- 393
- Australia
- frr35h101
I thought I would make a first hand review of my experience and preferred ways of racing in GT SPORT.
This is purely my personal experience, opinion and preferences and is no way intended to be a guide or recommendation on how to play GT Sport. To me, there is not one right way to play the game. When using a VR headset, remember that your body is being tricked to thinking that you are in a world that isn't real. Whilst you can see, hear and in a sense, feel the world you are in, it can also be quite disorientating to some and can also make some people motion sick. I have experienced this only once in RIGS PSVR where things move extremely fast and the body doesn't know how to handle it. If you love this thread and choose to purchase a VR based on this, I don't take any responsibility if you experience motion sickness whilst playing.
A little background on me. I've been a collector and player of Gran Turismo since the very first one. I own every iteration of the game to date and even play the originals still on my Vita. I have been involved over the years in the modding and hybriding scene, namely GT2 and I've also had my own personal car modded into GT2 thanks to Submaniac. I first got my G27 back when GT5 was first released and can honestly contest that it has helped me become a better racer not only in Gran Turismo, but in pretty much any sim racing title, console or PC. I have had the PSVR now for just over a year now. I got it mostly for GT Sport and Planet of The Apes VR, however, I've been pretty pleased with the ever growing PSVR titles released like Skyrim VR for example. I mainly race for fun offline, but I plan to explore online comps in the near future to hone my skills against actual real world players.
Before I start on my review I'll list my setup:
This is just my setup and it currently works for me, however, everyone has their own unique setups and again, there is no one right way to play this game so interested to see what everyone else does.
PART ONE: VR Tour
If you have a VR already, then you have no doubt trialed out the VR Tour in GT Sport already and know most of what I am about to say. For those who haven't trialed it out yet it is a very unique experience for a Gran Turismo title.
Firstly let's just get one thing straight: VR Tour is not GT Sport's entirety in VR. Much to the contrary, it is more of a Gran Turismo VR arcade mode. There are 3 modes currently available in VR Tour:
Drive is limited to head to head races only. Tracks are limited to certain times of day layouts in some tracks, and most but not all cars are compatible with VR Tour.
Time Trial VR is the same as any other time trial mode with, well VR as the obvious difference.
VR Showroom is a simple VR walk around of the selected car. It is not quite your Forza style Forzavista, but it does give you a sense that you are in the same room as the car. You can control the lights of the vehicle from parking lights to highbeams. That's about it. Please note to control in this mode, you will need a controller as a wheel won't let you navigate around fully.
VR Drive and Time Trial Modes
Although very lackluster in the sense there is only one opponent, VR Drive is extremely immersive and really gives you the feeling that you are on the track in the car. the field of view is fantastic and the sense that you are in the car as you look around is actually distracting at times. It's that good. When combined with the racing wheel and rig, you really do feel like you are there. It also gives you a much closer look at the track you are on, sometimes helping with lap times.
There are several drawbacks though. The races as mentioned are quite lackluster. Having only one opponent means a race is not as immersive as you'd would like. More to it, the opponents can be quite repetitive, for example, racing a GR Supra RZ in VR will almost always line you up with an M4. The AI also seem to be watered down quite a bit, so you can easily out run them even if you were to spin out and fall behind, catching them takes no time or effort at all. I don't believe I've lost any VR races to date. It's very noticeable in some instances too. For example, just last night I hopped in a stock Ferrari 458 and was pitted up against a La Ferrari, which despite slipping off track a couple of times, I easily caught back up and outran it.
I have also noticed that whilst most cars are pretty flawless in VR mode, some cars have graphical issues. Noticeably cars with smaller steering wheels, like the F1500T. When in full lock, the arms cross into each other which distracts you a bit from the experience.
All of this aside, it is still a very fun experience and gives you a fresh approach to the series. You can still easily lose yourself racing in VR mode to experience all the different cockpits and displays that the various cars have to offer and also stop to appreciate the level of detail applied to the tracks PD have implemented. Another thing to really take away is the sense of speed you get from some of these cars in VR mode. The F1 cars, X2014 and Tomahawk for example, really give you the sense that you are travelling at ridiculous speeds whether straight line or through the bends, with your body often forgetting you are only in a game. I am usually not very good with controlling F1 based cars when in controller mode, but with the VR and my G27, my skills have been significally raised to the point I can attack the apex on tracks at speeds I would never have been able to in the past using just a controller.
GT Sport in PSVR Cinematic Mode
Here is where things get really interesting and fun. When people thin of GT Sport and PSVR, the above modes normally spring to mind only, however, there is one other way to utilize the VR with GT Sport and that is Cinematic Mode. Basically, what this allows you to do is project the PS4 screen into the VR headset on non VR games and applications. This is also the mode that is used when connecting the PSVR to a non-PS4 device like an Xbox One or PC.
So why would you bother? Well there are a couple of reasons why you would want to use this mode when playing GT Sport. Firstly, when using Cinematic Mode you have the option to change the screen size between small, medium and large. These translate to 117 inches, 163 inches and 226 inches respectfully. As listed above my tv is only 42" so immediately I have stepped up my viewing size. Whats more is I have found that even with my non-pro PS4 and gen 1 PSVR the resolution is much better in Cinematic mode than on my TV as it is now moving on to 12 years old. The other advantage here is it doesn't require your TV to be on to work, so you can save electricity by not running the TV at the same time as the VR and also redirects all sound to your headphones so you are essentially playing quietly without everyone in the house hearing your game handy if you are racing at night whilst others are asleep. This also works in normal VR mode by the way.
After a bit of testing last night, I came to the conclusion that this is now my preferred way to race in GT Sport. I can still get a semi-VR experience as the screen is so huge in Cinematic mode that it almost feels that you are racing in VR mode. The graphics are much higher in cinematic mode than in normal VR mode also. Plus, the entire game is playable. I was racing last night in Cinematic mode for hours completing various championships and was amazed by the way my driving was better than when I normally use the TV.
Downsides to PSVR in general
With PSVR there are some obvious drawbacks. The first as I initially mentioned is motion sickness. I can't stress enough how important it is to take small steps when jumping into the VR world. Start with something small and easy, like a tech demo and work your way up to the more heavy movement and high-speed titles like Skyrim, GT Sport and especially RIGS (still haven't tried that since).
You will be oblivious to your surroundings in most cases so injuries can occur. I have played Skyrim and kicked my shins on my bed and even tripped over at times. as much as you can check your surroundings before putting the headset on, once you have been playing for a while you'll find that you have shifted places from when you started. This can often lead to you not being aware of whats around you anymore, and without the aid of sound, it can be a shock to the system when you run into something or start to tumble. I've also knocked over people before in games like Skyrim because people have gotten too close to me whilst I was in the zone. Thankfully, there is a way to check your surroundings in the PSVR sub menu when you press the PS button.
Graphics are another thing that seem to take a hit on the PSVR. It's not terrible, but it's a step back from non-VR modes. To be honest though, it's easily to forgive when you are rewarded with the experience it returns.
Lastly, the most annoying part of GT-Sports VR mode that I have recently discovered is the screen positioning. More so, the driver positioning. At first, this is not an issue, but after a couple of races, I have noticed that the screen is off-centered. Usually this is corrected by holding the Option button down for a few seconds but it doesn't fix the direction in which the driver is facing. I have yet to find an easy solution to remedy this aside from turning the headset off and on again. Hopefully this is addressed in a future GT update.
Tips on using PSVR in GT Sport
Over the last year or so, I have come up with what I think is the most comfortable way to play PSVR, not only for GT Sport but in general. Here are my tips for playing comfortably, especially if you plan to play for long periods at a time.
For me the PSVR has been one of my best purchases in gaming in recent times. I spend a lot of time playing it and find the experience to be new and refreshing. As more and more titles come out the levels on which you can experience gaming gets raised constantly. I feel GT Sport has given us a good staple to work with on the VR front and my only hopes is that with future updates and titles, we can start to see more features, modes and more AI racers.
I would say given the chance, you should definitely try out GT Sports VR mode to see if it is for you before you purchase it. However, with the current prices that you can pick up a PSVR for these days it certainly wouldn't be a waste of your money as you will open your PS4 library up to previously inaccessible titles. The fact that you can also play all of your games in your own personal cinema in Cinematic mode is also worth the look.
I hope this thread helps clear up any questions or concerns people might have about the PSVR in GT-sport.
If you have any other tips or experiences with PSVR and GT-Sport, please let me know in the comments, and if you have any questions about the VR that I haven't gone over please feel free to ask me.
Seeya!
FRR35H
This is purely my personal experience, opinion and preferences and is no way intended to be a guide or recommendation on how to play GT Sport. To me, there is not one right way to play the game. When using a VR headset, remember that your body is being tricked to thinking that you are in a world that isn't real. Whilst you can see, hear and in a sense, feel the world you are in, it can also be quite disorientating to some and can also make some people motion sick. I have experienced this only once in RIGS PSVR where things move extremely fast and the body doesn't know how to handle it. If you love this thread and choose to purchase a VR based on this, I don't take any responsibility if you experience motion sickness whilst playing.
A little background on me. I've been a collector and player of Gran Turismo since the very first one. I own every iteration of the game to date and even play the originals still on my Vita. I have been involved over the years in the modding and hybriding scene, namely GT2 and I've also had my own personal car modded into GT2 thanks to Submaniac. I first got my G27 back when GT5 was first released and can honestly contest that it has helped me become a better racer not only in Gran Turismo, but in pretty much any sim racing title, console or PC. I have had the PSVR now for just over a year now. I got it mostly for GT Sport and Planet of The Apes VR, however, I've been pretty pleased with the ever growing PSVR titles released like Skyrim VR for example. I mainly race for fun offline, but I plan to explore online comps in the near future to hone my skills against actual real world players.
Before I start on my review I'll list my setup:
- PS4 Destiny Edition. (White Original shape).
- Logitech G27 Wheel (modded with progressive pedal mod) with Collective minds DriveHub wheel converter.
- Next Level Racing GT Xtreme V2 Racing seat.
- First generation PSVR Headset.
- Sony MDR-ZX310 over-ear stereo headphones.
- Sony Bravia KDL-42EX440 ( I think
it's fairly old so I could be wrong on the model) LED TV. - A floor mounted metal fan for ventilation.
This is just my setup and it currently works for me, however, everyone has their own unique setups and again, there is no one right way to play this game so interested to see what everyone else does.
PART ONE: VR Tour
If you have a VR already, then you have no doubt trialed out the VR Tour in GT Sport already and know most of what I am about to say. For those who haven't trialed it out yet it is a very unique experience for a Gran Turismo title.
Firstly let's just get one thing straight: VR Tour is not GT Sport's entirety in VR. Much to the contrary, it is more of a Gran Turismo VR arcade mode. There are 3 modes currently available in VR Tour:
Drive is limited to head to head races only. Tracks are limited to certain times of day layouts in some tracks, and most but not all cars are compatible with VR Tour.
Time Trial VR is the same as any other time trial mode with, well VR as the obvious difference.
VR Showroom is a simple VR walk around of the selected car. It is not quite your Forza style Forzavista, but it does give you a sense that you are in the same room as the car. You can control the lights of the vehicle from parking lights to highbeams. That's about it. Please note to control in this mode, you will need a controller as a wheel won't let you navigate around fully.
VR Drive and Time Trial Modes
Although very lackluster in the sense there is only one opponent, VR Drive is extremely immersive and really gives you the feeling that you are on the track in the car. the field of view is fantastic and the sense that you are in the car as you look around is actually distracting at times. It's that good. When combined with the racing wheel and rig, you really do feel like you are there. It also gives you a much closer look at the track you are on, sometimes helping with lap times.
There are several drawbacks though. The races as mentioned are quite lackluster. Having only one opponent means a race is not as immersive as you'd would like. More to it, the opponents can be quite repetitive, for example, racing a GR Supra RZ in VR will almost always line you up with an M4. The AI also seem to be watered down quite a bit, so you can easily out run them even if you were to spin out and fall behind, catching them takes no time or effort at all. I don't believe I've lost any VR races to date. It's very noticeable in some instances too. For example, just last night I hopped in a stock Ferrari 458 and was pitted up against a La Ferrari, which despite slipping off track a couple of times, I easily caught back up and outran it.
I have also noticed that whilst most cars are pretty flawless in VR mode, some cars have graphical issues. Noticeably cars with smaller steering wheels, like the F1500T. When in full lock, the arms cross into each other which distracts you a bit from the experience.
All of this aside, it is still a very fun experience and gives you a fresh approach to the series. You can still easily lose yourself racing in VR mode to experience all the different cockpits and displays that the various cars have to offer and also stop to appreciate the level of detail applied to the tracks PD have implemented. Another thing to really take away is the sense of speed you get from some of these cars in VR mode. The F1 cars, X2014 and Tomahawk for example, really give you the sense that you are travelling at ridiculous speeds whether straight line or through the bends, with your body often forgetting you are only in a game. I am usually not very good with controlling F1 based cars when in controller mode, but with the VR and my G27, my skills have been significally raised to the point I can attack the apex on tracks at speeds I would never have been able to in the past using just a controller.
GT Sport in PSVR Cinematic Mode
Here is where things get really interesting and fun. When people thin of GT Sport and PSVR, the above modes normally spring to mind only, however, there is one other way to utilize the VR with GT Sport and that is Cinematic Mode. Basically, what this allows you to do is project the PS4 screen into the VR headset on non VR games and applications. This is also the mode that is used when connecting the PSVR to a non-PS4 device like an Xbox One or PC.
So why would you bother? Well there are a couple of reasons why you would want to use this mode when playing GT Sport. Firstly, when using Cinematic Mode you have the option to change the screen size between small, medium and large. These translate to 117 inches, 163 inches and 226 inches respectfully. As listed above my tv is only 42" so immediately I have stepped up my viewing size. Whats more is I have found that even with my non-pro PS4 and gen 1 PSVR the resolution is much better in Cinematic mode than on my TV as it is now moving on to 12 years old. The other advantage here is it doesn't require your TV to be on to work, so you can save electricity by not running the TV at the same time as the VR and also redirects all sound to your headphones so you are essentially playing quietly without everyone in the house hearing your game handy if you are racing at night whilst others are asleep. This also works in normal VR mode by the way.
After a bit of testing last night, I came to the conclusion that this is now my preferred way to race in GT Sport. I can still get a semi-VR experience as the screen is so huge in Cinematic mode that it almost feels that you are racing in VR mode. The graphics are much higher in cinematic mode than in normal VR mode also. Plus, the entire game is playable. I was racing last night in Cinematic mode for hours completing various championships and was amazed by the way my driving was better than when I normally use the TV.
Downsides to PSVR in general
With PSVR there are some obvious drawbacks. The first as I initially mentioned is motion sickness. I can't stress enough how important it is to take small steps when jumping into the VR world. Start with something small and easy, like a tech demo and work your way up to the more heavy movement and high-speed titles like Skyrim, GT Sport and especially RIGS (still haven't tried that since).
You will be oblivious to your surroundings in most cases so injuries can occur. I have played Skyrim and kicked my shins on my bed and even tripped over at times. as much as you can check your surroundings before putting the headset on, once you have been playing for a while you'll find that you have shifted places from when you started. This can often lead to you not being aware of whats around you anymore, and without the aid of sound, it can be a shock to the system when you run into something or start to tumble. I've also knocked over people before in games like Skyrim because people have gotten too close to me whilst I was in the zone. Thankfully, there is a way to check your surroundings in the PSVR sub menu when you press the PS button.
Graphics are another thing that seem to take a hit on the PSVR. It's not terrible, but it's a step back from non-VR modes. To be honest though, it's easily to forgive when you are rewarded with the experience it returns.
Lastly, the most annoying part of GT-Sports VR mode that I have recently discovered is the screen positioning. More so, the driver positioning. At first, this is not an issue, but after a couple of races, I have noticed that the screen is off-centered. Usually this is corrected by holding the Option button down for a few seconds but it doesn't fix the direction in which the driver is facing. I have yet to find an easy solution to remedy this aside from turning the headset off and on again. Hopefully this is addressed in a future GT update.
Tips on using PSVR in GT Sport
Over the last year or so, I have come up with what I think is the most comfortable way to play PSVR, not only for GT Sport but in general. Here are my tips for playing comfortably, especially if you plan to play for long periods at a time.
- Take regular breaks. This should come as no surprise, but the PSVR does take its toll on your eyes after playing for some time. I would strongly suggest that after every race, you take off your headset and let your eyes readjust. Avoid trying to play countless races consecutively without breaks, and try to pause the game in endurance races (whilst in Cinematic mode) like when you have pitted in, every 10-15 minutes or so. Have a drink of water to stay hydrated because believe it or not, the VR can make you sweat. Take this time to also stretch and grab some food.
- Play in a well ventilated area. As I listed above, I included a fan in my setup. That is deliberate as the room I play in doesn't have good airflow and any air conditioning, so to compensate, I use a small metal fan to blow air directly at me whilst in my racing rig. This keeps me cool whilst playing for long periods and ensures that I not sweating all over myself and becoming uncomfortable. It also has another effect, adds a 4D element to playing some games. Try racing in an open top vehicle in VR with the fan blowing on you. It gives the effect of the wind blowing in your face
. - Keep your lenses clean regularly. When ever you use your VR make sure you wipe down your lenses before, during, and after game play. Dust, condensation from breathing and even sweat can build up on the lenses over time. Use a lens cleaning cloth like the one that came with the VR or a pair of glasses to thoroughly wipe the lenses clean of any of the above so that your vision is clear in game.
- Keep your cables clear if possible. One very annoying part of the VR is the cables. They more than often get in the way of your gaming. In some cases it's the cause of trips and falls, and in more serious cases, it can be the cause of damaged hardware eg. pulling the console off the shelf and destroying it on the floor
. Fortunately there is ways around this given you have enough space. When in my GT Xtreme Racing Seat, I feed the cables throught the holes in the top of the seat so they are behind my head and out of the way. I then connect my headphones to the jack and I'm set. I still have full mobility of the VR headset and can even rest the headset on top of the seat when taking breaks. - Store your VR carefully. When storing your VR headset, make sure you keep the lenses clear of anything that could potentially scratch them. I usually put the cloth I use to clean them with over them and then I carefully place the cables inside to stop the cloth from falling out and allowing anything to touch the lenses. There are multiple ways to store the headset, and I am exploring better ways myself as I don't believe mine is the most ideal, although it has worked for me so far. I plan to designate a box to house the headset and cables for added protection in the near future. Another thing is to disconnect the VR front cables when you are not using it. This will prevent you from accidentally damaging or pulling on the cables when moving around it.
For me the PSVR has been one of my best purchases in gaming in recent times. I spend a lot of time playing it and find the experience to be new and refreshing. As more and more titles come out the levels on which you can experience gaming gets raised constantly. I feel GT Sport has given us a good staple to work with on the VR front and my only hopes is that with future updates and titles, we can start to see more features, modes and more AI racers.
I would say given the chance, you should definitely try out GT Sports VR mode to see if it is for you before you purchase it. However, with the current prices that you can pick up a PSVR for these days it certainly wouldn't be a waste of your money as you will open your PS4 library up to previously inaccessible titles. The fact that you can also play all of your games in your own personal cinema in Cinematic mode is also worth the look.
I hope this thread helps clear up any questions or concerns people might have about the PSVR in GT-sport.
If you have any other tips or experiences with PSVR and GT-Sport, please let me know in the comments, and if you have any questions about the VR that I haven't gone over please feel free to ask me.
Seeya!
FRR35H
🤬
:censored:
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