iRacing is overpriced

[Hor-hay]

Coming up to the end of my 3 month sub and I've enjoyed my iRacing time. But got to say it's way overpriced. Yes they provide a good service but compared to other online games it's a rip. I'd be happy to pay a sub but the extra cost for tracks and cars is ridicules. I think at the very least all tracks should be free.

I just hope they get some competition to force them to lower there prices.

 

[James Nance]

Haha I just take it as my serious Hobby like how people go golfing or karting each week but I get to stay home.

 

[Fritz Anker]

I wouldn't mind going karting each week! ...but if I add another hobby to my list, I think my wife will go certifiably bonkers.

 

[Fritz Anker]

Because people want iRacing, or at least: clean racing every hour.

But not with "you want GT3? Then go and spend 80€, but beware, you want that GT1 too? Go spend another 50€" .... you're lucky if you can spend hundreds of dollars on simracing. Quite some of us already had to save up for the wheel and the subscription.

Yeah, I get that. Trickle pricing bugs me too. I see both sides of the coin though - people who only drive ovals probably don't care too much about the GT3 or GT1 cars and don't want to feel like they have to buy it. People can manage their budget and at least buy the minimum to get in and nothing they don't.

...although, I haven't spent much seat time in that included Caddy...

At the very least, you only need to buy one car to race the series. Unlike the current AC model. It's the same reason I haven't dived into R3E either - until they bulked it all together for one price. I hate it when you have to buy currency to use in game. Hate. It.

I am at a stage in my life though, yes, I can afford a dabble in iRacing. Buy some nice(r) gear and enjoy without too much burden. At one point, though I did want to buy a Porsche GT3. After all the options and whatnot, it was beyond my means, and I ended up with a BMW. In the end pretty similar performance and have been pretty happy since. And yet I don't hate on Porsches.

 

[Fritz Anker]

I agree, just an "other" racing title? Seems a belittling for such an established Sim. One thing that Im glad to see from them is the expansion of staff and there studio headquarters and that's a good sign. They also make good promise on improvements and further development of there Sim. iRacing has some of the best numbers driver wise and is still growing and expanding into other real world racing series's. Everything they produce is top quality. Sad to say, my consensus is people find it too difficult and too competitive, then they give up, saying its not realistic or too hard. I've seen many people from other sims come in and try it and fail, then ending up back to there original sim of choice to feel competitive and win again. In my years of Sim racing, I've seen all of them have weird physics and handling woes, none are perfect. That saying, I think iRacing has more consistency of what happens vs any other Sim. Just my observation of course.

I was really taken aback when they listed it in "other." Not trying to be their marketing department, but "home to over 60,000 sim racers" and it's an "other" title at a/the premiere website about racing? iRacing belongs with American Truck Simulator, Grand Theft Auto V and My Summer Car?

Really?

Wrong.

But at least it got a dedicated RaceTube channel! Credit where credit's due. They may be pricey but that's relative, what they deliver is -indeed- top quality, noteworthy and newsworthy.

 

[James Nance]

I was really taken aback when they listed it in "other." Not trying to be their marketing department, but "home to over 60,000 sim racers" and it's an "other" title at a/the premiere website about racing? iRacing belongs with American Truck Simulator, Grand Theft Auto V and My Summer Car?

Really?

Wrong.

But at least it got a dedicated RaceTube channel! Credit where credit's due. They may be pricey but that's relative, what they deliver is -indeed- top quality, noteworthy and newsworthy.

Yeah kinda a joke on RaceDepartments part.

 

[xnorb]

people who only drive ovals probably don't care too much about the GT3 or GT1 cars and don't want to feel like they have to buy it.

I might have put that wrong.
I absolutely support the idea of "create your own game".
R3E for example does that and i think it's great - i don't care about the Radicals, open wheelers or hillclimb tracks, why should i pay for it?

Let's say we want to run GT3 in R3E.
ADAC GT Masters 2015 for roughly 25€ (6 cars, 8 tracks)
And we want to add some EU tracks: EU track pack 26€ (but lowers as you already own some tracks after buying the GT Masters pack)
So, let's just assume that's 40€ leaving you with 6 GT3 cars and 15 tracks ( i think)

Now let's head over to iRacing.
Blancpain Endurance series it is then for newcomers:
BMW Z4: 12$
McLaren: 12$
Zandvoort: 15$
Interlagos: 15$
Montreal: 15$
Sebring: 15$
Brands Hatch: 15$
Daytona 15$
Bathurst: 15$
Zolder: 15$
Phillip Island: 15$
Nürburgring: 15$
Circuit of the Americanas: 15$

24$ for cars
165$ for tracks
+3 months subscription for 30$
= total of 219$

And there are people who don't understand the price argument?

 

[James Nance]

I might have put that wrong.
I absolutely support the idea of "create your own game".
R3E for example does that and i think it's great - i don't care about the Radicals, open wheelers or hillclimb tracks, why should i pay for it?

Let's say we want to run GT3 in R3E.
ADAC GT Masters 2015 for roughly 25€ (6 cars, 8 tracks)
And we want to add some EU tracks: EU track pack 26€ (but lowers as you already own some tracks after buying the GT Masters pack)
So, let's just assume that's 40€ leaving you with 6 GT3 cars and 15 tracks ( i think)

Now let's head over to iRacing.
Blancpain Endurance series it is then for newcomers:
BMW Z4: 12$
McLaren: 12$
Zandvoort: 15$
Interlagos: 15$
Montreal: 15$
Sebring: 15$
Brands Hatch: 15$
Daytona 15$
Bathurst: 15$
Zolder: 15$
Phillip Island: 15$
Nürburgring: 15$
Circuit of the Americanas: 15$

24$ for cars
165$ for tracks
+3 months subscription for 30$
= total of 219$

And there are people who don't understand the price argument?

Its crazy I know and we keep giving them our money...because we enjoy what we get from it, thats the point right? Not your cup of tea or anyones, sure. I like iRacing for its accuracy and professional outlook into Sim racing. Im okay with what I pay for, sure it can always be cheaper just like any other thing out there. But at least they are moving forward and there quality improves.

 

[Mark Noble]

You dont need to buy all cars for any multi class series, you only need the one you are going to race! There is always specials on a couple of times a year ($49 for 12 months subs) But as James said all up to the individual and if they want an actual "simulator" that is used for real life practice and testing by actual Nascar and V8 drivers then I suppose we have to pay for it and in my eye's I dont mind paying for top quality!

 

[Metzger82]

Well iRacing is not about buy every track and every car and drive different every day.
You buy 1 car for a 12 weeks season or more. Depends on the track scehdule you may need to buy or not 1-2 tacks. You can skip 4 out of 12 weeks which means you can skip 4 of the payed content.

You cannot compare iRacing with AC or any other sim out there. The whole idea is completely different in iRacing you dont need many cars, as I mentioned you need only 1 car and stick with it master it and do seasons with it, just like IRL. If you want to have fun with some gt3, f1, classic f1 on couple of tracks all on the same evening.. then simply skip iRacing.

Overpriced or not ? I do iRacing from november last year, got yearly subscription on black friday for 50 bucks and dont regred every coin and minute I spent on it.

Own a lot of rre content, AC, Pcars, RF2 did some RC club races but the racing expirience in iRacing is unique, despite there is no t1 wrecks, you plan your season have targets, gain points. When you jump in a race you know you need points to compete in the season. The expirience is completely different not only on a race aspect but on mental aspect, you feel the pressure of the more important races, you see you are close to compete for the first place but you need that extra 0.5 second consistency etc... It is a whole more than just jump in a 8 laps gt2 on spa and then forget.

EDIT:

Just for example.. I fight for 1st on SRF division 4.. I m currently 3rd and I see the first 2 are about 0.5 seconds faster overall. Looking for a way to gain this little extra i started to learn how to use telemetry and compare their laps with mine... This feeling and planning you can never expirience in other sims unless you join a league, But then you have to be very strict with the schedule which is not the case in iRacing.

 

[xnorb]

Not arguing on subscription costs or how great iRacing is.
It has been proven time over time again that you need to lock simracing behind a paywall to remove the majority of people who aren't able to race.

But it's a fact that ALL other companies in that genre put other same-quality content for far less.
And the example above would be my GT3 season. Sure, i could stick to only the McLaren or Z4, but to have a direct comparison to other price policies i picked more than 1 car, but for the tracks which make up the big chunk of the price, i can't avoid it. Ya sure, skip 4 tracks, lowering the price by 60$ (which on it's own is insane as that's more expensive than your regular videogame).

 

[Mark Noble]

Just my opinion but I dont think you can say "same quality content"

 

[Metzger82]

Again, there is no other companies in that genre, there is only 1. AC and RF2 are in the same genre and you can compare them but iRacing is not. It is a service not just a game that you buy. And tracks and cars are part of this service not only the subscription, having to pay for them add this little motivation to stick and master a car and keep the current model and not to make it like other sims.

 

[James Nance]

But it's a fact that ALL other companies in that genre put other same-quality content for far less.

What sim has all its tracks laser scanned? I know it cost a pretty penny to get that done alone. I agree some of other developers put out quality content but id say not even half are to an all out accuracy and only modeled by assumption. Ive been a beta tester and I know how some devs make there cars and none of them are near what iR does, except for maybe Assetto Corsa. In the end I think in a way theres a justification to whats to be paid. I started on iRacing just before public release and it was way more expensive and had little to offer, but yet people keep getting sucked in and they keep developing. Cheers.

 

[James Nance]

And yet people spend $60 on console games or some PC games, even multiple games a month...

 

[Metzger82]

I understand anyway that this is very subjective topic. It depends on your attitude to the "sim". If you take it like a game like AC, Pcars... yes it is overpriced. If you take it as a hobby and you are serious with it is way more cheaper than rental cars for example.
So I guess if you think it is overpriced you are just not looking for what it offers so better stick to the more regular sims on the market
Ofcourse it also depends on your income.

 

[James Nance]

I understand anyway that this is very subjective topic. It depends on your attitude to the "sim". If you take it like a game like AC, Pcars... yes it is overpriced. If you take it as a hobby and you are serious with it is way more cheaper than rental cars for example.
So I guess if you think it is overpriced you are just not looking for what it offers so better stick to the more regular sims on the market
Ofcourse it also depends on your income.

It can be an expensive hobby for sure. Funny part when I was at the Spa 24 last year, I talked to a race engineer for one of the teams I was guest at, he told me he sticks all his drivers to iRacing to learn the tracks and to also get an idea on car setups. Makes you appreciate what we have even more.

 

[Metzger82]

It can be an expensive hobby for sure. Funny part when I was at the Spa 24 last year, I talked to a race engineer for one of the teams I was guest at, he told me he sticks all his drivers to iRacing to learn the tracks and to also get an idea on car setups. Makes you appreciate what we have even more.

It is not cheap especialy if you count the hardware that you need for proper expirience
for iRacing I guess once you gain more tracks it becomes less expensive so you will own most of the content already and combining that with half price yearly subscription it seems the hardest part is to survive first 3-4 months.

 

[xnorb]

for iRacing I guess once you gain more tracks it becomes less expensive so you will own most of the content already and combining that with half price yearly subscription it seems the hardest part is to survive first 3-4 months.

That's exactly it.
People defending iRacing's pricing usually are the ones who already spent about 250$ on it, and then of course it's cheap as balls for what there's to offer.

EDIT: I think my big problem with iRacing's price policy is that in every F2P game out there you drop the regular 50-60$ on it and you have enough content to play the game.
In iRacing that's not true. With 60$ i get 1 car and 3 tracks? Which will not let me race a series for the car i purchased.

 

[Metzger82]

That's exactly it.
People defending iRacing's pricing usually are the ones who already spent about 250$ on it, and then of course it's cheap as balls for what there's to offer.

EDIT: I think my big problem with iRacing's price policy is that in every F2P game out there you drop the regular 50-60$ on it and you have enough content to play the game.
In iRacing that's not true. With 60$ i get 1 car and 3 tracks? Which will not let me race a series for the car i purchased.

Depends on the series and schedules, the higher rated series more payed content they will eventualy require. Normally you have some discounts if you buy more stuff at a time or you can split your purchases so you wont hurt your pocket at a time. There is a mazda cup which is with only free content. There is SRF which require 2-3 tracks per season and the car is free and many others.

It is planned that way the entry level series are free or require very small amount of purchases and combining with the ability to miss 4 of the weeks you can do almost all rookie and D class series with minimal to none purchases.

 

[James Nance]

I've spent roughly close to $4000 since 2008, yeah it's definitely my hobby lol.