Even though I'm a firm believer that a dedicated sim-racing cockpit is one of the first steps in lowering your lap times, some of inherent flaws that I've seen in every single sim racing cockpit I've either owned or have come across is the fact that they:
1. Are too low to the ground
2. Only support 1 or 2 wheel/pedal styles
3. Seem to be aimed mostly at console racers and NOT the pc racer!
4. Non-Existent or limited upgradeability options!
Issue #1: Sim Racing Cockpits Are to Low To The Ground!
Now, this wouldn't be a problem if you're between the ages of say 17 and 30...but let's be honest, once we 'sim-racers' hit our 40's, as I did a few short years ago, we're just not as flexible as we used to be when we were younger and that makes getting in and out of a low-slung sim racing cockpit just that much harder!
NOTE: My first sim racing cockpit was purchased back in 05', when I was in my mid 30's and even then, getting OUT of the rig was always much harder than getting in...so I could only imagine how hard...or should I use the word "awkward"..that would be now at this point in my life?
Issue #2: Sim Racing Cockpits Supports Limited Wheels/Pedals
Most of today’s leading sim racing cockpits appear to be limited in their support for which wheel/pedals that can be used. Now, I know that the leading wheel/pedal units today are from such companies as Logitech and Fanatec, but they’re not the only wheel/pedal manufacturers on the market. Other brands come to mind, such as Thrustmaster, ECCI, Frex and TSW to name but a few. However, most of the sim racing cockpits just aren’t taking into consideration these other lesser known companies.
Sure, a few of the sim racing cockpit manufacturers indicate on their sales page that their driving cockpits are compatible with other wheel/pedal manufacturers, but I see that as primarily false advertising in order to get the sale!
For instance, let’s assume I was a current user of the Thrustmaster T500 RS wheel/pedal unit and that I was in the market to purchase my first ever sim racing cockpit and I happened to stumble across the website for the Vision Racer VR3…
Do you really think that the T500 RS pedals, pictured below:
Would even fit within the confines of the Vision Racer VR3, pictured below?
Probably not w/that big ole’ bar that comes up right behind the pedal plate!
So, at this point in time, what would my options be? Well, I’d either have to:
* Forgo getting the Vision Racer VR3 and possibly purchase a lesser built sim racing cockpit where my pedals would fit…
or
* Purchase a 2nd set of pedals that not only would fit w/in the VR3 pedal area, but also ensure that those pedals are also compatible with the T500 RS Wheel. Either case, I’m spending even MORE MONEY than what is needed!
Issue #3: Seem to be aimed mostly at console racers and NOT the pc racer!
If you look at most of the sim racing cockpits on the market, you’ll notice the following:
* Only a few have a ‘shifter mount’ available
and
* Even fewer have a keyboard/mouse plate option
Thus, with those two (2) factors alone, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the manufacturers are catering to the more widely popular ‘console racing niche’…simply because console racing games simply require a wheel/pedal plate and nothing more for the end-user to get up and racing in the quickest time possible!
Plus, let’s not forget that games like Gran Turismo and Forza out-sell PC games quite drastically!
Issue #4: Non-Existent or limited upgradeability options!
This “issue” is somewhat related to “issue #3” above, in that today’s sim racing cockpit manufacturers don’t offer all the essential upgrades that would be needed in order to make PC racing easy or even enjoyable.
For instance, pc racers need more than just a place to rest their wheel/pedal/shifter…they need race stands that can support triple-screens, they need extra mounting brackets/areas actually on their sim-rigs in order to install sim racing accessories, such as a button box, tachometer, as well as their keyboard. Much like what I mentioned above, under issue #3, ‘most’ of today’s sim racing cockpits offer just the basics…wheel stand, pedal mount and shifter mount…but even fewer offer triple-screen support stands, let alone keyboard/mouse trays/stands and not one that I’ve found as of yet allows for any type of ‘expansion’ should the end-user get the need to go from console racing games over to the more elaborate pc racing niche!
Thus, in the end, 99.9% of today’s sim racing cockpits have inherent flaws built into them….but the fact remains that even with these flaws, purchasing a sim racing cockpit is still one of the main draws to those who wish to either further immerse themselves in the feeling of being inside an actual race car, or simply wanting to lower their lap times by putting themselves in the same driving position time after time and not having to worry about a wobbly desk or computer chair or trying to hold their wheel between their legs…or worse, trying to become faster by either using a game-controller or for the PC racers….a keyboard!
What’s your opinion about this topic? Am I way off base, or am I pretty much on target with my assumptions?
Post a comment and let me know!
No comments:
Post a Comment