Since the boat doesn't have a huge laundry list this year involving large purchases, it's been pretty obvious that I've been spending that money elsewhere. I can blame COVID or any number of things, but it's just how it's been this year. My last post showed a newly constructed Sim Racing cockpit. Unfortunately, I can't claim that it's ended there...
As you can see, things might be getting a little out of hand here. Surprisingly, this is all actually still working off that poor defenseless laptop I bought. I had to get creative, employing the use of an external docking station by Plugable that somehow uses magic to make pictures come out in threes. Without getting into too many complexities, I'll just say that I built the stand out of some more of that 40-series profiles, and a couple of TV wall mounts bolted to it. I added a keyboard tray, mounted my tablet on the side so I could use an application to show me all the same gauges that I can usually see on the screen anyway, and obviously have upgraded to three monitors wrapping around me. I also purchased another set of studio lights, telling myself that of course, OF COURSE I can use that for regular photography and such. As if I'd actually get around to doing that again.
All of these things are done in the pursuit of immersion. Now, I will admit that I plan on going not much further in that pursuit. Certainly not to the extremes that some do. That isn't to say that the idea of a full motion rig that tilts, pushes, pulls, yanks and throws you from side to side isn't captivating. But at half the price of my next boat, I can't justify it. Hell, I don't even think I have the electricity to power it. I will offer this reflection though. I've watched many YouTube videos and read lots of reviews talking about how a certain feature or addition, or product, adds to the immersion factor of Sim driving. There are vibration motors that bolt to your seat and other places, there are the motion platforms to simulate sliding or losing traction, there are actuators you can bolt to your equipment that rise up and down as the car bumps and dips. There are bigger screens, and VR headsets.
And I just don't get it.
All of this to increase immersion into what is always going to look like a video game. Regardless of which game or simulation it is, at the end of the day it's still pretend. I have not once sat in front of these screens and thought "woah, I totally forgot I was in a chair in my spare room and not on the racetrack!" I'm not saying that it's not entertaining, or that it's all stupid if it's fake. And it's certainly (usually) cheaper than trying to race real cars on real tracks. Oh, and you just yell at the screen when some idiot in front of you or beside you blasts your pixels off the road, instead of riding in an ambulance. I would also like to present if I may, Exhibit A in this defense.
Meet Emily Jones. See that view? No, not the horrible line through the screen, but the fact that it looks like someone just chilling in the corner of a room at home, against a wall, relaxing and having fun. No big monstrosity enclosing them, or any such dramatics. Now, I don't know how up-to-date her Twitch page is kept in regards to her gear, but I would imagine it's pretty close. A wheel setup not much different than mine, on a homemade wooden stand setup, a simple 27" monitor, and a modest computer with lesser specs than my desktop here at home. And yet she is one of the quickest persons around the 911 Cup Cars that I've watched, and the one to beat in the Porsche E-Sports All-Stars circuit. All without dumping multiple thousands of dollars into gear to do so. Full disclosure, she did race Karts when she was younger but then switched to Sim. I'm not trying to do an Emily history lesson but just wanted to show that you don't need to go all out. In comparison, Boosted Media's Will has a genuinely insane rig, with three 4k 65" screens and all the trimmings, but as he does a lot more content for creating, and reviews, and as such doesn't have the full speed that others do. I enjoy both sides of it, but it does show such a range in what can be done, and that it doesn't have to cost a fortune to go fast, and likewise, spending a lot doesn't just make you fast.
But why, I hear you say, have I spent as much as I have and then turned around and said you don't need to? Because I don't know any better. Plus, it does mean that I have more resale value. Ok, it means I didn't save as much. Judge if you will! I kind of wanted to go for the experience, and aside from a new set of pedals that I ordered, I don't know if I'll toss too much more at it. We'll see.
All that said, it is still cool as Hell to play on.
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