Playseat Evolution Quick Shot

It’s hard to deny the appeal of a game like Gran Turismo. Millions of copies have been sold, and if there was ever going to be an Olympics of videogames, there’s no doubt that Gran Turismo would be on the short list of games to feature. As gamers have discovered with the Wii, or games like Guitar Hero and DDR, the quality of the controller and human-computer interaction plays a big role in . For today’s racing games, the force feedback steering wheel is that tool.

The missing element has always been the mount for that steering wheel. With PC racing games, it was possible to use a desk, but with consoles, people have turned to end tables, fold up tables, and even lap attachments. Unfortunately, none of these options are able to deliver a proper seating position.

Enterprising individuals have gone to the junkyard to find old car seats to build their own racing cockpit. Wealthy individuals have gone with the official Sparco GT Cockpit, running $580 for a standard racing bucket to $750 for one with a comfortable chair. For a while, Bob Earl’s $300 Virtual Racing Chassis remained the only option for enthusiasts wanting a turn-around solution. Extremely functional and overengineered to Huffaker Engineering’s specifications, the VRC was superb. Unfortunately, it was function over form, and due to its popularity, often out of stock.

Enter the $299 PlaySeat Evolution.

Originally developed in the Netherlands, Playseats has one critical advantage to the Bob Earl Virtual Racing Chassis: it’s available at Amazon.com and Walmart.com. This easy availability makes it easy to buy (and try) the seat, and all of us have found ourselves with Amazon or Walmart gift certificates at one point or another. The other important feature of the Playseat Evolution is that it looks a lot cooler.