Sim Racing FOV (Field of view), some swear by it and others say it doesn’t play a huge significance.
Most serious sim racers ideally want to optimise in all areas of their gaming experience. This may range from hardware, software and their own input where it comes to performance.
When it comes to field of view, the improvements come from replicating the views that you would see if you were driving a car in real life.
In this article we will be delving deep into some useful insights into field of view and how it can help you improve your racing. and impacting on those fine margins from good to great!
Why does FOV matter?
Field of view relates to the aspect of optics which can be very subtle and nuanced to the naked eye. The aim is to to make minute improvements when it comes to judging distance, speed accuracy and ability to assess the cars movement.
Normally when your playing a game you’re looking into the view of the virtual worlds camera perspective and this becomes your default view.
However this view may not be the optimum setting to maximise your performance within the sim. If you set your FOV incorrectly this means you would be distorting your vision and this would be out of sync for your brain to adjust to as it does not represent a real world perspective you would ordinarily have.
In addition you may feel more control, allowing for better consistency and staying out of trouble when it comes to avoiding contact with other cars.
How do I find my ideal FOV for Sim Racing?
FOV will more often than not come down to the individuals preference. Some racers prefer a more narrow perspective where apexs and track details are more distinct allowing for better precision.
Opposed to this is where a racer might prefer a more open field of view which provides a better peripheral such as allowing you to see your competitors and also providing a perceived sense of speed.
How do You calculate FOV in Sim Racing?
There are plenty of guides out there displaying how to calculate and set up your ideal FOV. Here I will gave a simplified breakdown as to how you can competently find your ideal FOV.
There are a few ways to calculate FOV but the two main popular methods are through a horizontal and vertical calculation.
If you got an F in Maths at school you need not worry as it’s pretty straight forward and as stated there are online guides to assist with this.
The horizontal view is the angle between your eyes and the right and left edges of your screen. Whereas the vertical is the angle between your eyes and the top and bottom of your screen.
In this instance I will use an example curated by…..who gives a great explanation on Sim Racing FOV here….Now let’s say for example you have two 27 inch screens and you’re sitting at a distance of 27 inches and 13.5 inches from the screens.
The closer you are to the screen the higher your field so it makes sense for Sim racing FOV to sit as close to the display as possible. Different sims and games will use either the vertical or horizontal and others will have in game FOVs that you can tinker with.
Here is a list of field of view calculators you can find across the web.
dinex86.github.io
simracingsetup.com
fov-calculator.com
sampsoide.com
solox.gg
Do bear in mind that changing the FOV to the most accurate calculation can take some time to adjust to and may feel awkward at first. However remember that this is very much something that is preferencial and you will need to identify the best setting for you because most importantly, you are the one who should benefit and find the enjoyment from the experience.