Virtual
Racing can also be REAL fun!
For many
years I've been enjoying virtual racing with my PS2,
the game Gran
Turismo 4, PlaySeat
and Logitech
steering wheel & pedals. This stuff really goes well together! It seems
like they have a cooperation as you can se the Gran Turismo logo inside the
Logitech steering wheel. They also link to each others web sites. No other game
comes close to the Gran Turismo car game! And the force feedback in the steering
wheel from the PlayStation is simply awesome! It really feels like driving a
real car! Add also real surround sound to that! :-)
It may seem a bit drastic to buy the PlaySeat and the steering wheel and pedals.
But trust me, it's 100% worth the cost! Car driving with the standard hand controllers
is a joke in comparison! From the top of my mind I think I paid NOK 2500 for
the seat and NOK 1200 for the wheel/pedals combo. Yes,
you can also place the wheel on a table and the pedals on the floor. There are
also versions which clamp onto your legs... but in order to get the realistic
experience, comfort and control you MUST have a PlaySeat! It is also foldable,
so it doesen't take up much room when stowed away. It doesn't look very stable
(the steering wheel mount), and it isn't. But that doesn't deteriorate the experience
at all, you don't notice it while driving! You don't need a seat model that's
fixed (not foldable), that's overkill. Note also that the force feedback in
the Logitech wheel is the best, so don't buy the el cheapo product! (it also
has full steering lock)
It's now november 2010 and I'm waiting for the Gran
Turismo 5 game to finallhy be released (it's been delayed yet again). When
it finally hits the shelves I will then also buy the PS3
(I have a feeling the car will need a more powerful PS3 version). I have already
ordered a 52''
Philips Ambilight TV with 3D. PS3 and GT5 comes with 3D - so that should
be a fantastic experience!!! I see that the PlaySeats have evolved a lot, and
there's now a lot of different models to choose from.
We've had "boy's night" several times, which is really good fun! We
then use 2(!) PlaySeats with steering wheels & pedals, and drive with split-screen
against each other. Plus beer & pizza of course :-)
I can also higly recommend something called Virtual
RC. You don't even need to own a RC controller, you can just buy a very
cheap dummy USB controller. The game is also free initially with a few tracks.
The Oslo track is the only real race track that's included in the starter pack,
and was also the first real track in the game. I'm quite proud about that, as
I helped them construct it back in 2003 after we arranged the Euros for 1:8
Track at Hvervenbukta the same year. We gave them exact measurements, angles
& bumps for the track. Driving it virtually is so close to reality that's
it almost a bit scary... and very, very good practise of course before races!
If you like RC aeroplanes, there's lots of good & very cheap PC simulators
for that as well! And it saves you a lot of money! Learn to fly virtually before
you go out in real life! :-)