Steve was extremely generous and a great host in letting me come try out his motion simulation rig that consists of:
- Fanatec CSW 2.5 with V3 Pedals
- SimLabs P1 rig
- Oculus rift
- High end PC with a 1080ti
- 3rd party apps that are well tuned
- Next Level Racing Motion V3
- Assetto Corsa
My goal was to see how much of a difference in immersion there is with a high end setup that's well tuned vs what I'm currently using: rift with borrowed (and well used) G29 and pedals.
The short answer: Easily enough that I'll be investing in a similar setup. The only delay being waiting on the fanatec podium series as I'm not into DIY and tuning projects such as OSW despite the potential benefits. If I had that type of time and energy, I'd just go do normal track days again.
Which brings me to the longer version: My goal is singular. I want to come as close to track driving as possible with respect to feel, keeping my skills sharp, adrenaline pump and focus. Absolute laptimes are not that much of a concern to me. Naturally, I want to be fast but immersion comes first.
I was actually shocked by the difference between his setup and mine. Within about 1/2 a lap, the Rift would feel more like a helmet and I'd do my normal "lean forward" which I only do when I'm concentrating. The motion was natural and not noticeable. That's an important point I want to clarify. If you can notice the motion separately from the game, then it's likely not very accurate. However, since the motion was fluid and natural, the immersion level was intimate and what my body would expect based on my inputs. Getting bumped by the AI felt very natural as did the transitions in Mugello along with the punishment on the Ring which we'll get to later.
Subjectively, there are 2 areas of improvement:
- Front end feel from the wheel. The wheel took a little bit of time to translate the feedback of the front end overloading and washing away. I could not feel the load up portion or the transition to under steer as early as I would have liked. I'm a "front end" driver in real life so I might be extra sensitive to front end feel than others.
- Rear end slip feel from the motion seat. By some black magic the motion seat did a relatively good job of giving a rear end kick out feel but similar to the wheel issue with under steer, it would often be a little late into the mix to the point you've already started over rotating the rear. The initial load up, squat and unloading of the car was missing. Thankfully the wheel did a good job here so what I couldn't feel by my butt, I could feel in my hands.
Sustained G's is likely something that isn't going to happen at a reasonable cost in the near future. If your budget is that high, I strong suggest getting a track car with some driving instruction.
Finally, the thrill of the day was running laps in the RedBull Project car on N-Ring. If you can do a lap of that without sweating and telling yourself to breathe in Steve's rig, you might not be alive! My goal is to do an hour straight with that setup and measure my heart rate during it. What a blast and something you'd NEVER do in real life even if given the option!
If someone setup a rig like Steve's at a trade show and let people run the Ring on the RedBull Project car, they wouldn't be able to make these fast enough....
Steve, if there's anything I missed or needs correct, please feel free to jump in.
- Fanatec CSW 2.5 with V3 Pedals
- SimLabs P1 rig
- Oculus rift
- High end PC with a 1080ti
- 3rd party apps that are well tuned
- Next Level Racing Motion V3
- Assetto Corsa
My goal was to see how much of a difference in immersion there is with a high end setup that's well tuned vs what I'm currently using: rift with borrowed (and well used) G29 and pedals.
The short answer: Easily enough that I'll be investing in a similar setup. The only delay being waiting on the fanatec podium series as I'm not into DIY and tuning projects such as OSW despite the potential benefits. If I had that type of time and energy, I'd just go do normal track days again.
Which brings me to the longer version: My goal is singular. I want to come as close to track driving as possible with respect to feel, keeping my skills sharp, adrenaline pump and focus. Absolute laptimes are not that much of a concern to me. Naturally, I want to be fast but immersion comes first.
I was actually shocked by the difference between his setup and mine. Within about 1/2 a lap, the Rift would feel more like a helmet and I'd do my normal "lean forward" which I only do when I'm concentrating. The motion was natural and not noticeable. That's an important point I want to clarify. If you can notice the motion separately from the game, then it's likely not very accurate. However, since the motion was fluid and natural, the immersion level was intimate and what my body would expect based on my inputs. Getting bumped by the AI felt very natural as did the transitions in Mugello along with the punishment on the Ring which we'll get to later.
Subjectively, there are 2 areas of improvement:
- Front end feel from the wheel. The wheel took a little bit of time to translate the feedback of the front end overloading and washing away. I could not feel the load up portion or the transition to under steer as early as I would have liked. I'm a "front end" driver in real life so I might be extra sensitive to front end feel than others.
- Rear end slip feel from the motion seat. By some black magic the motion seat did a relatively good job of giving a rear end kick out feel but similar to the wheel issue with under steer, it would often be a little late into the mix to the point you've already started over rotating the rear. The initial load up, squat and unloading of the car was missing. Thankfully the wheel did a good job here so what I couldn't feel by my butt, I could feel in my hands.
Sustained G's is likely something that isn't going to happen at a reasonable cost in the near future. If your budget is that high, I strong suggest getting a track car with some driving instruction.
Finally, the thrill of the day was running laps in the RedBull Project car on N-Ring. If you can do a lap of that without sweating and telling yourself to breathe in Steve's rig, you might not be alive! My goal is to do an hour straight with that setup and measure my heart rate during it. What a blast and something you'd NEVER do in real life even if given the option!
If someone setup a rig like Steve's at a trade show and let people run the Ring on the RedBull Project car, they wouldn't be able to make these fast enough....
Steve, if there's anything I missed or needs correct, please feel free to jump in.
