Post critique on my racing simulator splurge (waste of my money) in 2023 | MASK | Blog |
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This post is based on this Japanese article.
At the end of last year, 2022, I summarized how much I had splurged on SIM-related supplies over the year, as shown in the link below. Looking at the number of accesses last year, it seems that some people enjoyed such content as a way to kill time during the year-end and New Year holidays, so I think I’ll give it a try again this year.
Now, in 2023, I had splurged on a racing simulator.
I installed GT DD PRO, a 3-screen stand, installing QR2, participating in FANATEC Black Friday, and purchasing a bezel-free kit. Thanks to this, I can now play with this atmosphere on three 32-inch screens. (EA WRC does not fully support 3 screens at this point, so the area around the dashboard is a bit unnatural)
I thought that in 2022, investment in race SIMs would be almost completed. So, at the time of writing this article, I guess I haven’t spent much money in 2023. That’s what I think, but what happens when I’ll summarize from now?
Also, although I did not purchase them, thankfully I received several review requests from MOZA Racing, so I now have more MOZA products in my room.
About Japanese currency “yen”
$1 = about 145 yen
In January, I splurged on a FANATEC GT DD PRO
In 2022, before the coronavirus pandemic had even begun, he won a PS5, which was still rare, and then bought a GT7. I played with the pad for a bit, but I really wanted to try playing with the hammer. I decided to buy the GT DD PRO 8Nm full set (3 pedals). 130,495 yen ($903.50) including shipping
At the time of writing this article, two pedals are sold as a set.
I chose this set because I sometimes live in two locations due to long-term business trips and job assignments. If you only have one location, you can create a GT7 sim setup by combining the products you already have. if not, I think GT DD PRO (8Nm) alone would be fine.
After that, information came out about Clubsport DD+, which is compatible with PlayStation and has a torque of 15Nm. Clubsport DD+ has already been released around November, and FANATEC official says it will be “soon” released in Japan. At the time, it was called “Soon”, but even now, at the end of 2023, it has not been released. A product called Podium Racing Wheel F1, which is an official version of Podium DD1 compatible with PlayStation, has been on sale overseas for several years, but this too has not been released in Japan. (This product is listed as discontinued and will no longer be sold again.)
In February, I splurged to buy Heusinkveld pedals.
Heusinkveld’s Sim Pedals Sprint. It was 798.48 Euro and the amount debited from the card was 114,450 yen. ($792.43) I am purchasing 3 pedals with an additional plate to secure the pedals.
I wanted a certain level of high specs pedals, and although other new pedals were being released from other brands at the time, the reviews so far were generally good and the price was just about affordable, so I decided it was a safe bet. I ended up purchasing it. There are no particular complaints regarding controllability. It’s also nice to be able to finely adjust the position and angle of the pedals.
The nuts that come with the pedal plate are not compatible with the grooves of my aluminum frame. Selecting and ordering nuts is a hassle, so I’m currently using the included nuts, but they are installed in a very forced way, so they tend to loosen. I have to purchase new nuts.
Personally, I don’t need the second pedal plate.
In April, I splurged on a DIY monitor stand to fix triple screens neatly.
I used monitor arms to fix 3 monitors. Using monitor arms from the cockpit was difficult because the arms were extended from the rig (base frame of the wheel base). As a result, the monitors easily went down in few hours as show in the picture.
The way it was assembled was really unreasonable, and there was little freedom in positioning the monitor. I was worried that monitors weren’t aligned accurately, which made it look bad.
When I thought about installing a DIY monitor stand, I was hesitant to add more SIM items because I feared the space for the simulator would become chaotic. However, there we (some Japanese) says a myth that the earlier you invest in SIM equipment, you will enjoy the more time, so I decided to do my best to design and install it.
As for the cost, the amount ordered by Japanese company (MISUMI) at the time was 24,916 yen ($172.48)(I may have ordered a little more, including the metal fittings for the cockpit). Three VESA mounts for screens cost 5,940 yen($41.12).
Maybe most of people think it’s reasonable at 30,856 yen($213.60) for the parts. However, the metal fittings I received are one-off and priceless items from my friend on X(twitter). If I sell it, it might cost close to 10,000 yen($69.22).
In order to float the SIM cockpit for soundproofing purposes, a balance disc is placed underneath, but taking this into consideration, the width of) the monitor frame must be made very wide. I had a hard time finding just the right size, and I completed making my own.
Firstly, I thought the designing the frame seemed bothersome for me, so I was looking for commercially available item. but if I wanted to install three 32-inch screens, the market price for a commercially available product would likely exceed 50,000 yen($346.03) and I was not sure if the enought width to avoid the balance discs (for noise reduction). So, it was natural for me to design myself.
After making various adjustments, I was able to advance to this point.
Thanks to you, the cost was around 30,000 yen.
Triple screens or VR? for racing simulator
Setting triple screen needs a lot of space.
I have also used VR in the past. At that time, I was not 100% confident in the stability of the race because I would lose the connection between my PC and VR during the race and had to retire, and I simply wanted to use 3 screens, so I moved from VR to 3 screens.
The three screens are impressive and more stable than VR. On the other hand, if you use VR, it will be quite compact, and depending on the equipment, the cost will be cheaper than 3 screens & a monitor stand. I think the performance of recent VR has improved compared to when I used it a few years ago. If you are still using one screen, please think carefully about whether to use three screens or VR. (As the performance of VR has improved, higher PC specifications may be required.)
I didn’t have a 2ch speaker for the July race SIM, which was inconvenient, so I splurged.
Even if you call it a splurge, it’s only 2,430 yen($16.82), so I think it’s a heartwarming price in the SIM world.
When I was playing by myself, it’s really nice to wear headphones and listen to the sound of the engine revving at high volume as my ride.
Occasionally, if I want to take a video of my car driving and upload it, I need to output sound to the microphone. So, I bought the speaker hoping that it would produce good sound.
It’s very cheap at around 2,000 yen($13.84), so my impression is “it produces sound.”
-The maximum output is 2.4W, so the deep bass is small and not powerful enough.
-When I raise or lower the volume, the sound level does not change linearly, making it difficult to adjust the volume.
Therefore, if you want to use it as a main speaker, this product is NOT recommended for SIM because it does not have much power.
In September, I splurged on FANATEC QR2 at a celebratory price even though I felt it was expensive.
I was worried when I bought GT DD PRO, and I was also worried when I bought this. This is a set of QR2 for DD1/DD2 and QR2 on the steering side. Total 32,788 yen($).
For more details, please see the review page below. After replacing it with the QR2, it fit perfectly and I could feel the rigidity.
As a result of the structure from the shaft to the steering wheel, the FFB should be transmitted more directly from the wheel base to the hands. Also, with the QR1, to fix against high torque, a bolt was tightened to connect the steering side of the QR1 to the wheelbase side. Now, since QR2 doesn’t need this, it is now much easier to remove and install the steering wheel.
What was sad was that on Black Friday, the wheelbase side of the QR2 was sold for 4,000 yen($27.68).
Even though I originally bought it for over 20,000 yen($138.42). Well, I’m convinced that I was able to provide review to everyone as “first penguin,” but… Since I wasted money for the Type-M.
I only have one QR2 wheel side and I’m reusing one QR2 for some wheels(Formula V2, BMWGT2V2, Podium Hub, Grand Turismo Licenced wheel) to provide review for everyone.
This is an article about my impressions when I installed the QR2 on the Gran Turismo official steering wheel that comes with GT DD PRO.
If you are using QR1 and are dissatisfied with the current situation and want to change it somehow, I think you should try changing it. It’s true that you can experience the change when you change to QR2, but if you feel that there are no problems at the moment, I think there is no need to force the change and you can continue to use QR1 as is.
In November, I was lured by FANATEC’s Black Friday bargains and splurged.
This time I controlled my materialistic desires and only bought really cheap things.
FANATEC button cap and sticker 1,146 yen($7.93) including shipping
I have summarized this in an article since it arrived.
QR2, Base Side (USB-C) 3,296 yen($22.81) including shipping
It was originally over 10,000 yen($69.21), but is it a featured product even though it has just been released? It was sold off as. It was listed as available at the end of December, so I thought it would be shipped, but it doesn’t seem like it will be shipped before the end of the year. I’m not in a particular hurry, so I’d like to wait patiently. When this arrives, I think I’ll have QR2 for the steering wheel I use mainly. Is this FANATEC’s strategy?
I wanted to create a gaming room atmosphere, so I splurged on LEDs.
When taking photos and videos, I wanted to create an extraordinary feeling, so I decided to use LEDs. There are two 5 meter tapes, one of which is placed on back of the monitor stand. 2,790 yen($19.30)
The remaining one was attached to a board and used as lighting for photography. (Used as white light when shooting without making it flicker this much)
In November, I ended up worrying about the frame of the LCD monitor, so I splurged on a bezel-free kit.
I should have bought it sooner, but for some reason I kept waiting buying it but ended up buying it. I bought it around Black Friday, but it wasn’t really discounted. I bought this kit because I wanted it, and because everyone stocked up on SIM supplies on Black Friday. I thought there would be a high demand for the bezel-free kit and there was a possibility of it running out the stock. As if my guess was correct, the item was out of stock for a long time right after that. 10,836 yen($74.98)
After all, since the bezel disappears, the sense of realism is improved. With a 32-inch lens, the length of the lens was not long enough with the included parts to fix it properly, so I had to forcefully attach it with tape.
I wanted the software and splurged on Steam.
EA SPORTS™ WRC 5,600 yen($38.75)
I bought this because I wanted to go on a rally. I waited until Black Friday, but the price wasn’t reduced so I bought it. After that, it seems that the price dropped to the 3,000 yen($20.76) level during the Christmas sale. I like the music that plays during the game because it has a nice atmosphere. You’ll fall in love with its worldview.
Automobilista2. 2,050 yen($14.18)
I bought this because it seemed cheap during the Black Friday sale. You can drive a lot of different cars at this price. I don’t think it’s that difficult to set up, and FFB is also highly rated.
Gamp Pass to play ForzaMotrsport 850 yen($5.88)
A video of me trying it out.
If you play on a PC, especially with a triple screens, it might be a good idea to choose software that specializes in PC games. With EA Sport WRC and Forza Motorsport, I had a hard time setting up for triple screens. It may be improved in the future with updates, but if it’s originally a software for console games (PS or XBOX), it may be quite difficult to get the angle of view you want.
Summary: What is the total amount of SIM splurge this year?
Now let’s add it up.
FANATEC GT DD PRO: 130,495 yen($903.10)
Heusinkveld Sim Sprint Pedals and plate: 114,450 yen($792.06)
3-screen monitor stand: 30,856 yen($213.54)
2.4W failed USB speaker: 2,430 yen($16.82)
Gift price FANATEC QR2 (Type-M) and QR2 set: 32,788 yen($226.91)
FANATEC button cap and sticker: 1,146 yen($7.93)
QR2, Base Side (USB-C) : 3,296 yen($22.81)
LED tape: 2,790 yen($19.31)
Bezel-free kit: 10,836 yen($74.99)
EA SPORTS™ WRC: 5,600 yen($38.75)
Automobilista 2: 2,050 yen($14.19)
Gamp Pass for playing ForzaMotrsport : 850 yen($5.88)
Adding these up, the total splurge in 2023 was 337,587 yen($2,336.02).
I think everyone has a different idea whether this cost is expensive or cheap.
If it’s helpful for you, I’d appreciate it if you could give me a “good” buttons!
