Review Review Commercial Simulator NjMotion SV3-TL

Hi all,

Now that I have all the parts of my NJMotion platform I am starting a thread to make a small review and answer questions you guys may have.First some background on my past experience in moving platforms: None

This being said, racing games have been the only type of games I have been consistently playing throughout my life (since I have tried Grand Prix from Accolade back in the 80's). Some 7 years ago I have bought my first wheel, a Fanatec Porsche Turbo S, and whenever other hobbies and life in general allowed I played or did some upgrades to it.

Last year, while doing one of my nerd/geek google searches I came across this forum and started to think what a great thing it would be to add yet another level of geekness to my wheel and VR setup.

After deciding that I did not had the time, tools and space to build my own rig (lazyness can also be a good adjective) I searched for viable commercial alternatives and this led me to NJMotion platforms which seemed to satisfy most of my requirements.

My current setup is the following:
- NJMotion SV3-TL (slightly modified for my weight range 110KG/190cm)
- Gametrix seat cover
- Fanatec CSW 2.5 + BMW wheel
- Fanatec Clubsport SQ 1.5 Shifter
- Fanatec Clubsport Handbrake
- CST Pedal set
- Oculus Rift
- PC with NVidia 1080

PROS of NJMotion:
- Lots of different adjustments to suit each person (very fast to make adjustments for your friends and family to also enjoy your rig)
- Footprint of the platform (it is squeezed in a 200cm x 110cm space of my mancave)
- Low noise (I live in an apartment and as such I have to consider my neighbours)
- Control box for speed and travel of motors with kill switch for motors.
- Very well built (Javier knows what he is doing when using the welder) and a nice black paint powder coat.
- Heavy duty motors. Some over-engineering it always nice.
- Very clean look of the platform. Only two cables are at sight (of course I later changed this when I added all my stuff)
- With the instructions provided I was able to setup the software in a couple of hours (I had no prior experience with SimTools)
- Comes with commercial license for SimTools
- Custom built support for my shifter and handbrake (handbrake supports rotation which is a very nice feature)
- Customized support for my larger then average pedal set
- Location (I was able to pick it up myself, save some euros and meet Javier in person)

CONS of NJMotion:
- It is not the most pretty thing with round tubes and very artistic, but it then end it doesn't matter as long as it works as it should.
- Footprint of the platform (while I also consider this to be a pro, for someone big like me it gets rather long). Also it is not as compact as some other solutions but for a seat mover it is what should be expected.
- Heavy (but this also means it is stable)
- PSUs make a fair amount of heat which is exhausted through the rear LED illuminated vents. I am sure that in winter I will move this one to the PROS

I have taken a couple of photos for starters.
Due to the limited space around the platform I will have to use my DSLR with ultra-wide-angle to get some decent shots.
When time allows I will also try to make a video of it in action.


Any questions you may have or if you want to see details of any part of the platform, feel free to ask.

Cheers,
Nuno

Hello Nuno,

Thank you for the nice write-up. It was very informative and gratulations on a nice looking rig!!! Posts like this is very usefull when planing a new setup!

How do you like it so far? Have you discovered any difference between different simulators and games when using your motion sim?

Do you find the speed of 180mm/s laging or to slow in any way? I have very little experience with motion sims, but I've seen different claims that you need atleast 150mm/s and faster is better. I saw on Njmotion own thread here on the forums that the motors are limited to 180mm/s so there probably is a good reason for this.

Petro

Hi Petro,

It is a blast to play with a motion platform although my experience is still limited. I have only played in Dirt Rally, NLRollercoaster and Assetto Corsa.

The speed of the platform for me is more then enough. I usually tune it down a bit on the pots because I am using VR and I don't feel the need to over do it. Many times less is more

I do think that the profiles that NJMotion provide have a max and min value with are much lower than what the platform actually allows. I have to confirm with him if it is ok to go above what he provided.
Using the axis testing in SimTools I can go to very steep degrees which in game never occur, but I actually only want this for Rollercoaster game. For driving is not useful in my opinion.

As for differences between games, Assetto is a much smoother ride then Dirt Rally and I think it is not just the gravel vs track tarmac.
At the start of every stage, while waiting for the green light, the seat has a lot of small high frequency movements which are not realistic and actually cause some noise which I dislike. I have seen some posts here where people have similar issues with actuators and the suggested solution is to tune down the gain a bit in the game profile.

Once I have time to play with these settings I will put some info here.

Nuno

Hello!
Very good Nuno. Thanks for sharing your experience
Obrigado pela Review.
Posso saber de onde és?

Hi,

Thank you.

I am from Lisbon area.

Hi all,

I would like to do a small status update on my review of the system.

So far everything is still working like the first day. As you imagine I have had a lot of friends trying out the rig and all of them were really happy with the experience. Many of them have comment that they were not expecting the rig to be so silent.

This obviously does not mean that you do not hear anything but it is within good levels to have in an apartment (which is my case). I usually play after 23H so noise was a concern. So far I had no complaints either from wife or my neighbours

Another thing which I really thing is an added value in this platform are the pots for controlling speed and travel of the engines. It is quite useful to be able to adjust these parameters while playing and without removing my Rift from the head.

I have bought PCars2 and I must say is it a joy to play the game with my setup. In the career mode you start with Karts and the whole immersion you get is very good. Of course you do not have the centrifugal force you get in the real thing but it is a really nice experience.
Something I was not expecting was to feel the typical de-acceleration you get when you go over a water puddle and you start to aquaplane. This not only creates real feeling of what is happening but forces you to adjust trajectories and properly compensate on the driving.

The tracks which are laser scanned are also quite a good experience and not only you feel the bumps but you get the information on which places you cannot abuse on the throttle.

To finalise I must say that playing without the Gametrix seat cover is like coasting with the car. For me, it is the best upgrade you can make after a good wheel and pedal setup. Not just because it is cheap compared to a moving rig but also because I prefer to play without moving rig than without the Gametrix turned on. So, for those on a tight budget, I fully recommend to get a Gametrix.

Nuno

NUNO, do you think getting a gametrix is better than getting 4 aursounds..? cause i ordered 4 of those and i think i can cancel before they ship from amazon. Or if i get both it will be EVEN better..?

Cannot really say what is best since I have never tried aursounds..

But even without experimenting, for me, gametrix is better for the following reasons:
- Does not need an extra sound card and all the cables
- Less likely to produce parasitic vibrations in the rig (and to my neighbours)
- Does not affect Oculus Rift (which I have seen some people complain about using the shakers)

Ohh I see, thanks

Does it work with arduino ? Thanks.

Yes, it does. Although you do not see it since it is nicely enclosed in the back metal box.