To VR or not?

G-Slev

Rubbish Racer & Amateur Motorsport Photographer
Premium
I'm saving up for a new Fanatec Wheel/base, but my birthday is coming up shortly and I have seen the Oculus Quest 2 is available. I have no VR setup at the moment - and whilst I know that you can't say whether I should save for a wheel or VR, is it worth the investment for someone with no VR?

Gamermuscle seems to think it's good for VR newbies. I'm slightly hesitant at the facebook link. I am currently running triple 27" monitors, with an i5 8600k, 16gb of ram and an Nvidia 2060 Super.

I'm interested to hear your thoughts!
 
If you are hesitant about the Facebook link then just don't do it, there are plenty of other options to go with. Personally I don't race any other way but it really does depend, some people prefer triples and others an ultra-wide. What sims you race are going to determine if its the right way to play.
 
Upvote 0
Not sure what you are driving with a wheel at the moment, but I am assuming you already have a wheel and your question is: Should I get a better wheel or VR?

If your interest in SIM racing/driving is immersion then VR is the answer. Quest2 may not be the right choice as their is some doubts the compression and latency with the Oculus link is an acceptable compromise, but any PC VR goggles will be a good choice.
 
Upvote 0
Not sure what you are driving with a wheel at the moment, but I am assuming you already have a wheel and your question is: Should I get a better wheel or VR?

If your interest in SIM racing/driving is immersion then VR is the answer. Quest2 may not be the right choice as their is some doubts the compression and latency with the Oculus link is an acceptable compromise, but any PC VR goggles will be a good choice.

That's what I'm wary of. I've got a g29 with a set of v3 pedals at the moment - I'm looking at upgrading to a csl elite and either the formula V2 or the GT alcantara wheel.

I think I might just wait and see what happens. From my reading on the subject, I might be better saving up and getting a reverb G2 - it's a few more months of saving, but the consensus seems that it's a better option for simracing
 
Upvote 0
That's what I'm wary of. I've got a g29 with a set of v3 pedals at the moment - I'm looking at upgrading to a csl elite and either the formula V2 or the GT alcantara wheel.

I think I might just wait and see what happens. From my reading on the subject, I might be better saving up and getting a reverb G2 - it's a few more months of saving, but the consensus seems that it's a better option for simracing

If your GPU can take advantage of the reverb g2, then yes this the best option available at this point, but a Rift S, particularly second hand, can also be a very nice alternative. Once in VR, you will not need a fancy wheel on your base since in VR you will be seeing the exact wheel of any car you will drive. With the magic of VR the wheel even feel different in your hand from car to car, tricks our mind can play on us!
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0
If your GPU can take advantage of the reverb g2, then yes this the best option available at this point, but a Rift S, particularly second hand, can also be a very nice alternative. Once in VR, you will not need a fancy wheel on your base since in VR you will be seeing the exact wheel of any car you will drive. With the magic of VR the wheel even feel different in your hand from car to car, tricks our mind can play on us!

Do you think a second hand rift S would be a better starting point to get into it then?
 
Upvote 0
Do you think a second hand rift S would be a better starting point to get into it then?
I'd check the prices for a second hand G1 too. My G1 was only about £40 more than the Rift S, but the resolution is a noticeable step-up. The tracking of the controllers is not great though, so if you plan to use it for more than just sim work, then the Rift might be a better option or just wait for the G2

Your setup is close to what I originally had (I had the standard 2060). Officially, it is under the minimum spec for the G1, but above that for the Rift S. I did however find I could get 90fps in PC2, AC and iRacing from the G1 with the detail turned down, but this was with smaller grids of around 20. Bigger grids and some tracks (Zandvoort for some reason in AC) caused it to struggle.

I eventually upgraded to a 2070S for a little headroom and to allow bigger grids. I seem to be CPU bound mostly now and can turn the detail up a little, but in all honesty I cannot really tell the difference as the VR image is simply not as good as on a monitor, even in the G1. I don't care though, in a race I hardly notice and find myself ginning like an idiot for most of the time I have the headset on.
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0
I'm saving up for a new Fanatec Wheel/base, but my birthday is coming up shortly and I have seen the Oculus Quest 2 is available. I have no VR setup at the moment - and whilst I know that you can't say whether I should save for a wheel or VR, is it worth the investment for someone with no VR?

Gamermuscle seems to think it's good for VR newbies. I'm slightly hesitant at the facebook link. I am currently running triple 27" monitors, with an i5 8600k, 16gb of ram and an Nvidia 2060 Super.

I'm interested to hear your thoughts!
I have both, and never use my VR, but it is all personal preferences. For me it was 2 fold. Trying to use the mouse and keyboard with taking the visor (or whatever it is called) off and on all of the time was a pain. I am also one of those who could never get over the motion sickness that can come with VR. However, there are also those who will only race with VR, and swear by it. If you can try it first to see if you are susceptible to motion sickness, that my be advisable. As per this website 80% of people who try VR get motion sickness. From my personal perspective I prefer my DD wheel over anything VR gave me. So given the choice of saving for a better wheel or VR I would go with the wheel. I do have both, but my VR has been passed down to my son, but my DD wheel is used daily.

Keep in mind this is very subjective, and no wrong or right choice for everyone. On top of that I had to live with the guilt of supporting that sorry company that is Facebook (I have an Oculus).
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0
Trying to use the mouse and keyboard with taking the visor (or whatever it is called) off and on all of the time was a pain
I'd forgotten about this aspect. It took me quite a while to get to a point where I had the least reliance on the keyboard. I have considered some kind of voice activation to help, but I'm not comfortable with it.

If you can try it first to see if you are susceptible to motion sickness, that my be advisable.
This is good advice. I have had 4 people try my rig and 3 of them experienced nausea to some degree.
 
Upvote 0
I'd forgotten about this aspect. It took me quite a while to get to a point where I had the least reliance on the keyboard. I have considered some kind of voice activation to help, but I'm not comfortable with it.


This is good advice. I have had 4 people try my rig and 3 of them experienced nausea to some degree.
I have used Voice Attack (voiceattack.com), and it worked great. I mainly used it for Elite Dangerous in VR. I think they have a trial version to see if you like it. I bet that would work great for those who use VR. I am glad you brought this up. I forgot I had that since I don't use VR much any more, however, it would still be useful in racing sims as my button box doesn't allow keyboard commands that are required for some sims.
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0
I have used Voice Attack (voiceattack.com), and it worked great. I mainly used it for Elite Dangerous in VR. I think they have a trial version to see if you like it.
Funny you should say that, I have been considering it for that very same game! I struggle with the button combos on my HOTAS and it's nice to get involved in the system chat if you are doing something a little monotonous like mining.
 
Upvote 0
Funny you should say that, I have been considering it for that very same game! I struggle with the button combos on my HOTAS and it's nice to get involved in the system chat if you are doing something a little monotonous like mining.
For that game, there are downloadable profiles you can use that are very in-depth. Without something like Voice Attack I don't know how you could play that game unless you have 4 hands with 20 fingers on each ;).After you mentioned this, I reinstalled the software, and setup a profile for Automobilista 2. I forgot how useful this program can be. Now if Automobilista 2 would stop minimizing, so I can record a macro to use that would be great ;).
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0
If I do get VR, I have three DIY button boxes and as I usually race in my darkened office, I'm pretty used to finding the right button my touch. I also have one of those air mouse/keyboard remotes I can use in the dark. It takes practice, but after a while, you learn to navigate by touch alone
 
Upvote 0
I have both, and never use my VR, but it is all personal preferences. For me it was 2 fold. Trying to use the mouse and keyboard with taking the visor (or whatever it is called) off and on all of the time was a pain. I am also one of those who could never get over the motion sickness that can come with VR. However, there are also those who will only race with VR, and swear by it. If you can try it first to see if you are susceptible to motion sickness, that my be advisable. As per this website 80% of people who try VR get motion sickness. From my personal perspective I prefer my DD wheel over anything VR gave me. So given the choice of saving for a better wheel or VR I would go with the wheel. I do have both, but my VR has been passed down to my son, but my DD wheel is used daily.

Keep in mind this is very subjective, and no wrong or right choice for everyone. On top of that I had to live with the guilt of supporting that sorry company that is Facebook (I have an Oculus).

I use the Rift S and the nice thing is it gives you an overlay with your pc monitor visible so I can use the PC from within VR and start programs, change settings etc.
 
Upvote 0

Latest News

Online or Offline racing?

  • 100% online racing

    Votes: 74 7.2%
  • 75% online 25% offline

    Votes: 107 10.4%
  • 50% online 50% offline

    Votes: 150 14.6%
  • 25% online 75% offline

    Votes: 281 27.4%
  • 100% offline racing

    Votes: 409 39.9%
  • Something else, explain in comment

    Votes: 4 0.4%
Back
Top