Sim racers - what are you running?

[MassiveJim]

I watched a YouTube guide I had previously watched. And have been practicing exclusively on spa since my last post, my times have slowly been getting better. Also set the track to be rubbered up, not sure how much of a difference that makes
Yesterday got a low 2.22
Earlier today hit a 2.22.472, followed by a 2.21.625.
I never expected progress this quickly.
Oh and also the 2.22.472 I was nearly 7 10ths quicker in the middle sector so had I ran a perfect lap (for me) I would have been into the 2.20s
Had a try in other cars to see if any of them better suited me but I prefer the lambo.

 

[burtie]

I watched a YouTube guide I had previously watched. And have been practicing exclusively on spa since my last post, my times have slowly been getting better. Also set the track to be rubbered up, not sure how much of a difference that makes
Yesterday got a low 2.22
Earlier today hit a 2.22.472, followed by a 2.21.625.
I never expected progress this quickly.
Oh and also the 2.22.472 I was nearly 7 10ths quicker in the middle sector so had I ran a perfect lap (for me) I would have been into the 2.20s
Had a try in other cars to see if any of them better suited me but I prefer the lambo.

Have you looked into any setups? Coach Dave has some good ones.

 

[MassiveJim]

Have you looked into any setups? Coach Dave has some good ones.

erm... I tried a few , but they all seemed to make the car worse (IMO)
having said that I am now better at driving and did try a setup with the lambo last night, but i only had a few laps with it so didn't really get a feel for it, initially turn in seemed better but car lost grip on the back end quicker.

I have read that all of the default aggressive setups are capable of delivering 2.17s so not sure hunting for different setups is the right avenue for me at the moment.
Plus surely car setup is all personal anyway based on your driving style ?

 

[imtoooldforthis]

90% of the time the reason people are slower than the aliens (especially in iracing) is because they brake too much. It’s by far the most common reason for loss of time relative to the top drivers

 

[andy_mk3]

I have finally ascended to triple monitors. They make a huge difference to the level of immersion. Still lots of work to be done getting it all looking neat and tidy.

I’ll be making my own bezel free kit next too.

 

[SimonRigga]

I have finally ascended to triple monitors. They make a huge difference to the level of immersion. Still lots of work to be done getting it all looking neat and tidy.

I’ll be making my own bezel free kit next too.

looks a good setup.. have you tripple monitor peeps not tried VR?.. the immersion is next level..

 

[john_smith]

That looks great Andy.

 

[bigmike20vt]

looks a good setup.. have you tripple monitor peeps not tried VR?.. the immersion is next level..

indeed..... i have been using VR for racing since the rift DK2, however it is fair to say that the image quality was a significant compromise compared to screens back then, however with the advent of affordable but much higher resolution and reduced SDE headsets there really is not much downside to using VR now..... and if you like immersion, well then think of the headset like a crash helmet .
That said... that triple screen set up does look nice, but you still miss out on the depth perception..

 

[PaulC2K]

indeed..... i have been using VR for racing since the rift DK2, however it is fair to say that the image quality was a significant compromise compared to screens back then, however with the advent of affordable but much higher resolution and reduced SDE headsets there really is not much downside to using VR now..... and if you like immersion, well then think of the headset like a crash helmet .
That said... that triple screen set up does look nice, but you still miss out on the depth perception..

My main reluctance to go VR is that I’ve spent a wedge on a nice wheel and I’d be spending the same again and not seeing it. I did consider going with something cheaper that didn’t have a display and getting a decent headset, but I’m also not keen on being isolated from reality or dealing with motion sickness while adapting. I just wish, as with sim racing gear, it was easy to try these sort of things without having to buy them online, faff about setting it up, and potentially returning it.

I’ve been wondering whether it’s possible to go triple using smaller side monitors in a vertical setup, as you don’t really need a huge screen. I think it’d be messy cos of mixed resolutions mainly, but there’s ways of making it work.

 

[bigmike20vt]

WRT trying before buying, you you not have any friends in the area who have something? i know i have leant out my headset in the past to friends, and have demoed my headset to other people as well - who i didnt know well enough to lend it out to but happy to give them a taste.

 

[PaulC2K]

WRT trying before buying, you you not have any friends in the area who have something? i know i have leant out my headset in the past to friends, and have demoed my headset to other people as well - who i didnt know well enough to lend it out to but happy to give them a taste.

Unfortunately not. I dont know anyone who has a VR headset, and likewise only 1 mate has sim gear (Logi G29). He bought a headset and only told me about it when he was about to return it cos of nausea (we're local but only really talk once a month to catch up).
I've been tempted to borrow one from the river warehouse, and return it if need be, but i need to pay of my new setup first.

A few years back i tried a headset demo in GAME (pretty sure it was an Index), but it only had 2 games and neither were anything special. That said, one of the games was Job Simulator, and after about 5min of messing about in it, i was about to ask to my mate if he wanted to give it a try, and i was SO close to putting the 2 controllers on the virtual desktop to lift the headset up and fortunately realised before making a fool of myself So it left a pretty good impression, that i quickly accepted what i was seeing even with an early headset, so something like the Pimax Crystal should be amazing. I was tempted to get the PSVR2 just for GT7, but needed a compatible wheel too which put me off.

Do you find it easy enough to switch between a monitor for regular games & desktop stuff, and then going to racing on the headset? I dont follow much in VR, but occasionally hear about people grumbling about them being a nuisance getting it fired up properly. Im about to move my PC setup into a room which lets me have the sim rig and a desktop space, all through to 1 machine (cheaper than building a 2nd machine with a decent spec) and i'll need to use an old 48" 1080p tv on the rig for a while, and then buy something to replace it next year, and a headset would keep that setup more compact than triples, but monitors would probably be easier... but maybe i'll try a Crystal/Light from rainforest and judge it for myself in the future.

 

[bigmike20vt]

if you want ease of use you really want a quest 3 imo (indeed i would say for over 90% of people trying VR for the 1st time, and want PCVR the quest 3 is probably the one to get)

i mean, its a PC, so things dont always run as smoothly as they should, but so long as all your drivers are up to date and meta havent accidentally broken something (it has happened now and then and then they had to roll out emergency patches.

using a quest 3 VR headset is as simple as plugging in your usb3 cable and putting the headset on. (initial setup is a little longer and includes using a spray can in VR (as in virtual not a real one ) to map out your play space.

niggles come from when the drivers on your pc, or the software on your headset needs to be updated, but that is something most pc gamers are used to... also games which officially support VR are easier than those which dont, but that enthusasts have patched in VR support. most of the big hitter racers do support VR however (the forza franchise is a stand out for not having it tho most sim racers probably dont consider that a sim - i am more simcade myself)

but the new codies F1, assetto corsa, Automobilista 2, rafactor 2, PCARs2 , iracing, Dirt rally 2 all have official vr support i think (I have played most of them, and in vr as well but not all of them)

once you get used to things you can look at going wireless and tweaking the display settings but initially if you go on the KISS logic its easy enough and not too faffy.

 

[SimonRigga]

Unfortunately not. I dont know anyone who has a VR headset,

Why not post roughly where you are in the country.. might be somone on here reasonably local that would let you have a quick play. There are quite a few of us in the VR racing thread.. https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/threads/ocuk-vr-sim-racing-thread.18981170/ and we regularly play in VR.. it is soooooooooo much better with other people and chatting to them as you race..

 

[PaulC2K]

if you want ease of use you really want a quest 3 imo (indeed i would say for over 90% of people trying VR for the 1st time, and want PCVR the quest 3 is probably the one to get)

i mean, its a PC, so things dont always run as smoothly as they should, but so long as all your drivers are up to date and meta havent accidentally broken something (it has happened now and then and then they had to roll out emergency patches.

using a quest 3 VR headset is as simple as plugging in your usb3 cable and putting the headset on. (initial setup is a little longer and includes using a spray can in VR (as in virtual not a real one ) to map out your play space.

niggles come from when the drivers on your pc, or the software on your headset needs to be updated, but that is something most pc gamers are used to... also games which officially support VR are easier than those which dont, but that enthusasts have patched in VR support. most of the big hitter racers do support VR however (the forza franchise is a stand out for not having it tho most sim racers probably dont consider that a sim - i am more simcade myself)

but the new codies F1, assetto corsa, Automobilista 2, rafactor 2, PCARs2 , iracing, Dirt rally 2 all have official vr support i think (I have played most of them, and in vr as well but not all of them)

once you get used to things you can look at going wireless and tweaking the display settings but initially if you go on the KISS logic its easy enough and not too faffy.

The Quest 3 needs to be linked to a Facebook account though, right? Not a huge fan but not exactly end of the world stuff.
I'd play other stuff on it from time to time, like ETS2/ATS & Dirt Rally, but it'd mainly be for iRacing. Not sure theres a VR game out there besides driving games i'd be bothered with, which has also been something that puts me off, but as i'd be running 2 locations meaning i'd need 2 displays, having one that uses VR makes it just as practical as buying a 2nd monitor. I remember on the Valve Index headset i could see the pixel grid, and i'd imagine the resolution is now 3-4x better, and that was always something i'd used as a reason to avoid for the first few years. It seems like theres a variety of options now that are what people had been wanting all along.

Not sure whether wireless would be important. For racing, i think it'd be easier going wired and not dealing with batteries.
If im able to use the headset to watch movies from a storage card, that might make it useful, but probably more of a novelty. All the content i'd want to watch is on my home server and watched through Kodi on a NUC so having to pull stuff off onto a SD card to watch it, adds faff, but certain films like Interstellar on a cinema sized screen would be worth a bit of faff.

Why not post roughly where you are in the country.. might be somone on here reasonably local that would let you have a quick play. There are quite a few of us in the VR racing thread.. https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/threads/ocuk-vr-sim-racing-thread.18981170/ and we regularly play in VR.. it is soooooooooo much better with other people and chatting to them as you race..

Im in Manchester.
Another concern is the idea of going backwards. If i try VR and like it, ive gotta go back to boring old 2D panels for the next 6mo etc
I'll do some looking into things, and if the devices im interested are on there, i'll probably do a 30-day rental from Rainforest when the time comes to decide and it either stays or it goes back. If its not for me, then i'll stick to 2D.

 

[SimonRigga]

The Quest 3 needs to be linked to a Facebook account though, right? Not a huge fan but not exactly end of the world stuff.

All the content i'd want to watch is on my home server and watched through Kodi on a NUC so having to pull stuff off onto a SD card to watch it, adds faff, but certain films like Interstellar on a cinema sized screen would be worth a bit of faff.

Im in Manchester.

The quest no longer needs a facebook account, only a Meta account and that is very much NOT linked to facebook. I've never been on Facebook in my life and don't intend to start now.

I regularly watch movies streamed from my PC via Serviio, works brilliantly.. and 3D movies are quite something!!

Unfortunately I'm nowhere near manchester, hopefully someone else can help with that bit

 

[bigmike20vt]

The Quest 3 needs to be linked to a Facebook account though, right? Not a huge fan but not exactly end of the world stuff.
I'd play other stuff on it from time to time, like ETS2/ATS & Dirt Rally, but it'd mainly be for iRacing. Not sure theres a VR game out there besides driving games i'd be bothered with, which has also been something that puts me off, but as i'd be running 2 locations meaning i'd need 2 displays, having one that uses VR makes it just as practical as buying a 2nd monitor. I remember on the Valve Index headset i could see the pixel grid, and i'd imagine the resolution is now 3-4x better, and that was always something i'd used as a reason to avoid for the first few years. It seems like theres a variety of options now that are what people had been wanting all along.

Not sure whether wireless would be important. For racing, i think it'd be easier going wired and not dealing with batteries.
If im able to use the headset to watch movies from a storage card, that might make it useful, but probably more of a novelty. All the content i'd want to watch is on my home server and watched through Kodi on a NUC so having to pull stuff off onto a SD card to watch it, adds faff, but certain films like Interstellar on a cinema sized screen would be worth a bit of faff.


Im in Manchester.
Another concern is the idea of going backwards. If i try VR and like it, ive gotta go back to boring old 2D panels for the next 6mo etc
I'll do some looking into things, and if the devices im interested are on there, i'll probably do a 30-day rental from Rainforest when the time comes to decide and it either stays or it goes back. If its not for me, then i'll stick to 2D.

as already said you no longer need facebook.

since getting the quest pro (which is in very broad terms similar in quality to the quest 3 for PCVR) when i am alone i watch all my movies in VR now. the image quality is good enough for me, admittedly not quite as crisp as 4k....... but i actually feel like i have been to the cinema now when i think back to the films i watched when in vr.

Also, YMMV but it is possible to not have a monitor at all now with a modern vr headset. you can display your monitor in VR (or add a whole bunch of them, sliver style (1990s film with sharon stone and one of the Baldwins) and have a whole wall of monitors...... again you lose some fidelity but its perfectly usable for shortish bouts.

i agree about wireless...... for all my seated stuff (racing, flight sims and elite dangerous etc) i use the cable as i can push the bitrate higher to the headset. I am no where near you either otherwise i would set up my wheel for you.

As an aside......................

I dont have the wifi for it so have to do this part in mobile mode..... but garden scale vr is truly something special if you did ever get out of your racing cockpit. (works on the quest pro, doesnt work on the quest 2, and i am not sure about the quest 3)

you are dead right about going backwards btw...... i find it really hard to enjoy racing games or flight sims on a monitor now.

 

[SDK^]

On the VR

My son has a Playstation VR2 headset which he never uses - I see Sony has launched a PC adapter for this now. Will I be able to use this with ACC?

 

[bigmike20vt]

yeah you won't get all the advanced features of the headset which are ps5 only but apparently (I haven't used it) it's a competent pcvr headset

 

[andy_mk3]

looks a good setup.. have you tripple monitor peeps not tried VR?.. the immersion is next level..

I played AC in VR on a Rift S a few years back, I did quite enjoy it and it was a consideration again at this point. VR is the ultimate thing for immersion, but I went for triples as I don't generally find VR headsets very comfortable, plus I want to do some endurance racing and it soon gets very hot and sweaty in VR. There's also the convenience factor, with triples I can see my steering wheel controls, my streamdeck, can easily grab a drink etc.

I did also have a HP Reverb G2 which was a huge improvement over the Rift S, and I have used a friends Quest 3, but none have sold me on being my primary display for racing.

That looks great Andy.

Much appreciated

I’ve been wondering whether it’s possible to go triple using smaller side monitors in a vertical setup, as you don’t really need a huge screen. I think it’d be messy cos of mixed resolutions mainly, but there’s ways of making it work.

I think it is possible, I am using mixed aspect ratios, middle screen is 21:9 and sides are 16:9. It's not an ideal solution though, three matched screens are always going to be the best option really.

 

[PaulC2K]

VR is the ultimate thing for immersion, but I went for triples as I don't generally find VR headsets very comfortable, plus I want to do some endurance racing and it soon gets very hot and sweaty in VR. There's also the convenience factor, with triples I can see my steering wheel controls, my streamdeck, can easily grab a drink etc.

Yeah, endurance racing is something i want to get back into. My old LFS team used to do a couple and i used to enjoy them, but i mainly used to stick to being on the pit wall and only drive in the 2nd car in 24h races.
One of the lads who used to drive with us in the 2nd car has gone on to race IRL in Le Mans & Daytona 24h, and Bathurst & Sebring 12h, all in GT3 as well as a few other races/series (ELMS which i think is LMP3).

It'd be interesting if the VR headset was able to use front facing cameras for pass-thru, and using a green screen setup, let you see non-green objects like the wheel, streamdeck, keyboard, drink etc. I doubt it'd look great, but if it was enough to partially see things outside of VR, it'd solve a handful of issues i have. I have a feeling ive seen someone do something like this already, but it'd be great if it was a proper supported feature.