GameCentral is looking for the best controller setup for taking part in Gran Turismo 7 on PSVR2, with out breaking the financial institution.
Since its first installment in 1997, Gran Turismo has billed itself as “the true driving simulator,” exuding its dedication to authenticity over arcade frills. However that was in an period when realism meant taking part in races on TV. With the appearance of PlayStation VR2, it’s now possible to fool your brain into thinking you’re really in one of Gran Turismo 7’s more than 400 cars. But what happens if you go even further in the quest for realism?
With PlayStation VR2, Gran Turismo 7’s free VR patch lets you play anything but multiplayer in virtual reality, and it’s a completely different experience. For starters, the feeling of driving around Tokyo’s highway system at high speed, under a blue sky on a beautifully sunny afternoon, lifts the spirit in a way that hammering around a rainy Brands Hatch doesn’t.
In both cases, however, the impression of driving is intense. During night races, seeing competitors’ headlights play across your car’s interior as you make a turn, or seeing the dashboard reflected in the windshield, gives you an eerie feeling of being there. But the most significant improvement VR brings is the ability to sense your car’s position, making braking for corners and steering through series of turns more intuitive.
The biggest difference between real driving and a video game, though, is the input method: you’re not driving real cars with a 1cm-wide thumbstick and accelerating with a small plastic trigger (although you do get the feeling that Elon Musk is building up). That). To get that true-to-life racing experience, you need a force feedback steering wheel and pedals, creating a physical environment that matches the one in the game.
A racing wheel takes the simulation experience to a new level, allowing you to calibrate turns with much more subtlety. This is especially noticeable on fast circuits with long straights, where small inputs to the steering make a huge difference to your car’s trajectory, the extreme dynamics forcing you to pay close attention to the racing line.
You will also feel the steering get heavier when you brake hard for a hairpin turn or go limp when the wheel of your rally car comes out of the mud briefly while going over a ridge. A force feedback racing wheel is excellent at conveying a feel of the road surface, with each car’s ride providing a different feel from the steering wheel’s vibrations, as well as its ability to hold the road when cornering.
For our experiment, we used the Logitech G923 Trueforce steering wheel, with its leather upholstery and built-in tachometer (one element that PlayStation VR2 owners will miss). Despite not being the most expensive racing wheel out there, this does an excellent job: it moves perfectly in tandem with your driver’s hands in suit and gloves in VR. The steering wheel comes with paddle shifters built in, so while you can buy a separate shifter, it’s more than comfortable to ride in manual mode without spending another penny.
While not important for racing, the buttons you need to select tracks and adjust settings on the PlayStation 5 are essential, so having them sensibly placed on the wheel is useful. At first you’ll need to use PlayStation VR2’s transparency cameras to check where everything is, but within an hour or two it’ll become second nature.
What you will also find is that the force feedback wheel needs to be clicked on something. In a race, there is never a good time to let go of the wheel. We started attaching it to the dining room table, which while functional means you’re racing in a kitchen chair. You may also find that it negatively affects your popularity around meals.
At this point, you could go all in and buy a full cockpit with a built-in car seat, a solution that is both extremely expensive and takes up a lot of space. That’s fine if you live in America or have a six-bedroom home, but for most of us that’s a bridge too far. A better option might be a handlebar stand so you can race from your couch.
We used the Wheel Stand Pro, which is made from what appear to be shiny chrome scaffolding posts, giving the setup a reassuring solidity and weight. It comes pre-assembled, so all you have to do is screw on the handlebars and pedals and use the quick-release handles to adjust the height and angle to fit your sofa or armchair, and then it’s off to the races . And when you’re done, it folds neatly until next time.
Not only does this provide a better and more realistic riding position, it’s also significantly more comfortable than twisting your leg to stomp on the pedals that slide across the floor under a kitchen table. It completes what is already a superbly accomplished and surprisingly accessible home driving simulator, and at relatively little extra cost.
The overall effect is wonderfully visceral, offering racing that feels much more like driving. Your first time in a Formula 1 car, probably while taking GT7’s S license tests, is a sobering experience. The absolutely outrageous speed, the tenacity with which the car holds the road and the breakneck acceleration are astounding, even after driving extremely fast street cars.
Like some of the flashier, more mechanical arcade cabinets of yesteryear, the thrill leaves you a little breathless. You get used to it eventually, but it remains considerably more exciting than anything possible with a TV and controller, and the added sophistication in the way you handle your car on the game’s more intricate courses is something that would be impossible without the additional hardware.
Ramping up the authenticity to these levels may not be for everyone, but sim petrolheads suddenly have a completely new experience available, and one that, while not cheap, is at least approachable and doesn’t require you to live in a mansion . Having the ability to transport yourself to Laguna Seca behind the wheel of a Pagani Huayra or Ford GT40, without having to move from the comfort of your home, feels like an amazing privilege every time.
Logitech G923 Trueforce Sim Racing Wheel: £349.99
Wheel Stand Pro Deluxe V2: £75
PlayStation VR 2: £529.99
Gran Turismo 7 for PlayStation 5: £59.99
PlayStation 5 console: £479.99
Total: £1,494.96
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