Racing Sims, Gear, and Games

[BoomMF 1398]

So I've been getting into racing sims and upgraded my trusty Logitech G29 to a direct drive setup by Fanatec. Brother, let me tell you, it's a whole different immersive experience. Covid sent racing sim interest into the stratosphere, and there are a bunch of products that elevate the experience - you can achieve quite a lot of fidelity nowadays.

 

Here's what I ended up with so far:

 

Fanatec DD2 wheel base

Fanatec R300 wheel and a 2021 Limited Edition F1 wheel

Fanatec Clubsport Pedals V3 Inverted

Fanatec Clubsport Shifter SQ and Handbrake

Sim Lab P1-X racing cockpit (Sparco Evo II US seat)

Samsung Odyssey G9 49" curved display that switches duty with an Oculus Quest 2

Alienware M15 w/ RTX 3080

 

I'm looking into adding a seat mover (like Next Level Racing's Motion Platform V3), but there are options here, like those from DOFReality. Other than that, I might collect a few more wheels, but the setup is pretty done for a while.

 

The way all the road information gets transmitted to the wheel is something else. You get some great force feedback with the Logitech, but it caps at around 2.5 Nm of force. That's not a lot of headroom to convey it all. The DD2, on the other hand, has 25 Nm of force at the ready, coupled with a free-floating, non-geared drive shaft that feels like butter to spin, which is enough to break your wrists (not broken bones, but broken grip - I GUESS it could break your bones too if you crank up the juice and don't pay attention, who knows...)  and deliver an immersive experience like no other.

 

 

 

After I skill up a bit, I'll try my hand at racing with the crazies in iRacing. Steam's current sale has the year membership at $30, so that's almost a no-brainer.

 

If anyone else wants to hop on and race in Project Cars 1, 2, 3, Assetto Corsa Competizione, Assetto Corsa, or rFactor 2, holler. I'll try any game, just pick your poison.

Edited June 27, 2021 by BoomMF

[immamac 42835]

I love the idea of getting one of these set ups, I just don't have the time to spend actually racing with the young kiddo. I'm thinking once he can use it I'll spring for a mini and a normal sized setup so we can race together. 

[BoomMF 1398]

Coincidentally, some of my justification was along the lines of, "we can use it to teach the kids how to drive, safely, and without the need to carry some extra personal asset protecting insurance."

[ChickenSandwich 9826]

Waiting on the new CSL DD from Fanatec that is compatible with PS5 to be released (8nm w/boost kit under $500). 
 

the add accessories. Hoping it’s a big jump from the Thrustmaster set ups. 

[BoomMF 1398]

CSL DD is the first big disruptor to hit this market.

I was wave 1 for the pre-order, and while we're waiting for fulfillment I came across a killer deal on the DD2 (which was very lucky since there are NO deals to be had with sim racing gear atm) so I cancelled. Had I not I'd be eagerly anticipating it with the 180W power supply. I don't know how Thrustmaster intend to respond (properly), but they need to quickly. Once the CSL DD becomes stocked, that segment will be on lock.

[hobbes2702 13029]

Well I bought F1 2021 and the Logitech G923. If I get into as much as I think I will then I’ll start looking into a chair thing. 

[William Wallace 106]

Wow, sick setup.  I haven't had a wheel in 20 years.  

What Games do you like to play on it.

I haven't really gotten into Horizon, Forza Motorsport is more my groove.

[BoomMF 1398]

Well I bought F1 2021 and the Logitech G923. If I get into as much as I think I will then I’ll start looking into a chair thing. 

If not a chair, check out a wheel base of some sort (Wheel Stand Pro kind of thing) since a sturdy mount is the best upgrade next to a wheel. But for seats, if you don't want to go the aluminum profile route, check out Next Level Racing's rigs. I started with a GTTrack and that thing was rock solid. But they have quite a few good solutions up and down the lineup.

In other news, I decided to upgrade the button cluster to a Podium Button Module. Should have just done this in the first place, those other buttons didn't really solve any problems. Now I can map far more than I can remember which is a perfect amount.

[hobbes2702 13029]

1 minute ago, BoomMF said:

If not a chair, check out a wheel base of some sort (Wheel Stand Pro kind of thing) since a sturdy mount is the best upgrade next to a wheel. But for seats, if you don't want to go the aluminum profile route, check out Next Level Racing's rigs. I started with a GTTrack and that thing was rock solid. But they have quite a few good solutions up and down the lineup.

In other news, I decided to upgrade the button cluster to a Podium Button Module. Should have just done this in the first place, those other buttons didn't really solve any problems. Now I can map far more than I can remember which is a perfect amount.

Ended up getting some kinda stand type thing from Vevor. Should work fine with my gaming chair I think.

https://www.amazon.com/VEVOR-Steering-Logitech-Thrustmaster，Wheel-Included/dp/B077PZKNDH

[Elvis 3371]

On 6/26/2021 at 10:36 PM, BoomMF said:

So I've been getting into racing sims and upgraded my trusty Logitech G29 to a direct drive setup by Fanatec. Brother, let me tell you, it's a whole different immersive experience. Covid sent racing sim interest into the stratosphere, and there are a bunch of products that elevate the experience - you can achieve quite a lot of fidelity nowadays.

 

Here's what I ended up with so far:

 

Fanatec DD2 wheel base

Fanatec R300 wheel and a 2021 Limited Edition F1 wheel

Fanatec Clubsport Pedals V3 Inverted

Fanatec Clubsport Shifter SQ and Handbrake

Sim Lab P1-X racing cockpit (Sparco Evo II US seat)

Samsung Odyssey G9 49" curved display that switches duty with an Oculus Quest 2

Alienware M15 w/ RTX 3080

 

I'm looking into adding a seat mover (like Next Level Racing's Motion Platform V3), but there are options here, like those from DOFReality. Other than that, I might collect a few more wheels, but the setup is pretty done for a while.

 

The way all the road information gets transmitted to the wheel is something else. You get some great force feedback with the Logitech, but it caps at around 2.5 Nm of force. That's not a lot of headroom to convey it all. The DD2, on the other hand, has 25 Nm of force at the ready, coupled with a free-floating, non-geared drive shaft that feels like butter to spin, which is enough to break your wrists (not broken bones, but broken grip - I GUESS it could break your bones too if you crank up the juice and don't pay attention, who knows...)  and deliver an immersive experience like no other.

 

 

 

After I skill up a bit, I'll try my hand at racing with the crazies in iRacing. Steam's current sale has the year membership at $30, so that's almost a no-brainer.

 

If anyone else wants to hop on and race in Project Cars 1, 2, 3, Assetto Corsa Competizione, Assetto Corsa, or rFactor 2, holler. I'll try any game, just pick your poison.

That's crazy.  That isn't running off of a laptop, is it?  Assuming no, what is the laptop for?

[BoomMF 1398]

7 hours ago, Elvis said:

That's crazy.  That isn't running off of a laptop, is it?  Assuming no, what is the laptop for?

Yeah. Alienware m15 R4 with an RTX 3080 doing the heavy lifting. It can push that 49" monitor (effectively a 6k panel) at a comfortable 140Hz. It's crazy what laptops can do these days.

[BoomMF 1398]

Installed a Next Level Racing Motion V3 into the rig. Rally racing just got an upgrade.