getting into driving games

danlightbulb said:
Re the wheel.

is it normal for it to feel resistance even when driving normally in a normal car on asphalt? I am getting feedback from the wheel where I wouldn't have expected any, i.e gentle turns.

Ive never driven a fast car on any track before, not sure how the steering is supposed to feel?
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You're always going to get some resistance/feeling on the wheel which will change with your speed, track conditions, tyre conditions, state of the car etc.
 
Ok cool. Sometimes feels like i might break it, it judders when try to turn it (eg when stationary).

Also just been reading up on monitor set ups. Mine is way less than ideal at only 24" and a metre from my face. No wonder I felt like I could hardly see anything.
 
Anyone clued up on set ups?

Here is my desk/pc/monitor setup. Its a 24" 1080p monitor.

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With the best will in the world the closest I can get to the monitor is 30" (from my face), giving me a FOV of at best 40 degrees.

What would be the cheapest way of improving this? I plugged some numbers into a FOV calculator and even with a 34" 1440p widescreen monitor (which isn't cheap!) my FOV would only be about 55 degrees. Doesn't seem worth making that change at the moment given my space restrictions.

I still need to be able to use the PC as a normal workstation, i.e moving the steering wheel out of the way easily when using the keyboard.

If there is nothing I can do to improve it much, then I will probably wait until I have more space and can get a cockpit going.
 
You could try a vesa arm for a monitor that would allow you to put it closer to the wheel, being slightly above it rather than the base touching and impeding the back of the wheel. I use a vesa arm with my setup and it also feels more realistic racing having a sensation of a 'floating' screen rather than one on a standard base.


Edit: Just noticed that's a tempered glass table, likely won't be strong enough for a vesa mount, mine's like a vice grip on solid wood. I know tempered glass is strong but I'd be worried having a wheel mounted to it as well, pressure points where the wheel mountings connect can't be good.

Anyway I could be totally wrong, I'm not a fan of tempered glass in any form of construction other than a window, even then I don't like it for PC windows but that's just my opinion.
 
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Yeah I bought the desk 2nd hand, it was exactly 1m wide which was perfect for the spot it fits in. If I had more room I'd have a more traditional, larger desk.

I know the ultimate solution is triple screens I just don't have the room at the moment and need to maintain normal working access to my PC as well. Not sure how to do that.


Been playing on my mind since yesterday...did I make a mistake buying the G920 and not the G29 with the extra buttons? At the time I thought it would be a good idea to maintain compatibility with xbox but now its set up I realise that I'd likely never move this away from the PC.

I could repackage it all and swap it for the G29?
 
Oculus Rift VR in Dirt Rally was the closest experience I have to feeling like I was in a car. Was fun sticking my head out the window :)

You can actually judge the corners really well in VR. That said, it was about the only game I enjoyed in VR, that and Project Cars
 
Worthy said:
It's also worth investing in a VR headset too if you want to really get into it. I wasn't even hugely into racing games until I tried Assetto Corsa with a wheel and pedals in VR. It's one of the best gaming experiences I think I've ever had.
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I'll second this.

I got bought a PSVR after always being an Xbox player and wasn't overly bothered.

Then I tried VR driving, within a month I had a full seat, wheel and pedals set up.

Even the limited PS version of VR makes driving an indescribably immersive experience.
 
danlightbulb said:
Yeah I bought the desk 2nd hand, it was exactly 1m wide which was perfect for the spot it fits in. If I had more room I'd have a more traditional, larger desk.

I know the ultimate solution is triple screens I just don't have the room at the moment and need to maintain normal working access to my PC as well. Not sure how to do that.


Been playing on my mind since yesterday...did I make a mistake buying the G920 and not the G29 with the extra buttons? At the time I thought it would be a good idea to maintain compatibility with xbox but now its set up I realise that I'd likely never move this away from the PC.

I could repackage it all and swap it for the G29?
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The base of that desk looks good, maybe you could buy a piece of hardwood and mod it? If that glass comes off easy it would be very sturdy desk for racing with solid wood on top. I say this as I've accidentally pulled the wheel my off my desk before despite it being on strongly, you can get quite into racing physically games and fulcrum points like with the wheel connection on tempered glass aren't good.

Also, I hate to possibly create extra hassle for you but truthfully you likely would benefit from the extra buttons on the G29.

I use a Driving Force GT, which while way lower end, does still use the similar wheel and layout as a G29. For the buttons you don't have on a G920, I find the Red wheel/dial to be very useful, and also the plus and minus buttons that are missing from the G920 as well, I would miss them. The red dial is really nice for doing camera changes quickly on the fly for example.

Having said that. even the G920 has some shoulder buttons on the front face buttons that my Driving Force GT doesn't, so that could easily make up for it.
 
hmm VR would eliminate the problem of needing any additional monitors at all and make building a racing seat/stand a hell of a lot easier.

I've never used VR at all, will have to research it.

Its easy enough for me to swap the G920 at Argos I think. I can't take it back right now as the stores are closed but they have extended their 30 day returns policy until the stores reopen again. I could just repackage everything up no problem.

I should have thought about it a bit more initially, but until I set it up I was valuing cross platform compatibility more highly and didn't realise what value the extra buttons would have. I think now that the PC experience would be miles better once I have the right screens/VR.
 
It's hard to describe what playing in VR feels like, it's really one of those things you have to experience for yourself. I'm not a big fan of all these VR games that are room scale and you're walking around doing stuff, they do nothing for me. Games where you're seated in the same place (driving games, flight sims) are astronomically good though. All you're missing really is feeling the g-force, for the rest of it your brain actually thinks you're there. The depth perception is something else.

Take it easy at first though, racing games can be vomit inducing if you're prone to motion sickness. Your brain says "Hey, where's the g-force? Something isn't right here!!" which is testament to how realistic it feels.
 
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Worthy said:
It's hard to describe what playing in VR feels like, it's really one of those things you have to experience for yourself. I'm not a big fan of all these VR games that are room scale and you're walking around doing stuff, they do nothing for me. Games where you're seated in the same place (driving games, flight sims) are astronomically good though. All your missing really is feeling the g-force, for the rest of it your brain actually thinks you're there. The depth perception is something else.

Take it easy at first though, racing games can be vomit inducing if you're prone to motion sickness. Your brain says "Hey, where's the g-force? Something isn't right here!!" which is testament to how realistic it feels.
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This x1000. Also, what GPU do you have? There is no point in investing in VR if you're GPU cannot pump out high framerates to keep up with the VR refresh rate. If frames drop, you will be in for a world of motion sickness and headache pain
 
Quartz said:
34" 3440x1440 monitor and a VESA mount on the wall, not the desk.

You'll want a better GPU for 3440x1440 and VR.
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Guess its gonna be similar in price for both of those options then. A 34" wide monitor is about £350 plus a stand/arm, and a Valve Index (headset only) is £460.

I'm unclear - the full Valve Index kit is near to a grand and includes the controllers and some tracking box things. If I only wanted it for driving games, would I only need the headset?


Either option would require some saving up anyway.
 
Get yourself a cheap Windows Mixed Reality jobbie from the bay, new or 2nd sell for around £150-200. The Index is at the top end of things, you need the tracking and the headset at minimum that'll run you £680.

Wouldn't normally recommend a WMR, but if your looking for a lowest barrier to entry, and it's for racers, it's that.
 
hmm bit steep then. Would have thought the tracking wouldn't be needed if you're just sitting down in one spot.

Maybe I'll wait until the next gen comes along, see what that offers, as not keen on getting something low end really.


Not sure a vesa mount is going to be a good solution for me at the moment. There is limited space to swing an arm around in my desk area plus I'm not keen on drilling the walls in my rented place.


What about picking up a cheap 32-40" TV and using that as a monitor on my existing desk area?
 
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