We have all tried large monitors, dual monitors, triple monitors, and wall projection to get that ultrawide gaming experience. The question is will VR replace all of it?
In many ways, for most consumers, Virtual reality goggle is way better than a multi-screen setup for obvious reasons:
- Minimalistic
- Huge savings
- Easy to setup
- Super immersive experience
However, one of the biggest complaints about virtual reality headsets is low resolution and motion sickness for intense simulations such as racing sims, flight simulators, and other motion-intensive experiences.
While VR is still new, and the technology has improved so much since 2016 with better tracking, lighter headset, higher resolution, wider FOV, better IPD...etc So it's reasonable to say that VR reality is much better than a multi-screen setup for most consumers living in apartments, dorms, and homes.
As far as total immersion in the digital world to pan around, VR is the best.
Advantages of Triple Screen Set up
Triple screen setup offers semi-immersive virtual reality experiences. One thing that is better than VR is the ability to physically interact with controllers such as the steering wheel and joysticks. Applications that benefit the most from triple screen setup are simulation-related games.
Flight simulator users can build an entire home cockpit to interact with switches and levers, and feel like they are inside a cockpit instead of a digital virtual cockpit in VR goggles.
The multi-screen will be placed to simulate what the users will see out of the window. The benefit of this is totally immersion without the motion sickness, disorientation, muscle strain for wearing a VR goggle for a long time.
However, the downside is the cost to have all the immersive elements to be physically represented in the place space. This may not be a practical idea if you live in a temporary place, dorm, apartment.
Cost Comparison
Building A Home Cockpit
The home cockpit can go as much as $2500 or up to $80K. $500 is the bare minimum to have a realistic controller setup in your room, and $80K is for a serious home cockpit build with a multi-screen setup.
Most people can clamp the joystick, throttle, and 3 monitors on a desk for about $2500, and it's much more mobile than a full-size cockpit.
If going with the VR route, the visual experience will be 100% immersive with all the necessary flight controllers - It will run you about $1000 - $2500 with a good headset and some haptic feedback system to experience motion and vibration.
However, VR users can't see where the hand is touching if need to dial knobs, pull levers, turn switches and read the checklist. This is where mixed virtual reality technology will soon change the game.
Buildling A Race Sim
The racing simulator is the same way as the flight simulator, and the best thing to invest in is a haptic feedback system so you can feel the vibration stimulated by the engine and acceleration.
A simple steering wheel with a multi-screen setup will cost about $1500 - $2000, and a super professional one will cost up to $20,000 with a haptic feedback seat that can tilt and shift to provide that bumpy, raw drifting experience.
The user can also get the setup and use a VR headset to eliminate the need to buy monitors.
