{"id":11831,"date":"2022-03-25T00:16:27","date_gmt":"2022-03-25T04:16:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pley2win.com\/playstation\/not-buying-a-playstation-5-made-gran-turismo-7-better-for-me\/"},"modified":"2022-03-25T00:16:27","modified_gmt":"2022-03-25T04:16:27","slug":"not-buying-a-playstation-5-made-gran-turismo-7-better-for-me","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pley2win.com\/?p=11831","title":{"rendered":"Not buying a PlayStation 5 made Gran Turismo 7 better for me"},"content":{"rendered":"
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It wasn\u2019t for lack of trying, but I didn\u2019t manage to buy a PlayStation 5 before the launch of Gran Turismo 7,<\/em> despite it being my plan after the game\u2019s long-awaited launch date was revealed. Instead I stuck with my trusty PlayStation 4 and bought a racing cockpit for my living room with the money I would have spent on a new console.<\/p>\n
Now a couple of weeks into playing, I am so glad the PlayStation 5 proved to be elusive. For all its hardware -acilitated graphical upgrades, I cannot imagine how Gran Turismo 7<\/em> could actually play any better than it does when I\u2019m sitting in my race seat holding on to that steering wheel.<\/p>\n
I gave up on the PS5<\/h2>\n
When Gran Turismo 7\u2019s<\/em> March 4 release date was revealed, I began to look in earnest for a PS5. It\u2019s not new information that the console is hard to find, but it was such a pain to get here in the U.K., I only had one opportunity to buy one over the period of several months. The pack I almost settled for was a digital edition, which wasn\u2019t my preference at all, with a pair of controllers when I really only needed one, and a game I\u2019d never play. The nearly 600 British pound price ($792 U.S.) also seemed inflated for what I was getting.<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t buy it, and as the release date neared, I wondered what to do. I wanted it to be an occasion. Something a bit special. I truly fell in love with the series when Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec<\/em> came out, and remembered buying it at the midnight launch along with the official Logitech Driving Force GT steering wheel. As much as I wanted one, racing seats were not attainable at the time, so it was clamped to a table. It was thinking back to this after failing to get a PS5 that I had my epiphany.<\/p>\n
Why not do the same as I did with Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec<\/em>, just on a grander scale? Racing games are fine with a controller, but it\u2019s hardly the most natural method of steering a car. Of course I\u2019d also need somewhere to sit, and so the dream of a racing cockpit setup in my living room began to take shape.<\/p>\nAndy Boxall\/Digital Trends<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
After much research (which is part of the fun), I settled on a Logitech G29 Driving Force steering wheel and pedals set, plus a PlaySeat Challenge foldable racing seat. Shopping around, together these cost a third of the PS5 set I didn\u2019t buy, leaving me with money left over for a gaming headset so I don\u2019t irritate my neighbors. For this, I\u2019ve so far been testing the Master & Dynamic MG20 headphones. My accessories were exactly right, the game was pre-ordered in anticipation, and I was left only with nagging doubts over whether a 2013 console was capable enough to play a 2022 game.<\/p>\n
Would the PS4 be the weak link?<\/h2>\n
These doubts quickly disappeared. My aging PlayStation 4 plays the game without any obvious problem at all. After playing for a while, I compared what I was seeing on the PS4 with videos and stories of Gran Turismo 7<\/em> on the PS5. The lighting is unquestionably beautiful and the tracks look lush and busy, but, well, that\u2019s about it. If I had purchased a PlayStation 5 expressly for Gran Turismo 7<\/em>, I really do question whether I\u2019d have been that pleased.<\/p>\nAndy Boxall\/Digital Trends<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
I haven\u2019t at any point wished there were a few more trees visible in the distance when playing on the PS4. The photo mode still looks glorious and, crucially, in all the videos I\u2019ve watched, it doesn\u2019t seem to be faster or smoother on the PS5 than it is on the PS4, at least not offline. Whether it\u2019s Polyphony that needs to be congratulated for making the game run so well on the PS4, or a testament to the console\u2019s ability despite its age, I don\u2019t know. But I\u2019m happy I didn\u2019t decide to upgrade based on what I\u2019ve seen.<\/p>\n
I chose a physical copy of the game for the PS4 and installation only required patience, which is also what\u2019s needed to overcome what I see as the only major difference between playing on the PS4 and PS5: Loading times. I have to wait for things to happen, but it\u2019s not really that much different than playing Gran Turismo Sport<\/em>, and I\u2019ve lived with that for the last five years.<\/p>\nAndy Boxall\/Digital Trends<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
My fear that the old PS4 \u2014 it\u2019s an original, not even a PS4 Pro I\u2019m using \u2014 would creak under the weight of a 2022 mega-game were unfounded. It\u2019s not just fine: I\u2019d say it\u2019s excellent provided you don\u2019t crave the very best in visuals. If I had a PS5, I\u2019d no doubt delight in the additional detail and graphical enhancements, and maybe even see some additional smoothness (placebo effect or otherwise), but I\u2019d probably be playing the game with a controller, and I don\u2019t think I\u2019d be enjoying it anywhere near as much.<\/p>\n
Living room racer<\/h2>\n
The racing seat and steering wheel may be two of the best frivolous purchases I\u2019ve ever made. The G29\u2019s fat leather-bound rim feels great to grip, the metal gearshift paddles are precise, and the peddles have actual weight to them. The PlaySeat has a bucket seat-like angle and the peddle box can be moved backwards and forwards, so it\u2019s all very comfortable, letting you play for hours. It obviously doesn\u2019t feel exactly like a real car, but it\u2019s probably about as close as you can get to having one in your living room without spending a huge amount of money and taking up an unreasonable amount of space.<\/p>\nAndy Boxall\/Digital Trends<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
What I\u2019ve found with this setup is I look forward to playing more, and in a different way than just sitting down with a controller. Sliding into the seat is the gamer equivalent of putting on racing booties and a helmet. It prepares you<\/em>. It feels like an occasion, just like I wanted. The cars feel more alive in game, and there\u2019s something grin-inducing about prompting the pops and bangs from the exhaust by lifting off an actual throttle and not a button, and catching oversteer with a wheel, not a stick. Playing Gran Turismo 7<\/em> with a wheel and seat perfectly straddles the line between game and simulation.<\/p>\n
Master & Dynamic\u2019s MG20 headset also adds a lot to the experience. It uses a plug-in dongle for wireless connectivity and there is no discernible latency at all. The whole kit is also very convenient. The steering wheel and pedals are securely attached to the PlaySeat Challenge and stay that way when you fold it up, It takes a minute or so to fold and unfold it, and when it\u2019s ready to store, it takes up about the same amount of room as a modestly sized stationary exercise bike. It\u2019s not quite compact enough to slide under the couch or bed though. The whole thing is easily moved around because it\u2019s not that heavy, yet it feels more than sturdy enough that you don\u2019t worry it\u2019ll give way at any moment when you sit in it.<\/p>\n
Is a PS5 still on my wish list?<\/h2>\n
It\u2019s probably clear that the PS4, steering wheel, seat, and headphones are satisfying all my Gran Turismo 7<\/em> needs. So am I still chasing a PlayStation 5? No, I\u2019m not. I cannot see how I would get more exciting entertainment from the game if I suddenly played it on an PS5, particularly if it meant not playing with the wheel and seat. If I was playing a lot of other games, or planned to buy many other new releases, then this would probably be a different story, but I\u2019m not. The PS4 plays the other games I do fire up without any issues, and seeing as they often use PlayStation VR, I wouldn\u2019t be getting any benefit from the PS5 there either.<\/p>\n
I am satisfied that I spent the money reserved for the PS5 more wisely, genuinely enhancing the game I have been looking forward to for years, and actually bringing a dream I\u2019ve had since Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec<\/em> days to life. If I was sitting down to play Gran Turismo 7<\/em> on my couch with a controller connected to a PS5, I may get to the driving part a little faster, but it would be less involving, less fun, and ultimately less exciting once I did.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019ve been chasing a PS5 and found it equally as difficult to obtain as I have, ask yourself if there\u2019s a way you could enhance your gaming setup in a different way. Gran Turismo 7<\/em> has proved I don\u2019t need the latest console to play the game, and that well-chosen accessories make it more enjoyable, and that\u2019s equally, if not more important than flashier graphics. So I\u2019ll say thank you to the stock shortages, the queues of people waiting, the scalpers, and the awfully high prices for making it impossible for me to buy a PS5. You\u2019ve all helped make Gran Turismo 7<\/em> the special occasion I always wanted it to be.<\/p>\n
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