I have that lovely ADHD trait of getting excited about a new hobby, spending too much money on gear and then getting bored. So when I decided to give sim racing a go I started with a cheap second hand wheel, pedals and seat from marketplace, my old ps4, GT7 and the TV i already have in the spare room. I promised my wife “No significant spending on this until my birthday or fathers day”.
If you have a semi-decent PC keep an eye out for Assetto Corsa Ultimate Edition on sale. Then get Content Manager and Custom Shaders Patch. Then start exploring mods. It’ll change your life.
Fair enough. I’m not sure how transferable your Gran Turismo skills will be over to other sims, but if you’re having fun that’s the main thing.
I started my simracing journey with a Logitech Momo wheel and the original rFactor around 2006/7, and then a lot of GTR Evolution after years of playing NFS and the original Dirt (Dirt is the one that had me craving more realism and prompted getting rFactor). I did get a PS3 and GT5 and GT6 when it came out in 2013, but didn’t find the gameplay compelling - it seemed to be mostly ‘pass a bunch of grandma drivers from the back of the field in 3 laps to progress’, which isn’t what I call racing and got old fast.
After progressing through a couple of G27s and a G29, I finally plumped for a direct drive wheel la couple of years ago (Moza R5) and have recently added a Moza shifter and handbrake. I’ve also got a car seat from the wreckers, and built myself a table around 2011 that I still use. I picked up a Quest 2 in 2022 because VR simracing is amazing. So I’ve spent maybe 3 or 4 thousand dollars on my simracing setup, but spread out over 20 or so years, that’s not too bad.
I got a seat, Thrustmaster t300rs wheel and pedals for $400 aud, then someone was selling the same wheel but with the upgraded pedals and the addon shifter for $300 so I bought it because the load cell brake is so much better. Ive put the other wheel and pedals away because my daughter is 6 and keeps wanting a turn so when I jump to ps5 Ill build her a little rig with the ps4
I settled on GT7 for 2 reasons. I already had a PS4 and bought GT7 years ago but playing it on controler just wasnt fun so there was no financial outlay outside of the setup and it was also the game that some people I watch on YT did some videos with. I do agree that the non online racing isnt exactly inspired.
Im also working on a rig that I can pack down to small enough to slot into a gap next to the couch when Im not using it but without a huge pile of ball ache to set up.
Still very much in prototype stage but loosten off the wheel, loosten off the stand and concertina the whole thing down to about a 50cm x50cm footprint.
I switched to a loadcell brake last year as well (Moza SR-P), and 100% agree about the improvement, but what surprised me the most with that pedal set was how much of a difference the extra resolution in the throttle pedal made after using the G25/7/9 pedals for years.
And yeah, playing any racing game on controller just feels so disconnected compared to a wheel. Even mouse steering is better than that. (Ah, the fun I had on Midtown Madness)
Non.
I have that lovely ADHD trait of getting excited about a new hobby, spending too much money on gear and then getting bored. So when I decided to give sim racing a go I started with a cheap second hand wheel, pedals and seat from marketplace, my old ps4, GT7 and the TV i already have in the spare room. I promised my wife “No significant spending on this until my birthday or fathers day”.
If you have a semi-decent PC keep an eye out for Assetto Corsa Ultimate Edition on sale. Then get Content Manager and Custom Shaders Patch. Then start exploring mods. It’ll change your life.
I do and I know the whole PC world is there but I decided “I need to finish gt7” as an exercise in skill development.
Fair enough. I’m not sure how transferable your Gran Turismo skills will be over to other sims, but if you’re having fun that’s the main thing.
I started my simracing journey with a Logitech Momo wheel and the original rFactor around 2006/7, and then a lot of GTR Evolution after years of playing NFS and the original Dirt (Dirt is the one that had me craving more realism and prompted getting rFactor). I did get a PS3 and GT5 and GT6 when it came out in 2013, but didn’t find the gameplay compelling - it seemed to be mostly ‘pass a bunch of grandma drivers from the back of the field in 3 laps to progress’, which isn’t what I call racing and got old fast.
After progressing through a couple of G27s and a G29, I finally plumped for a direct drive wheel la couple of years ago (Moza R5) and have recently added a Moza shifter and handbrake. I’ve also got a car seat from the wreckers, and built myself a table around 2011 that I still use. I picked up a Quest 2 in 2022 because VR simracing is amazing. So I’ve spent maybe 3 or 4 thousand dollars on my simracing setup, but spread out over 20 or so years, that’s not too bad.
My current rig
I got a seat, Thrustmaster t300rs wheel and pedals for $400 aud, then someone was selling the same wheel but with the upgraded pedals and the addon shifter for $300 so I bought it because the load cell brake is so much better. Ive put the other wheel and pedals away because my daughter is 6 and keeps wanting a turn so when I jump to ps5 Ill build her a little rig with the ps4
I settled on GT7 for 2 reasons. I already had a PS4 and bought GT7 years ago but playing it on controler just wasnt fun so there was no financial outlay outside of the setup and it was also the game that some people I watch on YT did some videos with. I do agree that the non online racing isnt exactly inspired.
Im also working on a rig that I can pack down to small enough to slot into a gap next to the couch when Im not using it but without a huge pile of ball ache to set up.
Still very much in prototype stage but loosten off the wheel, loosten off the stand and concertina the whole thing down to about a 50cm x50cm footprint.
That’s brilliant!
I switched to a loadcell brake last year as well (Moza SR-P), and 100% agree about the improvement, but what surprised me the most with that pedal set was how much of a difference the extra resolution in the throttle pedal made after using the G25/7/9 pedals for years.
And yeah, playing any racing game on controller just feels so disconnected compared to a wheel. Even mouse steering is better than that. (Ah, the fun I had on Midtown Madness)