Teach me, PC based simulator (iRacing) vs PS3 with GT6

Things took a distinctly Monday turn today when my "sim rig" (an older PC that's nevertheless good enough to run iRacing) refused to boot, no matter if I put the new or the old graphics card in it. As we're talking about a 6 year old Dull here I'm probably not going to the effort of resurrecting it, which means I'll either build a new PC around the graphics card I just bought and then renew my iRacing membership, or I throw in the iRacing towel and go PS3 w/ GT6 so I can participate in the GRM GT6 league. Which kinda appeals.

I've actually never owned a console before, so what do I need to know to purchase a (used?) PS3? I noticed that there are a bunch for sale around here, all slimline models with 120GB or bigger drives. Guess I should probably also hit up the big pawn shop in town to see what they have.

Also, does anybody know if a Fanatec 996 Turbo wheels with the 996 Turbo S USB key will work with a PS3? The economics would look a lot worse if I also have to replace the steering wheel I already have.

I guess the third option would be an XBox one with Forza, but I know about as much about that as I know about PS3s with GT6.

Bonus question - is the 12GB PS3 good enough for GT6? I most likely have a spare 2.5" or three to retrofit lying around if needed.

dont most/all Fanatec wheels work with PS3? That was the appeal when i was shopping wheels was that they were compatible with just about everything. Is this your wheel? http://www.playseat.com/fanatec-porsche-steering-wheel-review

If you get a PS3 I could share my fanatec settings to give you a starting point if you need.

btw Xbox One doesnt support the old Fanatec wheels. The solution in the works is a new Xbox One wheel, that older fanatec peripherals (pedals, shifters) can attach to. Still kind of a slap in the face for late adopters like me.

I would probably look for a PS3 that has a good amount of HD space. I have not been keeping track but each game update can be 1/2 gig or more easy, and there have been 15 of them at this point.

Is there a 12gb PS3? I thought I had the smallest at 40gb. I'll add a second uninformed opinion about most/all fanatec wheels working with the PS3.

There are things I like about both GT6 and iRacing. However, at the end of the day the online model (free) of GT6 made for a better experience than the very structured (and pay) model of iRacing. The freedom to pick our track, cars, timing, settings, frequency, well really everything in GT6 won out over the driver rating system and superior physics in iRacing.

It should be said that I am / have been a fanboi of Gran Turismo for a while, so there's that.

The GRM league is a lot of fun. It started as a bit of a mess, but has really improved under Aircooled's management. All you have to do is look at the tread page counts to see how much everyone enjoys it... even if there are a few pages of arguing over an incident that occurred, everyone has fun and always comes back for more.

/end rambling

In reply to failboat:

I've got the wheel model prior to the one in the review. I had to upgrade the USB key they come with to the Turbo S version to get force feedback to work at all on a PC. It supposedly works on with the PS3, though. It's a pretty old wheel - actually may be their first - and there is just not a ton of info out there about it.

I also forgot that by now there is a version of iRacing that works on OS X and my Mac is more than powerful enough to run it. No Force Feedback, though, but given that I already have some paid iRacing content it may be worth a try.

In reply to BradLTL:

The 12GB PS3 is a current model that has 12GB of SSD memory. It can be upgraded with a regular spinning rust disk - which is officially supported by Sony - provided I can find the HDD carrier, which is supposedly available for about 10 bux. As I'm not a big gamer and really only run the odd sim, I was wondering if that model was good enough. As someone who's played with computers and hardware at home for decades, I have at least one if not multiple serviceable 2.5" HDDs gathering dusts that I can put into a PS3 basically for the cost of the HDD caddy.

I actually don't mind the subscription + extra payments model of iRacing too much, but then again I am a programmer and happen to work for a company that has a similar business model. What is more of an issue for me is that it's such a serious SIM that there is no such thing as a quick relaxing evening session whenever I feel like it.

You could probably get into a used 360 woth Forza 4 for under $100.

PS3's are generally reliable but the old "fat" models are 5+ years old at this point. The slim and super slim (pop up disc tray) models are the ones you should be looking for. Do you plan on playing anything other than GT6? If not, 12gb should be serviceable. Anything more than one or two games and I'd definitely spring for a bigger hard drive.

After poking around the Interw3bz a bit more, it looks like I can get a new slimline PS3 with 12GB for about $180 at Wally World, which is insignificantly more expensive than buying a used one unless I want to go through the bother of selling the games I'd get with a used one.

I think I'll just give it a try and if I don't like it, sell it on in a few months.

PubBurgers wrote: You could probably get into a used 360 woth Forza 4 for under $100. PS3's are generally reliable but the old "fat" models are 5+ years old at this point. The slim and super slim (pop up disc tray) models are the ones you should be looking for. Do you plan on playing anything other than GT6? If not, 12gb should be serviceable. Anything more than one or two games and I'd definitely spring for a bigger hard drive.

Generally I'd agree with you (i've had 2 360's red ring on me) but i also had my old fat used ps3 freeze up constantly while playing gta IV (and then ylod), and my new slim freezes up constantly with netflix. Maybe I just have bad luck with consoles.

Ended up with a pre-owned PS3 with 160 GB from GameStop for the same price as a new 12GB from Wally World. And a pre-owned copy of GT6 after Fanatec stated in their docs that my wheel should work with a PS3.

I came in here to say wait until after xmas when all the kiddies get a PS4 and dump PS3s all over ebay... but you already pulled the trigger.

Probably get a pile of games with 'em too. Oh well.

In reply to BoxheadTim:

Sweet

You'll have a lot of updates to install for GT6.

I believe on the first page of the racing thread there is a list of everyones psn name. I'm Compg05, you'll need to add dean and air to your friends list to get in the rooms.

We will be on practicing tomorrow night. Races start at 9 eastern. The first page of the racing thread has all the details and rules and such.

I've just downloaded the system update and left it sitting while it's downloading all the GT6 updates. I'm curious how I'll get along with it as I've never played any sort of racing sim on a console before.

You picked a great time to jump into the GT6 league. We have two weeks (Sunday and Wednesday) of practice due to the holidays. Plenty of time to get used to driving with the crowd.

The only issue you might have is generating enough credits for some of the cars you may need to purchase. They are going to be having some seasonals that generate at least a few million credits released soon, so that is good timing also.

In reply to BoxheadTim:

Welcome. Yes there will be racing physics that you will have to adapt to. Also I found the iRacing experience to be glitch free but the free PlayStation Network Servers we use for GT6 can generate some communication lag induced glitches. Sometimes major but usually nothing to be concerned about.

Hope to see you in our GRM events soon.

The game will force you to win a few series before you can unlock online game play.

I assume you have your PSN account and ID by now. If not the get that squared away. The name you come up with for the PSN ID will be the name we all know you by so choose well.

Air was talking about earning credits. Some strategies.

• Login to the PSN every day until you reach the 5 day maximum multiplier BEFORE playing for gold in the SEASONAL events.
• if you really need credits quick then you can take part in the current Chappals and Nissan Seasonals. You just need to drive around slow one clean lap and you win a that car. Exit out and sell those two for a decent amount of credits.
• Note You only get one payout for some of the seasonal events thus best to maximize the credits won by not getting trophy positions until you get the full 5 day logon bonus.

Load time alone would make me go the PC route over any GT game :(

ProDarwin wrote: Load time alone would make me go the PC route over any GT game :(

Say what? GT6 loads really fast.

But back on point. WELCOME to the fun!!!!! If possible hardwire your PS3 to your network. It really helps. I host the sunday races and Air hosts the Wednesday races. I am also on at least 3 and sometine more times a week practicing and you are welcome to join me to get some experience racing wheel to wheel. Sundays are supposed to be geared more twards learning and practice for the "big event" that Air hosts on Wednesday nights. We have deviated a bit and the sunday night races have taken on a life of there own. The biggest thing si we run the same track on sundsy that is run for the following Wednesday night races so at very least you get track time and learn the breakpoints and what not. Other than that it is all about having fun. We talk a bit of smack but at the same time everyone will gladly share car setups to get you on the track and up to speed.

Send me a friend request when you get the chance. I am dean1484 on the PS3 network that way you will be able to see and get in to the privet room's I set up for practice and for the races. Also we use voice chat if you have a headset you are welcome to use it although we encourage them to be turned off or only used for race relevant communications during the qualifying and the races. Also 4 letter words are strongly discouraged as there can be young kids watching / listening.

GT6 so far appears to load faster than iRacing for me.

I got the steering wheel working after finally finding all the components., then entertained my wife by demonstrating just how bad I am at sim driving...

Welcome! As others have said, come join us for some practice and test/tune as you can over the next couple weeks and get acquainted with the system and drivers. With your previous experience I'm sure you'll fit right in!

Unfortunately by now the experience has turned rather infuriating...

The GT6 disc I got is version 1.0, so it wants to download tons of updates. OK, fine. First time around, I figured as it was downloading the updates I'd turn off the TV only to find out that the TV it's hooked up to has a feature that allows the TV to shut down connected peripherals via HDMI. Oops.

So this time I decided I'll leave everything on overnight, only to come back to a TV that was switched off. Not sure if we had a power outage overnight. Great, that's beginning to look like the second round of corrupted updates. It doesn't help that it takes about 2-3 hours to download all the updates and the $DEITY knows how long to install the things. Grrrr.

So it looks like I get to wipe the game data again and then try the updates again, because at this point in time GT6 is caught in an infinite "install updates, oops it broke" loop. Decidedly unimpressed so far.

Got all the updates installed, big difference.

Currently working my way through the novice races so they'll allow me online. Clearly it's completely unrealistic as a simulator, I bested my real live lap time around Brands Htach (short circuit) on the second attempt...

If you get gold in the Jag seasonal you can sell that thing for a quick 6 million. That would be enough to get you going.

wait a minute...I did not realize GT6 was available on PS3. I thought it was a PS4 only deal! off to walmart!

BoxheadTim wrote: Unfortunately by now the experience has turned rather infuriating... The GT6 disc I got is version 1.0, so it wants to download tons of updates. OK, fine. First time around, I figured as it was downloading the updates I'd turn off the TV only to find out that the TV it's hooked up to has a feature that allows the TV to shut down connected peripherals via HDMI. Oops. So this time I decided I'll leave everything on overnight, only to come back to a TV that was switched off. Not sure if we had a power outage overnight. Great, that's beginning to look like the second round of corrupted updates. It doesn't help that it takes about 2-3 hours to download all the updates and the $DEITY knows how long to install the things. Grrrr. So it looks like I get to wipe the game data *again* and then try the updates again, because at this point in time GT6 is caught in an infinite "install updates, oops it broke" loop. Decidedly unimpressed so far.

Welcome to PS3

Usually games aren't that bad, but get used to updating the system software all the time, as well as app like Netflix, Hulu, etc. And the fun part is, when it tells you there is an update available, you cannot proceed until you install it.

BoxheadTim wrote: Got all the updates installed, big difference. Currently working my way through the novice races so they'll allow me online. Clearly it's completely unrealistic as a simulator, I bested my real live lap time around Brands Htach (short circuit) on the second attempt...

or you are that good