kenw

Was wondering which had the better road race games.

Also I have heard some talking about games that had actual race tracks in their games.

Do any have VIR?

Thank you.

Whis9

PC Iracing

Closet thing to the real thing and tons of tracks

Ludeaem

PC has the most realistic but for consoles you could try Project CARS or Forza. I personally enjoy Forza more but doesn't have a ton of US tracks. Has Sonoma, Road America, Road Atlanta, Sebring, Indy, Laguna Seca

aaronc7

I still keep my old PS3 around for the occasional Gran Turismo 6. It has a feature/app now that you can make your own custom tracks, with image/gps file overlays etc. This new feature has been really great for me, you can make your own or download anyone else's creations. It's a little work to make a track right and you can't customize every little thing, but it's pretty cool. If it's a flat track it's pretty easy, lots of terrain and it gets more complicated.

VGLNTE1

Project cars for Xbox is amazing. I'd put it against iracing. Lack of cars though

Rexracer77

I have been very impressed with the physics in GT6. Once I got my wheel adjusted correctly it makes for a fun game. Also "tuning" your car is required to be fast, I always "wrongly" assumed that the cars came pretty close to optimal, but nope, they are way off. There was one, that I can't find now, that spelled out each step of what each thing does and when to adjust it. The game adjustments dont exactly line up to tuning a car. The guy that wrote it is a Spec Miata guy.

aaronc7

I'd be interested to see that adjustments guide... like you, I figured the cars were pretty good as is and have not dug into the 'tuning' aspect at all.

Sox-Fan

PC Rfactor.

I know you asked for xbox or playstation, but PC is just better for this.

Bluefire

I run Project Cars on my PC. Incredible!! It's not a game, it's a simulator. Sometimes I don't play it, cuz I don't want the stress.

RC000E

I don't know about some of the opinions in here, but I was a ranked GT Academy driver last year (51st place at the final...just missed it).

PS3/4

GranTurismo is well developed, physics are spot on, graphics give you a proper amount of depth to your eyes...it's good, very good. Polyphony Digital (make of GT) just partnered with the FIA for the next release...it's going to be an online, regulated race series...and it's going to trump all...mark my word.

Project Cars...LOTS of potential, very developed, but exhibits some slighly strange physics characteristics, dating back to the game developers former platforms...it's really good, but still needs work.

Xbox

Forza, Need for speed...graphics have gotten better, but are still well behind Gran Turismo's level of accuracy. Physics are still off, depth isn't quite there.

PC

Iracing...first off, graphics are FAR behind many other platforms. What you do get is more in depth tire modeling, physics, etc. This left graphics behind, in order to pursue accuracy in simulation and the potential to do true setups. I feel the problem with it is, depth...it's like the focal length of the view is improper.

Assetto Corsa...haven't played it, but one to watch. It's getting a lot of following.



My summary...

I love Iracing, but I dont' like the graphics...they're garbage.

Polyphony's new platform with the FIA is what I'm excited about....and console allows plug and play ability. Additionally, the next gen Playstation games are going with VR headset...sony execs confirm it. So, no more tv...which is critical when looking at your line, cars beside you, etc.

Ludeaem

Now only if GT could put a tenth of its time into car sounds. I don't care how good the physics are if it sounds like a lawnmower when driving a v8 i'm throwing it on the shelf. I just think Forza is more fun.

This past fall I bought a seat and wheel with a gate shifter hoping for some amazing times and what I found out was if I wanted realism, I had a Corvette in the garage! Imagine that :P

RC000E

Polyphony hired the best guy in the business like 2 yrs ago...his resume is extensive for car "sounds". Everything is getting redone 100% (he was Forza's guy also)

Ludeaem

Thats good to hear! I had GT5 but was really disappointed. Looking forward to the next game in the series.

RC000E

It's about to get real I think. When I saw the FIA partnered...I know it's game on. Word is that you'll be able to represent a manufacturer of your choice and race in worldwide based racing "leagues" that will be regulated by the FIA. The era of "virtual racing" for the masses to enjoy is upon us.

I was actually in talks to do a partnership deal with a company making high level racing cockpits. These are selling like HOTCAKES to gentlemen drivers...guys in the super trofeo series, etc. These guys race in sims over winter in their office, then hit the tracks during the season. There is no question there is a skill transfer, as GT Academy has put all of its grads on track and they've won out the box against guy racing for decades.

jesup16

IMHO, console systems (Playstation and Xbox) just don't have the go-fast parts or the community to truly support a simulation driving game. PC players (iRacing, Project Cars, Rfactr, AC, etc) will confirm this. Console gamers will deny and tell you that Forza, GT, etc are simulations. Forza, GT, etc are not simulations in my eyes. For example, you can run a 50 lap race in Forza and never pit for fuel, experience tire degradation, or experience changes in handling characteristics as fuel load, racing groove, and other conditions change.

This year, I bought a ThrustMaster TX wheel and Project Cars (PCars) for Xbox One. I've been an avid racer on Forza and GT in the past, but they just don't offer the "simulation" one gets with a good wheel, force feedback system, and simulation game. I joined a league so that I could race a regular schedule and be surrounded by like minded enthusiasts who enjoy close, clean racing. We've ran multiple seasons for Formula Gulf, LMP2, GT3, etc.

Long story short, this league is switching to PC's. Project Cars is the closest thing to simulation on the consoles, but it was botched launch, is littered with bugs, has few US tracks, vehicle selection is limited, etc. PCars2 is already in the works, but we've all (in our group) come to the realization that Xbox's and Playstation's just are NOT designed with the go-fast parts that are required to run a real simulation driving game. Also, PCars with a controller is useless... don't even try.

My advice: If you want to stay on the console and just enjoy driving a wide variety of cars on a wide variety of tracks, Forza or GT will do just that.

If you truly want an experience of simulation, the you need to go PC. iRacing is popular but the graphics seem 10 years behind. I hear great things about PCars on PC, I just haven't played it. If it plays as my co-gamers tell me, I hear it's amazing.



Also, I bought the Thrustmaster TX wheel because it is compatible with Xbox One and PC. It has lots of add-on's too (GT wheel, F1 wheels, shifter, pedals, etc). Playstation components are proprietary AFAIK. So now all I need to do is build my PC. I've been pricing out parts and good PC build to run higher end graphics is ~$650-900.

bigmackloud

How is the new Forza 6? It's supposed to have a night mode where the track cools off and effects tire grip, and a rain mode where standing water has in impact on the car. Sounds amazing but I haven't played it yet.

I actually still play Forza 4 on the xbox 360, but it's not much of a challenge any more. and I never liked the online racing.

VGLNTE1

Try project cars. The sounds are dead on. Driving the lmp1 cars is amazing. The trans to the turbo cars to the high screaming na motors. They actually just added the Aston Martin v12 Lola. Exhaust backfires, proper tire sounds, the rain. All perfect.

VGLNTE1

Forza 6 looks and feel like excite bike for the nes compared to project cars. Pc has light rain, heavy ran, real time earth rotation, fog, night driving, and tempatures. You can even open the radiator more or less for what the temp is. As well as brake ducts. It has qualifying before the race as well as endurance racing up to 24 hours.

jesup16

Yeah, PCars is quite amazing for both Xbox One and Playstation. It's a shame it was such a failure at launch. IMHO, PCars was a beta for PCars 2. The SMS team doesn't have access to large capital like the big studio's, so they rushed the release and didn't test either of the console launches. PCars on PC is even better (graphics, AI, engineer support, tuning, etc).

Again, I wouldn't attempt Pcars without a wheel. Once you get the wheel and setup the force feedback, it's a very immersive experience. I tried Forza 6 with the wheel, but the tire model is awful, I didn't enjoy it.

However, there are still quite a few bugs in PCars. For example, the alignment (camber) settings are still broken. If you take the time to identify the bugs, there are work arounds and it is quite enjoyable.

The reason we are all moving to PC is that nobody is playing PCars Online anymore on the consoles. This is the community aspect I referenced a while ago. While I do enjoy tuning and hot lapping, it's the wheel to wheel racing that gets my blood going. We've had 16 car GT3 fields for 90 minute endurance races with full pit strategies (advancing tire wear and fuel consumption) and dynamic weather. It's very exiting. The PC platform has no shortage of community and typically, it's not 10 year olds trying to crash your car.

BrianCunningham

Any worries about picking up bad habits for real road racing?

Being serious