VR is the only reason i started iRacing... driving on monitors feels like i am playing a game. Driving in VR feels driving a car

I use triples and VR. To me, it's a 50/50 thing. When I use VR , I miss the comfort of the triples, but when on tripples I miss the magic of VR. Its all up to you, there is no right or wrong answer debating what is best. ( That said, VR will constantly approve, and become a gamechanger. Screens might get bigger and cheaper, but will not further enhance the experience. (Just my humble opinion)

As I have said many times, I could not go back to triple monitors. VR all the way

For some reason no one seems to mention the fact that VR gives a 3D image. Well maybe that is obvious but I completely missed that fact, and when I finally bought a vr headset I was blown away. It is not only much more immersive than a screen, but also makes it easier to learn new tracks and get up to speed after longer breaks from sim-racing, since judging distances is so much more natural (and yes - I had a mathematically correct FOV when playing on a screen).

Thanks so much for this - I'm ready to go one way or the other right now and the entire video was gold for managing expectations.

Good video. You are really objective on the way you talk about anything, i love that. Like.

I didn't think you were going to pick one at the end! 😂 I feel exactly the same as you. I live my Rift S, but triples are king for content creators 👍

Great video Will! Some really goods points for all sides. Here's my take ... I have all 3 alternatives: Single BIG Screen, VR and Triple 32" screens. Single BIG Screen - Don't like single screen - FOV too restricted, low immersion. In my circumstances, screen too far from seating position - not something I can change. VR: (Oculus Rift) Love VR - want to drive a Ferrari @ Nords, sure - you can look around the cockpit and feel like you are really driving a Ferrari (and you can ding it without your bank manager deciding to cash in your retirement find as well as your children's retirement fund!). Immersion in VR is KING imo. Exactly what Will said about looking at your apexes - allows for extreme accuracy which is very gratifying.. Limiting factors with VR - not necessarily comfortable (heavy, fit to head adjustibility), HOT - not something that would be comfortable for an endurance event, and not practical as with heat and sweat, the lenses fog up. These factors made me not use VR as much as I would if the unit was lighter, not as front heavy, and if it did not fog up (the heat itself is only an issue in an Aussie summer, otherwise it adds to the immersion, as it's very hot in a real race car, particularly tin-tops that I am accustomed to ...) ... if you like space games and own Elite Dangerous, try that in VR .. Triple Screens: My current go to (although I run 3x 32" Curved monitors in 1080p each @ 165Hz so no where near as taxing as Will's setup - with a GTX1080 and it copes with this without any problem with full detail on everything, which was the aim, compared to VR where I had to lose detail on most titles. This is the newest setup I have, and the main reason I built it, was so that I would be able to sim race MORE OFTEN. My enthusiasm is somewhat tempered by the nVidia Surround software, which is utter garabage as Will stated in the vid. I've had all of the issues Will mentioned and more. Once you get it working though, it's absolutely fantastic. It seems to me you either spend forever in-game farting around trying to get the individual screens to line up the image (once you set that up though, they remember, so this is a one-time thing, until you stupidly decide to adjust it .. do NOT do that) .. games like RaceRoom., AC and ACC run like this) OR you use nVidia Surround you make your GPU combine all of your screens into one really wide screen, where you fart around forever every time you want to play, but once it is set up, there are many titles that will just run with that faultlessly (PC2, Dirt Rally 2, rFactor2 and WRC8 .. even The Crew 2 works in this mode .. even though it sucks otherwise ...) without needing further adjustment which is great. My 3 cents .. hope it's helpful.

Well done! By far the most complete discussion available about this topic. Everybody should be able to build his own opinion after viewing this. My rig isn't even connected to a single monitor because it's placed in a corner of the room where there is no place for one. I only race with my Oculus Rift (and a GF GTX 970! Yes, it works!) and am very happy with it.

VR has always felt like wearing a full face race helmet to me... the reduced field of view in VR is not an issue as it mimics very similar FOV you get in real life and with limited FOV you tend to move your head more in a real car/kart for situational awareness anyway. I have far more spacial awareness in VR than I ever did on triple monitors. And I ran triple screens since 2008... Screen door effect is not a thing... If you're looking a stationary image, maybe... but it's not a thing when it comes to racing.... As for sweet spot for vision.... never been a problem in the CV1. Other lenses in other brand VR HMD's are more strict in where it sits for each user.... the Rift CV1 has been incredible. Even with the lower resolution. It's truely amazing

very useful info! really happy to hear this as I was considering buying triple monitors

Thanks for this video mate. I’m looking at building my first rig, and it’s been helpful 👍🏻

Great video. You make a lot of good points. Index user here since a few weeks. Very happy so far. (Not only for racing by the way, which is also something to consider!) Would be interested to see an update video like this after a couple of months!

Great video. I’m a VR user and IMO it’s the way to go but there are definitely compromises. Like you said it’s not a clear cut winner over monitors yet. BTW, I’ve found that a fan blowing on you while racing in VR is a must.

TrackIR is worth considering if you want a go between with static/ VR and some further immersion. If you don't mind a bit of DIY/3D printing, you can get a trackIR clone up and running for less than £15, as I did. It's a good compromise too if you struggle with VR related motion sickness as you can limit your head tracking movement to up down/left right, that can minimise the wobbling effect that can cause motion sickness.

Well put. Having both I totally agree with your assessment

Most of the Triple screen supporters/fanboys either have not tried (proper setup) VR or tried it for a few weeks and went back to triples. Most of the VR guys I know, raced triples for years and years. I loved my triples back in the day. I had 3x 42" LCDs and it was great. However you are still looking at a 2d picture of a track. My Oculus Rift S puts me in the drivers seat and when I look to the side on the start line, the car beside me is real life size! It takes a while for your brain to adjust to the lack of resolution but after a while that disappears. Another plus is I dont have to calculate FOV and worry about bezels. EVER. Guys get a good VR headset, tune it properly, give yourself time to get used to it. Motion sickness is a VR noob issue and goes away. Best gaming experience of my life!

Always a great video, I use the HP Reverb v2 and love it, but yes, screen effect stil there. Can't wait for the newer tech to keep coming out.

If you don't have the money for VR or triple monitors look into 1 monitor and track Ir ( head tracking hardware)

Its pretty crazy that today, a decent true to expectation vr rig and 3 high performance monitors are actually both pretty much equally obtainable. Ive been playing assetto corsa in vr a lot, and while its got its issues, such as constantly having to reset my player view (especially with modded cars), its still fantastic for someone whos trying to use it as a training environment as much as entertainment

I like the VR videos because they seem more dynamic and engaging to watch. I really don't prefer to watch the flat ones because I get bored after a while XD

I use both 90% VR and a little bit triple. VR you are IN the world. There is no contest really. You can use TrackIR with triples to look around but i find its not that great. My DIY wind sim also keeps me cool.

There just something about triple screens, looks awesome.

Great vid, very objective. Perhaps you can do some vids on the settings you use per game, super sampling etc? Would be great to compare.

Best honest review ever I think. Everyone else was always shaken one way or the other because of sponsorship etc. Nice vid. I'm interested in the G920 vid, I have the G29 and I want to see what your opinion is compared to all the fancy gadgets you have :)

Thanks for that run down. Seems a bit more honest than many. I am more of a flight simmer & am leaning towards the Valve Index for same, especially as the fov & sweet spot are wider & more forgiving according to a lot of the reviews. I wear glasses & have glaucoma, so I dont know if VR is actually a good idea for me. I'm going to attend a VR experience center in London, UK & give VR a try I think. Don't want to spend £919 on the kit if it's no good for my circumstances

VR will definitely be the move for me- once I tried it I’ll never go back. If I had the money for both I’d probably feel differently, but I’m perfectly happy to use VR exclusively, permanently. Also, adding to what you said about becoming fatigued after 40+ minutes of racing in VR- that was the case for me too in the beginning. The more I used it to race, however, the longer I was able to stay racing with it. I now regularly will spend 3+ hours in VR racing multiple stints back-to-back when I would have gotten a throbbing headache after 20 minutes when I first started. I’d bet money that you’ll be able to go much longer after getting more used to the VR, unless the motion rig makes the fatigue that much worse.

If i go VR, I may never come back to reality! Sticking to triples for now, the camera shake puts me off a bit, and i still wanna be connected to what's happening around me in my house, and i can;'t imagine using VR for a whole weekend. I think ultimately owning both is the way go !!

Hey Will, good in depth video mate. Quality stuff. I think the "chromatic aberration" thing may be a bit of a misnomer as it sounds to me more like spherical aberration or even just low quality lenses. Not criticizing just sharing my thoughts after doing a fair bit of research before rifle scope shopping. Keep up the quality vids Will 👍

I’m using VR with Flight Simulators almost for two years and there’s no way back to monitor. I think Its the same story with the Race Sims. Being a pilot in a real life I can see how much potential VR does have for the training. Unfortunately public Flight Simulation world doesn’t have force feedback devices at all. I’ve even made a video about it. How lucky race simmers are to have such a good and realistic control devices which they can use alongside with VR to get a highest level of immersion! Thank you for your videos.

Great vid Will. Get yourself some fans for vr.

Nicely explained, Will. Really helpful. J :)

It is going to get a lot better performance wise once foveated rendering with real time eye tracking comes into play for consumers. You can then run a very wide FOV in the highest detail settings at high frame rates. The technology is already available. Just not for consumers yet at reasonable prices.

The fact that you used VR for only a week and it made you hesitate to chose between it and what you are used to play on for years, that alone makes it a win for VR to me. People get into VR because of sim racing but I got into sim racing because of VR 😃😎

Good to see both sides. Ty.

Great Video Will I've been saying exactly the same about VR and the current hardware limitations that are stopping it from evolving with regards to clarity, which is exactly the same reason why i always return to my triples 95% of my time racing. that being said maybe in a couple of years we will see some big advances with GPU's, CPU's and VR hardware that will make it more viable.

Sold my Rift because I was using it less and less. After the WOW effect wore off the feeling of having this on my head for any amount of time was just discouraging. So it is matter also how immersed you wanna be. And I am using single screen.

I run 2 fan systems, one is a desktop sized USB fan blowing from a low position up into the face to keep it cool and stop fogging, and also a seat cooler to keep me cool. Both help with comfort in long endurance races.

Great, and honest review! Watching all the way through the video, I can take from it, is the VR is better and every con is down to lack of experience with VR or familiarity with triples, the vision might be that you actually need eye correction and you didn't know. With reference to awareness, in VR you naturally use mirrors and look around like in real life. VR compares to real life where triples doesn't and can't come close as fixed screens don't give the depth of binocular vision. It is a shame that Assetto Corsa doesn't do it as well as other games.

12:30 - Something that could help with very high resolution and the same amount of resources we are having to day is if headsets use eye tracking for foveated rendering. 15:30 - Chromatic aberration is when individual colors like red and blue get spread because of the lens and you have those colored outlines on high contrast areas from black to white for example. The reason why it get's blurry is a different focal length in the outer edge, the screen is straight and because of the higher distance from lens to screen on the outer edge it gets out of focus. 17:00 - Could be the lenses on the Reverb are not as good as on the Index? there I also can't see completely sharp to the edges but most of the vision is sharp. It was way worse with my Rift CV1. I can now just turn my eyes to read the dash instead of my head. 21:30 - I think there are enough VR videos like mine that show it can look pretty sharp and steady for the viewer, of course most don't use motion. But I personally liked the bouncing around, looked very immersive and authentic. 25:50 - On some weekends or for league races i had the headset on for 3-5 hours almost straight with only very short breaks and was perfectly fine with that. And that was even with the Rift CV1 with far lower resolution and sharpness. I think it's something of getting used to which you can't judge after only one week while I have VR experience since 5 years or so.

I’m speaking from the standpoint that I haven’t used a multi-monitor setup, but I absolutely love VR. Yes, there is still a screen door effect, but as you said, you forget about it while you’re racing. The tech is far from perfect, but I still think it is absolutely incredible how we can achieve this level of immersion that is was unheard of just a few years ago. I still want to try out a multi-monitor setup in the future, but for now I’m somewhat siding with VR.

Great review

I owned tripple monitors, ultrawide monitor, HP reverb g2 and oculus quest 2. I'm a programmer, so I have the reason to buy tripple monitor setup and first tried it out, but incorporating your working space with sim rig is a pain. In thi begining, this setup does give you more advantage when you're fighting others wheel to wheel, but I find myself endup using the sound to sense where are others rather than glimpsing them on the other screen. At this point, I knew I can just get an ultrawide instead because they really occupy the space, which upsets my girl friend many times. After having an ultrawide, my sim rig can just sit beside my desk. And I can just use an arm desk mount to move the monitor around. I used this setup for a while, and I didn't exprience any disadvantage compared to tripple monitor setup. One day, my lab just received two Oculus Quest 2, and I decided to take one of them home to try it out with iRacing. It just blown my mind. You will really sense the speed. It will terrify you, so you literally afraid to flat the gas. You will scream when you crash into the barrier (especially in open wheel cars). Then you will just get motion sickness. The motion sickness lasted for a whole day. But at the 2nd day, I fed myself and got a chewing gum before the racing, I really feel so much better. At the 5th day, the it just gone. In VR, you're really placed into the simulator. For me, I can feel the car dynamic better, because I can feel the rear of mycar better. I can predict and catch the spin better (I don't know why, maybe the details are magnified in the VR environment). I know whether my car are still on the kerb or not, so I can pick up the throttle at right moment. You do need to take sometime to get used to. It took me 2 days to get my normal laptime, and after 4 days, my laptime is slightly improved. In some cases, the VR can be more beneficial. I recently tried out formula f3 in iraincg (was playing f1 or f3.5). When I practice on the track that I'm not familiar with, without watching any track guide, I usually need 120~150 laps to get my exact breaking points and the points to pickup throttle, and I usually need another 30 laps to make it consistent. However, when I use VR, I found myself get the break points right in only 30~40 laps, and just need another 10~15 to make it consistent, which is similar to my realife experience. Just because I can turn my head to see the apex and outside kerb, I can somehow bring my racing experience in reallife to simulators. Moreover, after having my girlfriend trying out the beat saber, she just love this headset. It really gave me opportunity to get a good VR headset. To enhance the experience, I bought a HP reverb g2 with my girlfirend's permission. But endup returning it in 14 days. It does have beautiful screen, but it just doesn't have that much after market accessories you can buy to get the comfort you want. Of course, you can 3D print some adapter to get the accessory from oculus, but it just doesn't feel great as the oculus quest 2. And, if you play ACC or other sim title with higher resolutions, you will feel the benefit of g2, but I only play iRacing, so it not that huge change imho. One downside of the g2 is it's not a stand-alone headset, which means when my girlfriend want to play beatsaber, she need to use my computer and stay in my working room. And, the controller from g2 is just a crap. After returning the g2, we bought another Oculus Quest 2 with BOBOVR M2 Pro strap. It's half price of the G2, but feel 90% of the reverb g2 in terms of resolution and sweet spot. I aslo found my eye can feel warm and uncomfortable in VR, so I get a bobovr F2 to solve this. (VR cover has something similar and works better, but I forgot the name of that product.) If the comfortabilty on tripple monitor is 1.0, I will say VR is around 0.85~0.9 (depends on your VR setup). Now, I can pratice in VR for more than 10 hours, until my wrist feel pain. I don't really feel uncomfortable on my face or eyes except some normal tiredness. So, if you: - has limited space. - has limited budget. - ** has a girl/boy friend** A VR headset might be your choice. Cost: HP Reverb G2 - AUD $959 Oculus Quest 2 - AUD $479 BOBOVR M2 with battery - AUD $99 BOBOVR F2 - AUD $79 Tripple Monitor (MSI MAG274QRF) - AUD $ 540 * 3 Ultrawide Monitor (Samsung G9) - AUD $ 2300 (I bought 1600 for second hand.)

So in summary you're basically helping me justify both lol. Thanks for your videos Will, between you, Chris Haye and the SRG you're helping me understand a whole new hobby in a really nice, opinion based but not opinionated way.

I use both an alternate based on amount of time I'm going to spend, when I'm using the computer for work, etc. This is the best review and take on the subject I've seen. I like the peripheral vison with triples but with a helmet on you wouldn't have that view either. When I'm practicing only I like triples so I can sip a soda, be casual, etc. Dirt Rally 2 is much preferred in VR for me. iRacing Nascar kind of nice having peripheral due to the side by side racing. I definitely race better in dirt oval with VR. GT3 I'm more consistent in VR also. I only have the Rift S so not as pretty as triples but you adapt and as he says very immersive.

A good descriptive analysis. Some people have complained that the HP reverb's sweet spot is quite small and you seem to feel that too and it could also add to the headache's you feel hold you back from longer races. I use an Oculus CV1 1st Gen and while the SD effect is pronounced i dont ever get headaches but with a fan on my face i could stay in there for long periods of time. I routinely spend a couple hours in it when doing setup and practice work, basically until i get physically tired and brain fade of driving. I think this could be a weakness of the reverb, the index is getting nice reviews at the moment for that side of things and i think right now is the best overall compromise. Personally i am going to stay on the CV1 and my aging TitanX (980ti gen) rig because it can run the CV1 just fine and i'll save my money for a Gen2.5 - 3 VR and brand new rig to run it. If they can get eye tracking running we can heavily reduce the rendering loads so these future headsets do have some tricks up their sleeves if the development takes place. I would be tempted by the Rift-S as a cheap upgrade but the audio seems to totally suck. For me VR is a no brainer for the space-saving factor and i don't produce content so i don't have to worry about all those sides of things.

Nice video. As an astronomer, I should correct your terminology at one point. Chromatic aberration is the difference in focal point for various wavelengths of light. As such, if a lens cannot put red at the same point of focus as blue, for example, then you get color fringing (usually purple/blue shades) on brighter areas of an image. This is why "achromatic" refractors and cheaper camera lenses might have purple haloes on bright stars at the edges of a field of view. Astronomers and photographers combat this by using more lens elements (typically of high-dispersion glasses), which refracts all visual wave-lengths to the same focal point. Such optics are known as "apochromatic." What you refer to in the video is actually a form (there are many) of spherical aberration. This is where the shape of the lens itself, in this case, brings light to different areas of focus across the entire field of view. In this case, the issue with VR is likely "field curvature" where you would expect everything across the screen to be in focus, but in reality, the edges of the field become slightly out of focus. In other words, any lens can get well-focused images in the center, but it becomes a challenge once you stray off the central optical-axis. For VR, you can learn to keep your head in the "sweet spot." But in astronomy, this becomes very objectionable when taking pictures of a field of stars with larger CCD/CMOS sensors. The further from center, the more out of focus stars become. Worse, even if we buy a color-corrected apochromatic refractor, it will likely still exhibit slight (or perhaps not so slight) field curvature as we go away from the optical axis. For this reason, we usually spend even MORE money for a "field-flattener" or even a refractor telescope of more advanced design like a four-element "Petzval," which both color-corrects AND flattens the field. Other forms of spherical aberration can be at play as well, such as comatic aberration and astigmatism. You would see these effects when taking pictures of a brick wall...where you might expect perfectly parallel mortar lines all the way to the edge, but what you actually get is a bending of those lines toward the edge (and perhaps a little field-curvature as evidenced by slight defocus). The tl;dr of the whole thing is that in astronomy, just like sim racing, you get what you pay for; however, in astronomy we've advanced enough to have optical perfection across even substantial fields of view, if we are willing to spend the money. With VR, it might take quite awhile to achieve similar levels of advancement.

Great video thanks. Well thought out from both sides. I still prefer vr when driving and as software gets better its making navigating in game much better. 1 think tripples does not give is depth due to lack of 3d and depth helps me a lot. When i raced in real world depth makes all the difference and sonething i struggle with in many sims when on screens.

I get the motion feeling in VR the same time as you. Only when coming to a stop.

Returned my HMD Odyssey some time ago and instead now use the TrackIR v5 with the TrackClip on a visor. Simple, easy, and cheap. I am able to look around nicely, which is very helpful when cornering. Now, just need to add two more monitors and a triple screen stand.

Thanks for the honest review! I was considering getting VR, but not at this time. I recently got injured via a neck whiplash situation and I was concerned that my neck could take the weight of VR and the amount of head movement required to keep the device in a clear, focused image. I am not ready for that at this time. I did have to receive therapy to get my neck put back into place by a chiropractor. I think I will go with a 49" monitor and just live with that for the time being. Thanks again!

i use the oculus rift S and the lenses are much better than the hp...the sweetspot is MUCH larger and the images are clean and sharp on the periphery

You should really try a Pimax, i currently use a pimax 5k +, and i love it! Also use some wind simulator fan, sounds stupid but it increases the immersion sens of speed!

my answer is: both, vr is SO good for short races, you really get a perception of depth that you dont get with a monitor, but its fatiguing, after an hour at max, i feel like i have to get out of vr, so i wouldnt do endurance racing with it. but say 7 lap races are just a blast in VR

Thanks for your excellent video, however if you install a track IR with your tripple monitor you can look at the lugs on your tires if you wish.

I only have a dual screen setup, but I'm using my Vive for racing and I can say VR is 100% the way to go. It's a lot more immersive, much more like actually racing the real thing, and I'm a lot more precise in VR. I understand that some people dislike VR because It's less comfortable, but I'm sure VR will surpass monitors in the future when resolutions, FOV and comfort is improved upon.

A Rollerball Mouse solved a lot of my navigation issues in VR 👍🏻👍🏻

Great review Will thanks🇬🇧

Vr gives you depth perception advantages in my opinion but I'd happily use 3 screens

You can not make a decision on this question until you have experienced VR. If you are comfortable in VR without feeling sick, then VR is DEFINITELY the way to go

Realistically an HP Reverb G2 is cheaper than 3 decent screens which aren't total junk and it opens up the world of VR to you.

I like VR, never used triples but I certainly prefer VR to my single screen set up.

I've had a HTC-Vive for a couple of years now and yeah, the level of realism and immersion that it provides is just leagues above what can be experienced in pancake world(screens). Also, you might have found that after hours of continual use of vr when you're first starting out, it not only takes a bit to get your "vr legs", it also takes a few minutes for your brain and body to readjust to the real world again. This is especially apparent when playing games that require you to stand and move around. This does go away after a few weeks. And with motion sickness, it was more an issue in the early days due to a low refresh rate. Anything below 90hz is the major cause of that. That is why most good vr headsets have a refresh rate of 90hz or higher.

You're the older version of me, music and cars yeah baby

It will be decades before VR looks photorealistic even for something as easy (relatively speaking) as sim racing but what is cool is that kids today can probably look forward to that when they are my age.

You should try the Valve Index. For comfort on the eyes and head and longer sessions without fatigue it is way better than reverb. It has a bigger FOV too, this helps with the sense of speed. You don't need the full kit, just the headset and a base station, so price is not soo much different between the two.

I can have 3 to 8 flat screens floating around me in VR Desktop for far less money than 3 monitors. And have it any size, resolution, or curve I want. Also SDE is a thing of the past. VR wins either way.

Great video again, Will! How about lap times, are you faster with vr?

I use both. VR is for times when I really want to be immersed and have a whole night to kill; triple monitors remain for hopping on for quick practice in the morning and grinding hour+ sessions for the iRating...

HSS strats rule! Nice axes Will.

Good video. It sounds difficult for you to get an Index but I promise you that it is SUPERIOR to the Reverb and screen door is gone. I had CV1 originally but 3 months ago I decided to really find out which headset is the best. I test CV1, Rift S, Reverb, and Index (wasn't able to test Pimax at all). The Index was BY FAR the best headset. I was so disappointed in the Reverb. It didn't even beat the Index in clarity which is amazing considering the Reverb was sold as the best resolution. The Index is definitely the best VR experience on the market (excluding Pimax since I didn't test). But to everyone...DO NOT buy a Reverb. I honestly would've kept my CV1 or Rift S over the Reverb. The resolution is good for reading text on your desktop but when in sim it's not even close (I use iRacing only so it's possible Reverb could be better for other games).

Hi, thank you for another informed video. Im looking to get into racing simulation probably VR. There is so much product on the market, it is hard to know where to start. I like VR and Motion seat. Im from Canada, do you know where i should start looking or what form to be in for good information. My starting budget would be around $5000 cad and just wondering if that could even put a dent in the cost for a decent setup. Thanks

First time I used VR when I was going around a hundred eighty degree turn I almost fell off of my chair because I'm used to having to resist the G forces in my shift kart is this a common problem?

There's another comparison which I think is worth doing. I have a (cheap) VR headset, a Lenovo Explorer, which I never really got on with. It made me feel ill, it had screen door effect, the sweetspot was very small and it was a pain to get working reliably. Then I bought a 49" super ultrawide, which just works and has none of the downsides of the VR headset. Obviously you don't quite get the immersion of VR but it's closer than you might think and for me it's enough. I love it so I'll pass on VR until the next gen is here when I'll give it another look.

I sent back my version 1 HP Reverb due to the issues and then bought triples. After a week of owning the triples I massively missed the VR 😭. But now the reverb has seemed to have sorted the issues I am saving for the reverb and keeping the screens as screens do serve a purpose. But if I went back and had to choose one, vr by a mile and it’s loads cheaper.

Have you tried TrackIR? I had an Oculus Rift but ditched it due to the heat/discomfort, in favour of a triple monitor setup... TrackIR, when configured correctly, gives a pretty decent ranged of motion, including up/down forwards/backwards and tilt.... Its not the same as VR but is a good compromise and so much more comfortable!

StarVR also seems to be solving nost issues and can use a graphics card per eye plus the eye tracking and life like fov i think it shows where vr is going.

I run VR almost every day, but curious to know what a good triple screen feels like. Sometimes I find it a little annoying having to put the headset on, and re-center.. worth it, but sometimes I wish I could jump in and drive. Once I have the space, I may set up some triples.

I agree. Give it some time. It will get better. Just yesterday I saw a report about an armed forces unit during officers training which used VR to simulate village/town setup down to people walking in the street to give them an idea of how to go in, achieve their objective and minimize loss of life of civilians and of course their soldiers. Technology will get better, we just have to patiently wait for someone to pay, develop it and then release it to the masses. What everyone is not talking about is the damage these devices do to your eyes after prolonged use. The experts say No issues for adults but exercise caution with children as they are still growing...

As someone buying in, (building a rig with 3090 and zen 3, so pc power is already covered, plus gaming monitor), it really is triple vs vr for the sim rig, the added dimension of games, as in vr only games (beat saber, half life alex etc), factors in, seeing that both options are a significant investment, and triple only really adds to sim racing/flying, personally i'm going to be grabbing a g2 reverb, that way i can live the vr minecraft dream haha

Well I'm not one who can contribute to this discussion this time, since I've only had single screens on my home setup and used a Rift CV1 for about 15 minutes once in PC2, which I found to be super blurry (probably down to a combination of low-res and improper fit and IPD setup). Fingers crossed VR is a part of my setup in the future, would love to experience that immersion some more!

I would say even my LOW BUDGET VR setup is better than any screen setup. Ive used public high spec triple screen setup with an expensive force feedback wheel at a local sim racing centre. Ive also had track day experience. Any VR criticism from boosted media, keep in mind this guy is running a 2080TI and a i7 9900K lol, trying to run very high settings (which he he has gotten used to using due to his high specs) on a very high res HP Reverb headset. Im only running the following (Ultra Budget and LOVE it): - i7 3770 (2012 cpu) - GTX 1050 TI 4GB - Acer VR - Windows mixed reality headset - 1440x1440 res per eye (no super sampling, i dont need it, render res set to 1444x1444) - Changed VR Headset down to 60hz in WMR settings - Assetto corsa settings: 4x AA, medium world detail, 4x AF, low shadow & reflections. I can join most rooms online and the VR gameplay holds 60fps at all times! smooth and stable - with Logitech G25 wheel

Really depends on if you like HD/UHD or immersion. I play a lot of flight sims so VR makes a big difference. As for SDE use a VIve or Rift Gen 1 and see what a real SDE is lol.

I use both but 80% VR. Also you haven't really tried VR until you've tried the Pimax, the FOV is just amazing!

I can't wait until racing games and VR headsets have hand tracking implemented for important gestures.

Couple of things regarding pixel density, resolution and ease or driving them: 1. While the display resolution is 2160x2160 per eye for the reverb, the render res is higher (even at 100% SS), due to the way software manipulates the image to create the 3d effect when viewed through the lenses some resolution is lost to distortion so they start with a higher res to begin with. 2. Viewing triple uw 1440p monitors at 60Hz will not induce the same of discomfort as a HMD at 60Hz, at the default 90Hz for the HMD and 60Hz for the monitor they would both 'require' the same number of pixels per second. Actually with the importance of frame timing in VR and the fact the 'on screen' view can change such drastically in an instant can often mean that it becomes much more taxing (especially for lower end hardware) to run VR vs triples. Just a couple of things to keep in mind before anyone things they can grab a HMD and up the detail settings and get disappointed. Also while it can be very taxing to drive a Pimax8K natively, the real advantage is the pixel density of the higher res screens, even feeding them a lesser signal and letting the screens upscale it would look better (pixel density/SDE wise) vs. a lower native res.

Great video, i have found that VR is better in certain cars. In open wheel cars it is absolutely amazing. Also in oval racing its a great experience. I have found that in GT cars, its just not a great experience. You are way too far away from the wheels to be able to grasp whats going on with the car. To look at your mirrors and on coming traffic, you have to move your head quite a bit away from what you should be looking at. Your experience with VR depends solely on what cars you drive. Those are my 2 cents🙈

VR + next gen graphics in autosim = the best experience

i like both, theyre both goodm, if you get motion sick from vr you go to the triple screen

your just facing the drop from gucci HD, and it is nothing like it was with 1st gen, i love my reverb, v1 as well touch wood....

great vid as usual Will, my question to you is are you faster with VR or triple screens?

F1 2019, I fully respect anyone that can race the real thing, and work the wheel at the same time, with fighting 3g's? Crazy, VR limits me, and my wheel it's a perfect match to the sim. Iracing oval, too much shifting and time on the button box. I like my triple screens.

What about tripple screen + Track IR vs VR headset? I'm only into simracing for about 6 months, but doing flight/truck sims since 2006. With TrackIR you can look over your bonnet and you only need to slightly need to tilt or turn your head to get that extra view. By standard field of view is about 135 degrees, but with a 45% degree turn with my head on either side I make that 210% which is great for formation flying. VR is immersive, but with flying I had the problem that I had serious issues writing down instructions from ATC. I also use two 10" Samsung S4 tablets with Sim Dashboard (one for dashboard, the other as a virtual buttonbox). I'm still racing with my G27 wheel, but am waiting for the Fanatec CSL DD with Formula 2.5 yoke and Pedals...

Depends on what type of VR headset you're using. If you use one that have bad screen door effects, then you wont' get the experience needed as far as visual and clarity. So you're constantly longing for a 4K VR to complete the experience. If you can find a 4K VR headset like Pimax 8KX, then it's the best...nothing can beat it even triple screens.

I just got into sim racing about a month ago and I got a quest 2 and then have my single gaming monitor in front of me. I honestly prefer the monitor just because of how much of a pain the vr is to get setup and reset your view and get everything going right and it’s not as comfy, even with the elite strap. So I have 2 more monitors on the way with my trak racer tr 160 and I will be switching to triples

2020. Im using VR since sell my triple screens ( 2016) and now ALL its better, Reverb G2 with 4k and spectacular bright, is a really great immersive "real racing" gadget. Dont make any Sense 3 screens anymore! Off course, If you dont have any medical problem or feel sick.

VR for me and it's not close.

Great video Will. One question though, how friendly are VR headsets to glasses wearers? I noticed that when your wife tried the headset she took hers off, do glasses struggle to fit in the headsets?

I have both!

A true comparison can only be done on a VR headset like valve index, and a game like iRacing, which optimizes VR well. So, you can run 120 fps smooth, and do it on a open wheeler like Skippy, which gives you benefit of larger vertical FOV. It's an experience to behold. Trust me, it's not gimmicky anymore. Rather you would not go back to tripples, as they would be the one looking gimmicky