So, I know nothing about video games. The last time I played was Atari with my son when he was a pre-teen. He will be 45 next year.
Don't care about shooting down space ships or fighting wars. I am a gear head, have been all my life. Hot rods, drag cars, autocross, Indy car, F-1. I doubt that I would do any on-line stuff, mostly just me against myself.
Play Station or X-box or something else? Is it worth it to buy a X-box one X or PS4 Pro?
Do I need a wheel and pedals? If yes, which one?
Forza, Grand Trimisio, F1, Need for speed or what? (Remember, I am a complete novice).
I've been looking on-line but much of what I am finding is fan-boy stuff for one system or another. Would like to
find someone to give me some pros and cons of the different options. Would like to keep this around $600-700.
Thanks in advance for the help.
The Game Virgin
RevRico
UltraDork
11/18/17 3:12 p.m.
Wheels and pedals, while nice, aren't necessary.
Personally I'd say regular xbox one, forza 6 and forza horizon 3(yes the old ones). With black Friday coming up that should be under $350, leaving plenty of room for wheel n pedals if you decide you'd rather use them. I just don't have room in my house.
I recommend the older ones because no loot box bullE36 M3.
A regular ps4 and gran turismo might be a better option if you want to play with others because they're still pretty active here on the forum. Most of us on xbox have changed off to other games.
Argo1
SuperDork
11/18/17 3:16 p.m.
PS4 is going to be $200 on Black Friday. Add a G29 wheel and pedals and you will be well under your budget. There are then many driving sims you can pick up that are good and work on PS4. No lack of opinions here on the forums as to which one is best. Top 4 are probably Codemasters F1, Grand Turismo Sport, Project Cars 2, and Asseto Corsa.
BradLTL
SuperDork
11/18/17 5:32 p.m.
If you’re not a gamer, hen I would say a wheel setup is more important. You’ll be more familiar the controls.
Both Xbx and PS4 have plenty of options for racing games. Project Cars and Asetto Coursa tend to be more simulation, Need for Speed more of a game, Gran Turismo and Forza fall somewhere in the middle.
PC games are going to offer more ability to add community created content, but are also more expensive and more work. Consoles will be more turn on and go.
Now a bit of bias... if you get a PS4 and Project Cars 2, you could join our league. Don’t worry about being a novice, we don’t have standards.
You are about a week away from a good time to make a decision. There will certainly be deals and bundles on systems / games / wheels around Black Friday. I would recommend a wheel also, more immersive. A shifter makes for some fun, especially for older cars, but can be expensive. The G29 is a good, but a bit pricey option that you can add a shifter to later.
A good place to watch for deals:
https://slickdeals.net/
A good place to get more info on games and hardware:
https://www.gtplanet.net/
I would recommend and older xBox or PS3 and older game for economy, but you might loose online ability, which is a nice option to have since racing AI can get a bit dull after a while.. I know they did shut down the servers for GT5 not long after GT6. Not sure how long GT6 servers will last with GTS out. I don't know what the Forza situation is.
Tell us what your primary interest is? Sim? Racing fun? Old cars? Newer cars? Race cars? street cars? F1? Interest in online?
SVreX
MegaDork
11/18/17 11:37 p.m.
"Virgin needs input"
That sounds like a line from a seedy Craigslist personal ad. 
SVreX said:
"Virgin needs input"
That sounds like a line from a seedy Craigslist personal ad.
Got your attention, right? Marketing 101.
I would say a wheel and pedals are a necessity. Without them it's not a simulation, it's a game, and a clumsy one at that.
aircooled said:
I don't know what the Forza situation is.
Last I checked, you can still play all the old Forza games (Xbox 360) online. It will be a matter of finding a decent group of guys still playing if you want some head to head competition. Also you may find the DLC content is no longer available on the xbox marketplace, it would be a good idea to buy the platinum editions of these older games to have all the content.
I know a lot of guys I have played Forza with since the beginning (Forza 1) tell me they still think Forza 4 is the best one in the series. I don't even have any of the next gen titles but it kind of rubs me the wrong way when I see a lot of paid DLC content is cars that were in previous versions of the game, and they were not included, and now you get to pay for them on top of buying the game?
I'll also say, there really isn't a point in driving games without a wheel and pedals (unless you just want to look at the pretty graphics on your 4k TV).
And this is someone who grew up with a Playstation and Gran Turismo. After getting to do it in real life, and then having a PC-based sim setup (wheel/pedals/3 27" monitors/etc), I don't even bother playing the car games I love so much without a proper setup.
BradLTL
SuperDork
11/23/17 7:39 a.m.
Mndsm
MegaDork
11/23/17 7:42 a.m.
RevRico said:
Wheels and pedals, while nice, aren't necessary.
Personally I'd say regular xbox one, forza 6 and forza horizon 3(yes the old ones). With black Friday coming up that should be under $350, leaving plenty of room for wheel n pedals if you decide you'd rather use them. I just don't have room in my house.
I recommend the older ones because no loot box bullE36 M3.
A regular ps4 and gran turismo might be a better option if you want to play with others because they're still pretty active here on the forum. Most of us on xbox have changed off to other games.
This right here. Though I'm sure some of us could be convinced to come back at least for a night or two.
Relevant Black Friday deals:
https://www.gtplanet.net/gtplanets-2017-black-friday-buyers-guide-us-deals/
PlayStation deals:
Nearly every retailer is selling the PS4 at $200 this season. If you have a Costco membership, or know someone who does, you can get an additional $10 off, plus an extra controller. That represents the best hardware deal this season, though Game Stop’s additional $50 gift card runs it close.
You won’t find many deals on the Pro this season — bizarrely, Canada seems to get a bigger price cut — but Best Buy and Game Stop both have taken $50 off the usual list price.
PlayStation VR is on sale at all major retailers, with your choice of GT Sport or Skyrim VR, for $300. We’ve included Game Stop’s other unique deal: it packs in the headset, camera, GT Sport, and a year’s PS+ membership. It’s online-only too, so you won’t have to deal with the insanity.
DualShock 4s are available everywhere for $40 or thereabouts. Wal-Mart is your best bet if you’re looking for the widest range of colors, and it is technically the cheapest at an even $39.
In terms of accessories, sim racers can pick up new hardware for very cheap this season. Amazon has plenty of discounts on various Thrustmaster products, and the venerable Logitech G29 is half-price.
If you already own a PS4 but need some peripherals, fear not. There’s a deal or two on steering wheels and DualShock 4 controllers to consider. PlayStation VR also sees some heavy focus this Black Friday and there’s bundles available from as low as £250.
Games-wise, you’ve got prices roughly similar to the PlayStation Store Black Friday deals. Slightly Mad Studios’ latest sim racer is up for half price, and NFS Payback drops a third, to $40. If you’re looking for GT Sport, that PSVR bundle is the closest you’ll get to a discount on this side of the Atlantic.
