Have Your Say: Can You Sim Race Competitively With a Controller?

Paul Jeffrey

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For our 'Have Your Say' article this week, we would like to know if you think it possible to sim race competitively on a handheld controller...

I've heard it mentioned in various forums a number of times in the past and thought it might make for an interesting discussion topic in our 'Have Your Say' feature articles, the question of controllers in sim racing, and if they can provide enough functionality to allow a driver to race competitively against his or her sim racing rivals.

This is an interesting topic, as in theory with a controller one can apply lock to lock movement infinitely quicker than someone using a traditional racing wheel - but is it enough to give that vital laptime edge?

So the question for today is:

Is it possible to sim race competitively with a gaming controller?

Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!

picture credit: RaceRoom.com
 
well, its possible but i dont even want to imagine what unhuman mind and fevered, hellish thoughts would lie behind it
not to mention total lack of immersion
Good luck to all pad users, i only use one in wreckfest.
Before i had any wheel i tried AMS with pad, some cars like wrx evo felt rly nice but its easy to fail with more sensitive cars, lets say SST
 
Possible to hotlap moderately well? Yes, depending on the car.
Possible to drive predictably in a pack of cars with respect to other drivers? No.
Possible to comfortably complete long endurance races? No.
 
I'm wondering if it's a generational thing.
The younger members of my family can use controllers with no issues, my aged relatives can't do the simplest of things. I refund anything that requires a controller!
 

RMR1

@Simberia
Some race competitively with mouse and keyboard...
Last time I drove with a controller was in GPL, and heck, it was more easy than using a non ffb Microsoft wheel. But that’s ages ago.
All wheels here because of immersion.
 
Dat immersion tho? Feeling the road and the car through the wheel plus actually frekkin driving it like a real car with wheel, pedals and shifter is EVERYTHING! Unless of course you are only after competing and dont care about cars or immersion. Just move a "thing" to the end of the track and see yourself on a high score list. For that im sure gamepads are enough. Well, as mentioned above, most people will have issues with more sensitive and weird handling cars without a FFB wheel. Since the forces tell you what the car is doing.
 

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