Help On A Tough Decision

[Georgeagea]

Guys, gimme please your opinion on this:

I have a PS4 pro (4k capable).
I race on a very modest DIY rig/racing seat which isn't ideal but it does the job till now. I race on a logitech G29. I have a 1080p 46" TV.

Say I have a 1000$ to spare. What should I get first? What is your priority if you were in my shoes?!
-1: A proper full fledged rig/racing seat (liking the obutto ozone a lot).
-2: A good wheel (Thrustmaster or Fanatec; I have chills for the Fanatec CSL Elite PS4 edition! I'm so in Love with this).
-3: A good gaming 55" 4K UHD TV to go with my Pro and my future PS5.

PS: I live in a place where a rig/wheel needs to be imported from overseas and will cost me a lot of Tax and customs fees, which will end up being around a 1000$ mark maybe. That's why getting 2 of the above simultaneously is near impossible.

Thanks.

 

[Shinu]

If you game a lot (Not only sims) - get the TV
If you race a lot - get the wheel

IMHO

Counting by the usage.
If you only race sometimes but game a lot then TV would make a big impact.
If you race a lot then the wheel upgrade will be more felt (especially if you are buying new pedals also)

Rig/seat is fun but it would not add that much (at least it wouldn't for me).

That is coming from a guy who has a PS4 pro, 2013 46 inch sony bravia 1080p tv (that I'm still happy with), CSW v2 and a wooden rig + racing office chair.

 

[PzR Slim]

I agree with @Shinu , if you play a lot of different games and only race now and again then the TV is the way to go. If the vast majority of your game time is racing games with a wheel in your hand then a decent wheel is the best option. A good rig, whilst nice, is not going to improve the experience as much as a 4k TV or really nice wheel and pedal set. My first rig was a wooden DIY affair and I didn't change that to a decent rig until I had bought all the other stuff first. It was the final piece in my jigsaw puzzle.

 

[Georgeagea]

yeah @Shinu @PzR Slim good point you have there!
I play Battlefield and some other games although most of my gaming recently has been racing but I still play those other games!
Besides the TV would also benefit me a lot in racing (i'll make it bigger and install it closer) to increase my FOV.
Thanks guys!

 

[PzR Slim]

yeah @Shinu @PzR Slim good point you have there!
I play Battlefield and some other games although most of my gaming recently has been racing but I still play those other games!
Besides the TV would also benefit me a lot in racing (i'll make it bigger and install it closer) to increase my FOV.
Thanks guys!

If you are interested in the most immersive experience there is a good website which discusses the correct FOV setting for your screen size and distance you sit from the screen http://www.projectimmersion.com/

If you navigate to the FOV calculator you can plug your screen size and distance from screen into it and it will tell you what FOV to set in game for the most immersive experience. http://www.projectimmersion.com/fov/index.php

 

[Spitfire77]

New TV is nice .. just be warned. New tech is very weird!

Some of the top TVs - OLED for example - have burn in issues (not sure the models but look it up)

Budget 4k tvs (like my 49" TCL s405) are awesome for gaming but .. they are a VA panel and when you sit close to them the picture quality drops. I sit pretty close on my setup when racing (about 34inches between eyes and screen) and I can tell. It does not ruin the experience and is still way better than my 10 year old Vizio I was using before. - Even more expensive VA panel 4k tvs will have this issue.

HDR is still young.. so getting straight honest help on how to configure it or how it is really meant to look is still hit and miss. Also many of the budget HDR TVs (mine is a prime example of this - s405) they support HDR but almost really do not display it. That is because they have a narrow color gamut and are not very bright.. However.. if you get a TCL p605/607 they are better than almost any TV under $1400 for gaming non-hdr or hdr and have an input lag (14ms) only beat by monitors or very high end expensive TVs.

EDIT - Also - TCL is about to release (2 months?) an upgraded version of the p607 that will still only be about $650. Expected to be one of the best gaming TV deals ever.. even more so than the p605 is at $599.99


As for the seat / rig - don't ask me I use a fold away setup. (Folding chair and a wheel stand pro)

The Fanatec CSL - though they are "licensed" there are still some compatability issues lingering you need to be sure to check up on.
Thrustmaster - For ps4 - you have the over priced and under utilized T-GT where only GTS can fully use what you are paying for. The T300 (I love mine) is nice but not all that much of an upgrade from the G29. You could try a TS-PC with the drivehub and keep your G29 pedals.

 

[Georgeagea]

New TV is nice .. just be warned. New tech is very weird!

Some of the top TVs - OLED for example - have burn in issues (not sure the models but look it up)

Budget 4k tvs (like my 49" TCL s405) are awesome for gaming but .. they are a VA panel and when you sit close to them the picture quality drops. I sit pretty close on my setup when racing (about 34inches between eyes and screen) and I can tell. It does not ruin the experience and is still way better than my 10 year old Vizio I was using before. - Even more expensive VA panel 4k tvs will have this issue.

HDR is still young.. so getting straight honest help on how to configure it or how it is really meant to look is still hit and miss. Also many of the budget HDR TVs (mine is a prime example of this - s405) they support HDR but almost really do not display it. That is because they have a narrow color gamut and are not very bright.. However.. if you get a TCL p605/607 they are better than almost any TV under $1400 for gaming non-hdr or hdr and have an input lag (14ms) only beat by monitors or very high end expensive TVs.

EDIT - Also - TCL is about to release (2 months?) an upgraded version of the p607 that will still only be about $650. Expected to be one of the best gaming TV deals ever.. even more so than the p605 is at $599.99


As for the seat / rig - don't ask me I use a fold away setup. (Folding chair and a wheel stand pro)

The Fanatec CSL - though they are "licensed" there are still some compatability issues lingering you need to be sure to check up on.
Thrustmaster - For ps4 - you have the over priced and under utilized T-GT where only GTS can fully use what you are paying for. The T300 (I love mine) is nice but not all that much of an upgrade from the G29. You could try a TS-PC with the drivehub and keep your G29 pedals.

Thanks man for your valuable input!
Funny of you to mention TCL and specifically the P607 because it's the one TV I have my eyes on! Problem is it's not available here yet and the official seller promised me that it will come in February/March, although it's the original P607 I think.
Also I would try to aim for about 30 to 35" distance from the new TV and your opinion on that is indeed interesting! I mean would it look bad compared to my 1080p TV at around 40"?!

If you are interested in the most immersive experience there is a good website which discusses the correct FOV setting for your screen size and distance you sit from the screen http://www.projectimmersion.com/

If you navigate to the FOV calculator you can plug your screen size and distance from screen into it and it will tell you what FOV to set in game for the most immersive experience. http://www.projectimmersion.com/fov/index.php

Yeah man I know about that and I do the math manually It's very simple! It's basically the angle formed from my eyes (or nose) to the 2 edge of the TV. Or imagine a isosceles triangle where the top is my nose and the bottom is the TV width. I have the distance (I can measure it) and I can measure the TV width, so getting the angle on top is very simple

 

[Spitfire77]

Thanks man for your valuable input!
Funny of you to mention TCL and specifically the P607 because it's the one TV I have my eyes on! Problem is it's not available here yet and the official seller promised me that it will come in February/March, although it's the original P607 I think.
Also I would try to aim for about 30 to 35" distance from the new TV and your opinion on that is indeed interesting! I mean would it look bad compared to my 1080p TV at around 40"?!

It doesn't look "bad" and that would depend on the 1080p TV you have already (no idea what it is). Also the p605/p607 will look better at 35" than my s405 would because it has a more evenly lit screen and local dimming. I am just saying when you get close to a VA panel or view them from the side the picture degrades somewhat. (monitors don't and are IPS for example). The best way to understand this would be to go to a store with TVs on display that you can get up close an personal with.. then figure out one that is a VA panel and one that is an IPS panel. Get close to them and view each one from a side angle and you will see what I mean.

Don't let that discourage you.. my cheap TCL 49" s405 is a major upgrade from my old Vizio gv47l 1080p. Even when sim racing on Assetto Corsa with the screen 34" away from my eyes on my original ps4 (I am trading in and upgrading to a ps4-pro this week).. Then when I play other games that are HDR supported (Horrizon Zero Dawn for example) and I sit with my eyes about 60" away they look great.

 

[Georgeagea]

... The best way to understand this would be to go to a store with TVs on display that you can get up close an personal with.. then figure out one that is a VA panel and one that is an IPS panel. Get close to them and view each one from a side angle and you will see what I mean...

I'll try to do that mate! Thanks a lot for your great help!

 

[PocketZeven]

Guys, gimme please your opinion on this:

I have a PS4 pro (4k capable).
I race on a very modest DIY rig/racing seat which isn't ideal but it does the job till now. I race on a logitech G29. I have a 1080p 46" TV.

Say I have a 1000$ to spare. What should I get first? What is your priority if you were in my shoes?!
-1: A proper full fledged rig/racing seat (liking the obutto ozone a lot).
-2: A good wheel (Thrustmaster or Fanatec; I have chills for the Fanatec CSL Elite PS4 edition! I'm so in Love with this).
-3: A good gaming 55" 4K UHD TV to go with my Pro and my future PS5.

PS: I live in a place where a rig/wheel needs to be imported from overseas and will cost me a lot of Tax and customs fees, which will end up being around a 1000$ mark maybe. That's why getting 2 of the above simultaneously is near impossible.

Thanks.

I would buy a playseat challenge and then a new wheel. I still use my Sony 1080p. It still works and satisfied with it. For me the graphics aren’t the most important factor when racing. Personally the immersion comes from the ffb and seating postition. Buying an expensive wheel without a serious mounting option I wouldn’t recommend.

 

[F Inferno]

I’ll also give the counter view that a solid rig should be the priority if your current one has a lot of flex but I guess it does also depend on the hardware.

I went from a NLR GT Ultimate V2 recently to an 80/20 Aluminium Sim-Lab P1 and it makes a huge difference that nothing moves at all. I know some prefer the look of the playseat, rseat, obuttu etc. style rigs but none of them are as solid as 80/20 and ultimately performance is more important IMO.

Before with my load cell pedals the pedal deck flex and lift in the join meant I had to pull on the wheel during breaking, you get used to it sure but it does take away breaking accuracy because it’s moving away from you. Now I know exactly how hard I’m pressing and have upped the pedal force required for 100% which actually takes less effort than before.

The same sort of thing applies to the wheeldeck but that will depend a lot on the wheel and how high you like your FFB. I went from a CSW V2 which didn’t have too much wobble (though I never got to test it in the new rig) to an Accuforce V2 which basically felt like it was going to break the old rig with how much it wobbled.

Perhaps if I started with one that wasn’t a wheelstand combo with two separate pieces the difference wouldn’t be as huge though the others still aren’t as solid but something to think about.

Not sure where you are located but check out the Sim-Lab website and look at the options. You can even use the seat from your current rig if you need to save money and upgrade later. https://sim-lab.eu/product-category/cockpit/

Something like the GT Cup is only €300 (price including 21% tax) + shipping and has a lot more adjustability and strength than any of the consumer stuff you can get.

 

[BrainsBush]

Have you read that the new PS4 5.50 firmware will most certainly have afeature to enable SuperSampling Mode?
Maybe that helps to make the right decision to buy the right gear for you (Vesaro )