VR Driving Lessons
Driving lessons are expensive, right? If a PS4/Xbox One game was released that you could use to practice your driving in VR or just on screen, would you buy it? Steerings wheel and pedals would be included in a bundle.
It would be a great, cost effective alternative to IRL driving lessons!
What do YOU think?
It would be a great, cost effective alternative to IRL driving lessons!
What do YOU think?
Scroll to see replies
I agree. That's why I think there should be three versions.
1. Standard game/VR game
2. Standard game with steering wheel and pedals
3. VR game with steering wheel and pedals
1. Standard game/VR game
2. Standard game with steering wheel and pedals
3. VR game with steering wheel and pedals
Original post by BDunlop
I thought about this when I started driving. Problem is is VR isn't widely used..yet, it'd be extremely expensive. But regardless, i think it'd be great, ofc irl practice would still be needed. Would be interesting to see if this eventually turns into the norm!
Original post by harvey7
I agree. That's why I think there should be three versions.
1. Standard game/VR game
2. Standard game with steering wheel and pedals
3. VR game with steering wheel and pedals
1. Standard game/VR game
2. Standard game with steering wheel and pedals
3. VR game with steering wheel and pedals
Or what if you could 'rent' and entire system with everything for say 2 months,, it would make it much cheaper..
True, but I have never seen anything quite like that before. I guess it would be possible, but hard to pull off
Original post by BDunlop
Or what if you could 'rent' and entire system with everything for say 2 months,, it would make it much cheaper..
I have to disagree with you! The steering wheel and pedal set costs about £50, and this includes wheel feedback. In the game you would be required to look around or you would fail the level.
Original post by zeldor711
It wouldn't be at all decent without decent steering wheel, pedals and clutch (if automatic). Even then the "feel" of a VR sim is nothing like that of a real car, nor the cautiousness required.
Original post by harvey7
I have to disagree with you! The steering wheel and pedal set costs about £50, and this includes wheel feedback. In the game you would be required to look around or you would fail the level.
Possibly with those stipulations but I don't see where you get a decent steering wheel an pedal (and possibly clutch) set for under £50
It is nowhere near the same. The lesson simulator would require you to complete certain maneuvers e.g. everything thats in a real lesson.
Original post by FriendlyPenguin
There's already a game like that - GTA
Just port that to VR (probably been done already) and you're done
Just port that to VR (probably been done already) and you're done
You're right. But even with a full VR, steering wheel and pedal set for roughly £300/£400 including the game it's so much cheaper that real lessons.
Found this online - 'The average cost of a driving lesson is now £24, and with the DSA (Driving Standards Agency) recommending 47 hours of tuition under the supervision of a professional instructor, the total cost of lessons for a learner will be £1,128.'
Found this online - 'The average cost of a driving lesson is now £24, and with the DSA (Driving Standards Agency) recommending 47 hours of tuition under the supervision of a professional instructor, the total cost of lessons for a learner will be £1,128.'
Original post by zeldor711
Possibly with those stipulations but I don't see where you get a decent steering wheel an pedal (and possibly clutch) set for under £50
Original post by harvey7
You're right. But even with a full VR, steering wheel and pedal set for roughly £300/£400 including the game it's so much cheaper that real lessons.
Found this online - 'The average cost of a driving lesson is now £24, and with the DSA (Driving Standards Agency) recommending 47 hours of tuition under the supervision of a professional instructor, the total cost of lessons for a learner will be £1,128.'
Found this online - 'The average cost of a driving lesson is now £24, and with the DSA (Driving Standards Agency) recommending 47 hours of tuition under the supervision of a professional instructor, the total cost of lessons for a learner will be £1,128.'
Nice comparison. I'm beginning to see where you're coming from lol
Original post by AngryJellyfish
Moved to Learning to drive. 
Literally just beat me to it
@RoyalSheepy @AngryJellyfish any thoughts on the idea?
Accurate driving simulators do exist, but as it's stands they're extremely expensive technology and driving lessons just works out infinitely cheaper.
But... what if there was a cheap alternative that was just as good?
Original post by It's****ingWOODY
Accurate driving simulators do exist, but as it's stands they're extremely expensive technology and driving lessons just works out infinitely cheaper.
Original post by harvey7
But... what if there was a cheap alternative that was just as good?
There isn't, and likely won't be, the technology that's more affordable than driving lessons. It's complicated technology, basically requires a replicated car which would be extremely expensive in itself just to make, let alone sell... plus, at the moment, the accuracy and real-world applications of current industrial versions of the technology are questionable. If such a thing were to be created that was a 100% viable alternative to driving lessons, we probably won't see it until we're all too old to drive.
Original post by harvey7
@RoyalSheepy @AngryJellyfish any thoughts on the idea?
Not my specialist area, I'll be the first to admit.
As an aid to learning basic maneuvers etc, I think it could be good... but I'd hope that people would still be required/expected to have SOME experience on a real road before taking their test. 
The idea is in the right place, but realistically, we're talking computer simulations. AI is generally going to behave the way it's coded, and thus becomes predictable, no matter how complicated. Humans are the complete opposite.
You're also jumping into the realm of simulations... Simulators can be rather accurate, but they're certainly not as accurate as the real thing, again, this comes down the 'limitations' of coding vs the real world. You can predict how things will react in a computer with relative ease. The real world? You can only predict so much.
Then you've also got the equipment... To provide a somewhat realistic experience, budget wheels and pedals just wont cut it... For anything realistic, you're going to want belt driven force feedback at the very least, spoiler alert! Belt driven wheels don't tend to be cheap. For an actual, realistic experience, you'll want something like direct drive force feedback, and those kinds of wheels will set you back about a grand.
Then there's the pedals... Again, something decent for realism isn't cheap...
Also, without a fully fledged simulator, you don't get the feel, even then I doubt they can completely replicate the feel of say... Holding a diesel on the edge of stalling as you move off with just the clutch in heavy traffic.
Then there's the shifter. How would you replicate a reverse gear lock out? How would you simulate different lock out systems on the same shifter (some use triggers, some use pull rings, some just straight up don't have a reverse lock out at all (mainly older cars with 5 speed boxes though, making it virtually impossible to accidentally try and put it in reverse anyway). Not to mention different gear configurations, 5,6,7 and 8 speed boxes... Different positioning of the reverse gear.
In other words, it just isn't practical, and it's far to expensive to give anything other than a very basic idea of what driving is like. Even the high end hardware wouldn't be enough, you'd need a full on cockpit sim which simulates body roll and whatnot. Even then, it wont be completely like the real thing. No matter how realistic, nothing can replicate the feeling of driving down a tight, twisty country lane at night for example, cause if you crash in that sim? Whatever... You'll know nothing will come of it. In the real world? Potentially lethal consequences for small miscalculations.
Then there's the software side of things... Wont be cheap to develop and that cost will only get passed down.
In short: to provide even a somewhat realistic experience, you're going to need very pricey hardware, software will probably cost a decent bit as well, and ultimately, it'd be cheaper just to straight up get lessons unless you're one of those people who need a stupid amount of hours behind the wheel.
For something that'd provide as close to real life as we can get? For reference, Lewis Hamilton has openly stated that the F1 simulators he uses are no better than computer games for learning, because the simulators just don't replicate things good enough. These aren't exactly your standard consumer pedal and wheel combos... These are six/seven+ figure state of the art simulators, and even they can't get it right.
You're also jumping into the realm of simulations... Simulators can be rather accurate, but they're certainly not as accurate as the real thing, again, this comes down the 'limitations' of coding vs the real world. You can predict how things will react in a computer with relative ease. The real world? You can only predict so much.
Then you've also got the equipment... To provide a somewhat realistic experience, budget wheels and pedals just wont cut it... For anything realistic, you're going to want belt driven force feedback at the very least, spoiler alert! Belt driven wheels don't tend to be cheap. For an actual, realistic experience, you'll want something like direct drive force feedback, and those kinds of wheels will set you back about a grand.
Then there's the pedals... Again, something decent for realism isn't cheap...
Also, without a fully fledged simulator, you don't get the feel, even then I doubt they can completely replicate the feel of say... Holding a diesel on the edge of stalling as you move off with just the clutch in heavy traffic.
Then there's the shifter. How would you replicate a reverse gear lock out? How would you simulate different lock out systems on the same shifter (some use triggers, some use pull rings, some just straight up don't have a reverse lock out at all (mainly older cars with 5 speed boxes though, making it virtually impossible to accidentally try and put it in reverse anyway). Not to mention different gear configurations, 5,6,7 and 8 speed boxes... Different positioning of the reverse gear.
In other words, it just isn't practical, and it's far to expensive to give anything other than a very basic idea of what driving is like. Even the high end hardware wouldn't be enough, you'd need a full on cockpit sim which simulates body roll and whatnot. Even then, it wont be completely like the real thing. No matter how realistic, nothing can replicate the feeling of driving down a tight, twisty country lane at night for example, cause if you crash in that sim? Whatever... You'll know nothing will come of it. In the real world? Potentially lethal consequences for small miscalculations.
Then there's the software side of things... Wont be cheap to develop and that cost will only get passed down.
In short: to provide even a somewhat realistic experience, you're going to need very pricey hardware, software will probably cost a decent bit as well, and ultimately, it'd be cheaper just to straight up get lessons unless you're one of those people who need a stupid amount of hours behind the wheel.
For something that'd provide as close to real life as we can get? For reference, Lewis Hamilton has openly stated that the F1 simulators he uses are no better than computer games for learning, because the simulators just don't replicate things good enough. These aren't exactly your standard consumer pedal and wheel combos... These are six/seven+ figure state of the art simulators, and even they can't get it right.
(edited 6 years ago)
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