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.