Dipping a toe back into gaming...
- Thread starter KGIII
- Start date
OP
Yup. The worst part is that I waited through the pandemic for them because they were 'working with a shadow crew' and similar excuses. I have the money to fund this. Finances aren't the issue. The issue is finding what I want. If I find what I want then I'm willing to pay market value for it.
I'm not going to be bitter, but it does mean starting to look all over again. I have a few other companies that I looked at. Now it's finding time to contact them and hope for responses from their customer support department. I won't badmouth the other company but I'll speak out if I see someone recommending them.
OP
I do enjoy the bit of gaming I do - I just spent a few hours recently, though way too much of that time was spent trying to use an object in inventory.
Alas, I can't enjoy sim racing until it's set up. When that happens, I suspect I'll spend a ton of hours enjoying it.
OP
For me? A full set up, ideally with a few screens and a real racing seat with hydraulic actuators and decent surround sound. I am kinda curious about VR for the experience. I had an initial plan with the previous company that ghosted me.
I'm currently picturing something that looks like the inside of a GT3 car, where the first one was going to be with an F1 shell.
OP
All of the above. I figure 'buy once, cry once' and I never want to have to upgrade it again - for the rest of my life. So, I want force feedback in the steering, I want to ensure I can adjust resistance in the pedals, all that stuff. I'm now back at a blank slate, however. I largely let the initial company come up with the specs but, as mentioned, they ghosted me.
BigBadBeef
Active Member
Oh boy are you in for a treat! Just don't play any horror games without diapers.
I used to follow this channel when I was into Racing Sims, I dont anymore, but this guy does a really good job reviewing different hardware for the racing sim. I think the guy himself has a 100K Racing Sim in his house fully decked out with 3 x 40"+ screens doing surround gaming with custom seat, wheel, pedals, etc..
Really impressive what he has built, but of course, most people wont drop 100K on a racing sim unless you're loaded
Really impressive what he has built, but of course, most people wont drop 100K on a racing sim unless you're loaded
OP
I'm not sure how long I'll be able to wear the headset. The simulations I'd like to do are things like GT3 cars doing endurance racing. So, that's a concern. My understanding is that they're not all that comfortable after a while - but I still want to check it out. I'd like to be able to look to my sides, over at the rear-view camera or checking my mirrors, and that sort of stuff. I understand that a 3 monitor setup is pretty adequate.
Thanks for the link! I'll check his channel out. I plan on spending a tidy sum because I want the best for this. Well, as close to 'the best for me' as possible. I even want a harness and a real race seat. Heck, if a company wants to build it into the front end of a real car, I'm okay with that.
Hmm... It'd be neat if I could get VR in a helmet. That'd be pretty sweet. Yes, I'll even wear driving shoes. I won't go so far as putting on my Nomex, but I might wear gloves.
What I'll be doing is finding new companies (which I've not started yet) and asking them to send me their proposals. I'll type up some generic specs that I'd like to aim for, share my objectives, and see what they can offer me.
I do wish I had more bandwidth. Playing online would interest me. I don't think I'd want to compete in the big leagues, but doing some duffer racing among others might be fun. I doubt that I'll have bandwidth for that, though there is a constant rumor that they're going to run fiber down a nearby state road. I'd pay to hook into that. I'd even pay for the fiber and labor to get it to my house.
BigBadBeef
Active Member
If you ever wore a workman helmet, then you should be familiar with how a VR headset works as well in terms of its weight characteristics. The only condition under which wearing a VR headset might be unpleasant is in the sweltering summer heat.
It is also absolutely vital that your pc performance matches the VR refresh rate. People have been reported suffering from nausea from inconsistent frame rates, stutters and performance drops.
OP
I know a neighbor's kid has one. I'll have to check it out. My understanding was that the weight was on the front which was awkward and uncomfortable after a while. But, I've worn helmets for long periods of time - all sorts of helmets.
BigBadBeef
Active Member
Well, there you have it. Like a helmet, after you get used to it, you won't even feel having it on.
OP
In real racing, you're facing up to 3 G - unless you're in F1 or prototypes (both of which I've never done).
Your head weighs just about 11 pounds. Your helmet, if you're using carbon fiber, is another 4 pounds.
So, in corners, you're dealing with a head that has an effective mass of up to 45 lbs. (Many folks don't actually understand the stresses you feel inside the car and think they can do it, that it's easy and 'just driving'.)
If it's anything like a helmet, I should be good to go - even if it's disproportionately on the front.
The closest I've come to an F1 car was taking lessons and then driving an F3 car around for a weekend.
It was unbelievable, but more than a bit terrifying. One of the exercises was to follow the instructor as close as we could. The lines we take bring us within scant inches of the very hard wall. This was before the halo so I was worried about taking an F3 car to the helmet.
This is off-topic but I should probably explain...
See, I love driving. In fact, I was a motor vehicle operator (light and mid-weight vehicles) in the military. I took every driving course they offered.
I got divorced (later) and bought a midlife crisis car - specifically a Dodge Viper RT/10.
Which is when I learned I couldn't drive nearly as well as I wanted. I could drive, but not at the level where I could take full advantage of the raw power the Viper had on tap. It was brutal and I was outclassed.
So, I started taking lessons at a nearby track.
Then, my kids realized I had better toys and told the judge they'd like to live with me. Which is how I ended up with a Volvo and no Viper.
But, I kept taking lessons. I traveled a great deal and I'd seek out tracks and the attached schools just so I could get some track time. (I also learned that a school car can be more fun than your own car 'cause you don't care if you put it into a tire barrier.)
Today, I have multiple cars and appreciate my collection.
Which is why I want a solid sim. I love driving. I love finding my own limitations and I like being better than I was the day before. I want the most realistic options I can afford.
Make sense?
BigBadBeef
Active Member
Makes perfect sense to me. I know as well that high power - high handling cars are not as fun as people portray it to be, at some point there is a threshold where the fun stops and the pain begins. Mine was at 768HP and weighed barely more then a tonne, a race tuned lancer evo with a dog box and the works. First I went with a pro driver then they let me have it for a couple of laps. The experience could be best described as... agony!
I was in that car for maybe 30 minutes (which is practically nothing compared to how long the real races last). To my own credit, I didn't really embarrass myself, but the driver did almost drop a couple of spoonfuls in his pants on occasion as I struggled to keep the raging beast on the road. I remember when I stepped out of that car, I was aching all over, like someone stuck me in a sack, beat me with a stick and threw me down a hill.
So how does VR compare to screens and real life?
Depends a lot on the quality of the game you're playing, but it's roughly on the halfway point between the real thing and staring a flat screen.
I miss it really, I keep staring at my packed up rift, idling. Unfortunately, due to higher priorities I had to delay purchase of a new hard drive where I would once again get windows going and VR with it.
I was in that car for maybe 30 minutes (which is practically nothing compared to how long the real races last). To my own credit, I didn't really embarrass myself, but the driver did almost drop a couple of spoonfuls in his pants on occasion as I struggled to keep the raging beast on the road. I remember when I stepped out of that car, I was aching all over, like someone stuck me in a sack, beat me with a stick and threw me down a hill.
So how does VR compare to screens and real life?
Depends a lot on the quality of the game you're playing, but it's roughly on the halfway point between the real thing and staring a flat screen.
I miss it really, I keep staring at my packed up rift, idling. Unfortunately, due to higher priorities I had to delay purchase of a new hard drive where I would once again get windows going and VR with it.
OP
Yup. Almost everyone dreams of owning an exotic sportscar. The reality is that they don't want one. What they want is a real GT car - a grand touring car. My daily driver is an M6 Competition. No, I don't drive it on long trips. If I did, nobody would want to go with me.
It's a BMW, but it's not even remotely comfortable. Then, I opted for the carbon-ceramic brakes. Those are loud and grippy. You will stop quickly. It will feel almost instantaneous to you - and that's being gentle with the brakes. The transmission is a DCT (flappy paddles) and can be quite brutal if you want it to be. The torque is enough to snap you back into your seat.
If you look at it from the outside, you'll see leather and aluminum, even a bit of wood. You'll think it's like riding on a cloud but it's a brutal car with four doors that will hit 60 MPH in just a whisker over 4 seconds.
People put posters of these cars on their walls, but they really don't want them. They just think they want them. 99% of the population would rather a regular 6 series over the M and 99.9% would rather the M over the Competition. What people really want is a nice grand touring car.
Heck, they ripped out the sound-deadening in the M6 to save weight. I love it but most folks don't.
I-hate-Windows
Member
diablo 4 and starefield are the **** and work fine in proton experimental, starfield is quite taxing even on my 6900 xt at 2k ultra 60ish frames lmao no upscaling or dynamic crap
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Always love hearing about people's hobbies or usage of tools. It's never a simple story, but you always learn a lot along the way of why and how things are the way they are.
Diablo 4 and Starfield are perfect depictions of modern day corporate soulless products. Indie games are where fun happens because they can actually innovate without shareholders going nuts not shoveling out the minimum viable "product".
Diablo 4 and Starfield are perfect depictions of modern day corporate soulless products. Indie games are where fun happens because they can actually innovate without shareholders going nuts not shoveling out the minimum viable "product".
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