Disclaimer; "This thread is of my own and does not represent the opinion(s) that may or may not exist with EVGA in any way unless otherwise posted by a representative of EVGA. And should only be viewed as a personal opinion. I blame all spelling errors on Microsoft 
and lack of proper grammar on my lack of sleep during college 
. Editing can and will happen as well." Below this first post you will find two more. One with tips and tricks the other with an inexpensive idea given to my by a few fellow EVGA members
A little background... I am 6'2" and about 225lbs... And game about 40 hours a week. Literally. I am a business owner, husband and father. And building systems and gaming are my "Hobbies" that allow me to re-leave my stresses in life at different hours as the schedule allows. Not to mention my addiction to the forums
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Link)
<<< And if you know me you will not click that link One day I realized that my then desk was needing to be replaced. This got me started on looking around for a new desk. Keep in mind I am not one that purchases cheaply made stuff. The purchasing power of my $$ always goes towards items I will get significant use out of with minimal or no failures. This search went on for about six months. Then one day a fellow member here posted a Cockpit costing $7000 and it got me thinking...
As this thread kept growing and my "Bing/Google" searches kept going I came across three cockpits for under $1000. I will not name the other two in all fairness to them, I found flaws in how they did theirs vs. what I wanted. So I set my sights on the Obutto setup as the one I will get at some point down the road.
This decision to get a Cockpit instead of a desk was simple. I have desks everywhere, and this cockpit system is about the same price as the office type desk I was considering to buy.
Then it came down to this... If I am going to continue to game, maybe it is time to get serious about it. As this thought was tossed around in my mind for a few weeks I realized something. I was tired of the PC game producing companies selling me Console ported games. Not to mention that it seems the offer three or four games hyped to be the end all of all games, only to find two of them are (To be nice) $15 games not the $60 they charge and them I find one of them to be one I am "Willing" to play. And to be clearer on this. Counter Strike is still my all time favorite, and when it came out, it very much so changed the landscape of gaming. And this is what I look for. Not the same thing as the last game with new monsters/bad guys and maps. The next game that I think was a game changer was Crysis. Again just my opinion. YOMV...
Anyway with this realization I concluded that I need to try SIM and other racing type games. Having never tried them this was a risk of course. But I figured instead of waiting six months for the next "Console" ported game I can play the games I like and then once done I can switch to racing. As a result I purchased the inexpensive
Logitech Driving Force GT kit and this
Obutto Cockpit, Triple screen mount and Shelf.
Brass tax time.... Obutto offers up a budget minded cockpit solution. To me budgets are like opinions. All over the place. So for a fair target let's say a complete cockpit, tax shipping and all under $650 is a budget minded setup and anything over that is more of personal preference or need. To be clear, when I speak of the system I am not including wheels, peddles or joysticks. Just the seat, frame, keyboard/mouse and monitor(s) mounts. The reason for me picking the $650 amount as a budget minded target is quiet simple. Building my own of similar quality would cost about that and more if I paid myself for my time. Another way to look at it... Most single high-end GPUs are in that price range and most Crossfire/SLI mid-ranged cards are in that price range as well. To use myself as an example. I am skipping this new set of released cards and chose to purchase this cockpit with those funds that I would have originally spent on new GPU(s). So again, you idea of a budget minded cockpit may not align with mine.
The Seat Cons I find the seat to be a tad tight on my thighs, and plan to find a wider seat once I wear this one out.
Pros The adjustment abilities of the seat is very similar to most sport cars. You can actually lay the back flat (For those wookies out there) and all good amount forward. Add to that the forward/backward adjustability of the seat all but guarantees a person to find the sweet spot for any type of game play.
It is comfortable. Surprisingly this seat is of better quality that I thought it would be. In my opinion it is near Automotive quality. But this will only be truly known after a few years of use.
Keep in mind, that after final assembly that your bottom is only about 9" from the ground. So you sit far lower than any desk chair! Very Sports Car like feel, and I like that!
The Frame Cons None
Pros It is quite clear the engineers did their homework on this and are listening to their clients (Buyers). And as a result have continued to make tweaks and adjustments as each batch of cockpits are built.
It is quite strong and I have no problem moving this system from one room to another to play Console Games on the big screen, and then back again for the PC Triple monitor setup.
The Single Monitor mount Cons None.
Pros Adjustability, strength, and the fact that we can remove it with such ease. I mounted an LG 42" LED LCD and the frame responded as if it was a much smaller TV. I could not be happier with the mount.
Keyboard/Mouse tray Cons If there are any gripes from me it is the Keyboard/Mouse arm. I do not like how they rely on the "Paint" and square tubing to maintain the integrity/consistency of resistance. for the forward/backward movement. I am 95% certain after about a year of use this will be like a well greased part and slide all over the place. That said I have a plan (See tips below) for this.
Additionally I do not like the simple Knob/bolt setup to lock and adjust the height of the keyboard/mouse assembly. In just a few short hours of trying different game types and setup I marked the paint all up and can see that the paint very well may come off after extended use. Not to mention the hassle of having to loosen and re-tightening as I adjust during game play. (I have an idea on this, but need to work it through first before I say anything)
Pros The Keyboard tray itself is actually very impressive. I like the "Gripping" material they use and that every keyboard and mouse combination I have ever used fits perfectly and is fully usable.
Even though I do not like the Arm assembly/design, I am a fan of the thinking/design behind it. Being able to swing it out is rather convenient.
Steering Wheel/ Peddle mount Cons No tilt for the Steering Wheel.
Pros To be brutally honest, I find the way they did it to be as good as it can get considering how all the rest of this system comes together. A total re-design would need to take place for any changes really. That said... I really do like the adjustability of the telescoping feature, but would love a tilt as well. The Peddles have two positions and is rather easy to find what works for personal needs.
Optional items.... Triple Monitor Mount Cons Instructions are OK. But not clear. Again they are great for a "Refresher" not the first time assembler.
Almost need a third hand to start mounting them. So take your time.
Pros Where to begin! The kit is very strong and the only limits it has is the size of monitors it will hold. Because each monitor seems to not be of the same size, I will not comment on the sizes that may fit. But I can tell you that my ASUS VW266H's (25.5" units) fit perfectly and the back supporting brackets have another 4" of horizontal room to go bigger. The back frame itself is at the limits with my monitors if a person wants to stay inside the rectangle shaped frame, but the back brackets allow for farther expansion.
Well thought out and very user friendly.
Shelf Cons The cost seems excessive to me. An old top to a desk, or a run to the Big Box Store for a think plastic counter top cut to your wants would work just fine vs. the expense for this unit.
No installation instructions
Pros It is rather sexy looking and complements the setup.
A very nice place for my beverages, headset when not in use and snacks. (Or my bobble-head Hulla girl
)
Overall Cons The assembly instructions are pathetic. They are perfect for someone who has built 5-6 units, not for someone who has never assembled on before.
As mentioned above I am personally not happy with the Keyboard/Mouse arm assembly and setup.
Shipping cost. Personally I think the shipping cost does cost them sales.
The bolts, screws, washers, lock washers and nuts have the good old "Made in China" oil and it gets EVERYWHERE. Have hand cleaner, paper towels and an awareness of this fact during assembly.
Pros Flat out this Obutto Cockpit is a pure win. As a whole get's an eight out of ten in the price range I spoke of earlier. To be clear, I see this kit as actually being four kits in one...
- Racing
- FPS, RPG and the likes
- Console friendly (And frankly I am disappointed they do not highlight this fact more. This is one serious contender for the Console junkies that can never get enough)
- Everyday use. Heck even my wife uses this on a daily basis now. And she has a new desk and chair purchased the same week!
The actual gaming experience of the Obutto system is impossible to express in words. This is one that you must try to be in any position to understand. I can say this. If these units went to 100 homes for testing, at 90% of those homes you would have a pretty big fight on your hands to get them back. Is this kit a game changer? No. What the Obutto Cockpit is though, as a component that allows you to finally experience your type of gaming the way it was meant to be. Again, nothing but pure win in my mind...
Other When you sit in this for the first time there is a good chance that you will feel overwhelmed by how close the screen(s) are to you. You end up being about 12" or so closer than a standard desk. You will get used to it rather quickly. Not to mention if in fact Surround or Eyefinity is how your setup is, the feeling of submersion is very real.
post edited by Afterburner - Thursday, December 09, 2010 11:25 PM