This is the Yaw 2… VR’s next-generation motion simulator. This futuristic-looking
chair makes you feel like you’re driving a car, flying airplanes, or even spaceships
in your home. This time around, there are even more use cases, like for work.
So the team behind the Yaw 2 came all the way from Hungary to visit us so we could test
it out at the comfort of our home. Keep in mind, this is a prototype, so this is not
a review. Instead, I’ll share my hands-on first impressions. We’ll talk about specs,
improvements, and new features, all while showing you the Yaw 2 in action during gameplay.
There’s a lot to take into account this time, so I’m going to do my best to explain
this as well as possible. As always, timestamps are below. I’m Cas; consider subscribing
if you like VR and now join me beyond reality.
Yaw VR isn’t new in the industry. They had a successful Kickstarter 3 years ago of their
first version. This was an exciting product because it was the most compact and affordable
We’ve reviewed the first version in the past, and we liked it a lot. That one delivered
what it promised, and it made specific experiences much more fun. However, there were some issues.
And in the end, we thought it was more suitable for certain game genres.
With the Yaw 2, the team improves upon this and adds more features. So let’s start with
specs.
Here it is in all its glory in our living room.
[Show Yaw 2 in full in living room – Add size measurements]
It’s pretty big in a small condo like ours. So keep in mind that you need some space.
If you want full 360 rotation, Yaw recommends at least a diameter of 6.5 feet (2 meters).
But you can easily tell the biggest difference with the first Yaw here, the design. Obviously.
The design is now so much more aesthetic. It has a futuristic design. In my opinion,
it looks like something that came straight out of a spaceship, and as a big nerd, I love
that.
There are fewer plastic parts too. The version I tried here was almost entirely made of aluminum.
Although, the Yaw team has told me that the final standard version may get more plastic
parts, while the Pro version will retain this stronger structure. This isn’t finalized
yet; however, if this is what the Pro version will be like, I like it; the build quality
feels really sturdy. This chair has gone through heavy testing too, even wind, and rain, to
get here at our house here at floor 7, and it still works, so I think that says something.
Internally, the motors and the technique behind the movement have changed as well.
It doesn’t use the Omni-wheels anymore, which is what caused friction damage when
the first chair was overweight and overheating. This shouldn’t happen anymore as the Yaw
2 now uses cogwheels. This allows for greater transmission of force and it does not slip.
It’s also more precise because all motions are separated and each have their own motors.
A big plus is that it does not need an external tracker anymore for motion compensation. So
it will now work with all major VR headsets, even those with inside-out tracking.
On the first Yaw, people, me included, also put counterweights at the back to balance
heavy racing wheels and other peripherals. There wasn’t a good place to do that on
the first version, but on the Yaw 2, the team has taken that into account and said that
they will have a place for these counterweights at the back here. That’s nice, if you still
want to do that.
Ok now versions! The Yaw 2 comes in different versions, the one I tested was the standard
version. Which includes:
Motors of max 500W Power
Adjustable Footholder
Adjustable Basic Desk
Keep in mind that both the foot holder and desk isn’t the final version in this prototype,
so it may look different in the future.
It will also have Static Led Lights, which are changeable in colors.
And it will include the software needed.
There will also be a PRO version, which will include all of the Standard version and more:
It has more powerful motors (700W instead of 500).
It will also include a smart plug for connecting fans and Wind effects. To make it even more
realistic. A built-in electricity outlet and effects
for the led lights Built-in casters, those are foldable wheels
The most interesting of this version is the built-in USB input that passes through your
PC so that you can plug in your accessories, like racing wheels or Yokes, directly on the
YAW. This makes cable management much more manageable.
Next to this, there’s also an ARCADE version for business owners, which includes programmable
buttons and arcade software. Interesting for arcades, but not needed for us consumers I
think.
Another big difference is that the Yaw 2 is built to be modular. I like modular hardware
as you can personalize the product. So you can pick the parts you need, leave out what
you don’t, and get the best price for you.
The first modular part is the replaceable chair on top, so you can put any gaming chair
on here as long as it has a flat bottom. So this DXRacer I have here, yes, that would
work as well.
If you don’t want to put your seat on it, you can buy Yaw’s seat made from basic fabric
and has programmable led lights that synchronize nicely with the platform.
But not only the top part is modular, but also the bottom. In the standard version,
you’ll get the 2DOF platform, so it’s able to pitch and roll.
The maximum motion range of the pitch is 70 degrees, and the roll is 40 degrees. The motion
speed is 160 degrees per second max.
If you want to spin around in 360 degrees, you have to get the Yaw platform, adding a
second platform below. The max speed it can spin is 360 degrees per second, which is really
fast.
Coming in the future, Yaw plans on making another module called the Gravity platform,
which gives the simulator up and down movement, also known as heave or elevation. Very interesting.
They are still working on this platform, though, so it’s not available yet and I could not
test it yet, unfortunately. But you can get it later as a standalone add-on.
You can also get the built-in casters as a separate add-on if you get the standard version
So I think that covers all the modules and add-ons but there are also new features and
use cases. The team says you can use it for work & relaxation. These are mostly software
features like posture correcting assistance and a built-in timer. These features are not
finished yet, so I haven’t checked them out yet. However, I will include it in the
full review.
Depending on what you need, the Yaw 2 will cost between around 1100 to 2300 US dollars.
These are current Kickstarter prices, though, so this may be more expensive in the future.
But the most basic version, so 2DOF and without a seat, will be the cheapest but then you
have to get your own seat. If you want a 3DOF simulator with all the Pro features and a
seat, it will be close to 2300 dollars. This is shipping excluded. Since it will be shipped
from Europe, shipping to the US is 300 dollars extra, so keep that in mind.
But let’s move on to the fun stuff, so my impressions of what we actually tested and
what it feels like. So I can’t talk about the hardware setup yet as the prototype was
already assembled, so that’ll come in a later video.
Software is the same as the previous Yaw, so you will recognize it if you own the previous
one. There is a phone app which is what you use to control and troubleshoot the Yaw via
a Bluetooth and WiFi connection. On PC, there’s the Game Engine that you need to install on
your PC and it synchronizes the chair with your PC and a game. You connect the chair
to the software via WiFi, or you can also use a network cable.
Also, all games that support the first Yaw, will also support the Yaw 2. So that’s good
news.
During my day with the Yaw 2. The software setup did take the longest; the team ran into
some issues. I wasn’t the one doing the setup so I can’t say much about that unfortunately
yet. But they told me the software is still being worked
But there are some improvements. With the previous Yaw you had recalibrate the device
each time you wanted to play and you had to take some stuff into account. This is not
necessary anymore with the Yaw 2. So there are definitely lots of improvements and streamlining
of the setup here, which is really good news because that was also my feedback in my previous
Yaw review. They did tell me that the software is still being worked on..
But let’s move on to the fun stuff, so my impression and what we actually tested during
games. So I’ve been showing you these games already in this video. But the first game
that we played was Epic Roller Coasters, a native game on Quest. So the Yaw was connected
to the Quest directly and needed no PC. This is by far the easiest way to try out the Yaw
and so much fun with that game as the rumble in the coaster makes it feel real. So real,
I even felt some butterflies going down at high speed. It can get **** pretty intense,
but it’s very cool.
I’ve also tested Dirt Rally 2.0 via SteamVR. It was streamed wirelessly via Virtual Desktop
to the Quest, and I was using the Logitech G920 wheels here. These are heavy racing wheels
that were too heavy for the previous Yaw, but on the Yaw 2, this is completely fine.
Which is good news.
And this surprised me a little. The motion compensation worked well too. As mentioned
before, you don’t need a separate tracker anymore, which makes it a ton easier. So there’s
some software magic going and it works well so that’s good news. You just pick the Yaw
2 chair as the tracker in the motion compensation software. Once that was set up, I only had
to recenter once, and it was good to go.
In this game, I felt the acceleration, braking, and differences in the road. Grass felt different
than the dirt road itself. I also felt the impact when I bumped into mountains or looped
around, which often happened as I’m a terrible racer. But again, it felt realistic.
I’ve also tested XPlane11 using a Logitech Yoke System, and this was my favorite game
to try out as it just felt amazing. Particularly, this part, where I had to lift off. So I would
drive on the runway and feel the vibrations and rumble of the ground. And the moment when
I lifted off, that rumble went soft, and only a slight vibration remained and that was of
the airplane motors. It was exactly like how it felt sitting in an airplane. It felt quite
surreal knowing that I was home.
Response times were great; I don’t notice the latency. It’s probably there, but when
in the game, you won’t feel it much. So it’s just almost one on one. Tracking was
good as well. I was pretty surprised we didn’t need any external trackers.
Do I feel much difference when compared to the first Yaw, though? Well, not really. The
team said that response times should be better, faster, and stronger, but it wasn’t noticeable
to me. I think I need to test both versions side-by-side to be sure, which I’m going
to do in the future.
There is one difference I can feel for sure, and that is the seat, which is much more comfortable.
It’s also just easier to get in and out. So that’s a plus as when I play games on
a motion simulator, it’s usually for a couple of hours.
Now, there are some things to keep in mind if you are planning to get one. Motor power
is not as important as it seems because it’s not often that you need 100% of the power.
Frankly, it gets very intense if you put it so high. I usually have it between I don’t
know below 50%. This is the same for the Yaw 2. Everything was set on 30% of power, and
it was more than enough.
However, this is different per person. For example, if you weigh 280 pounds, which is
about the max load of the Yaw 2, you may need that extra power.
Then the Pro version’s built-in USB input will be super handy for cable management of
peripherals, but only if you want to rotate 360 degrees.
Usually, racing simulators don’t need to spin 360 degrees, so the standard 2DOF platform
should be enough. If you like flight simulators, it would be nice to have Yaw movement too.
So which version you should get comes down to what you play often.
There is a lot of information in this video, but I know there are many simulator fans out
there, so I hope I could help out with this video. In the upcoming months, a full review
is definitely coming once they finish the product. Let me know your questions and what
you would like me to test in the comments below, and I will take it into account for
the review.
Also, let me if you are going to get one and what you think? If you need more info, you
can check out their Kickstarter; I will link it in the description.
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En ik zeg fijne avond. VR on!