learning to drive

[djcube]

My boys have finally decided to learn to drive. Before they take lessons they want to have a practice at driving using a `video game`. They have a PS5, steering wheel, pedals and gear stick. Presently they play racing games in cars with auto gearboxes and huge performance.
What they are looking for is, I think, a driving simulator. Something that needs consideration to the highway code; speed limits, pedestrians, traffic lights and so on. Something that will also give them experience of changing gears, when and how along with using the clutch.
Over to you guys, any suggestions?

[Hoofy]

Manual change, in-car (not chase mode ffs), all driver aids off. Now keep reducing the power of whichever quad turbo V12 be-winged monster they're normally racing with to the point where they're not wheelspinning in every gear or smashing into the armco. Bonus test: every time they bounce off the redline, they pay you £1. Spoiler: you're going to be rich.

[Matty_]

BeamNG is probably the closest you can get. Includes traffic, town driving etc.

Plenty of mods to help the experience as well.

[benny.c]

Nothing on PS5 is going to be that close to real driving. If they don’t want go old school and drive around an industrial estate on a Sunday morning, go to an MSV circuit and do their Young Drive course. They’ll learn more in 30mins than countless hours on the PS5. A few hours with a driving instructor will be cheaper and just as informative though.

For reference my son started driving a few months ago and plays GT7 with a wheel etc. He said paying GT was no use whatsoever.

[WH16]

Matty_ said:

BeamNG is probably the closest you can get. Includes traffic, town driving etc.

Plus realistic crash physics which might reinforce the message that crashing is generally bad and often unsurvivable, unlike most racing games, GranTurismo, Forza etc.

[durbster]

WH16 said:

Matty_ said:

BeamNG is probably the closest you can get. Includes traffic, town driving etc.

Plus realistic crash physics which might reinforce the message that crashing is generally bad and often unsurvivable, unlike most racing games, GranTurismo, Forza etc.

Yeah that's a good shout (if you can get it on PS5?).

If they have three pedals and an H-shifter they can learn a lot about the basic mechanics of driving, and it's a good way of practicing things like parking, emergency stops and three point turns.

[24lemons]

What are you hoping the simulator will provide that driving a real car wont?

I m not aware of any driving software on PS5 or PC that will give a realistic representation of the highway code etc.

I guarantee it ll be far cheaper to jump in with a proper instructor than setting up anything more than a basic gaming rig.

Unless you are prepared to pay silly money, the controls just aren t going to feel anything like a real car. Driving on a flat screen doesn t give you any sense of distance or scale.

You just can t replicate the sensory experience of feeling how a car moves through a home sim.

Edited by 24lemons on Monday 11th May 08:33

[Shaoxter]

24lemons said:

Driving on a flat screen doesn t give you any sense of distance or scale.

That's where the PSVR2 comes in

[SpudLink]

Pedestrians. Cyclists. Traffic. Oncoming cars in your lane as they avoid their own hazards.

This is the stuff of real world driving that demands your attention more than the mechanics of operating the vehicle. It would be possible to replicate this in a SIM, but I don’t know of one that does it.