This review is long and detailed. A TL;DR version is at the end, you can skip there if in a rush. Took a punt on this Playseat knowing it had 7 day returns, and because it was the only half decent cockpit available from Cloudtail. All sellers for NLR stuff had 2 stars. Took the plunge after having ordered and canceled this once before - because a sim cockpit is such an indulgence, and I had seen a lot of mixed reviews for the Playseat Evolution on YouTube.
However, I was tired of using a lounge chair for my sim racing setup. It would skid backwards under heavy braking, my back didn't feel great, and it annoyed me to have to clamp and remove my wheel on the desk each time. I wanted one sim racing unit that I could swap in and out of my setup since I also work and stream other things all at the same desk.
So, this arrived a couple of days ago. Was wary that it might be a used and returned piece, but nope it was brand spanking new. Mounted my T-LCM pedals and TS-XW wheelbase on it and I was pleasantly surprised by how well it holds up. Minimal flex and negligible sideways motion for the wheelbase (on tiled flooring, Im told its quite wobbly on carpet). The steering stalk doesnt get in the way for me at all (this was a gripe many reviewers had). The pedal deck does have a little bit of flex under heavy braking, but that's to be expected with load cells on an entry level cockpit. It doesn't break immersion, in fact the mild flex almost feels like a form of force feedback. So not an issue for me.
Seating position is quite comfortable and I find the wheel at a good height for me, despite being 6'3" - this was another concern I had. Again I was wary of the "bus driver" steering position many reviews had claimed, but no such issues again.
The seat itself definitely lacks lumbar support, but that's remedied by stuffing any old pillow behind you, so not a major con. I have done a couple of hour long races and been totally comfortable and immersed. I'm not thinking about my seating position at all. Only focused on racing. And that means the cockpit is doing its job.
It is very compact and can quickly be reduced to minimal size, with seat folded, and kept in a corner. As mentioned - I work at the same desk as well so this was a very important factor and a big reason why I didnt consider the InRacing cockpit which is made in India and much cheaper. With the Playseat it takes me just around 90 seconds or so to transition between work and racing setups.
If I have one complaint it's that the seat backrest doesn't seem to lock as firmly as I would expect it to. The locking mechanism at the back of the seat (which prevents it from folding) feels rather half baked. Doesn't have an impact on driving at all, but I feel that little instability for a few seconds every time I take a seat. It's the only giveaway that this is a relatively low end cockpit, and a little bit of a bummer considering how well built the rest of it is.
Factoring in the GST rebate (since I have a business account), this Playseat cost me around 10k more than it would cost abroad, but I'd probably have to pay that much more as excess baggage. I'd expect this can handle the new 8Nm CSL DD Pro easily too, considering my TSXW is just over 6Nm.
Overall I am very pleased and pleasantly surprised after having watched a lot of mixed youtube reviews. I have also bought the seat slider attachment but haven't needed to install it just yet. I imagine it makes finding your seating position that little bit more convenient though.
One thing to note is your seating position is REALLY low. Much lower than you'd think from the pictures. You are legit just a foot or so off the ground. And height CANNOT be adjusted. So if you have a small screen on a regular height desk, or a TV mounted high on a wall, you will struggle. Ideally you want your screen no more than a foot above the wheel. And positioned no more than a foot behind the wheel if it's under 27"
*TLDR*
Overall rating 9/10
- Great driving position and immersion
- No noticable flex with midrange equipment
- Easy to put away/doesn't take up space
- No lumbar support and underwhelming backrest lock.
- Expensive (but what sim racing gear isn't in India)
