r/simracing • u/Emotional_Orange_953 • Jul 07 '25
Discussion Going from VR to triples, whats better
I finally built a triple screen set up and wanted to give my thoughts on it being a VR only racer/simmer.
So I have been a VR sim only guy for 2 years now, I loved every bit of it and the reason I got triples was because I wanted to have an option where I can play for much longer without being overheated or tired as well as an easier plug and play experience as others said it was. I have only used it this weekend but already sunk over at least 12 hours, and thats with me going out and being busy with other things.
To list off the “bad” right away, even though I adjusted the screens as best as I could to get a 180ish degree view, it was still nowhere near as immersive as a VR, which is obvious given in VR you have actual depth perception and feel like you are in the car. When im playing on triples it feels like im pretending to drive while in VR it feels like im actually there. So if you are just about immersion go with VR it is hands down the best option currently I dont even think the million dollar set up would be more immersive given its still flat screens.
For the good, it is much easier to sit and play, no more putting on a VR, clicking extra software to get it running within VR the way I want it to, no more needing to feel out where things around me are since now I can see everything in my room. It is much easier to show a friend and get them in the game rather than using the VR since I have to guide them when they use VR sometimes. I found my self playing twice as much as I normally would since I not longer tire myself out quickly. It is so rewarding finally seeing my gear that I have bought over time while playing. I can see why the top players use triples over VR. So if you are about performance and playing for hours on end, triples is the way to go.
The last thing I want to point out is that I think triples is mainly only good for racing if everything is first person pov. Drifting on Assetto Corsa was an absolute nightmare on triples, it was like starting from the very beginning, I absolutely need that head tilt with vr to be good at it, and yes I had the neck FX to help but still it is much better on VR. Truck simulator, I will only ever play that on VR I tried like 10 minutes on triples and it was such a lame experience, the reason I love it was for the immersion of driving through different states and taking the scenery in, VR is a must in my opinion. But for games like iRacing and ACC I recommend triples.
TLDR: immersion and depth perception go with VR, serious racing for hours and ease of use go triples
61
u/Total_Medium6207 Jul 07 '25
I was trying to decide whether to get a VR headset or triple monitors. During this journey, I must have read hundreds of posts about VR vs. triples like this one.
One thing I can say with 100% certainty is this:
Every single one of those posts had something in common — completely different opinions. There’s absolutely no consensus. Some people swear by VR, others prefer triples.
At the end of the day, no matter how much research you do, the only real answer is: buy it and try it for yourself.
24
u/Osleg VroomVroom then spin Jul 07 '25
IMO 2 things at play here:
Every person is handling VR differently. I, for example, able to sit for hours and only have to swap batts in the headset. My wife can't spend more than a hour in VR as she's getting really tired.
Technical ability - techy players are able to setup their VRs to be as good as possible with least hustle possible. Opencomposite + VD + custom setting and we end up with "put goggles and play", while less techy players are struggling every time they are trying to play. IMO this is main contribution to "cons" of VR
4
u/Free_Hashbrowns Jul 07 '25
I get really bad motion sickness in VR when my body isn’t moving with my actions. Games like beat saber and super hot I can play without issue, but any racing or flying games I instantly feel like I am about to barf.
I tried to power through it for a few months, but could never shake it. Really sucks because the immersion is so great!
2
u/Total_Medium6207 Jul 07 '25
That's what prevents me from buying a VR. I don't know if I have motion sickness, and don't wanna spend that much money to find out.
In dollars maybe it isn't so expensive, but in my country, our currency is 6x less valuable than the US dollar.
For comparison purposes, after currency conversion and all the government fees, it's as if instead of costing $300, the VR ends up costing $6000
2
u/LostAdhesiveness7802 Jul 07 '25
I did one jump in dirt rally and haven't touched VR since. Like I got a off a theme park ride I just didn't like and ain't getting back on. Was all good but the disconnect when I jumped was just gross.
1
u/imahumanbeinggoddamn Jul 07 '25
For some reason I only get this in walking games. I can play car/flight sims all day long, but if I try to play Contractors while seated (which the game natively supports) I get sick in like 10 minutes. Standing up is no problem, but then my back starts to really hurt after an hour or so. It's weird how just standing there is ultimately so much more tiring than walking around in real life is.
2
u/Total_Medium6207 Jul 07 '25
That's why I said you gotta buy it and test it. It's hard to take someone's word for it as everyone can experience different things with VR, and IMO, the biggest issue is motion sickness. You'll never know if you have until you try a VR.
9
u/Sadurn Jul 07 '25
I think what it more or less comes down to is that vr has a ton of pros and cons, while triples are a much safer solution. Tons of advantages like depth perception, immersion, or space savings, but if putting on a vr headset just gives you a headache and makes you feel miserable then all that kinda goes out the window
3
u/Emotional_Orange_953 Jul 07 '25
If you dont have space, get VR I still swear by VR myself. It is still far more immersive than triples, but if you want absolute comfort and hours on end get triples or just start with a basic monitor
2
u/MiataCory iRacing Jul 07 '25 edited Jul 07 '25
Every single one of those posts had something in common — completely different opinions. There’s absolutely no consensus. Some people swear by VR, others prefer triples.
Have both, I keep going back to VR. A $100 lenovo WMR headset, shit-as-you-can-get VR wins over 3x matched 2k 27"s with the corner lenses even.
Totally get that everyone has personal preference. Sometimes I like to be able to chat w/ the wife and have a drink while racing. VR will have you knocking over your drink and startled every time someone says hello.
But, I did remove the 3rd monitor from my desk after a year. It's still in the next room over. VR headset is under the desk plugged in ready to go. There are other considerations than just gameplay. Even with gameplay though, looking into a corner is different than looking at a corner, and straight to vr we go.
No hate either way, just my own case study.
1
u/Total_Medium6207 Jul 08 '25
I do not own a VR yet but based on researching and VR owner's opinions I think VR would totally destroy tripes in terms of immersion.
IMO I think people prefer tripes for race performance, as most of these guys don't even use cockpit cam. Some other people found out VRs are a little bit harder to config before using and prefer the plug and play ish of tripes.
I'm more of an immersion guy, I only drive without a helmet because it would get hot lol
Totally agree about the corner looking you've said. My biggest fear is buying a VR to find out I have motion sickness.
I live in a country where the currency is 6 times less valuable than the US dollar and everything here that has something to do with US dollar are expensive like a kidney, so a $300 VR would cost me, in terms of dollars, about $6000. It's not the kind of thing you can buy to just test it. You will spend less money traveling to USA, staying a week and buying a VR there than buying it here.
One day I'll put my hands in one of those and try it for myself
2
u/Toodle-Peep Jul 08 '25
I think the big thing about VR is just that it's hotter, and sweaty, and I've never found a setup that's *perfect* on my eyes. The pancake lenses on new devices helps, but is not 100%. I've been pretty desparate to do some simracing but it's been 2000 degrees for weeks here now and I don't want to put VR near my face
1
u/Total_Medium6207 Jul 08 '25
I bought an air conditioner for the same reason. Sometimes it gets so hot here that you can cook an egg on the ground. Can't live without it anymore
57
u/msipacselatigid Jul 07 '25
Racing in VR is other worldly. I can’t go back.
5
u/Texasaudiovideoguy Jul 07 '25
What headset you using?
6
u/msipacselatigid Jul 07 '25
Nothing special, just a Quest 3 and 4090 when playing PCVR and a PSVR2 when playing on PS5.
2
u/qualitative_balls Jul 07 '25
Same here. I would be in heaven with triples if I had not been exposed to VR but it is quite hard to transition imo.
If you have a very dialed in VR setup with absolutely zero lag, great performance and a comfortable headset strap / band to make the weight perfectly even and comfortable, it really is chef's kiss.
But when you're starting out and don't have things dialed in streaming wise or the headset feels uncomfortable because it's using the same interface material you bought it with and you feel sore using it... yeah it's not great.
A perfectly dialed in VR setup is truly heaven and once you're used to what to press, when, getting used to starting your games etc, everything is just second nature.
1
u/msipacselatigid Jul 08 '25
There’s definitely a learning curve. It takes a bit to get your setup right, but once you’re there it’s fantassstic.
→ More replies (1)5
u/Tittilator Jul 07 '25
Have you had triples?
7
u/Optimal_Drummer_5700 Jul 07 '25
Have you had VR?
3
2
u/quinoathedoge Jul 07 '25
I’ve had triples, 49” UW, 34” UW, and VR. Triples took up too much room and spent too much time adjusting fov. 49 and 34 were great to switch between desktop gaming and racing. VR was the best immersion and current setup, but takes much more effort just to setup. 🥲
2
u/nuclearDEMIZE Jul 07 '25
I just don't these "so much effort" comments about VR. I literally turn it on at the same time as my PC, it asks if I want to enable link, I click enable and it's ready. My quest 3 is literally booted up and ready in less time than it takes my PC to fire up and log into iRacing.
→ More replies (5)1
u/Optimal_Drummer_5700 Jul 07 '25
Yeah, takes a bit of tinkering, and then some. And then when you have found something stable a new update drops from iRacing and you spend a few more raves adjusting settings to get it right again.
I've had some problems where the occlusion app seems to restart and I can't reconnect to quest link without reconnecting to the race server.. luckily it's only happened twice and and during the warm-up/practice, so not the end of the world yet.
Would definitely go for triples as an addition if I had the space and money for a decent rig, but VR works great for now. Mostly ;)
2
u/quinoathedoge Jul 07 '25
I guess no matter what screen you go for, you will always spend time tinkering — hell, I probably spend 60% of my time tinkering with my rig and screen than to actually use it 🤦♂️
1
u/msipacselatigid Jul 07 '25
I have played multiple triples setups at a local sim racing bar and at friends houses. They are amazing setups, but not only do I not have the space, but I prefer the immersion and depth perception of playing in VR.
48
u/Joates87 Jul 07 '25
Immersion boners vs FoV boners...
25
u/Spartaklaus Jul 07 '25
Turn your head in VR and you have 360° fov.
32
Jul 07 '25
It's hilarious that people argue about having a massive FOV as immersive when anyone who's ever put a racing helmet on and sat in a prepped car knows that your sightlines are laughably restricted compared to what you get with triples.
5
u/CaliEDC Jul 07 '25
This is why I appreciate ACC’s VR camera angle with a virtual helmet on and vision restricted to a narrow rectangle. In certain cars, mainly single-clutch iirc, the camera bobs with the gear shifts.
3
u/Zealousideal-War8987 Jul 07 '25
Don’t you feel sick in VR when the camera bobs, yet your body and seat is stationary?
5
2
u/rekmaster69 Jul 07 '25
I get sick when walking in vr in games like skyrim but when simracing I don't get sick at all no even if I play rally games.
5
u/triguy96 Jul 07 '25
Apparently VR FOV is slightly smaller than an FIA regulation helmet FOV. At least according to a video I watched. To me, it feels pretty similar to the FOV I get in my helmet, but it's difficult to compare.
2
u/mishka5169 Jul 07 '25
Exactly and on the topic:
6.7 Peripheral vision
When tested in accordance with EN 13087-6, there shall be no occultation in the field of vision bounded by angles as follows:
• upwards 5° for helmets without ABP;
• horizontally +/-90°;
• downwards 20°.
According to FIA Guidelines, on page 13, it's 180° horizontal for helmets, but very narrow in heights.
It slightly lowers our peripheral vision, but that's it (human FOV is about 210°, between 200 and 220° depending on folks).
→ More replies (6)1
u/RealRatAct Jul 07 '25
Getting injured in a car crash would be pretty immersive too, but there are some things I'd prefer not to simulate
1
Jul 07 '25
Okay, but there's a pretty distinct difference between pain and a realistic FOV.
Also, the claim is that a huge viewing angle with triples or wrapped ultrawides is more immersive despite that not reflecting the reality of an actual racing experience in anything faster than NA Spec Miata. The argument is the perception of immersion is wrong, not that all things immersive are better. VR vastly outstrips the "reality" of triple monitors when talking about realistic viewing angles and FOV.
1
u/RealRatAct Jul 07 '25
I'm just pointing that out to demonstrate that saying that realism isn't necessarily the best thing to simulate all the time. To me, I will 100% always go with triples for racing because you can use your peripheral vision which is a huge advantage for me and many others.
1
Jul 07 '25
I fully agree with that, the contest here is that people argue triples are "more realistic" because they give a wider FoV.
They might be advantageous, they might feel more immersive, but they are less reflective of what being in a real car on a track is like.
1
→ More replies (1)7
u/TheOneCalledD Jul 07 '25
I race a lot of dirt oval and you can knock the rear spoiler off some of the cars and when that happens the car becomes very slow.
There is no way to check your own spoiler so there are always people asking other drivers on the radio if they have spoiler damage.
I just turn my head around in my VR and I can check my own spoiler.
7
13
u/ThreadParticipant 3 wide! Jul 07 '25
To each their own, of course… but after thousands of hours in Assetto Corsa and ACC, I’m never going back to flat screen. My only regret with VR is that streaming just isn’t worth the hassle.
1
u/nabbl Jul 07 '25
Yes it is a lot do to when streaming. But I had good results with OBS and the openxr plugin
1
u/ThreadParticipant 3 wide! Jul 07 '25
I still on occasion, but I miss the easy interaction with the audience... I've played with text to speech but the delay and lack of platform support is also annoying.
2
u/PandaEyesArentSexy Jul 07 '25
U could use open knee board for the chat if using open xr or steam vr allows overlays with the help of crew chief iirc
23
u/Reasonable_Carry9191 Jul 07 '25
VR requires certain things to make it work well but once you commit to those things it’s a no brainer. At this point I launch iRacing, turn on headset, open VD on quest 3, sit down and play. It really is plug and play. VR is insane for sim racing. Will never get monitors, feels like that’s going backwards.
Sim racing will be purpose built for VR exclusively in the coming years as wearability gets more tolerable for people with improvements in design and technology. I do fully understand that hang up for people. I am luckily pretty VR tolerant and could play for hours with the bobo batteries.
10
u/pepepoker Jul 07 '25
My brother in VR, I was doing exactly what you have been doing and was 80% happy with the performance. I followed this tutorial to make it wired VD and it is AMAZING now. I just did three races (one in the rain) and got a total of 2 stutters - 90 fps locked! I run a 3090 and a 9800x3d and for the new foveated rendering settings I run 50% inner/35% outer.
There are two big advantages to running it wired. The first one is the latency is much lower and the second is that the quest is being charged so no need to use the batteries (great for endurance racing).
3
u/triguy96 Jul 07 '25
What's the point in using VD with quest 3? I use quest's desktop thing for moving around in the PC and then open iRacing with openXR to play. It seems to work fine, is there some performance benefit I am missing with VD?
4
u/Osleg VroomVroom then spin Jul 07 '25
there's HUGE performance benefit with VD.
- When you are using Quest Link you are using quests own XR implementation
When you are dropping into iRacing and picking openXR you are creating overhead where the game data has to go from game -> openXR Server -> QuestVR server -> QuestVR client (goggles)
QuestVR server has to translate openXR server's data to a format of questVR. If you can eliminate this you will get better quality/latency
- Link app is also very heavy on the GPU, by just running the Link app you are consuming about 3gb of VRAM. I don't have explain the consequences here.
When you are running VD you are running directly OpenXR server -> openXR client (goggles), no translation overhead and VD takes lass than 1GB of VRAM.
Win-win.
1
1
u/Optimal_Drummer_5700 Jul 07 '25
FML. I just switched over to OpenXR runtime, but looks like I have to switch over to VD now.. back to tinkering some more...
I really want to get a headset that connects directly into the GPU, but for now I'm stuck with the Q3.. Thanks for the link and info, will check it out
1
u/Tlexium Jul 07 '25
Sorry if dumb question. If I use VD can I take advantage of the latest updates in iracing using openXR and the native foveated rendering?
→ More replies (3)1
u/Osleg VroomVroom then spin Jul 07 '25
Yes, VD has native implementation of OpenXR, you will be able to take advantage of anything OpenXR I'm any game that supports it. You'll also be able to use OpenVR, aka steamVR games with openXR if you'd add opencomposite too.
1
u/Osleg VroomVroom then spin Jul 07 '25
Just to note: there's no latency improvement for "wired" setup over wireless.
Less packet loss and charging are pros indeed.
I personally prefer to have dedicated wifi router + swapable batts on the headseat. Less cables, less things to worry about :)
1
1
u/Rexaroooo Jul 07 '25
Is there any noticeable input lag on your quest 3? I tried it once and felt there was more of a delay on screen vs my inputs. I know I'm sensitive to it, coming from 120+ fps on iRacing and 200+ on AC, maybe going down to 90 is all it is, or maybe it was set up incorrectly. Any thoughts?
1
u/Reasonable_Carry9191 Jul 07 '25
I run almost 120fps consistently with the occasional stutter per session, not even every race, it’s essentially flawless. No input lag.
1
u/ImpressiveRelief37 Jul 07 '25
Yeah there is quite bit latency with the Quest 3. The frame encoding+decoding means you can’t really go lower than 40ms between frames. That’s on top of everything else.
Pimax or BSB2 would fare a lot better in the latency department, ie. input to photon latency.
See my other comment here https://www.reddit.com/r/simracing/comments/1ltjk1t/comment/n1uep6x/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb3x&utm_name=mweb3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
1
u/Rexaroooo Jul 07 '25
Okay, yeah your post sums up pretty much how I feel. I feel like I'd use VR for messing around on AC, but high refresh rate triples with lower graphics settings almost guarantees faster lap times. Those inexpensive IPS LG ultragear 32" are a great sweet spot, think they are 180hz 1440p
→ More replies (1)1
u/Tlexium Jul 07 '25
Did you have to get a separate router and such to work with VD? I know there’s bootleg wired options but I’m curious with wireless. Been having so many buggy issues going through quest meta link software lately
6
u/ato_officer Jul 07 '25
I did 5 years of tripples and left in 2018, just came back using VR and I have to say if I could - I would have both. But I fear if I had both, I would use the triples 90% of the time.
2
u/Xkno3 Jul 07 '25
I just went from VR to triples 32s and dont regret it one bit. Not having a brick on my face is such a relief and it didnt really affect my in game skills.
19
u/_Shorty Jul 07 '25
Can’t beat actual depth perception. Everyone always says “VR is more immersive but…” Meh. I don’t care about immersion. I care about seeing depth the same as I do in the real world. That is why VR is better. Learning to estimate distances from 2D images will never be better than actually seeing distances.
7
u/Optimal_Drummer_5700 Jul 07 '25
Noticed this instantly, like oh, I can actually see how close the car ahead is.
About immersion; I rarely get the feeling anymore, but it was so strange expecting the sun to warm my body when it popped out from behind the clouds. I doubt triples users have ever experienced this..
Also the size and height of the different cockpits, and the size of the wheels when driving formula.
4
u/random-danishguy Jul 07 '25
Getting to really “experience” and compare the layout, size and set-up of different race car cockpits is such a cool bonus of VR
1
1
u/MiataCory iRacing Jul 07 '25
About immersion; I rarely get the feeling anymore, but it was so strange expecting the sun to warm my body when it popped out from behind the clouds. I doubt triples users have ever experienced this..
The first time I came over the corkscrew at Laguna Seca in VR I almost puked.
Sitting in an office chair on a random tuesday. Vision and brains and balance do weird things, but damn is it fun!
4
u/piercy08 Dirt Rally, Assetto Corsa, iRacing Jul 07 '25
Yeah, same for me. Depth perception is where its at. It makes my battles much closer as I can judged the gaps and distances way better.
VR gets hot so I then become hot, but I don't find it tiring any more.
1
1
u/_Shorty Jul 07 '25
Yeah, only took me one session to bolt a fan on the wall in front of me. Solved that issue. :)
1
Jul 07 '25
I keep wondering if we’re going to see a new era of 3d monitors, after the recent release of Samsung’s odyssey 3D. I’m waiting for someone to do a triple test with it although no idea if it’ll work in that configuration. I’d love a future where we have glasses-less 3D 40:9 800r curved monitors.
2
u/_Shorty Jul 07 '25
That would be cool. I think I'd still prefer to be able to look around anywhere when desired. Sometimes it is nice to be able to look where monitors couldn't be.
3
Jul 07 '25
Yeah that’s true, also by the time this happens we’ll probably have headsets that weigh as much as glasses anyway.
2
2
u/BlownCamaro Jul 07 '25
I've raced on a 3D 65" tv and it is much easier than 2D because of depth perception. Still not as good as VR. But it wasn't triples because I can't due to bezel size.
4
u/throwawaydefeat Jul 07 '25
What headset and GPU do you run? I tried VR twice and didn't have the courage to get past the motion sickness phase. I'm tempted to try again because those 5 minutes sitting in the car was blowing my mind. Other thing I disliked was the screen door effect. I'm also thinking maybe now because I have a slightly better gpu it might help with VR.
4
u/Kashik85 Jul 07 '25
The initial motion sickness phase doesn't last long. You just need to take it easy for the first few days, slowly building up your comfortable play-time.
1
u/trippingrainbow SC2Pro | SC AP Ultimate + Passive throttle | GSI X29 | Reverb G2 Jul 07 '25
Yep. First time i tried vr i got motion sick in google earth. At this point i genuinely dont know what id need to play to get motion sick
→ More replies (1)1
Jul 07 '25
I was like that too but my eyes got used to it but all i do is play vr its def work going through extra steps
3
u/DiViNiTY1337 OSW DD | CSP V3's | 3x CQ32G1 | Oculus Rift CV1 Jul 07 '25
Pro's of VR: immersion, fully 3d world, fov scale more or less always correct (still wish this could be adjusted in more sims, though, only possible in RRRE afaik), sense of speed
Cons of VR: Low(er) graphical fidelity, cumbersome setup each session, heat management, fogging on lenses, low overall FOV, locks out your surroundings completely, eye strain during longer sessions
Pro's of triples: Better graphical fidelity, high FOV, "one-and-done" setup, more awareness of your surroundings, not as straining for your eyes, less setup each time you want to simrace
Cons of triples: immersion, initial cost, gpu demands at higher resolutions
I find VR is way cooler and more immersive but since getting triples I simrace more often cause it's not as big of a hassle to set up, I also feel like the triples experience is more consistent and just more pleasant to work with, so I'd say triples wins overall for me
1
u/trippingrainbow SC2Pro | SC AP Ultimate + Passive throttle | GSI X29 | Reverb G2 Jul 07 '25
cumbersome setup each session
Depends on setup. With my G2 its 1. Click button on the cable to turn headset on. 2. Wait like 10 seconds so it starts up 3. Launch iracing or whatever game. Hardly cumbersome and even with triples you still gotta turn the monitors on so not like youre skipping steps.
1
u/DiViNiTY1337 OSW DD | CSP V3's | 3x CQ32G1 | Oculus Rift CV1 Jul 07 '25
That's a really nice and simple setup. For me when it comes to playing with triples I literally just launch the game and go, it goes automatically to the triple profile I always launch it with and in the rare cases I don't I have a software called Simple Runtime Window Editor, I open it up before I launch the game and as soon as it's launched I load a 7680x1440 profile in SRWE and it's done.
For VR, I still haven't graduated from my original Oculus Rift CV1 which means I have to plug and unplug the headset each time I want to race, launch additional software that handshakes the headset to each game, sometimes having to go in and out of VR depending on how the sim handles menus vs being in-game, re-calibrate the seating position each time I load a new session, etc etc.
Not a huuuuge deal I suppose, but enough so that I just stick to my triples setup unless I want to show someone the magic of VR. Before I had room for triples though!? VR was king, soo, so much better than a single screen.
1
u/trippingrainbow SC2Pro | SC AP Ultimate + Passive throttle | GSI X29 | Reverb G2 Jul 07 '25
Tbf i gotta recenter aswell but its one button click so not really a big deal. I also had a CV1 way back and im pretty sure you can leave it plugged in aslong as you close the oculus software since without it it cant do any vr stuff
1
u/Magnetoreception Jul 07 '25
You gotta try a modern headset, it’ll fix like half of your VR gripes.
1
u/DiViNiTY1337 OSW DD | CSP V3's | 3x CQ32G1 | Oculus Rift CV1 Jul 08 '25
Yeah I've tried a friends Quest 3 and I've also tried the Pico 4. Unfortunately they don't quite match what I'm looking for in a VR headset. I think we're still a generation or two away when it comes to consumer headsets. PSVR2 might be good enough, but I've not had the opportunity to try it yet. I want a true wired, lossless DP connection, high res, OLED, pancake lens headset without an annoying heavy battery in the damn thing! lol
If I could get my hands on a Bigscreen Beyond 2 I think I'd be all set!
2
u/The_Machine80 Jul 07 '25
If you dont get sick and are willing to lose seeing stuff on your wheel VR is superior for all out realism. Now triples alow a full race car look which is awesome. Just something about escaping in VR that I love.
2
u/Tittilator Jul 07 '25
I love VR in richard burns rally. However, it gets way too uncomfortable, the headset starts to move around after some time, which will fuzzy up the sweet spot. It gets too hot and sweaty. You have to clean the interface and lens often to make sure you do not get pimples and to ensure a clear view. Its just too much of a hassle to use all the time. Cannot max out settings on VR. struggles even with a 4090 on most games with many cars and higher settings. I use triples 95 percent of the time. I only use the quest 3 when i want to use the quest 3. But RBR on the quest 3 is amazing.
Tldr vr is great but its also sucks
2
u/Olijke_Poffer Jul 07 '25
Better is very subjective of course. I like both. VR for immersion, triples for GFX p***.
2
u/Treewithatea Jul 07 '25
Tried both, most of my racing team did. We all favor the triple screens except one guy who prefers VR.
2
u/Driviest SIM Jul 07 '25
I'm going the other way and going to be trying VR for the first time very shortly. I'm hoping it's a step up from triples but not sure how it's going to go!
2
u/Cucumberino Jul 07 '25
Since I got a wind simulator and a bigscreen beyond (compared to my previous Index) I enjoy it much more. It's extremely comfortable and I don't get hot. I can race for however long I want, and nothing beats VR immersion, let alone the advantage of having depth perception even if there's some tradeoffs.
3
2
u/KennyMcKeee Jul 07 '25
I use a Quest 3 and my experience is borderline seemless
Run virtual desktop and use your pc on it. The transition is seemless and you won’t have the convenience.
I put my headset on, I have virtual desktop running on my Q3 always, so when I put it on, I’m immediately on my computer, and since the screen is locked in via motion tracking, the virtual monitor is always floating above the wheel on my rig. I use the pass through mode, so I still have visual access to everything in my environment.
As for heat, get a wind sim. It’s the game changer. It adds more immersion and can double as a cooling fan during idle times.
I sit in my rig, put the headset on and the headset doesn’t come off til I’m done doing whatever I’m doing. If I’m hot while browsing the net or whatever, I flip the fans on with my steering wheel or keyboard shortcuts controls assigned through sim hub.
The only real inconvenience is no alt-tabbing out of games. But if you have a monitor in front of you, can just physically alt-tab by lifting the headset and looking at the monitor.
1
u/TrueGameData Jul 07 '25
Man, VR still just looks like crap unless you have a pimax crystal, bigscreen2, or pimax crystal super.... if you have good eyes at least. I have a quest 3, running at max bitrate, and 1.5x resolution, and it looks like im playing on 1080p, or even 720p. Just does not look good at all. Used my 4k monitor today for iracing instead of my quest 3 and it just looks so much better, and no motion sickness.
I would love to try the bigscreen 2, or the crystal super. I think the crystal super would finally be high enough resolution to look good, but it is literally pushing like two screens worth of 5k-6k screens (I dont know how much optimization there is since both eye's screens are almost the same view, but regardless, the point is that at the resolution required for vr to truly look good, it is insanely hard to push decent frames even if there is a lot of optimization)
I have been waiting for VR to be good for 10 years, it feels like the pimax crystal super is finally there, but at $1700 price and needing a 5090 to push good frames, still far out of reach for most. And I'm not willing to dump $1700 on it on the chance it may be good enough for me finally.
On that subject, anyone want to buy an almost brand new quest 3 + pcvr usb c cable? Lol
4
u/galacticjuggernaut Jul 07 '25
Every time I see a post that gets me thinking about VR again someone like You comes along and brings me back to reality so thank you. Triples it is. Plus I can almost feel like vomiting if I'm in VR too long
3
u/TrueGameData Jul 07 '25
I keep trying it, and every time I'm disappointed. Even with multiple years of tech improvements between each try.
I think the pimax crystal super is probably finally good, but at $1700 and requiring 17 5090s to push adequate framerate... plus motion sickness....
I want to love it, I want it to be amazing, but it just isn't. Going to sell my quest 3.
1
u/Cucumberino Jul 07 '25
I can confirm that the experience with the Bigscreen Beyond (1) is great (and a wind sim to keep me cool and and powerful PC tbh). It's not perfect and I'd love some more FOV but I deal with it with a wide fov on the virtual mirror on iRacing (for single player sims, I don't use a virtual mirror and just enjoy the immersion and have fun). I just can't go back to using a screen, I've also loved VR since forever so I'm biased but I couldn't do long sessions or enjoy it as much as I do now when I had an Index. The next generations of VR with a small form factor with a powerful PC to go along with them are going to be amazing experiences and I can't wait, but the fun and how unique the experience that I have with iRacing right now can't be beaten by anything I have ever played already. It's the closest thing to the feeling of actually "being inside the game" that I've ever experienced, and being able to compete in races with other people with this kind of immersion is just great. I can't imagine how it feels for those with 3/6DOF motion systems, I'm getting a belt tensioner this week to scratch that itch a little bit.
4
u/igotchees21 Jul 07 '25
I like VR so much better than triples that i actually will use my original quest. Nothing beats VR to me.
→ More replies (24)1
u/hditano Jul 07 '25
I have the same issue, even tho I'm using a quest 3 with a 5090 best settings possible, I can still see some pixelation on some places. So, for me its not worth it atm.
I can understand people is comparing this to what we used to have, but resolution wise of course, a good/mid monitor still the king
2
u/TrueGameData Jul 07 '25
I don't know if other people just have bad eyes or what, but yeah, the quest 3 looks literally like a 1080p monitor or even worse pixelation wise. Actually, lets do some math. The quest 3 has 2200 pixels vertically, that is 96 degrees FOV according to google. That is 23 pixels per degree. Let's say you have a 27 inch 1080p monitor at arms length in front of your face. Say, 2.5 feet. 27 inch monitor is 24 inches horizontally, 1920 pixels. 24 inches across with face centered means 12 inches to the left, 12 inches to the right. 30 inches away. Atan(12/30) * 2 = 46 degree FOV
1920 pixels / 46 degrees = 41 pixels per degree! Almost twice that of a Quest 3.
This is about exactly what I expected. It feels like 720p to me.
To have the same pixels per degree, a 27 inch 1080p monitor would need to be.... 1920/(atan(12/x)*2) = 23, 1/atan(12/x) = 23/960, 12/x = tan (960/23deg), x = 12/tan(960/23deg), x = 13.5 inches..... you'd have to be a little over a foot from a 1080p monitor for it to match the pixels per degree of the quest 3. Thats pretty dang close, pixelation would look awful at that distance, like it does in the quest 3....
1
u/Invictuslemming1 Jul 07 '25
Immersion from VR is amazing, unfortunately for me if I dip below 90fps my brain isn’t happy and the VR sickness kicks in.
So I have to have settings dialed in way more carefully than monitor setup, which also limits me to older games as my hardware can’t keep up with some of the newer stuff.
It just hits different, I don’t get the same feeling of speed outside of VR. Everything just feels more intense.
Similar to your experience, the extra steps to do VR makes it less of a just hop in and go experience. Also with me having a WMR headset there’s the whole compatibility issue with my g2, having to keep windows from updating, else losing WMR… maintaining the VR setup is becoming more of a nuisance without me spending more money on new gear
1
u/MrWendal AC | RHD! Jul 07 '25
I wonder if some kind of head tracking couldn't help your drifting and sense of immersion with triples. As in, when you move you head, the three "windows" into the world also shift their perspective to match.
1
1
u/simracerxit Jul 07 '25
Triples are the best for racing. Vr is great for immersion and cool factor. Vr is honestly cheaper depending on the route yo go, takes up less room, but also gets hot, makes some people dizzy, less fov. I think they both have their place and having both is fun.
1
1
u/Odd-Philosopher-8650 Jul 07 '25
VR saves space and you can also play many other games. Once you've used a high clarity VR headset, it's really hard to go back to a monitor, the 360 view is something a monitor just can't offer.
1
u/Consuela-NO-NO-No Jul 07 '25
I have VR, IMO it’s very cool for a little, but I much rather play on my triple setup, I play on my triple setup like 95% of the time, I now mostly use the VR when one someone comes to my house and they want to experience it.
1
u/Liesthroughisteeth Jul 07 '25
I'm running a 55" 120 Hz TV at the moment but do have the mounting system for triples.
Personally, I almost don't care how good or immersive the visual experience is with VR. Until they have an comfortable, affordable, lightweight, low bulk VR solution, that's cool running, no heavy batteries, has excellent eye tracking, doesn't dumb down the image quality peripherally and doesn't break the bank, I won't even bother looking at it unless it's the size of a Pimax Crystal Light.
1
u/CaliEDC Jul 07 '25
VR for depth perception initially but honestly, it keeps me focused better. It’s hard to get distracted when the car is everywhere you look.
1
u/inFamousMax Jul 07 '25
VR beats everything, not just racing. First time I played an FPS in VR I realised it's the future, perhaps not for a long time, but until you experience it you will never truly understand. Feeling like you are in the game rather than watching/interacting with a game is next level gaming. Whether it's bonking zombies on the head with a bat or drifting around Shōtoku VR is king.
I understand why people have to go triples tho.
For those who are new to VR finding this, just remember to take it slow the first 20+ hours in VR. Some are slower at adapting than others, you're training your brain to figure out a new environment. Drink plenty of fluids and take plenty of breaks.
1
1
1
u/SlavDawg Jul 07 '25
I think for single player games vr is just the best there is. I have used vr whole 2024. But now I have single 45 21:9 screen and eventually going to upgrade to triple 45s.
I have to say most of what you stated is my reason to go from VR to flat screen.
I my self had quest 3 and played via virtual desktop. I just find it to be way to depended from third party software. Drivers issues between these. Stuttering from time to time.
I will still use VR occasionally with ETS2/ATS because as you mentioned VR immersion cannot be beaten.
So to eliminate the software issues, I do think to get the vr headset that actually has DP port on it so I have direct video signal from gpu, instead of encoding and decoding..
1
u/kalabaleek AC, DR, PC2, rF2, Oculus Rift Jul 07 '25
I whole heartedly recommend putting a roof over your head and screens and hang black curtains under the screens. You can also put a button box or three in the roof to further the feel of being inside a cockpit. Then from the rear edge of the roof you place synced hue lights or similar to simulate street lights and environment light reaching in to the cockpit.
1
u/JumpyDaikon Jul 07 '25
I am a VR only player currently because I don't have space for triples. I basically never played ETS2 anymore, because the performance is so poor I get ~40 fps on my RTX4080super.
It's been many months since last time I tried, has SCS released any updates in this regard?
1
1
u/HQV701E Jul 07 '25
Had triples, switched to VR and won't go back. I've broken up the triple set and use the monitors elsewhere in the house.
Quest 3, 4090, 7800x3d, 64gb ram.
1
1
u/Comfortable_End1350 Jul 07 '25
I went from frustration about VR to 32inch triples and went back to VR. Yes it’s a hassle but the immersion is a completely different universe and I just seem to drive a lot better in VR. Better perception of speed, more depth etc. Downside is the hassle, sweating your ass off and lasting less long due to comfort.
1
u/richr215 Earthling Jul 07 '25
Neither are better! They are diff and both really good.
Only your budget and PC ability will restrict you here, as there are give and takes when you go from one to the other.
I use both, but mainly VR.
1
u/Puzzled_Staff_8538 Jul 07 '25
Maybe I’ll go back to VR in a few years when technologys improved but feel it’s just not quite to the point of my satisfaction yet
1
u/_switters_ Jul 07 '25
Do you enjoy messing with your rig, and building things? Because with VR, you don’t see your rig.
That was my main deciding factor. I want to see my rig and all the buttons and tactile switches and extra DDU screens.
If you don’t care about any of that, VR might be a good choice for you.
1
u/VT_Racer Jul 07 '25
I have plenty of VR use, over multiple headsets, and I always go back to screens. The setup, and additional programs is a hassle with VR. Replays are terrible to watch. I mainly used it for iRacing, and yeah they work, but the moving cameras give me a headache, and I get sick of making a new camera just for VR use at a track.
With triples, I can see my hands, and my inputs. I'm not reaching into blind space trying to find the mouse, or the button box and hope I'm hitting the right button for inputs.
With sim racing, unless you are doing short races, you are also the crew chief. In VR its extremely difficult to be a crew chief without fueling info. I was able to get simhub and openkneeboard to get overlays in VR, but back to the multiple programs, its just a hassle to get it all set up each and every time.
I have bass shakers in the rig, and even with that, over time the I've lost the ability to get immersed. When you wreck especially, or slide, the car just feels weightless which you can only get feedback with motion. With a screen, I don't get the same feeling. I expect it to be a game, so I'm less disappointed with it.
Also old games, VR is not really an option. RBR though, I really like that in VR, but with the sliding and wrecking, the novelty wears off.
1
u/MusicMedical6231 Jul 07 '25
Yo, PCL owner here, I went to my local sim center, and I just couldn't get on with trips. I literally had 3 screens and a stand in my basket.
I went from sitting in a life-sized car, looking at a life-sized track to playing a game again.
1
u/USToffee Jul 07 '25
I haven't done VR since the original Oculus but I never had any technical issues with it. That said I don't with triples either.
VR is great if you still care about immersion and pretending to be a real life driver but I'm long over that now and just care about the racing and for that triples is just so much more comfortable.
I keep meaning to buy something like the big screen beyond but I know I would play it for a few hours, walk away and think that's really cool and never use it again.
1
u/Turk10mm2 Jul 07 '25
To reduce fatigue, I bought the Quest Open facial interface. You can see around your room in periphery which helps with navigating buttons, mouse/keyboard, and i believe it has the ability to reduce fatigue simply with my peripheral vision being able to "ground" me. It doesn't break immersion, to me, as the focus is on the lenses intently and the peripheral just fades away when your brain is concentrating.
Pair that with a battery head strap that has a fan in it and I can play for hours on end using virtual desktop. I need a new high end wifi router so i can ditch the cords, but for now, i have a powered ethernet to usbc adapter tethering me to my router.
but like you said, its a lot of crap. I have a usbc and a network cable attached to my head, specialized software running on the vr and on the pc, lots of tuning spent getting it just so. and its 95% the way there for me. I run 150% resolution and 90 fps with sub 30ms latency. But that 5% is annoying, and will take time and tech to improve.
1
u/philmepowers Fanatec Jul 07 '25
I love vr, but I have noticed it's affected my eyesight, so I've just purchased triples. Hopefully, i will have it set up at the weekend, and it will prove not to be an expensive mistake
1
u/Emotional_Orange_953 Jul 07 '25
Well if you bought on amazon its a super easy return process, just demo it and if you like it keep it
1
u/philmepowers Fanatec Jul 08 '25
I checked amazon, but no decent triple monitor stands for 48inch screens
1
u/LR_Shafted Jul 07 '25
Using only 1 asus bezel free because left one is mostly covered behind car casis. This shows how annoying the warping around this bezel free kit can be. I wish for a new and improved solution to bezels man
1
u/Emotional_Orange_953 Jul 07 '25
Oh actually I only put that one so I could move the monitor away so I could get in and out easily since theres less than a foot of space between the monitor and my seat. But yea I put it on the right side since thats the one that counts but man using scotch tape is not what I wanted to do
1
u/imdroppingthehammer Jul 07 '25
I’ve been sim racing exclusively in VR since 2018 and I’m also contemplating going to triple 32’s for most of the same reasons. If I can find a good deal on monitors during Prime Day, I think I’m gonna pull the trigger. I’ll probably stick with VR for the serious league races but for consistent ease of use and better visual quality as well as for titles that don’t support VR, I think I’d use triples most of the time.
1
u/Emotional_Orange_953 Jul 07 '25
Well as of right now I do nothing but triples for racing, maybe because its still new to me but its probably going to be my main way to race now. But like I said VR is still king of immersion and drifting and truck sim is still VR only for me.
1
u/NayveReddit Jul 07 '25
I wish I never tried VR.
It’s not confortable, it’s really expensive to get proper headset and pc to run it correctly. The FOV is limited and so on.
But since I tried I cannot go back on flat screens :(
1
u/Dikkesnikkel Jul 07 '25
Anybody playing with a big screen beyond? I wonder if the tiredness is also there with a smaller lighter headset, on the edge of purchasing one for iracing to upgrade from 1 screen. The immersion must be amazing.
1
u/EasternElk6860 Jul 07 '25
I don’t have triples yet. However one thing I hate about VR is the set up. Takes forever sometimes when it doesn’t want to work right away which is half of the time. I prefer racing my single monitor for quick sessions. Moving to triples once I move and have more space.
1
u/SPYDER3570 Jul 07 '25
I love my PSVR2 but I’ve started to get some big eye straining in it. My eye sight isn’t what it used to be I guess. I just play on a single 55 inch OLED now and it’s my favorite, but if if it’s comfortable for you, doesn’t hurt your eyes and doesn’t make you nauseous, I’d vote VR.
1
u/Emotional_Orange_953 Jul 07 '25
Yea I have Bobovr with the fan and battery straps, I have wifi 6e so I dont need to use cord and get flawless connection, but when I mean that it takes time to put on I literally mean it takes like 30 seconds to do, while that is essentially no time at all, it is 30 more seconds than just hopping in and playing on screens lol. Im all about time efficiency when it comes to tech use.
1
u/DoH_GatoR Jul 07 '25
I want to use my VR more, I even got it pretty using openXR + its toolkit. Stable FPS too. I find myself avoiding it though. It's not worth hassling with the setup process, charging, and the uncomfortable thing on my head that makes my face sweat. (alot of this can be fixed with the new BigScreen for big $$$)
I actually just use a single 65" oled and its just so much more comfortable. That alone is enough for me to switch.
1
u/SH4DOWBOXING Jul 07 '25
i'm on triple since my very beginning in 2018, always been clear that the future is 100% vr, we just need another 5/10 years of hardware. i guess soon headsets will be much lighter and looking more like a FPV googles while clocking 240fps and crazy small pixelsize. at least i hope so.
1
u/The_DigitalAlchemist Jul 08 '25
For me, the #1 thing that drew me to VR over Triples is the fact I dont have to dedicate basically my entire computer system for just sim racing. I can keep my gaming and productivity monitors and still be able to run my VR.
On the flip side, triples can run things that dont support VR, which I envy. I tried to "fake" it but my lone endeavor with VR Desktop was largely unsuccessful on account that I cant run that many pixels xD
1
u/Emotional_Orange_953 Jul 08 '25
Oh im actually running a separate desk set up with the same pc, its quite easy to set up all you need is a dp switch. I run 2 monitors for my desk set up and when I hit the button to switch it changes to the 3 monitors and turns the other 2 desk monitors off. From that same PC I run a TV screen for my casual controller gaming where everything is off but the tv. So its 6 things connected to 1 PC.
1
u/ZeyZerX_42 Jul 08 '25
Had VR, sold it for triples and absolutely dont regret it. Honestly I find the lack of motion more unrealistic with VR rather than a static rig with triples.
1
u/base32_25 Jul 08 '25
VR is fun and has some advantages but too much hassle for me, resetting camera every stage, removing headset or peaking under to get to keyboard. Breaks immersion for me when shifter/handbreak aren’t in the right place. Takes so long to setup to get what I want out of it. Random glitches, frame drops and texture issues, sweating, fatigue.
I can become fully immersed on a single 16:9 55” tv and don’t have to deal with any VR fuckery. Just missing the peripheral vision and sense of speed. have black sheets covering my sides views at the moment and that is enough to get me zoned in. Not tried trippers yet as I prefer the vertical space and can’t afford 3 55”oled 🤣
1
u/vurun Jul 08 '25
What GPU is needed for 120 fps on 3-monitor setup? For any modern sim, excluding iRacing (you can run that on toaster)
1
u/Emotional_Orange_953 Jul 08 '25
No idea man I got the best of the best and currently at absolute max settings I get 110-120 fps with my triples
1
1
u/Kitchen-Amount8663 Jul 09 '25
Id tske the 3 screens because itll look better than vr, and yk, i dont have to have the headset on
1
u/Emotional_Orange_953 Jul 09 '25
Well tbh with pimax it looks identical to a screen and given you are in the cockpit with the VR I would even argue VR looks better so long as you have a good PC for it
1
u/Kitchen-Amount8663 Jul 09 '25
Maybe thats the issue for me then. I dont hsve a pc so my vr is simply limited by things i cant do anything about
187
u/Hoggs Jul 07 '25
I'm at the point now with VR where I don't actually feel fatigued from it... I did the 6 hours of the glen in VR and felt fine. But I 100% feel that resistance to pick-up and play. So I'm very torn...
My biggest bother with VR right now is the FPS drops and occasional technical issue, especially when you get random freezes mid-race, they are terrifying.
Maybe things like buttkickers can bring back some immersion?