Alot of the pros say it's hard to go back to a screen after running VR as the depth perception just isn't there on a screen. That's the "hitting marks" issue.
The way I’ve perceived it after returning to a year+ now of monitor racing, coming from about ~3 years of exclusively using VR without any screen actually setup at my rig, I find it much easier on a monitor to be able to identify and consistently hit markers on track for braking, turn in, etc. In VR (and I guess real life), I found that in comparison, the full three dimensional space for whatever reason just made it slightly more difficult to spot and hit these marks. It’s one of the reasons I’ve stuck with single screen racing since returning to it. Overall I still love the immersion of VR and benefit of certain aspects like increased spatial awareness in battling with other cars, but I usually prioritize it now for more fun/sandbox experiences on sims like AC instead of competition on iRacing
that’s actually the exact reason why i went from VR to Screens, because my eyes for some reason cant perceive actual depth and im relying on other factors, like relative size, speed etc, i was able to go to a monitor and perform exactly the same besides some visibility short comings
It also depends on a lot. The issue is that sim racing games right now don't have highly realistic lighting. The way we see depth is by shadows. But shadows are hard to render crisply on most hardware when running vr, and shadows eventually stop rendering at far distances. So until we have easy to access equipment capable of rendering such high quality shadows, and a cheap enough headset with high resolution and FOV. We are out of luck here.
@@mountainhusk4382 Not trying to that "actually" guy, but the way we see depth is by using parallax. Our brains can calculate the distance to something by comparing how different it's position looks in each eye. This is done entirely on a subconscious level. It is also why it is much harder to judge depth or distance beyond a certain point, because the difference in position to each eye is so small. We can be tricked into seeing depth from other visual cues, which is why "3D" games like first person shooters work. VR simulates depth well because it shows a different image to each eye. Good lighting will enhance the effect, but you will still get better depth perception in VR than on a monitor.
From my own experience, vr gave me a much better feel for the car and how it was moving compared to the single screen, and I’ve been much more consistent with lap times since using it. I wouldn’t be sim racing for more than a couple of hours at a time though, so it’s an understandable reason not to use it.
Same here, without VR I drive like crap due to the absolute lack of depth. I find in VR that I hardly even need to look for the markers, I just drive. Having to stare at roadside objects to find my braking spot is due to the limitations of 2D displays. I have no idea where the car _actually_ is, so I have to rely heavily on signs and stripes on the roads and the start of kerbs etc to find out where to slam the brakes. Never going back to flat ever again. Feels bad. I think one of the main reasons the pros we watch don't use VR is that they're streaming, and reading chat and stuff in VR is still a chore. It also puts some viewers off because the constant head movement makes some viewers feel ill. Flight sims are an even more obvious representation of depth perception. Formation flying in VR is laughably easy compared to on a screen. I can touch the tip of my plane to another person's wing in VR and it isn't even hard.. I know EXACTLY where it is. I can ride a bumper in racing games with ease, slipstreaming and bump drafting in VR is just fully intuitive.
@@JimmyNuisance What I found is that drifting is soooo much easier with good equipment. Went from 32 inch screen and a g29 to a quest 3 vr with moza r5. Even before I setup the vr the drifting was much easier on assetto corsa with just the r5. It caught itself way better. I knew the basics from some drifting on forza horizon 3 and watching some videos of drifting in game/irl on yt just for fun. Took me about a minute to figure it out and do some decent drifts. Put the vr on and the first few corners where good right away haha. It makes it so much easier to just know your speed so you don't overshoot corners anymore and also see how much angle the car will get when you whip it in. I don't have a handbrake or clutch sadly. Still need to buy the clutch pedal which should make it even easier to keep a drift going. Also get msfs2020 if you are into it. Got it last week and I have just been flying and exploring the world haha it is sick! But hard to run :(
vr makes racing more fun, but the thing which got me into racing was the steering wheels. I never found it fun with controllers so never did it. But I got laid off in covid, and got a sim rig, used it for a few month, then got another job, then used it as much as I could, which ended up being maybe 2 times a month. yes busy life sucks. But recently, just got more free time and only working 4 days a week, so got 3 days to play. and getting some great times on brand hatch. I do want a triple screen setup, with a full motion rig, but space is limiting, maybe soon. but at 41 it has to be very soon.
Main reason is just the pros aren’t their for immersion or experience they’re doing it competitively I think it’s similar to why pros don’t use 4k in competitive shooters
I got to try VR in iRacing one time and it blew my mind. Everything felt so intuitive. Funny enough I didn’t have to look for my marks as hard lol. I could instantly feel where they were because of the depth perception VR provides. Super super cool.
@@lG-v09e open xr with ac can look way better than iracing and lfm gives you that competitive racing.. of course iracing has the better multiplayer system and a more modern if flawed tire model but its vr implementation is not better than ac with cm
I had a VR Headset from work for a month, connected it to my sim rig and it was an out of this world experience. It really makes simracing something even more special😧
When i got vr for iracing, my lap times got sooo much better. And I just had more fun racing. I will say though I can only do one or 2 races before my head and eyes hurt.
I always use VR when I drive. Went back to the screen when I was getting mine replaced. Couldn't get within 2 seconds of my time that I was setting in VR
@@elmerhablo I would say that your eyes get tired quicker because of the distance with the screens and the eyes. The good thing about this is that you will not have to focus your eyesight a lot on the corner apexes because you have better spatial awareness.
It is absolutely possible to wear VR for 3-4 hours plus at a time. It's like wearing a helmet. After a while, you just don't feel it any more. I have a triple ultrawide setup...but only for games that don't allow VR
@@sumtingwong2138 i am building a PC so maybe that will help i have a 1440p 240 but maybe xbox isnt using it all. im so excited for Evo that i am getting a PC haha
Because it would frighten them too much I'd say using a monitor at some specific FOV which suits them might give them an advantage. People who are competitive with sim racing do a lot with their setup to make it easier for them to go faster at the expense of a more true to life driving experience.
I think the hardest part of driving in vr is not being able to see your controls. Everything mapped to your wheel is easy but once you have to reach to your keyboard or button box it can become tricky
Not really. It's more how you are used to it. When I play on screen I don't look at the keyboard or mouse either. Recently I tried VR and was afraid I end up not finding my keys. But in reality, I drop my hand from the wheel and boom my fingers are on wasd or on the mouse.
I'll still take the flexibility of VR over playing with an FoV of 120. You can see around you better even with a low FoV. You can take glances around you and look into corners or even move the view horizontaly.
I’ve always wanted a VR headset designed in the form factor of a racing helmet. It’d be way more comfortable and would have better weight distribution, a lot less light bleed and more immersion. Don’t know if that’ll ever be produced though, hoping someday some company designs it.
An Elite Head Strap with a battery pack on the back, And with the Defogger on the Quest 2 or 3, And it balances the VR on your head in a way that could and do feel a bit like a helmet on the top of the head at least, lol...
the best thing about VR for me personally is how much easier it is to race close with people, especially in formula cars where you don't have brake lights to tell you when someone in front of you starts braking. I also found initially it took me a little while to get back up to speed from my single monitor pace when I switched to VR, but once I adjusted to the completely new way of percieving the corner I ended up finding better lines and started getting up to speed on new tracks a lot faster. I think more esports drivers would be using VR if their careers weren't largely so reliant on streaming, which is a total pain in VR.
Totally agree. I almost NEVER attempt to bump draft on a monitor, but I love bump drafting in vr. It made it lots easier to tell exactly when I was making contact with the car in front.
@@HTOP1982 The weight is displaced and situated on your head more evenly than VR goggles. Helmets which have weight all over the head are not the same as a brick strapped to your eyes constantly pulling your head forward. This is even the case with the battery pack
@@brolaire8851 I run the HTC vice, and the vive pro, and have not felt many issues. I guess it's subjective, and probably the shape of the head and the nose influence quite a bit
I found using VR that the sense of speed was VERY fast, maybe this falls under your point about being harder to line up marks. Flat screen looks like slow motion in comparison
Big screen Beyond VR Headset is 100 grams and requires a 3d scan of your face to create a face gasket that fits perfectly on your face, it is the epitome of comfort. You can't even feel it.
I tried sim racing years back and couldn't get into it. I got to the point where I could turn some quick laps, but just couldn't push, couldn't catch slides, just couldn't mesh with the car. I tried again with VR recently, different world. I'm still using my fanatec GT3RS, but now I'm going all out, slides are natural, I'm getting podiums, occasional wins, lots of fastest race laps. Even my wheel feels better in VR. VR in general is just insane for gaming. It's such a huge step to go from playing a game to being IN the game. It makes flat screen games seem like they're lacking something. I can't wait to see where this tech goes in the future. I hope someone figures out the market for a sim racing VR headset. I would love to see one that goes on more like a helmet with a huge FOV, high refresh, built in headphones, and a fan to keep your face/head cooler. For me Sim racing and VR are a perfect fit.
Why people that got not clue whatsoever are trying to play experts? 1) much easier to align, drive closer, brake later 2) professional racers and streamers got no problem getting 4090 that crashes any FPS in VR. VR goggles cost same as tripple-screen, but save space 3) Bigscreen VR (120gr goggles) - people race for 8h day no problemo Biggest issue - they trying to get cash on streaming, where you need to sell your face.
Exactly.... i have both triples and VR, i tried many times to go triples but i instantly switched back to VR. The main reason they use triples or super wides is for streaming, reading comments etc..
I was using a single screen and borrowed a coworker's Oculus Rift. I really liked it, especially for racing you turn tour head all the time, like rally and drifting. I had better times and less crashing in Dirt Rally 2.0. When I gave it back, I ended up getting triple screens (our son was upgrading his system), and I could not repeat the driving I could with VR. So, I started looking around for a used one and found an Acer mixed reality VR headset for $50 CND. It works amazing, and for the cost, it is great for DR2.0 and Kart Kraft (the only title I have gotten vertigo in after spinning and sliding backwards).
That’s exactly the point why someday if we’re gonna do VR racing competition it’s gonna be lit. Not only skill but also physical endurance needs to be taken seriously.
I drive in VR exclusively. After switching I saw my dirt road iR go from 2k to almost 4k. Even for long races, I have a fast charging link cable, hotswappable batteries, and a ventilation attachment to keep my glasses from fogging. I will probably never go back to racing with a screen.
In my (pretty limited) experince, VR made marks much easier because of the depth perception, and fov is a drawback, but i think the ability to move your head and look around more than makes up for that. The BIG issue i had, however, was the delay both from the computer to the headset and in the headset tracking to screen movement. Sure, its only a couple milliseconds, but you WILL notice it
Me and my mates use the vr for like 5 of our 20 races a day. After those 5 we usually take about a 3 hour break and just chat before we do the rest because of the nausea.
I recently switched to a quest 2 from a single ultrawide. Even with the low fov, it’s so much more immersive. It’s certainly not for everyone but now when I hop in Assetto Corsa I’m in perfect unison with the car.
My team was running in the 2020 Bathurst 1000, and we were in P5. My teammate was in VR, and a discord message popped up on his screen and he crashed out because of it. We finished 20th as a result.
Interesting thing about the gen 6 in rf2, it’s actually so gripped up that it’s quicker than the gt3 cars at road courses, it has nuts grip at high speed
Just remember people, VR may be nice, but you should if you're going to use it for long times, maybe its time to make comfort upgrade, and maybe fix the weight distribution on them since most of the times they are heavier on the front than in the back which is why they make you tired sometimes after long use
Big issue I’ve had with VR is pixelation of far viewing that disorients and sometimes nauseates me. With that fixed, it’d probably by my preferred option
I like the line that quality VR headsets are around $1300, while pro sim racers spend 5x that on their wheels, pedals, shifters, etc. An extra $1300 for a good quality VR is nothing. I am not a pro sim racer, and I have a full setup with triple screens and a VR headset and I work at a warehouse and get in a maximum of about 20 hours of racing in 6 months!
Most professional simracers make their money with streaming and its an attractive streaming experience if you block half your face to the camera. VR headsets have a much better fov than even triple screens if you include head movement since you can just look out the side windows to see if there are opponents next to you. Hitting consistent braking points is an issue at first but you adapt to it quickly as you just use other visual cues other than something reaching the frame of your screen (which is a pretty flawed method of using braking points anyways since it can be distorted from your car having a slightly different angle between laps.
Driving in VR + Motion Rig for years, now. Endurance Races no Problem. Sometimes up to 12 hours a day, driving in VR + as Copilot in VR.. Can't wait for the rtx 5090, Assetto Corsa EVO and next gen VR Headsets
I really enjoy iRacing in VR but I'm changing to triples for the same reason as said in video; practice. Hours in a VR headset can be really tiring, also you can't see your mouse, or your keyboard, or the buttons on your wheel, or (rarely) you'll be running laps or a race and it looses centre and you end up trying to run laps with your POV from the bottom of the in-car race seat.
I never had the problem of loosing centre, even during hours of driving. Also the weight/tiring argument i won't let it count, because it's training and about getting used to
I've been using my VR headset for a couple of months now, it was a huge upgrade from my single monitor. But i have to agree that I can't use it for more than 3-4 hours before my eyes get tired or get a headache. But since i have not a lot of time anyways that isn't a big issue.
I use VR for sim racing mostly for immersion. When racing in real life, you have a helmet on, you don't always get great FOV without having to turn your head, which leads me into my next point, I like looking around and feeling like I'm actually in the seat. I often get nervous about not wearing seatbelts for a moment
A reason I didn't like VR when trying is that small car movements are less perceptible. With my monitor, having my view is rigidly attached to the chassis let's me visibly catch under/oversteer sooner, how my dampers are doing, etc.. makes a big difference to me!
I’m one of the exceptions to the almost never. In 2019 I was in the eNASCAR Peak Antifreeze iRacing Series, and I used VR to get there and compete in the series. I’m not positive, but I think I’m the only driver to use VR in the NASCAR world championship series to date.
Personally I think it's to do with pace. For whatever reason in VR I LOVED it and only raced in it for the immersion, but I was always a hairs breadth slower in VR. On screen I could mix it with the quickest F3 sprint drivers a few years ago.
Only one of these points are actually true - that being the fatigue of VR in long sessions. -High framerate can absolutely be achieved with most hesdsets reaching 90-120 fps - FOV in VR headsets actually get close to helmet FOV in IRL racing. Not to mention that if you need to see something, you just turn your head. - VRs depth perception actually is much better for “hitting marks”
i constantly switch in between, mainly doing testing/practice on a single monitor then switching to VR for races. i really think three monitors is the way to go, imo. either that or an ultrawide
I’ve ran single monitor, triples, and I now own a Pimax Crystal headset. I would never leave VR. The headset is very comfortable and I actually forget I’m wearing it during a race. I completely disagree about it being more difficult to hit marks. When wearing the headset I can turn my head and look where I want to go, making it way easier to consistently put the car where I want it. Also in VR I can see height of curbs and camber of corners, better depth perception which helps me perceive speed way better. For these reasons and many others, a quality VR headset in my opinion is far superior. Also, no one needs super high frame rate in iRacing, not nearly as important as if you were placing something like Call of Duty so don’t get tripped up on that!
I use a VR in GT7 and I’m in a league with R8G_kylian and some other GTWS guys. It really isn’t bad as long as you just kind of already know your strategy as far as pit stops… but it definitely doesn’t help that you can’t see the leaderboard or the gap to the car in front for sure… but in the end, it’s too dang fun not to try to race in it
I only play rally as I hate driving with other cars on the road. For rally, VR is just straight way, waaay, waaaaay better. I don't know anything about "marks" but depth perception is bigger than any other consideration when you have to judge by the seat of your pants how to do each turn.
Nope. VR racing is unbeatable by flat screen. Everybody gets better consistency and improved lap times in VR. As for eye strain it’s a matter of practice (I can do 8 hours easily and still afterwards it’s boredom that makes me stop - not exhaustion). And as for money, pro sim racers got set ups worth thousands. The most expensive I have heard of was $70 000. So, honestly £1300 is not an issue for a pro. I’m so tired of “influencers” talking nonsense and having zero or close to zero knowledge about matters they pretend to be experts at. I personally think VR is unpopular around sim racers simply because it is has not reached mainstream popularity yet. Also, I suppose people who invested thousands in their set ups want to actually see their equipment. And that’s about it.
the vr camera is so "bouncy" if you get what i mean. I prefer monitor because its stable and a little more consistent, but i can see the benefits of vr.
I just tried vr for the first time yesterday on Project cars 2 and Assetto Corsa and it was so fucking cool, i found it much easier to line up marks, having a real perception of space and distance that you cant get with a screen was an absolute gamechanger, only fault is with the quest 2, your peripheral vision is shit so a quest 3 would be waaaaaay better still
I switched from VR to a G9 single ultra wide. I'm in a very competitive league, and it was fatiguing for long practice stints and cumbersome switching out of VR and looking at data. Hitting buttons on your wheel and rig also become harder. ACC runs terribly in VR, and that's my main sim, and especially in older and lower end VR sets, the resolution is low enough that it becomes difficult to see brake lights. No regrets switching to single screen at all, but I still get in VR every once in a while for fun when I'm driving other sims, especially Dirt Rally. It's also always a big hit with guests! If I had to start all over again, I would still go for VR first. VR cost to ownership these days is quite low, and it provides more value than any budget screens, especially when many entry level sim racers don't have monitor mounts that bring the screen to the proper position.
I was VR only for a time, but as time went on I noticed I drove less and less because it was just not as comfortable. VR is great but the comfort and simplicity of just hopping in the rig and driving is better (at least atm).
Trying my VR on AC was fun. But I don’t use it for a few reasons: - Fiddly to get working, always recentering view -Wheel / pedals don’t line up which feels weird -Resolution is very low compared to my monitor (I use a Vive Cosmos) -Very low capacity / frames -A few other minor reasons Overall a normal screen is just simpler and i’m used to it.
I play only in VR, it makes me feel almost like on the real thing. Hardware cost is still a lot cheaper than just 2 days in a real track with my motorbike.
So, I can say strongly that the PSVR2 for Grand Turismo 7 is the greatest thing since Geico started saving us 15% or more on car insurance. Seriously, I never had the luxury of multiple monitors for my racing rig, but I can say I feel I am not missing out due to the VR for GT7. They did such a great job with it. It is time-consuming and becomes a small hassle. But for me, it is a small price to pay to play with VR. I was slow at first, but once I realized I could see my entries into corners and distances over all. I could never go back to screens.
I did iRacing in VR for a while and it was incredible, even picked up two wins in GT3’s at Daytona but after taking off the headset, I would feel uncomfortable for a few hours.
Asking the commenters for feedback: Currently I have logitech G29 on a NLR GT lite using my ole 42" tv nothing special but HD at least, so with approx £500 to upgrade my simracing experience, what do i buy first? 1. PSVR2 2. Direct drive wheel (great value bundle suggestions please) 3. Upgrade my rig to something solid 4. I hear loadcell brakes a gamechanger, but i dont know of any that can run on G29, so im thinking that will have to come after a Direct Drive wheelbase that supports loadcells If your opinion is £500 isn't enough, please offer product suggestions that arent way over budget and let me know why its worth the budget stretch.
Tracking shouldn't affect your framerate only how fast your head rotates when you turn it. A cheap vr headset like the quest 2 can consistently get 120fps at 120hz.
It's true. VR sim racing is really cool and fun, I love it... but when you're competing at a high (or even mid-high) level, it's a hamstring. I did A LOT of GT3 and GTE team endurance racing, running 3-4 hour stints in VR because I didn't have space for triples. It's not terrible, you CAN do it... but yeah, there are reasons why most pros don't, and it's exactly what the short says. Another point in favor of triples is that you can use button boxes and other peripherals. In VR, it's hard to use anything that isn't on the wheel, and that's just not enough for pit stop controls, comms, TCS, ABS, brake bias, etc. Edit: headsets now are better than what I was using, but FOV will be an issue still. Yes, you can turn your head in VR, but the thing is... it's better if you don't have to turn your head as much. Depending on your setup and competition level, you can totally do it and have lots of fun... but the higher you climb, the more it will start to hold you back.
VR makes hitting the marks MUCH MUCH easier. I'm much more constant on VR myself as I've driven IRL. BUT, I can't race endurance in VR because of the heat and comfort is not it's forte..
If you really want to do vr, and are willing to commit alot of money to it, the bigscreen i feel is a great headset for this. Its 1k, and you need basestations so thats an extra 300, but its super light weight at 127 grams (0.28 lbs), so it doesnt hurt your neck nearly as much as an index or the super big headsets would. If you dont want to spend that much, the quest 3 is smaller than other headsets, so i would say thats probably the best one for less than 1k.
I do a lot of VR for stuff other than sim racing. It's very tiring to wear it for more than 2-3 hours and depending on what you were doing you can't go do it again. There is a weird mental fatigue that only affects you when playing VR. I love VR though. It's worth a shot if you have a solid computer and some money burning a hole in your pocket.
I wouldn't use VR in iRacing for most of these reasons, eSports or not. But something like AMS2 that is Ai centric and a super immersive visual experience that I would play more casually is a totally different story.
I am actually better with VR. The depth perception allows me to be more precise with my steering inputs. However, no matter how good of a strap I buy for my headset, I can't go longer than half an hour or so before it just starts getting uncomfortable. My head or face starts to itch and it is sometimes difficult to scratch the spot, causing the headset to become unsettled on my head, making things even more uncomfortable. Until they can make a commercial headset light and comfortable enough for long periods of play, I just cannot use it 100% of the time. Quick races, it's fine. But endurance races are impossible.
I was really good at racing & winning in vr when I use to race, I miss it. Note I'm use to vr I use to be in vr for 14+ hours a day so it was nothing to me. I was more consistent and felt like.i had better car control in vr.
Alot of the pros say it's hard to go back to a screen after running VR as the depth perception just isn't there on a screen. That's the "hitting marks" issue.
The way I’ve perceived it after returning to a year+ now of monitor racing, coming from about ~3 years of exclusively using VR without any screen actually setup at my rig, I find it much easier on a monitor to be able to identify and consistently hit markers on track for braking, turn in, etc. In VR (and I guess real life), I found that in comparison, the full three dimensional space for whatever reason just made it slightly more difficult to spot and hit these marks. It’s one of the reasons I’ve stuck with single screen racing since returning to it.
Overall I still love the immersion of VR and benefit of certain aspects like increased spatial awareness in battling with other cars, but I usually prioritize it now for more fun/sandbox experiences on sims like AC instead of competition on iRacing
that’s actually the exact reason why i went from VR to Screens, because my eyes for some reason cant perceive actual depth and im relying on other factors, like relative size, speed etc, i was able to go to a monitor and perform exactly the same besides some visibility short comings
It also depends on a lot. The issue is that sim racing games right now don't have highly realistic lighting. The way we see depth is by shadows. But shadows are hard to render crisply on most hardware when running vr, and shadows eventually stop rendering at far distances. So until we have easy to access equipment capable of rendering such high quality shadows, and a cheap enough headset with high resolution and FOV. We are out of luck here.
I find racing in VR easier than using monitors.
It's just like being in the car. I am more consistent in VR.
@@mountainhusk4382 Not trying to that "actually" guy, but the way we see depth is by using parallax. Our brains can calculate the distance to something by comparing how different it's position looks in each eye. This is done entirely on a subconscious level. It is also why it is much harder to judge depth or distance beyond a certain point, because the difference in position to each eye is so small. We can be tricked into seeing depth from other visual cues, which is why "3D" games like first person shooters work. VR simulates depth well because it shows a different image to each eye. Good lighting will enhance the effect, but you will still get better depth perception in VR than on a monitor.
From my own experience, vr gave me a much better feel for the car and how it was moving compared to the single screen, and I’ve been much more consistent with lap times since using it. I wouldn’t be sim racing for more than a couple of hours at a time though, so it’s an understandable reason not to use it.
Same here, without VR I drive like crap due to the absolute lack of depth. I find in VR that I hardly even need to look for the markers, I just drive. Having to stare at roadside objects to find my braking spot is due to the limitations of 2D displays. I have no idea where the car _actually_ is, so I have to rely heavily on signs and stripes on the roads and the start of kerbs etc to find out where to slam the brakes.
Never going back to flat ever again. Feels bad.
I think one of the main reasons the pros we watch don't use VR is that they're streaming, and reading chat and stuff in VR is still a chore. It also puts some viewers off because the constant head movement makes some viewers feel ill.
Flight sims are an even more obvious representation of depth perception. Formation flying in VR is laughably easy compared to on a screen. I can touch the tip of my plane to another person's wing in VR and it isn't even hard.. I know EXACTLY where it is.
I can ride a bumper in racing games with ease, slipstreaming and bump drafting in VR is just fully intuitive.
@@JimmyNuisance What I found is that drifting is soooo much easier with good equipment. Went from 32 inch screen and a g29 to a quest 3 vr with moza r5. Even before I setup the vr the drifting was much easier on assetto corsa with just the r5. It caught itself way better. I knew the basics from some drifting on forza horizon 3 and watching some videos of drifting in game/irl on yt just for fun.
Took me about a minute to figure it out and do some decent drifts. Put the vr on and the first few corners where good right away haha. It makes it so much easier to just know your speed so you don't overshoot corners anymore and also see how much angle the car will get when you whip it in. I don't have a handbrake or clutch sadly. Still need to buy the clutch pedal which should make it even easier to keep a drift going.
Also get msfs2020 if you are into it. Got it last week and I have just been flying and exploring the world haha it is sick! But hard to run :(
vr makes racing more fun, but the thing which got me into racing was the steering wheels. I never found it fun with controllers so never did it. But I got laid off in covid, and got a sim rig, used it for a few month, then got another job, then used it as much as I could, which ended up being maybe 2 times a month. yes busy life sucks. But recently, just got more free time and only working 4 days a week, so got 3 days to play. and getting some great times on brand hatch. I do want a triple screen setup, with a full motion rig, but space is limiting, maybe soon. but at 41 it has to be very soon.
Main reason is just the pros aren’t their for immersion or experience they’re doing it competitively I think it’s similar to why pros don’t use 4k in competitive shooters
@@AstroBot-bc0213 pros are a very small percentage.
I got to try VR in iRacing one time and it blew my mind. Everything felt so intuitive. Funny enough I didn’t have to look for my marks as hard lol. I could instantly feel where they were because of the depth perception VR provides. Super super cool.
What headset did you use?
AC is muuuuch better for VR.
@@mike_33gt lol nothing beats iRacing VR....
@@mike_33gt I tried both and iracing is wayyy better
@@lG-v09e open xr with ac can look way better than iracing and lfm gives you that competitive racing.. of course iracing has the better multiplayer system and a more modern if flawed tire model but its vr implementation is not better than ac with cm
When I started racing irl. I absolutely had to go back to VR because that made there be the least amount of difference between irl and the sim.
and the FOV is the same as wearing a helmet
played iracing for about a year on 1 screen, got vr and never looked back.
I had a VR Headset from work for a month, connected it to my sim rig and it was an out of this world experience. It really makes simracing something even more special😧
I wish our workplace would just give me a VR headset at random lol
In a few years everything will change. Once you start with VR, it’s really hard to go back to monitors
You can move your head around in the cockpit to get a better view of a corner. That alone is worth the VR lol
When i got vr for iracing, my lap times got sooo much better. And I just had more fun racing. I will say though I can only do one or 2 races before my head and eyes hurt.
I always use VR when I drive. Went back to the screen when I was getting mine replaced. Couldn't get within 2 seconds of my time that I was setting in VR
Never gone back to a flat screen since I tried VR and probably never will.
I'm planning on buying it too. Is it possible to play on it for long hours, say 5-7 hours? I've read that long-time use is not advisable
@@elmerhablo I would say that your eyes get tired quicker because of the distance with the screens and the eyes. The good thing about this is that you will not have to focus your eyesight a lot on the corner apexes because you have better spatial awareness.
@@elmerhabloIt takes getting used to, but mostly, yeah.
The reason most people don’t continue to use vr is because they get fatigued. But not real gamers
@@TheWITE-FOX I fall asleep in my headset constantly, you just have to get used to it.
It is absolutely possible to wear VR for 3-4 hours plus at a time. It's like wearing a helmet. After a while, you just don't feel it any more. I have a triple ultrawide setup...but only for games that don't allow VR
It's more so how tiring it is on the eyes, for me 2 consecutive hours is enough before I get eye strain
@@sumtingwong2138how long can you go on sreens? i feel like my max is 2 hours on screens so i wonder if id be like an hour on VR but i wanna try it
@@Kylosgrande I can go all day man, but I've also got a 240hz monitor and use blue-light reduction
@@sumtingwong2138 i am building a PC so maybe that will help i have a 1440p 240 but maybe xbox isnt using it all. im so excited for Evo that i am getting a PC haha
Because it would frighten them too much
I'd say using a monitor at some specific FOV which suits them might give them an advantage. People who are competitive with sim racing do a lot with their setup to make it easier for them to go faster at the expense of a more true to life driving experience.
I think the hardest part of driving in vr is not being able to see your controls. Everything mapped to your wheel is easy but once you have to reach to your keyboard or button box it can become tricky
Solved by recent VR that imitate AG (mix video from room on lower part of image into game)
Not really. It's more how you are used to it. When I play on screen I don't look at the keyboard or mouse either. Recently I tried VR and was afraid I end up not finding my keys. But in reality, I drop my hand from the wheel and boom my fingers are on wasd or on the mouse.
I'll still take the flexibility of VR over playing with an FoV of 120. You can see around you better even with a low FoV. You can take glances around you and look into corners or even move the view horizontaly.
I’ve always wanted a VR headset designed in the form factor of a racing helmet. It’d be way more comfortable and would have better weight distribution, a lot less light bleed and more immersion. Don’t know if that’ll ever be produced though, hoping someday some company designs it.
An Elite Head Strap with a battery pack on the back, And with the Defogger on the Quest 2 or 3, And it balances the VR on your head in a way that could and do feel a bit like a helmet on the top of the head at least, lol...
the best thing about VR for me personally is how much easier it is to race close with people, especially in formula cars where you don't have brake lights to tell you when someone in front of you starts braking. I also found initially it took me a little while to get back up to speed from my single monitor pace when I switched to VR, but once I adjusted to the completely new way of percieving the corner I ended up finding better lines and started getting up to speed on new tracks a lot faster. I think more esports drivers would be using VR if their careers weren't largely so reliant on streaming, which is a total pain in VR.
Totally agree. I almost NEVER attempt to bump draft on a monitor, but I love bump drafting in vr. It made it lots easier to tell exactly when I was making contact with the car in front.
My biggest issue with VR is that most aren't designed for LONG TERM play. The things are sweaty, hot, and heavy.
i do 90 minutes easily without sweat (almost). But I have varjo aero and wind simulator. Works like a dream
Yeah, because race helmets are light, fresh and dry...
@@mike_33gti don’t think 90 minutes qualifies as long term.
@@HTOP1982 The weight is displaced and situated on your head more evenly than VR goggles. Helmets which have weight all over the head are not the same as a brick strapped to your eyes constantly pulling your head forward. This is even the case with the battery pack
@@brolaire8851 I run the HTC vice, and the vive pro, and have not felt many issues. I guess it's subjective, and probably the shape of the head and the nose influence quite a bit
I found using VR that the sense of speed was VERY fast, maybe this falls under your point about being harder to line up marks. Flat screen looks like slow motion in comparison
It's the FOV
Big screen Beyond VR Headset is 100 grams and requires a 3d scan of your face to create a face gasket that fits perfectly on your face, it is the epitome of comfort. You can't even feel it.
True. But it doesn't solve the FOV issue.
Just got a GT DD Pro wheel set-up and VR2......
Ooh lordy, this is fun again !
I just started sim racing in April. I've only ever played it in VR I have zero hours on a flat screen. I love it so much.
I started in VR and I now find it very difficult to go back to flatscreen. Not having that depth perception makes it pretty difficult
I tried sim racing years back and couldn't get into it. I got to the point where I could turn some quick laps, but just couldn't push, couldn't catch slides, just couldn't mesh with the car.
I tried again with VR recently, different world. I'm still using my fanatec GT3RS, but now I'm going all out, slides are natural, I'm getting podiums, occasional wins, lots of fastest race laps. Even my wheel feels better in VR.
VR in general is just insane for gaming. It's such a huge step to go from playing a game to being IN the game. It makes flat screen games seem like they're lacking something. I can't wait to see where this tech goes in the future.
I hope someone figures out the market for a sim racing VR headset. I would love to see one that goes on more like a helmet with a huge FOV, high refresh, built in headphones, and a fan to keep your face/head cooler. For me Sim racing and VR are a perfect fit.
I like how "VR headset is too expensive" is being argued as a viable excuse when the rest of their rig costs literally 8 times that amount.
Same...triple screen with decent monitors, around 1500 bucks.
Quest 3 around 550.
Tortellini is a VR racer and he’s Rapid. So it’s definitely down to the driver and how they use what they have.
Why people that got not clue whatsoever are trying to play experts?
1) much easier to align, drive closer, brake later
2) professional racers and streamers got no problem getting 4090 that crashes any FPS in VR. VR goggles cost same as tripple-screen, but save space
3) Bigscreen VR (120gr goggles) - people race for 8h day no problemo
Biggest issue - they trying to get cash on streaming, where you need to sell your face.
Agree completely! I stream/TH-cam with VR and would have it no other way! VR is elite.
Exactly.... i have both triples and VR, i tried many times to go triples but i instantly switched back to VR. The main reason they use triples or super wides is for streaming, reading comments etc..
they could always stick a virtual image over their vr.
I was using a single screen and borrowed a coworker's Oculus Rift. I really liked it, especially for racing you turn tour head all the time, like rally and drifting. I had better times and less crashing in Dirt Rally 2.0. When I gave it back, I ended up getting triple screens (our son was upgrading his system), and I could not repeat the driving I could with VR. So, I started looking around for a used one and found an Acer mixed reality VR headset for $50 CND. It works amazing, and for the cost, it is great for DR2.0 and Kart Kraft (the only title I have gotten vertigo in after spinning and sliding backwards).
That’s exactly the point why someday if we’re gonna do VR racing competition it’s gonna be lit. Not only skill but also physical endurance needs to be taken seriously.
Im grateful for all of you who are having great experiences. To those that havent tried it. Please do when able
I drive in VR exclusively. After switching I saw my dirt road iR go from 2k to almost 4k. Even for long races, I have a fast charging link cable, hotswappable batteries, and a ventilation attachment to keep my glasses from fogging. I will probably never go back to racing with a screen.
Tamas Simon in the Open Wheel World Championship used VR last season
The depth perception in VR is so much better than flat screen. And unless you have multi-screen setup, it's easier to see what's around you in VR.
I race in real life and once i tried vr i could never go back to triple screens or singles, it is much more realistic and immersive
Valve Index is the only VR headset for Pro Simracing. I use Oculus, Pimax and Index is the most comfortable and fast. Waiting for new index
In my (pretty limited) experince, VR made marks much easier because of the depth perception, and fov is a drawback, but i think the ability to move your head and look around more than makes up for that. The BIG issue i had, however, was the delay both from the computer to the headset and in the headset tracking to screen movement. Sure, its only a couple milliseconds, but you WILL notice it
I use quest 3 and I can drive better for sure and find it more obvious when things like road camber changes. Its really easy. Love it
Me and my mates use the vr for like 5 of our 20 races a day. After those 5 we usually take about a 3 hour break and just chat before we do the rest because of the nausea.
I recently switched to a quest 2 from a single ultrawide. Even with the low fov, it’s so much more immersive. It’s certainly not for everyone but now when I hop in Assetto Corsa I’m in perfect unison with the car.
My team was running in the 2020 Bathurst 1000, and we were in P5. My teammate was in VR, and a discord message popped up on his screen and he crashed out because of it. We finished 20th as a result.
That’s not a fault of VR but your teammate’s who didn’t switch off notifications.
Meanwhile: *puts a bunch of trackers on my arms and legs making it even more difficult*
The main problem is eye strain. You cant play VR for too long, or your eyes will hurt.
i dont have that issue.
Me neither.
Since when is your problems other people's problems. Grammar much?
@@PeebeesPet Its just science. Look for Vergence-accommodation conflict
Interesting thing about the gen 6 in rf2, it’s actually so gripped up that it’s quicker than the gt3 cars at road courses, it has nuts grip at high speed
When I say "gen 6 " I usually think of American stock cars. What are you talking about?
Just remember people, VR may be nice, but you should if you're going to use it for long times, maybe its time to make comfort upgrade, and maybe fix the weight distribution on them since most of the times they are heavier on the front than in the back which is why they make you tired sometimes after long use
Big issue I’ve had with VR is pixelation of far viewing that disorients and sometimes nauseates me. With that fixed, it’d probably by my preferred option
VR has its draw backs, but man im never going back to screens
"pro" sim racers really think they are like the real life racers but literally do everything to make it as unrealistic as possible to win lmao
I like the line that quality VR headsets are around $1300, while pro sim racers spend 5x that on their wheels, pedals, shifters, etc. An extra $1300 for a good quality VR is nothing. I am not a pro sim racer, and I have a full setup with triple screens and a VR headset and I work at a warehouse and get in a maximum of about 20 hours of racing in 6 months!
I use vr not for racing but for drifting, the hardest part is feeling the size of the car
reminds me of stick vs paddles or 2 stroke vs 4 stroke for dirt bikes. one is more fun but the other is the standard for competition.
Most professional simracers make their money with streaming and its an attractive streaming experience if you block half your face to the camera.
VR headsets have a much better fov than even triple screens if you include head movement since you can just look out the side windows to see if there are opponents next to you.
Hitting consistent braking points is an issue at first but you adapt to it quickly as you just use other visual cues other than something reaching the frame of your screen (which is a pretty flawed method of using braking points anyways since it can be distorted from your car having a slightly different angle between laps.
I love it for 20 mins then get a massive headache...
Driving in VR + Motion Rig for years, now. Endurance Races no Problem. Sometimes up to 12 hours a day, driving in VR + as Copilot in VR..
Can't wait for the rtx 5090, Assetto Corsa EVO and next gen VR Headsets
I really enjoy iRacing in VR but I'm changing to triples for the same reason as said in video; practice. Hours in a VR headset can be really tiring, also you can't see your mouse, or your keyboard, or the buttons on your wheel, or (rarely) you'll be running laps or a race and it looses centre and you end up trying to run laps with your POV from the bottom of the in-car race seat.
I never had the problem of loosing centre, even during hours of driving. Also the weight/tiring argument i won't let it count, because it's training and about getting used to
I've been using my VR headset for a couple of months now, it was a huge upgrade from my single monitor. But i have to agree that I can't use it for more than 3-4 hours before my eyes get tired or get a headache. But since i have not a lot of time anyways that isn't a big issue.
I use VR for sim racing mostly for immersion. When racing in real life, you have a helmet on, you don't always get great FOV without having to turn your head, which leads me into my next point, I like looking around and feeling like I'm actually in the seat. I often get nervous about not wearing seatbelts for a moment
Ha!! I thought I as the only one to feel that way!! I have reached for my seat belt more than once!
A reason I didn't like VR when trying is that small car movements are less perceptible. With my monitor, having my view is rigidly attached to the chassis let's me visibly catch under/oversteer sooner, how my dampers are doing, etc.. makes a big difference to me!
I’m one of the exceptions to the almost never. In 2019 I was in the eNASCAR Peak Antifreeze iRacing Series, and I used VR to get there and compete in the series. I’m not positive, but I think I’m the only driver to use VR in the NASCAR world championship series to date.
probably same reason a lot dont use ffb or motion rigs, they would use m&kb if it would net .050.
Personally I think it's to do with pace. For whatever reason in VR I LOVED it and only raced in it for the immersion, but I was always a hairs breadth slower in VR. On screen I could mix it with the quickest F3 sprint drivers a few years ago.
I will never return from VR to any flat (or curved) screen. It is like moving from the DD base and a racing rig to the Gran Turismo game on Sony PSP!
I loved my reverb while it was working. Screens are way more reliable and chill. Better graphics and the lot. but man I do miss the immersion
Only one of these points are actually true - that being the fatigue of VR in long sessions.
-High framerate can absolutely be achieved with most hesdsets reaching 90-120 fps
- FOV in VR headsets actually get close to helmet FOV in IRL racing. Not to mention that if you need to see something, you just turn your head.
- VRs depth perception actually is much better for “hitting marks”
i constantly switch in between, mainly doing testing/practice on a single monitor then switching to VR for races.
i really think three monitors is the way to go, imo. either that or an ultrawide
I’ve ran single monitor, triples, and I now own a Pimax Crystal headset. I would never leave VR. The headset is very comfortable and I actually forget I’m wearing it during a race.
I completely disagree about it being more difficult to hit marks. When wearing the headset I can turn my head and look where I want to go, making it way easier to consistently put the car where I want it. Also in VR I can see height of curbs and camber of corners, better depth perception which helps me perceive speed way better. For these reasons and many others, a quality VR headset in my opinion is far superior. Also, no one needs super high frame rate in iRacing, not nearly as important as if you were placing something like Call of Duty so don’t get tripped up on that!
I use a VR in GT7 and I’m in a league with R8G_kylian and some other GTWS guys. It really isn’t bad as long as you just kind of already know your strategy as far as pit stops… but it definitely doesn’t help that you can’t see the leaderboard or the gap to the car in front for sure… but in the end, it’s too dang fun not to try to race in it
I only play rally as I hate driving with other cars on the road. For rally, VR is just straight way, waaay, waaaaay better. I don't know anything about "marks" but depth perception is bigger than any other consideration when you have to judge by the seat of your pants how to do each turn.
Nope. VR racing is unbeatable by flat screen. Everybody gets better consistency and improved lap times in VR. As for eye strain it’s a matter of practice (I can do 8 hours easily and still afterwards it’s boredom that makes me stop - not exhaustion). And as for money, pro sim racers got set ups worth thousands. The most expensive I have heard of was $70 000. So, honestly £1300 is not an issue for a pro. I’m so tired of “influencers” talking nonsense and having zero or close to zero knowledge about matters they pretend to be experts at. I personally think VR is unpopular around sim racers simply because it is has not reached mainstream popularity yet. Also, I suppose people who invested thousands in their set ups want to actually see their equipment. And that’s about it.
the vr camera is so "bouncy" if you get what i mean. I prefer monitor because its stable and a little more consistent, but i can see the benefits of vr.
I just tried vr for the first time yesterday on Project cars 2 and Assetto Corsa and it was so fucking cool, i found it much easier to line up marks, having a real perception of space and distance that you cant get with a screen was an absolute gamechanger, only fault is with the quest 2, your peripheral vision is shit so a quest 3 would be waaaaaay better still
I switched from VR to a G9 single ultra wide. I'm in a very competitive league, and it was fatiguing for long practice stints and cumbersome switching out of VR and looking at data. Hitting buttons on your wheel and rig also become harder. ACC runs terribly in VR, and that's my main sim, and especially in older and lower end VR sets, the resolution is low enough that it becomes difficult to see brake lights. No regrets switching to single screen at all, but I still get in VR every once in a while for fun when I'm driving other sims, especially Dirt Rally. It's also always a big hit with guests!
If I had to start all over again, I would still go for VR first. VR cost to ownership these days is quite low, and it provides more value than any budget screens, especially when many entry level sim racers don't have monitor mounts that bring the screen to the proper position.
Your probably is thinking ACC is a sim 😂😜
@@doublebracing8021 it is
@@Sashazujev 😂😂😂
I was VR only for a time, but as time went on I noticed I drove less and less because it was just not as comfortable. VR is great but the comfort and simplicity of just hopping in the rig and driving is better (at least atm).
Really depends on your headset.
Something like Bigscreen Beyond would be good but its still too costly.
Lets see what happens in the next 10 years :)
i really want the VR headsets like oculus to do passthrough where i can see my real hands and wheel overlayed into the game
Trying my VR on AC was fun. But I don’t use it for a few reasons:
- Fiddly to get working, always recentering view
-Wheel / pedals don’t line up which feels weird
-Resolution is very low compared to my monitor (I use a Vive Cosmos)
-Very low capacity / frames
-A few other minor reasons
Overall a normal screen is just simpler and i’m used to it.
Yeah ACs vr support isn’t great
But for most other games it works much better
I honestly cannot do screens. Vr puts me in the car and it feels realfeels real. Screens feel like a game and I can never get a feeling of speed
I play only in VR, it makes me feel almost like on the real thing. Hardware cost is still a lot cheaper than just 2 days in a real track with my motorbike.
Super ultrawide + head tracking. That’s all you need
I can bounce back and forth but VR has always made me kinda motion sick
So, I can say strongly that the PSVR2 for Grand Turismo 7 is the greatest thing since Geico started saving us 15% or more on car insurance. Seriously, I never had the luxury of multiple monitors for my racing rig, but I can say I feel I am not missing out due to the VR for GT7. They did such a great job with it. It is time-consuming and becomes a small hassle. But for me, it is a small price to pay to play with VR. I was slow at first, but once I realized I could see my entries into corners and distances over all. I could never go back to screens.
I did iRacing in VR for a while and it was incredible, even picked up two wins in GT3’s at Daytona but after taking off the headset, I would feel uncomfortable for a few hours.
Asking the commenters for feedback:
Currently I have logitech G29 on a NLR GT lite using my ole 42" tv nothing special but HD at least, so with approx £500 to upgrade my simracing experience, what do i buy first?
1. PSVR2
2. Direct drive wheel (great value bundle suggestions please)
3. Upgrade my rig to something solid
4. I hear loadcell brakes a gamechanger, but i dont know of any that can run on G29, so im thinking that will have to come after a Direct Drive wheelbase that supports loadcells
If your opinion is £500 isn't enough, please offer product suggestions that arent way over budget and let me know why its worth the budget stretch.
Can't forget about the added latency from VR tracking. Its close...but 20ms of latency is huge when trying to react as quickly as possible.
Tracking shouldn't affect your framerate only how fast your head rotates when you turn it. A cheap vr headset like the quest 2 can consistently get 120fps at 120hz.
That's a straight lie, my index has 6.3 ms of latency at 144hz.
@Khosumi_ tracking headmovment latency is different then framerate latency. Motion to Photo may be the more descriptive term.
It's true. VR sim racing is really cool and fun, I love it... but when you're competing at a high (or even mid-high) level, it's a hamstring.
I did A LOT of GT3 and GTE team endurance racing, running 3-4 hour stints in VR because I didn't have space for triples. It's not terrible, you CAN do it... but yeah, there are reasons why most pros don't, and it's exactly what the short says.
Another point in favor of triples is that you can use button boxes and other peripherals. In VR, it's hard to use anything that isn't on the wheel, and that's just not enough for pit stop controls, comms, TCS, ABS, brake bias, etc.
Edit: headsets now are better than what I was using, but FOV will be an issue still. Yes, you can turn your head in VR, but the thing is... it's better if you don't have to turn your head as much. Depending on your setup and competition level, you can totally do it and have lots of fun... but the higher you climb, the more it will start to hold you back.
Plus you don't see the steering wheel adjustments. Without having used VR I believe that could also be an issue.
For me vr makes me more consistent, but i agree about the long long hours part.
For something like the Gran Turismo World Series i wish they would make the drivers use vr.
Immersion is not for being fast or winning its for well immersion, aka fun!
VR makes hitting the marks MUCH MUCH easier. I'm much more constant on VR myself as I've driven IRL. BUT, I can't race endurance in VR because of the heat and comfort is not it's forte..
If you really want to do vr, and are willing to commit alot of money to it, the bigscreen i feel is a great headset for this. Its 1k, and you need basestations so thats an extra 300, but its super light weight at 127 grams (0.28 lbs), so it doesnt hurt your neck nearly as much as an index or the super big headsets would.
If you dont want to spend that much, the quest 3 is smaller than other headsets, so i would say thats probably the best one for less than 1k.
Professional sim racers. I learned something today 😂
I do a lot of VR for stuff other than sim racing. It's very tiring to wear it for more than 2-3 hours and depending on what you were doing you can't go do it again.
There is a weird mental fatigue that only affects you when playing VR. I love VR though. It's worth a shot if you have a solid computer and some money burning a hole in your pocket.
TrackIR is the perfect in between
If it does not give the pros a competitive advantage or if it is not used in actual pro competition then there is no need for them to use them.
honestly with the cost of the quest 3s now, I would rather go with VR than a curved screen.
I get a headache from using VR for more than 30 mins, but the experience is still totally worth it
Weird, I am more consistent in VR. The depth on VR is so on point, I find it's way easier to hit my apexes.
It's also WAY more fun.
I wouldn't use VR in iRacing for most of these reasons, eSports or not. But something like AMS2 that is Ai centric and a super immersive visual experience that I would play more casually is a totally different story.
I am actually better with VR. The depth perception allows me to be more precise with my steering inputs. However, no matter how good of a strap I buy for my headset, I can't go longer than half an hour or so before it just starts getting uncomfortable. My head or face starts to itch and it is sometimes difficult to scratch the spot, causing the headset to become unsettled on my head, making things even more uncomfortable.
Until they can make a commercial headset light and comfortable enough for long periods of play, I just cannot use it 100% of the time. Quick races, it's fine. But endurance races are impossible.
I was really good at racing & winning in vr when I use to race, I miss it.
Note I'm use to vr I use to be in vr for 14+ hours a day so it was nothing to me.
I was more consistent and felt like.i had better car control in vr.
Get a life.
Since I'm a hard vr user driving in vr for me is actually easier than using a screen. All I have seen is improvements.