Re: PC Sim Racing
 

For VR it looks like the Rift is the way to go for the most part. And from what I've seen, it looks like it can be had for $400, which seems awfully reasonable. So I started looking into it and downloaded the Oculus PC compatibility software. Unfortunately, here's my result:
https://photos.smugmug.com/Hobby-Stu...0Results-L.jpg

So it looks like my processor is not up to the task and evidently I may not have a USB 3.0, though I thought I did. On top of that, it appears my graphics card just barely meets the minimum spec. This system is 4.5 years old now so maybe I should be happy that's all that's out of spec!! :cry:

Honestly, building PCs and keeping up with their ever-evolving tech is not my strong suit. What are my options here? Can I upgrade just my processor? Will I need a new MB? How can I ensure USB 3.0 compatibility? Should I consider an upgraded video card? Do I need to build an entirely new system?? :shock:

FYI, here's what they're recommending:
https://photos.smugmug.com/Hobby-Stu...irements-L.jpg

Re: PC Sim Racing
 

If you really intend to do VR, Nvidia cards crush everybody in VR performance. I wish that weren't the case, as competition benefits us the consumers, but for the past few years at least, AMD performance in VR has been very lackluster. Even worse, Nvidia cards bring a hefty price thanks to crypto currency mining as well, at least the Pascal series cards did. Intel processors also seem to get better results for whatever reason. For what it would cost you to upgrade, you could likely just build a new PC.

But, VR isn't for everybody. I would encourage you to check it out first if possible before spending the money. Some love it, some hate it, some like it but aren't willing to sacrifice the top tier graphics of monitors for the immersion of VR. And, some get motion sickness in VR as well, I know Tim suffered from that. There's no one thing is best for everybody. I'd love to have triples for titles that don't support VR, just not willing to spend the cash.

For me personally though, nothing trumps actually being IN the car in a race, being able to intuitively look into a corner and spot my apex, brake markers, etc, same as you would in a real car. Judging distance between cars, closing speeds, and all of that is more natural as well. Hauling a load in ATS and need to check cross roads before pulling out, or check your mirror? Just turn your head and look over there, just like real life.

Re: PC Sim Racing
 

That's kinda what I figured, i.e. would be better off building a new system. *sigh* Not what I was hoping for as it performs well in iRacing. In ATS, however, I do see quite a bit of stuttering (not sure if that's what it's actually called) from time to time. I guess it's demanding on the video card?

One concern I have for VR besides what you already mentioned: How do you access keyboard buttons and external controls when using VR? I saw a very recent review and a guy was able to somehow see real objects while wearing the Rift S. I'm not sure how that works!

Re: PC Sim Racing
 

very well worded Randy! like he said its not for everybody, the current gen VR isnt for me.
i didnt see him mention it above, but he has before, and basically what youve discovered on your own. VR is VERY graphics power greedy. video card especially and maybe processor too.
go try a current gen VR somewhere. a few years ago when it launched my local best buy had a Oculus demo setup.
also consider waiting for next gen VR when all the current draw backs are worked out.

Re: PC Sim Racing
 

Yep, great point Cory. Can't believe I forgot that one. You can buy the best video card, processor, etc out today, and won't be able to run some sims at full graphics and hold 90fps (VR standard for the most part). BUT, I've been running my GTX 1070 for a couple years, and couldn't be happier. At the time, it was the best bang for the buck, and two years later I'm still very happy performance wise. Well optimized titles I can crank most things way up, and it looks really good. But barring some insane compute and GPU technology leaps, VR will always lag behind performance wise compared to regular monitors due to the extra overhead/work that has to be done. 2d gaming simply plots your position in a flat world in real time. VR has to build that world in 3D, wrap it around you, then move both the world and all the objects in it while still calculating your position in that world, all in real time. That's a gross oversimplification of course, but you get the idea. Point being, I don't think there will be a time in the near future when VR doesn't suffer graphically compared to pancake 2d gaming. Hell, they just announced displayport 2.0 today that will support 16k resolution on 2D displays FFS!

I wish you guys lived closer, I'd just have everyone over to try it out.

Re: PC Sim Racing
 

i wish you lived closer for the opposite reason! :lol:

Re: PC Sim Racing
 

Yeah, I'd love to try out a triple setup for sure.

Re: PC Sim Racing
 

The USB problem is motherboad based. I recommend getting a new morherboard and processor. Good thing is that it is fairly easy. When I moved to Uk I only brought what I coulf carry: Cpu, Motherboard, ram gpu wifi... the rest.I scanvengended from ebay. started with a gtx 970 which ran fine but I wanted more. now I have a 1070 which is more than plenty. cpu mine is 5+ years: i7 4770k along with Mboard: msi z87 g45. with a bit of time dedication and luck you get some bargain bids in ebay on old stuff like mine that still runs great.

Re: PC Sim Racing
 

Have you guys tried my Lancia S4 Grp.B for Assetto Corsa in VR? What a blast!!!

When I was still developing the physics for it, which took me almost 3 years! I still didnt have VR and the 3d model we were using was a place holder crappy, ported from elsewhere. When I finish developing the physics, Lucca was still making the final 3d model. In the meantime I moved to the UK where it took me a full year to get everything back like wheels, proper gpu, case, psu... so the next time I tried it was in VR with a proper finished 3d model. What a blast!

Re: PC Sim Racing
 

lol saw this one this morning :lol:
https://scontent-dfw5-2.xx.fbcdn.net...92&oe=5D855D96

Re: PC Sim Racing
 

^^LMAO! It's true. And not only do you still suck, but now you get to really be there for the suck. :lmao: I'll never forget those first laps in Dirt Rally though. Some people get motion sickness in VR, I'm glad I don't. It's one of my most memorable gaming experiences of my lifetime.


Nope, but may I have a link to it please? By Group B, I assume it's a rally car?

Re: PC Sim Racing
 

https://www.racedepartment.com/downl...n-v-1-0.22780/

Re: PC Sim Racing
 

So a bit of an update on my sim rig. It showed up about 2 weeks ago and the day it arrived I had it assembled. Took a couple hours taking my time. The seat is free and crappy. It was part of a Playstation "racing cockpit" of some sort and is pretty old. I'll replace it with a more conventional reclining car seat. Nonetheless, it's better than the office chair I'd been using! :mrgreen:
https://photos.smugmug.com/Hobby-Stu...IMG_5290-L.jpg

You may be able to notice it's sitting on a desk in my living room. That's because I'm redoing my hobby room. Old desks are gone and I've got a new desk for working on RCs and I decided to build the rig on it. The room was getting emptied so I could paint it. That's done now and pics of the completed project will be coming later.

Here's the rig placed into the room. It's heavy and was fun to remove from the desk by myself!
https://photos.smugmug.com/Hobby-Stu...IMG_5380-L.jpg

A few things to note and general observations....

The pedal plate is as low as it can go. I would like them lower.....or the seat higher. Since the pedals can't go lower, I ordered some taller 8020 profile (40x80) to raise the seat 40mm. That may be enough, but we'll see. The wheel and shifter can be adjusted fore/aft and in height so no issues there.

The throat of the clamp mount for the Thrustmaster TH8A shifter isn't tall enough to go over the 80mm tall profile. So for the time being I rotated the profile to its side. The shifter now mounts to it, but as you can see it now intrudes into the driver area. It's not bad, but Randy (hpiguy) generously offered to send me a mounting plate for my shifter that should make it easier to attach to the profile properly! Thanks, Randy! Here's a pic of the current configuration:
https://photos.smugmug.com/Hobby-Stu...IMG_5382-L.jpg

The monitors (triple 24"s) are mounted on an old desk I had. Height-wise, the monitor mount is as low as it can go and it's perfectly centered with my eyes. Great! And when I raise the seat, I've got plenty of room to raise the monitors accordingly. However, I really want to get the monitors as close to my face as is reasonably possible. Looking under the desk you can see that it has a back wall and that my rig is pushed under it as far as it can go.
https://photos.smugmug.com/Hobby-Stu...IMG_5381-L.jpg

I will cut a large hole in the back of the desk. This will allow me to move the monitors closer to me. it looks like I can get approximately 9-10 inches closer before the steering wheel base will contact the desk. If my calculations are right, that should get me about 25-28 inches from the center monitor to my eyes. Hopefully that'll be close enough.
https://photos.smugmug.com/Hobby-Stu...IMG_5386-L.jpg

I also noticed that the Thrustmaster steering wheel base and pedal assembly only mount with 2 screws each. For the pedals that seems fine. However, the steering base can still move just a bit. It's not really noticeable while driving, but I'd hoped for better. It doesn't appear the bolts are too long and bottoming out. I also tried tightening the bolts down more and I've gotten to the point where I'm concerned about stripping the threads if I go any tighter. So I think it's as good as it'll get. It's not bad, though, and I'm not really disappointed. The 8020 profile and Sim Lab mounting plate are dead solid, by the way.

So how do I like it? Well, it's awfully low right now and is rather awkward to get in/out of. Once in it, however, it's a huge improvement over sitting at my desk is an office chair on rollers! :ror: I actually feel like I'm sitting in a car now. Actually, because of the low seat height I feel more like I'm sitting in an F1 car, but that's temporary. I actually found myself being able to concentrate more on my driving because I wasn't concerned about the wheel base moving on my desk.....or my chair moving away from the desk as I apply the brakes really hard... It was a much more immersive experience overall!

My experience thus far is limited to iRacing, specifically the Lucas Oil trucks and the Vette at Spa. But the fact that the Vette felt half @$$ decent was a testimony to the new rig! :mrgreen: While my initial laps were pretty confidence inspiring and fairly quick, I feel there's going to be a learning curve here and I hope to get faster as I get more comfortable with the new setup. Racing is already SO much more fun, though!!

I need to figure out what to do about a keyboard/mouse now. I will likely just get a small table to place to the right of the rig for my mouse. I will look into some sort of swing-out keyboard mount to attach the keyboard on the left side. I could attach it to the 8020 or to the desk, but need to locate the desk/monitors before I decide on a solution. Right now, my PC is just to my right so the mouse lives on top of it and that's working surprisingly well, but I don't want that for a long term solution.

Anyway, so far I'm loving this setup and have a Fanatec handbrake on order so I can try my hand at AC drifiting again. Can't wait to try some rally, too! Oh, and American Truck Simulator!! :mrgreen::mrgreen:

Re: PC Sim Racing
 

tommy i dont fool with a mouse. i bought one of these. i just set it on a old 18" cubed foot stool next to me.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Logitech-...Black/17253322

i love it. its such a clean solution. no wires. 2n1. no table needed for mouse or keyboard.
i put it in my lap when i need to type or use mouse pad. otherwise it just sits next to me on footstool when im racing and just need access to keys for changing black box, etc etc.

ive owned both the logitech and microsoft versions. i think im currently using the microsoft version.
price is right too.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Microsoft...erica/37147035

Re: PC Sim Racing
 

Thanks, Cory! My keyboard and mouse right now are both wireless and I've considered a keyboard with integrated touchpad, but really prefer to keep them separate, if possible. I really don't like touchpads in general. :( Worst case, I'll put a small table on either side of me. LOL

Re: PC Sim Racing
 

Re: PC Sim Racing
 

^^That seems like overkill for racing, but perfect for flight sims. If I were rich, I'd want one for flight sims that can do loops and rolls though. :mrgreen:

Re: PC Sim Racing
 

Randys flight sim rig when he wins the lottery
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CoA-m5iHG9s" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Re: PC Sim Racing
 

That, looks, uh....like an easy way to just spike yourself into the floor. :lmao:

Re: PC Sim Racing
 

So in iRacing I'm typically seeing 70-80 FPS with my PC setup. I never notice any kind of notchiness or stuttering under pretty much any circumstance. And that's great! However, in American Truck Simulator I often see my framerates drop dramatically. I get it....the scenery is ever-evolving, there's rain, day/night, and wide expanses of land. I'm sure all of this is very taxing for the CPU and GPU. Last night I finally had my framerates displayed in ATS. Best I ever saw was maybe 50-60. Lots of times it was in the 20s-30s and a few times it was in the teens!! :shock:

So it got me thinking. What can I do to upgrade my system for better performance? I'm mostly looking toward my CPU/MB and my GPU. If I change my CPU/MB I'd like to go to Intel because they look to be better for VR. Not sure I'll go to VR, but I'd like to be prepared if I do. But maybe my GPU is old and outdated, too? I built this system 4-5 years ago so I'm due for updtes, I'm sure.

This is my CPU:
AMD - Athlon X4 760K 3.8 GHz Quad-Core Processor

My MB:
ASRock - FM2A88M EXTREME4+ Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard

My GPU:
Sapphire - Radeon R9 290 4 GB Tri-X Video Card

Here's the problem. I don't know squat about models, part numbers, or anything when it comes to building a PC. No clue what's the latest and greatest.....what is compatible with what....what fits in my mini-tower.....nor what I should be looking for. Where do I start to learn more about my options? And of course if y'all have suggestions for parts I should consider, I'm all ears.

Thanks! "thumbsup":)