Gran Turismo 5 race videos

[exhilR8]

My nephew introduced me to the new video game Gran Turismo 5, and I thought the simulations were very realistic looking, including the renderings of the R8. The sounds are actually sampled from the real cars too.

I had to play it for a few hours to earn the 199,000 credits needed to buy my V10. No carbon fiber options though.

To finally settle all the debates about manual transmission vs. r-tronic, I submit the following video of the r-tronic in action:

YouTube - Virtual Audi R8 5.2 FSI in Gran Turismo 5 HSR Supercar Festival

[Fashion Cat]

That's pretty much how I spend my free time now. It's the closest I'll get to driving any high performance car anytime soon. Are you playing with a gaming pad or with a wheel?

[exhilR8]

I'm using a logitech driving force gt steering wheel clamped to an empty wine case clamped to a coffee table. This wheel has only accelerator and brake pedals, paddle shifters on the wheel, and a sequential gearshift lever. Fortunately, the shifter can be reassigned so that downshifts are back and upshifts are forward. Anyway, this setup simulates the r-tronic exactly.

Don't lose hope of getting a hot car at some point. You've clearly got the bug. If I had to wait a long time in order to be able to get my drive on, I'd probably try to find a very high milage Cayman S to fix up. Or a Miata. Or a civic si. Curious to know what you drive in the real world and in the virtual world.

[Fashion Cat]

The real world? Well....here goes. Subaru Impreza 2007 2.5i 4 speed auto. (Yeah I know, but for a first car with my own money it's not too shabby I suppose).

There, got that out of my chest since lurking on R8 forum for a better half of over a year. I suppose many have wondered what the hell I'm doing hanging around the R8 forum when I clearly don't belong. Truth be told, I dream day and night of the R8 and love to research every last tid-bit about it, quite scary actually.

Closest I've been to real life high performance driving was sitting shot gun in a GT-R and F430 Scuderia this past summer at a open public track day. Getting the taste of a sub 4 second 0-60 launch in a GT-R and the roar down the straightaway at over 250 km/h listening to the ferocious Scuderia V8 howl is just something I'll never forget. Needless to say, I'm seriously hooked.

In reality, my first step would be an STI, and I know that's a far cry from anything exotic, but baby steps, finishing up my accounting degree, and financial wisdom are what I treasure for now. Time will come and one day I can join the ranks of exotic car ownership, hopefully in whatever Audi comes up with their R8, maybe an R15 or 18? Doesn't quite have the same ring to it.

In the virtual world? Pretty much all the triple A supercars mixed with other high performance cars (M3 etc). I use a G25 with 3 pedals and 6 speed gear box. My settings are always all aids off except for ABS set to 1 and grip reduction set to "real". You can certainly get a sense of when things go wrong or squirrely on the brakes in a mid engined car after braking too hard into a corner.

Not that I could ever say in real life, but I honestly find the R8 V8's power much more manageable rather than having to man handle the "plowing" extra 100 HP from the V10. The V8 is far more obedient and predictable, therefore more in control in the hardest of corners over the V10. Of course this is only a game simulation and doesn't count in other factors, and again, is an absolute FAR CRY from the real thing.

[exhilR8]

Now THAT has got to be one of the ultimate simulator rides. Excellent choice of upholstery on the playseat, bt the way, very approachable. You obviously know what you are doing with this kind of equipment, and must have for some time, since just about everything you have in your simulator has been on worldwide backorder for months.

As for the WRX, not too shabby, it gets you 85% there, IMO. Great bang for the buck.

As for the R8 V10, in real life it doesn't feel plowing at all. To me it feels agile and nimble. If you're ever in the U.S. desert Southwest, private message me and I'll take you to the track.

[Fashion Cat]

Wow! That's very kind and generous of you - thank you in advance. Closest I've been to New Mexico (?) is Texas and Scottsdale AZ. Super hot but generally much better weather than right here now where I am.

As for the gaming setup, I had a feeling that there would be mad rush for it when GT5 was released so I started ordering around late 2009, and at that time GT5 didn't even had a release date yet, however GT5 Prologue (essentially a $40 demo version) was available so I got my setup ready for that.

I figured this would be my best bet for now to get my virtual driving simulator kicks. I also have a buttkicker (basically a physical sub woofer that shakes from low frequency effects rather than producing a sound) attached to the playseat. It's great to hear and feel the V8 rumble and the chassis shaking when you go over the side rumble strips, very immersive.

Before this set up I used a wooden Ikea table and a lowered office chair for some time, but when I realised how serious I wanted to get into VR sims, I thought I should invest and get some good equipment.

GT5 also offers a photo shoot mode which can produce some AMAZING virtual photography.

[desperado]

Very nice setup. We also have the playseat, in the FM3 edition. We are using the Fanatec Porsche Turbo S wheel. Received GT5 for Christmas, so am looking forward to comparing it to FM3.

Do you find the PS Eye useful in the simulator? I've been considering getting one...

[Fashion Cat]

The PS Eye is useless and only works in Arcade mode due to, *gasp*, PS3's memory issues.