I mean the wheel is definitely the best control mechanism for driving… whether or not it’s dangerous, there’s a reason the best sim racers use wheels and not controllers and it’s that they provide vastly more control.
Comment on You guys need to stop
bstix@feddit.dk 7 months agoI’ve literally seen people post that they’d consider going electric if only it had an engine sound. Seriously, people who are old enough to have a drivers license want their car to go wroom wroom.
I get it. It’s the same reason all cars have a steering wheel, despite it being the most dangerous part of the interior. Joysticks just don’t give the same feel as when the captain steers the boat over the seven seas.
Wroom wroom, steer steer, wroooom, change gear while turning, push pedal, wroom wroom.
GiveMemes@jlai.lu 7 months ago
bstix@feddit.dk 7 months ago
I think it’s just a matter of getting used to it. Something like a playstation controller would be easy to learn for most people. People who play racing games seriously wouldn’t use a wheel and pedals. It’s just too slow.
I_dont_believe_it@lemmynsfw.com 7 months ago
Huh? People that use steering wheel and peddles for racing games have a serious advantage, it’s far more accurate, I have no idea what makes you think it’s too slow or what that’s even supposed to mean.
Most people use a controller for racing games because there’s no setup or space requirements and it’s what they’re used to. Plus a basic decent steering wheel setup is about three to four times the cost of a standard Xbox or PlayStation controller.
bstix@feddit.dk 7 months ago
Huh. I guess times have changed. It used to be that keyboard players would always win.
Anyway it doesn’t change my opinion on the topic. Car steering wheels are stupid and only kept relevant because it’s fun to turn.
Sprucie@feddit.uk 7 months ago
But in a racing game the wheels can also twist from hard lock left to hard lock right in a millisecond, not sure that’s possible or desired in real life
ObviouslyNotBanana@lemmy.world 7 months ago
Rolling over is desired
WhiteHawk@lemmy.world 7 months ago
People who play racing games seriously wouldn’t use a wheel and pedals. It’s just too slow.
That is not true at all, unless the racing game is NFS or something. The people seriously playing racing sims all use wheels and pedals.
vonxylofon@lemmy.world 7 months ago
Clearly, you don’t frequent simracing communities.
FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 7 months ago
Something like a playstation controller would be easy to learn for most people.
I mean, you can steer a submarine with it, am I right?
vithigar@lemmy.ca 7 months ago
I was extraordinarily glad to have a wheel when my power steering failed and found myself having to turn the car using the strength of my arms and the leverage of the wheel. A joystick would’ve made the vehicle literally impossible to steer.
ObviouslyNotBanana@lemmy.world 7 months ago
It’d have to be a long joystick.
Sorgan71@lemmy.world 7 months ago
thats what she said
axsyse@lemmy.sdf.org 7 months ago
I’ll just leave this here. In short: a guy wrote a physics engine to simulate any combustion engine, and then further got it working with an electric motor so electric motors can use a simulated vroom vroom
vithigar@lemmy.ca 7 months ago
I’ve literally seen people post that they’d consider going electric if only it had an engine sound.
In many regions now it’s actually mandated that EVs make additional noise when moving at low speeds (less than 40km/h or so). There were concerns that quiet vehicles would have more pedestrian accidents.
LemmyIsFantastic@lemmy.world 7 months ago
Yeah but that 40 year old with a 4k computer, 90 series card, more lighting than fast and the furious, surrounded by 10k of plastic figures is 👌 Chad.
eco_game@discuss.tchncs.de 7 months ago
There actually is an EV with engine sounds and a “manual transmission” from Toyota. According to ArsTechnica, it’s supposed to be pretty good:
jukibom@lemmy.world 7 months ago
Steering wheels are enormous because that allows fine grain control, which you need at higher speeds. Switching lane at 70mph requires only very slight movement but turning the car around in a street you can go full lock.
A joystick would be fucking TERRIFYINGLY stupid lmao
filcuk@lemmy.zip 7 months ago
Some vehicles use steering by wire, which uses motors for i/o. This allows for steering sensitivity adjustments based on speed or wven preference.
jukibom@lemmy.world 7 months ago
True, but sensitivity is only half the story - the direct feedback of a wheel cannot be overstated
filcuk@lemmy.zip 7 months ago
You’re right, but that should be part of the system.
There is virtually no noticeable lag.
The same technology is used by F1 vehicles, for example.
bstix@feddit.dk 7 months ago
No it’s not terribly stupid. Handicapped people already use other controllers without any issues.
A steering wheel is already electronically adjusted for speed. The servo will work just as well regardless of the controller device.
Along with lane assistance and other “self driving cars” it should be pretty evident that there is nothing dangerous about giving up the physical turny wheely kindergarten toy controller.
jukibom@lemmy.world 7 months ago
It’s not just about precision, it’s about feedback. Being directly connected to the drive train gives valuable feedback about the road and the front wheels - just because handicapped people have an alternative that they may use out of necessity does not mean it’s a better solution.
In a fully autonomous car, sure perhaps a simple manual system as a backup makes sense but we aren’t there yet. You are talking absolute nonsense, and I can only assume you haven’t ever driven a vehicle.