- What's up gamers?
I'm Sam here to answer the question
is getting a SIMRIG worth it?
SIMRIG have become very popular
and dare I say pretty cool to own
along with their owners being cool too, of course.
A lot of this craze with gaining popularity
of the SIMRIG's happened in 2020.
We were all locked down in our homes
without a whole lot to do at all.
It was weird, times were odd,
but us car people especially started to go
a little stir crazy when all the shows
that we were planning on going to,
or the track time we planned on putting in,
it didn't happen because those things were canceled.
I was super bummed when all this was going on.
So I turned to video games to help get that craving
of driving satisfied,
along with a whole bunch of you.
A lot of us did this.
Seriously, lobbies were absolutely popping
during these times when you're online
you're racing SIMRIGs.
We're all fat with the lockdown guts
sitting behind our monitors
being lost in a different world.
Times were a little weird,
but it was a fun escape from reality.
I've had a SIMRIG for a number of years now
and luckily I got it before parts started to
get crazy expensive and bought up during those lockdowns.
And then manufacturers couldn't keep up
with the supply and the demand got higher.
We went through supply and demand stuff in
my last video, the prices went crazy
but I'll set you guys straight, real quick,
my setup is seriously basic.
I want you guys to know that so
that when you hear me talking about the benefits, you know
that I'm not out using some crazy
super expensive rig that I have a pretty basic setup.
I've got absolutely ancient Logitech G 25 attached
to a cheap Amazon metal rig setup
with a no name bucket seat.
This is all hooked up to my PC
and ran through a 32 inch monitor or a VR headset.
It's super basic.
If you wanna see us do a SIM night, maybe a lobby
and a set of Corsa or Forza, I'd be totally down.
I know the other guys would be too.
Drop a comment down below and subscribe
if you haven't already.
Let's make some fun stuff happen.
So what is a SIMRIG? Let's start there
since this could mean a lot
of different things to a lot of different people.
On the crazy high end, right over, up over here
there's a whole cockpit experience
with actual platform moves in reaction
to what's happening in the game.
Those are more expensive than a lot
of the cars you and I both drive actually probably combined.
Most people like myself, have a wheel pedal shift or set
up bolted to a frame or chassis of some sort with a seat.
This is kind of down here
on that expensive level compared to up here.
All of this is hooked up to either a PC.
If you're part of the PC master race or a console player
if you're poor, then you have the hyper graphics displayed
on monitor or on your VR headset, more on VR later.
So Contag what SIMRIG is
Why in the world would you want a SIMRIG?
Well, if you ever tried playing grand Charo
or any simulation like racing game with a controller
it's not the most amazing experience.
Yes, it's fun.
But when you really get into the driving
it is just something not there.
I vividly remember being a much younger Sam
and playing grand tri my PlayStation one
with the dual shock analog controllers.
It wasn't easy to give gradual throttle input or be gentle
on the steering input coming into or out of a corner
because you kind of just had buttons to pressed and yeah,
you could use the analog stick as throttle,
but I wasn't that advanced.
A wheel and pedal set up alone makes the experience
more realistic since you can do a little more fine tuning
with your inputs and also get some forced feedback
on the wheel to help you understand what's happening
with the car as you go
over rumble strips or whatever else the road surface is.
And it's telling you what's happening
with the car.
Besides having better input, it's honestly a ton of fun
since it just feels more like driving an actual car
you're more involved having to actually steer
or give throttle input and clutch in for gear shifts.
It's like you're actually driving a car
and just makes it more fun.
You can also jump between a whole bunch
of different driving styles with just one SIM setup
and each will feel very different
from driving a formula one car
to flying through a dirt rally stage.
You can even drive a big rig truck
if you want live out those open road fantasies, driving
across the country to deliver products to a distant Walmart.
[Eagle Screech] Ain't that just the American dream?
If it's a simulation,
does it help you get better at actually driving?
We're talking about a SIMRIG, SIM is short for simulation.
I do get asked this once in a while with my setup.
It honestly kind of depends
on what you're doing and the games you're using.
Some games are much more simulation like than others.
I love jumping into a Subaru STI and tearing
through a forest in Finland on dirt rally, but
I don't think that's really helped me become a rally racer.
And when I drive like in the snow or on gravel,
I don't think I've like gotten much better.
However, I play absolute ton
of a settle course with mods, for drifting.
I can say with confidence, this has absolutely
helped me get better while I'm the track.
I still have an absolute ton of learning to do while
in real life, but I'll take the small ones when
I can get them from learning with the SIM.
You can't really simulate the exact G forces
or the throttle and wheel control along
with understanding how weight transfer works is
about a hundred percent transferable from SIM to real life.
It's really pretty close and you get the feeling for it.
Here's another example, Dakota
and gels recently went to Laguna Osaka
and interviewed some actual race car drivers.
These guys use racing SIMS to warm
up before race learn when to refuel
and pit for that strategy and even use setups at home
just for fun.
There's no substitute for real sea time,
but using a SIM seriously helps.
This is especially true when you live somewhere
like we do here in Wisconsin
you have an off season where the world is frozen over
and you can't really drive your cars.
So using a SIM is something you can actually do.
If you're feeling competitive
then eye racing could be your cup of tea.
I used to do a lot of eye racing
and it's really fun since it's competitive
and they actually do a nice job putting
in lobbies that are grouped
up with people your similar skillset.
There are people that absolutely ran me
off the road, some of them do look hilarious,
but the physics are pretty fantastic in that game as well.
But we gotta talk about VR.
VR is an absolute fricking game changer.
I use VR for the first time in this winter while
in the SIM and it's the absolute best thing I've
ever added in my setup, I spend the vast majority
of my time doing drifting with mods on a set
Corsa VR gives you an uncanny sense of placement in the car.
And on the track, you also get actual depth perception
with the ability to look at where you are going
in relation to the car and just feels natural.
This is hard to describe
but absolutely mind blowing a person.
In my personal experience,
I was able to be much more precise with my drive
and I can put the car exactly where I wanted to using VR.
And I could close that proximity when doing tandems online
inside a Corso.
How about some downsides?
This whole SIM thing sounds great,
but there's gotta be some sort of downside.
And there are a couple
the biggest downside is the cost for a SIM setup
prices with the components haven't come down a ton,
but there are deals we had out there.
You also have a ton of different options at a
wide array of prices.
You can easily drop 10 K for a crazy setup
if you want.
Realistically though, if you are probably gonna look
at a grand or two for SIM setup
that'll be a pretty solid setup.
Plus the PC or the console
you're adding it to.
Trust me, just get a PC and do it on PC.
It's better.
All the console babies out there are going to tell you
that consoles are easy and just no problem with it.
You have much more flexibility with the SIM when it comes
to a PC's because you can add mods to it
which more mimics the real thing.
The second downside is
that you could be sacrificing your actual car budget
actual seat time for a SIMRIG the price to get
into a SIM rig could be the difference
between some tires, mods, or repairs to get your car back
on the track, and you in that seat.
It could even be the difference to a summer's worth
of entry fees, to depend on how expensive you're looking
and going with your SIMRIG a SIMRIG is there
for you to have fun with, but also get some practice
if you're looking at it with that mentality.
The virtual practice is good, but there's no substitute
for the real thing, but is it worth it to get a SIMRIG?
I believe it's totally worth it to get a SIMRIG
cost is your biggest enemy, but you can piece together a rig
over time and have a very respectable setup.
A SIMRIG, lets you have fun with the hobby of cars
in ways you otherwise just couldn't do.
You could be running the to games of Japan with the Sylvia.
And then in the next five minutes you could be tearing
through spy in a dedicated race car.
It's just that fun part that keeps you involved
in the hobby.
That's really exciting.
It is fun, but practice is also real.
At least for me, I can say that my SIMRIG has easily
helped me become a better driver.
I've been able to try some techniques and crash on the SIM
without having to total out a real car.
I'm not alone in this feeling though.
Just look at what grand trio has done
with our driver academy.
Like always I appreciate you guys watching I'm Sam, peace.
Sup
Get a SIMRIG.
It's worth it.
Just do it.