Simracing With A Gamepad

[Phil Davies]

Irrelevant,I am lucky to have a cockpit and wheel,But I reckon there are people out there that are faster than me with their gamepad,There is no right or wrong,good or bad,It's your hobby,It's the enjoyment that counts not how you enjoy it.

 

[Boby Kim]

Ffb in the actual stick of a Joypad would be more then welcome for many users. Im still waiting for ffb for my keyboard WSAD

 

[CC]

I have been gaming with a control pad since the atari st,
around 35 years, could you buy a wheel in 1985 for pc or console ?
no , so what is there to compare if its comfort over price,
control pad was good then and its good now, wheel is nice if your pockets are deep if there not you can always rely on the controller no matter what its dependable

 

[DreadNaughT-7]

wheel is not an option for me. I have more than 800 hours logged in AC and 90% of the time in online races I finish in the mid of the grid

 

[Isaac Chavira]

Used an XBOX 360 pad for the last 13 years and I am never going back after getting a wheel. I love my T150 even though it's not a fancy T500 RS or a CSL V2.5 or anything. It has made me a more consistent racer and less wobbly on track.

 

[CC]

Use an XBOX 360 pad for the last 13 years and I am never going back. I love my T150 even though it's not a fancy T500 RS or a CSL V2.5 or anything. It has made me a more consistent racer and less wobbly on track.

My XBOX pad is king,
2015 I had a 10,000 euros setup with the most powerful PC you could buy Titan X 12gb watercooled and 32gb memory, but what do I use now, the good old XBOX controller, its like an old girlfriend

 

[Ghoults]

For me the biggest reason why gamepads suck in racing games is that my brain simply can't do it. It is just too vague, too indirect and the last killer is the aids that get added on top of your inputs. Making fast corrections for example is incredibly difficult because the game decides how far and how fast the front tires start turning. Which usually is too late too much. Which is also why console racers have simple physics because the main controller people use is not compatible with the requirement of precise analogue inputs.

Even in gran turismo 5 when it had the track maker and I made some tracks I just could not even test my tracks with gamepad. Random tank slappers out of perfectly saveable slides, missing the apexes or randomly going off the track. Not to mention how difficult it is to have any kind of consistency with throttle and brake.

If you can drive with a gamepad then I'd say go for it. But gamepads are not for everybody. I think for sim racers mouse steering is much better option. At least that way you are in full control of your front tires. I don't know if many sims support mouse steering but that's the way I'd go if I needed something light and easy to carry.

 

[Red_Falcon]

Up until last Year, i have actually driven only with a Controller (X360 Pad). I have experienced Games like GTR/GTR 2 or Rfactor 1 only with a Controller, cus i didnt had the money or space for a Steering Wheel back then.

Since early last year, i own a Logitech G29 and it actually took me multiply Weeks to beat my Controller times in AC...

I can't speak about racing against other people, because until i got the Wheel, i have only driven Offline against the AI.

For some people it seems weird, but it was actually fun racing that way...even when it was just against the AI, but since i got the G29, i could never go back to a Controller.

 

[el_mattpro]

I race with Mouse Steering in Assetto Corsa against Wheel Users and a lot of times i beat them, and i race on private leagues and public lobbys as well, by the way i think Mouse is the only device that precise/accurate as a Steering Wheel in terms of turn left - right and smoothness, countersteer, etc... (bad english sry)

 

[melanieuk]

First - Sim is the key. If Ypu wanna drive SIM racing You can't use a gamepad .

I own Two wheel and pedal sets, don't knock game pad users, I've seen a lot of them waste wheel users in a race.

Try to imagine how You can drive Your own car with a gamepad?

Your real car is a real car, these racing simulators are computer video games.

 

[Peter Kerényi]

I am playing on PC with a T300 F1, on PS4 (GTS) with the Dual Shock. While I feel a lot more comfortable with the wheel, playing with a gamepad is enjoyable as well. Driving is driving regardless the controller. If one enjoys playing with a gamepad I wouldn't criticize them for doing so. I know I am not really confident, but if it was my only choice I am sure I would get used to it.

I know I am young but I have been playing racing games for the bigger part of my life. Back then, being a kid around 8, I was the happiest when we got a... from today's standards... a simple steering wheel for the PS1 and PS2 without FFB or anything. When I check r/simracing half of the posts are newcomers to simracing/racing games with G29s, T150s, even Fanatec gear I can not even dream to afford while I study. It puts things into a different perspective how accessible simracing has become with so many tiers of equipment. It could be another discussion...

So my most important question regarding the article... is our hobby called sim racing, sim-racing or simracing?

 

[LilSki]

Not sure if it has been mentioned but the Steam Controller is actually a decent middle ground between say the normal gamepad and the wheel. I got one in a steam sale and so far have really enjoyed it for driving when I'm working on tracks. I also have a full rig in the basement but I'm not going down there every time I want to test something. The motion steering actually works very well and is very precise. Think Mario Kart on the wii but for sim racing. If you poke around you tube you will find a few videos of it in use.

 

[apex11]

I own Two wheel and pedal sets, don't knock game pad users, I've seen a lot of them waste wheel users in a race.



Your real car is a real car, these racing simulators are computer video games.

Many are a bit more than that fella. Pretty much every real life racer (which can simply mean they have money to race and nothing more) says sims make it harder than real life, things like lack of grip etc etc.
I can confirm myself that driving in a sim with a wheel etc is no different to what i do when i do it in real life.... missing some vital stuff like g forces etc and proper feel for what the tyres are doing... but yeah, its about as good as it can get right now and i love it more than track days..

 

[ltcars]

I see driving with keyboard as training for the wheel, you learn skill that I could not learn otherwise as I don't have a wheel, but when I use one I can use the skills 1:1 I learned. I think driving with a keyboard trains the eyes to feel the car so when you drive with a wheel you can rely on the FFB and and your eyes

 

[Witti]

Steam controller made me play simulators again. Motion sensors/gyroscope allows me to steer with wheel like precision (180° only though), acceleration and braking is definitely below pedals but it's working. I win public races from time to time and have no trouble being competitive.

Price is super, it doesn't require more space than usual controllers, has a decent precision (between wheels and usual controllers), FFB is the thing I'm missing most though.

 

[Thombike]

In fact it's simulating a the car movements, how you chose to drive the car is up to you.
I use a full sim rig and would not want to use a controller ever on a driving game. But i play Mudrunners with a controller and its a blast.
If someone wants to use a controller what business is it of yours?

Tell Me please, becouse I dont know, what type of racing Mudrunner simulates? In whitch part is a Sim racer? And most important in reading is to understand point. The point is - I have deep in my a.s who play with this orother controller. I said only - try to imagine to drive with real car and steering with gamepad? Do You get it?

 

[CharlieHDGamer]

before getting a wheel, I used a joystick, you can be more precise with steering, throttle and brake inputs compared with a controller, but going from throttle to braking was slow as you had to move it from fully forward to backwards

 

[CharlieHDGamer]

before getting a wheel, I used a joystick, you can be more precise with steering, throttle and brake inputs compared with a controller, but going from throttle to braking was slow as you had to move it from fully forward to backwards

 

[Craig Dunkley]

I used a Joystick for years ..started on keyboard then moved to Joystick. Its only been the last 15 months or so that I have gone with wheel and pedals. At the start I was actually slower with a wheel ..really I was ..I know Microsoft has recently released £100 + gamepad ..would like to try that out

Even today I will use a gamepad for all my none simulation games ...feet up ..beer ..and pad

 

[Bram Hengeveld]

mod-edit: if you have nothing to say then don't.

mod-edit: if you have nothing to add, then don't

You are making a great entrance with your first two posts. Well done a thread reply ban on your first outting. Keep it up.