Thanks Peter. I see Amazon (Spain) has the Pimax 5 Plus so it's feasible to try it and send it back, that €900 (inc. VAT) price tag stings a bit knowing that when the 8K comes out the price will likely drop. I also see an OLED version (in US Amazon)?

 

I was just thinking you could borrow someone's Reverb (HP) or Rift and try it, first.

RobertR1 can give you better advice about the Pimax. Evidently LED and OLED versions are (were) available, pros and cons to each. If I get one, it'll be the one he recommends, which is not out yet for general sale.

 

Dont' get the oled or the 8k or the 8k+

The 2 you want for sim racing are the 5k+ or Artisan (I'd take the Artisan as it stands today)

What's eventually coming and keeps getting delayed is the 8KX. however this is limited to 80hz due to limitation of the display port tech today and can't be upgraded in future as it's a hardware limitation.

I'm not joking with these whacky model numbers and hierarchy. That's part of the "Pimax Experience."

 

RobertR1 - Thanks for the recommendation!! I just ordered the Pimax 5k+.. Lets see how long it takes to get in, but I'm still missing a few parts for the PC build, namely the CPU. (Build: i7-9700F, 32Gb ram, 500 GB M.2 HD, and RTX2070 Super)

 

THIS is the only reason I can see spending time and money on sims

"Learning the order and severity of the corners of a new track, developing where to look and the muscle memory in the sim makes learning a new track MUCH easier for many users. The folks I've worked with in the past are up to speed right away..."

 

It's huge, for serious students of the sport. The corners you have the most trouble with in the sim correlate (unfortunately) well with the corners you have the most trouble with IRL (in real life).

I see SO many people spending the first DAY of a two-day (or day and a half of a three-day) event getting back up to speed. I see and work with pros and ams that use sims frequently as a refresher before the next event at a track they have on the sim.

Barber opened in 2002, IIRC. I was using rFactor at the time and few had ever been there. I spent twenty-five or thirty hours total over the six weeks before that event and WON the darned race!

Not only did I know where the track went, I knew what was over the blind brows, my "muscle memory" was developed and my eyes were already trained where to look next. That sold it for me.

Before that experience, I used it more as an amusement. PlayStation and the original Gran Turismo came out in 1997 (?!?!) and I was intrigued by Jacques Villeneuve boasting that he learned new tracks on the PS. Everybody laughed.

Well, he put it on the pole and almost won his first F1 race!

Yep, they're good tools. Especially for the people who have the discipline to use them for all the benefits they can offer.

 

Im still in HPDE. Last year an instructor (before passing me!) Suggested to me to watch youtube in-car videos before a new track. So, prior to NCM in March with NASA (Ha! That was cancelled) I watched a lot of videos of NCM. It gave me a little familiarity, but I would bet doing a good sim would be far better. After a brief investigation of sims due to Covid, I decided not to buy something cheap, yet I did not want to spend real money for quality setup just to use it only for a month or two of use.

But now, reading from you guys, the veteran experts, of the solid benefit of a sim to learn new tracks is convincing me to revisit this. Thanks!

Now onto that bewildering search for hardware setups as before.

Jeff

 

Got the Samsung HMD + today. My first impression, the resolution sucks, sort of reminds me of trying to work on my computer without my reading glasses! Having never tried VR before, I never thought it would be that bad. As for the immersion aspect, it is much better than a single 25' high res monitor. However once I started picking up speed and sliding the car, my inner ear checked out and said STOP! It was absolutely easier to tell when the car was starting to slide, but I would have been much happier if my body was also telling me I was sliding. I can't even imagine a roll over with the VR setup on! I'm going to give it another couple of tries, but am glad I bought it from a big box store so that if needed, I can return it. Bottom line, as others have said, definitely try someones VR setup before jumping in.

 

I'm just getting started with VR (a Valve Index). I was having pretty serious "VR Hangover" the next day where I felt quite a bit out of sorts.
I've kept at it, and the hangover problem seems to have gone away. Someone suggested that while you're getting used to VR:
1) don't wreck
2) if you are going to wreck, close your eyes
3) Don't go backwards
Minimizing the 'jarring' inputs seems to have helped quite a bit.

 

Start out with something "slower" in VR. Maybe a walk or an app like the grand canyon where you are just in a kayak looking around. One of the issues with going straight to racing is the speed your brain/inner ear are trying to coordinate. Start with a much slower VR experience and build up but get used to just looking around the VR world... Also, a fan pointed at you for some cool air really helps as does breathing! Really conscious deep breaths, it helps...

 

@jwasilko Some (most?) of the programs allow you to "Lock camera to horizion" - I found that it really helps me on a standard monitor as we are trained to "look ahead" on track. I saw a few post that this can help in VR for those that are motion sensitive. There is also a program called "real Head Motion" that some people swear by helps motion sensitivity in Assetto Corsa. I haven't tried it or installed it, as my VR rig is still in shipping...

 

The key is to stop right away when you feel sick. The more you try to push through it, the more sick you'll feel.

Build up gradually and within 3-4 days, it'll feel fine. Chew gun the first few times. It helps.

 

Here is an article on how to fix the horizon in several of the popular SIM's:

https://www.paradigmshiftracing.com/...ow-to-fix-it#/

 

I ordered a 5k+ bundle direct from Pimax on 4/17, didn't get an order confirmation at all and after 3 days contacted them and they said "its ok do not worry will ship in 1-2 days" and shipped out (from California) on 4/28 set to arrive on the east coast 5/6. Just to give you some kind of timeline explaination since Pimax customer service is basically non-existant.

 

I just saw this video and chuckled