (full rpm) can't be disabled in race room. Very anoying with DTM races and DRS. - I would like some more tuning abilities like in Simcommander I have noticed the movement after quiting a race too in R3E. Untill now i have only tried R3E. It's pretty awesome that i can run the game with 4 telemetry based programs without any problems. - Simcommander (simvibe, GS-4, Accuforce) - Simtools (windsimulator) - Next level manager (NLMv3) - Crewchief
I saw the review of the V3 at Inside Sim Racing and the stated that the support ist extremely good. They had some issues too and with the next patch of the software, they fixed it. So perhaps you should give up a ticket at the NLR support and you have a good chance that with the next patch they will fix it.
The motion does excellent job of tricking the brain re the movement of the vehicle while the buttkicker transfer the tactile effects of motor vibration, road noise/bumps and other effects upon the suspension. The v3 does have tactile feedback via rumble but in different frequency range to buttkicker, so it is a complimentary thing that adds to immersion. Hope I have explained that well enough. cheers mark Henk does have a really big ass buttkicker there, mine is only a little gamer2 but I find it is easily enough for me to get the feedback I need otherwise I would suffer from sensory overload, Henk probs has a bigger butt, er I mean brain than me !
Like Mark said, but also simvibe gives you much more control over the available effects. You can choose the volume, the frequency, the sensitivity of certain effects that can't be achieved by motion. The way the curbs feel with the big LFE, there's no motionsystem that can replicate that. Then there's stuff like engine RPM, which can't be replicated by a motion system. Finally the motion system does not give any feedback to your feet, that's why i have some buttkickers there too.
Thanks guys, there is obviously more to it than I imagined there would be. I have been wanting a butt kicker for ages nut they have not been available in australia for around 18 months now.
In Europe neither. But the Guitammer guys promised to have the new (improved) versions in stock late this spring... (release has been postponed three or four times by now). I am waiting for the new simulation kit to replace my Buttkicker Gamer 2 (from which the amp blew) for over 9 months now.