GT5 vs iRacing

  • Thread starter Thread starter Uscbryan
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Uscbryan
Not sure where elitism comes from. I'm guessing you lean to the left politically?
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Elitism (and arrogance) exist in the left and the right in equal measures. Also amongst iRacing and GT5 gamers. What I find amusing is how seriously people take these games, me included.

iRacing sounds great. I had never heard of it before this thread. I have played rFactor and that was cool.
 
carn_the_pies
The reality is that you can talk up iracing as much as you like.
GT has the numbers and at the end of the day thats what matters.
Im not saying its better or worse, im saying it has sold more so clearly it has the majority audience.
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Agree. Here in America Chevrolet, Ford and Dodge used to be the most sold cars too, they relied on the fact that people bought them even though they weren't the best. That worked for awhile but eventually that philosophy fails every time. While there are at least one other console game and a few PC games that are better than GT at certain things, PD continues to not change. GT5 is by far the most overhyped GT and the best and worst GT at the same time. The name only lasts so long.:nervous:
 
Uscbryan
I'm not SURE what that means? Does being SURE if something make it right? Does it make you more intelligent? The reason I ask is the left likes to throw that word around and I don't get how somebody is an elitist based on a racing game and wanting one where there are strict rules. In GT5 there isn't a lot to
stop people from bouncing off each other. Even if you consider yourself a clean driver you know that if you brake late and hit the guy in front of you there are no penalties. In iRacing there is and it does help. I have had clean races in GT5 but at the same time I knew I could push the car beyond it's limits and if I hit a wall I just bounce back into play.

I never intended this to be an iRacing vs GT5 thread. I think they both have thier market. If you want to drive a bunch of beautiful cars and have some good races, GT5 is the best. If you want to get as close to being on the track as possible but with few choices of cars and have a very structured racing series iRacing is great. GT5 is prettier, iRacing is more detailed.

I just wish I could use the triple screens on GT5.
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Yeah, remember when all those Kerry supporters went around claiming that Bush was one of the "intellectual elite"?

Me neither.

Remember when Obama kept referring to McCain as one an intellectual elitist and an ivory-tower elitist?

Yeah, me neither.

The right likes or portray people as "elitists", not the left. Your argument has zero merit, and even less of a place here.
 
I played iRacing for a bit at a Virtual Racing place in Georgia. It's pretty fun but it forces you to play in cockpit view.
 
HarryH
iRacing sounds great. I had never heard of it before this thread. I have played rFactor and that was cool.
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I'd never heard of it before, either. So I went and looked it up. "All you need to get started is a steering wheel and a Windows-based PC". That's as far as I needed to read to say, "I'm out". Twice. No wheel, no PC. Since I've been Mac-based since 1985, I don't see that changing anytime soon.
 
iRacing is a highly focussed serious sim and what it does, it does extremely well. It does have many shortcomings and it isn't for the traditional gamer audience. its not the 'complete package' GT5 is with hundreds of cars and many of the worlds best tracks, but it is something which serious racers should try at some point. If you can fund overwhelming subscription up on of all the extra cars and tracks its a fantastic experience. Its still relatively small with only around 20,000 subscribers but they are constantly updating it so who knows what it will be in a couple of years....
 
OK I'm going to take a stab at this since I have not only player iRacing and GT5, I have been a road racer since the age of 17 and a go-karter before that.

First let me tell you that I have been a consistent top 5 racer in SCCA for years now with multiple podium finishes and race wins as well as a driver for a race winning 24hr endurance race team SO i would like to think I might know a little something about real racing and simulators/video games lol but this is only my opinion.

I have raced karts, shifter karts, formula cars (multiple) and of recent spec miata in SCCA.

I have raced multiple times at 11 different road courses in the USA but my favorite is lime rock park.

When I first heard about iRacing and it's great reproduction of the real tracks, I was VERY excited.

BAMM I take my spec racer (spec boat as we call them) and head to my home track of Lime Rock Park.

They're recreation of the track, graphics aside, was superb. Every bump and patch, every quirky tricky part is there.

So after 3 warm up laps I start going 9 tenths and I realize that, for as great as the track recreation was, the vehicle DOES NOT respond properly. CAR PHYSICS AWFUL.

It was flat out awful. Every input is exaggerated and it simply took all the fun out of the game, but more importantly, the car did not behave to setup as I had hoped.

So I figure hey it's me, so I spend endless hours playing with wheel settings and car settings. OK getting better but still doesn't feel right.

So I go and buy a Miata figuring well maybe it was the spec boat. WRONG. I couldn't in any way duplicate inputs from real life to the game. Not even close.

At the time in real life I could lap LRP in the 1:02's and I couldn't break into the 1:04's.

I put the game down and have yet to play it again. EVER.

It was frustratiing and had zero fun factor when people barely tap you racing online and you go violently spinning out of control yet in real life we bump draft at 130+ with no issues.

In iRacing's defense, the biggest part of piloting a race car is what you feel in your butt cheeks and that's something a video game on your TV or computer screen cannot duplicate, but they're car physics are so off that it's not worth my time.

Then GT5 Prologue comes out and I couldn't put it down. Lost half my life playing that game and the other half is currently being lost lol.

I love the almost endless database of cars, but more importantly I love how the game feels.

Miss your entry point by 2 tenths and the car understeers and goes off the line forcing you to slow to stay on the track. Add a little downforce and bamm the car feels better in a sweeper. Everything with the car you are piloting just feels and reacts as it should.

Now, combine GT5's graphics and car physics to iRacing's tracks and you will have a huge home run on your hands, but I think it says a lot that I have maybe 5 hours of iRacing under my belt, mostly playing with wheel and car settings, compared to hundreds of hours of GT5 and race cars have been my life since I was 9 and in a gokart.

Hope this helps answer some questions and hope to race some of you some time soon, in GT5 or in real life :dopey:
 
P.S. Best track I have ever raced, with 71 other cars in my class, is Watkins Glen. Man what I wouldn't give to have the Glen in GT5. Worst track NHIS I hope to never see it again, in real life or in a game lol
 
Kwicko
I'd never heard of it before, either. So I went and looked it up. "All you need to get started is a steering wheel and a Windows-based PC". That's as far as I needed to read to say, "I'm out". Twice. No wheel, no PC. Since I've been Mac-based since 1985, I don't see that changing anytime soon.
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Macs have never been a gaming platform ...... until now. With the new intel hardware they can easily be used to run windows games. The highend macs are excellent gaming platforms, albeit a bit pricey.
 
Kwicko
I'd never heard of it before, either. So I went and looked it up. "All you need to get started is a steering wheel and a Windows-based PC". That's as far as I needed to read to say, "I'm out". Twice. No wheel, no PC. Since I've been Mac-based since 1985, I don't see that changing anytime soon.
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You can play iRacing on a Mac using bootcamp, though I have no idea how good it would be.

But you definately won't enjoy it without a wheel.
 
I just read all the posts on this topic, and I guess that the inputs are clear enough (from my point of view):
- If you are a racing purist and graphics are not so important to you: iRacing is for you.
- If you appreciate decent physics, and you are a CAR LOVER and love graphics and animation, then GT5 is for you.
I consider myself near to serious sim racer, but I just visited iRacing website and I think that compared to the car offer and tracks available on GT5 iRacing was falling short.
Plus, I consider as well that maybe iRacing is more focused on US market, since there is a variety of racing which is not for everyone's taste, and almost all the tracks are in the US...I think that if you like international racing events, iRacing tracks offer is kind of insufficient (even though they are working on this aspect since they are working to include Suzuka and Zolder among others).
Regarding the clean driving well...you can find it on GT5 as well, just have to look at the right place (actually you are on it now, just pay attention to official GT Planet events).

I was willing to try iRacing, but not now, I feel like I still have a lot of stuff to discover on GT5 and wouldn't be smart to pay for a monthly fee if you are not willing to dedicate too much time to it.

Just my 2 cents.
 
I thought this at first as well. But GT5 is just very saturated in color. If you look closely the iRacing cars are a million times more detailed. They are adding tracks all the time. A few Japanese coming soon. Of course they won't have the fictional tracks GT5 has.

IRacing tracks are much more detailed as well
And again not just over saturated with color.

The seasons give a feeling of real racing. Each week a different track. GT5 could implement something like this but I think they try to appeal to the masses. I thought I would never give GT5 up. Figured I would do both but honestly haven't really touched GT5 since I tried iRacing. Maybe after the updateni will try again. But I have gotten use to the triple monitor set up.

This is no way a diss on GT5 I personally was looking for something more serious and iRacing seems to fit that for me.



Lyvan
I just read all the posts on this topic, and I guess that the inputs are clear enough (from my point of view):
- If you are a racing purist and graphics are not so important to you: iRacing is for you.
- If you appreciate decent physics, and you are a CAR LOVER and love graphics and animation, then GT5 is for you.
I consider myself near to serious sim racer, but I just visited iRacing website and I think that compared to the car offer and tracks available on GT5 iRacing was falling short.
Plus, I consider as well that maybe iRacing is more focused on US market, since there is a variety of racing which is not for everyone's taste, and almost all the tracks are in the US...I think that if you like international racing events, iRacing tracks offer is kind of insufficient (even though they are working on this aspect since they are working to include Suzuka and Zolder among others).
Regarding the clean driving well...you can find it on GT5 as well, just have to look at the right place (actually you are on it now, just pay attention to official GT Planet events).

I was willing to try iRacing, but not now, I feel like I still have a lot of stuff to discover on GT5 and wouldn't be smart to pay for a monthly fee if you are not willing to dedicate too much time to it.

Just my 2 cents.
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Uscbryan
I thought this at first as well. But GT5 is just very saturated in color. If you look closely the iRacing cars are a million times more detailed. They are adding tracks all the time. A few Japanese coming soon. Of course they won't have the fictional tracks GT5 has.

IRacing tracks are much more detailed as well
And again not just over saturated with color.

The seasons give a feeling of real racing. Each week a different track. GT5 could implement something like this but I think they try to appeal to the masses. I thought I would never give GT5 up. Figured I would do both but honestly haven't really touched GT5 since I tried iRacing. Maybe after the updateni will try again. But I have gotten use to the triple monitor set up.

This is no way a diss on GT5 I personally was looking for something more serious and iRacing seems to fit that for me.
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How much are you paying for iRacing monthly??
 
I joined iRacing the other day and am really enjoying it. I signed up using the "two months free" promotion that they are offering (like the OP). I'm concentrating on the road racing primarily. I haven't done the oval tracks yet, not really my thing.

To be honest, I always thought of myself as a good driver. I've never had any problems winning races in video games like the Gran Turismo series, Forza (even with AI on hard), Shift, etc... But yesterday I was humbled during my first practice session with other iRacing drivers. In my practice session, I came in last place for lap time. Granted it was my first time on the track with other drivers and first time with that car, but still... it was a humbling experience as people whizzed by me while I struggled to keep the car on the track. Sure some of them were flying off the track in front of me and I was reserved in my approach because I'm a newbie to iRacing, but for the most part I saw some high quality, clean driving. When the session finished I checked out the results and found that all of the other drivers in the session were at a higher license class. There were no other rookies in the session.

After that I took to the test track for several hours then did a time trial and gained 3 seconds on my lap time. I was still close to the bottom for lap times though. The old adage practice makes perfect is so true...

I didn't even notice any difference in the graphics. Probably because I was more concerned with staying on my line and keeping my car on the track. I didn't have time to look at the scenery and think about whether the graphics were good or not. They seemed fine to me, definitely good enough.

If I recall correctly, someone in this thread stated that they found the experience boring. I don't find it boring at all. To me, it's exciting and very challenging, even doing the same track over and over with the same car. Also I find it helpful the way they mix up the license classes so that rookies are driving with folks with a lot of experience. It's a great learning tool to watch their line and watch them work their way cleanly through the pack. As a rookie, if you can keep up with someone that's got a much higher license class than you, you are truly accomplishing something.

The big difference between console games like GT5 and iRacing is that the ultimate goal in iRacing is to become a better driver, not to reach the 20,000,000 credit mark and own all the cars. I like that!

Later today it's back to the practice track for me and then maybe I'll enter my first race. I expect to finish that race close to last place though... iRacing is lots of good clean fun!
 
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Tower Turn 13
Can you use a logitec driving force wheel (USB) with PC? Just curious because other USB products like memory sticks seem to work on both.
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Yes you can. I'm using my Logitech Driving Force GT wheel and it works perfectly with iRacing. I just had to download the appropriate drivers from the Logitech website.
 
Uscbryan
Kind of funny, I went from questioning iRacing to now questioning GT5. I have hardly touched GT5 since I started iRacing about a month ago. I actually went so nuts over iRacing I went and bought a Dell gaming PC and have set up triple 27" monitors. As a previous poster posted, GT 5 may have better special effects but is nowhere close to iRacing in the car details. And I hate to say this because a month ago I would defend GT5's physics to the end but now when I go from iRacing to GT5 I see a huge difference.

As far as GT5 being premier, that isn't always a selling point. That can mean they are trying to please everybody and that isn't always a good thing.

Please don't get me wrong, I love GT5, it's just hard to go back to after iRacing. And the triple screens are awesome. The FOV is amazing.
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Triple screens? Sounds great! Can you actually see what's beside you with this setup? Do you actually have a peripheral vision effect? That would be incredible! You must get a much more realistic sense of placement and movement.

Pardon my ignorance but what's FOV? :confused:
 
BlueSky
Triple screens? Sounds great! Can you actually see what's beside you with this setup? Do you actually have a peripheral vision effect? That would be incredible! You must get a much more realistic sense of placement and movement.

Pardon my ignorance but what's FOV? :confused:
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Field of view.
 
I forgot to mention something else in my first post. Yesterday I was doing my time trial and exiting pit lane... the phone rang, I looked away to see who was calling and consequently slowed way down upon exiting pit lane. I was black flagged for an unsafe exit from pit lane. I love it! Real racing rules...

Both GT5 & iRacing fill my needs. GT5 caters to the car collector in me and provides a nice balance between driving sim and car collecting. iRacing caters to the racer in me allowing me to expand my racing abilities through realistic racing physics and the implementation of true to life racing rules. Both great.
 
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Lyvan
How much are you paying for iRacing monthly??
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I think it's 12 bucks with 2 months free. I just bought the rest if the tracks last night so I think I have them all now for the road racing. I also have all the road racing cars. Not into oval racing so I didn't buy any of them. Probably spent close 150$ in tracks and cars but I have them all so until they ad more I'm good. You don't have to buy them all depending on what path you want to take. It's worth it though. I was a huge defender of GT5 being the best but I can't go back now. It feels so arcade to me after iRacing.
 
BlueSky
Triple screens? Sounds great! Can you actually see what's beside you with this setup? Do you actually have a peripheral vision effect? That would be incredible! You must get a much more realistic sense of placement and movement.

Pardon my ignorance but what's FOV? :confused:
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FOV is field of view. Yea you can see 2 the sides as well. Help out a lot to be able to look into the turn and see other cars next to you.
 
sw_sephiroth
I lol'd. Kids these days and their graphics.
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I have actually changed my mind on this and fund iRacing to be more realistic in the graphics. The cars details are pretty amazing. I know graphics should be second to physics but they help me with the immersion factor.
 
chau
I played iRacing for a bit at a Virtual Racing place in Georgia. It's pretty fun but it forces you to play in cockpit view.
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Because that is the same view the drivers racing the real car drive in. It's about being as real as possible. You get used to it pretty quickly.
 
moot281
Professional racecar drivers practice with iRacing if that says anything.
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Very true. A buddy of mine who I race slot cars with just recently raced Scott Speed at Laguna Seca in iRacing. Came up 9 seconds short after 15 laps, but my friend was a national karting champ in the Philippines, so he's pretty good with a wheel...

The level of competition gets pretty high there, and with a system built around real racing rules, it's pretty serious stuff. Also, the track surfaces have been recreated to the finest detail, every bump.
 

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