Does a Wheel Make You Better at Racing Games?

Wheels may be expensive but are they worth the money? Do they make you a better racer?

[Skuletor]

Yes, preferably four of them /s

[ApocalypseShadow]

No.

But it's definitely more fun with a wheel. Feels like the days at the arcade playing games like Turbo. And Outrun in the sit down cabinet with the stereo speakers. And later on with games like F355 Challenge and multiplayer Mario Kart Arcade. Oh, and Initial D arcade machine where you have to strap in was hella fun with a wheel.

Playing with a controller pad isn't reality accurate. But if you're good, you're good. Good drivers adapt to the situation and limitations. You could be playing with a pad but still beat someone with a wheel.

[Si-Fly]

For an arcade game I agree that it makes no difference but for anything serious like iRacing, Assetto Corsa or RFactor all of the Pros are using wheels and pedals. In fact a large proportion of the Pros on iRacing are using Direct Drive wheels and high end load cell or hydraulic pedals, I’d imagine it’s the same in other sims but not familiar with the drivers of those.

[ApocalypseShadow]

Put a person that has never driven at all behind a wheel and see if it makes them a better driver in a game. Try a real world experiment. Take someone who's never driven at all and let them play against a person with a pad. The pad driver with experience will win. You can even switch it. Take someone that drives for real but has never played a videogame and put them against an experienced pad driver. Even though the real driver has the wheel, it doesn't mean they will beat the pad driver already used to playing the game.

The reason it made YOU a better driver in a game is because you were already used to driving for real. You have the experience and your are just duplicating it in a game. And you already have experience playing games. Take that real experience away and that wheel will do nothing for you.

That's what I'm saying.

[bloop]

Have to disagree Apocalypse. We had a national competition back when Gran Turismo 3 released and the top 10 Nurburgring hot laps qualified for the final. I think I must've done 100 laps using a pad and couldn't improve my time. I went out and bought a wheel and was lapping 10 seconds faster after about an hour of using it. Using a wheel is much, much faster.

[ApocalypseShadow]

I guess the question would be, "did you already know how to drive with a wheel?" What if you never driven a car? See? Not as simple is it?

Put an inexperienced person that plays games with a pad behind the wheel of a videogame wheel or real car, doesn't make them drive better. They are going to crash, miss a gear, stall it, etc.

I know what you're saying. But I'd bet the reason you could play with a wheel, is because you already drive a real car. Take the real experience away and what conclusion could you come up with?

The only reason in the competitions that gamers drive better with a wheel, is because of experience of real driving. Without that experience, a videogame wheel will give you no benefit. And a pad driver can beat you.

[IRetrouk]

While I get what you mean, its not really true, I
was using a racing wheel in gt much longer than I have been driving in real life, you don't need real world experiance to get the benefit of a wheel, with practice the extra level of control will 100% make you better than with a pad.

[rainslacker]

I find it easier to control the car like it's an actual car, which makes it seem like I'm better at driving. Analog I tend to not be as good with the smaller increments or smooth turning, which tends to make it seem like I'm jerking the wheel, which is generally not good for racing at high speeds.

Throw in a wheel with VR, and it's almost feels like being in a real car, because you can actually tell where you are in the turn, which means not having to worry so much about watching the edge of the track to get your queue on where you should start turning.

[ApocalypseShadow]

That's the only time I'll agree. With VR, the perception is better.

But if a person sucks at driving with a pad, there's no guarantee they can drive with a wheel. Or improve their ability to drive.

[Si-Fly]

I’m really not sure what the point you’re trying to make in your reply is. The original question was does a wheel make you better and the answer is yes when it comes to serious sim racing. A high end set of wheels and pedals absolutely affords you greater control and consistency. Take a look at products by Simucube and Heusinkveld and watch an iRacing world championship race on YouTube, it seems you lack a little knowledge on this subject.

[IRetrouk]

Yes it does.
With practice obviously though, your turns are more accurate, so is your breaking and acceleration.
Also depends on what wheel you have, the cheap ones are no good, you need the wheel to atleast offer force feedback and 900 degree rotation, most cheaper wheels don't.

[kneon]

I'd say even a cheap wheel is better than a controller. If I can't play a racing game with a wheel then I won't play at all.

[sampsonon]

I use a cheap wheel that at least has force feedback, but it is cheap. First wheel I've owned. Once i got used to it i started getting way better times. It makes a difference because of the turns for sure, smoother entry and exit.

[IRetrouk]

Get yourself a g29, you will be shocked by the difference, but I agree, you can get much better control from a wheel and pedals vs a controller

[Bathyj]

I don't know about that but it's definately the best way to play.

[ApocalypseShadow]

Based on the disagrees above, a person that has never used a wheel in a videogame, can beat a person experienced with a pad. The wheel will automatically make them better at driving in a game.

When in my opinion, the person with the better ability and experience will win. Which is the same with an arcade stick and a pad for fighting games. Having a stick won't guarantee a win over a pad. Unless that person is just better at the game.

Maybe they didn't get what I was saying above.

[Kurt Russell]

I think what you're doing is twisting the discussion rather than paying attention to it.

The skill ceiling of a wheel is higher, it affords greater control which in turn gives the player the better opportunity to improve on their times.

All this "what if they have never used a wheel" or "what if they were blind and had no arms and legs" is a moot point. With practice the benefits of a wheel outstrips that of an analogue controller.

[jukins]

It definetly makes you better. Obviously there's those occasions where a pad player will be better but 9/10 once you adapt to wheel and pedals you'll be better. Not to mention it's just that much more fun. Especially in games like dirt rally. The more realistic the better the wheel is gonna be. Even more immersive if you go high end with pedals as well.

[beanplant]

Combined with VR it's almost like cheating. You have to turn up the difficulty. Doing F1 races this way is something everyone should experience

[BrainSyphoned]

Forget racing games and go with—-Racing wheel with pedals and stick, arcade style racing seat, VR headset and Euro Truck Simulator 2.

[EazyC]

Most definitely, if we're talking hardcore sims like ACC. But I think load cell pedals make most difference.

However, in something like Gran Turismo, you can be faster with a controller as you can 'game' the slightly arcadey physics with a controller -- many of the world records are done with the controller . That is NOT the case in iRacing, ACC, rFactor etc

[JackBNimble]

I disagree with your GT sport comment.
Maybe in offline you'll do alright , but try racing online competitively and you don't stand a chance against people with wheels.

[rainslacker]

Racing with a wheel in GT is significantly better in terms of control IMO. Arcadey or not, it's just a different feeling, with more awareness on where you are in your turns, and generally much better control of the car for turns or small adjustments. Actually feel the same way about any more arcadey racing game that tries to have good physics.

[DaniMacYo]

Yes, I can confirm but you can still be mega quick with a controller. I've been a really good controller player for years I got a G29 December 2018 and I was slow at first but now I'm really fast and comfortable with it. I'm about to get a CSL Elite PS4 in 2 weeks and look forward to it. I have tried the controller lately and I'm not as good with it as I once was. But personally once I've experienced and gotten used to a wheel I cannot go back to a controller with the same skill level nor joy. I'm now a wheel player for life. It's a lot of fun trust me. Also, you have more precision using a wheel than a controller. If you can have a go at a wheel someday please give it a go. I highly recommend it.

[The_Sage]

I find that I'm better with a wheel. It's easier to correct a bit of oversteer, or avoid accidentally tapping another car in a turn. The bigger difference is VR. It's easier to judge distance to corner so my breaking gets better. I find it also makes recovering from a slide easier as you can keep your eyes on the track even if you're a bit sideways.

[rainslacker]

Yeah. VR is the big game changer for me with racing games. I love having that positional awareness, particularly with turns. Turns with the controller and on a flat screen I tend to have the habit of either braking at the wrong time, or turning too hard or soft into the turn. VR and a wheel, I am pretty spot on almost 100% of the time.

Now if they could just make a wheel with a manual transmission that somehow let me feel the engine so I can know when to shift instead of relying on RPM dials.

[The_Sage]

Exactly. Years ago I saw a video of a guy that had built a motor driven race chair with a mounted wheel and pedals that would lean forward back left and right to create the feeling of inertia. That would really help me too. You could feel how hard you were breaking or turning. But... I imagine that rig costs more than my actual car. Lol

[Aghashie]

Yes, they do.

But there is a learning curve to it. Once you start making better lap times there is no returning to racing on a pad.

There is also the "feedback" factor. Feeling the tires grip on the wheel really improves the experience and help to keep your eyes off the HUD and focus more on the race.

[chicken_in_the_corn]

Wheels make racing games a lot better to play in general

[Kyur4ThePain]

That is not a question a true gamer would ask. The proper question is, does a wheel make a racing game more fun.

[Neonridr]

I mean I'm sure the best people on controllers are still pretty good, but no analog stick can replace the actual feel and performance of a steering wheel.