We build ourselves a 4500 francs race chair that shakes
8.5.2019
Translation: machine translated
A decent steering wheel with pedals is standard equipment for every racing game fan. But not everyone has the right bucket seat with a 3,000-franc mechanical vibration platform - we do.
"Holy shiiiit". The first time you speed into a bend too fast and slide over the edge of the track, the Next Level Racing Motion Platform V3 shows what it's made of. Then it shakes you up so much that you suddenly don't find the seat belts on the racing seat completely superfluous after all.
The Motion Platform is an extension for racing or flight simulation setups. It ensures that you feel every bump, every gear change and every collision. The 25-kilogram device is mounted under the racing seat. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to test such a device. When my colleague Simon Balissat - a self-proclaimed racing expert - gets wind of it, he also wants to take part. "I'll take care of that, of course, right? Is the seat already there? Are we going to put it together right away?" As his head starts to turn red at the mere suggestion that I could actually do it on my own, I get him on board, or rather in the racing car.
In order to test the motion platform properly, we organise a suitable steering wheel and pedals. Simon opts for the Thrustmaster T-GT. He would have preferred a Fanatec, but unfortunately we don't have that in our range. It's probably for the best. Simon is already jittery with anticipation. Like the platform, we were provided with the seat by Next Level. The complete setup costs over 4500 francs. You could buy a second-hand car for that price. But you won't be able to perform daring overtaking manoeuvres at 300 km/h without getting a hefty fine.
It would actually be quite simple...
When it comes to heaving the three huge and heavy packages into the studio, Simon is suddenly unable to attend. He probably doesn't want to get his manicured fingers dirty. Raphael Knecht kindly agrees to help set up the seat. Thank goodness. On my own, I would probably have freaked out - even more than I already did. Actually, the seat and the motion platform could have been assembled quickly. But unfortunately the instructions are too imprecise and in some places simply give the wrong instructions. After we have assembled the first parts of the seat, the next step tells us that if we are using the seat in combination with the motion platform, we should have used different parts. So we have to unscrew everything again and start from the beginning. Casual. In the more than two hours it takes to complete the entire assembly, we have to unscrew and re-screw things several times. Luckily, the time-lapse recording has no sound, otherwise your ears would be ringing from our swearing.
The seat unfortunately wobbles even without a platform
Finally, we fit the steering wheel and pedals to the racing chair. An optional gear stick can be mounted in several ways. Either directly next to the steering wheel or at hip height and both on the left and right - depending on whether you prefer to play flight simulations or racing games. As with a real car, the seat position can be adjusted forwards or backwards using a lever under the seat. The footrest can also be adjusted. The height of the steering wheel can be adjusted with hand screws. The steering wheel feels a little rickety on the thin stem to which it is attached. The rest of the seat also feels more like a VW Polo than an Audio R8. But in the end, we are primarily interested in the motion platform and not the seat.
It rarely works straight away
The Motion Platform is supplied with power using a standard PC power cable and connects to the PC via a USB cable. The device requires telemetry data for full functionality. This means that a game provides information about the track, ground conditions, vehicle, etc. and the platform uses this to produce realistic movements - or at least it should. It usually takes a little longer for this to really work.
Around 40 games are currently supported. These include "Project Cars", "Forza Motorsport 7" and "Assetto Corsa Competizione". I don't know what the cucumber title "The Crew" has lost among all the heavyweights. What I do know is that I absolutely have to try it out.
In order to play a game with the platform, the Next Level Racing software must first be installed. This is followed by a short firmware update and then you're ready to go. Simply select the game in the manager software, activate the profile and start the game. Ideally, the platform will then work without any further intervention. In reality, a little more fine-tuning is usually required. We tried out "Project Cars" 1 and 2, "Forza Motorsport 7", "Assetto Corsa Competizione", "The Crew" and "Need for Speed Most Wanted". Only "Assetto Corsa Competizione" worked straight away. There, the steering wheel is stuck, even though it is the only game that natively supports the Thrustmaster T-GT.
When it runs, it runs
For some reason, at least five people were standing around the seat during my first field test. Of course, word got round in our office that we were testing a racing setup costing 4000 francs in the basement. I don't let that put me off. I press the accelerator pedal to the floor and race across the tarmac at breakneck speed in "Assetto Corsa Competizione", which I've never played before. I want to challenge the motion platform a little right away. The seat lets me feel every little steering movement immediately. I can really feel the power of the vehicle. With my lead foot and rather meagre race sim experience, I overestimate the first bend and end up in the gravel. It bumps and shakes. It's marvellous. I feel like a kid on a bumper car and have to laugh out loud.
Four fifths of the audience share my enthusiasm. Only Simon snorts like an irritated bull and ruffles his hair. "Spinnsch?! You can't drive an automatic. And how do you take the bend? Do you brake when you steer? Damn you. I can't watch." Our lack of reverence for racing sims drives him to white heat and makes us laugh even harder. Before his head explodes, I leave him in the preheated seat. He fits better into the target group that would buy such a device anyway. As he does his first warm-up laps, he throws around a pile of technical terms that none of us understand and are probably half made up. A big grin slowly spreads across Simon's face. The motion platform transforms racing games into a much more intense experience. The large patches of sweat under Simon's arms are proof of this. No wonder, after all, it's not just the steering wheel that provides powerful counter-steering. It takes a lot of strength to drive the racing line while shaking him back and forth.
After "Assetto Corsa Competizione", we try out "Project Cars 2". This works after we allow telemetry data transmission in the game options. Without it, the seat remains still. After that, "Project Cars 2" also becomes a completely new experience. We have less success with "Forza Motorsport 7". Even after several attempts and workarounds, it still won't work with the platform.
I start "The Crew" out of curiosity. The game seems completely out of place next to all the simulations. At least the motion platform works straight away. It's a different story with the steering wheel and pedals. The accelerator pedal is not recognised at all and the brake and clutch are reversed. As expected, this makes for a miserable drive. The platform doesn't get up to speed at all in conjunction with the completely arcadey gameplay.
Finally, I install "Need for Speed Most Wanted". This is not officially supported, but any game should work with the standard profile. The profile is created in just a few minutes. Unsurprisingly, it doesn't look like much. The seat simply turns in the opposite direction to the way you are driving. So extreme, in fact, that "Need for Speed Most Wanted" is barely playable. If I accelerate, the seat moves so far back that I can barely see the screen. And if I steer to the left and right, it almost throws me out of the seat. It feels more like a drunken simulator than a racing sim. Of course, like all the others, this profile can be fine-tuned ad nauseam. But then I would have invested more time in it than in the game itself. Because that's pretty rubbish.
Conclusion: Expensive, bulky, but cool
The Next Level Motion Platform V3 is an ingenious extension for a racing seat. The experience is as exhilarating as when you first switch from a gamepad to a steering wheel and pedals with force feedback. It's more strenuous, but many times more intense. You won't necessarily become a better driver with the platform, but you're guaranteed to have more fun - and work up a sweat. In combination with VR goggles, it gets even more intense. For the ultimate setup, we would have liked a better steering wheel and a more stable seat.
Two things could be improved. Firstly, the incomplete instructions, which unnecessarily drag out a relatively simple process. Secondly, the fiddling around with the settings until the platform works with certain games. For the proud price of over 3000 francs, I would have expected a little more plug'n'play. But when the Motion Platform V3 is up and running and you have the necessary space, uuuuuu baby, then it's off.
Philipp Rüegg
Senior Editor
Philipp.Rueegg@digitecgalaxus.chBeing the game and gadget geek that I am, working at digitec and Galaxus makes me feel like a kid in a candy shop – but it does take its toll on my wallet. I enjoy tinkering with my PC in Tim Taylor fashion and talking about games on my podcast http://www.onemorelevel.ch. To satisfy my need for speed, I get on my full suspension mountain bike and set out to find some nice trails. My thirst for culture is quenched by deep conversations over a couple of cold ones at the mostly frustrating games of FC Winterthur.
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