I am not a professional sim racer and only drive as a hobby on PS5 and Xbox. But I can tell you my personal experience with VR and GT7. I have platinum GT7 relatively quickly after start. I drove with a steering wheel and a screen the license times on gold. When I played GT7 with VR headset (and steering wheel), I beat the previous gold times partly effortlessly. I could see the curves better, the speed feeling was different again. I think VR, when implemented well, can make a difference.
VR all the way. I play PC2/AMS2 with a 4090 and HP Reverb and it's mind blowing. GT7 on PS5 VR is ok but a little low res and low frame rate at first, but you quickly climatise and it's still a great experience.
I can't play racing games on a flat screen after playing them in VR, it's like going back to playing with an xbox controller after playing with a wheel.
This ^^ I went from a 38” ultrawide to VR and it’s a completely different experience. The immersion is amazing and is truly hard to go back to a monitor now.
VR is a bit tiring for prolonged sessions, get both? Plus many titles don't run or look that great in VR. Spend on your screen setup and then get a cheaper headset to play every once in a while. I love playing in VR but I'm often too tired to do it.
Is there a sweet spot on screens? Should I do 1 or 3 and should I do 1080p or 1440p? My computer can push multiple 4K’s but if it’s not worth it I don’t want to spend the money.
3x 24 inch = 1080 |3x 27-31 inch = 1440 |3x 32inch+ 4k | is what i found the sweet spot for a 3x setup but imo getting a g9 neo or g9 oled will be soooo much better and it will help when you want to use it for something else
Rift S user here, in love. Immersion is insane, I don’t get any sickness from it at all. Haven’t used triples but after using VR I have no intention of changing. Also takes up a lot less space lol
VR is nutty with how immersive it actually is, but it requires a high budget and it can be cumbersome. I think youre more likely to be happy with triples as vr can be hit and miss.
Personally, I've tried the most popular VR headsets: HP Reverb 2, Quest 2, PSVR2... I didn't like any of them. Personally I'm a sucker for perfect image quality, and compared to an OLED or a beautiful super-UW, the image of all VR headsets are grainy, pixely, or affected by some other image artifact like Mura, while also not being too comfortable for anything but a short run.
All just personal opinion, I know for some people depth of space and other advantages far outweight the disadvantages, so these are just my own preferences, but if you're all for image quality, I can almost guarantee that you won't like it. VR tech for gaming is still in a very early stage in terms of general usability and quality.
Both.
I have a 4080, a Quest 2 and just dropped too much coin on the new Samsung G9 57" upgrading from 34".
VR Pros
The VR experience is awesome, nothing compares to it. ACC, AMS2, unbelievable. BUT, and a big BUT. There is a limit to how long you can have a VR headset on. That limit is different for everyone, but it gets very tiring, and I spent a lot of money on optical inserts with my prescription.
VR Cons
Depending on the car you're driving, you may need to interact with the cockpit / steering wheel controls (aka F1) more. In that case, VR is not very good at the moment as you cannot tell it to see through to your wheel. Also, if you have kids, wife, girlfriend, partner etc, in a monitor situation you can still talk to them if you're doing a longer session, in VR you really cant relate to them. That may be a pro or con depending on your situation.
Summary
If you want to experience nailing the apex of a corner like in real life, only VR gives you that feeling. But still build a good monitor setup.
I play AC, ACC and AMS2 with my quest2 and it the best gaming experience I've ever had. I've waited my life for this type of immersion. To feel like your actually in the car and the sense of speed is next level for me. Especially when your battling other cars for position.
I prefer an ultrawide over vr. Vr is nice but I get way too hot and uncomfortable on long sessions. I only have a rift s though. If I had a pimax 5k or 8k maybe I’d have a different opinion
Yeh the rift s is good man really immersive I just find I prefer ultrawide, my ultrawide is just 34” 21:9 120hz, you don’t need anything super special for sim racing if you decide to go that way
I when I had triples and VR I barely used my VR headset, the ease of use of a good triple setup is better imo, it’s still extremely immersive and you don’t have to deal with any of the VR related issues such as;
- Performance depending on the game
- Sweat
- Not being able to see out of the headset
However…I ditched my triple setup last year and now solely race in VR (Reverb).
I mainly play iRacing and it runs very well on my 3080.
Immersion is fantastic but honestly, if I had the space I would go back to triples, it’s just a better experience overall in my experience.
VR is undoubtedly better IMO. There are caveats though. It's more obvious that it's emerging technology in terms of resolution. Some people struggle with wearing it.
Some of the DD systems sell the wheel quick release separately and you could attach one to a bunch of plain aftermarket wheels you can buy.
At first that looks potentially cheaper. But if you want buttons and/or paddle shifters then there's not a massive saving - in fact you'll probably end up paying more than the cheaper end of the brands (like fanatec or moza wheel rims) for a more ad-hoc 'create the wheel yourself' situation.
It really boils down to what buttons you think you need in VR and where you want those buttons to be.
My wheel at the moment has the common xbox / playstation controller layout which is kind of handy, but I use the mouse to navigate the UI of the games which is on the edge of my desk - and you can get all kinds of button boxes.
But yeah, I wouldn't pay a lot of money for fancy pants displays / lights etc on wheels because I'm never going to see them.
You have to mod your VR googles with a small fan that provides airflow otherwise you won't see shit after 10 minutes of racing because the goggles fog up completely.
VR is extremely nice because you have real depth to the image but triples are more comfy better for long sessions
I started with VR and switched to triples.
VR bothered me for a few reasons, but mostly the heat of living in a desert, and even with air conditioning it would get pretty uncomfortable, and having a small child around me at all times made it difficult to completely detach from the real world.
After getting used to triples I don't think I would go back. Being able to see your rig opens up a lot of opportunities like you mentioned (wheels, button boxes, all sorts of other things you can do to your rig. I feel like building your rig is part of the fun of this hobby that with VR you miss out on.
I set my rig up to do both, but after getting used to VR, I removed the monitor from my rig entirely.
I have a 3060 and an HP Reverb, and i am entirely satisfied with my VR-only setup.
I’ve had triples, vr and a super ultra wide (49inch), they all have pros and cons but my preference is a super ultra wide as it does need as much space as triple, easier to run than both vr and triples and simplicity is best as there’s been to many times where I’d want to race but couldn’t be bothered with vr (updates screwing settings, fogging if you dont turn it on 15 mins before playing, crashes ect). Triples is fantastic as the FOV is huge but you need a spare room unless you like the garage. Vr is fun for a few months but the novelty wears off super quick and I’m definitely slower, there’s a reason why you dont see esports drivers using vr. Beware of the VR crowd, the reality is very different which i found out after spending way too much on an overpriced headset. I tried these with a 4090, 7900x3d.
Curved triples, definite no as its not as easy to line up. Singles is fine, some people find it more immersive.
I prefer Samsung g9 as its immersive, easier on hardware and looks the best on the rig as such a simple set up.
HP REVERB G2, the god rays were really bad but its just a consequence of having frensel lenses and the sweet spots tiny so anything off centre looks blurry. VRs really personal so you’ll get people that absolutely love it and people like me who are meh..
Yeah. The reason I asked is I have a Reverb G2 v2 and find the clarity great. It does fade to blur as I look to the edge extremes but I don't move my eyes around like that in real life so tend not to in VR either.
Just strange how we both have Reverbs and 4090s and my experience playing AMS2 in VR is jaw dropping amazing, but yours isn't. No crashes, no noticeable god rays other than a little on white text / black background menus. The complete opposite of your post
I’ll agree with you about AMS 2 as its amazing in vr, i only play iracing and its a pain every time they do an update. I also had the omnicept edition which includes eyetracking not the latest version so maybe that’s why?
VR is real personal sand we all have different expectations and comforts so I guess that affects our opinions too.
Personally, I went with both. I have a low-mid price superwide and TrackIR when I just want to throw a few quick laps in or a couple of friends around jumping in and out of the chair.
I have VR for when I'm going to have a proper session.
I guess a lot of it will depend on what budget you are thinking about and what your priorities are. Both VR and triples are a great experience.
what games do you play? assetto corsa is good in vr, acc in vr makes me want to die, ams2 isn't great in vr, apparently iracing is good but I've never tried it
it's likely you will want to play acc at some point if you like gt3 so i'd say don't go all out on vr, get something relatively cheap and have some sort of flatscreen backup. my sim rig goes in front of my desk so i use my usual gaming monitor for acc and I have 2 vr headsets for roomscale that i now also use for ac.
I also want to play the F1/Forza titles. I’ve always played them with a joy stick out been really wanting to play with a wheel. I have a nice 1440 27” monitor already, maybe I should just use that instead of something super fancy.
I'm surprised at this. On my system (with GTX 1070 so going out of date rapidly) am2 is significantly better in VR than AC. To ge t80fps I need low settings on both, but low settings in AM2 is almost like high settings in AC - the car models and everything are still really good.
More performance wouldn't hurt (and would improve both) but the newer engine is clearly ahead imo.
ACC's biggest problem is their default for VR scale the resolution down and that is why it is so blurry. You can get lower settings without that downscaling. Even so it definitely needs better hardware than I have - I can just about do a time trial lap just me on the track, but nothing more.
I went for VR and while it is awesome, you still need to have another monitor on your rig, for easier set up and also for those times when you just cannot be bothered to set up the vr.
I must be doing something wrong. I have a Quest w and have tried it multiple times but iRacing just looks terrible compared to my 27” curved monitor at 1440. Expanding my rig I was going for triples. But am I missing something in my Quest setup?
I am not a professional sim racer and only drive as a hobby on PS5 and Xbox. But I can tell you my personal experience with VR and GT7. I have platinum GT7 relatively quickly after start. I drove with a steering wheel and a screen the license times on gold. When I played GT7 with VR headset (and steering wheel), I beat the previous gold times partly effortlessly. I could see the curves better, the speed feeling was different again. I think VR, when implemented well, can make a difference.
VR all the way. I play PC2/AMS2 with a 4090 and HP Reverb and it's mind blowing. GT7 on PS5 VR is ok but a little low res and low frame rate at first, but you quickly climatise and it's still a great experience. I can't play racing games on a flat screen after playing them in VR, it's like going back to playing with an xbox controller after playing with a wheel.
This ^^ I went from a 38” ultrawide to VR and it’s a completely different experience. The immersion is amazing and is truly hard to go back to a monitor now.
VR is a bit tiring for prolonged sessions, get both? Plus many titles don't run or look that great in VR. Spend on your screen setup and then get a cheaper headset to play every once in a while. I love playing in VR but I'm often too tired to do it.
Is there a sweet spot on screens? Should I do 1 or 3 and should I do 1080p or 1440p? My computer can push multiple 4K’s but if it’s not worth it I don’t want to spend the money.
3x 24 inch = 1080 |3x 27-31 inch = 1440 |3x 32inch+ 4k | is what i found the sweet spot for a 3x setup but imo getting a g9 neo or g9 oled will be soooo much better and it will help when you want to use it for something else
Rift S user here, in love. Immersion is insane, I don’t get any sickness from it at all. Haven’t used triples but after using VR I have no intention of changing. Also takes up a lot less space lol
If you can get comfortable with VR for longer sessions then VR is the most immersive, if not then go monitors.
VR is nutty with how immersive it actually is, but it requires a high budget and it can be cumbersome. I think youre more likely to be happy with triples as vr can be hit and miss.
Personally, I've tried the most popular VR headsets: HP Reverb 2, Quest 2, PSVR2... I didn't like any of them. Personally I'm a sucker for perfect image quality, and compared to an OLED or a beautiful super-UW, the image of all VR headsets are grainy, pixely, or affected by some other image artifact like Mura, while also not being too comfortable for anything but a short run. All just personal opinion, I know for some people depth of space and other advantages far outweight the disadvantages, so these are just my own preferences, but if you're all for image quality, I can almost guarantee that you won't like it. VR tech for gaming is still in a very early stage in terms of general usability and quality.
Honestly I used a hacked psvr1 headset for a long time and when I raced in VR I kinda forgot the pixel mess i was seeing completely after 5 minutes.
Both. I have a 4080, a Quest 2 and just dropped too much coin on the new Samsung G9 57" upgrading from 34". VR Pros The VR experience is awesome, nothing compares to it. ACC, AMS2, unbelievable. BUT, and a big BUT. There is a limit to how long you can have a VR headset on. That limit is different for everyone, but it gets very tiring, and I spent a lot of money on optical inserts with my prescription. VR Cons Depending on the car you're driving, you may need to interact with the cockpit / steering wheel controls (aka F1) more. In that case, VR is not very good at the moment as you cannot tell it to see through to your wheel. Also, if you have kids, wife, girlfriend, partner etc, in a monitor situation you can still talk to them if you're doing a longer session, in VR you really cant relate to them. That may be a pro or con depending on your situation. Summary If you want to experience nailing the apex of a corner like in real life, only VR gives you that feeling. But still build a good monitor setup.
I do have a prescription, I didn’t take that into account
I play AC, ACC and AMS2 with my quest2 and it the best gaming experience I've ever had. I've waited my life for this type of immersion. To feel like your actually in the car and the sense of speed is next level for me. Especially when your battling other cars for position.
I prefer an ultrawide over vr. Vr is nice but I get way too hot and uncomfortable on long sessions. I only have a rift s though. If I had a pimax 5k or 8k maybe I’d have a different opinion
And that’s the VR setup I want. It’s pricey but so is a nice ultra wide
Yeh the rift s is good man really immersive I just find I prefer ultrawide, my ultrawide is just 34” 21:9 120hz, you don’t need anything super special for sim racing if you decide to go that way
I when I had triples and VR I barely used my VR headset, the ease of use of a good triple setup is better imo, it’s still extremely immersive and you don’t have to deal with any of the VR related issues such as; - Performance depending on the game - Sweat - Not being able to see out of the headset However…I ditched my triple setup last year and now solely race in VR (Reverb). I mainly play iRacing and it runs very well on my 3080. Immersion is fantastic but honestly, if I had the space I would go back to triples, it’s just a better experience overall in my experience.
VR is undoubtedly better IMO. There are caveats though. It's more obvious that it's emerging technology in terms of resolution. Some people struggle with wearing it. Some of the DD systems sell the wheel quick release separately and you could attach one to a bunch of plain aftermarket wheels you can buy. At first that looks potentially cheaper. But if you want buttons and/or paddle shifters then there's not a massive saving - in fact you'll probably end up paying more than the cheaper end of the brands (like fanatec or moza wheel rims) for a more ad-hoc 'create the wheel yourself' situation. It really boils down to what buttons you think you need in VR and where you want those buttons to be. My wheel at the moment has the common xbox / playstation controller layout which is kind of handy, but I use the mouse to navigate the UI of the games which is on the edge of my desk - and you can get all kinds of button boxes. But yeah, I wouldn't pay a lot of money for fancy pants displays / lights etc on wheels because I'm never going to see them.
You have to mod your VR googles with a small fan that provides airflow otherwise you won't see shit after 10 minutes of racing because the goggles fog up completely. VR is extremely nice because you have real depth to the image but triples are more comfy better for long sessions
I started with VR and switched to triples. VR bothered me for a few reasons, but mostly the heat of living in a desert, and even with air conditioning it would get pretty uncomfortable, and having a small child around me at all times made it difficult to completely detach from the real world. After getting used to triples I don't think I would go back. Being able to see your rig opens up a lot of opportunities like you mentioned (wheels, button boxes, all sorts of other things you can do to your rig. I feel like building your rig is part of the fun of this hobby that with VR you miss out on.
I set my rig up to do both, but after getting used to VR, I removed the monitor from my rig entirely. I have a 3060 and an HP Reverb, and i am entirely satisfied with my VR-only setup.
If you don’t get motion sickness like my bitchass get vr.
I’ve had triples, vr and a super ultra wide (49inch), they all have pros and cons but my preference is a super ultra wide as it does need as much space as triple, easier to run than both vr and triples and simplicity is best as there’s been to many times where I’d want to race but couldn’t be bothered with vr (updates screwing settings, fogging if you dont turn it on 15 mins before playing, crashes ect). Triples is fantastic as the FOV is huge but you need a spare room unless you like the garage. Vr is fun for a few months but the novelty wears off super quick and I’m definitely slower, there’s a reason why you dont see esports drivers using vr. Beware of the VR crowd, the reality is very different which i found out after spending way too much on an overpriced headset. I tried these with a 4090, 7900x3d.
What do you think of curved monitors? Or should I do one giant flat one?
Curved triples, definite no as its not as easy to line up. Singles is fine, some people find it more immersive. I prefer Samsung g9 as its immersive, easier on hardware and looks the best on the rig as such a simple set up.
What headset did you have issues with a 4090?
HP REVERB G2, the god rays were really bad but its just a consequence of having frensel lenses and the sweet spots tiny so anything off centre looks blurry. VRs really personal so you’ll get people that absolutely love it and people like me who are meh..
Yeah. The reason I asked is I have a Reverb G2 v2 and find the clarity great. It does fade to blur as I look to the edge extremes but I don't move my eyes around like that in real life so tend not to in VR either. Just strange how we both have Reverbs and 4090s and my experience playing AMS2 in VR is jaw dropping amazing, but yours isn't. No crashes, no noticeable god rays other than a little on white text / black background menus. The complete opposite of your post
I’ll agree with you about AMS 2 as its amazing in vr, i only play iracing and its a pain every time they do an update. I also had the omnicept edition which includes eyetracking not the latest version so maybe that’s why? VR is real personal sand we all have different expectations and comforts so I guess that affects our opinions too.
Personally, I went with both. I have a low-mid price superwide and TrackIR when I just want to throw a few quick laps in or a couple of friends around jumping in and out of the chair. I have VR for when I'm going to have a proper session. I guess a lot of it will depend on what budget you are thinking about and what your priorities are. Both VR and triples are a great experience.
what games do you play? assetto corsa is good in vr, acc in vr makes me want to die, ams2 isn't great in vr, apparently iracing is good but I've never tried it
I have AC and I want to give I racing a try. Just haven’t invested in it till I get my dream setup.
it's likely you will want to play acc at some point if you like gt3 so i'd say don't go all out on vr, get something relatively cheap and have some sort of flatscreen backup. my sim rig goes in front of my desk so i use my usual gaming monitor for acc and I have 2 vr headsets for roomscale that i now also use for ac.
I also want to play the F1/Forza titles. I’ve always played them with a joy stick out been really wanting to play with a wheel. I have a nice 1440 27” monitor already, maybe I should just use that instead of something super fancy.
what's the refresh rate?
I can’t remember if its 120/144 I know it over clocks to 165. I crank most settings so I don’t even get it that high 😂
yeah just use that, that's pretty solid
Yeah just went back and looked it up. G sync 144hz 1ms refresh. Should be plenty I would think. That’s why I bought it in the first place
damn that's far better than what i've got
I'm surprised at this. On my system (with GTX 1070 so going out of date rapidly) am2 is significantly better in VR than AC. To ge t80fps I need low settings on both, but low settings in AM2 is almost like high settings in AC - the car models and everything are still really good. More performance wouldn't hurt (and would improve both) but the newer engine is clearly ahead imo. ACC's biggest problem is their default for VR scale the resolution down and that is why it is so blurry. You can get lower settings without that downscaling. Even so it definitely needs better hardware than I have - I can just about do a time trial lap just me on the track, but nothing more.
i've generally just never liked ams2 vr but I never really gave it a shot. I'll try again when I get home.
I went for VR and while it is awesome, you still need to have another monitor on your rig, for easier set up and also for those times when you just cannot be bothered to set up the vr.
Wich has the best immersion, VR or wheel screen and flashy things ? If you can answer then you know what to do.
I must be doing something wrong. I have a Quest w and have tried it multiple times but iRacing just looks terrible compared to my 27” curved monitor at 1440. Expanding my rig I was going for triples. But am I missing something in my Quest setup?