Metahaptics SimRacing Seat Insert – Review

Simracing has developed continuously in recent years. While the main components such as the wheelbase and pedals are slowly reaching their limits, there is still some catching up to do in other areas. The seat inserts from German manufacturer Sensit, equipped with 14 motors in eight zones, are designed to provide haptic feedback directly on the body. The manufacturer currently offers these for around €700.

Ordering and shipping

The Metahaptics SimRacing Seat Inserts are available in the Sensit shop as well as in various other shops, such as Caseking and OverclockersUK. Sensit currently offers the set at a price of €699 including shipping to Germany. At the time of this review, you can save €120 with the voucher code ‘simracingpc’, bringing the final price to €579. The delivery time is currently quoted as approx. two weeks.

Metahaptics SimRacing Seat Insert: 699€

Sensit Metahaptics SimRacing Seat Insert*

120€ Gutscheincode / Coupon code: SIMRACINGPC

The product tested here was provided by the manufacturer. No influence was exerted on this review at any time.

Scope of delivery

The set is securely packaged, with the individual seat cushions each in their own plastic sleeves and the electronic components in their own cardboard boxes. In addition to the cushions and the controller box, all necessary cables, adhesive strips and instructions are included.

Seat cushion
Center cushion
Back cushion
Power adapter
Metahaptics control unit
3M hook-and-loop straps
USB-C to USB-A cable,
Quick installation guide
User manual

Specs

Below you will find the technical data of the Metahaptics SimRacing Seat Inserts provided by the manufacturer:

Materials

Inner cushion material: PUR
Cushion cover material: 3D Mesh (100% Polyester), Velours (100% Polyester)
PCB Case: ABS+

Dimensions

Seat cushion: approx. 23 x 38 x 11 cm
Center cushion: approx. 25.5 x 38 x 7.5 cm
Back cushion: approx. 41.3 x 34 x 6 cm
PCB Case: approx. 8.3 x 11.2 x 3.9 cm

Technical Specs

Voltage: 19 V
Amperage: 5.2 A
Power supply unit power: 100 W

Compatibility

In terms of compatibility, two areas must be considered separately. On the one hand the hardware side and on the other the compatible software.

Seats

Thanks to the separate design of the upholstery and the ability to easily press it into shape, most seats currently available on the market are compatible with the Seat Inserts. For the test report, for example, a Sim-Lab Speed 1 bucket seat, which is not on the official compatibility list for seats, was used without any problems. In principle, it is relatively easy to check whether your own seat is compatible using the dimensions of the supplied cushions.

The following seats are officially listed as compatible:

Nitro Concept
- R300
Thermaltake
- Tt-Esport GR500
Corbeau
- Revenge X Seat
- Revenge X Seat XL
Rseat
- Alcantara, Bucket
- Seat Pro GT
Sparco
- Evo L&XL QRT
- Pro 2000 QR
- Rev QRT
- Circtui II QRT
Recaro
- Sim Star
- SPG Profi XL
- Pole Position
GT-Omega
- Interia Bucket Seat
- Chase Bucket Seat

Software

The manufacturer offers native support for the most popular sim racing titles via its own software. If you want to use the haptic feedback in other games, you can use the SimHub software as an alternative. You can read more about this in the corresponding section of this report.

You can find the officially compatible titles in the following list. The manufacturer is currently working on important direct support for other titles.

AC
ACC
AC Evo
iRacing
F1 (24)

Installation

The topic of hardware compatibility is followed by the installation. The fact that almost all current bucket seats have a similar design and have removable pads that are held in place with Velcro fasteners plays a role here. In the case of the Sim-Lab seat used in the test, for example, only the standard pads had to be removed and then replaced one-to-one with the three Sensit pads. The two cables are then simply routed through the belt grommet on the underside and can be connected to the controller box underneath the seat. However, the quality of the 3D-printed housing is somewhat inferior to the workmanship of the pads. The box itself can be attached to the seat or aluminium profiles using the Velcro strap supplied and is therefore hidden under the seat.

All that remains to be done is to connect the controller box to the PC with a USB cable and the mains cable to a power socket. All in all, installation is completed in under five minutes and is no challenge at all, even for inexperienced users.

Hardware

Next, let’s take a look at the hardware of the set.

Cushions

The most important components of the set are, of course, the cushions with their integrated motors. The front cushion in the lower section and the back cushion are equipped with actuators. Compared to standard upholstery, these are slightly thicker so that you sit a little higher and the distance to the backrest is slightly greater. Based on user feedback, the resulting gap between the backrest and the rest of the seat is now compensated for with an additional shoulder pad (see photo; was not yet part of the review sample).

However, even without the additional padding, absolutely no loss of seat quality could be detected during the test. However, this aspect is probably heavily dependent on the combination of seat and body stature of the user. Even during longer sessions, the very well-made polyurethane padding with a matching 3D mesh cover (100 % polyester) always offered a comfortable fit. Even several weeks of intensive riding did not result in any significant, visible wear.

Motors

In addition to the cushions, the built-in motors are of course essential for the haptic feedback. The manufacturer has installed 14 motors in two sizes, which sets the Metahaptics SimRacing Seat Inserts apart from the competition in the field of haptic mats for seats.

4x Large Hi-Res magnetic LRAs
10x Medium Hi-Res magnetic LRAs

According to the manufacturer, the LRAs have a frequency range of 10 to 20,000 Hz and a latency of just 5 milliseconds. The aforementioned LRAs (Linear Resonant Actuators) are linear resonant actuators. In contrast to the ERMs (Eccentric Rotating Mass) often used in this area, they are designed to provide more precise and faster haptic feedback. LRAs utilise a moving mass that vibrates along an axis.

Reaction speed: LRAs react faster and offer better control over vibrations.
Precision: They provide more detailed and realistic feedback, which can be particularly important for sim racing.
Efficiency: LRAs generally consume less energy and have a longer service life.

Volume

Another important factor with a product like this is the volume. The actuators are relatively quiet, even at high settings and with an isolated seat, and can hardly be heard at a distance of just a few metres. This means that they are only suitable for living rooms to a limited extent without additional decoupling of the seat, but they have no effect on the surrounding rooms. This is a not insignificant advantage over motion simulators, where you have to take significantly more countermeasures to avoid annoying the neighbours.

Below you will find an audio recording that was made during operation close to maximum performance from a distance of around 60 centimetres. The permanently reproduced motor vibrations, for example, are not audible at all or only with great difficulty:

Software

In addition to the hardware itself, the actuators must of course also be operated with the appropriate software so that they can be used in a targeted manner.

SensitHaptics SimRacing Cockpit

Sensit’s in-house software is SensitHaptics SimRacing Cockpit, a very simple and therefore particularly easy to use proprietary software that can be downloaded from the manufacturer’s website. There you can choose between various ready-made profiles or make your own settings. The following effects can be set and changed in terms of intensity and the assigned actuators:

Gearshift: Haptics simulate the physical jolt of gear changes, enhancing realism and precision during shifting.
Wheelslip: Detect traction loss instantly through haptic feedback, helping you respond to skidding or wheelspin in real time.
Roadfeel: Haptics replicate surface textures, from smooth asphalt to bumpy curbs, for immersive driving sensations.
Engine: Experience the engine’s rumble through your seat, reflecting RPM changes and engine intensity.
ABS: Feel the pulsating vibrations when ABS activates, mimicking the feedback of a real braking system.

The advantage over SimHub lies in the higher frequency at which the software works (100 Hz sampling rate of the telemetry-based effects), as well as in the very simple operation. The current disadvantage is the very limited selection of simulations and effects.

SimHub

In addition to their own software, the Metahaptics SimRacing Seat Inserts can also be controlled via SimHub due to their nature as an audio device. The eight channels (SeatFrontLeft, SeatFrontRight, BackrestBottomLeft, BackrestBottomRight, BackrestTopLeft, BackrestTopRight, SeatLeftMid, SeatRightMid) can be controlled individually. The following effects are available for selection, although not all effects are available for every simulation:

ABS ACTIVE
- Provides feedback when ABS is currently active
ACCELERATION G-FORCE
- Provides longitudinal acceleration feedback based on G-Force
CUSTOM EFFECT
- Provides ability to create your own effect based on game data
DECELERATION G-FORCE
- Provide deceleration feedback based on G-Force
ENGINE VIBRATION (PARAMETRIC SOUND)
- Simulates engine vibration
GEAR GRINDING
- Provides feedback for grinding gears (racing only)
GEAR SHIFT
- Provides a pulse effect for gear shifting
JUMP LANDING
- Provides localized feedback for jump landings
LATERAL G-FORCE
- Provides lateral acceleration feedback based on G-Force
MISSED GEAR
- Provide feedback for missed gears (manual cars only, based on H-Pattern controller)
ROAD IMPACTS
- Provides localized feedback for bumps and other wheels impact on road
ROAD RUMBLE (RUMBLE STRIPS, GRASS …)
- Provides localized rumble for kerbs, grass …
ROAD VIBRATION
- Provides localized road vibration based on suspension telemetry
RPMS
- Simulates engine RPMs with a fully customizable RPM response curve
SIMULATED ROAD TEXTURE
- Simulate the road texture based on speed
SPEED
- Provide simple speed proportional feedback
SPEED WITH CURVING
- Provide speed proportional feedback with left/right curving
TC ACTIVE
- Provides feedback when TC is currently active

As you can see, the advantage lies not only in the larger selection of compatible simulations but also in the wider range of effects. However, you shouldn’t overdo it. If too many effects are layered, it can quickly happen that you can no longer perceive them clearly separated from each other, which can lead to a poorer practical experience.

Apart from the lower frequency, the complexity of the settings is the biggest disadvantage of SimHub, as it can quickly put off beginners in particular. A basic profile supplied directly with the system would be a good starting point here.

Driving experience

With sim racing hardware, it always comes down to performance on the racetrack. The Metahaptics SimRacing Seat Inserts can be evaluated in two ways.

Competitive aspect: From a competitive point of view, it is best to concentrate on a few effects, as is the case with the AC Competitive profile supplied. ABS and Wheel Slip are active here, which gives you direct feedback about the intervening ABS, similar to active pedals, and the breaking out of the car is also represented by haptic effects. The built-in actuators are so strong in the highest setting that they even partially mask the ABS effect of the ‘mBooster Active Pedals’ from MOZA used during the test. Overall, the competitive profile doesn’t lead to a ground-breaking explosion in performance, but you’ll be glad of any additional information you can get. When in doubt, the few milliseconds it takes to notice a car breaking away earlier can be decisive.
Immersion / fun factor: A much bigger factor than the competitive aspect is the immersion or fun factor. Here, the Metahaptics SimRacing Seat Inserts offer a new level of effects that make the experience in the simulator even more vivid. During the test period, the effects during gear changes, which really shake the body on a high setting, were particularly grinning. The engine vibration and the effects for road textures also contribute significantly to the overall experience. A comparison with a motion system is of course not entirely accurate, but you could say that this is as close as you can get.

For such a haptic system, simulations that offer support for as many of the available effects as possible are particularly recommended. The Assetto Corsa series is exemplary here, offering an excellent experience. During the test, it quickly became clear that the SensitHaptics SimRacing Cockpit software currently simply tickles a little more out of the actuators and that the creation of a suitable SimHub profile is not done in a few days, but requires a lot of fine-tuning.

Conclusion

With the Metahaptics SimRacing Seat Inserts, the German manufacturer Sensit delivers a very successful overall package. The simple installation and quick setup not only appeal to hardcore sim racers, but also open up the world of haptic feedback to newcomers. The well-designed software integration and the additional optional compatibility with SimHub contribute greatly to the plug-and-play aspect and allow the fun factor to be fully realised from the very first second. Overall, the set with its 14 actuators offers clear added value thanks to the multitude of possible haptic effects, even if it is certainly not affordable for every simracer with a price of around €700.

However, you can hardly get closer to the experience of a motion simulator at the moment, which is why the product receives a clear recommendation to buy.