VR all the way. I have triples as well but once I got a VR set, the triples just collect dust. Best way I describe it is with triples you are looking AT the game and with VR you are IN the game. And that difference, is HUGE
@@eternalglow6483 Many of us can't tolerate VR for more than an hour or so, due to weak stomach, headaches or dizziness. The best triple setups can also look almost as immersive as VR. (i.e. Race Beyond Matter) .. especially if you take the time to fully enclose the cockpit, and add race car flair to your surroundings + lighting effects and other flourishes.
1000% i use monitors currently and recently my brother-in-law brought over his VR headset which was the first time i used one that wasn’t a phone VR, i asked if i could try it out with my sim and It was a night and day difference for me. My spatial awareness and ability to consistently hit the apex MASSIVELY improved, so its farewell to the triple monitor and hello to my VR headset later this week.
@@mit1s I went with the Meta Quest 3 since it’s a more all around VR/AR Headset. I was extremely tempted on going with the Pimax Crystal Light, but I figured I would hold out and save up for the Pimax Crystal Super whenever that’s released. Then whenever that does it’ll become my dedicated VR Sim headset and the Quest 3 will be more for my family.
@@toututu2993 I bought an oculus 2 months ago. I don't know how you want me to prove it. After 30 minutes I was getting dizzy and after my 10 lap race I had a headache
I'm an airline pilot and use flight simulator in VR during my training, made my life a lot easier, especially in how to judge the flare near the ground during landings due to 3D aspect that you don't have using monitors. 3 years now in VR and I really never land an aircraft in my sim using monitors anymore.
Same I have been using VR since Oculus DK1 until today, became B787 pilot as well using VR, I went into some racing experience and made it into podium for GT86 cup with just VR training. VR is absolute necessity in simulators
Hello, since you have been using VR 3 years, can you comment on any eye related issues? I mean having those tiny screens so close to your eyes inside the VR goggles.
@@InterstellarLord In flight simulators I'm using from the beginning of my duties inside the cockpit until reach about 10.000 ft , and then remove the headset, Same thing for landing , from 10.000 to park in the gate. So about 50 minutes average per flight. Considering that I do 2 flights per day, that's not much at all to make any diference.
it's crazy that ga pilots get caught in ifr or have mechanical problems and dont know how to use their gps. just get msfs or xp12 and do a few hours a week and put yourself in the clouds, could save lives but a lot don't bother. flight sims in general are amazing tools and they are just great in vr.
one thing that wasn't mentioned but I feel is an important advantage pro VR: elevation changes are much more noticeable, which allows you to adjust the brake and throttle input to stay on the limit of the tires while going over crests / into compressions.
As someone who casually played Forza and similar titles for nearly a decade, re-learning the tracks in iRacing has been shocking to say the least. All of these bumps and divots and cambers and small elevation changes that are hidden in a more arcade-y title totally change the character of the tracks. I've already blown the wallet out with an SC2 Pro and wheel upgrade, but VR is coming soon. I've raced only once for a few minutes on controller in DR2 but my god it is a different world than a 2D screen
For the last 2 years I was racing Nordschleife exclusively in iRacing with VR (Valve Index and Quest 3), and this year I had the chance to be at the Nordschleife IRL. I could almost not believe the elevation changes what I have experienced there, and I was telling my friends I was blown away how much different in reality it was compared even to VR.
@@Gepida_Perobit Exactly the same for me! I've raced Nordschleife many times on screens and in VR. In July was my first time driving that track in real life and the first thin out of my mouth was "holy s***, the elevation changes" haha. It's interesting because there are several tracks back at home that I frequently race in both VR and IRL in my car, and although I'm aware of the differences, it's never been that pronounced to me. But perhaps it's because I've driven those tracks IRL first and then on the sim, whereas the Nordschleife is the first track I've known through Sim Racing first and IRL second. Hope you had as much fun as I did!
same here :) VR is best for immersion, im driving for an hour a day maybe, due to family job etc. So i wont catch u guys i terms of pace, so for me its for fun and immersion.
Yes, immersion for me too. Driving the old Silverstone layout in AMS2 so brought back memories of my first Grand Prix, as a spectator of course. That was the days of Schumacher in early 2000 and something. We toured the track in a bus. Brilliant to revisit that day in VR to actually race.
VR really shines when it comes to racing other people/cars. Looking around freely (in a way that it changes your mirror reflection) helps a lot, but when it comes to judging distance to other cars, or judging what they are doing (e.g. braking/accelerating) is a completely different level of awareness. Every time I try to play now on triples I just end up rear-ending cars. I am at a point where I am going to dismantle the triple setup completely. I became those no VR no buy people. ps: I had horrible motion sickness and haven't played for years. About 6 months ago I put on the VR headset to see how many minutes before I puke on myself, and spent 4 hours in VR and zero motion sickness. :O VTOL VR still manages to make me want to fall off the chair when that helicopter starts spinning :O
Regarding the comment that you had motion sickness previously then 6 months ago no motion sickness …… what did u do differently ? EG - Upgraded comp parts and now smoother graphics - Just go use to sim racing - Used a fan - Did nothing different at all Etc I remembered I tried my mates iracing rig in 2017 with 22” triples and I had motion sickness within 10 laps of laguna. I only dipped my toe back in during Covid and just got use to it since 🤷🏻♂️
I used to be only VR every time. But after I setup a single large TV super close and used a FOV calculator to get the correct FOV, I've enjoyed being able to just turn my stuff on and go. VR wins when it comes to immersion. Screens win when it comes to convenience.
true - getting into a race is cumbersome enough without VR. when adding the VR aspect, it doubles my time to get into a race. or maybe i just need to streamline my set up more...
Had a triple screen setup from about 2017-2020. During Covid I bought a Quest 2 and have not got looked back since. Used that quest for a year and upgraded to the Reverb G2 V2 (which I've been using for 2+ years now) Still looks amazing but I'm considering a Quest 3. Ultimately I want a Bigscreen Beyond. Sounds silly but I wont even buy a racing game without VR support now. Can't wait for AC Evo to see how well optimized it is for VR.
I wouldnt upgrade from G2 to Quest 3. Yes, Q3 lenses are massive upgrade, but the fact that it doesn't have a displayport support is a huge bummer. In fast pace games like simracing the compression artifacts are visible even at the max bitrates Q3 can run. Also it induces more latency compared to native PCVR headsets. Also u would need to buy power injector cable to keep the battery charged while playing, since MOST USB ports can't provide enough juice. I am looking to sell my Q3 and get the crystal light, which seems to be faaar superior for PCVR than the Q3. Obviously if you are interested in other VR gaming the q3's wireless option is a gamechanger for something like HL:Alyx etc, but I wouldnt buy it solely for simracing.
Just got into VR with a Quest 3 - only had a few hours with it but I'm slowly getting back on pace - that said, even if it ends up slightly slower, it could still provide better race results due to the increased immersion and spacial awareness allowing you to keep yourself out of trouble. Regardless, I'm blown away by it - it's a faff initially to get things going but very, very worth it to spend the time learning how to optimise the gear. FYI, Mirrors in ACC don't work like other sims, they're fixed 'screen's, head movement doesn't change any aspect or view, which is a bit disappointing. Assetto Corsa Evo should be a cracker though being optimised for VR from the get go.
I find I make less mistakes but I am also a bit slower. I also find that going between different games is more difficult. ACC is a major pain with the ui while driving too. VR can be a pain in the ass to get working and use, but sometimes it’s worth it
VR in ACC is a pain, although the performance is good, it doesn't have a good VR implementation... UI sucks, mirrors suck and IMO it looks worse than AC in VR! Btw, we all know that quest3 is the best known headset but is by far the most unreliable for PCVR! Unless you pay for virtual desktop, you will eventually experience some kind of bugs, glitchs or performance degradation in longer races!
@@oRicardoHetfield im using the pico 4 for with VD and open xr for AC and once its set up its pain free and 98 percent reliable.. ACs VR implementation with CSP is amazing combined with LFM i get my immersive racing fix on a god budget
@@oRicardoHetfield Maybe that's one of the reasons I didn't bond with PCVR on my Quest 3 ... I quickly went back to monitors after an hour fooling around in a few sim racing titles. Also, I get dizzy or headaches after an hour in VR. I'd love to hear from someone who had the same issues with Quest 3, and whether Pimax Crystal's higher refresh rate and resolution alleviated the physical side effects. I'm very tempted try it out, but it's a lot of money to gamble on a device that might make you feel too sick to use consistently.
I have both and i use the the vr very rarely. If I do crank it out one day I'll end up using it for a few weeks but as soon as i go back to triples i forget vr. Triples is just so much quicker and less messing around. After a days work i just want to jump on for 30mins of fun. Not mess around with the many random problems vr comes with.
I think most people who have issues with the time it takes to start practicing or racing in VR didn't set things up correctly when starting off. It's like with triples... When you set it up correctly it should be good to go unless there are some major changes. I put my quest 3 on, hit the link button, open the desktop monitor. I open up AC content manger with a button on my stream deck, then setup my race/practice. Hit drive then I'm off. Basically it's 2 steps more than with triples that take 3 secs each.
Sick video Will! When I started getting into Sim Racing, i had the same question (as most people do). One big thing I love about the triple screen set up is that I can see and interact with any extra peripherals like button boxes. I like that I can customize my cockpit as my own and see it with my own eyes. I never could get that with Vr. Also my eye fatigue and the weight on my head from VR really limits me. I can go for hours on my triples with some blue light glasses. Thanks for the great content!
Funny the timing of you posting this. I've been playing with a single screen rig for awhile and just borrowed someone's quest 2 just to try out VR and see what it was like, and I noticed I was consistently faster in VR and made less mistakes. Now I'm trying to decide if I should make the change to VR full time and get a headset for myself.
if like me your a relative noob vr makes yu faster.. i find it much easier to learn tracks and find the best lines in vr as the depth perception allows me to perceive the corners far easier
I own both, a triple screen (3*43" 2160p) setup and VR headsets (Quest 2 + 3, HP Reverb G2). Both have their pro's and con's. But I will take a proper triple setup over VR, all day. I do Sim stuff for 2+ years now. But all I can say is about drifting, since ive never done any racing before. Edit: I do have a somewhat unique situation, so the heat pro's / con's are definitely caused by that! What I like about VR: 1. Much better depth perception. 2. More flexibility to look at your ingame surroundings. 3. Less demanding on the hardware. 4. Cheap in comparison to a triple screen setup. 5. Less heat (In my case) What I like about triples: 1. Better graphics. 2. Accessories are usable (Displays, buttons, ambient lights and more). 3. More immersive viewing experience over VR when doing content creation. 4. Easier on the eyes when playing for multiple hours. 5. Keyboard usability when playing online. I have a console on my rig with touch displays, button boxes, gauges and much more. I like to see those things. Same with my shifter and ebrake. In VR I have to guess where which button is. Also the keyboard is a pain to use. Settings up a twitch chat in VR and monitoring OBS and other software while playing/streaming is annoying. On triples you just add another cheap monitor and have easy access. Also when doing POV streaming with triples, it looks much more immersive due to better graphics and all the buttons, gauges etc on the rig itself. But at the same time, streaming triples properly without it looking sh!t is not that easy and will cost another few hundred $. Just for a camera + capture card. And then you always have that camera infront of your eyes, blocking half the monitors/TVs... What I hate about triples is that the performance on triple 4k is absolutely garbage when not using the lowest settings in AC (Mainly AC issue due to poor optimization). Also the price is much higher compared to a VR headset. 3 Display + external stand, more powerful GPU, powerdraw when playing etc etc... VR is much more efficient. And my triples make me sweat much more than VR. With triples, my room temp goes to around 105°F (Highest was 110°F). On VR it stays at around 90°F and only my face gets a little sweaty. But I use "big" TVs which can draw up to 250w each. Thats not comparable with a normal 27 or 32 Inch monitor, id say. So not a valid point against triples... Just my opinion! Edit: Changed temperatures to the correct values and grammar.
Drifter that switched from vr to triples here, I agree with almost everything you said except the pc performance and heat. I run 1080p displays so it's obviously different than your 4k. However I get more stable performance in triples with better graphics than I did in VR. Also the heat issue my space temp doesn't warm up with the use of triples However I get hot and sweaty with the vr on my face. I'm runing quite old pc parts tho i5 9400f and 1660 I wonder if the heat is your PC runing hoter cranking out triple 4k instead of the triples it's self.
@@02bluehawk I was actually wrong with the temperature numbers I wrote in my first comment. I use °C and just guessed as good as I can what it would be in °F. VR is around 90°F and triple 4K is roughly 105°F. Highest I had was 110°F, actually today. We had the hottest day of the year so far and I felt that haha. Wow, triples on a 1660 must be a big challenge for that card! But awesome if it works. I run a 4090 which is maxed out in AC. That definitely adds to the room temperature. But the card sometimes struggles to render 60+ FPS with decent graphics. But what I really notice when playing is the heat coming from the TVs. If I get out of the rig after 30 minutes or so and get back in, the heat "shines" into my face and onto my arms. If I exit the rig it definitely feels less hot. Its up to 250w per TV IIRC. So thats definitely a lot. In VR I do get a sweaty face. But the overall heat that I feel is much more acceptable. When I wrote my first comment, I was just thinking about my own setup. I have a dedicated Simrig/PC room outside of my main apartment. It only has one window and the only door it has, leads right into the public stairway of the building. So absolutely 0 airflow... So, it is not really a valid point that speaks against triples. Only in my own case.
Seems to me, the true "best of both worlds" would be triple 3d monitors, to bring back the depth perception. But flat panel 3D has its own issues so that would probably have its own quirks to deal with. Running triple 1440p the performance is worse but roughly comparable to to VR btw. For my setup at least. Tough but doable with mostly high graphics settings.
@PlebLordThe3rd in my case my rig is in my basement which is always colder then the rest of the house and with AC set at 72°F in the house its 65°F in the basement. I wish my rig warmed up my space lmao
Personally my biggest issue with VR has always been the screen door. At the end of a long straight in a fast car, by the time you can see your braking marker it's already too late. This is what makes me want to keep the triples... Also when your wheel to wheel, three screens is easier to see around you than a 5 lb weight on your head trying to turn your head quickly
I don't get wind simulators most all cars have windshields I guess it would work cool in open wheel cars but even then you have a helmet so I don't know... Maybe I'm just ignorant to it and don't understand it I am a full simulation guy though but I don't know about that one
@@apexshaver7301 Your brain interpreters the different strenght of wind as speed. So that even if you do not have that in a real life car, you will still get the sence of speed. And also it is very comfortable with the extra cooling so really no downside.
@@apexshaver7301 Many closed cockpit racecars have air ducts that feed in outside air into the cockpit to cool the driver down since they don't have air con. So a wind simulator applies even for non open wheel cars. I guess if you wanted the most authentic experience you could wear a helmet and suit in your wind simulated rig :D
I’m mainly a GT7 player but I went from driver rating A to A+ with VR2. From the first time using it I was AMAZED at the experience. A little disappointed with the image quality, but I was previously using a good 4K tv plus it was my first experience with vr so my expectations were unrealistic. So I was actually faster with it. At some point I switched back to flat screen because I wanted to play ACC and didn’t touch the headset for @ 6 months. Just yesterday I raced in VR and was instantly amazed again. I didn’t want to stop driving. Freaking love GT7 in vr.
spatial awareness in VR is huge. I have really good spatial reasoning skills and using VR makes it so much easier to place in my head where my wheels are in relation to the track and other cars. I do a lot of oval track racing and in VR I can get right up to the wall without hitting them, but on a monitor I struggle to get anywhere near as close. Same with drafting and bump drafting. Everything is much easier in VR. Makes sense that not only were you faster, but you were consistently faster.
@fahadal-swayed To bad your brain can't handle it... keep trying and it will get better.. driving Sims or flying should generally not effect people as much. 🤷♂️
@@tiagoruao9640 In the begining I suffer a lot with motion sickness too. Some tips: Starts with games more easy and short sessions. You get used to it over time.
I went with the Quest 3 to replace my G2, the change in the lease quality is worth the price alone, the change in clarity and a full fov sweet spot made it worth it. Plus the obvious advantage of being able to go wireless if you want too. I play Alyx in my living room downstairs with no issues
@@lamsmiley1944 We should have one on the market by next year. Samsung/Google's headset is suppose to release early 2025. The only problem is that we won't have any video card that can push that kind of resolution at max settings for another few years.
I have had both VR and triple 32s. I started in VR and switched to the 32s that I am still running. I want to go back, but not before the headsets or more comfortable and ventilated, the resolution is indistinguishable from screens and a graphics card can run it at 120+ frames with a full field of cars. Until then, I’m sticking with screens for the comfort mostly.
VR rocks! It’s like a magic trick that it even works. But I find myself not using all the time because it requires more time to set up, dial in, it gets hot and uncomfortable in the summer. I also have to run OpenXR and Open Composite on certain games or with a huge grid or compromise and play at 72Hz instead of 90Hz. But, if you’re okay with tinkering it’s fantastic for immersion.
Even with an old Rift 2, I notice that my mid-corner performance is better because the stereoscopic vision gives me a better sense of the car's rotation on my path through the corner. I guess another way to say it is I have a better sense of rotation vs. turning.
Awesome insights as always! Can you please do a PSVR2 review now that they released a PC adapter. Was looking to upgrade from flat to VR but trying to find a sweetspot between costs and compression (quest 2/3 are just noticable in this regard). It would be very useful for people doing simracing as PCVR2 looks like something of a great entry VR point with all the right "compromises" on paper at least.
Thanks for this video Will! I switched to VR when the Quest 3 came out and haven't been able to go back. I love VR and I am glad it is reaching a point where it is as good as it has become.
I would love to see a full TrackIR review and setup for iRacing. I don't have room for triples and VR just isn't for me. Most of the reviews are 5+ years old so it would be great to see an updated review in 2024.
VR is pretty awesome in my experience, especially racing. Feels very natural, in terms of judging distances and your relation in the space (close racing can get really 'close'). I have the old Oculus Rift, and it's an experience, even despite the low resolution and the faffing about. But, it's pretty demanding, and cuts you off from the world completely (which is the goal I guess). Can be a uncomfortable, especially if you need glasses (which I do), a lot of messing about, needs a hefty rig... It's mostly for the immersive experience than the laptimes, or whatever else. And if you don't have an issue with motion sickness, that is.
Great video Will. I love VR, but it can get cumbersome and be a bit of a pain when you race with 10 apps in the background and are constantly having to take it off to adjust settings.
Something else to consider, There is also less cognitive driver load while in vr as your other senses are already picking things you would need to otherwise think about finding with monitors, leaving you more mental bandwidth to automatically spatially drive your car, etc. Less distractions in VR, such as daylight changes, noticing pets, a watch or dash displays etc. Having done many enduros in vr, about 3 hours is my limit before i need a break in terms of mental tiredness. I've not had motion sickness in vr. i wouldn't race without VR. :-)
Some times when I´m racing in VR and the sun shines from the back, my brain really tricks me into believing that the back of my body gets hot. Its that realistic to me.
ive done it all and own all 3... 49in vr (reverb g2) and triple 1440p 165hz 27in and i went back to triples after spending MONTHS on each.. and triples was a clear winner in the dept. for those reasons you mentioned.
Have you ever tried a Pimax? My experience is so limited in VR (only Q2 and Q3) that I can't yet say for certain whether it's in the cards for me. I just know Q3 makes me feel sick or woozy after just an hour, and the refresh rate, FOV and drop in visual fidelity kind of ruined the appeal for me and didn't really outweigh VR's advantages. Just got a triple 32" 1440p setup, but I'm still very tempted to give Pimax Super a try.
The difference is, if you race in summer heat and have no air condition, you will be soaked in sweat when using a VR headset,...which just makes it more realistic, when I think about it
Sounds like you drive always with fire retardant under suit and racing suit on top of that with helmet and other bits and pieces too to maximize the misery :D
Im in Australia and stopped using my rift cause i didnt want to do simracing anymore. Went back to single 32” screen and got back into simracing. Comfort factor is important and its so hot/sweaty to wear a headset in aus.
I moved from VR to triples and it's just easier to nail your marks in Triples than it is in VR. But VR is more immersive. But also, I can add extra details to triples that you you likely cannot unless you have the best of the best hardware. VR for fun, Triples for serious. I'm racing around/beating guys in TCR series with 5000iR I can also use my wheels buttons and knobs while I can't in VR. I didn't have the issues with Triples that you mention at the end but it's not a subjective thing
One important thing to note, is that you can actually have triple screen in VR with the last update of Virtual desktop, You can configure it with passthrough and put them anywhere you want, the only major issue is that your (real) steering wheel can disapear behind your virtual monitors, but a VR headset is 3 to 4 times cheaper than a triple screen setup (you have to use a decent wifi router to be able to stream 3 Full HD monitors)
Good comparison and agree on your conclusion! I like VR a whole lot for what it does for immersion, but in some scenarios a plain ol' screen is just easier to deal with.
I'm of the opinion that your preference should be based on realism over lap time. Would you play on a controller instead of a wheel if for some reason you just happened to be faster on it?
Great video. Nice to see VR had the edge. Even if VR was slower the immersion is worth some of the inconvenience. Especially the sense of incline. The phantom bottom out pressure in a dip gets me every time.
I ran single screen then VR and now 43in triples (205*FOV) for mostly drifting. I've had about 1 year on each set up at this point. Vr is fantastic and is definitely a cheat code over single for drifting, however as you touched on vr is definitely clumsy, heavy, hot, and at times extremely annoying to get everything working 90% of the time the other 10% something just doesnt work. Once I got triples I found driving more enjoyable and easier to just get in and drive. It was definitely a bit of an adjustment to relearn my distancing for close tandems and not being able to look around my a-piller and side mirror however I haven't set up my vr once sense I set up the triples.
I think if you're looking to transfer skills over to IRL racing, VR is the way to go. It feels so much more like the actual experience. Plus you're training with the same type of vision you use IRL.
Been a sim racer most of my life and a VR racer since Project Cars 1. And that first VR experience changed everything for me. I’ve never tested whether or not I’m faster, but it was the first time sim racing clicked for me. Turning off the hud and just being a man in a car. Hopefully sim developers can see the turn of the tide, cause for a lot of us, it’s No VR No Buy.
This is a perfect video we can point people to in all those Monitor vs VR reddit posts. I only use VR, never tried triple monitors and not planning to after all the feedback. I also acknowledge the fact that it's not for everyone. Many people felt sick when they tried it, plus all the tinkering you have to do to make it run properly makes triples better for most people.
I use to race in VR with probably a couple hundred hours on an HP Reverb G2. The immersion is great but like Will was saying long stints in it weren't for me. It got hot (even with a fan), eye fatigue was a problem, it was initially very unreliable (HP problem not VR in general), using other peripherals like button boxes and things is a lot harder to use. These are probably non-issues for some but I just got tired of it all. I switched to triple screens earlier this year and while it was an adjustment it is just so much easier to jump on and race. VR is great and all but even with an overclocked liquid cooled 3080 the graphical fidelity just isn't there for high frame rates and with a lot of cars on the grid. A 4090 would probably be a big jump in performance but I can't bring myself to spend that much money just so VR looks better. OpenVR with foveated rendering helped with games like AMS2 but it isn't perfect and it is yet another piece of software that needs to be updated. I'm not ruling out VR in the future but I would need to see a big improvement in performance and usability before switching back.
I use both. Sometimes I just want to play Truck Sim for fun and not have to wear the VR headset. Plus, if you have other people that want to try it they are usually better off on the screens as alot of people aren't ready for VR mentally. However, for competitive racing VR gives you one thing that screens never will. Depth perception. Thats why you can take corners more efficiently and I love that you can change your perspective in the car simply by moving your body around. Like you said you have a better connection with the car in VR. I also think that depth perception and the peripheral vision help with maintaining your spacing and lines next to other cars especially in Nascar races.
For those on vr and using steamvr as the rendering option, check whether your game supports openxr instead. Uses a significantly better runtime providing a smoother performance and more importantly better frametimes, highly recommend it
Awesome video as always. Really appreciate the hard work you put into your videos. Would you consider putting this kind of music, at the beginning, in the background for future videos? I really liked how you did it in this video, it was a perfect balance of the music and your talking and I think it would make the videos more alive and that they would really benefit from it in my honest opinion. PS.: What's the name of the song at the beginning?
so the way i'm seeing it, is if you're a second faster in vr per lap, UNLESS you're streaming or making content, choosing the slower option is going to effect your finishing on track positively. Also i been in VR since 2014, so the limits of 30 min to take a break aren't necessary, also i'm using the BSB, so it weighs less than the helmet with the go pro. I can do 2 hours in my sleep. I also wear glasses so for me, i don't get peripherals that are clear in any scenario so for those of you who wear glasses, may wanna look into vr. Also smaller footprint to triples, less electricity, and less heat for the room you're in.
I do have both and go for whats suiting the occation. For friends coming over or sometimes when I just want to play around the 3x32" works best. But when I want the best experience i just switch over to my Crystal Light. Both are good, just in different ways. So no right or wrong in my opinion. If I had to choose one I probably would go for VR, though.
FOV is the main reason I'm considering switching my Quest 2 for a Triple screen setup. Besides the comfort and image quality aspect, my Quest 2 really doesn't allow me to know how close the cars on my side are. Having to turn my head just to see this really messes with my racing, as I would normally just take a glimpse to the side while maintaining my head straight.
The depth perception in VR is a big win, but what about peripheral awareness when racing with other cars? Also what about changing settings on your wheel when you can't see the wheel?
Changing settings with the buttons on your wheel is not a problem in vr, you learn to operate them blind. The peripheral, depends on the car you are in. Since i drive mostly Le Mans type prototypes, there is the wide A pillar blocking most of your peripheral view anyways. In more open cockpits or open wheelers you lack about 25 degrees to each side with vr, but i don't see a problem in this, since i am turning my head more often anyway and it is also just a quick peek to the side as well.
I went from triples to VR and back to triples. I like the comfort and ease of use triples provides. Also, being able to look at my wheel, button box, and DDU provides immersion I can't get with VR.
I think the best solution to fix all the issues that both triples and VR bring up, would be if the sims supported 3D TV's or monitors and you could have your triple screen 3D monitor setup and all you'd need to wear would be a simple pair of 3D glasses! I have a 47" 3D LG TV and for movies it's awesome being able to set the depth and projection of the image and with sims being able to balance how much of the cockpit surrounds you and also setting the depth of the image to perfectly match what is a real life image from the seat of a cockpit would be. I've no idea if this could be made possible, but I'd definitely like to see it as an option in the future. Unlike a lot of the VR headsets, you would be able to see all your surrounds! No more knocking over your can of beer or falling out the car when you get curious about what the underside looks like but are too lazy to get out your seat.. 🙃🤕🤣
I've been using VR since 2014 with DK2, it's impossible not to love it, every time I go in to play the feeling is indescribably wonderful, impossible to go back to 3 screens
I race VR except when it gets too claustrophobic in long sessions. Then I'm very happy with my Samsung 57" Curved screen. I gave up on triples about 15 years ago. I started using triples way back using Matrox was the only way to do triples properly.
so i have a cheap rig.. G29, T-LCM pedals, Rift S and recently used a very expensive commercial motion rig with triples and found I just couldn't find my braking points, took me a good 20 minutes to really get into it without missing all the corners and carrying a ton too much speed in. The next day or so I decided to put on my cheap VR setup again using the same car and track combo i was about 4 seconds faster almost instantly. Like you i'd assumed it was about car placement but actually again I think it's the stereoscopic effect and the sensation of speed that I just didn't get on the triples. I'm glad you made this video as it's cemented what I felt and thought, thank you!
VR is a great tech. But today it is still too heavy, clunky, unstable, and inconvenient to truly enjoy once you’re past the VR honeymoon stage. I’ve owned a Rift and a Pimax Crystal. And I switched to Triples and can’t be happier with my current experience. But once VR is really stepping up, I will retry. Also I got used to my dashboards which gives a lof of valuable information on the actual race, for both myself and anyone who wants to watch. What I truly want when I race, is being able to fully focus on my racing. And to do long sessions. VR doesn’t allow that yet.
As someone who just tried out VR to be more immersive, I've found that being able to move my head in the car has drastically improved my time. I can look way up ahead of the car and place the car where I am looking instead of making the image on the screen move to where I want to be. Also, you need to do an online race in VR. THAT is what made me spend almost 500 hours in Assetto Corsa VR now. Being able to plan ahead when defending and attacking gives you an extreme advantage. That being said it takes a LONG TIME to get used to a VR headset use like you said.
As someone who switched to only VR, the depth perception isnt always better, due to the resolution you actually see, as its not as clear as with the screen capture. Tracks with walls are great in VR as you can see a flat reference, like mount panoramas hill section where you can get super close to the walls, but open ones where you rely on curbs are a bit tricker, as you get so little vertical pixels for curbs that are flat and so far away on the ground, and only once the car is close enough for the viewing angle onto them gets better it gets clearer, which delays seeing them properly, like the second half of Hckenheim, where you can barely judge where the exit curb is on T10 and T15. For reference, this is with a quest 3 on a 3080, with maxed resolution on 90hz, but with low settings ingame
The other thing about VR is certain disciplines absolutely shine in VR. Ovals are WILD in VR. Pack racing gets very intense with the increased spatial awareness granted by VR tech.
I’ve been running the Oculus Rift CV1 for years, then moved to my 43” curved ultra wide for a bit, then bought a Pimax Crystal but can’t seem to get off the curved ultra wide because I can’t figure out my Racelabs overlays in VR. Such a nightmare to setup. Still haven’t figured it out and have an $1800 VR headset sitting on the shelf. I never ran overlays until I moved to the curved monitor and now I can’t live without them.
For me the answer is easy. VR all the way, primarily due to space limitations in our smallish apartment. I would not have the space to put up a monitor in front of my GT Omega Titan rig, yet alone 3 monitors! And I enjoy the immersion from VR a lot, so I have absolutely no incentive to change anyway.
I'm surprised this isn't talked about more. There is no way I could fit decently-sized triples in my office. With VR, I at least feel like I'm not handicapping myself with a more limited screen setup. Granted, comfort may be an issue for some people, but if you generally don't go more than an hour without getting out of the "car," VR could be a great option.
I got the PlayStation VR2 for Gran Turismo 7. I just need to hook it up but I heard it's game changing! I have a Next Level Racing GT Track with a Fanatec Gran Turismo DD Pro, V3 pedals and Club Sport Shifter. 42" LG OLED with stand. I freaking love it! Cheers man!
For me i race VR. but have Triple TVs for looks. for me half the sim racing hobby is building a nice cockpit that looks like something immersive and inviting. i have also made my cockpit so i can convert it into a Space simulator in a matter of minutes. with dual Omni directional Sticks and what not. i enjoy the process of constantly making changes adding new stuff to my cockpit. i recently made a FFBeast DD 15Nm wheel base. and my next project will be making a Real hydraulic Brake pedal. but then again for Racing VR all the way!
Screw you will!! I started watching your videos and now I’ve just spent $2700 aud on the F-GT cockpit and club sport DD 12nm.. 😂😂 getting back into iracing after a few years away. From a fellow Aussie I appreciate the super detailed reviews, makes selecting stuff so easy.
Depth perception, proprioception, sense of speed. VR just makes flat OUTDATED as far as sim racing is concerned. What a paradigm shift this technology is
I am a drifter and I LOVE driving in VR but I still rock a single screen for when I am sick of the headset. I also plan on adding triples in the future, they both definitely have their place.
Honestly, I think that the POV preference plays a big factor. Of course having more info with the monitors matters, too. I am actually faster with VR. I go back and forth for different reasons between my 72" 4k monitor and the VR headset. In my experience people prefer one over the other for a time then switch at some point.
Went from VR to triples, for the type of driving and racing I do it’s much easier to live with and play for long sessions with lots of other things going on.
I considered VR vs Triples and the biggest impact of triples for me, even with smaller screens is I don't have space in my room for triples. So it became a choice between a large single screen OR VR. I went VR and I wouldn't go back it's incredible. I use the Varjo Aero currently. I do sometimes do a bit of setting up on the screen first as once in VR you are a bit more limited what you can do, but for me comparing triples and VR, VR makes it feel like a completely different game
I race for fun so realism is important thats why I use VR. And also very important for immersion is that in vr you are in the real cockpit of the car. So if you drive a classic mercedes your'e steering wheel is from a classic mercedes and not a modern GT steeringwheel.
Fascinating outcome, and not what I expected. Suxx a bit. I am looking to start racing, first with my 34" 100HZ and then 57" dual 4K. VR headsets seems scary tech. Lots of complexity. But it's perhaps better for some specific shorter outings and learn my way around a car and track. Short races... Viable from a controls perspective for setup and pits, dealing with wheel dials?
Used to have triples now use VR with motion rig. The routine to buckle up, don the headset and gloves before the race gives it that next level experience.
4090 and Quest 3 myself, playing mostly iRacing. After you get to know all the important settings and apply them correctly, and get used to the routine of VR gaming it's f'in great! Only thing I don't like about VR is heat and sweat build up, which could be solved obviously. Buying a dedicated small AC unit to put in my gaming room for next summer! Also looking into getting wind simulation, but I must diy this as no reseller in Norway has this as I am aware of.
I got a VR headset (quest 3) and returned it and got triples. I loved how VR was WHEN IT WAS WORKING 70% of the time I had to restart the game over and over again until it got working, getting it stationary or in the right position. I wasn’t sure if there was a button that reset the view or positioning but if there is one I just couldn’t find it. I really really really wanted to love VR but I was thinking of waiting a couple more years or wait for a decent one like the quest 3 that has the ability to plug in a display port cable directly to it as an option at times.
I went with a VR headset because of the in the game immersion. It feels like I am really in a Race Car rather than staring at a flat screen Also I don't have the space to setup multiple monitors/screens. I also don't have a racing rig. I only do SIM racing for the entertainment of driving a Simulated race car on a Simulated track. I am not worried about if my VR headset makes me faster driving around the track. VR for me has changed the way to play any game and really enjoy it.
I have triple and vr. I bounce between them. Triple screen doesn't keep me from slightly leaning into turns or turning my head. And real racing has the driver strapped into the seat pretty tight with the 4 and 5 point harness. Racers don't look over their shoulder. They use mirrors with slight head movement left and right. The main difference with VR is that when racing like real life (strapped in and looking straight ahead) is it has stereoscopic vision for properly judging depth. Other than that, there is no advantage over triples. 4K on each triple screen is going to make farther away details clearer than a VR headset. Not even the Pimax Crystal has the sharpness and clarity of 11520 x 2160. Also, the farther something is away, the less the brain relies on stereoscopic vision. Racing tends to be close counters, so it still benefits from vr when coming up on turns and when maneuvering around other cars. Overall, I enjoy both but until the pimax 22K with the enormous FOV and high resolution comes out, I'll race and fly mostly in triple screen.
When you were talking about leaning into the corner, do you think it's possible that it's more because you're subconsciously trying to film with a gopro on your face trying not to move your head too much? I feel like I move quite a bit without VR, especially say through the carousel at the ring. Anyways, cool vid.
Completely agree, had a gokart as a kid and I've been leaning into corners ever since! Use a single 27" monitor mounted above the wheel as close as I can get it to me. VR does look interesting though.
Immersion is definitely a big thing. I have a triple screen setup with a pull down roof, and the difference with the roof down is amazing. Without an outside reference, when you rev the car stationary and get minor body roll, your brain actually kicks a bit of vertigo your way. But VR is amazing for consistency, squeezing the last inch out of track limits, and learning new tracks much faster. But I hate wearing the headset, especially in summer.
If you're thinking about VR with a Quest 2 specifically, just don't. Between the annoyances and inconsistencies with Quest Link to battery anxiety, horrendous resolution, the whole world shimmering from shocking aliasing, bad performance, awful comfort, mid FOV, I really don't enjoy it. The experience so far has kind of turned me off of VR as a whole, and now I will have to choose between triples or a better headset which will probably be $800+ (plus a probable PC upgrade) that I might choose wrong.
VR all the way. I have triples as well but once I got a VR set, the triples just collect dust. Best way I describe it is with triples you are looking AT the game and with VR you are IN the game. And that difference, is HUGE
Exactly, as a VR sim drifter myself it’s insane to me people spend thousands of dollars on wheels and rigs just to play on monitors 😂
@@eternalglow6483 What VR headset do you recommend?
@@DorritoBackGorilla quest 3 if your PC can handle high resolutions it will look amazing
How do you figure out buttons in the game while using VR?
@@eternalglow6483 Many of us can't tolerate VR for more than an hour or so, due to weak stomach, headaches or dizziness. The best triple setups can also look almost as immersive as VR. (i.e. Race Beyond Matter) .. especially if you take the time to fully enclose the cockpit, and add race car flair to your surroundings + lighting effects and other flourishes.
The biggest advantage VR gives you is the depth perception.
1000% i use monitors currently and recently my brother-in-law brought over his VR headset which was the first time i used one that wasn’t a phone VR, i asked if i could try it out with my sim and It was a night and day difference for me. My spatial awareness and ability to consistently hit the apex MASSIVELY improved, so its farewell to the triple monitor and hello to my VR headset later this week.
Plus parallax movement within the cockpit.
@@SectorS7VENwhich headset are you getting?
VR puts you in the game instead of viewing it from a view port, lol.
@@mit1s I went with the Meta Quest 3 since it’s a more all around VR/AR Headset. I was extremely tempted on going with the Pimax Crystal Light, but I figured I would hold out and save up for the Pimax Crystal Super whenever that’s released. Then whenever that does it’ll become my dedicated VR Sim headset and the Quest 3 will be more for my family.
I will say that vr helped sooooo much with my irl karting, it improved my race craft and awareness so much
which sim is best for karting ?
@@NinetyTreskartkraft 👍 its on Steam and also supports VR
@@NinetyTreskart racing pro or kartkraft
Guys remember if you want competitiveness use pc or ps 5 good for competitiveness compared to vr
@@Serian-o1gwdym? Of course they're talking about using VR on PC or at least console
I will never go back to racing on screen after drving with VR for about a year. So much more immersive.
R.I.P Eyes
@@yazdankhodayar based on what you say that?
@@felipefn88 using vr for more than an hour makes you very dizzy, and you have the screen literally on your eyes, so its not really heathly
@@yazdankhodayarYou haven't even use vr headset and had no idea how it works
@@toututu2993 I bought an oculus 2 months ago. I don't know how you want me to prove it. After 30 minutes I was getting dizzy and after my 10 lap race I had a headache
I'm an airline pilot and use flight simulator in VR during my training, made my life a lot easier, especially in how to judge the flare near the ground during landings due to 3D aspect that you don't have using monitors. 3 years now in VR and I really never land an aircraft in my sim using monitors anymore.
Same I have been using VR since Oculus DK1 until today, became B787 pilot as well using VR, I went into some racing experience and made it into podium for GT86 cup with just VR training.
VR is absolute necessity in simulators
👏👏 congrats
Hello, since you have been using VR 3 years, can you comment on any eye related issues? I mean having those tiny screens so close to your eyes inside the VR goggles.
@@InterstellarLord In flight simulators I'm using from the beginning of my duties inside the cockpit until reach about 10.000 ft , and then remove the headset, Same thing for landing , from 10.000 to park in the gate. So about 50 minutes average per flight. Considering that I do 2 flights per day, that's not much at all to make any diference.
it's crazy that ga pilots get caught in ifr or have mechanical problems and dont know how to use their gps. just get msfs or xp12 and do a few hours a week and put yourself in the clouds, could save lives but a lot don't bother. flight sims in general are amazing tools and they are just great in vr.
one thing that wasn't mentioned but I feel is an important advantage pro VR: elevation changes are much more noticeable, which allows you to adjust the brake and throttle input to stay on the limit of the tires while going over crests / into compressions.
As someone who casually played Forza and similar titles for nearly a decade, re-learning the tracks in iRacing has been shocking to say the least. All of these bumps and divots and cambers and small elevation changes that are hidden in a more arcade-y title totally change the character of the tracks.
I've already blown the wallet out with an SC2 Pro and wheel upgrade, but VR is coming soon. I've raced only once for a few minutes on controller in DR2 but my god it is a different world than a 2D screen
For the last 2 years I was racing Nordschleife exclusively in iRacing with VR (Valve Index and Quest 3), and this year I had the chance to be at the Nordschleife IRL. I could almost not believe the elevation changes what I have experienced there, and I was telling my friends I was blown away how much different in reality it was compared even to VR.
@@Gepida_Perobit Exactly the same for me! I've raced Nordschleife many times on screens and in VR. In July was my first time driving that track in real life and the first thin out of my mouth was "holy s***, the elevation changes" haha. It's interesting because there are several tracks back at home that I frequently race in both VR and IRL in my car, and although I'm aware of the differences, it's never been that pronounced to me. But perhaps it's because I've driven those tracks IRL first and then on the sim, whereas the Nordschleife is the first track I've known through Sim Racing first and IRL second. Hope you had as much fun as I did!
I'm not a competitive player so for me immersion is more important than pace and VR is simply the most immersive way to play.
same here :) VR is best for immersion, im driving for an hour a day maybe, due to family job etc.
So i wont catch u guys i terms of pace, so for me its for fun and immersion.
I am competitive and still use vr as ive had a vr headset since the quest 2 released and I'm used to it but not a fan of monitor racing
@@eclark9965 I mean I get consistent 70fps in vr so its doing alright
Same. I went from triple to VR and never going back. Im not competitive that much though
Yes, immersion for me too. Driving the old Silverstone layout in AMS2 so brought back memories of my first Grand Prix, as a spectator of course. That was the days of Schumacher in early 2000 and something. We toured the track in a bus. Brilliant to revisit that day in VR to actually race.
VR really shines when it comes to racing other people/cars. Looking around freely (in a way that it changes your mirror reflection) helps a lot, but when it comes to judging distance to other cars, or judging what they are doing (e.g. braking/accelerating) is a completely different level of awareness.
Every time I try to play now on triples I just end up rear-ending cars. I am at a point where I am going to dismantle the triple setup completely.
I became those no VR no buy people.
ps: I had horrible motion sickness and haven't played for years. About 6 months ago I put on the VR headset to see how many minutes before I puke on myself, and spent 4 hours in VR and zero motion sickness. :O VTOL VR still manages to make me want to fall off the chair when that helicopter starts spinning :O
No VR no money religion here too.
Regarding the comment that you had motion sickness previously then 6 months ago no motion sickness …… what did u do differently ?
EG
- Upgraded comp parts and now smoother graphics
- Just go use to sim racing
- Used a fan
- Did nothing different at all
Etc
I remembered I tried my mates iracing rig in 2017 with 22” triples and I had motion sickness within 10 laps of laguna. I only dipped my toe back in during Covid and just got use to it since 🤷🏻♂️
@@CY078 Motion sickness ends after a while, when your brain gets used to it and understands that you're not actually moving.
I used to be only VR every time. But after I setup a single large TV super close and used a FOV calculator to get the correct FOV, I've enjoyed being able to just turn my stuff on and go.
VR wins when it comes to immersion.
Screens win when it comes to convenience.
@@noiamhippyman These last two sentences were kissed by a chef.
true - getting into a race is cumbersome enough without VR. when adding the VR aspect, it doubles my time to get into a race. or maybe i just need to streamline my set up more...
@@ChrisBautista I have my VR permanently on a hoist. You sit pull down slot on ready to go. As convenient as it gets
Had a triple screen setup from about 2017-2020. During Covid I bought a Quest 2 and have not got looked back since. Used that quest for a year and upgraded to the Reverb G2 V2 (which I've been using for 2+ years now) Still looks amazing but I'm considering a Quest 3. Ultimately I want a Bigscreen Beyond. Sounds silly but I wont even buy a racing game without VR support now. Can't wait for AC Evo to see how well optimized it is for VR.
100% agree
I went from a G2 to a quest 3 mate, worth it imo 👍🏻
The Quest 3 is PHENOMENAL get it today.
For sim racing check DPVR E4.
I wouldnt upgrade from G2 to Quest 3. Yes, Q3 lenses are massive upgrade, but the fact that it doesn't have a displayport support is a huge bummer. In fast pace games like simracing the compression artifacts are visible even at the max bitrates Q3 can run. Also it induces more latency compared to native PCVR headsets. Also u would need to buy power injector cable to keep the battery charged while playing, since MOST USB ports can't provide enough juice. I am looking to sell my Q3 and get the crystal light, which seems to be faaar superior for PCVR than the Q3. Obviously if you are interested in other VR gaming the q3's wireless option is a gamechanger for something like HL:Alyx etc, but I wouldnt buy it solely for simracing.
Just got into VR with a Quest 3 - only had a few hours with it but I'm slowly getting back on pace - that said, even if it ends up slightly slower, it could still provide better race results due to the increased immersion and spacial awareness allowing you to keep yourself out of trouble. Regardless, I'm blown away by it - it's a faff initially to get things going but very, very worth it to spend the time learning how to optimise the gear. FYI, Mirrors in ACC don't work like other sims, they're fixed 'screen's, head movement doesn't change any aspect or view, which is a bit disappointing. Assetto Corsa Evo should be a cracker though being optimised for VR from the get go.
I find I make less mistakes but I am also a bit slower. I also find that going between different games is more difficult.
ACC is a major pain with the ui while driving too.
VR can be a pain in the ass to get working and use, but sometimes it’s worth it
VR in ACC is a pain, although the performance is good, it doesn't have a good VR implementation... UI sucks, mirrors suck and IMO it looks worse than AC in VR!
Btw, we all know that quest3 is the best known headset but is by far the most unreliable for PCVR! Unless you pay for virtual desktop, you will eventually experience some kind of bugs, glitchs or performance degradation in longer races!
@@oRicardoHetfield im using the pico 4 for with VD and open xr for AC and once its set up its pain free and 98 percent reliable.. ACs VR implementation with CSP is amazing combined with LFM i get my immersive racing fix on a god budget
Don’t use Q3 wireless for sim racing when you can use a link cable. You can experience latency, compression and frame drops if you go wireless.
@@oRicardoHetfield Maybe that's one of the reasons I didn't bond with PCVR on my Quest 3 ... I quickly went back to monitors after an hour fooling around in a few sim racing titles.
Also, I get dizzy or headaches after an hour in VR. I'd love to hear from someone who had the same issues with Quest 3, and whether Pimax Crystal's higher refresh rate and resolution alleviated the physical side effects.
I'm very tempted try it out, but it's a lot of money to gamble on a device that might make you feel too sick to use consistently.
I have both and i use the the vr very rarely. If I do crank it out one day I'll end up using it for a few weeks but as soon as i go back to triples i forget vr. Triples is just so much quicker and less messing around. After a days work i just want to jump on for 30mins of fun. Not mess around with the many random problems vr comes with.
That’s one of the big issues with VR, the software integration is generally terrible.
I think most people who have issues with the time it takes to start practicing or racing in VR didn't set things up correctly when starting off. It's like with triples... When you set it up correctly it should be good to go unless there are some major changes. I put my quest 3 on, hit the link button, open the desktop monitor. I open up AC content manger with a button on my stream deck, then setup my race/practice. Hit drive then I'm off. Basically it's 2 steps more than with triples that take 3 secs each.
This is where GT7 in VR really shines. Zero setup, just works perfectly every time.
This is why I haven't touched my vr in about a year sense I set up my triples
I'm not sure what random problems you're talking about I get on my rig pop on my headset turn on steam VR and then play my game That's it
Sick video Will! When I started getting into Sim Racing, i had the same question (as most people do). One big thing I love about the triple screen set up is that I can see and interact with any extra peripherals like button boxes. I like that I can customize my cockpit as my own and see it with my own eyes. I never could get that with Vr. Also my eye fatigue and the weight on my head from VR really limits me. I can go for hours on my triples with some blue light glasses. Thanks for the great content!
Funny the timing of you posting this. I've been playing with a single screen rig for awhile and just borrowed someone's quest 2 just to try out VR and see what it was like, and I noticed I was consistently faster in VR and made less mistakes. Now I'm trying to decide if I should make the change to VR full time and get a headset for myself.
Flat screen vs VR, quite similar timings, but in terms of immersion during the race on VR = unmatched, currently my obvious choice in AMS2 :)
He gets it
if like me your a relative noob vr makes yu faster.. i find it much easier to learn tracks and find the best lines in vr as the depth perception allows me to perceive the corners far easier
I own both, a triple screen (3*43" 2160p) setup and VR headsets (Quest 2 + 3, HP Reverb G2). Both have their pro's and con's. But I will take a proper triple setup over VR, all day. I do Sim stuff for 2+ years now. But all I can say is about drifting, since ive never done any racing before. Edit: I do have a somewhat unique situation, so the heat pro's / con's are definitely caused by that!
What I like about VR:
1. Much better depth perception.
2. More flexibility to look at your ingame surroundings.
3. Less demanding on the hardware.
4. Cheap in comparison to a triple screen setup.
5. Less heat (In my case)
What I like about triples:
1. Better graphics.
2. Accessories are usable (Displays, buttons, ambient lights and more).
3. More immersive viewing experience over VR when doing content creation.
4. Easier on the eyes when playing for multiple hours.
5. Keyboard usability when playing online.
I have a console on my rig with touch displays, button boxes, gauges and much more. I like to see those things. Same with my shifter and ebrake. In VR I have to guess where which button is. Also the keyboard is a pain to use. Settings up a twitch chat in VR and monitoring OBS and other software while playing/streaming is annoying. On triples you just add another cheap monitor and have easy access. Also when doing POV streaming with triples, it looks much more immersive due to better graphics and all the buttons, gauges etc on the rig itself. But at the same time, streaming triples properly without it looking sh!t is not that easy and will cost another few hundred $. Just for a camera + capture card. And then you always have that camera infront of your eyes, blocking half the monitors/TVs...
What I hate about triples is that the performance on triple 4k is absolutely garbage when not using the lowest settings in AC (Mainly AC issue due to poor optimization). Also the price is much higher compared to a VR headset. 3 Display + external stand, more powerful GPU, powerdraw when playing etc etc... VR is much more efficient.
And my triples make me sweat much more than VR. With triples, my room temp goes to around 105°F (Highest was 110°F). On VR it stays at around 90°F and only my face gets a little sweaty. But I use "big" TVs which can draw up to 250w each. Thats not comparable with a normal 27 or 32 Inch monitor, id say. So not a valid point against triples...
Just my opinion!
Edit: Changed temperatures to the correct values and grammar.
Drifter that switched from vr to triples here, I agree with almost everything you said except the pc performance and heat. I run 1080p displays so it's obviously different than your 4k. However I get more stable performance in triples with better graphics than I did in VR. Also the heat issue my space temp doesn't warm up with the use of triples However I get hot and sweaty with the vr on my face.
I'm runing quite old pc parts tho i5 9400f and 1660
I wonder if the heat is your PC runing hoter cranking out triple 4k instead of the triples it's self.
@@02bluehawk I was actually wrong with the temperature numbers I wrote in my first comment. I use °C and just guessed as good as I can what it would be in °F. VR is around 90°F and triple 4K is roughly 105°F. Highest I had was 110°F, actually today. We had the hottest day of the year so far and I felt that haha.
Wow, triples on a 1660 must be a big challenge for that card! But awesome if it works.
I run a 4090 which is maxed out in AC. That definitely adds to the room temperature. But the card sometimes struggles to render 60+ FPS with decent graphics. But what I really notice when playing is the heat coming from the TVs. If I get out of the rig after 30 minutes or so and get back in, the heat "shines" into my face and onto my arms. If I exit the rig it definitely feels less hot. Its up to 250w per TV IIRC. So thats definitely a lot.
In VR I do get a sweaty face. But the overall heat that I feel is much more acceptable.
When I wrote my first comment, I was just thinking about my own setup. I have a dedicated Simrig/PC room outside of my main apartment. It only has one window and the only door it has, leads right into the public stairway of the building. So absolutely 0 airflow... So, it is not really a valid point that speaks against triples. Only in my own case.
Seems to me, the true "best of both worlds" would be triple 3d monitors, to bring back the depth perception. But flat panel 3D has its own issues so that would probably have its own quirks to deal with.
Running triple 1440p the performance is worse but roughly comparable to to VR btw. For my setup at least. Tough but doable with mostly high graphics settings.
@PlebLordThe3rd in my case my rig is in my basement which is always colder then the rest of the house and with AC set at 72°F in the house its 65°F in the basement. I wish my rig warmed up my space lmao
Personally my biggest issue with VR has always been the screen door. At the end of a long straight in a fast car, by the time you can see your braking marker it's already too late. This is what makes me want to keep the triples... Also when your wheel to wheel, three screens is easier to see around you than a 5 lb weight on your head trying to turn your head quickly
With a good wind simulator, VR will have you thinking you're actually there. Cheers Will!
I don't get wind simulators most all cars have windshields I guess it would work cool in open wheel cars but even then you have a helmet so I don't know... Maybe I'm just ignorant to it and don't understand it I am a full simulation guy though but I don't know about that one
@@apexshaver7301 Your brain interpreters the different strenght of wind as speed. So that even if you do not have that in a real life car, you will still get the sence of speed. And also it is very comfortable with the extra cooling so really no downside.
@@apexshaver7301 Many closed cockpit racecars have air ducts that feed in outside air into the cockpit to cool the driver down since they don't have air con. So a wind simulator applies even for non open wheel cars. I guess if you wanted the most authentic experience you could wear a helmet and suit in your wind simulated rig :D
VR plus buttkickers and HF8 is a game changer. That’s when you get lost in the sauce.
Wind sim, VR and haptics with an open wheel/cockpit is some of the most fun I’ve had in sim racing. Just an absolute immersive blast!
I’m mainly a GT7 player but I went from driver rating A to A+ with VR2. From the first time using it I was AMAZED at the experience. A little disappointed with the image quality, but I was previously using a good 4K tv plus it was my first experience with vr so my expectations were unrealistic. So I was actually faster with it. At some point I switched back to flat screen because I wanted to play ACC and didn’t touch the headset for @ 6 months. Just yesterday I raced in VR and was instantly amazed again. I didn’t want to stop driving. Freaking love GT7 in vr.
Image quality i was expecting more, but cant go back
The future is VR in gaming in general I think. They are only going to get better and better.
I don’t know about that. At least not in its current form. It will remain niche for specific game concepts only.
@@Arguyle20 true yes. Best for certain games and great for simulation games.
spatial awareness in VR is huge. I have really good spatial reasoning skills and using VR makes it so much easier to place in my head where my wheels are in relation to the track and other cars. I do a lot of oval track racing and in VR I can get right up to the wall without hitting them, but on a monitor I struggle to get anywhere near as close. Same with drafting and bump drafting. Everything is much easier in VR. Makes sense that not only were you faster, but you were consistently faster.
I do VR only to see how Halo looks in real life, and after seeing the difference, I'm not going back to the flat screen
VR def helps to be able to see around the halo whereas flat screen just gives a stationary black bar in the screen
Yup VR only for me as well. (With all games) Ohh try the owo haptics vest, it really adds immersion. 👍
VR all the way. If it doesnt have VR I've uninstalled it
I get headaches that stay for couple of days and shifted back to triples
@fahadal-swayed To bad your brain can't handle it... keep trying and it will get better.. driving Sims or flying should generally not effect people as much.
🤷♂️
Here, I'm a VR guy since 2017, and there was zero chances than I come back for triples.
Wish I could say that, but I can't get over the motion sickness...
@@tiagoruao9640 Try locking onboard camera to horizon if possible, AC i have it ticked. Also regular breaks are useful to get over motion sickness
@@ra7pac I'll try that...
Welcome to the club soldier💪🏼
@@tiagoruao9640 In the begining I suffer a lot with motion sickness too. Some tips: Starts with games more easy and short sessions. You get used to it over time.
Dedicated VR driver. Looking for an upgrade for my G2. Waiting anxiously for your Crystal Light review.
Have you looked at the Bigscreen Beyond? I had a G2 and went to one. Nice a lightweight and not as sweaty. Customer Support is awesome too
I tested the Vision Pro today, I’d love a desktop headset with that clarity (just not for that price).
I went with the Quest 3 to replace my G2, the change in the lease quality is worth the price alone, the change in clarity and a full fov sweet spot made it worth it. Plus the obvious advantage of being able to go wireless if you want too. I play Alyx in my living room downstairs with no issues
@@lamsmiley1944 We should have one on the market by next year. Samsung/Google's headset is suppose to release early 2025. The only problem is that we won't have any video card that can push that kind of resolution at max settings for another few years.
@@simracingjunky9679 I think the 5090 with DLSS 3 would probably be enough. But that’ll likely cost a fortune.
I have had both VR and triple 32s. I started in VR and switched to the 32s that I am still running.
I want to go back, but not before the headsets or more comfortable and ventilated, the resolution is indistinguishable from screens and a graphics card can run it at 120+ frames with a full field of cars. Until then, I’m sticking with screens for the comfort mostly.
You'll have to try out the PSVR2 on iRacing,AAC and AM2 now that Sony has released a PC adapter.
@GS-kh5se can you "move" inside the car with psvr2? If so I'm seriously thinking of updating to psvr2 from my psvr1 just because of that reason
I've been running the PSVR2 with AMB2 and its good.
@@the_normsk okay, might consider upgrading the good old psvr1 then :D
VR rocks! It’s like a magic trick that it even works. But I find myself not using all the time because it requires more time to set up, dial in, it gets hot and uncomfortable in the summer.
I also have to run OpenXR and Open Composite on certain games or with a huge grid or compromise and play at 72Hz instead of 90Hz.
But, if you’re okay with tinkering it’s fantastic for immersion.
Even with an old Rift 2, I notice that my mid-corner performance is better because the stereoscopic vision gives me a better sense of the car's rotation on my path through the corner. I guess another way to say it is I have a better sense of rotation vs. turning.
Awesome insights as always!
Can you please do a PSVR2 review now that they released a PC adapter.
Was looking to upgrade from flat to VR but trying to find a sweetspot between costs and compression (quest 2/3 are just noticable in this regard). It would be very useful for people doing simracing as PCVR2 looks like something of a great entry VR point with all the right "compromises" on paper at least.
My favorite thing about VR is when the field scatters at the green flag and threading the needle like a psychopath 😂
Excellent illustration with the traffic lights. Great video!!
Thanks for this video Will! I switched to VR when the Quest 3 came out and haven't been able to go back. I love VR and I am glad it is reaching a point where it is as good as it has become.
I would love to see a full TrackIR review and setup for iRacing. I don't have room for triples and VR just isn't for me. Most of the reviews are 5+ years old so it would be great to see an updated review in 2024.
I'm 100% slower when not in VR as I don't have a monitor connected to my rig.
lol
You should learn the power of hearing and imagination
@@fajaradi1223 Use the force? ha
😂😂😂
VR is pretty awesome in my experience, especially racing. Feels very natural, in terms of judging distances and your relation in the space (close racing can get really 'close').
I have the old Oculus Rift, and it's an experience, even despite the low resolution and the faffing about.
But, it's pretty demanding, and cuts you off from the world completely (which is the goal I guess). Can be a uncomfortable, especially if you need glasses (which I do), a lot of messing about, needs a hefty rig... It's mostly for the immersive experience than the laptimes, or whatever else. And if you don't have an issue with motion sickness, that is.
Great video Will. I love VR, but it can get cumbersome and be a bit of a pain when you race with 10 apps in the background and are constantly having to take it off to adjust settings.
Something else to consider, There is also less cognitive driver load while in vr as your other senses are already picking things you would need to otherwise think about finding with monitors, leaving you more mental bandwidth to automatically spatially drive your car, etc.
Less distractions in VR, such as daylight changes, noticing pets, a watch or dash displays etc.
Having done many enduros in vr, about 3 hours is my limit before i need a break in terms of mental tiredness. I've not had motion sickness in vr.
i wouldn't race without VR. :-)
Oooer, the age old argument! Might grab a beer before watching this one!
Its 2024. Save your beer. VR made flat screen outdated in sim racing. no need to argue anymore.
@@pogito3113 I have to agree. I got back into sim racing during lockdowns and have used VR exclusively since then...
@pogito3113 it's 2024. VR fans still acting like Vegan tryhards.
@@exci6198 its 2024, brokies who haven't tried it still can't afford it
@@pogito3113 vr is actually cheaper than triple screens.
Should be getting my crystal light very soon. Super excited!
Some times when I´m racing in VR and the sun shines from the back, my brain really tricks me into believing that the back of my body gets hot. Its that realistic to me.
I had that the other way around years ago in PCARS2, rain thunder and lightning at Donington….and it was getting chilly 😊
ive done it all and own all 3... 49in vr (reverb g2) and triple 1440p 165hz 27in and i went back to triples after spending MONTHS on each.. and triples was a clear winner in the dept. for those reasons you mentioned.
Have you ever tried a Pimax? My experience is so limited in VR (only Q2 and Q3) that I can't yet say for certain whether it's in the cards for me. I just know Q3 makes me feel sick or woozy after just an hour, and the refresh rate, FOV and drop in visual fidelity kind of ruined the appeal for me and didn't really outweigh VR's advantages.
Just got a triple 32" 1440p setup, but I'm still very tempted to give Pimax Super a try.
The difference is, if you race in summer heat and have no air condition, you will be soaked in sweat when using a VR headset,...which just makes it more realistic, when I think about it
That sounds extremely unpleasant.
@@drconflict629 It's not meant to be fun.
Sounds like you drive always with fire retardant under suit and racing suit on top of that with helmet and other bits and pieces too to maximize the misery :D
@@mementomori4972 You sound like a tryhard.
Im in Australia and stopped using my rift cause i didnt want to do simracing anymore. Went back to single 32” screen and got back into simracing.
Comfort factor is important and its so hot/sweaty to wear a headset in aus.
I moved from VR to triples and it's just easier to nail your marks in Triples than it is in VR. But VR is more immersive.
But also, I can add extra details to triples that you you likely cannot unless you have the best of the best hardware.
VR for fun, Triples for serious. I'm racing around/beating guys in TCR series with 5000iR
I can also use my wheels buttons and knobs while I can't in VR. I didn't have the issues with Triples that you mention at the end but it's not a subjective thing
bah, you basically prefer triple because you can use the knobs on the wheel
@@80amnesia i can use the 34 buttons on my wheel in vr as good as without vr 😉
One important thing to note, is that you can actually have triple screen in VR with the last update of Virtual desktop, You can configure it with passthrough and put them anywhere you want, the only major issue is that your (real) steering wheel can disapear behind your virtual monitors, but a VR headset is 3 to 4 times cheaper than a triple screen setup (you have to use a decent wifi router to be able to stream 3 Full HD monitors)
Good comparison and agree on your conclusion! I like VR a whole lot for what it does for immersion, but in some scenarios a plain ol' screen is just easier to deal with.
I'm of the opinion that your preference should be based on realism over lap time. Would you play on a controller instead of a wheel if for some reason you just happened to be faster on it?
Yeah but with VR you get both
Having sense of depth truly is an immersion game changer. I find I'm more consistent too.
Great video. Nice to see VR had the edge. Even if VR was slower the immersion is worth some of the inconvenience. Especially the sense of incline. The phantom bottom out pressure in a dip gets me every time.
I ran single screen then VR and now 43in triples (205*FOV) for mostly drifting. I've had about 1 year on each set up at this point.
Vr is fantastic and is definitely a cheat code over single for drifting, however as you touched on vr is definitely clumsy, heavy, hot, and at times extremely annoying to get everything working 90% of the time the other 10% something just doesnt work. Once I got triples I found driving more enjoyable and easier to just get in and drive. It was definitely a bit of an adjustment to relearn my distancing for close tandems and not being able to look around my a-piller and side mirror however I haven't set up my vr once sense I set up the triples.
It looked like it was easier to spot your exits at the hairpin and bus stop in VR.
Great video.
I think if you're looking to transfer skills over to IRL racing, VR is the way to go. It feels so much more like the actual experience. Plus you're training with the same type of vision you use IRL.
Been a sim racer most of my life and a VR racer since Project Cars 1. And that first VR experience changed everything for me. I’ve never tested whether or not I’m faster, but it was the first time sim racing clicked for me. Turning off the hud and just being a man in a car. Hopefully sim developers can see the turn of the tide, cause for a lot of us, it’s No VR No Buy.
This is a perfect video we can point people to in all those Monitor vs VR reddit posts.
I only use VR, never tried triple monitors and not planning to after all the feedback. I also acknowledge the fact that it's not for everyone. Many people felt sick when they tried it, plus all the tinkering you have to do to make it run properly makes triples better for most people.
I use to race in VR with probably a couple hundred hours on an HP Reverb G2. The immersion is great but like Will was saying long stints in it weren't for me. It got hot (even with a fan), eye fatigue was a problem, it was initially very unreliable (HP problem not VR in general), using other peripherals like button boxes and things is a lot harder to use. These are probably non-issues for some but I just got tired of it all.
I switched to triple screens earlier this year and while it was an adjustment it is just so much easier to jump on and race. VR is great and all but even with an overclocked liquid cooled 3080 the graphical fidelity just isn't there for high frame rates and with a lot of cars on the grid. A 4090 would probably be a big jump in performance but I can't bring myself to spend that much money just so VR looks better. OpenVR with foveated rendering helped with games like AMS2 but it isn't perfect and it is yet another piece of software that needs to be updated.
I'm not ruling out VR in the future but I would need to see a big improvement in performance and usability before switching back.
I use both. Sometimes I just want to play Truck Sim for fun and not have to wear the VR headset. Plus, if you have other people that want to try it they are usually better off on the screens as alot of people aren't ready for VR mentally. However, for competitive racing VR gives you one thing that screens never will. Depth perception. Thats why you can take corners more efficiently and I love that you can change your perspective in the car simply by moving your body around. Like you said you have a better connection with the car in VR. I also think that depth perception and the peripheral vision help with maintaining your spacing and lines next to other cars especially in Nascar races.
Great vid Will! Really good explanation & sum it up spot on i reckon👍
For those on vr and using steamvr as the rendering option, check whether your game supports openxr instead. Uses a significantly better runtime providing a smoother performance and more importantly better frametimes, highly recommend it
Awesome video as always. Really appreciate the hard work you put into your videos. Would you consider putting this kind of music, at the beginning, in the background for future videos? I really liked how you did it in this video, it was a perfect balance of the music and your talking and I think it would make the videos more alive and that they would really benefit from it in my honest opinion. PS.: What's the name of the song at the beginning?
so the way i'm seeing it, is if you're a second faster in vr per lap, UNLESS you're streaming or making content, choosing the slower option is going to effect your finishing on track positively. Also i been in VR since 2014, so the limits of 30 min to take a break aren't necessary, also i'm using the BSB, so it weighs less than the helmet with the go pro. I can do 2 hours in my sleep. I also wear glasses so for me, i don't get peripherals that are clear in any scenario so for those of you who wear glasses, may wanna look into vr. Also smaller footprint to triples, less electricity, and less heat for the room you're in.
I wear glasses and the peripheral with triples definitely helps with the sense of speed.
I switched from single to vr and now triples
I do have both and go for whats suiting the occation. For friends coming over or sometimes when I just want to play around the 3x32" works best. But when I want the best experience i just switch over to my Crystal Light. Both are good, just in different ways. So no right or wrong in my opinion. If I had to choose one I probably would go for VR, though.
Hey Will and thank you for this video! There is no better experience than in VR! Combined with a Motion-system it´s nearly perfect...
FOV is the main reason I'm considering switching my Quest 2 for a Triple screen setup. Besides the comfort and image quality aspect, my Quest 2 really doesn't allow me to know how close the cars on my side are. Having to turn my head just to see this really messes with my racing, as I would normally just take a glimpse to the side while maintaining my head straight.
The depth perception in VR is a big win, but what about peripheral awareness when racing with other cars? Also what about changing settings on your wheel when you can't see the wheel?
Changing settings with the buttons on your wheel is not a problem in vr, you learn to operate them blind. The peripheral, depends on the car you are in. Since i drive mostly Le Mans type prototypes, there is the wide A pillar blocking most of your peripheral view anyways. In more open cockpits or open wheelers you lack about 25 degrees to each side with vr, but i don't see a problem in this, since i am turning my head more often anyway and it is also just a quick peek to the side as well.
I went from triples to VR and back to triples. I like the comfort and ease of use triples provides. Also, being able to look at my wheel, button box, and DDU provides immersion I can't get with VR.
I think the best solution to fix all the issues that both triples and VR bring up, would be if the sims supported 3D TV's or monitors and you could have your triple screen 3D monitor setup and all you'd need to wear would be a simple pair of 3D glasses! I have a 47" 3D LG TV and for movies it's awesome being able to set the depth and projection of the image and with sims being able to balance how much of the cockpit surrounds you and also setting the depth of the image to perfectly match what is a real life image from the seat of a cockpit would be. I've no idea if this could be made possible, but I'd definitely like to see it as an option in the future. Unlike a lot of the VR headsets, you would be able to see all your surrounds! No more knocking over your can of beer or falling out the car when you get curious about what the underside looks like but are too lazy to get out your seat.. 🙃🤕🤣
I've been using VR since 2014 with DK2, it's impossible not to love it, every time I go in to play the feeling is indescribably wonderful, impossible to go back to 3 screens
I race VR except when it gets too claustrophobic in long sessions. Then I'm very happy with my Samsung 57" Curved screen. I gave up on triples about 15 years ago. I started using triples way back using Matrox was the only way to do triples properly.
so i have a cheap rig.. G29, T-LCM pedals, Rift S and recently used a very expensive commercial motion rig with triples and found I just couldn't find my braking points, took me a good 20 minutes to really get into it without missing all the corners and carrying a ton too much speed in. The next day or so I decided to put on my cheap VR setup again using the same car and track combo i was about 4 seconds faster almost instantly. Like you i'd assumed it was about car placement but actually again I think it's the stereoscopic effect and the sensation of speed that I just didn't get on the triples. I'm glad you made this video as it's cemented what I felt and thought, thank you!
VR is a great tech. But today it is still too heavy, clunky, unstable, and inconvenient to truly enjoy once you’re past the VR honeymoon stage. I’ve owned a Rift and a Pimax Crystal. And I switched to Triples and can’t be happier with my current experience.
But once VR is really stepping up, I will retry.
Also I got used to my dashboards which gives a lof of valuable information on the actual race, for both myself and anyone who wants to watch.
What I truly want when I race, is being able to fully focus on my racing. And to do long sessions. VR doesn’t allow that yet.
As someone who just tried out VR to be more immersive, I've found that being able to move my head in the car has drastically improved my time. I can look way up ahead of the car and place the car where I am looking instead of making the image on the screen move to where I want to be.
Also, you need to do an online race in VR. THAT is what made me spend almost 500 hours in Assetto Corsa VR now. Being able to plan ahead when defending and attacking gives you an extreme advantage.
That being said it takes a LONG TIME to get used to a VR headset use like you said.
As someone who switched to only VR, the depth perception isnt always better, due to the resolution you actually see, as its not as clear as with the screen capture.
Tracks with walls are great in VR as you can see a flat reference, like mount panoramas hill section where you can get super close to the walls, but open ones where you rely on curbs are a bit tricker, as you get so little vertical pixels for curbs that are flat and so far away on the ground, and only once the car is close enough for the viewing angle onto them gets better it gets clearer, which delays seeing them properly, like the second half of Hckenheim, where you can barely judge where the exit curb is on T10 and T15.
For reference, this is with a quest 3 on a 3080, with maxed resolution on 90hz, but with low settings ingame
The other thing about VR is certain disciplines absolutely shine in VR.
Ovals are WILD in VR. Pack racing gets very intense with the increased spatial awareness granted by VR tech.
I’ve been running the Oculus Rift CV1 for years, then moved to my 43” curved ultra wide for a bit, then bought a Pimax Crystal but can’t seem to get off the curved ultra wide because I can’t figure out my Racelabs overlays in VR. Such a nightmare to setup. Still haven’t figured it out and have an $1800 VR headset sitting on the shelf. I never ran overlays until I moved to the curved monitor and now I can’t live without them.
Immersion and just lapping by yourself then VR for sure. But real racing with cars around you, triples.
Definitely prefer VR especially with the Primax Crystal Light and RTX 4090 , helping you much more with the real world driving too.
For me the answer is easy. VR all the way, primarily due to space limitations in our smallish apartment. I would not have the space to put up a monitor in front of my GT Omega Titan rig, yet alone 3 monitors!
And I enjoy the immersion from VR a lot, so I have absolutely no incentive to change anyway.
I'm surprised this isn't talked about more. There is no way I could fit decently-sized triples in my office. With VR, I at least feel like I'm not handicapping myself with a more limited screen setup. Granted, comfort may be an issue for some people, but if you generally don't go more than an hour without getting out of the "car," VR could be a great option.
LOL, I saw the helmet before you explained what it is for and thought, WTF, are you scared of falling off!
Definitely agree with being able to learn tracks much faster in VR - especially with a motion platform
If you have a motion platform, you can see the room around you, and that gives me a strange feeling. In vr, the motion felt a lot better!
I got the PlayStation VR2 for Gran Turismo 7. I just need to hook it up but I heard it's game changing! I have a Next Level Racing GT Track with a Fanatec Gran Turismo DD Pro, V3 pedals and Club Sport Shifter. 42" LG OLED with stand. I freaking love it! Cheers man!
For me i race VR. but have Triple TVs for looks. for me half the sim racing hobby is building a nice cockpit that looks like something immersive and inviting. i have also made my cockpit so i can convert it into a Space simulator in a matter of minutes. with dual Omni directional Sticks and what not. i enjoy the process of constantly making changes adding new stuff to my cockpit. i recently made a FFBeast DD 15Nm wheel base. and my next project will be making a Real hydraulic Brake pedal. but then again for Racing VR all the way!
Screw you will!! I started watching your videos and now I’ve just spent $2700 aud on the F-GT cockpit and club sport DD 12nm.. 😂😂 getting back into iracing after a few years away. From a fellow Aussie I appreciate the super detailed reviews, makes selecting stuff so easy.
Depth perception, proprioception, sense of speed. VR just makes flat OUTDATED as far as sim racing is concerned. What a paradigm shift this technology is
I am a drifter and I LOVE driving in VR but I still rock a single screen for when I am sick of the headset. I also plan on adding triples in the future, they both definitely have their place.
Honestly, I think that the POV preference plays a big factor. Of course having more info with the monitors matters, too. I am actually faster with VR. I go back and forth for different reasons between my 72" 4k monitor and the VR headset. In my experience people prefer one over the other for a time then switch at some point.
Went from VR to triples, for the type of driving and racing I do it’s much easier to live with and play for long sessions with lots of other things going on.
Good video Will, looking forward to your Crystal Light Review
I considered VR vs Triples and the biggest impact of triples for me, even with smaller screens is I don't have space in my room for triples. So it became a choice between a large single screen OR VR. I went VR and I wouldn't go back it's incredible. I use the Varjo Aero currently. I do sometimes do a bit of setting up on the screen first as once in VR you are a bit more limited what you can do, but for me comparing triples and VR, VR makes it feel like a completely different game
I race for fun so realism is important thats why I use VR. And also very important for immersion is that in vr you are in the real cockpit of the car. So if you drive a classic mercedes your'e steering wheel is from a classic mercedes and not a modern GT steeringwheel.
Fascinating outcome, and not what I expected. Suxx a bit. I am looking to start racing, first with my 34" 100HZ and then 57" dual 4K. VR headsets seems scary tech. Lots of complexity. But it's perhaps better for some specific shorter outings and learn my way around a car and track. Short races... Viable from a controls perspective for setup and pits, dealing with wheel dials?
Used to have triples now use VR with motion rig. The routine to buckle up, don the headset and gloves before the race gives it that next level experience.
4090 and Quest 3 myself, playing mostly iRacing.
After you get to know all the important settings and apply them correctly, and get used to the routine of VR gaming it's f'in great! Only thing I don't like about VR is heat and sweat build up, which could be solved obviously. Buying a dedicated small AC unit to put in my gaming room for next summer! Also looking into getting wind simulation, but I must diy this as no reseller in Norway has this as I am aware of.
I got a VR headset (quest 3) and returned it and got triples. I loved how VR was WHEN IT WAS WORKING 70% of the time I had to restart the game over and over again until it got working, getting it stationary or in the right position. I wasn’t sure if there was a button that reset the view or positioning but if there is one I just couldn’t find it. I really really really wanted to love VR but I was thinking of waiting a couple more years or wait for a decent one like the quest 3 that has the ability to plug in a display port cable directly to it as an option at times.
I went with a VR headset because of the in the game immersion. It feels like I am really in a Race Car rather than staring at a flat screen Also I don't have the space to setup multiple monitors/screens. I also don't have a racing rig. I only do SIM racing for the entertainment of driving a Simulated race car on a Simulated track.
I am not worried about if my VR headset makes me faster driving around the track. VR for me has changed the way to play any game and really enjoy it.
The fact you can look into the corner makes it a lot better too.
I have triple and vr. I bounce between them. Triple screen doesn't keep me from slightly leaning into turns or turning my head. And real racing has the driver strapped into the seat pretty tight with the 4 and 5 point harness. Racers don't look over their shoulder. They use mirrors with slight head movement left and right.
The main difference with VR is that when racing like real life (strapped in and looking straight ahead) is it has stereoscopic vision for properly judging depth. Other than that, there is no advantage over triples. 4K on each triple screen is going to make farther away details clearer than a VR headset. Not even the Pimax Crystal has the sharpness and clarity of 11520 x 2160. Also, the farther something is away, the less the brain relies on stereoscopic vision. Racing tends to be close counters, so it still benefits from vr when coming up on turns and when maneuvering around other cars.
Overall, I enjoy both but until the pimax 22K with the enormous FOV and high resolution comes out, I'll race and fly mostly in triple screen.
When you were talking about leaning into the corner, do you think it's possible that it's more because you're subconsciously trying to film with a gopro on your face trying not to move your head too much? I feel like I move quite a bit without VR, especially say through the carousel at the ring. Anyways, cool vid.
Completely agree, had a gokart as a kid and I've been leaning into corners ever since! Use a single 27" monitor mounted above the wheel as close as I can get it to me. VR does look interesting though.
Immersion is definitely a big thing. I have a triple screen setup with a pull down roof, and the difference with the roof down is amazing. Without an outside reference, when you rev the car stationary and get minor body roll, your brain actually kicks a bit of vertigo your way. But VR is amazing for consistency, squeezing the last inch out of track limits, and learning new tracks much faster. But I hate wearing the headset, especially in summer.
Rocking the hp reverb g2 here and i will never go back to triples also open xr open composite is a big help
Looking forward to the Crystal Light review! I have the 8kx currently and not sure if it's worth upgrading yet.
If you're thinking about VR with a Quest 2 specifically, just don't. Between the annoyances and inconsistencies with Quest Link to battery anxiety, horrendous resolution, the whole world shimmering from shocking aliasing, bad performance, awful comfort, mid FOV, I really don't enjoy it. The experience so far has kind of turned me off of VR as a whole, and now I will have to choose between triples or a better headset which will probably be $800+ (plus a probable PC upgrade) that I might choose wrong.
Individual problems