Virtual Reality Means No Cockpit Necessary, Wheel Stand Pro Rules! (ok, slightly biased)

As we’ve all heard, the big news coming out of E3 this week is the oncoming wave of virtually reality, I know that I’m excited and will be an early adopter.    The future has arrived and we are ready! 

              You are inside the game.  It’s no longer a display.  You are the character.

But how will this affect the use of gaming rigs such as ours?  Interestingly enough I’ve heard from a couple of close business friends of mind that they believe that the Virtual Reality wave will cause a large increase in demand for simulation rigs.  As you can imagine, as people get immersed in the games, any disconnects between the immersion will be jolting and take away from the experience.   For example, if you are using a console controller to race with and you are immersed in the game, there will be a disconnect between what your hands are doing and what you see in front of you (your hands on an analog wheel).     Before, perhaps, with all the other non-virtual world stuff around you (your couch, the books on the shelf in your vision, your pet watching you) the added disconnect of the console controller might have been not as big of a distraction.  Better yes, but one of many things removing you from the full immersive feel.   But in virtual reality if you put down the console controller and put an analog wheel or flight stick in your hands…. wha-la!   Total immersion!  How cool is that!?

The Wheel Stand Pro rig, will be perfect for the VR world, you have a solid base on which your wheel and pedals are mounted to.  Simple, clean and elegant.    On the other hand the larger cockpit set-ups will no longer be in demand because with VR you will no longer need the screen mounting in front of you (that’s why you have the goggles), or the feel of an actual cockpit around you (the virtual reality replaces that) all you need is a Wheel Stand Pro set up, no need to pay for what you won’t use, right?   You can sit in your favorite chair, pull up the Wheel Stand Pro stand and put on your goggles….real world is gone, virtual world here we come.  Heaven is waiting for us.

I can’t wait to be in the game either flying or driving, able to look over my shoulder and see cars eating my dust or the smoke trail of some plane that I just shot down.  Nothing in the experience to make me think I’m not in that plane or car.  In virtual reality I’m seeing my hands on the wheel or throttle…I’m not seeing my hands on a console controller! 

So if you are debating on getting a cockpit set up or a Wheel Stand Pro set up, I think I’ve made my case.  Virtual Reality makes the Wheel Stand Pro a slam dunk.  And to get you started on the Virtual Reality bandwagon, you can go ahead and get the Wheel Stand Pro stand because that will be a set-up that will only be enhanced with Virtual Reality, something to enjoy while you are waiting for full immersion!

In no time at all we will be gaming with our Virtual Reality goggles and why would you want anything but a Wheel Stand Pro set up?  I for one can’t think of good reason why.

See you in the game...and I mean "IN" the game!

SR

Logitech announces new wheels G29 and G920, and yes We Have Compatible Stands!!

Wheel Stand Pro is proud to announce that we have a stand that is compatible with the new Logitech G29 and G920 Wheels.    Our Wheel Stand for Logitech G29 is backward compatible with G27 and G25.  In addition our wheel stand is compatible with the new G29/G920 shifter as well as backward compatible with the G27 shifter.

Wheel Stand Pro stand with Logitech G27 and shifter.

As before with the G27 wheel, the G29 and the G920 will bolt up tightly to our stand into the existing imbedded bolt points on the wheel and also to the shifter on our unique shifter plate attachment.  The pedals that come with the wheels also have imbeds and we bolt to one of them to securely mount the pedals to the frame as well.

Logitech came out with their exciting news about the shifters during the E3 show this week, and as a long time Logitech Wheel user I’m excited to see that they have brought the new G29 wheel to market for the PS3 and the PS4.  We're happy as well for the G920 wheel for the XBOX One and PC.  As of today you can pre-order the wheels at many locations, but no need to pre-order our Wheel Stand for the G29 or the G920, we have it ready to go! 

As we have seen in this business, the bring online of new games such as Project Cars  can  cause a run on the gaming peripherals such as Wheel Stands and the gaming wheels themselves.  It’s always good to order early to make sure you are not one of those left on the sidelines when/if a back-order is necessary.

Stay Fast...see you on the track or in the air.

SR

Have a question? Call Lucy! 214-558-1919

Thanks for visiting the Wheel Stand Pro blog.  We understand many of you are purchasing consoles, wheels/yokes and stands for your driving and flying games for the first time, and we at Wheel Stand Pro want to help you.  Lucky for you we have a real live service specialist and co-owner standing by for your call.  Her name is Lucy and she is working diligently to get to every call and text (yes we love texts).  Lucy is an expert in what wheel works on what platform and of course which one of our stands is best for you.     Have a question with set up?  No problem, call Lucy.

Lucy

In this era of computer responses and telephone “trees”, those annoying “push 2 for what-ever” it’s refreshing to have someone who you can talk to.   If she doesn't pick up when you call please leave a phone number she will call you right back, we promise (if it's during normal work hours!)

We do this because we think it’s the right thing to do for you, and frankly it’s good for business.   You are spending your valuable dollars on an item and it’s comforting to know if you have questions there is someone to talk to.  It doesn't hurt that we get tons of free press from customers whom have experienced our outstanding service.

We expect this Christmas season to be our biggest yet so we encourage you to purchase your stands as soon as possible to ensure you get one before our stock zero’s out.    If you want to make Lucy’s day, send her a text and say “Hi Lucy!”.

Happy racing (or flying)!

Reviews of Wheel Stand Pro for Saitek

We at Wheel Stand Pro are thrilled to have our Wheel Stand Pro for the Saitek Reviewed:

1.  US: AVSIM Review 
2. Aerosoft.com Review
3. Simflight.com Review


Purchase your Wheel Stand Pro here!

Enjoy,

SR

Flight Simulator Stands - Now Available from Wheel Stand Pro!

We here at Wheel Stand Pro pioneered the driving wheel stand many years ago, and through the years we've made better stands for an ever growing range of racing wheels.  Over the years we have had a consistent request to build a stand that was made for the flight simulator community, well the time has come!  We offer for your consideration the Wheel Stand Pro stand custom designed to accept the Saitek Pro Flight Yoke System.

The Saitek Pro Flight simulator yoke is hard mounted to the top plate of the Wheel Stand and the rudder pedals are fastened securely to the base.   Now air-jockies can enjoy the same enjoyable experience that driving simulators have had for years with the Wheel Stand Pro Saitek stand.

When not using your flight simulator the entire set-up can be quickly folded and moved out of the way to maintain the "wife friendly" status we all know and love!

We hope you love using our newest offering as much as we enjoyed designing it.

See you in the air!

SR

GT6 Release, Where Were You When GT5 Was Released? No Regrets…Plan Ahead.

Hello sim racers.  A lot of excitement is building about the impending release date (no we don't know the date).   But we can tell you what it was like in late 2010 when GT5 was released (think back, way back to the golden days of 2010)…pandemonium!   Every supplier of wheels, wheel stands and associated peripherals were swamped with orders and within a few short weeks everyone was sold out!   No Logitech G27's, No Logitech Driving Force GT's, no Thrustmasters no MadCatz... no nothing! The demand was so great here at Wheel Stand Pro that we were taking backorders like crazy and were unable to keep up until May of 2011!   I can clearly remember one particularly insistent buyer calling up begging for one of our steering wheel stands, trying to bribe this humble blogger with extra cash incentives so they could cut in line (not on my watch, a personal pet peeve of mine are line-cutters anywhere in life…but I digress).  

So where am I going with this…well simple, be prepared (yes, like the Boy Scouts motto).  Buy your gear early.  Don't wait until the GT6 box shows up in your mail to decide to get the wheel and the wheel stand.    The thing about gamers is they want to play when they want to play, not much will get in their way…and waiting months for your simulator wheel stand, well it's unacceptable.    We of course hope you, like thousands of sim racers before you, do us the honor of selecting the recently upgraded  Version 2...Wheel Stand Pro racing wheel.  

Pictured Above: Logitech G27 Wheel and Pedals hard mounted to the Wheel Stand Pro Wheel Stand.

We offer wheel stands that are compatible with every major wheel manufacturer, Logitech, Thrustmaster, Fanatec, MadCatz.

Pictured Above: Fanatec CSR Wheel and Pedals hard mounted to the Wheel Stand Pro Wheel Stand.

Ok, so no regrets.  We don't know the well kept secret date of the release of GT6.  But we do know the release of our fantastic racing stands…now, today…yup in stock and ready for your wheel.  Pick your wheel, buy our stand…start racing, and when GT6 is released you will be in sim racing heaven.  Not on the phone pleading with one of our staff for a stand.   Click

See you on the track!

Speed Racer

What Do I Need in a Wheel Stand?

What to Look for in a Wheel Stand? (A totally biased article from your friends at Wheel Stand Pro!).

Ok, so we’re biased, we want you to buy our wheel stand solution. For those still reading along here are our top reasons to get a stand. The top two are game killers if you don’t achieve them: you have to have a stable platform and a system you can quickly be ready to play.

1) Stable Platform: The reason you purchased the game and wheel was to enjoy a close-to-real-life driving experience. You need the your relationship to wheel and pedals to remain a constant during your driving experience. When I say “relationship staying constant” I mean that when you’re driving the car you can expect to feel some movement as the entire car moves, but you might feel less than confident if your pedals starting slipping farther and farther away! For those that are in a heated race and your wheel starts slipping sideways…you will no doubt feel quite saddened by the negative turn of events in the race. Quite saddened.

2) Quick Start-up: Are you old enough to remember the Indian on the side of the road crying at the site of litter on the side of the road? Well, that’s me (not the Indian part, just the crying part), when I think of all the very nice wheels gathering dust in the closet because it’s just too big of a hassle to pull out the wheel, plug everything in, then mount everything….dang anybody would be tired by then! All set up time, no race time. You want quick-quick-quick. What you want is a system that by the time the software loads you’re sitting in the driving seat ready to go! So if you can find a stand where you hard mount both your wheel and pedals and just pull it out and plug it into the power outlet and the USB (if it's not wireless)....then you are in the money! Gee, I wonder if Wheel Stand Pro has any of these.....

So let’s take a moment to reflect over the first two requirements. If you ain’t got those then there ain’t no go! Yup could have been a poet. Ok, done with reflecting...boring...!

3) Adjustable: Not a game killer, sure you can play with the wheel not quite in the right spot (or even a wrong spot!), maybe you can rig a seat so that it can be adjusted to make up for the shortcomings of your wheel and pedal mounting. But I want the quitting to be because I can’t manage to get to the next level on GT5, not because my leg is cramping up! Get yourself a solution that is fully adjustable, height, pedal location, wheel mount angle, can move back and forth….live a little! So keep a keen out for a stand solution that is fully articulating (fancy word for adjustable)....if you need help then you could do worse than http://www.wheelstandpro.us/.

4) Protect your equipment: Not usually given a lot of ink, but we think it’s important. The weakest link in your wheel and pedal gear is the wire connections running between the pedals and wheels. The more you are messing with setting up and taking down your wheel and pedals the more chance you have to damage it. So getting your wheel mounted on a platform where you don’t ever have to remove the wheel and pedals is a big plus in keeping your equipment safe and race ready! Set it up, tie wrap the wires snuggly up…and let your worries fall away like cars trailing you in your rearview mirror (see, more poetry… ). Look, I didn't even tell you where you might be able to find a stand.

5) Quick Adjustments – nice to have: Not a must, but something that will wear on you if it takes a long time to make adjustments to your rig. Do you have a quick release solution like… oh I don’t know, Wheel Stand Pro? Or does it take an act of congress to make adjustments for your friend who wants to race that Bugatti Veyron around the track?

6) Light and compact – Boy this really is biased toward Wheel Stand Pro. Again if you have a game room and your racing gear only moves once every five years, not a problem. But what if you need to move the gear out of the living room to make room for the occasional non-racing use of the television….then let’s just say it would be nice not to have to call three of your friends to move your driving sled out of sight! And let’s say you have to move it every day…for the rest of your life, like Sisyphus and the boulder…then I'd bet you would be wishing for a smaller boulder!

7) Low Cost – Well doesn’t it always ruin the fun when you have to actually pay for a solution? Well if you’re one of those wheels-in-the-lap drivers then you are laughing all the way to the bank! Or if you happen to be Thurston Howell the Third you can put on your flame retardant jump suit, tied yourself down with your sixty four point harness and slide into your full scale Nascar approved driving simulation cockpit….and wonder how the little people put up with what they have to put up with. Or….you can get the perfectly priced Wheel Stand Pro stand solution.

Enough pontificating let’s just see what where the chickens finally roost in our clearly biased rating of Driving Solutions:


Wheel in your lap, pedals on the carpet. Just free wheeling baby, hanging loose and feeling the wind on your face! Are you kidding, this is horrible. First, don’t let your friends drive drunk and second.... just behind drunk driving in moral equivalency…don’t let your friends lap-drive (ok that just sounds wrong). This one doesn’t pass the lowest hurdle, “ is this game usable this way”?
“F+” or One Stick Shifter out of Four

Wheel mounted on a table, pedals on the carpet. Much better, and maybe even drivable. Unless you’re using a card table or an ironing board, you’ve managed to clamp your wheel with the plastic clamps to a solid table…but now your pedals are slipping away….oh no Mr. Bill! Find something to stop that, brace the pedals against an immovable object….for instance lay a 2 by 4 board down behind your pedals that’s braced against the wall. Not adjustable, no protection for your equipment… hey but the price is right!
“D” or Two Stick Shifters out of Four

Wheel Mounted on a Wheel Stand Pro wheel stand (imagine angels singing and a warm glow surrounding the “Wheel Stand Pro” name: (hmmm wonder how this one is going to turn out?....he says to himself in quiet contemplation).

Stable – checkQuick Start Up – check (did you see our video?)

Adjustable – checkProtect your equipment – checkQuick Adjustments – check (fastest in the west!)
Light and Compact – check, checkLow cost – check (yes, really…where else can you get all this for this low low price?)

“A” or Four Stick Shifters out of Four


Well you made it through this lengthy clearly biased blogtification (or maybe you just jumped to the end). Please go check our product out at http://www.wheelstandpro.us/. Do yourself a favor and start racing in style!

See you on the track!

SR