Home simulator
Discussion
I am looking at buying a home race simulator that I can use (possibly start online racing/prep for track days/ having some fun) but also my 2 boys (9 and 12) who are more used to PS5 type gaming.
I don’t want to build my own simulator, I want a decent one and I want it to be intuitive, easy to use and adjustable (kids and me to use) …
What are the options out there for ready built plug and play options and what are the best software options etc
Very new to this so apologies for very basic questions !
Thanks
I don’t want to build my own simulator, I want a decent one and I want it to be intuitive, easy to use and adjustable (kids and me to use) …
What are the options out there for ready built plug and play options and what are the best software options etc
Very new to this so apologies for very basic questions !
Thanks
There's a few threads on this forum that are probably worth a look at, but the first question is probably what's your budget? Cheapest setup is probably an XBox / Playstation with a basic wheel and pedals bolted to a table and you can probably get something for £500 or thereabouts, going all the way up to £100k+ for fully-immersive rigs with gyro-movement, multiple screens and all sorts.
For 10 you'd definitely get something awesome, most of the guys here are running some great home built stuff and can probably advise on the best gear better than me, but Fanatec wheels and shifters have a good rep.
Quick Google throws this up https://www.twentyoneperformance.com/collections/e...
Would also be worth thinking about whether you want one screen, multiple wraparound ones or a VR headset which will give you loads more immersion but at the cost of a bit of visual fidelity.
Quick Google throws this up https://www.twentyoneperformance.com/collections/e...
Would also be worth thinking about whether you want one screen, multiple wraparound ones or a VR headset which will give you loads more immersion but at the cost of a bit of visual fidelity.
You can build one yourself and save £1-2k but if you want an out of the box I'd recommended FPZero. I've had mine for about 18 months and they have great aftersales service (my wheelbase was faulty so they lent me another one).
https://www.fpzero.co.uk/
https://www.fpzero.co.uk/
For a 10k budget you'll have a very top end.
Fanatec dd1 or dd2 be ideal for a wheel base and i cant fault heusinkveld sprints for feel.
Lots of different rigs depending how compact you want. From sim lab, track racer.
I use a next level racing rig.
Also option for curved TV for amazing fps, tripples that will require a good high end pc to run full smooth. Or take the immersion to the full and go vr
Fanatec dd1 or dd2 be ideal for a wheel base and i cant fault heusinkveld sprints for feel.
Lots of different rigs depending how compact you want. From sim lab, track racer.
I use a next level racing rig.
Also option for curved TV for amazing fps, tripples that will require a good high end pc to run full smooth. Or take the immersion to the full and go vr
Oh... when the thread title was 'home simulator' I imagined a VR setup in an office where a virtual wife tells you to stop drinking so much and spend more time with the children before going to bingo again and returning home at 2:00am stinking of aftershave and the remnants of some third-rate Asti Spumante spilled on her latest Primark ensemble.
SCEtoAUX said:
Oh... when the thread title was 'home simulator' I imagined a VR setup in an office where a virtual wife tells you to stop drinking so much and spend more time with the children before going to bingo again and returning home at 2:00am stinking of aftershave and the remnants of some third-rate Asti Spumante spilled on her latest Primark ensemble.
Ha ha. I was thinking of that Simpsons episode with "I wanna go on the yard work simulator!!"rodericb said:
SCEtoAUX said:
Oh... when the thread title was 'home simulator' I imagined a VR setup in an office where a virtual wife tells you to stop drinking so much and spend more time with the children before going to bingo again and returning home at 2:00am stinking of aftershave and the remnants of some third-rate Asti Spumante spilled on her latest Primark ensemble.
Ha ha. I was thinking of that Simpsons episode with "I wanna go on the yard work simulator!!"https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/p/lawn-mowing-simu...
verviewtabTo actually get the feel of depth of corners, like in real life, you want VR. Big high definition monitors look lovely but are not 3D, and if you are wanting practice for real tracks then VR will literally put you there.
For example. Pick up a game, do a fast lap in a new car, new track, new game, first time. You'll understeer round most corners or spin / run off onto the grass . After a while you'll learn the corner rates and adapt. Do the same with VR, and just like your first lap on a track day, you won't spin off or crash, because the curve of the corners is real 3D and you can see and feel their progression.
For me this was the biggest surprise of VR. I thought the immersion would be the killer feature but it's the true 3D that is.
The best bit? A Quest 2 is only £299 and utterly superb for the money.
For example. Pick up a game, do a fast lap in a new car, new track, new game, first time. You'll understeer round most corners or spin / run off onto the grass . After a while you'll learn the corner rates and adapt. Do the same with VR, and just like your first lap on a track day, you won't spin off or crash, because the curve of the corners is real 3D and you can see and feel their progression.
For me this was the biggest surprise of VR. I thought the immersion would be the killer feature but it's the true 3D that is.
The best bit? A Quest 2 is only £299 and utterly superb for the money.
Well I run an RTX 2060 which wasn't expensive and runs the Quest 2 with ease, but they are quite hard to get hold of right now I imagine, for a sensible price anyhow.
The QUest 2 is really amazing. It'll play PC linked games at full tilt wirelessly. Wireless is a game changer too. You can barely see pixels too. Unlike my original Quest.
The QUest 2 is really amazing. It'll play PC linked games at full tilt wirelessly. Wireless is a game changer too. You can barely see pixels too. Unlike my original Quest.
I second the VR recommendation - it's literally a whole different world! I can run the original Assetto Corsa and P Cars 2 in VR on an I7/7700 and GTX1080 but I think for best results and latest racers you really need to move up to the RX6800XT/RTX3080 class of graphics. I've just paid £950 for an RX6800XT after waiting 8 months for an RTX3080 that is seemingly never coming. That's £300 over RRP and seemingly a bargain at present due to supply constraints. The easiest way to move up to a top class video card is to buy a whole new machine though.
Saxon
Saxon
I have a cinema screen in my gaming room but use VR for most of my racing.
The early ones (first Vive, first consumer Rift) were an amazing experience but as someone said you didn't quite have the fidelity of vision but you didn't really notice once racing.
I use a PIMAX 5K+ now improved resolution and more importantly larger FOV.
For 10k you are at the top end, screens, VR, motion platforms, top end PC/GPU's
The early ones (first Vive, first consumer Rift) were an amazing experience but as someone said you didn't quite have the fidelity of vision but you didn't really notice once racing.
I use a PIMAX 5K+ now improved resolution and more importantly larger FOV.
For 10k you are at the top end, screens, VR, motion platforms, top end PC/GPU's
Gassing Station | Video Games | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff


