A question for gaming Opponauts

"MM54" (mm54mk2) 07/21/2015 at 21:42 • Filed to: None

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Specifically those of you with racing setups - this is something I want to get in to. I actually have room to set up a seat with a wheel and pedals and, once past the initial investment, it seems like an inexpensive way to really enjoy myself in the evenings.

So, basically, where do I start?

I have an xbox 360 and Fourza, but racing with a controller has always felt wrong. That said, it seems that the best options for wheels/shifters/pedals are for PC stuff. I’m capable of gaming with my computer, but have no idea what software can even come close to Forza in realism. I’m also hesitant to buy something for the 360 since I’ll probably eventually end up with an xbox one and Forza5/6.

So, in short:

For someone looking to set up a racing, err, setup (I don’t want to call it a sim because that makes it sound way more involved) and willing to spend a few hundred bucks on equipment, software, and eventually a cool seat from a junkyard (lets cap it at $500, and I already have a decent PC and an xbox360) - what would you suggest?

Thanks!

TheOnelectronic > MM54 07/21/2015 at 21:55

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In terms of realism there are plenty of PC racers that will blow Forza out of the water. You won’t necessarily get the variety of cars and tuning options that Forza offers, though.

Apart from the “we modeled the drag caused by the driver’s sweat” ultra-sims like iRacing, there are the slightly less insane games like Assetto Corsa, Project CARS, and others. I myself don’t have a huge amount of experience in this arena, though.

Aya, Almost Has A Cosmo With Toyota Engine Owned by a BMW. > MM54 07/21/2015 at 21:56

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You could setup a steering wheel with fourza, at least that what I know.

If you want to try PC racing game, Project Cars is pretty good. I had those in my laptop and it’s quite a good fun, my only trouble was the low number of cars.

jkm7680 > MM54 07/21/2015 at 21:58

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Logitech G29, desk and junkyard chair.

I’ve got a less good Logitech wheel and a Vette chair.

MM54 > Aya, Almost Has A Cosmo With Toyota Engine Owned by a BMW. 07/21/2015 at 22:00

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If I went with xbox, I’d definitely want something that would work with an xbox 1 as well as the 360, since eventually I’d be upgrading to get Forza 6. I doubt such a controller exists, especially with force feedback and three pedals.

In the little I’ve seen, it seems like a lot of PC racing games/sims are pretty short on tracks and cars (and graphics). I’m hoping to figure something out, though.

MM54 > jkm7680 07/21/2015 at 22:03

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The G29 sounds pretty nice.

I fully intend on picking up a good junkyard seat and doing a little woodworking to put it on a frame with the wheel/pedals/shifter mounted naturally and, at minimum, a spot to set the monitor (if not the monitor anchored there).

I fit perfectly in the seats in my friend’s FR-S, unfortunately I doubt I can find any in the junkyards.

jkm7680 > MM54 07/21/2015 at 22:11

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You probably won’t find any of those at junkyards, haha. You may want to try classifieds though. Craigslist will usually have some newer seats that are being sold because the owner is a ricer and put Ebay racing seats into their car.

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > MM54 07/21/2015 at 22:11

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Hear me out...

I have a very odd gaming chair

The third row out of a Kia Sedona minivan. Yes it lacks bolster support. But it is dangerously comfy and you won’t want to move for hours . some slimmer seats aren’t as supportive.

Anima > MM54 07/21/2015 at 22:12

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Just take his passenger seat when he isn’t looking.

<.<

>.>

Nobody would notice right..?

sdwarf36 > MM54 07/21/2015 at 22:12

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I only do PC-so I can only offer so much advice. Plus I’m married to Jane Jetson -she built me the computer around my gaming.( I’m just the stupid driver)

My game of choice is rFactor. Its more of a starting platform for those that build cars + tracks-but it means there are thousands of choices of cars/series/tracks out there. Some better than others. wanna run a full F1 season? Pick a year. How about the full 1967 season-all the tracks + cars. How about 71 Trans-am? NASCAR? Name it. I think the game is about $20.

You’ll need a good internet connection if you plan to race online. And you probably want to join a league. Racing wheel to wheel is a blast.

You’ll also want a good graphics card-soon the eye candy will wear out-but you’ll want to make sure the get a good frame rate.

The ‘normal’ wheel is the Logitech G27-about $300. You’ll soon want to update the pedals but not needed right off.

As far as a seat goes-its tempting to use a racing seat-but don’t. There is no sideload on the computer-and racing seats are a pain in the ass to climb out of. As soon as you sit down the phone will ring-or the cat will want to go out.

A great site to get ideas: www.thewayiplay.com

RockThrillz89 > MM54 07/21/2015 at 22:45

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Logitech has this set up. Reviews seem pretty good. Three peddle, six ratio shifter, paddle shifters on wheel. I’ve never used it, so can’t comment on quality. It’s for PC.

Newegg has a few options for the Xbone with a quick search. None of the wheels I’ve saw have the three peddle option. Probably would have to go with something from Fanatec to get that for the Xbone, but that stuff is hardcore (read: expensive). You might be able to mix and match (i.e. buy a Thrustmaster wheel and Fanatec peddles), but you will have to research compatibility. Just be wary of Xbone compatibility.

Honestly, what it’s going to boil down to is how many options do you want. If you want a large amount of options, go PC. If just have to have Forza, obviously Xbone. PC will also give you more options if you want to get into other sim games like space sims (my current gaming interest) or flight sims. Also Steam sales. Xbone is getting Elite Dangerous, but I don’t think it has HOTAS compatibility yet, if ever. PC is also going to give you more upgrade paths incase you want to go balls out in the future and get you a setup like Barnacles from YouTube or even better .

Tl;dr - PC for options, Xbone for Forza. Hope that helps get you started.

chaozbandit > MM54 07/21/2015 at 22:59

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Theres plenty of software out there right now, so it all depends on what genres you’re into and what’s on sale at the moment. Hardware wise, highly recommend you pick up a Wheelstand Pro because, short of a full playseat, it’s much sturdier than the traditional table-based setup. Wheelwise, you can’t go wrong with a Logitech Driving Force GT or a G27 (if you can find either), or if you want to customize your modules the Thrustmaster T300RS.

66671 - 200 [METRIC] my dash > MM54 07/22/2015 at 00:32

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If you’re gonna get an F1 game, get 2013.

Also, if you’re serious about gaming and don’t need the couch comfort or ability for split screen, just go with PC.

mcseanerson > MM54 07/22/2015 at 00:53

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Dirt Rally is the hot new thing right now and I am in love.

If it weren’t for the Xbox/forza you could pick up a dfgt pretty cheap on fleabay.

MM54 > 66671 - 200 [METRIC] my dash 07/22/2015 at 07:44

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Eventually I’ll probably accumulate F1, Rally, road racing, etc. so thanks for the suggestion on 2013 - are the later ones bad, or?

(And right now I’m pretty sure I’ll be going the PC route)

MM54 > mcseanerson 07/22/2015 at 07:45

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I’ve heard good things about the Dirt Rally - more reason to stick with the PC option for this setup!

mcseanerson > MM54 07/22/2015 at 07:46

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That and if you go PC only you can get a used wheel and pedals for under $100

MM54 > sdwarf36 07/22/2015 at 07:49

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Thanks for all the input - I’ll check out what others have done on that site later (i.e. after work). I’ll also hit up the rest of the internet to take a look at rFactor

MM54 > RockThrillz89 07/22/2015 at 07:58

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Thanks - at this point I’m pretty sure I’m going to go with PC.

MM54 > chaozbandit 07/22/2015 at 07:59

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I’m going to build a “cockpit” so I’m not too worried about tables and such. In terms of software I’ll probably eventually end up with all sorts of titles, but I figure I’ll start off with some sort of Forza-esque road racing and go from there.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > MM54 07/22/2015 at 08:39

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Give iRacing a shot. That’s the best for online racing even if certain aspects of it are a bit aged like the graphics. The physics and multiplayer setup are perfect. You don’t need a seat or anything fancy, but you do need a wheel. Get something like a G27 wheel/pedal combo and see if you dig it. The G27 wheels and pedals will last you quite a while. The shifter’s shit, so if you get into it, you might want to upgrade that.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > MM54 07/22/2015 at 08:40

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Dirt Rally is pretty great. As a long time sim racer, it’s almost the rally sim I’ve been waiting for.

Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow > MM54 07/22/2015 at 11:27

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Gonna echo everyone who has said iRacing. It’s simply the most realistic sim out there, and incredibly fun. Plus you don’t need the absolute best PC to run it, I definitely over-built mine. The G27 is a very good wheel/pedal/shifter setup for the money, especially now that the G29 is out and it can be had on the cheap.

Similar to you I also want an FR-S seat for when I build my actual cockpit setup; not only because I fit in them great, but because I own one. Just thought it’d be cool. If you really want one, search on FT86club.com/forums in the classifieds section. A lot of people replace the stock seats and sell them. I generally see FR-S seats going in pairs for $300-450. If you can find someone else to buy the other seat, a far more common occurrence than you might think, you could get an FR-S seat for not too much. I’m waiting on a guy in my club to replace his passenger seat (friend got a cigarette burn on it) so I can buy it for cheap. haha

66671 - 200 [METRIC] my dash > MM54 07/22/2015 at 11:32

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Well the newest has quite a few glitches, and I don’t think there was much improvement from 2013 over 2014, and also, you know, the cars. If you want multiplayer though, 2015 I guess is the only way to go but I’d wait to see if they iron out the issues first, I mostly play time trial and single player so I don’t need it.

RoboRed "The road to hell is paved with overturned Vanduras" > MM54 07/22/2015 at 17:07

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Xbox 360/One - Not a lot of choices out there, sadly. MS is picky about their wheels. And sadly, there isn’t one product out there that is compatible with the 360, Xbone, AND PC. You get to pic PC and one console, and that’s it.

If you stay exclusively 360, the Microsoft 360 wireless racing wheel is pretty good, and likely the cheapest option. Branching between the two, a good choice is the Fanatec CSR or their Porsche GT2 wheel. However, this will be a bit more expensive, and the wheels and pedals must be bought separately. However, these will work for consoles/PC across the board except for the Xbone.

The Xbone doesn’t have very many choices. The cheapest decent one I know of (i.e. with force feedback) is the Thrustmaster TX . Apart from that, there’s the Fanatec ClubSport , but that is a whole heap of expensive. The wheelbase alone will blast your $500 dollar budget, and you’ll need one of the Xbox One wheels on top of that, and you’ll need to choose your own pedals. But it’s top of the line tech that gives you compatibility with everything but the 360, and god willing it will last you for a very long time. (I hope mine does. I’m working on a sim rig for this thing in the future.)

PC - Going PC exclusively, you’re pretty worry-free about choices for the PC. Apart from everything I mentioned earlier, you have the option of the well-loved Logitech G27 and the new G29 .

Software - For Xbox? Forza 6 when it comes out. What else? :P (Oh, and probably Forza Horizon 2.)
PC, I don’t have much I can personally offer in opitions on here. I’m just starting out on PC stuff after being on Forza 4 on 360 for a while. Right now I’m trying out Project CARS, and would love to do iRacing, but I’ve heard Assetto Corsa is also really good. iRacing runs on a subscription and pay-for-cars-and-tracks-you-don’t-have model, but has a very large selection of tracks that are scanned and modeled to a very high degree of detail.