GT7 & PSVR2

  • Thread starter gtrotary
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After roughly 2 hours with GT Race Engineer and my PSVR2 here's the TL;DR version of my verdict:

I need to find a GT Engineer decal for all my liveries.

My testing methodology:

I used a couple of custom races I have on file, went into Daily Race A to set a time trial time and did a Sunday Cup 400 race on a third track. Of note, the only testing done with racing tires was in the Daily Race A trial. I didn't have as much time as I would have liked but feel I got a pretty good feel for this thing.

I had all HUDs off. The key for this test was to see how much the app would help immersion and data.

My setup:

I have a PS5, a PSVR2 (no screen) and Sony Pulse Elite headphones. The headphones mean I can connect to my Android phone and my PS5 simultaneously; others may have to use an over-the-ear headphone for the PS5 and a single ear bud for the GT Engineer.

Additionally I have a Buttkicker and SimHub running on a computer next to me. None of these services were affected in any way. Same is true for my G923 wheel and pedals (TrueForce FTW), along with my H-pattern shifter.

Connecting GT Race Engineer:

After downloading it from the Google Play store, I opened the app. It has three screens that go over the process - connecting to you PlayStation is very easy as long as your phone and PS are on the same network - and it recommends excluding it from power saving features on your phone.

There are several settings in the App which you can access via the gear icon. Here you can choose just what it informs you about based on what's currently available. Lap times, lap differentials, best lap, your current lap, remaining laps, lower fuel, estimated fuel duration . . . there are more but you get the idea. There are others that are planned including an overview, lap time average mid-race, suspension analysis and more. I was most interested in the ones highlighted as my fuel gauge in a number of cars I race (in single player especially) are analog. Trying to guess what lap I'm on and how close I am on fuel can get a bit special without a HUD.

First test: Custom Race

I went to Spa for a custom race driving a modified 512BB (589 PP.) The conditions are set up to where I can do a 10 lap no-stop if I manage my fuel correctly. However, it's not easy as the other cars are fairly overpowered (625~675 PP.) I did this by design so that when I do win, I feel I've accomplished something.

Straight away, when I started the race, I heard the crackle of the radio and a voice telling me I'm starting 20th of 20 and off we went. Throughout the race I received updates for every time my fuel drops 10% (90% fuel, 80% fuel, etc.) no matter where I was on the track. I also got updates on the current fuel strategy. When I was up on fuel, I heard a confirmation the current fuel strategy should hold for the rest of the race. When I was closer to the edge, a warning would come across the radio that it would be close.

Whenever I paused the game - be it to adjust my seat or just to restart a race - I got a message "We'll be waiting." Nice touch!

Each time I crossed the line, I'd get the number of the lap I was starting ("now starting lap 3 of 10" or "Final lap, push!") and I'd get my lap time. Additionally, I'd get a message about if it was my fastest lap (along with a congrats) or how far off I was from the previous or best lap.

When I was on the last lap, I got a message of encouragement and did my best. While I came in second (Rogue drives a mean C7 ZR1) I got a congrats on a solid effort as the race ended.

In summary, I was very much aware of my fuel levels and what lap I was on as well as my lap times while I went through the race. Full marks on this.


Next Test: Time Trial for Daily Race A

There was a great deal less interaction for this test and that should be expected. This wasn't a race so lap number didn't mean anything. Likewise, there was no fuel consumption. However, I still got updates on lap times as I dashed around Suzuka.

A great thing that I was pleasantly surprised was when I was about halfway through my first lap, I was informed that my tires were now up to temperature and was encouraged to push it. Later when I was late braking into a corner I was lightly admonished for the high temps for the front tires. A couple of times I'd outbrake myself and wind up in the sand just as the engineer would tell me tire temps on the front are high. But most of the time I would hear it after making the turn; I knew I was pushing it too much.

I can see this being very helpful for Time Trials.

Each lap I'd get the update again; after about 20 minutes I moved onto the Quick Race test.

Third test: Sunday Cup 400 Race at Grand Valley

By now I understood what to expect. I took my '73 BMW CSL and took on the new Sunday Cup 400. I got pretty much the same results as the race at Spa: an awesome experience. By this time I was so used to the updates I was able to extrapolate my overall times based on the per-lap updates.

With my road car races I used street tires - CM to SH - so I never 'lit up' the tires. I decided to crash on purpose to see what would happen and . . . no reaction. That's fair; there are things they plan to add in the future.

During the third race I forgot for a moment what I was missing in a normal race. And that's a great thing.

Overall thoughts:

Now to be clear, GT Race Engineer is not a spotter. During an online race I will continue to have my radar up and do what I can to avoid collisions. This won't do anything about that. However for an offline race like the Sunday Cup, this is ideal for maximum immersion. Running this even with the limited HUD (car information only) fills a few of the major gaps we in the PSVR2 community have identified: Lap times, Best Lap, Fuel, Current Lap and Laps Remaining . . . all without having to fool with the HUD.

I encourage anyone with a PSVR2 and an Android to give this a try. Honestly, I don't think you need a PSVR2 to get a ton of value from this app.

However, I believe the most value will be found by the VR community. It's one giant leap forward towards the "R" in "VR" and that level of immersion is why we love the PSVR2.

I'm curious if others like @Tidgney or @DigitRacing have tried this and what they think about the potential value added just for the sake of enjoyment. Each added tire temps to videos posted; could this be something to consider?


Granted, that's just my opinion.

Hopefully this helps others.


- Revengel
 
Last edited:
Thanks for that complete test and report !

Canadian Thank You GIF by NETFLIX
 
Revengel
After roughly 2 hours with GT Race Engineer and my PSVR2 here's the TL;DR version of my verdict:

I need to find a GT Engineer decal for all my liveries.

My testing methodology:

I used a couple of custom races I have on file, went into Daily Race A to set a time trial time and did a Sunday Cup 400 race on a third track. Of note, the only testing done with racing tires was in the Daily Race A trial. I didn't have as much time as I would have liked but feel I got a pretty good feel for this thing.

I had all HUDs off. The key for this test was to see how much the app would help immersion and data.

My setup:

I have a PS5, a PSVR2 (no screen) and Sony Pulse Elite headphones. The headphones mean I can connect to my Android phone and my PS5 simultaneously; others may have to use an over-the-ear headphone for the PS5 and a single ear bud for the GT Engineer.

Additionally I have a Buttkicker and SimHub running on a computer next to me. None of these services were affected in any way. Same is true for my G923 wheel and pedals (TrueForce FTW), along with my H-pattern shifter.

Connecting GT Race Engineer:

After downloading it from the Google Play store, I opened the app. It has three screens that go over the process - connecting to you PlayStation is very easy as long as your phone and PS are on the same network - and it recommends excluding it from power saving features on your phone.

There are several settings in the App which you can access via the gear icon. Here you can choose just what it informs you about based on what's currently available. Lap times, lap differentials, best lap, your current lap, remaining laps, lower fuel, estimated fuel duration . . . there are more but you get the idea. There are others that are planned including an overview, lap time average mid-race, suspension analysis and more. I was most interested in the ones highlighted as my fuel gauge in a number of cars I race (in single player especially) are analog. Trying to guess what lap I'm on and how close I am on fuel can get a bit special without a HUD.

First test: Custom Race

I went to Spa for a custom race driving a modified 512BB (589 PP.) The conditions are set up to where I can do a 10 lap no-stop if I manage my fuel correctly. However, it's not easy as the other cars are fairly overpowered (625~675 PP.) I did this by design so that when I do win, I feel I've accomplished something.

Straight away, when I started the race, I heard the crackle of the radio and a voice telling me I'm starting 20th of 20 and off we went. Throughout the race I received updates for every time my fuel drops 10% (90% fuel, 80% fuel, etc.) no matter where I was on the track. I also got updates on the current fuel strategy. When I was up on fuel, I heard a confirmation the current fuel strategy should hold for the rest of the race. When I was closer to the edge, a warning would come across the radio that it would be close.

Whenever I paused the game - be it to adjust my seat or just to restart a race - I got a message "We'll be waiting." Nice touch!

Each time I crossed the line, I'd get the number of the lap I was starting ("now starting lap 3 of 10" or "Final lap, push!") and I'd get my lap time. Additionally, I'd get a message about if it was my fastest lap (along with a congrats) or how far off I was from the previous or best lap.

When I was on the last lap, I got a message of encouragement and did my best. While I came in second (Rogue drives a mean C7 ZR1) I got a congrats on a solid effort as the race ended.

In summary, I was very much aware of my fuel levels and what lap I was on as well as my lap times while I went through the race. Full marks on this.


Next Test: Time Trial for Daily Race A

There was a great deal less interaction for this test and that should be expected. This wasn't a race so lap number didn't mean anything. Likewise, there was no fuel consumption. However, I still got updates on lap times as I dashed around Suzuka.

A great thing that I was pleasantly surprised was when I was about halfway through my first lap, I was informed that my tires were now up to temperature and was encouraged to push it. Later when I was late braking into a corner I was lightly admonished for the high temps for the front tires. A couple of times I'd outbrake myself and wind up in the sand just as the engineer would tell me tire temps on the front are high. But most of the time I would hear it after making the turn; I knew I was pushing it too much.

I can see this being very helpful for Time Trials.

Each lap I'd get the update again; after about 20 minutes I moved onto the Quick Race test.

Third test: Sunday Cup 400 Race at Grand Valley

By now I understood what to expect. I took my '73 BMW CSL and took on the new Sunday Cup 400. I got pretty much the same results as the race at Spa: an awesome experience. By this time I was so used to the updates I was able to extrapolate my overall times based on the per-lap updates.

With my road car races I used street tires - CM to SH - so I never 'lit up' the tires. I decided to crash on purpose to see what would happen and . . . no reaction. That's fair; there are things they plan to add in the future.

During the third race I forgot for a moment what I was missing in a normal race. And that's a great thing.

Overall thoughts:

Now to be clear, GT Race Engineer is not a spotter. During an online race I will continue to have my radar up and do what I can to avoid collisions. This won't do anything about that. However for an offline race like the Sunday Cup, this is ideal for maximum immersion. Running this even with the limited HUD (car information only) fills a few of the major gaps we in the PSVR2 community have identified: Lap times, Best Lap, Fuel, Current Lap and Laps Remaining . . . all without having to fool with the HUD.

I encourage anyone with a PSVR2 and an Android to give this a try. Honestly, I don't think you need a PSVR2 to get a ton of value from this app.

However, I believe the most value will be found by the VR community. It's one giant leap forward towards the "R" in "VR" and that level of immersion is why we love the PSVR2.

I'm curious if others like @Tidgney or @DigitRacing have tried this and what they think about the potential value added just for the sake of enjoyment. Each added tire temps to videos posted; could this be something to consider?


Granted, that's just my opinion.

Hopefully this helps others.


- Revengel
Click to expand...
Thanks for your complete report!
I know its not possible but how glorious this would be if they manage how to inform gaps and spotting cars in the radar

No more HUD and full inmmersion in that case.
 
Childe Roland
Thanks for your complete report!
Click to expand...
Thank you for the complement; glad it helps.
Childe Roland
I know its not possible but how glorious this would be if they manage how to inform gaps and spotting cars in the radar

No more HUD and full inmmersion in that case.
Click to expand...
Here is a list of items they have in the settings of the app they have stated they are working on:

  • Overview
  • Lap Time Average on Pit*
  • Encourage on Fast Laps (seems to be already active)
  • Encourage on Pit*
  • Reaching Top Speed
  • Suspension Analysis
  • Crash Detection
  • Wheel Slip
  • Wheel Lock
* I'll test these tonight as I didn't pit in my previous testing (had to get some sleep for work!)

Hopefully I'll be able to post tomorrow with an update.
 
Question... Does the GT Race Engineer work with the PSVR2 earbuds? PULSE 3D headset? Sony PS4 headset? Or even a HEIL Pro 7 headset (From my shortwave radio gear, the best!) plugged into the controller? Does the headset need Bluetooth?
 
Last edited:
fisheye
Question... Does the GT Race Engineer work with the PSVR2 earbuds? PULSE 3D headset? Sony PS4 headset? Or even a HEIL Pro 7 headset (From my shortwave radio gear, the best!) plugged into the controller? Does the headset need Bluetooth?
Click to expand...
I only tested the Pulse Elite headset as that's what I have, but based on the FAQ and the required setup here's my take:

  1. You need to have a way to get audio from the phone. That in my view takes the PSVR2 earbuds out of the equation.
  2. To the best of my knowledge, the others are only able to get audio from a single source at a time. That means they would get audio either from the PlayStation or your Android phone . . . not both simultaneously. You don't need to be connected via Bluetooth in either way, but you need to be able to get both audio sources. That takes any earbuds that only can get audio from a single source largely out of the Game Audio role, leaving them limited to being used to get sound from your phone. Game audio is best handled using Over-the-Ear headsets . . . being wired or wireless.

Over-the-Ear headphones give you the following options in my view:
  • If you have an ear bud of some kind attached/paired with your phone, that will get your GT Race Engineer audio. Stick that in your ear(s) and stream your phone audio to the earbud(s).
  • Wear your over-the-ear headset on top of the bud(s) and have those connected to the PlayStation. That could be via the controller, Bluetooth or direct connection.
  • Bonus option: If you're using standard speakers, just pop an earbud that's connected/paired with your phone, and you are good to go.
The app does allow you to modulate the volume of the GT Race Engineer - including if you want the radio effect, including static as well as begin/end tones.


I hope this helps.
 
Last edited:
Revengel
I only tested the Pulse Elite headset as that's what I have, but based on the FAQ and the required setup here's my take:

  1. You need to have a way to get audio from the phone. That in my view takes the PSVR2 earbuds out of the equation.
  2. To the best of my knowledge, the others are only able to get audio from a single source at a time. That means they would get audio either from the PlayStation or your Android phone . . . not both simultaneously. You don't need to be connected via Bluetooth in either way, but you need to be able to get both audio sources. That takes any earbuds that only can get audio from a single source largely out of the Game Audio role, leaving them limited to being used to get sound from your phone. Game audio is best handled using Over-the-Ear headsets . . . being wired or wireless.

Over-the-Ear headphones give you the following options in my view:
  • If you have an ear bud of some kind attached/paired with your phone, that will get your GT Race Engineer audio. Stick that in your ear(s) and stream your phone audio to the earbud(s).
  • Wear your over-the-ear headset on top of the bud(s) and have those connected to the PlayStation. That could be via the controller, Bluetooth or direct connection.
  • Bonus option: If you're using standard speakers, just pop an earbud that's connected/paired with your phone, and you are good to go.
The app does allow you to modulate the volume of the GT Race Engineer - including if you want the radio effect, including static as well as begin/end tones.


I hope this helps.
Click to expand...
So long story short... The audio has to come from the Android device and can't be piped in directly from the PS5?
 
fisheye
So long story short... The audio has to come from the Android device and can't be piped in directly from the PS5?
Click to expand...
Not in any way I'm aware of. Perhaps there's some way someone has figured out to install the app on a PS5.

The Race Engineer comes from the app that's on the phone. I'm unaware of any way to install this app on any non-android device, but I'm willing to learn . . .

However, there may be a workaround.

I've looked at a couple of videos showing how to stream music from your phone to your party chat on PS5. It involves using a male-to-male cable connecting the phone to the controller, then going into the PS5 and selecting the controller as the mic rather than a headset. But this was 1) for parties and 2) not using a PSVR2. When I tried to switch microphones last night I only had the Elite or the PSVR2 as the only mic options. I did not have anything plugged into the controller at the time, but it wasn't an option.

Someone else is certainly more knowledgeable than yours truly.
 
Last edited:
Revengel
Here is a list of items they have in the settings of the app they have stated they are working on:

  • Lap Time Average on Pit*
  • Encourage on Pit*
Click to expand...
Tried these out last night and nothing comes through. Still a work in progress.

I took the 2J to Sardegna; I know this is a race I have to pit on. I got the fuel warnings and I adjusted my driving accordingly. There was a time when it stated I only had less than five laps of fuel and (with about 10 laps to go) it said I had fuel for the rest of the way. It only happened a couple of times and I could not re-create this. I suspect it had more to go with going into the pits or something along those lines; again I was unable to replicate it.

At the end of the race I got the congratulations. One thing that didn't happen (and this is not a problem) is I didn't get the confirmation that my last lap was the fastest until I saw the race times. Every other fast lap that was completed I got encouragement.

Also, at the moment, GT Race Engineer only runs for an hour at a time. When it disconnects . . . it gives the very fast busy tone (ouch!) and states that it's disconnected. For the most part all I had to do was restart the app, deal with the ad and I was on my way.

I did use it for a couple of Daily Race A attempts and it worked out pretty well. The Tire Temp warning was a nice touch.

About halfway through lap 1 (of 6) I got the notification that "Tyre temps look good. Push." So I did. During the race every now and then (most of the time after Degna 2) I'd get a warning a few seconds later that "Front tyre temps are high. Watch out for grip" or words to that effect. This, along with the lap time updates helped me use a car I'm normally not the biggest fan of. I felt competitive (other than when I totally messed up spoon and showed up back on the track in the worst possible time) and was more engaged in the race than I normally would. I look forward to using this during the Nations Cup this weekend.

I also used it in the time trial that just opened up. Just as it did yesterday, it informed me when my tires were up to temp and when they were running hot. Lap updates were regular and overall, this has quickly become one of the things I rely upon. After my haptics (BK + SimHub) this is now the biggest add on to my VR experience.

It was during the time trial that I began predicting when I would hear the warnings. I'd feel the scrubbing of the front tires and shortly afterwards I'd hear the warning for confirmation. It's helped me put some of the Force Feedback into a clearer perspective.


All in all . . . I love this app. I'm rooting for these folks at the moment, and I hope this continues. Because as it currently is, I love it. I'll love it even more as it expands.


Hopefully this is helpful to some of us out there.
 
Revengel
I've downloaded it; I'll have to try it tonight!

This is a feature for the PS Elite headphones. I can have audio from my PS5 and my phone simultaneously. Previously I used it for music or when I chat on the line with a truck driving friend of mine.

Now, I'll have to try it with this.
Click to expand...
Exactly, this is what the creator says in reddit:

Skepller
OP
•7d ago

I play with large over ear headphones, and put a small earbud under on one side.
If you have PULSE Explore or Elite, you can connect to both the phone and PS5.

So I made the mistake of buying the Arctis P7, they are great and comfortable but seems they don't have the possibility to get audio both from PS5 and phone. Maybe I will return them to get the Pulse.
 
Last edited:
Chaos Racing
Can the headset and Pulse Elites fit on your ears? Thought we would be limited only to ear buds? Im sure i tried headphones before and they didnt sit right.
Click to expand...
I have the Sony ones I don't know what they are but the cheaper ones and they fit fine but I don't do extended sessions the longest I race is for the GTWS stuff. But then I step away. Others can do a lot longer and I could but I like to stretch, others have a Lower tolerance.

The headphones seemed to be designed to go over the VR stuff
 

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