23 March 2024 , 09:00
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I've owned Playstation games consoles for years but, because I'm a bit of a petrolhead I rarely play anything other than racing games. From Gran Turismo to Wreckfest, I love losing myself in a good driving simulation. And I can spend hours with a control pad in my hand.
But then I went to a mate's house recently and had a go on his "sim rig". These setups take driving games to the next level. He'd spent a fortune on his, with a big bucket seat, a full-size steering wheel, and even a hydraulic handbrake. I wasn't cheeky enough to ask him how much he paid, but I looked up the components in his rig later that evening and it would have stood him at a few thousand pounds.
I was seriously tempted to buy one though. I couldn't afford a few thousand pounds, and I didn't have a spare room to set such a huge rig up in, but I was convinced it could be done pretty cheaply. So I put my research hat on and soon came up with some solutions.
Conventional controllers can be used for driving games, but they're not as good as a sim rig (Getty Images/iStockphoto)I set myself a budget of £300. I already owned a PS4 and, of course, I've got a TV to hook it up to, so I didn't need to factor those in, but it became obvious that the most expensive part of the setup would probably be the physical rig itself.
These can run into many, many thousands of pounds. Some even have hydraulics to simulate the forces of a real car. But I didn't have the space or money for anything like that, so I kept it simple. And the brand that kept coming up in my search for a simple rig was Playseat.
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Playseat offers a range of sim rigs that put the driver in a proper racing seat, with sturdy frames that secure a steering wheel and pedal set, along with a few other accessories. At the top end of the spectrum, they also have full cockpits, mimicking a Formula One car driving position. It's incredible stuff but it does get quite expensive.
Playseat offers a range of sim rigsAt the other end of the scale, my end of the scale, there's a much simpler option. A folding rig called the Playseat Challenge. The range starts at just £199 and features all the bits you'll need to set yourself up, but they're much cheaper.
There's an element of self-assembly to the Challenge, but it's nothing too complicated and the instructions are superb. It took me about 15 minutes to construct mine including the time it took me to correct an error I made because I'm a man and I didn't read the instructions properly.
The frame of the rig allows for some adjustment, so you can be more reclined or more upright, and it's all done with quick-release catches, which makes it very easy to fold the rig away quickly. It's very easy to store once it's all collapsed.
The next part of my rig wasn't quite easy to find within my budget. A steering wheel and pedal setup can get expensive quickly. It's possible to buy a set for around £50, but I knew from using my friend's setup that it was worth paying a bit more. His cost around £300, but I'd been tipped off about a set that could be found second-hand for around £50. And, as is often the case, eBay provided the solution.
Our writer picked up a bargain on eBay£50 plus a small postage fee later I snapped up a Thrustmaster T100 set. It's an old but capable piece of kit that works well with a PS4. PS5 users will have to look elsewhere, but there are relatively inexpensive options about.
Attaching the steering wheel to the Playseat rig was dead easy, it's just a couple of clamps. Attaching the steering wheel set took a bit of doing because the supplied screws were too long for my Thrustmaster's threads - but it was a secure fit once I'd found better screws.
And it's an absolute joy to use. The seat is comfortable and, despite it being a folding setup, it never feels insecure. There's very little flex, and I love the way the steering wheel platform lifts away to let you in and out of the rig easily.
My only complaint is the position of the steering wheel. While the pedal reach is adjustable, there's limited movement in the platform that holds the steering wheel - and it's very high up.
An example of a rig set upIt perhaps might not bother six-footers, but I found it a bit too high for my liking. I soon got used to it though.
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Fundamentally, I've proven it is possible to set up a sim rig on a budget. Playseat's Challenge range is a great gateway into this rather complex world, and even a cheap steering wheel - or a second-hand one like mine - will give you hours of fun, and a wheel adds so much more to the realism than using a controller. You'll probably notice your lap times take a tumble because you have much more precision regarding steering and pedal inputs.
I'd still love to be able to set up a really complicated rig with a direct-drive steering wheel and perhaps even some hydraulic movement. But until then, I'm perfectly happy with my cheap rig. It's great fun.