Great, detailed review Doug... and I would agree (I have one too) it is a fantastic product, and very well priced. The only problem I have, and it's not a faults of the Otto chair, is that I use the wheel mounted on a support beam, due to the larger then it's suppose to be TV I use as a monitor, the wheel base is blocked by the TV when I slide it in, so the wheel stops and sits right in front of the monitor... but thats because I'm trying to use a bigger display then it's meant for... still a great product.

Very nice write up Doug! Thanks!

Good review Doug. You're too modest about your building and mechanical skills. Mine consist mostly of swinging a hammer. If it doesn't fit, make it fit!

Great writeup Doug. Your problem statement in the opening paragraphs could well have been written by me!

Now, a quick question: how are you managing switching between flight and race configurations? I'm particularly interested in how long/laborious the cockpit reconfig is, and if you have attempted/managed using your G27 pedals for flight (thus eliminating a step from the re-config procedure).

Excellent review! Didn't even really realize there was anything out there for a pit other than building one yourself. Now to come up with an excuse to afford this AND a new HOTAS...

Wow.. That's a nice setup. I love the secondary monitor for PDF files or whatever. That is awesome. Hmmmm....now you've got me thinking..

Hi Hap! I've done the switch back and forth a few times, but not enough to fully explore the different setup options. That's one of the reasons why there will be a extended-use follow-up next month. The goal is to go from flight to race in under 5 minutes including shutdown and start-up.

Thanks for the response Doug. A dedicated, low overhead, dual-purpose flight/race rig is probably the only chance I have now of getting back into the habit. I'll look forward to the followup.

This was a fantastic review, thanks for writing it. I was very excited to learn more after you had mentioned it before. However, I must now bring on the avalanche of questions

Stability. Did you find the unit stable - particularly with your very large display?

On the same subject of stability - did you find that the flight sim side units had any flex when you were using them? I had a concern of those side units not being stable as I cranked my stick and throttle around. This is particularly interesting to me as I may just get the Warthog and I imagine that it will take more force to move it than my current CH Fighterstick.

Can you tell me the distance that your stick and throttle are apart now - how wide I guess I'm asking. The fact that you have the same HOTAS setup as I do is perfect for comparison.

You mentioned that there is a small movement in the keyboard tray when using it. Can you elaborate a little more on that? Does that mean flex or something else. Did you find that impacted your use of the tray at all? It also looked like you mounted your second monitor on the one side of the tray as well. That suggests to me that there isn't as much movement as I fear.

How far when you are sitting comfortably is your eyes from the screen? Is it about 36" or so?

It sounds like you are wide-shouldered like I am. I was concerned that that seat might cramp my shoulders (those horn-like upper bolsters). I was concerned that my shoulder blades might rest uncomfortably on those rather than the seat back.

You are about my height. Does the seat support your head at all if you lean back?

I was surprised that there is no way to mount the table to the unit without drilling your own holes. Really? That seems very strange to me. Did they ever mention why this is?


I'm sorry for so many questions. Please don't think your review was lacking in any way. It wasn't. The detail you went into just had the effect of making me have even more questions. I think I've found my ride so to speak. My biggest concern is the stability of it and its parts.

Thank you again - I was really looking forward to this review.

500$ for one setup is steep!!
i think i might have paid like 100$ to build two wooden cockpits...




granted that my setup is limited, and i dont have a fancy TV and table setup...

NP. Bring 'em on.



The combined weight of this: http://www.simhq.com/_technology3/images/technology_173a_003.jpg is around 120 lbs
The weight of this: http://www.simhq.com/_technology3/images/technology_173a_001.jpg is around 20 lbs
The weight of the flight sim package: http://www.simhq.com/_technology3/images/technology_173a_002.jpg is around 17.5 lbs

Sitting in the seat with the weighted monitor it feels very stable to me. More so than many other pre-fab cockpits I've tried at E3 for more money. Since it is sitting on the floor rug, I may put 3-4 small strips of velcro on the bottom of the rails since it sits directly on the floor to make sure there is no slipping around. I haven't felt any, but I haven't been in a big gunzo yet either. Feet would not be a good thing IMO so I'm glad they were not part of the design.



The L-shaped mounts once tightened down to the side rail might as well be welded to the sides. They are not flimsy. The arms the throttle and stick sit on are not flimsy and once tightened down with the knobs are rigid. Any movement is from the velcro on the bottom of the controllers. Not a lot, but some flex just because its velcro. I'm looking at a more permanent solution to report on next month. Ideally I'd like to bolt the HOTAS down to the outboard plates.



25" from center of the left bracket to center of the right bracket.



Movement... yeah the keyboard tray, by nature of it being mounted on one end or the other, has flex. The keyboard panel itself is not lightweight. Matter-of-fact, it has an under structure of welded channel tubing! It's steel and not some cheesy fiber board.

Other thoughts and variations on the keyboard/mouse tray... I'm thinking that center section of the tabletop would be a nice place to mount a small keyboard. Or, I could see some players getting a second keyboard bracket and dropping the left and right side into the L-shaped mounts, then lifting the entire thing up when done. Or, imagine the acrylic tabletop not being attached and instead having the keyboard tray there bolted down instead.

Here is a video SRT did on it. It's a racing setup, but note their comments about the tray and seat. A caveat though -- the monitor mount they are showing is an old design not used any more and was not as stable. The new one, as in the review, is very stable. IMO, it made the whole thing more stable. They also didn't use the tabletop which adds stability. Advance the video to the 28 minute mark. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCQgfCgSueM



The 17" Envision is just sitting on the turned right side of the keyboard tray. It may or may not stay there. I just thought it would be good to show the tray can handle that kind of weight.



Yes, 36-38" from the screen. But keep in mind that is dependent on where the seat is positioned fore and aft, angle of the back of the seat, and which monitor is used. I personally can't stand being too close to a monitor -- like at the theatre in the first row. Don't get that with this setup.



It feels great around the shoulders to me. I know what you mean. I have had that problem in other cockpit seats, but not this one.



If the seat is setup more, yes. Less so when it's tilted back. Probably my bad posture.



I think the idea was to let the customer decide, but yep, it was one of the three dings I gave the Obutto. The good news is its resolvable fairly easily.



IMO, its stable. I can provide a snapshot to date of what I've tried and seen, but there will be more feedback in a month after I spend some additional time with it.

Great article Doug.
Now I just have to sneak this one by the SO here, and I need to get that TM HOTAS Warthog, så maybe next year, and as usual you US types get stuff at quite a discount, shouldn't that dollar be woth a lot more

It would really fit in nicely here in the den.

Staffan

This looks like the first pit-desk I might actually consider buying. A few questions: How about those times when you *still* just want to surf the web or play a casual game? Is it comfortable and/or easy to just flop into/out of for a quick computer session? Or is it a pain. Are the stick/throttle platforms compatible with the mounting holes on the G940? If I got this, I would definitely want the center stick mount. Does it easily swing away/detach again for those "general computing" sessions? What about cable management? The G940 for example has 4 cables that all feed into the stick module.

To summarize, how usable is this as a computer station for non-simming sessions, and how well does it work with a G940 with the stick-between-your-legs option?

Edit: Also in the same vein as my other questions, does a center-mounted stick get in the way of using the keyboard tray? Is it possible to use the keyboard and mouse in front of you while flight simming in this configuration? It looks like they would get in the way from some of the videos I've watched.

Obutto touts it as an option to a regular desk. The way I currently have it setup would be a bit more difficult with the ingress/egress than a conventional desk just because of the mounts and because it sits so much lower. It could be setup using only the tabletop and keyboard/mouse tray and I think it would work fine as a regular desk. The wonderful seat works for any configuration. I can see me watching a movie in it. The seat is more comfortable than my desk chair on my workstation. Matter-of-fact, I can hardly sit in my office chair now after sitting in the cockpit seat. Generally I would suggest keeping the cockpit for gaming and using a small office desk separately.



Any HOTAS will require some thought to attach to either the outboard or center mount stick. I'm currently using velcro, but that's temporary for me.



No, it does not swing away. It can be unbolted from the two carriage bolt mounts, but it would be a hassle to do that IMO. The center stick mount works fine though based on how much I've used it. The velcro is temporary in this situation too. Permanent mounting of the stick on the mounting plate is planned.



I haven't done anything with my wires yet since I'm switching between the cockpit, race sims, and ArmA2. For now they're just draped out of the way. Still an evolving WIP.



I would suggest using it as a gaming cockpit and not with the additional task as an office desk. Not that the Obutto couldn't do fine as an office config, but switching could get to be a bit of a hassle. If velcro isn't acceptable, all HOTAS will need a more permanent mounting solution. Velcro may be fine for most people.

Nice review, and thanks for bringing it to our attention. Don't spose it can handle a three-monitor setup, can it?

Triple monitor setup is what they push. The owner was trying to get me to go to it, but I like the single monitor with a secondary monitor config. They have a mount that works with up to 3 - 24" monitors for flight or racing.

http://www.obutto.com/images/flightSIM.jpg

sweet. if i ever have a dedicated gaming room, i might get myself one

very nice review Doug :-)

Nice video found...