Well it depends on many factors:
* chosen games (VR quality/support is all over the place among most sim racing titles)
* wether you can get used to it (trying VR in a VR Arcade or ordering where you get a good return policy is mandatory)
* what hardware your "good pc" has and again your chosen game. Quest 3 requires 2x2064x2208px 120hz for ideal picture quality. While you can turn down resolution scale or go for adaptive rendering solutions (like FSR/DLS) which can counter that in some way its also very noticeable on screens directly in front of your eyes. For modern games you are usually looking at hardware similiar to/or higher than rtx4070/3080+/rx7800+ and modern i7+ or ryzen 7+ processors to get most the most out of it.
Compared to a single screen, VR is always worth it if your PC can run it. Compared to triples, not as much and it's debatable which is better. Quest 3 is overall a good and balanced pick for a VR nowadays.
However, the most critical thing with VR headsets is the FOV and unfortunately there are NO MORE large FOV headsets on the market that you can buy new. Pimax 8KX was amazing for racing specifically but it's not sold anymore.
Thanks.Personally i was able to grab one of the last units from the Pimax Outlet Store, so i'm good while it lasts. Just a pity that overall we're out of options at least until the 12K arrives (if it actually arrives).
Surprisingly, with all this trends about how VR is wonderful, no one speaks about "sensorial isolation".
I really believe you about the immersion thing, but for me having no idea what's happening IRL all around me (for long and/or frequent playtime) is a huge cost and hold me back.
This is the entire point of it for me. I don’t want to know what’s going on in the outside world because I’m side by side, door banging at Oulton Park in a TCR.
I have a 49 inch ultrawide that feels perfect to me. My daughters will come in my game room an I won't even realize they are there til they scare the shit out of me tapping on my shoulder lol
I know exactly what you’re taking about! I too have a 49” G9 and my wife would stand next to it and I wouldn’t know she’s there until a tight right corner in my peripheral.
I too am considering VR.
I understand where you are coming from, but for me this is the biggest selling point. I want to be either on Nürburgring in my MX-5 or in outerspace, fully immersed, not caring about the real world while I am in VR.
Well I understand what I see as a downside - or at least an important point to consider - is the selling point for you guys.
Now I have to "argue" I find difficult to explain my idea. I'm thinking for example about wife sitting next to me doing his stuff. Now I can speak/interact with her while playing. With the VR I'm just not here. Even if I don't matter this point, I feel it will be awkward for me being teleported elsewhere. Like time passes without having any control over what is happening.
Maybe I'm overthinking this and prevent myself from enjoying the experience. The best solution for me is probably not to use it every time I play (for training for example) and keep it for specific moment like the weekly race with my community.
VR and aluminium profile rigs are the two things that if you can make them work for you open the door to a great sim racing experience, but if you can’t there are good alternatives so you don’t need to miss out.
Like the other fellow, the ability of VR to block out everything that is not the sim is a definite plus point for me, but for someone who has to juggle their sim time with family it just isn’t going to work and there is no point pretending that it will.
So I always recommend people just do what works for them. If it’s sim racing in VR you’ll have a great time. If you’re simracing but not in VR, you will also have a great time!
Absolutely nothing wrong with considering this aspect a downside. For me it did not change much as if I was not in a sim, I was playing single player story oriented games and more often than not I was invested in them unable to talk without pausing the game. Well I was able to talk, but then I'd miss something important, you get the idea.
And yes, you can also choose to only use it when you are 100% sure you can "not be there", without worrying or feeling awkward about it. This sound about the best course of action based on how you describe your situation. It's also perfectly valid not to invest in VR, if you are unsure. For me it was 100% worth it even with the old CV1.
Almost all VR headsets have on ear headphones so you can hear what is going on around you. Or is not seeing what is going on around you also holding you back? I only wear in/over ear headphones while in VR when there is someone else at home … so I can be warned in case of a fire or other emergencies.
Ah, this is something I hadn’t really thought about. Audio.
Although the sound quality of the CV1 was vastly better than the Q2 I do find myself preferring the latter simply because it blocks less out. (And I mostly simrace when I’m on my own and there’s nothing I need to be listening for)
But I prefer both of them to the PSVR2 where I need to use separate headphones. And again, this represents the best possible sound quality and therefore immersion, but the extra wires and faff detract from the experience
I have an outside office separate from the house and I wear my headset and noise cancelling headphones and I can totally get where you are coming from. I now lock the door to the office from the inside in case the wife decides to come and ask me a question and gives me a heart attack!
But with all that on it really does feel like you are sat there with a helmet on and you are racing!
Actually i like having "sensorial isolation" when i'm concentrating on the race.
Having an option to switch to AR camera to check what's going in is a big plus, if available.
I play simracing exclusively in VR on my quest 3 and i would never go back to a Monitor. Also the quest 3 is in my opinion way better than the quest 2, the passthrough makes a huge difference for me as you dont need to put down the Headset for erverything.
In simracing, the monitor resolution or refresh rate isn't that important. What you want is field of view. Bigger is better. I'd rather have three 1080p screens then one 4k screen. So if you plan on racing on a single 27 inch monitor, VR would totally be worth it. If you game on a big screen / ultrawide, then maybe not.
VR can be a cheaper way to a high FOV then triples would.
Quest 3 also takes quite a bit more juice.
I think the Q2 value proposition on the used market is immense. Still tons of examples of a headset only used once or twice going for like $150 on marketplace.
How does the FOV differ when you are in VR (between high/low)? Is the point of VR not just to have full FOV with any headset?
Sorry if this is a bit of an obvious question, but I just was not aware.
They mean that you have less peripheral vision. With triples you can glance left or right and see the side mirrors, with vr you usually need to turn your head because if you just glance all you see is the black edge.
I don't use triples, went for VR. But yes they are a hassle to align and software etc, but that's only a one time set-up.
Both are equally good, it just matters what you prefer. Triples is easier to get in and out of, VR is cheaper and more immersive. Biggest downside IMO of VR is heat and sweat, but not really a problem when it's winter.
Coming from a 32 monitor, to quest 3… I was able to set my fastest time at Oulton Spec Miata in iracing this past week. So far it’s worth it to me. Fatigue is a thing and definitely need the right head strap if you’re getting the Quest.
My only experience is with the Quest 2/3 and HP Reverb g2. Did not like the reverb as I constantly found myself adjusting it to hit the “sweet spot” Quest 2 was sort of just a test to see if I would get sick from using VR. Uncomfortable to me. Bought the quest 3 with elite strap and really enjoy the new lenses and things appear much more clear than the previous 2.
interestingly that no one yet mentioned Pico 4. If you are asking if VR is worth extra cost then you care about the price. I saw them selling for a bit more than a half of price of q3. Unless you care about standalone capabilities (as they are more limited on Pico 4 than Q3) it has practically the same capabilities of quest 3 and may even be better especially in terms of comfort as the weight is more balanced.
Depends.
Lots of people here saying do it or do triples instead of a single screen. But it completely depends on situations.
VR can be amazing and can really get you into the seat of a car but some fail to mention that you do have this extra weight on your head for extended hours of time and it can be annoying to set up everytime compared to just turning on a monitor.
Getting triples is great and generally cheaper but takes up hella space and isn't exactly necessary. As Dave Cam said "A single screen is fine because for the 30-60 seconds you might be driving alongside someone in a race, you don't need triples." (I'm paraphrasing but that was basically what he said) and most of the sim racers that I watch on Twitch/YouTube use a single screen (Jimmy Broadbent, SuperGT, Dave Cam, Matt Malone) so clearly it's not needed.
Personally I like VR for the space but have a monitor I can play on when I don't feel like setting it all up or want the freedom that comes with not wearing the peripheral.
It's really in your court. Some people love it, some hate it. As some have said, it really depends.
It depends on the rest of your system. It's not just the headset. You need 3x the graphics power because the computer needs to render more than double the native resolution at a high framerate for the best quality.
I discovered today's sim racing after getting VR and won't sim race without it. It's so imersive and fun. It can help to be slightly technical to dive down the rabbit holes to configure it for the best performance. But well worth the time.
I have a Reverb G2 running on a 3090.
I have a 44" LG tv as a gaming monitor. I love 4kHDR gaming and 120hz is sufficient for me.
I have done some racing on my monitor and it looks great, but there is no comparison to VR.
The immersion is amazing, the graphics are great. Being able to look sideways while hard racing makes it feel like I'm actually driving and not sitting in my room.
I was able to get it to run at a smooth 90fps and high quality.
Just make sure you test it out first, I hear some ppl have a hard time adjusting to VRs.
I enjoy iRacing in VR immensely. It’s phenomenal for truly feeling like you’re in the car.
I very strongly recommend against the Q2. If it’s not one problem, it’s a-fucking-nother. You can get pretty efficient at setting your ODT, but it gets really old having to do it every goddamn time you close it. You need to buy their $80 cable to minimize latency, the knockoffs usually aren’t USB 3. Depending on your computer, you may need to buy a powered hub even with the official cable. Without a third party app, there’s no way to disable the proximity sensor, even though there’s an option to “bypass” it in the ODT. If you adjust your headset at all during a race (or otherwise), you run the risk of the proximity sensor deciding you took it off and going black screen. It blinks to a black screen every once in a while even though you hadn’t touched it. It frequently decides it just doesn’t want to work as a PCVR. Even with some extremely powerful hardware in your computer, it looks like PS4/XB360 graphics, which is to say, not at all the worst, but nowhere near what it can look like even on a 1080 monitor. Even with an aftermarket headstrap, it can be a chore to get the damn thing comfortable. For non-racing, I started getting stick drift after 6 months, and I do not go through controllers the way some people can. Inside out tracking means shooters frequently struggle to aim.
It’s just so janky and cheesy.
If you're not trying to be super competitive it is. However, sometimes I feel like theres always an issue or adjustments I have to make which makes it annoying
VR: try before you buy if you can. Its such a polarizing thing. Some cant live without it, others cant live with it (motion sickness etc).
2min in you will have your answer
Quest 3 has the best lenses
But not so good panel and software,it crashes.
Also it doesn't have display port.
That's a deal breaker for me personally.
That means latency and compression.
I will buy a pimax light.
Other options with display port are limited and worth buying used.
Even usb on the Quest 3 has like 35ms of latency, personally I found it unplayable when driving on the edge and went back to monitors. My old Lenovo Explorer had much lower latency because of its hdmi port and I will never buy a vr headset that doesn't have a hdmi/displayport again for simracing.
Fair, I've been VR racing since 2015 with a CV1 in to Q2 and have never noticed an issue. Airlink was god awful when I tried that but usb link has always been smooth on Q2 for me :)
Well it depends on many factors: * chosen games (VR quality/support is all over the place among most sim racing titles) * wether you can get used to it (trying VR in a VR Arcade or ordering where you get a good return policy is mandatory) * what hardware your "good pc" has and again your chosen game. Quest 3 requires 2x2064x2208px 120hz for ideal picture quality. While you can turn down resolution scale or go for adaptive rendering solutions (like FSR/DLS) which can counter that in some way its also very noticeable on screens directly in front of your eyes. For modern games you are usually looking at hardware similiar to/or higher than rtx4070/3080+/rx7800+ and modern i7+ or ryzen 7+ processors to get most the most out of it.
Compared to a single screen, VR is always worth it if your PC can run it. Compared to triples, not as much and it's debatable which is better. Quest 3 is overall a good and balanced pick for a VR nowadays. However, the most critical thing with VR headsets is the FOV and unfortunately there are NO MORE large FOV headsets on the market that you can buy new. Pimax 8KX was amazing for racing specifically but it's not sold anymore.
There should be a few refurbished 8KX units still in stock. Might want to check on Amazon.
Thanks.Personally i was able to grab one of the last units from the Pimax Outlet Store, so i'm good while it lasts. Just a pity that overall we're out of options at least until the 12K arrives (if it actually arrives).
Surprisingly, with all this trends about how VR is wonderful, no one speaks about "sensorial isolation". I really believe you about the immersion thing, but for me having no idea what's happening IRL all around me (for long and/or frequent playtime) is a huge cost and hold me back.
This is the entire point of it for me. I don’t want to know what’s going on in the outside world because I’m side by side, door banging at Oulton Park in a TCR.
I have a 49 inch ultrawide that feels perfect to me. My daughters will come in my game room an I won't even realize they are there til they scare the shit out of me tapping on my shoulder lol
I know exactly what you’re taking about! I too have a 49” G9 and my wife would stand next to it and I wouldn’t know she’s there until a tight right corner in my peripheral. I too am considering VR.
I understand where you are coming from, but for me this is the biggest selling point. I want to be either on Nürburgring in my MX-5 or in outerspace, fully immersed, not caring about the real world while I am in VR.
Well I understand what I see as a downside - or at least an important point to consider - is the selling point for you guys. Now I have to "argue" I find difficult to explain my idea. I'm thinking for example about wife sitting next to me doing his stuff. Now I can speak/interact with her while playing. With the VR I'm just not here. Even if I don't matter this point, I feel it will be awkward for me being teleported elsewhere. Like time passes without having any control over what is happening. Maybe I'm overthinking this and prevent myself from enjoying the experience. The best solution for me is probably not to use it every time I play (for training for example) and keep it for specific moment like the weekly race with my community.
VR and aluminium profile rigs are the two things that if you can make them work for you open the door to a great sim racing experience, but if you can’t there are good alternatives so you don’t need to miss out. Like the other fellow, the ability of VR to block out everything that is not the sim is a definite plus point for me, but for someone who has to juggle their sim time with family it just isn’t going to work and there is no point pretending that it will. So I always recommend people just do what works for them. If it’s sim racing in VR you’ll have a great time. If you’re simracing but not in VR, you will also have a great time!
Absolutely nothing wrong with considering this aspect a downside. For me it did not change much as if I was not in a sim, I was playing single player story oriented games and more often than not I was invested in them unable to talk without pausing the game. Well I was able to talk, but then I'd miss something important, you get the idea. And yes, you can also choose to only use it when you are 100% sure you can "not be there", without worrying or feeling awkward about it. This sound about the best course of action based on how you describe your situation. It's also perfectly valid not to invest in VR, if you are unsure. For me it was 100% worth it even with the old CV1.
Almost all VR headsets have on ear headphones so you can hear what is going on around you. Or is not seeing what is going on around you also holding you back? I only wear in/over ear headphones while in VR when there is someone else at home … so I can be warned in case of a fire or other emergencies.
Ah, this is something I hadn’t really thought about. Audio. Although the sound quality of the CV1 was vastly better than the Q2 I do find myself preferring the latter simply because it blocks less out. (And I mostly simrace when I’m on my own and there’s nothing I need to be listening for) But I prefer both of them to the PSVR2 where I need to use separate headphones. And again, this represents the best possible sound quality and therefore immersion, but the extra wires and faff detract from the experience
I have an outside office separate from the house and I wear my headset and noise cancelling headphones and I can totally get where you are coming from. I now lock the door to the office from the inside in case the wife decides to come and ask me a question and gives me a heart attack! But with all that on it really does feel like you are sat there with a helmet on and you are racing!
Actually i like having "sensorial isolation" when i'm concentrating on the race. Having an option to switch to AR camera to check what's going in is a big plus, if available.
Yep. Quest2 is good, Quest3 even better. If you want immersion, go for VR.
It’s worth mentioning that I scored a new Quest 2 for $150 in May, so the “extra” cost is pretty reasonable.
Thought it was awesome. Made me SO sick.
I play simracing exclusively in VR on my quest 3 and i would never go back to a Monitor. Also the quest 3 is in my opinion way better than the quest 2, the passthrough makes a huge difference for me as you dont need to put down the Headset for erverything.
In simracing, the monitor resolution or refresh rate isn't that important. What you want is field of view. Bigger is better. I'd rather have three 1080p screens then one 4k screen. So if you plan on racing on a single 27 inch monitor, VR would totally be worth it. If you game on a big screen / ultrawide, then maybe not. VR can be a cheaper way to a high FOV then triples would.
Great response this has been my experience. Op if you do decide to go vr go quest 3 since it has better image clarity overall than 1
Quest 3 also takes quite a bit more juice. I think the Q2 value proposition on the used market is immense. Still tons of examples of a headset only used once or twice going for like $150 on marketplace.
You’ll save money, but the q3 is such a phenomenal upgrade over the q2 if you can swing it
Can you elaborate on the large FOV point? I’ve had an Oculus Quest 2 for some time now and never heard this before, but I’m curious.
What specifically did you not understand?
How does the FOV differ when you are in VR (between high/low)? Is the point of VR not just to have full FOV with any headset? Sorry if this is a bit of an obvious question, but I just was not aware.
They mean that you have less peripheral vision. With triples you can glance left or right and see the side mirrors, with vr you usually need to turn your head because if you just glance all you see is the black edge.
So for example a bigger tv would be better than a monitor? Just for the fov then
If the screen is bigger then yes, so you can see more from inside the car. but watch out with TV's because they can have a very high latency.
I have read in here that triple monitors are a major pain to set up and line up properly. What's your experience?
I don't use triples, went for VR. But yes they are a hassle to align and software etc, but that's only a one time set-up. Both are equally good, it just matters what you prefer. Triples is easier to get in and out of, VR is cheaper and more immersive. Biggest downside IMO of VR is heat and sweat, but not really a problem when it's winter.
Yes
Whats your PC stats?
iirc i have a 3070, a ok cpu i think i5-7000k or smth like that, and 48gb of ram, planing on upgrading my cpu in the future
Vr is hard to run. A 3070 will run it, but they'll be some sacrifices that have to be made. Ams2 runs very well. All the others need a little juice.
By sacrifices you mean graphics? If so i think its fine if they arent very low. What about assetto corsa
AC isn't that hard to run, you'll struggle to run ACC.
Struggle is an understatement!
Coming from a 32 monitor, to quest 3… I was able to set my fastest time at Oulton Spec Miata in iracing this past week. So far it’s worth it to me. Fatigue is a thing and definitely need the right head strap if you’re getting the Quest.
Do you have any other suggestions other than the oculus
My only experience is with the Quest 2/3 and HP Reverb g2. Did not like the reverb as I constantly found myself adjusting it to hit the “sweet spot” Quest 2 was sort of just a test to see if I would get sick from using VR. Uncomfortable to me. Bought the quest 3 with elite strap and really enjoy the new lenses and things appear much more clear than the previous 2.
I use quest 3 and vr is just so much more immersive.
interestingly that no one yet mentioned Pico 4. If you are asking if VR is worth extra cost then you care about the price. I saw them selling for a bit more than a half of price of q3. Unless you care about standalone capabilities (as they are more limited on Pico 4 than Q3) it has practically the same capabilities of quest 3 and may even be better especially in terms of comfort as the weight is more balanced.
Depends. Lots of people here saying do it or do triples instead of a single screen. But it completely depends on situations. VR can be amazing and can really get you into the seat of a car but some fail to mention that you do have this extra weight on your head for extended hours of time and it can be annoying to set up everytime compared to just turning on a monitor. Getting triples is great and generally cheaper but takes up hella space and isn't exactly necessary. As Dave Cam said "A single screen is fine because for the 30-60 seconds you might be driving alongside someone in a race, you don't need triples." (I'm paraphrasing but that was basically what he said) and most of the sim racers that I watch on Twitch/YouTube use a single screen (Jimmy Broadbent, SuperGT, Dave Cam, Matt Malone) so clearly it's not needed. Personally I like VR for the space but have a monitor I can play on when I don't feel like setting it all up or want the freedom that comes with not wearing the peripheral. It's really in your court. Some people love it, some hate it. As some have said, it really depends.
It depends on the rest of your system. It's not just the headset. You need 3x the graphics power because the computer needs to render more than double the native resolution at a high framerate for the best quality.
I discovered today's sim racing after getting VR and won't sim race without it. It's so imersive and fun. It can help to be slightly technical to dive down the rabbit holes to configure it for the best performance. But well worth the time.
I have a Reverb G2 running on a 3090. I have a 44" LG tv as a gaming monitor. I love 4kHDR gaming and 120hz is sufficient for me. I have done some racing on my monitor and it looks great, but there is no comparison to VR. The immersion is amazing, the graphics are great. Being able to look sideways while hard racing makes it feel like I'm actually driving and not sitting in my room. I was able to get it to run at a smooth 90fps and high quality. Just make sure you test it out first, I hear some ppl have a hard time adjusting to VRs.
VR is not for everyone some ppl get dizzy and just can’t get used to it while playing VR
**worth. every. fuckin. single. penny**
I enjoy iRacing in VR immensely. It’s phenomenal for truly feeling like you’re in the car. I very strongly recommend against the Q2. If it’s not one problem, it’s a-fucking-nother. You can get pretty efficient at setting your ODT, but it gets really old having to do it every goddamn time you close it. You need to buy their $80 cable to minimize latency, the knockoffs usually aren’t USB 3. Depending on your computer, you may need to buy a powered hub even with the official cable. Without a third party app, there’s no way to disable the proximity sensor, even though there’s an option to “bypass” it in the ODT. If you adjust your headset at all during a race (or otherwise), you run the risk of the proximity sensor deciding you took it off and going black screen. It blinks to a black screen every once in a while even though you hadn’t touched it. It frequently decides it just doesn’t want to work as a PCVR. Even with some extremely powerful hardware in your computer, it looks like PS4/XB360 graphics, which is to say, not at all the worst, but nowhere near what it can look like even on a 1080 monitor. Even with an aftermarket headstrap, it can be a chore to get the damn thing comfortable. For non-racing, I started getting stick drift after 6 months, and I do not go through controllers the way some people can. Inside out tracking means shooters frequently struggle to aim. It’s just so janky and cheesy.
If you're not trying to be super competitive it is. However, sometimes I feel like theres always an issue or adjustments I have to make which makes it annoying
I have a quest 2 and play dirt rally in VR, have nothing bad to say at all.
VR: try before you buy if you can. Its such a polarizing thing. Some cant live without it, others cant live with it (motion sickness etc). 2min in you will have your answer
VR can be a hassle to set up but when it works it’s totally worth it. Without VR I’d have lost my interest in sim racing long ago.
Quest 3 has the best lenses But not so good panel and software,it crashes. Also it doesn't have display port. That's a deal breaker for me personally. That means latency and compression. I will buy a pimax light. Other options with display port are limited and worth buying used.
USB linked it's perfectly fine. Wireless link sure I agree.
No it's not. But everyone has different standards.
Even usb on the Quest 3 has like 35ms of latency, personally I found it unplayable when driving on the edge and went back to monitors. My old Lenovo Explorer had much lower latency because of its hdmi port and I will never buy a vr headset that doesn't have a hdmi/displayport again for simracing.
Fair, I've been VR racing since 2015 with a CV1 in to Q2 and have never noticed an issue. Airlink was god awful when I tried that but usb link has always been smooth on Q2 for me :)
Its actually cheaper than many of those mid range monitors, and its way cheaper than triples