Building a spherical SIM like the Nova by Eight360

Hi everyone,

I'm currently designing a 5DOF spherical full-motion simulator inspired by the Eight360 Nova (pictured below):


Here are a couple of demo videos of the original system in action:

Nova 360 Degree Motion Virtual Reality Simulator - YouTube
Eight360 NOVA 2020 demo - YouTube

As you can see, the Nova is a truly impressive piece of tech, but its price (~$150K USD/year via subscription) puts it well out of reach for hobbyists and even most small commercial users.

That got me thinking – is there genuine demand for something similar at a much more accessible price point?

I'm working on a DIY-friendly version of this sim that targets:

• ~$8K USD fully assembled, including PC, VR headset (Quest 3), and controls (wheel/joystick)
  
  
• Or a DIY Kit version around $5K USD, which includes all motion components, fiberglass sphere parts, motors + VFDs, control electronics, and software.
  

Would love to hear your thoughts:

• Would this be something you'd be interested in using or building?
  
  
• What price point or features would make it appealing to you?
  
  
• Any feedback or concerns from a builder’s or user’s perspective?
  

Appreciate any input — trying to gauge if it’s worth developing further as a product.

Cheers,
Mohnish

I would absolutely be interested, in fact I'm wondering why more manufactures haven't built at LEAST a platform that can spin 360º. Outside of Force Dynamics and YawVR, there's nobody else. However, all that being said...I'm skeptical that you could build a turn-key platform resembling anything close to industrial or commercial quality for only $8K. Would love to be proven wrong

Because it simply has major deficits. I only see this design for flight simulations. Due to the design, for example, no heave is possible, which is one of the most important things for immersion in racing simulations. Sway is also contrary to the natural movement, the rotation is opposite.

Center of Rotation is also an factor which kills immersion.

Yes exactly. The spherical 360° design is perfectly suited to simulate rolling down a hill in a barrel. But for everything else a Stewart platform is better.

No surprise, the market of commercial simulation rigs is driven by money. Professional flight simulators that are built to provide the best possible immersion and realistic feeling are very expensive. The lower end is targeted to amusement parks. They need to attract people to spend their money, so it's often more important how they look from the outside. Those spheres look cool and most people who decide to throw some coins into the slot don't know how a real simulator feels.