What to upgrade?

[Harto1111]

Hi, i am currently sim racing with the following setup
Xbox one
Playseat challenge
Logitech g920
And a 43"tv

I play mainly f1, assetto corsa and competitzione plus forza motorsport.

I am looking for a bit of advice on what would be best to upgrade first and in what order.

 

[pullmehome]

I'd save up for a pc and get off of console. I played on console for years and couldn't go back after using pc. For me the biggest difference is compatability. On my PC I can use however many USB ports I need in all my Sims. With console you are very limited peripheral wise

 

[RSAGarage]

I second saving for a PC. Right now is probably the best it has been in the past 10 years to build one. You can build a killer system for around $1000-1200. And if you don’t mind buying second hand off ebay it can be much less. GPUs have flooded the market and prices are really good right now.

 

[Ruttman98]

Tally 3 votes for PC!

 

[zacktracy]

Vote 4 for Pc. Just bought one after using a console for years. No going back!

 

[Spinelli]

Hi, i am currently sim racing with the following setup
Xbox one
Playseat challenge
Logitech g920
And a 43"tv

I play mainly f1, assetto corsa and competitzione plus forza motorsport.

I am looking for a bit of advice on what would be best to upgrade first and in what order.

How about we ask you: What part of the experience are you not enjoying or enjoying the least? The driving position? Driving comfort? The feel of one of your pedals? A specific aspect of the game you don't like? The game/games themselves? The selection of games available to you? The resolution of your TV? The FOV of your monitor? Wanting to play with a 1:1 FOV (if you don't already)? The feel of your shifter? The feel of your wheel? The size, shape, or material of your wheel? Looking at a "piece of paper" instead of a 3D stereoscopic image? Not being able to move your head or feel like you're inside the game's world? The size of your pedals? The aspect ratio of your monitor/TV? Etc. Etc. Etc.

Before upgrading just for the fun of it, just to have better stuff, first try and eliminate the parts that are taking some enjoyment away. When you're having a great time playing, or trying to, what are the parts that really stick out to you where you go "geez, as great as this is, I just wish this thing could be different". Basically, the negative things that pop in your head, not because you're trying to find a reason to upgrade, but they just naturally, instinctively pop in your head while playing even when you're not trying to think about them...Address whatever those may be first...Or list them here and we can give our input too.

 

[cnhoff]

You have a pretty nice beginner setup to start with. I was in a pretty similar situation before i gradually lost my mind and spent a fortune.

The problem with identifying possible upgrades might be though, that with your current background, it is probably quite hard to actually know, what spending more money on individual components brings you and feels like.

- PC: if you really plan to go much beyond what you have now, switching to a PC is hardly avoidable. You will have endless opportunities in terms of games (race, flight etc.) and peripherals. This is a major upgrade in terms of cash (initial, upgrades over time) and dedication though.

- Rig: the basis for most advanced rigs is some kind of solid frame, aluminium extrusion based, steel or whatever. Cost is probably from a couple of hundred EUR and up. You buy the flexibility to mount stuff you previously couldnt and change ergonomics. It most often offers the possibility for better seating position (think differences between GT-cars, formula etc.).

- Seat: Along with that comes the ability to mount car, sports car or bucket seats. That will cost extra too of course, my bucket e.g. was 650 EUR on its own. I started with a 200EUR used RECARO seat...big improvement for ergonomics.

- Wheelbase/Pedals: For stronger bases and loadcell pedals a sturdy rig is not optional. I initially used a Fanatec CSW2.5 base and V3 pedals with my Playseat challenge, but there was flex everywhere. I wouldnt think about any direct-drive wheels on that. Load-cell pedals would enourmously improve both immersion and control, as braking is proportional to the pressure on the pedal, not the position of the pedal. Number one upgrade in my opinion for improving your driving. DD wheelbases starting from a Fanatec CSL DD will set you back another 500EUR or more and you can/have to buy wheel rims for that. The variety is almost endless, but each rim costs money.

- Lots of other stuff : shifters, tactile, motion, VR .........

I could now post a pic of my current rig and the bill that comes with that, but i dont think that would add much to the discussion There was a lot of buy twice involved, as i could not imagine spending so much on a rig in the beginning.

If you really want some advice for a single, affordable upgrade that can be used with your existing stuff, i would probably look at loadcell pedals like the T-LCM from Thrustmaster. You should be able to get some solid improvement in terms of feel and driving technique out of that.

 

[Emery]

There was a lot of buy twice involved, as i could not imagine spending so much on a rig in the beginning.

This ^^^

There are really two routes to cockpit madness once you've played with a wheel clamped to a desk/table/wheelstand.

The first route is you build your own, whether it is a replica of your favorite real car or just a nice metal/wood frame... at some point a few years after construction, you'll either upgrade to a direct drive wheel and realize you didn't construct a strong enough rig - OR - you want/need modifications that entail a rig rebuild. You then get an aluminum profile cockpit and are happy for the versatility. [anybody remember Shawn Cole's Formula Vee chassis?]

The second route is you just buy the aluminum profile cockpit and are happy for the versatility. No fiddle-farting around with sub-optimal solutions.

Even with aluminum profile cockpits, there are some detours you might be tempted to take that are less than desireable. GT Omega, for instance, offers a pretty decent rig with their Prime, but the pedal deck is known to flex and the expense to upgrade that will put you in the Simlab P1-X price range you were trying to avoid in the first place.

***
Amongst the other potential upgrades, the G920 is your prime candidate because geared steering wheels suck with their rattling. If you're going to stick with consoles, then jumping to the new Logitech direct drive wheel and Hall effect pedals makes sense... if you're thinking about using a PC, then at least wait to see what alternate wheels Logitech offers as that console-centric model they're shipping is kind of tasteless. Esthetics is where Thrustmaster's direct drive wheel might be more attractive. Of course if you're just moving on to the PC, then the budget goes up a bit and suddenly you're looking at Simucube 2 and all manner of pedal options.

 

[stigs2cousin]

Though there is a lot of truth in the postings above I don´t if they helpfull to you.

At the beginning of "my mad journey" I bought a PS4 and a TM T300 to practise Nordschleife until it would reopen after Covid.
I build myself a rig out of surplus profile and was happy for about 1/2 a year before I switched to PC for tripple screens and AC mods.

A normal person would have stopped here but I escalated quickly and poured the money I didn´t "need" anymore for my car into simracing.

So now I´m on much more rigid rig with a direct drive and high end pedals with sequential and H-pattern shifter, a tactile system with four channels and a greatly tuned up PC.

Necessary was nothing after the first setup to get driving.

So if you want to upgrade and performance is the goal try loadcell pedals as consensus is they would aid in consistency.
Sadly the better loadcell pedals have higher brake forces so after a while the Playseat would have to go for a better rig.
And then a Logitech on an aluminium profile rig would be an eye sore and so on and so on.

For more fun the PC is my number one upgrade as especially AC lives of the great modding community, triple screens are worth every cent of their (considerable) price in my opinion.

From there the law of diminishing returns hit hard, of course a DD base with a number of different wheels is great, but is it 2-3 thousand Euro great??

MFG Carsten