Would you buy a dashboard kit for sim racing?

I'm talking with an investor, and mentioned the idea of offering both fully build dashes and bare bones kits (provide your own servos LED's and electronics)

The prototype we discussed was based on the 98 Impreza 2.5 RS with full options (analogue guages, shift light, gear indicator) for expansion to make it appropriate for a gtr car.

further development will happen behind closed doors, btu this is just to guage interest

You mean like this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v ... ;mode=related&search=

If that is what your on about, i'd love one.

Quote from mcintyrej :

You mean like this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v ... ;mode=related&search=

If that is what your on about, i'd love one.

Thats Gfresh's Rig!!! It is very cool, as far as im aware i think he's just managed to get hold of a Bently one!

I would be interested, but those things are too expensive/hard to do for me

very similar, however using plasmalite and phidgets interfaces to driver servos, led's and LCD readouts

If I had the money and the knowledge, I would build the dials but it's just too darn expensive

Quote from mcintyrej :

You mean like this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v ... ;mode=related&search=

Oh my ears :bleed: That RA sounds sinfully horrible

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Anyways, it depends quite a lot of what the actual package includes. Couple of servos, needles plus all the electronics required to make it physically work would make it an option to think about. The main thing is that without any software it would be totally useless for me.

Working dash... I haven't ever seriously even thought about getting one tbh. Although I agree with Danowat. Probably too expensive and hard to get working.

No need and no interest here

the software that my team is developing would drive ther servos for you and the servo's woul just screw into the kit. same with led's just put them in place, and put the appropriate lense over them

Take a look at this : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84bx2fJUS4s

Thats what Gfresh used before he got the dash (he might still use it aswell i dunno). I know he's working on the led's aswell.

It does sound very interesting. As a product I doubt I would want one I have to build so i'd suggest getting some Chinese children in a shed and turning up the heating to make them swet. The aim would be a mass market product that goes in a shop, right? That means the target price cannot be too high, but multi-sim support would be essential along with a developer support program. Being a retail product you'd need to worry about price point.

Or you can take the dedicated sim route and focus on the serious player in which case you can put together a less commercial product and charge more for it as a cottage industry - but sales figures would reflect that. I think i'd be less likely to be interested myself.

At the end of the day though, everything is subjective. Until I/we see the product and the price point it's hard to say yes or no.

I'll say this much though, I really dont fancy the idea of building it myself.

Becky, thats exactly why I'd like to offer both, but my investor is pitchinga fit because i want to use commonly available parts so as to not grab you guys by the short and curlies for replacements.

Of course I would sell the parts from my website, but I'm strongly against making something proprietary when i dont have to.

for the turn-key version i dont mind using proprietary robotics to reduce the selling cost.

"No" from me. I'd be more interested in spending the money on a stupidly large display and still using the on-screen instruments.

No good to me tbh.
If you drive in cockpit view then you have all the instruments in front of you anyway, so i cant see the point in that case, but for people that don't drive in cockpit view *crazy people* i guess its a great bit of kit

Just like 'thisnameistaken' I'd rather put my cash towards a silly sized display

No on first thought because I already have a dashboard on the screen.
On second thought I might sympathize with a small LCD screen that displays some car stats (e.g. speed, whatever I choose). Though I wouldn't spend much money on it because as said, the info is already available. Also I wouldn't know where to mount it because it'd obstruct my screen if mounted on top of the MOMO's body.

Vain

I'm not interested in a full dash TBH but would like a nice big rev counter with shift light, because TBH it's the only thing you really need and I find looking at a tiny one on screen too much of a chore.

Alternatively I'd love to find an InSim app that can display a large rev counter and other basic stuff (fuel gauge, laptimer, gap to car ahead/behind and flags) on my second monitor. There is already a program that can display this kind of info but it's designed with a single monitor in mind and can't be moved to the second monitor or resized.

I so would use a full dash kit! I race from my PC to my 51" Sony, so a dash kit would be sweet!

http://www.frex.com/gp/

SimConMeter

Quote from birder :

http://www.frex.com/gp/

SimConMeter

Jesus! Thats frickin awesome! Theres the future of all real car racing when it gets banned in the next 100 years. haha

i would buy it!

Quote from birder :

http://www.frex.com/gp/

SimConMeter

interesting - simconmotion
i wonder how do they coordinate seat movement with head tilt on the screen, which when not matching must feel awkward :Eyecrazy: . The monitor linked with seat seems to be more reasonble.

simconmeter? - just a gizmo - wheel and meter in half meter distance, screen (if big enough) in 2-3m distance - right, rig looking nice but... i would buy bigger monitor or projector

Guess I'll go ahead with developing my prototypes

I would definitely be interested in a full dash kit. I'd recommend offering a basic kit, with upgrades and add-on gauges that are easily integrated. That way you can most folks just what they need, and then others can go as far as they wish. Then of course some entry-level buyers will eventually want to expand, and move up to the add-ons as well.

I was talking to a commercial sim aviation gauge company (will remain nameless) about doing automotive gauges as well. They seemed really interested but after I went into fair detail of what people would want, how it should be delivered, and what sims it needed to support, I didn't hear back. So either they went straight to it or thought it was too much trouble. Wish they would have responded either way though.

I have plans for a full sim-pit. Projector, motion seat, etc. A dash kit would be perfect. And even with my desk-based setup now, I would still very much want a dashboard kit.

Please keep us informed!