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Chuusha β Simulate THIS!
Published: 2014-06-29 00:31:24 +0000 UTC; Views: 861; Favourites: 3; Downloads: 0
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Description
Yeah yeah, its my current flight simulation setup. Below are the gory details...And no, that is not Microsoft Flight Simulator, that is X-Plane 10 with USB key authenticator to save wear and tear on my DVD drive.
Samsung 40" LED TV (This thing kicks ass, then kicks it again, takes a swig of bourbon, then kicks ass again. Video and sound are amazing)
Volair Sim Flight / Racing Cockpit (VESA 80x80 holes made larger for mounting the LCD TV)
Saitek X-55 Rhino HOTAS (Had X-65f before which gave me a sore wrist)
Xbox 360 Wireless controller (I miss the old wired one that needed only ONE USB connection and not two...)
Thrustmaster Cougar MFDs (No they don't have an LCD screen, its just a cardboard insert under a cleverly textured plastic panel)
Nook Tablet HD+ (Yes, a Nook HD+, so sue me for having a cheap tablet I can take to Barnes & Noble)
iPad with Retina Display (My precious)
Logitech G9 Laser mouse (Generation 1)
Logitech G19 keyboard (Best keyboard ever. LCD display is the sh**)
AMD FX-8150 8-core CPU (3.61ghz lightly overclocked)
nVidia GTX 780 (YES, an nVidia branded card. Not some clone)
16GB G.Skill Sniper RAM (Must... have... more... RAM...)
ASUS Crosshair V Formula-Z motherboard (WARNING! Known BIOS/CMOS chip issue. Board may/may not/f**ks off on boot. But damn nice motherboard)
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Comments: 13
Too many people think of people who playΒ games like X-Plane 10Β as "casual gamers".
You, on the other hand, appear to be more of a hardcore gamer.
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Back in the days of the Apple II I had my first copy of Microsoft's Flight Simulator. The tagline later was "As real as it gets".
Back then all I had was an Apple II\c, color monitor, and a joystick.
Later I acquired a joystick for my PC, then dreamed of more. Found myself a modular chair system, tried a few HOTAS, added pedals, weapons control systems, tied my iPad and Nook into X-plane, and now... quite proud of my current setup.
I do not recommend the X-65F HOTAS from Saitek. Force sensing joystick is a pain in the wrist after a half hour dogfight. Or even taxiing around an airport. Quite a shame though, the throttle control is quite solid and feels like a dream. The X-55 HOTAS is nice, but lacks the all metal feel of the X-65F.
My setup is still a work in progress. I'm aiming for a Flight Simulator / Space Simulator setup. Built to handle flight simulation, and Star Citizen. While flight/space simulation are my main goals I also want to use the chair for racing. Just need the Incredible Hulk to pry the HOTAS and pedal controls from the Velcro I used...
As for the "hardcore gamer" part... I do like a good game. And will chase good games no matter what platform they are on. While I own many consoles I prefer to call myself a gaming enthusiast. I started with the NES, then PC gaming, and a combination of PC and console gaming. Never focusing on one platform keeping myself open to what mattered most. The games and the challenges, worlds, and stories they offered.
A few co-workers call themselves casual gamers. Stating they play a few games on their mobile phones and occasionally on their console or PC. Casual, hardcore, what's the difference? We're all gamers. All equal in my eye.
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Needs more screens and side-mount stick.
Who am I kidding!?!? This is my DREAM setup!
What was the final cost?
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$595 for the flight sim chair. Comes with everything you'll need for your dream setup.
$400 for the X-55 Rhino.
$425 for the Samsung 42" TV.
I forget how much the Cougar set was.
Nook was $250.
iPad 3 was $875.
Powered USB hub was $20.
PC was built over time, with the overall cost being around $1500.
A lot of effort went into figuring out what I wanted. And then the 4 hours spent setting up the chair... Well worth the money and the trouble. Just need to add a cup holder and I'll be set.
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Have you thought about adding a yoke and/or pedals?
Β I use a Logitech racing wheel for mine. Not the best, but flying a 737 with a twisting side stick just feels wrong somehow.
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I bypass the twisting stick by using flight pedals. I find twisting the stick can be a hit or miss with lining up for a runway. Plus I don't have to hunt for a button for the brakes.
As for a flight yolk I do have future plans for one. Plus some actual Saitek control panels and other goodies.
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Nvidia actually makes their own cards still? I thought they just did the core systems and let others build the card with their chipsets. interesting.
That is a hell of a set up! I would love to use it for Mechwarrior.
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Yes, they still make their own cards. I wanted to snag an ASUS 780 GTX card, but those were sold out, as well as the ATI R9 series of cards. So parting with a tad more cash I bought the nVidia brand card. Its a damn workhorse and stays rather cool to boot.
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Very cool I will keep that in mind going forward. I ended up going with an EVGA GTX 660 with 3GB and i am really happy with it.
I would prefer to go with the actual MFR in the future though.Β Thanks for the info!
-DP
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Any game looks damn decent on that setup. Also the LCD TV's sound is damn near incredible for built in speakers. Upon setup when running its demo and setup the picture and audio blew my mind. And I only paid $500 for a 40" LED TV.
Comparing it to my 42" LCD... there's really no comparison. Awsome display, awesome sound, and slightly fewer connections than my 42" Westinghouse LCD TV. And the Samsung weighs only 12 pounds while the Westinghouse weighs close to 90. How progress flies and things become lighter... and cheaper.
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WOW THat weight along is awesome!
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