Playseat Evolution Thoughts?

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EvolutionBen
Heyo, Been thinking of getting a new cockpit, was actually going to build something but lost hope in it. So I was looking around and stumbled upon the Playseat Evo w/ the Shifter Extension.

What do you guys think of it? I know you can't adjust the pedal angle but I've heard some say there fine at what it is. Also is it worth the $440 CAD?

Thanks!
 
I love my playseat evo. I have the forza 3 edition. The angle of the pedals is ok. I would prefer to be able to reverse my g27 pedals, but will have to wait till i custom make a cockpit(if I ever get around to it). And also some will complain about the pole in the middle. But it has not really bothered me, but I am not a hardcore sim racer either.

I think it is worth the money, especially if you are going with a g25/g27. They come with mounting holes for that wheel/pedal/shifter. I have also heard that the Fanatec GT2 fits those holes as well(just the wheel).
 
The WORST thing is the angle of the non-adjustable pedal plate. Right foot gas and brakers don't notice it. If you left foot brake and have your left foot "covering" the brake, you will have pain in the front of your ankle. If you don't have the leg distance set perfectly, don't expect to be driving for more than an hour. Both of your lower legs will be on fire. The seat back angle could use some adjustability too, something the Obutto has.

The Obutto is less expensive including shipping and doesn't nickel & dime you for "extras". Sure the PlaySeat's back folds down. This, however, does not make it vanish like a wheel atand. I built a rolling platform for my Obutto. But, I built one for the PlaySeat first.

Yes, the PlaySeat offers a bit more adjustability. But, the negatives far outweigh any chance of me ever buying another PlaySeat until they address these key issues.

PlaySeats have a lot of flash with officially licensed branding. Those licenses are a big chunk of the price tag.
 
Have one, and love it. It's comfortable and pretty easy to mount all the popular wheels to...G25/27, Fanatecs, MS wireless...all easily mounted. It's very solid, doesn't flex, and I find it pretty comfortable for extended amounts of play. I guess if you where over 230lb the seat may be a little narrow for you.

The pedal play is fine for me, I find no discomfort in heel toeing or left foot braking at all. The center beam that holds the wheel can slide towards or away from you. If you find your ankles knocking against it, all you do is slide it towards you a bit and you clear it.

Only thing that I dislike about it is the paint. It comes off easily with all the hard adjusting knobs.
 
DaveTheStalker
The WORST thing is the angle of the non-adjustable pedal plate. Right foot gas and brakers don't notice it. If you left foot brake and have your left foot "covering" the brake, you will have pain in the front of your ankle. If you don't have the leg distance set perfectly, don't expect to be driving for more than an hour. Both of your lower legs will be on fire. The seat back angle could use some adjustability too, something the Obutto has.

The Obutto is less expensive including shipping and doesn't nickel & dime you for "extras". Sure the PlaySeat's back folds down. This, however, does not make it vanish like a wheel atand. I built a rolling platform for my Obutto. But, I built one for the PlaySeat first.

Yes, the PlaySeat offers a bit more adjustability. But, the negatives far outweigh any chance of me ever buying another PlaySeat until they address these key issues.

PlaySeats have a lot of flash with officially licensed branding. Those licenses are a big chunk of the price tag.
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Actually, I'm checking it out right now. Does the Monitor mount have to be put on? It's not something I want or need. Very interested in the Obutto now!
 
No, the monitor mount does not have to be used. Neither do the keyboard/stuff swinging table, nor the shifter bracket, nor the pedal angle adjustment bar or plate.. At this time, these extras can not be ordered as "deleted". They are part of the package. Will this change in the future? I have no idea.
 
I'm VERY happy with my Playseat Evo. I find it comfortable for hours of driving & I like the pedal plate position (I right-foot brake however). The folding feature I don't find useful, but the fact that it is relatively compact & looks very cool is a significant feature IMO.

One of the reasons the Playseat looks so good is the way the wheel is supported by the centre stand, rather than the outside frame of the Obutto. This does make it prone to a little bit of flexing & the centre stand does get in the way a little bit, although I don't find either of these things to be a significant problem.

I have not tried an Obutto, but to my eyes it looks very clunky & "mechano-like" which is not to say that it doesn't work perfectly well.

$440 CDN seems to be a bit high - they always seemed to be around $300 US.
 
When you're racing, how often are you admiring your rig? Do you put it out on your front yard so passing neighborhood folk can admire it and be like, "WOW that LOOKS amazing!".
 
When you're racing, how often are you admiring your rig? Do you put it out on your front yard so passing neighborhood folk can admire it and be like, "WOW that LOOKS amazing!".
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No it's not in the front yard - the whole point is: it's in my house! I'd rather have something that looks good, than something that doesn't in my house. The key to the way it looks is the single, centre strut. This makes it look sleeker & more minimal-looking than cockpits like the Obutto or Gamepod, which use a (IMO) clunky-looking external frame structure - this is NOT to criticize their functionality. Admittedly, the sleek looks of the Playseat are somewhat compromised by the fact that you end up with a bunch of wires & cables in addition to the seat & wheel set.

I notice that Playseat seem to have a bunch of new designs available - some of which feature a different centre-post layout.

http://playseat.com/shop/ca/playseats-wrc.html

They also are introducing an Alcantara covered seat (like the Fanatec wheels).

Weirdly, according to their website EVERY seat type, except a few of the "new" designs, is currently "out of stock"!

In any case, I am very happy with my Playseat & would recommend it unreservedly to anyone. It is the only piece of sim-racing hardware or software that I own that I would say that about. I should add that I DO use an additional small lower back support which makes the seat perfectly comfortable for hours of racing.
 
I just received an EMAIL from playseat regarding the availability of their cockpits and this is what they said:

Date: Mon, 24 Jan 2011 17:34:15 +0100
From: info@playseat.com
To: *******@hotmail.com
Subject: Re: Contact Form

Dear Mr cleanvrsix,

thank you very much for contacting us
The Playseat Evolution will be available by mid-February, on our website and therefore in our warehouse.
We don't know when Amazon will have it stock, however, since they are supplied by a business supplier.
Yours sincerely,

Playseat Staff
 
I don't really care what it looks like to be honest, well I do but to certain extent. The Playseat and Obutto both look great to me. I'm still leaning towards the Obutto seeing as it comes with a Shifter Extention and Seat Sliders for a cheaper cost.

When I'm racing I don't want any flex at all, I treat my wheel like an actually steering wheel so the slightest bit of movement disappointments me. I'll keep doing my research seeing as both are out of stock at the moment.
 
If "looks" is they key factor of your purchase decision, get a Vision Racer. Jordan even has a review of it here on GTP. Be warned, just like the PlaySeat, it is missing important adjustments despite it's price tag. But hey, IT LOOKS FRICKIN AMAZING.

Trust me, eye candy gets old after a while. Then you start thinking of ways to modify it to make up for lack of important adjustments.

I'm sure you've seen this on Top Gear. http://youtube.com/index?desktop_uri=%2F&gl=US#/watch?xl=xl_blazer&v=DugCH-UrF9c
 
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I personally think the Playseat Evo is a great buy and a very...very comfortable gaming rig. You can easily change the pedal plate around by reversing it to give you more room for your feet if needed. I'm running ClubSport pedals on it now without any problems.

Now that there are Fanatec specific shifter mounts and regular and inverted pedal mounts for the ClubSports it makes the Playseat an even better choice for a Fanatec setup.

The problem with Obutto is they have now raised their prices and kill you with a huge shipping charge.

I'm sure you can't go wrong with either though.
 
If "looks" is they key factor of your purchase decision, get a Vision Racer. Jordan even has a review of it here on GTP. Be warned, just like the PlaySeat, it is missing important adjustments despite it's price tag. But hey, IT LOOKS FRICKIN AMAZING.

Trust me, eye candy gets old after a while. Then you start thinking of ways to modify it to make up for lack of important adjustments.
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Yes, of course, functionality is the most important thing. As far as I'm concerned, the Playseat offers all the functionality necessary - I'm not sure what additional adjustments I would need.

What I particularly like about the Playseat is not that it looks flashy, but that it has a simple, unobtrusive design: it looks clean & minimal, which is an important factor if it's located in a public space in your house. I just think it's a very well-designed product. The Vision Racer, or the Fanatec Rennsport cockpit may look cool, but they are much more bulky, as well as being much more expensive.
 

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