Is iRacing VR a GIMMICK or GAMECHANGER? (Pimax Crystal First Impressions)

[@THIS---GUY]

best way i can describe it is being inside the game world instead of watching it on a screen i drove 4 hour endurance in a right hand drive and my normal vehicle felt strange after. never had that happen with flatscreen

[@JoshShare]

That’s funny that you say that because even on a screen I have to put effort into driving normally in real life 😂😂

[@MegaIronica]

For those usef to VR, going back to single screen or even triples is like going from a sim to a game

[@TheVRRacer]

I tried back on a monitor a few weeks ago...never felt less interested in what i was doing in my gaming life. Just no immersion....and every little thing happening around me just distracted me.

[@bonzibuddy8423]

I actually switched back to singles VR sucks

[@MegaIronica]

@bonzibuddy8423 you are the exception. Next time, say I don't like VR or VR is not for you instead of saying it sucks because most people clearly disagree, lol 😆

[@ChristDillingerBetter]

@@bonzibuddy8423 what headset were you on?

[@PITAH1]

It is so awesome. I use quest 3.

[@tam1938746876234]

Personally I will never go back from VR. The level of immersion and sense of speed is awesome. I also gained a lot of time on the track since I can see how far away the apexes are a lot better

[@KnickNbock]

Which headset do you use?

[@JessInThe999]

the ability to look around you in a naturally intuitive way makes it so much easier to get close to the walls and other cars and squeeze out those last few tenths

[@harry-211]

Its also way faster to pick up breakpoints if you race on IRL. On monitors the fov screws up your sense of speed and you misjudge corners, VR gives you the real view of the car and its easier to bring IRL experience into the sim and then back to IRL

[@jamierichards925]

I would never go back also been using vr since 2016 gone threw rift cv1 q1 q2 pimax 5k plus q3 now pimax crystal lol screw flat screen racing lol

[@steffendetrick]

@@KnickNbockbest bang for your buck is quest 3. Meta literally sells them at a loss and not only do you get the entire PCVR catalog but then the standalone catalog as well and the ability to be completely wireless.

[@Evan-fk7wf]

It's a good idea to go into your iRacing settings and bind a key to "Recenter HMD" This will adjust your position of the camera in your car relative to where your head is IRL. You can sit up straighter/slouch a bit before you hit the button to raise/lower your camera. Similar to using the black box on a monitor. In most of the clips, it looks like you're sitting way too high in the car. This might be what's messing you up. I race road mostly, but I gained time switching to VR. A lot of corners have a blind apex on a single monitor, but in VR you can look into the apex making it much easier to get a good line. Starting with slower cars the first couple days until your brain gets used to VR completely removed any motion sickness for me.

[@DJYeeJay]

Will try that thank you!

[@Doug_Narby]

I bound a button on my HOTAS throttle for this, and also a hat switch for driver view up and driver view down. The more controls you have a way to bind the easier VR gets. Just like a real race car if you can’t do it from a seated position with your hands you’re out of luck 😅

[@CeeMac]

Came to say the same thing about the recenter HMD button, an absolute necessity!!

[@FOGDaheee]

Also adjust your seating position in the car, I think it's CTRL F although I have this set to a button on my wheel. You can then get closer to the windscreen or lower in the car if you wish to.

[@michaelmccarthy6585]

I always tell people who try my stuff out to close their eyes and put their head in a comfortable driving position and then hit the HMD button. people like to look where they want to see then recenter but when that happens, and you bring you head back your camera is 45 degrees the wrong way.

[@TheVRRacer]

So happy you tried VR. Been gaming exclusively in VR for 3+ years. Ive only ever done iRacing in VR and can say that your neck does strengthen over time. VR wont make you faster over a lap...but your increased spatial awareness goes through the roof. The scariest thing for most iRacers is going side by side...VR racers thrive on side by side :)

[@Racer_RL]

Side by Side, THIS, this is the biggest thing. I can't even mention how many times I have won a battle on track or just outright had people backoff because they couldn't handle being side by side and in VR I am all for it, even bringing it to a matter of inches. Also makes the racing looks way greater in replay vs monitor drivers side by side.

[@British_Dragon-4K-Simulations]

@@Racer_RL That sounds great! If I keep reading comments like this I'm going to have to dust off my old Wheel and crappy pedals lol

[@noms1711]

I second this so hard, I exclusively use VR for iRacing and play a bit to many vr games. I love going side by side :)

[@clawsmayhem7268]

Also makes rejoins a lot less hit or miss 😂

[@ewenblack4174]

Side by side on triple 32’s with a 180 degree for is the answer

[@casper139971]

Never want to race without vr. Especially on dirt. Use to ride motorcross when I was young. Using a vr headset is nothing compared to really wearing a helmet in South Louisiana heat. Everyone has their threshold for discomfort. Guess mine is high because I never think about it even in the longest sessions. Best part though is everyone gets to choose their own gear and how they want to experience sim racing.

[@pedroferrr1412]

Exactly, i´m also a bike guy, using a VR is nothing for me, i can be there hours, of course i use a fan, in front of me ;)

[@michaelmccarthy6585]

The immersion of VR is 100% unbeatable it really does feel like you're driving a car. I've just recently went to a 49" ultrawide because I was having to many issues with my oculus like disconnection from the computer causing me to have to drive a car literally blind (doesn't ever end well for me or others around me) and super low frame rate especially at short course with more than like 20 cars on track. I love VR and truly believe it's the future of gaming. I also found I had a lot better FOV in VR than I don't on my ultra-wide. I felt my depth perception to the car in front of me was a lot better and I could see more because essentially your whole world is a screen.

[@4nerds974]

An enormous part of your downsides on VR is that you're thinking about things that you lose in VR without taking the time to learn how to get those things back using VR. Like you said in the ending: the learning curve. All the things you said - FOV, nausea, disconfort with weight, feeling you have less buttons to press and tweak - is manageable and, I dare to say, adressable when you start to think as a VR user.

[@zmmmzmmmz]

How would you spend $800 to upgrade VR for sim racing from a 2070 Super and Reverb G2?

[@Caldwing]

@@zmmmzmmmz You would have to spend a shitload of money to get a better headset than the G2. All you need is a new video card. I have a 4070 and it works well with my G2

[@ClaytonMacleod]

Been using VR with iRacing since 2018. It doesn’t take that long to get used to it. Having *actual depth perception* is a huge advantage. I feel the main problem with VR is you need a pretty beefy system in order to ensure you always maintain 90 fps. You get used to the physical things and your body compensates. It didn’t take very long before I could spend hours in VR without any discomfort. Having a small fan to ensure the air around your head is always moving helps you from getting hot, which can be a problem without one. If you can afford a beefy CPU and GPU I can’t recommend VR highly enough. It is great. But it just doesn’t work without a machine fast enough to maintain that 90 fps level for the vast majority of the time. I believe most motion sickness comes from slow machines not being able to keep up, and as long as your machine can keep up it will stop motion sickness from happening at all. Im never going back to monitors. Having 3D vision is just too good.

[@ClaytonMacleod]

I should add, I started in iRacing back in 2009 and it didn’t take long before I was using triple monitors. I used the triple monitors up until giving VR a shot in 2018. But I knew within five minutes that I was never racing without VR ever again.

[@Ram-fi9dt]

@@ClaytonMacleod Can you share the PC specs to maintain 90 fps? I am planning to upgrade my system.

[@ClaytonMacleod]

@@Ram-fi9dt Well, as iRacing seems to continually be adding features that add to the rendering work, I'm afraid the advice is probably always going to be to buy the fastest GPU and fastest CPU that are available. They're supposed to be working on a DX12 renderer that is supposed to be much more efficient, but who knows how long that will take to come out. It took years for the DX11 renderer to be released after they announced they were already working on it. I bet the DX12 one will probably be in the same boat. Keep in mind that while the 4090 is the fastest available right now, the 5000-series cards are going to be released soon. AMD's recent release of Zen 5 CPUs was a bust, and their performance doesn't seem to really be any better than the Zen 4 CPUs. So if you want AMD, probably safe to go for the 7800X3D, which is their best for gaming now. Maybe the 9800X3D will change that, but given the performance of the other 9000-series CPUs, maybe it won't either. Intel's got some drama going on right now that may or may not be over yet concerning their 13th-gen and 14th-gen CPUs suffering from physical degradation. Their 14900K CPU would be my choice today, though this degradation issue makes that a hard decision. They've released a microcode "fix" that is supposed to stop this degradation from happening, at least according to them. Whether or not this is going to end up being an actual fix is another matter, and only time will tell. There are leaks of benchmark results on their next generation CPUs making their way onto the internet already, so that's yet another thing to possibly wait on. It is a tough time to be in the market to buy something new and crazy fast, because even crazier and faster stuff is right around the corner.

[@Ram-fi9dt]

@@ClaytonMacleod Understood Clayton, it seems it'd be wise to be patient now. Thank you man for your insights!

[@Doug_Narby]

It was fun watching someone with as much sim experience as you trip out over the immersion

[@jamesleegte]

I’ve been in VR since 2016 and you couldn’t pay me to go back to monitors! Driving sims are just another level in VR, especially Dirt Rally 2.0 that is incredible in VR! Half Life 2 and the episodes are also mind blowing in VR. Anyone into sim racing or flight sims, you are really missing out on a high level immersive experience if you don’t ever try VR!

[@Caldwing]

Depth perception alone makes VR better than any possible screen setup. I only play rally so I don't use "brake points" I have to always do it by feel. Rally doesn't give a crap about hitting fancy settings buttons. I just need shift up, shift down, and hand brake. I am lucky though I simply do not experience motion sickness of any kind. The weight of it is nothing to me.

[@thecasualracinggamer]

Once sim racing in VR, it's so hard to ever imagine going back to a flat screen. On an RTX 3080, I would not try to push this headet to 120Hz. As you mentioned, dropped frames in VR can really ruin the experience. You want to run the headset at a Hz that will not drop frames. I use a Quest 3 with an RTX 3080 and run it at 72Hz to get the smoothest gameplay with the highest level of graphics. Even at 80Hz it can still run great. Once you start pushing 90Hz or 120Hz you start sacrificing performance for graphics. I also use PSVR2 with GT7 and that runs at 60Hz reprojected to 120Hz and it's super smooth and a great VR racing experience. You do notice some ghosting due to the reprojection but the immersion makes you forget about it pretty quick. For me, the experience of racing in VR outweighs any negatives about it but everyone will have different priorities and preferences. Great video by the way and great take on it from where you're coming from.

[@matthewdickerman3142]

It was easy for me to go back to tripples from VR. Long races absolutely suck in VR.

[@jbezugs]

Really glad you got to try VR out, as a very experienced single monitor racer you have a very different perspective than most! Anecdotally for myself, I was an early adopter of VR - been sim racing since the late 00's (shoutout to Live for Speed), and made the switch to VR in 2015 with the Rift DK2! Currently running the Reverb G2 now. Throughout the years, I've been lucky enough to try a variety of different sim setups (singles, triples, etc), and the biggest thing for me that I miss when I'm not VR (that not a lot of people talk about) is lack of depth information available. Once you get used to having stereoscopic vision in a VR headset, the way you are able to judge distance within the sim for any circumstance (be it the distance between yourselves and other cars, braking markers, etc.) is very intuitive immediately. Also, having your neck on a swivel means you can gain spatial awareness that you otherwise wouldn't have being on a single monitor, for example. Additionally, at least in iRacing, being "in the car" when you see the pitch/yaw of the vehicle underneath you, helps glean even more info about what the car is doing I find, and has been a huge contributing factor to my pace. It definitely isn't for everyone, but for someone who gets motion sick very easily, I have had no issues running 4 hour stints for full length NASCAR events and endurance races. However, I will note that a small fan is definitely a huge gain in comfort, and essential for those longer races. The headset can get very warm without air moving over it.

[@_WolfeRacing]

I tried VR for several months and decided to invest in triples. VR is very immersive to run but you sacrifice a lot in terms of QoL and fluidity. With that said I have several friends that run VR and love it, are fast too!

[@Int3x0r]

Bought the Quest 3 a month ago and it's amazing for sim racing. No issues with comfort (with the optional elite head strap), no issues whatsoever with nausea. None. It made me fall in love with sim racing again. There is NOTHING that can give you more immersion than VR. Sure a triple screen setup will be more comfortable, but as I'm a bit older (with kids) those multi hour sessions don't happen that often anyways. I prefer a good hour of intens immersion over all the rest.

[@DLudiker]

iRacing in VR is often CPU bound, especially if you have a RTX 3080. Definitely check turn on the numerical info values to determine what is holding you back. Great video! Also second binding the recenter HMD, it looks like your head position may have been a little high which definitely hurts on the ability to see around the turn.

[@maxbranvall]

Love the anecdote of being too shy to ask someone to record you in public as I can 100% relate to something like that lol. Nice video though, I felt very similar when I tried VR on iRacing. I raced hundreds of hours on single monitor already, VR felt awesome, but I was sooo slow and hated the discomfort after an hour or two whereas I could race on a single monitor for as many hours as I wanted without any issues, suffice to say I ended up selling my VR headset shortly after.

[@BeanDip96_]

First time using VR hitting marks felt literally easy. Like the depth perception was leaps and bounds better in every way possible.

[@saluhday]

If you get all the measurements for the FOV dialed in on your own setup is 10x better than a rental setup. its really immersive on 32 inch triples

[@MatasVinikaitis]

I use the crystal all the time now, i just needed open xr, eyetracking enabled, racelabapps overlays with openkneeboard, using a 3070 now, planning to upgrade to either the 4080super or wait for the 5080

[@DJeb86]

People who keep asking : is the vr worth it ? Are really pissing me off !! Ofc it is ! you re inside the fucking car, what would beat that in terms of immersion level.

[@landonmurray3814]

Two very different feelings tbh. I used to suck absolute balls on vr while being decent on singles, to now being very uncomfortable on singles compared to vr.

[@jbregel3587]

i love VR. I have used single monitor 24 inch, single 49 inch odyssey and vr. I went from the 24 to vr to the 49 back to vr. The 49in was king for accuracy, vr king for immersion. I was a lot more consistent on the Samsung but my rift makes me feel like I'm there. I had to sell the Samsung and am back to VR fulltime. I don't miss the monitor for racing as much as I expected, but I miss it for everything else.

[@wesd3370]

Yeah VR is amazing in iRacing. I got a Quest 3 after pricing out a triple monitor setup and it has been amazing. I think 1 or 2 generations from now, the fidelity and weight will come down enough to make it a no brainer, but the Quest 3 is pretty close to striking that balance. I’m able to do 4+ hours without much discomfort.

[@10mmGR]

Yeah kinda the reason I went away from vr. It just doesn't feel like it's completely there yet. When they come out with 120 FOV high res headsets that don't weigh a ton and cost the same or less than my triple monitors I'm willing to go back. It was really the fov thing for me. Going from I think 90 to almost 180 on triples really let me race closer to people more comfortably

[@PITAH1]

Try automobilista 2. The king of VR.

[@10mmGR]

@@PITAH1 have it. Love it. Still prefer my triples for now

[@filipivan5125]

@@10mmGRexcept VR provides u with the depth perception which is lacking on screens…

[@M1ggins]

I just couldn't get my Quest 3 running properly consistently, took it back before my 14 days return ran out. will probably get another one in a few months in the hope that it's better integrated.

[@dylanmosley3030]

I switch between screens and VR and I think this video is extremely valid and a great point of view. Great job covering a huge topic.

[@dougdoesracing]

G2 user here on iracing. VR has literally helped me prep for racing IRL (dirt midgets). Ran single screen with my kids for a second and it’s more like a “game” than anything after VR.

[@PazLeBon]

was a pain in the the neck strapping a p.c to my head :) it isnt the discomfort, its the impractically for those of us who have a life going on around us. curved uw is fine for me

[@andydraycott3609]

I recently jumped to vr from single screen, I haven’t experienced any of the physical issues you had but the competitive adjustment can take some time. I’m maybe 3 months into my vr journey on ACC, I’m only now starting to get back to my previous lap times, however, when racing side by side with other drivers, it’s a complete game changer. People without vr jump out of your way, especially in enduro racing. So now, with my lap times back to where they were on single screen, plus being able to race side by side with much more comfort, vr is a complete game changer for racing. It cannot be beaten even by triples.

[@just.play1ng]

Try formula 1 in vr. It will make you addicted. I can't drive in real life but in vr formula 1 assetto Corsa I manage to do quite well for a complete noob

[@nomadman5288]

I think the way forward for VR is to have the screen work with a set of glasses rather than having a whole head set that you have to wear. Basically, a more high tech version of the 3D movies. They could have some sort of overlay on the screen that the glasses then convert or helps convert into the VR experience. That way there are two pieces of hardware doing the work of 1, which would reduce the strain on both and allow for more from each if needed. The reason I think they need to be separate too is because that's how we see the world naturally. We're not wearing some thing on our head to allow us to see it, we just look and see it, so making a screen/glasses combo would recreate that real world experience while still adding immersion with visuals of the game/sim.

[@kevinnussbaum3619]

Have only used VR in iracing for around five years. It not only feels much more real, but the headset gives the illusion of wearing a Helmut. Other than butt feel, VR gives a much better experience. It's the only way to go.

[@cSqualo]

I totally agree. Simracing is probably the most realistic use today with such a small POV. The feeling is very similar to when you are wearing a helmet

[@ytriDlO]

I'm in VR since de Oculus Dev Kit2 and for simracing VR is the absolute best solution. The imersion of really sitting in a car and looking to the apex as you would do in real life is such a blast. Best way to desrcibe how it looks is "it is as if you watch through ski goggles or wearing a helmet".

[@Hustler9g]

I wish I could go back to 2d because it's so convenient but I'll never give up VR now. It's so immersive and I feel the car better.

[@fullmetalf4i]

It's funny that I have the opposite problem having gone from single screen to vr and then triples. I got triples set up and i was 2 seconds a lap slower around bathurst and suzuka than in vr while prepping for some endurance races there. I wound up going back to vr despite the graphical (fps and graphical fidelity) advantage that triples gave me. That was on a 1080ti. When I made the decision that it was going To be primarily vr, I upgraded video cards to a 4070ti

[@CreegzInCanada]

I've been using VR for a couple years now because I don't have a lot of space at my place. It works great for that. I've done endurance races and stuff in it and hours of American Truck Simulator. I also experience the negatives you're experiencing. The neck strain is my biggest gripe, which can be fixed with counterweight on the back in the case of my headset because the weight is extended off your face a few inches. The heat also is an issue in the summer, it can be quite sweaty in there. I use eye drops to help with the eye issues. My eyes don't strain with the light as much as they just dry out. The only things that I found giving me a bit of motion sickness was if I reverse after going fast on an Oval for a while, or if I am spinning very fast. On the in-game performance aspect a huge help for iRacing is OpenXR support. The OpenXR toolkit has a lot of features that can be tweaked which helps a lot with performance. I can get 90fps stable in the rain or Daytona at night.

[@SimBeard1]

VR is cool it adds so much to the depth of things obviously where you can actually judge corners and their sharpness compared to screens. I find it easier to catch when the car steps out because you can actually pick up on the movement in your peripherals. I have a Pimax 5k+ which is a lower unit the pixel density is lower than the crystal but higher than index and other headsets. You are correct with the sideways aspect and VR helping with that I drift on Assetto corsa and it helps a ton to be able to look into drifts and anticipate adjustments you have to make with tandems or solo runs. I still highly recommend VR to anyone who wants to just feel like you're in the racecar. It is almost indescribable how immersed you get in the moment fighting with other cars all with the correct size and depth it is awesome.

[@Tacoplane91]

i love to play iracing in vr it really did help with my real life driving and was quite valuable for awareness and race craft, and it was because of the real life racing i was able to hop straight in and not have any real problems with like getting comfortable in it and being lucky enough to not have eyestrain or nausea while playing (which i know is a big problem for some people), and also having a good enough computer to handle vr, and for me it didn't really make me any slower it probably made me faster then my friends on single monitor. so overall my experience with vr is very positive

[@minners71]

Racing in VR is insane but I'm so glad I have a PS5,PSVR2 and GT7 my first ever set up was plug in one cable and turn on ps5 and that was it I was in VR.

[@acuddlypuppie7928]

killzone

[@Dat_kiwi22]

I've been running iRacing with a HTC vive for a couple years now and would never go back to screens. Yes, the gen 1 vive is outdated, and has a noticeable screen door effect, but now I can actually keep track of competitors when they are alongside me, and the overall immersion makes for a far better experience imo. I just solo'd the 4hr NEC enduro race around the Nürburgring yesterday, and I didn't experience eye fatigue at all, and after a short break, went back into the sim. I'm still racing on a Logitech G920, but with a recent PC update I'm looking at upgrading the VR headset to get better resolution and a bit more horizontal FOV. The Pimax looks like a beast, but u can go the total other direction and get something with a much smaller form that doesn't have as much weight hanging off ur face. The biggest plus to VR simracing is u don't need all the space and hardware to support a proper triple screen setup, and so the sim rig foot print can remain quite small and sit closer to a wall.

[@mgm418871]

Try openXR for better frames, you can do a couple things with the openxr toolkit to get better fps

[@BluDog35]

"just a 3080" Cries in 1st generation 1080

[@DJYeeJay]

Big F

[@BluDog35]

@@DJYeeJayAt least you didn't say "skill issue" hahahahaha

[@BluDog35]

@crnknstnMine isn't even a TI. It's a first gen 1080 Duke. lol. It's okay and runs iRacing on my 1080p triples just fine. But I could for sure use an upgrade. it dips to 40ish FPS when I crank the settings.

[@jamiemb17]

You could get a second-hand 30-series card for a good price, I'm sure

[@BluDog35]

@@jamiemb17 oh I definitely could. But I can’t exactly afford that currently. In the future, possibly.

[@eclark9965]

Used vr for 5 years. If immersion is your number one priority it’s the way to go. But for everything else triple 32s is where it’s at. More consistency. Ease of access of peripherals. Nothing hanging off of your face. I won’t be returning to vr but recognize it’s a pretty great immersive experience

[@Lucas_Pit]

Crazy guys like you are doing this for the first time. Well, once you’re on the boat, you’ll never swim again :) Now for immersion add a motion platform to it. It is adding that extra bit. The buttons you mentioned is a matter of getting used to. At some point you’ll find everything on muscle memory. As I read others comments, once you get used to it thee is no way of going back

[@DJYeeJay]

I'm a real oddball when it comes to iracing youtube. I've really never cared about gear or equipment and I've been real stubborn to my budget setups just because changing things makes me slower lol

[@CampbellRacing]

I race on both triples and in VR. I've found that my qualifying speed is higher on triples but my consistency is higher in VR. I can tell when I'm going to slide or get tight just a hair earlier but that keeps me from pushing it to the limit. My 30 lap run times and tire wear are almost identical. I don't do my competitive races in VR because I need overlays for crew chiefing information, but could easily go that route if I had a live spotter that could do all of that for me. Plus you have the occasional tracking loss so that throws in another hardware concern. Having said that, I completely agree that if you're not looking for every tenth and competitive advantage, the fun factor of VR can't be beat.

[@JM-oq1cz]

I went from a 2070 Super that was causing screening and low fps on low settings to a 4080 super. The new GPU was game changer for the Reverb G2 head set. Hopefully GPU's will start being price to performance better in the future years if so I believe more sim racers will get into VR. The PiMax has much better FOV than the Reverb G2 I use. With that said, I have noticed that a lot of people starting with VR don't turn their heads to look through corners enough. Every time I point this out to my friends their experience and driving gets better. Its as if you put on a headset and get a stiff neck and only move their eyes, where when you drive a real car you are turning your head all around etc.

[@simonolsen9995]

The big difference between VR and pancake is the different brain processes used to measure 3D vs 2D depth/distance. I'm exclusive VR and when I go to my ultrawide, I can't pick a braking or turn point for love or money.

[@CaptainDomestic]

By far the most important VR tip is to aim a small fan at your head. I can race for hours with a fan and instantly feel sick without it.

[@harry-211]

Been racing in VR for 1 year now. Faster than I ever was, sim experiece translates better to IRL. Able to race endurance and long sessions with no problems (no weight, nor vision strain). Single screen setups now feels like games because of the fov distortion. Big 60" triples are playable tough (but to expensive)

[@jakebesemer]

I had VR for roughly 3 years (Oculus Rift S) and recently switch to triples for the past 2. One thing I found with VR is I am a lot more in tune with the car because of the immersion especially in endurance races. I log my heart rate and my adrenaline/HR is much higher in VR and actually keeps me focused more while also tiring me out quicker. There are tons of annoying things with VR like the process of booting up a race/practice but needing to look at your monitor for discord, overlays, a stream or a number of reasons. They are hot, the resolution isn't as good on low end ones as a monitor, more taxing on GPU/CPU than the same resolution monitor and overall it can be cumbersome to use (especially with glasses). I personally find myself in a middle ground where both triples and VR are great displays to use. Both have their pros and cons. I honestly don't have one I prefer more than the other and honestly its fun to go back and forth.

[@ChrisMidmark]

There is one more reason why VR is making you slower. When you are using the monitor and you get a little bit lose. You will se DIRECTLY that the angle of the car changes. But in VR your head is always moving around a little bit, so you wont see that as quickly as you do on a monitor. I'm using tripples/VR 50% 50%. Immersion is fantastic :) When you drive the small short-tracks you can benifit alot with VR, looking for wrecks long before you would see them on monitors.

[@thegraynoah]

The most important tool I've found to get me comfortable in the car is the seat height(I think that's what it's called anyway?), wherever you can change the elevation of the camera, I can't sit as low in a truck as I like being in a formula car. Helped a lot with visibility, too

[@jamiemb17]

I've been driving in VR for a year now, got very competitive in the Radical SR10; this week my headset's cable got damaged and I had to go back to my single monitor. My comparison: VR is certainly more fun for casual experiences, and it's obviously better than a single screen for peripheral vision. And I am very fast in VR. However, I was able to get up to my VR pace within a few hours of single-screen driving (as long as it's a track where I can see all the apexes - which wouldn't be an issue with triples), and I think monitors have an advantage in that you see the pure movement of the car in front of your eyes, whereas in VR you lose some perception of the car's movement due to the movement of your head IRL. I would be keen to try triples or an ultrawide, but space is a problem for me; my VR set (Pico Neo 3 Link) is compact and comfortable. I think I could be very slightly faster with an ideal monitor setup, but VR is super fun, so I'm not sure which I would prefer.

[@bassdroptheampwave]

Personally I race in VR in iRacing simply because I am locked down to only using a single screen setup. I race for my own team that I own and manage, and racing in VR is much better than my single screen setup. For me, its the difference between seeing someone to my left or right, vs not being able to see them

[@AxiamWolfe]

Tip for VR eye strain: you can get prescription lenses that slot into your headset. Even though it’s relatively low power lenses, like with my day job it helps a lot for prolonged sessions.

[@DDuck777]

I've raced in iracing leagues since 2016 with the Oculus CV1 at a high level with some of the quickest drivers in the sim and won championships and a good amount of prize money, It was never a gimmick, and its only going to get better.

[@conedoctor]

Love all your videos and this was no exception. I use a Pimax 8K and would/could never go back, I wont even look at a sim/game if it does not have VR, my son has run more than a few 4 hour races in VR with no issue, the shoulder gets sore before VR becomes an issue. Keep with it make a follow up video in 6 months.

[@conedoctor]

Forgot to mention, good or bad the work iRacing put into the car detail really needs VR, when you sitting on grid waiting for that last person to join its fun to look around. Jump in the formula Vee or Legends car for a real sense of speed.

[@steveyp94]

I've been using VR for 5yrs simracing. I' currently switching to triples purley for the ability to use buttons boxes and wheel controls more effectivley. Still keeping the VR, its cool. Big immersion and do miss it. But triples is just way more effective and simple to use for endurance racing.

[@chrisg.2962]

Id say having done what you did, biggest hurdle will be your depth perception took a few races to get used to

[@DieselWeasel]

I can't do racing in VR for a couple of reasons, but I found a great middle ground with a method of head tracking. Combined with my 49" 1000R monitor, I get most of the benefits of VR without the downsides (nausea, overheating, weight/strain, blindness to physical controls, etc.).

[@westtx50]

I've done iracing on Oculus CV1, Quest 2, and now Quest 3. I would never use a monitor ever again. I can tell in my races who is in VR and who isn't. You can just feel the scale and get closer to the edges/walls. I have to say I love just how easy Oculus software is and I love to play VR titles too. So I enjoy the ease of installing games to the headset and using their controllers too.

[@Robocline]

I don’t have much experience on sim racing other than playing a lot of arcade like games such as forza horizon etc. At one point I decided to get on iRacing. All I had was a G27 and that was it. So I tried on a monitor and sucked bad. Even in the starter Miata I was crashing constantly. So I decided to hook up my oculus rift (the very first one). Once I got all that set up it was a game changer. I could compete and put up good lap times. I rose up pretty quick because I was also a much safer driver. Even though I had no force feedback at all I could feel the car and push it to its limits without losing control. This may have something to do with being a professional driver IRL. Yeah it’s just truck driving but after a few million miles you learn a few things. I’m not sure if that makes a difference but the VR headset definitely did.

[@justinosterman2436]

i use my buddy meta 3 from time to time on ir when im at his house. i will say 1 the nausea was noticeable and worse with frame dropping and lag moment it will happen. but thats the only down I've seen really that nd the heat from having face covered but the immersion and sense of space is such an up step coming from being single screen desk set up to vr cockpit set up is insane i feel much more comfortable and actually faster using vr idk gives a weird sense of confidence but also at the same time it is by far way more info to take in being able to see and actually move your head and the elevation changes bumps turns a literal new world of senses to take in and understand. a lot do struggle I've noticed trying to adjust or learn how to learn all the info but i love it its definitely geared more towards the more serious sim racers if being used for that purpose. i don't think the every once in awhile users will come to have the appreciation and understanding of.

[@jonmartin2624]

Been using vr with motion, buttkickers, wind sim for years now. It's a crazy realistic experience, just can't do without any of them anymore.

[@alec7568]

I love my VR sim rig, but I can see why people would prefer a screen. The field of view could deal with being a lot wider, plus its just so cumbersome. When I'm mid race I'm having the time of my life, but when I'm going through menus and settings I can't help but feel jealous of people on screens.

[@StevenRegna]

Primax is the top of the shelf vr headset. I played with the Reverb G2 or the occulus rift s with constant 140 fps. Everything above 110-120fps works for vr without getting sick.

[@gerardsitja]

I been in sim racing for over 20 years. The jump from flat to VR it's comparable as using a controller vs a steering wheel. I been enjoying VR for more than 6 years and NEVER went back to flat screens.

[@mikelvn5410]

When I started I used ultra wide and thought it was great. I didn't understand why VR is popular I had a quest 2 and didn't like it. I got quest 3 and love it. Would never go back to monitor and I'm faster now in vr

[@strovich]

Haha think of this as a good neck workout. Posture with a good rig helps too

[@jasongardner3206]

personally I can never go back to looking at screens. Using a Quest 2 (via link cable) I manage to work my way into racing in VR. To help with eye strain I found that turning the blue light (or night light) filter on helps with long term usage. Plus makes you feel like you have a set of shades on. I manage to do the entire Daytona 500 earlier this year in VR. I just can't go back. Planning on doing the 500 again and maybe the Coke 600 (if life lets me lol) As for my button box, muscle memory is my friend. Even have a spot specific for my water bottle so I know where it is when I'm racing. And The additional UI's and overlays that you can have with sim hub and other program have. You don't get into VR for additional info like that. You get into VR for the immersion. Which is what I want.

[@strovich]

If pimax runs openxr you can gain about 20-30fps you can also use a dev tool called foveated rendering in openXR that blurs the exterior of your vision that you don't see to gain more fps

[@AndrewMcevoy-d8n]

iRacing was the first game i tried in VR..it was a truly special experience

[@TimAyro]

VR is undoubtedly the best. I've been waiting for improvements in resolution, FOV, performance, wireless headsets, etc

[@Doug_Narby]

VR has high barriers to entry but imo if you have the cash it’s worth it. Crappy vr is crappy but good vr is literally a whole new world(s). It’s got a lot of related crap that makes it a pita to get working and you lose a lot of stuff you’re used to in terms of external situational awareness. You have to figure out ways to map a lot of inputs that you used to just reach out and type/touch, but it’s getting easier and easier and i away have at least one moment while driving or flying in VR where I just look around and go “holy crap this is cool!”

[@johnmann7o2]

VR is next gen and has the most room for improvement while triples already hit the ceiling. Paired with a properly setup motion rig and it is the closest thing to RL.

[@FERDA_Sims]

I used to have VR but went back to single screen ultra wide curved monitor. I just got tired of the constant issues I had with the oculus software specifically, I had multiple instances of being disconnected to reset my boundaries in the middle of the race (even though I had it turned off) or saying my batteries in my controllers were low. Not sure if its oculus specific but it just seemed like it was not designed with sims in mind where you’re not actively running around and/or using the controllers

[@mariusfranzen4375]

I also have a lot of issues with the oculus software, it's awful... But I can never go back to screens. The immersion in VR is just, on another level...

[@FERDA_Sims]

@@mariusfranzen4375 I’d go back to VR, but definitely will be steering away from oculus. I also had a rift S so the graphical/performance improvement going back to a normal screen + being able to map more controls (that I can see and not rely on touch) more than made up for the immersion on my end

[@ChrisMidmark]

In VR I would recommend driving a open wheel car with halo on a street circuit. That is the maximum immersion to me ! :)

[@isimrace]

I love VR on GT7 but for iRacing I prefer my triple monitors. I can’t do long VR sessions either and I need to be able to see my cup holder. 😂

[@THIS---GUY]

in regard to eye strain I get so hyper focused I dont blink as much. I have to remind myself to blink more frequently and it doesn't feel as strained. If it is bad I would suggest lowering brightness a bit and maybe a blue light filter insert (prescription or not)

[@vangeeson]

You should definitely bind the recenter HMD button. Coming from hours of VR in ACC i was a little disappointed about the position until i found out that you only can adjust the seat position after recentering the HMD, but most of the time dont have to adjust it from that point on. Without this iRacing is just guessing and puts you most of the time beneath the roof.

[@TylerCMilligan]

Respect for recognizing that you could have an unintended bias doing a standard review and avoided it.

[@m1northreat]

Great vid. only shame is your vr footage always looked like it was never centered. you always looked like you were sitting too high and slightly off center as well. im sure that would have helped a lot. i only race in iracing using VR and enjoy it quite a bit. great immersion

[@WillHughesTV]

As an AC technician the “White roof” effect makes 1000% sense.

[@hobbyxplorer]

VR feels really cool and immersive but no more than 5 min. Between the poor quality compared to my 4k monitor, the motion sickness and the pressure on my eyes, its just unusable to me. I wanted to like it so bad been trying for 2 years but i give up. I went with triples and im happy.

[@kajrosenqvist9165]

I have many people used my vr sim rig over the years. I could say I have quite polished vr experience with huge amount of tweaking to have everything work as perfect as it can be. There are still few people who couldnt drive it without feeling ill but just few. If your headset is set to 90hz, you will need game to be EXACTLY in that 90hz all the time. Like Iracing can show 90-89 and its great, but 87fps is really bad. After getting that 90hz stable, there can be microstutters which can be matter of drivers etc. Picking right headset for your pc or use case, right gpu(nvidia), right drivers (right now last good working is 537.58 without microstutters), right game settings, right headset settings, openxr toolkit settings or even some windows settings. Setting vr is much harder than any screen. Sorry, but sounds like you didnt get anywhere near that experience what it could be. First, Pimax are always heavy on head and demanding on pc. Crystal can bring very nice image, but even best hardware isnt enough today. In vr you have to ALWAYS get stable fps over image or eye candy. The Like setting headset at 120hz, and then having nothing less is fundamentaly wrong. How much bettr it can be even with oxr toolkit with right settings. People not that technically oriented or not willing to put effort arent gonna enjoy vr. People who choose Pimax should have maybe best hardware you can buy. More resolution, more pc it would need, and still you have to dive deep in settings. There isnt gonna be just one recipe on forums for everyone.

[@b_mo537]

ive been using VR for the past 5 years. IRacing, Dirt 2.0, AC......The next AC game is coming soon too guys heheheh but yea i dont feel like i can go to a monitor tbh the only way i will is if ultrawides get a little cheaper like these BAF tvs have been . running a quest 2 and getting the 3 in a few weeks . Just know regardless of the headset youll have to do tweakin in any game similar to a controller in any new game you play. The Pimax is top of the line VR , Bigscreens headset is expensive but is the best quality youll get for the money. Weight is a big thing when is comes to comfort so look into straps as well. I run 1 to 2 hour races no problem

[@kangarooproductions7441]

The FOV Police will come after you with the FOV on your single monitor settings. I went from single (In F1) to triples for a few years (ACC and iR) which I enjoyed. All of that at 60hz. I only recently (like 3 days ago) stepped up into a Quest 2 streamed over wifi (I know I need a link cable. It is on it's way). It was like night and day. I felt right at home with the FOV and looking around. Higher refresh rate than I am used to was nice (even though I was getting drops to 50ish FPS every now and again). It took me about 3-4 races to get used to VR and the feeling of speed. I have lost around 15% if my iR but I will recover it over the next few weeks I made the mistake of signing up for the NEC on Saturday all by myself on the first day of VR racing. It started at 8pm and I normally go to bed at 10PM. I loved it. The only problem was that I was literally falling asleep whilst racing I tried to go back to triples yesterday and I will never be able to go back.

[@GUN69_]

It is not "Graphics in VR"...it is "Graphics in iRacing. iRacing really is behind the visual aspect in comparison to other modern sims - VR or pancake monitor. The weight thing is quite an interesting though. The counterbalance seems to be like the reasonable option. The moment when I added the counterbalance to my Reverb G2, it made a huge difference. Even though the total weight is higher, the comfort improves a lot. That makes me think - why VR producers do not design their products with the counterbalance already as part of the initial design? I think currently on the market only Bigscreen Beyond might be the headset which does not require the counterbalance.

[@Bartek-dn1cp]

I've seen many pro/highly competitive sim drifters use vr for a long time now and it is way better than triples from what I've seen

[@wardog6616]

So I race a lot in VR with the valve index and for my buttons I just have them all memorized and know where they all are by feeling. I also have the MOZA ES steering wheel (with formula wheel mod) so I don't have a TON of buttons to memorize but I feel as though this works well for me. I find what I struggle with most on the index is the resolution. It is hard to read certain things and in the rain it can be difficult to see where the puddles are at times but other than that I love it. Coming from IRL motorcycles I love that I can look into my corners better. Also since I already had the index I didn't have to set up a triple monitor setup. That said I can't compare it to that since I've never raced on triple monitors but I think it is LOADS better than the single monitor. Over time you get used to the eye strain and can race longer without needing to take it off. As far as the neck goes, I'm used to wearing a helmet with the wind blasting me for hours on end so the weight isn't an issue for me but I'd imagine you could get used to that too over time. I also tend to turn down the brightness a bit and have the lights on in my room so that my eyes don't have to adjust to a brighter screen when I put on the headset which I think helps me manage the strain better.

[@modelcitizen1977]

I won't race in iRacing without VR. The working, perspective correct mirrors are a game changer during the race.

[@WOojerVest3andQuest3onMe]

It definitely takes some getting used, too. But, once you get past the motion sickness and get your VR legs. You'll be good. 🏁 😉👌

[@theCDGeffect]

Another point I think might be worth considering is it you can get a quest 3, it might actually be cheaper than investing in 3 monitors, because it's not just the monitors but also the mounts

[@theCDGeffect]

I've got a quest pro and that's really the only reason I can even fit a sim rig in my house, because the monitors would make it too wide for a serious rig

[@strovich]

Yes haha this is amazing! Welcome to the club

[@manateekida1484]

You could try OpenTrack Headtracking next? There´s a tracker which works just with your camera, no tracking points or anything.

[@DaytimeNightmare]

I stopped racing Flat Screen years ago. 🙃. Cant even go back. Rather play something else than race without VR

[@RCSimRacin]

FOV, passthrough with real buttons and lack of overlays kills VR. Once they get those figured out. VR will probably be the preferred option. I have the meta 3... still running triples.

[@mxrstarsky3539]

I really liked VR for the immersion and I was actually faster and feel like I had less accidents. I just wish I didn’t have to have it plugged in to keep the. Artery from dying while playing

[@arranwilliams2523]

that was cool as hell for pimax to send ya one! i only race in VR using my quest 2 because i dont want to move my heavy metal rig with all the transducers around my desk and plug it all in again lol i always wondered if i would like racing on monitors but dont want to spend the extra cash on more monitors lol

[@idkWhatImDoingPlsHelp]

I personally think if you're thinking of getting VR for sim racing, think to yourself what else you'd use it for. Would you use it for other games for example. If not, there might not be a choice. I had my Quest 2 before I got my first wheel and would play beat saber mainly. Now I do predominantly use it for sim racing but it wasn't the reason I got it. Also sometimes, you don't need one of these expensive headsets like the Pimax.

[@walshja81]

I always hated the cockpit view in any racing game growing up. Gran Turismo 7 was no exception. I finally caved to all of the hype surrounding PSVR2 with GT7 and man was it worth it. Once I went VR I refused to go back. I am now slower on a flatscreen. I only play in VR with my PS5, so much so that I moved my sim rig to it's own location even though I have a high end TV for gaming. I just mounted a basic computer monitor in front of the rig so I can navigate menus while taking quick breaks from the headset.

[@Mr_jz_12]

Tried vr. Besides wanting to power spew after short use, i loved it. A better pc to drive the headset would have helped though to keep frames steady. Worked great with Go karts and with drifting.