After 20 Plus Years on Gran Turismo, I Tried iRacing

[DigitalRelay]

I started in GT3 over 20 years ago and it's pretty much the only racing game I have played since. I've had some interest in iRacing over the years, but the PC requirements and potential costs were a barrier. But I decided to take advantage of a Black Friday discount last fall and try it for 3 months. I had access to an old Mac Pro that met the system requirements, so I installed Windows via boot camp and gave it a test drive. I also put a video together to document my experience, as I figured I'm not the only one who has been a long time console racer interested in what it takes to jump to iRacing.

Spoiler alert: Although I think iRacing is an amazing platform and I really enjoyed the realism of it, at least for now, GT7 is a better fit for me. I find it faster, simpler and easier to be on track. If I had more time and energy to devote to sim racing, I could see making the switch or doing both.

Anyway, here's the video I put together. If you are a big fan of iRacing already, there's little point in watching the video. I got negative pushback mostly from iRacing fans expressing how much better iRacing is and that there's no point in comparing the two. So if you're in that camp, there's nothing of value for you in the video. If you've never tried iRacing and are interested in what it might be like to jump in, the video might offer some insight.

 

[Jump_Ace]

I've tried iRacing 3 different times over the years and it's just been subpar everytime I try it. The graphics are from the 90's and I can't feel the car being connected to the ground, at....allll. ACC feels like what iRacing should feel like based on everyone else's opinions on it. Take into account the high cost, no thank you. But to each his/her own, if iRacing is your jam, go for it.


Jerome

 

[Beezer215]

Once you go PC, there's really no need to look back, at least for me. Only turn on GT7 pretty much once after an update and then it gets more dust. My favorite right now is AMS2.

 

[JayRacer505]

It's a good sim but an acquired taste. I quite like it but haven't played in a while.

 

[Veinz]

I got into it a little over a year ago and it’s safe to say that i’ll be a subscriber for the foreseeable future, nothing else is on the same level.

After years and years of disappointments with console gaming, GT7 was the game that made me fed up with consoles all together. I ordered a PC and it was here the very next day, my only regret is not doing it sooner.

 

[Daz555]

It's the unmatched online experience that means I'll be an iRacing subscriber for many years to come I imagine. The variety and frequency of available races 24 hrs a day, 7 days a week week is fantastic and no other sim comes remotely close and I see no clues to suggest that's going to change any time soon in the sim gaming market.

Currently practicing for the Bathurst 12hrs this weekend - going to be tough to get to the end as it always is on the mountain but these team special events are great fun and a genuine challenge.

 

[JayRacer505]

I hear the AI has been significantly improved over the last few builds and racing against them can be quite an enjoyable experience .

 

[Daz555]

I hear the AI has been significantly improved over the last few builds and racing against them can be quite an enjoyable experience .

Whilst it's not available for all cars iRacing's AI is excellent - which is quite surprising when you consider the overall focus of iRacing had always been online multiplayer.

 

[Veinz]

The AI in iracing is jsut as good as sophy, if not better.

 

[xDriver69x]

With the latest updates to Gran Turismo 7 along with the increasing number of shared competitions like Mercedes with ACC, iRacing, and Gran Turismo 7. Some things have not changed, like iRacing being a much more cumbersome experience, but one thing they all seem to fall quite short of is actual RACING. Racing requires accountability. There are rules and violations have penalties. Without accountability, there is no racing, maybe pseudo approximations, but still dramatically divorced from racing, especially Real World Racing. I need to do a video monologue on this. It's pretty clear it's why it is used a "training simulator" for IRL racers, versus anything they can consider racing versus playing a game. What's so interesting and weird AF, is it's just gameplay mechanics, that so many actively refuse to incorporate necessary accountability features, even as an option for say a Pro mode.

The pick up basketball versus the scheduled rec-league game analogy is great! Both still a long way from a major, or even minor, league professional sports league with accountability.

 

[Veinz]

With the latest updates to Gran Turismo 7 along with the increasing number of shared competitions like Mercedes with ACC, iRacing, and Gran Turismo 7. Some things have not changed, like iRacing being a much more cumbersome experience, but one thing they all seem to fall quite short of is actual RACING. Racing requires accountability. There are rules and violations have penalties. Without accountability, there is no racing, maybe pseudo approximations, but still dramatically divorced from racing, especially Real World Racing.

iRacing has a sporting code and a protest system. If you break those rules then you can be protested, then the iRacing stewards will come down on you. So there is accountability there. ACC has something similar but it's third party.

As far as racing goes, once you get out of rookie and d class races it gets very good. Definitely head and shoulders above the rest.

 

[xDriver69x]

Yep, most any who have done any form of fast driving contests of speed in video games have experienced or heard of iRacing's penalization ( 3.5.3 ). I deal with being on the punished for no wrong doing just about daily from it. maybe just slightly less than in GT7.

It is by far not even close to accountability, but a step in the right direction to reduce extreme unsportsmanlike like behaviors. It has an overall affect of reducing bad behaviors, which is good, but can be much better.

It even defines that it doesn't bother with accountability and just punishes all involved. But again, better than most, but still a far cry from actual sports accountability. It is the equivalent of punishing the batter and the pitcher when a pitcher hits the batter in the face with a fast ball.

Clearly defined infractions have been around for centuries. 100s of years! - https://baseballrulesacademy.com/official-rule/nfhs/rule-6-section-2-infractions-by-pitcher/

On-track protocol and race director decisions of accountability are not intractable in an simulated environment, and it's long overdue to codify this. ( 30 - 30.1, 30.2 )

https://www.imsa.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2024/07/12/2024-IMSA-SPORTING-REGULATIONS-and-SSR-IMPC-Redline-071224.pdf

 

[kutes]

Yep, most any who have done any form of fast driving contests of speed in video games have experienced or heard of iRacing's penalization ( 3.5.3 ). I deal with being on the punished for no wrong doing just about daily from it. maybe just slightly less than in GT7.

It is by far not even close to accountability, but a step in the right direction to reduce extreme unsportsmanlike like behaviors. It has an overall affect of reducing bad behaviors, which is good, but can be much better.

It even defines that it doesn't bother with accountability and just punishes all involved. But again, better than most, but still a far cry from actual sports accountability. It is the equivalent of punishing the batter and the pitcher when a pitcher hits the batter in the face with a fast ball.

Clearly defined infractions have been around for centuries. 100s of years! - https://baseballrulesacademy.com/official-rule/nfhs/rule-6-section-2-infractions-by-pitcher/

On-track protocol and race director decisions of accountability are not intractable in an simulated environment, and it's long overdue to codify this. ( 30 - 30.1, 30.2 )

https://www.imsa.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2024/07/12/2024-IMSA-SPORTING-REGULATIONS-and-SSR-IMPC-Redline-071224.pdf

View attachment 1390516

uhhh, they mean a human makes the call

Anyways, VR iracing is the only way to feel like you're actually racing a car. The only way you get the tension at the start and the relief of the 'victory laps' if you're in the top half. I've tried em all. It's the only one that does it. The only one proes trust. The only one that's crystal clear on quest 3 while having the right scale. Cars are only made from irl data. The only laser scanned tracks where I hit bumps and rises I didn't feel in prior sims.

It does cost money though. That is admittedly a big drawback

The only other sim I'm curious about is LMU now that it has an official VR setting and some Gt3 cars

I'm not quite sure about the hype for AC:Evo as a VR player, which everyone should be in this genre. It's just another crack at the physics, which AC 1 is already great at. Since nobody on earth can run the quest 3 at max resolution + AC's/ACC/Iracing's resolution slider at maximum, a graphics upgrade means nothing in VR. Considering how unplayably ugly ACC is in VR, I'm a bit worried.

But let's say they happen to nail the physics and graphics. What now? So it's... just ac1...? lol

 

[Haitauer]

Im also in process of moving from PS/GT towards PC sims. Now for me the reason is not GT7. I think its a brilliant combination of easy access and more pledge if one wishes so. The physics are good enough and racing is good on higher levels. What drives me to PC, since i already have one, are the expensive premiums on playstation compatible gear. Just sold my T-GT after six years and invested in Moza R9. Enjoying the more detailed FFB on PC and the responsiveness of the R9. T-GT was still a VERY good wheel - many would be surpriced, but pc ffb does give more detail through DD.

That said, I'm a bit surpriced with should we say lack of polish in the pc. The pc sim-racing community is scattered between games and there doesn't seem to be any as well made all around sim /game as the GT7 is. For trackdays one goes to AC1, for AI racing AMS2 or RFactor2, for GT3 ACC, for best online races iRacing. But - AC1 has next to none online/track racing, AMS2 has limited playerbase, RFactor is getting old, ACC is a bit hit or miss, and iRacing is surpricingly mediocre what comes to FFB, physics and track detail in addition to the ballooning costs. I'm especially surprice of the mediocracy of iRacing after listening the pc master race raving years how superior it is. Subpar FFB and track detail combined with cars that dont seem to "connect" to the road and require to follow a rail around the track due to lack of finess in physics at the edge of grip. And as someone said, the AI is ok, but not at the level of the best ones. This iRacing phomenon reminds me of a certain other "i" -product family. Over priced and mediocre product that has a big and devoted userbase blinded by the love and enthusiasm they have towards the products. I really hope AC EVO will eventually be the definitive "buy once - do it all" -solution to PC sim-racing. Unless they bring GT7 to PC..

 

[Beezer215]

It's not really that hard to keep track of and use all the different options. That's the point of a PC, all the options. There is so much online racing and leagues that you can find at least a dozen on numerous platforms in Discord right now.
AC Evo isn't going to be an all in one solution and it shouldn't be, it should do what it wants to and do that the best. The Jack of all trades Master of none is a bad approach. Lack of polish? Scattered games? What?