How To Build A Flight Or Racing Simulation Computer Part 2

So, you have your computer set up, your joystick or racing wheel out, and the game installed, there’s just one problem.  Where are you going to put all of this stuff?  You want to feel like you are in the driver’s seat or cockpit, not sitting at your office.  Even with the best peripheral, the immersion factor pales in comparison to the real thing.

Well, there are a few things out there that can change all of that.  IR headsets that track your head’s movement, seats that move you around with the action, and several “do it yourself” setup tips can make the difference between playing a video game about racing or flying and being a virtual pilot or race car driver.  Let’s take a look!

Back to How to Build a Flight or Racing Simulation Computer Part 1

Multi-Monitor Setups

Most high end gaming video cards support multiple monitors in this day and age.  It used to be that you needed to use external hardware, like the Matrox TripleHead2Go system that costs a bit over $300, to stretch the video from a single dual DVI port on your video card or laptop external video port.  Such systems still have their u

ses, like if your video card only has one port or if you are gaming on a laptop which likely only has a single external monitor port, but is mostly outdated by integrated video card support.

Setting up a three monitor configuration is rather easy these days.  Just hook up the HDMI/DVI connection and monitors, configure them in the resolution settings in your operating system, and make the appropriate changes in your game’s settings and you are done.    Physically mounting the monitors is the next step, and there are lots of solutions, such as the ErgoTech Triple Horizontal LCD Monitor Arm Desk Stand.   This stand will run you about $250, and can be upgraded to hold a forth monitor on top of the center one.  The configuration methods for monitors can be limitless, and you can actually go beyond the simple three monitor setup up to a five monitor setup on some video cards.   To get the optimum experience, some set the monitors to “wrap around” the seat, sitting the player very close to the monitors in a mock cockpit and forcing the player to physically look left and right to the monitors mounted on the sides representing the left and right window views.