Newbie - need help

[Gibber]

Hi Guys - Looking for some help and suggestions. Hopefully I am in the right spot. I am an old guy (60's) don't know a lot about technology but love racing. Would like to get involve in this hobby but need some direction on where to start. Was thinking of starting with a PS4 and G29 Wheel. Budget is not a real concern but would like to get a solid start before investing a lot. Any help on hardware and games to start with would be much appreciated. For me some of the technology seems to be out of my comfort zone!! Thanks to all in advance.

 

[Caramidaru Andrei Bogdan]

Depends on what are you looking for, full immersion, fun multi-player, etc.. I would recommend a pc and a 28 monitor (single) wait for oculus, for most realistic I I think rfactor 2 is best at that for multi-player fun iracing is good but expensive. I for like raceroom allot and dirt rally.
Check Rd club events and be sure to join ts, also have tons of patience prepared

 

[Gerbuho]

I'd say PC because it gives you more options to start and in the future, besides, you can always give it other uses if the sim thing doesn't work for you.

About the games is hard to tell, everyone has its favevourite but I think a real "starter" sim would be Race 07, it's old and the graphics show it but it's still a good sim, very easy to use (friendly interface) and has a lot of content with the expansions (not an issue but it's worth mention that it's extremely cheap).

For the more recent: Try them all, RaceRoom, Assetto Corsa, Stock Car Extreme, rFactor 2... only you will know which one becomes your cup of tea.

 

[Kenny Paton]

Hi Guys - Looking for some help and suggestions. Hopefully I am in the right spot. I am an old guy (60's) don't know a lot about technology but love racing. Would like to get involve in this hobby but need some direction on where to start. Was thinking of starting with a PS4 and G29 Wheel. Budget is not a real concern but would like to get a solid start before investing a lot. Any help on hardware and games to start with would be much appreciated. For me some of the technology seems to be out of my comfort zone!! Thanks to all in advance.

Firstly, welcome to Race Department . Hopefully we can help you get started in sim racing.
Couple of things to think about.
A console is certainly easier but a pc will give you more choice and greater depth.
What type of racing do you like, open wheelers, tintops etc.
Would you prefer a more realistic driving experience or just pure fun. Although the two are not mutually exclusive.
If you go for the PS4 then Project Cars would be the best choice for all round racing. It has its issues but would be a good starting place.

That hopefully will get you thinking and please come back with any more questions there are plenty of people on here who will try and help you.

 

[Brian Greenwood]

I tried a PS3 GT6 for a short time but decided to move over to PC (about 3 weeks ago) and its brilliant.

Although a PC is more technically challenging there always help at hand

If you do decide on the Pc give me a shout I will gladly send you a friends request


And welcome

 

[K.Schaefer]

Imho real gaming has to be on pc. The better programs are on pc. Console is always a bit to arcade for me

 

[Gibber]

First, thanks for all of the welcoming replies and information. After my first post and further investigation, I am planning on going the PC route. I am in contact with a local person that builds Gaming PC's. Although I don't know much about computer technology and needs, he seems to think I could get a pretty good setup for around $600. It seems that will give me more flexibility. I will be back in touch with some of you that offered help after the holidays when things slow down a bit. Merry Christmas to all and Happy Holidays.

 

[Kenny Paton]

First, thanks for all of the welcoming replies and information. After my first post and further investigation, I am planning on going the PC route. I am in contact with a local person that builds Gaming PC's. Although I don't know much about computer technology and needs, he seems to think I could get a pretty good setup for around $600. It seems that will give me more flexibility. I will be back in touch with some of you that offered help after the holidays when things slow down a bit. Merry Christmas to all and Happy Holidays.

That seems reasonable to me for a gaming pc, but before you buy it I suggest you get the specs and components list from him and post it here.
Have a great Christmas.

 

[K.Schaefer]

600$ seems to be a fairly nice start...that is the con. With pc gaming, you need a bit more money.
Console is cheaper.

A TV set very often is allready there. Console is right now around 350 Euros with bundle. So there would be still be money for controller/wheel.

 

[Paul Bennett]

Hi Gibber , glad you went the PC route sounds like your getting a good machine lets us know whats inside. Plenty of guys here to get you up an running with the sims an wheel choice's.

 

[Emery]

Going the PC route is good.

Now, on the wheel, at this point I would say skip Logitech. They were a reasonable choice until about 2012, but they have not improved their technology to keep up with modern sims. Thrustmaster T300 or a better brand will provide a more consistent experience across the sims.

 

[Gary Horneck]

Hey Gibber, 64 and die-hard sim head here. 50" UHD 4k TV, more powerful PC, and Fanatec wheel and pedals, and you are good to go. UHD 4k easier on our older eyes...