Volpiano (TO) – More and more realistic virtual world. It is from this concept that SPARCO®, brand leader in research and development, was inspired and designed a line of products that would make the experience of the ‘simulation’ and gaming ever closer to reality. This field should not be underestimated because, increasingly, the search for performance on track starts right in front of a monitor. Volpiano’s brand transferred its experience in the study of shapes and materials and brought in the seats for gaming, where players must find the maximum comfort and breathability because of the long gaming sessions.
The result is a collection aimed not only at the “casual” gamer, but also for the experienced user seeking high performance, such as eSports athletes; a discipline that, year after year, sees growth of its audience and players, which has over 134* million viewers, and with estimates that give a steady growth of 30% over the next five years.
SPARCO® has conceived three chair models:
GRIP: entry-level model, allows the user to adjust the seating position in height and inclination, while the back offers the ability to recline and micrometer lumbar adjustment. The product is saddled with the same synthetic leather used for after-market automotive products ensuring wear resistance, washability with a damp cloth and durability of the surface texture.
STINT: is dedicated to a discerning gamer, who in addition to the functional aspects of handling, looks at the performance. The STINT chair is equipped with the innovative COLDFLOW system, developed in SPARCO®: this system sees, both in the cushion and in the central part of the backrest, a perforated fabric and a cushion composed of epoxy nature wires. The COLDFLOW system also sees improving blood flow compared with traditional upholstery.
COMP: is the “luxury” model of SPARCO® range. This product was conceived in two variants C and V. The first, top of the range between the gaming seats, is equipped with a backrest consisting of the same composite material of carbon fiber used on Supercar staged by SPARCO®; the version V, instead, is equipped with a backrest in painted fiberglass matt black. Both chairs are derived in design and comfort from the SPX SPARCO® seat.
SPARCO® has also entered into a partnership with Codemasters to produce a custom gaming chair branded with DiRT Rally.
“Collaboration with SPARCO® has been a natural fit throughout many years of racing game development. It’s exciting to see the overlap between our parallel universes of virtual and real-world racing continuing to grow. Serious gamers, like serious drivers, seek serious kit. Partnering with world-leading motorsport equipment engineers speaks volumes about the importance of, and immersion possible within, today’s virtual world.” said Toby Evan-Jones, Director, Business Development (Codemasters).
SPARCO® has applied the same philosophy used for motorsport seats to the construction of equipment for Sim Racing. The dramatic increase in the realism of driving simulations as Assetto Corsa by Kunos Simulations, SPARCO® partners, led tens of millions of players to appear at the Sim Racing, videogame discipline that provides personal online gameplay and competition against other real players. SPARCO® decided to offer all Sim Racers a revolutionary range dedicated to them.
The tip of the iceberg consists of the cockpit Evolve, which sees reconceived the driving seat for simulators thanks to a very compact layout, but that will thrill all virtual drivers thanks to anthropometric study done with Humanetics®, which will guarantee them the same driving position that SPARCO® studies for Rally and GT cars. The driving position has been conceived from measurements of 95 percentile, then even adults with generous dimensions will be able to obtain the perfect sporty driving position. The numerous adjustments present (sliding guides for the seat, the adjustment system for rotation, sliding and elevation of the wheel support and pedals support, space-saving folding) allow a wide range of users to secure the correct position. Evolve has obviously been designed for optimum torsional stiffness, which brings the feel of a real interior to all virtual drivers, despite its compact size that leads to portability to be reckoned with. To enrich the range, as well as various additional options in the pipeline for the Evolve cockpit, equipped as standard with a racing seat, there is also the driving devices and clothing.
On devices, SPARCO® is working on steering wheels, in all sizes and materials, present on racing cars. Users will then be able to buy, along with the cockpit Evolve, even bundles of products to interface with their PC or their gaming console.
Davide Brivio, SPARCO® Gaming Program Manager: “Joining a degree in Mechanical Engineering and years of passion and experience in the Sim Racing and in FPS gaming is definitely a dream come true. The development of this first range, which will be released in 2017, aims straight to raising the quality of gaming equipment, to allow desktop players and Sim Racers to improve the gaming experience through products developed in Italy by the racing industry leaders who take seriously the virtual universe, which now 100% of professional drivers face each day. The intentions for the coming years are definitely supporting the community that we want to create, and why not, the search for innovative solutions for both entry-level and for the most hard-core gamers.”
“Once, racing champions were formed with karts, today more and more with simulators,” said Claudio Pastoris, SPARCO® CEO, “things change quickly and you need to keep up with the times. eSports are not only video games but real sport, considered as such, especially abroad. online competitions, championships and tournaments that gather “professionals” Team or Pro Player, and “amateur” whose rise, as for professional riders, is made up of many hours of training to get to high performance. The eSports, like a car race, is an experienced discipline.”
