Are racing games realistic enough at the moment?

[Darius]

I think they are realistic enough as it is. My problem with the whole graphics and realism race is that it causes corner cutting. Either the next forza has splitscreen or 1080p 60fps instead of 720p 60fps AND splitscreen. The graphics race is a plague to gaming simply because it will kill consoles/make them super expensive, and cause features to be taken out of the final product.

 

[Susime]

I think as consoles evolve the graphics will only get better and better at the possible expense of content.

I think the Gran Turismo series is the exception though because they make some beautiful looking games and have a great deal of content with them, while adding some stuff later down the line.

 

[Wubwub]

Yes, some racing games do seem to be becoming very realistic in recent times. I have even heard that some professional drivers are using racing simulation games for training and for practice purposes. I do, however, think there's a big difference between a realistic racing game and an entertaining racing game. Some of the more arcade-type racing games are a lot more fun to play than the simulations. Having said that, the graphics are becoming superb and are incredibly realistic.

I've been seeing a lot of rigs with multiple screens and a driving seat just in the consumer market so I wouldn't be surprised that pros are actually using them to train. I agree they can't compare to the real thing though. Feeling the physics of it all is something that is hard to duplicate even with virtual reality.

 

[Susime]

It's very hard to duplicate the exact feeling but there is equipment out there that bridges the gap just that little bit more. Like I've seen seats that offer a motor under the seat that rumbles much like force feedback on a controller does.

 

[Darius]

I think as consoles evolve the graphics will only get better and better at the possible expense of content.

I think the Gran Turismo series is the exception though because they make some beautiful looking games and have a great deal of content with them, while adding some stuff later down the line.

Yeah, Consoles will evolve but one possible question is will they evolve fast enough to stay with the majority of gamers that want both graphics and content? Either game devs have to compromise or people will get upset the graphics don't look as amazing as they had hoped.

 

[TheViper]

There are a tone of racing games that fit with the "realistic" aspect. Though, I am playing a video game and I don't really want completely realistic. That may be hard to understand but driving and racing against other players is only special to some degree. There always has to be something more and that is why other traditional racing games that utilize other elements. Tend to become much more successful than you regular lap racing racing games.

 

[Susime]

Yeah, Consoles will evolve but one possible question is will they evolve fast enough to stay with the majority of gamers that want both graphics and content? Either game devs have to compromise or people will get upset the graphics don't look as amazing as they had hoped.

There's always gonna be the whiners and the fanboys and I don't think that will change.

Computer hardware is evolving at such a rate that consoles will always be that little bit behind in terms of graphics and power. I was once told that you could buy a computer with all the latest spec'd stuff in it and by the time you get it home and plugged in the equipment in it will already be obsolete, and I only presume this applies to consoles too. However game developers are some clever people and they will always work with what they have in order to bring the most of the power they have. Take a look at GT 5 & 6 on the PS3. The graphics in those games even gives the current gen consoles a run for their money.

 

[Wubwub]

There are a tone of racing games that fit with the "realistic" aspect. Though, I am playing a video game and I don't really want completely realistic. That may be hard to understand but driving and racing against other players is only special to some degree. There always has to be something more and that is why other traditional racing games that utilize other elements. Tend to become much more successful than you regular lap racing racing games.

Traditional racers tend to bore me a little as well. I think these are made more for car fans because games in this genre are more focused on giving users existing cars to ogle at whereas arcade racer fans like me don't really care much about the cars as much as the gameplay.

 

[Darius]

There's always gonna be the whiners and the fanboys and I don't think that will change.

Computer hardware is evolving at such a rate that consoles will always be that little bit behind in terms of graphics and power. I was once told that you could buy a computer with all the latest spec'd stuff in it and by the time you get it home and plugged in the equipment in it will already be obsolete, and I only presume this applies to consoles too. However game developers are some clever people and they will always work with what they have in order to bring the most of the power they have. Take a look at GT 5 & 6 on the PS3. The graphics in those games even gives the current gen consoles a run for their money.

Yeah. I get that. But my complaint is why rush through everything like that and force devs to compromise when we can focus on actual gameplay and not have broken games?

 

[Susime]

Yeah. I get that. But my complaint is why rush through everything like that and force devs to compromise when we can focus on actual gameplay and not have broken games?

I think it's down to money really, a lot of people forget that they are a business, and the latest trend seems to be releasing games early or releasing them in a beta state to the public so that we can bug test and report any that we see. Unfortunately when this happens a lot of people fail to realise it is a beta release and claim the game is porked and all that. In a way I think it is a good practice what they are doing now because it helps weed out bugs that the developers did not find.

 

[rajesh1209]

Seriously, whenever I drive a car in a racing game, I feel like I am driving a real car. It's true that the most realistic gaming genre is 'racing'. The roads, cars, environment looks so real. I am just waiting for the virtual reality technology to enter the world of racing games.

 

[Chocoo]

The gameplay is a little shaky on realism; the physics are rarely ever perfect. However, the graphics are normally ridiculously real, almost too real for some people. Some games require you to stop and stare for a minute to tell if it's real or virtual. Each game gets more and more realistic; I almost feel like a step back should be taken so that games can be unique. If every game is real, every game will be exactly the same.

 

[belovedad]

I would say yes, at least for the ones aiming to be realistic. As time goes on, they have improved on the physics and gameplay of these games and I have to say I'm impressed.

 

[Squigly]

I think we're pretty much there in terms of graphics. The only way to have a more realistic experience would be through VR, which is still in development.

 

[erook7878]

Grand Turismo and Forza have always been pretty realistic. GT in particular is notable for its real driving physics. It's amazing how the game hasn't changed much because of it's realistic driving physics.

 

[erook7878]

I think we're pretty much there in terms of graphics. The only way to have a more realistic experience would be through VR, which is still in development.

You are right on about VR. That seems like the last obstacle for a true to life simulation. Once they figure that out for the Oculus or other VRs, that will make racing a truly realistic experience.

 

[Potausen]

The only thing that racing games currently lack is VR. Other than that, they are very realistic, having handling, aerodynamics, surface traction etc. modeled with absolute precision. Graphics are amazing as well, all the way, from the cars to the scenery.

 

[Locoton22]

I mean some games have beautiful graphics but that doesn't make me play them at all, theres a mod for GTA SA which I love it's called MTA and theres some great racing servers that I love and that game is so so old now but it's just great that I keep playing it until now.

 

[ZXD123]

I'd say compared to the racing games 15 years ago, they look very realistic. If you run the games in virtual reality and in 4k video format, they will look mind boggling!

 

[spence88]

Developers could try their best to imitate the real or actual conditions of racing, but they can only go so far as the pc hardware lets them to. Simulating real world collisions requires complex computations; the processing capability of most desktop processors today isn't powerful enough. In terms of gaming experience, the closest we can get to reality, in my opinion, would be either having a triple monitor setup or using any VR headset.

But yeah, in terms of graphics or ingame physics, games today are as good as it gets. I cannot believe how games have evolved for the past years really, the games just look so real.