Updated Setup

Added a curved WQHD Dell U3417W 34" 3440x1440 main monitor on Feb. 18, 2017 after my 24" 1920x1200 monitor died.

The setup

This is an overview of my gaming setup - shown in Shooter / Flight / Racing modes. The idea here is to create a gaming platform for total immersion. Total immersion is an attempt to block out as much sensory perception of the real world and replace the visual, auditory and tactile sensory input with the game so that your mind can be immersed into the reality of the game in a phenomenon known as "Suspention of disbelief."

The best types of games for maximum immersion are First Person Shooters (FPS), Flight Simulators, and Driving Simulators. I switch between these genres depending on my mood or whatever new game I get. Best done in a darkened room for the fullest effect.







Here is a video on YouTube showing my setup in action using IL-2 1946.

Triple Head - A.K.A. Surround Screen Gaming

Triple head / Surround Screen / Super-Widescreen are all terms synonomous with using three monitors to widen the peripheral Field of View (FOV) to extend the side views while gaming.

The idea was first introduced by Matrox TripleHead2Go (TH2G) as a hardware peripheral that extended the image to 3 screens. Note that this is ENTIRELY different than simply using Windows in multiple desktop mode. In order to run games and other 3D applications across 3 screens, special software or hardware is required to "trick" Direct-X into splitting the video buffer and distributing seperate frames to be rendered on 3 seperate displays. There are some inherant problems with TH2G. First, all screens must have the exact same resolution. Second, the max resolution of all 3 screens is low by todays standards. For me, these two limitations were entirely un-acceptable and besides that, the monitors I owned were not identical so I had to search for alternate means of enabling surround video.

What I found was a tiny little program called SoftTH. Short for "Software Triple Head" SoftTH allows gamers to enable triplehead without the use of expensive hardware accessories. All the work is done by the primary video card and the side buffers are sent to secondary and tertiary video ports on either one video card, or two depending on your hardware. There are some compatibility issues with certain game engines but for the most part, many games can be spanned using SoftTH. A few years after I started using SoftTH, the two major video card manufacturers implemented surround gaming into their respective drivers opening the world of triplehead gaming to the major market. ATI uses "Eyefinity" and nVidia uses "nVidia Surround" but both of these options are limited in their implemtation. With SoftTH I am able to render games in any possible monitor configuration and this is a major benifit to any other surround option.

TrackIR - Get your head in the game!

TrackIR is a PC peripheral that tracks head movement and translates that movement into a gaming application. This device is simply one the most amazing gaming devices ever! Especially geared for flight simulators it is very easy to get used to and once you try it, you will never play without it! Obviously, you need to keep your eyes pointed forward to your monitor, so the TrackIR software has configurable power curves that amplify your head motion depending on your preference. TrackIR uses a small Infra-Red camera mounted on your monitor and captures the signals produced by the above head tracking units LED's.









For first person shooters, this hardware is also useful. While there are titles such as "ArmA" that fully utilize the TrackIR in seperating your head movement from your body movement, these titles are few and far between. While popular, TrackIR does not nearly have enough user base to make this a viable technology for most games to bother implementing. For other games that allow for side leaning - left and right, I use a 3rd party application called "TrackMapper" to map the keyboard commands to a head axis. For simple left and right I assign the key to a tilt of my head. This works great for peeking around corners and staying behind cover!

Per my request, NaturalPoint - Birch modded TrackMapper1.1a to be able to use more axes than the original software allowed. You may download this updated version of the software here. Feel free to use and distribute this software.

For flight simulators, the TrackIR is nothing short of stunning! Full Six Degrees of Freedom (6DoF) is enjoyed by TrackIR users. The 6DoF are - Yaw, Pitch, Roll, X, Y, and Z movements within a 3D environment. Every possible motion your real head can perform can be duplicated by TrackIR in a game that supports it! More and more titles are getting on the bandwagon and adding TrackIR support.

A video showing TrackIR.

Saitek X52 Pro Flight Control System

The X52 Pro Flight Stick and Rudder Pedal combo is a perfect setup for any type of flight simulation software. Fully customizable buttons and 6 axes allow the user to program over 20 key commands to button presses for full Hand On Throttle And Stick (HOTAS) control!

Logitech G27 Steering Wheel

Logitech has pretty much dominated the steering wheel input device market for years. With the introduction of the G27 Racing Wheel, Logitech continues to outclass every other wheel available. Using real hand stiched leather this gaming device really gives you the look and feel of a real car! Two force feedback motors deliver smooth counter force that simulates the feel of tires on the ground.