Numerous companies publish highly-detailed racing simulators, and peripheral companies like Logitech, Thrustmaster, and RealGear make all manner of steering wheels, pedals, and other gear to enhance the feel of being in a real car. It is frightfully easy to go overboard in building a racing simulator rig, a fact clearly illustrated by a Youtuber named Shane Parish and his nutso, high-performance creation.
In a short video uploaded in March, Shane gives the world a tour of his fantastic rig. Built in a spare bedroom of his house, the sim rig sits on a raised platform covered in checker-flag carpet. A mock roll bar equipped with multi-function LED lights surrounds the structure, adding a touch of verisimilitude. The heart of the system is a powerful homebuilt PC specifically designed to run the popular iRacing online racing simulator. A custom-built dashboard features six monitors, including four, 32-inch curved Samsung displays, carbon fiber, real switchgear, and a sea of blue LED mood lighting. A real NASCAR race wheel fitted with game buttons provides input along with a set of custom pedals, and a Sparco racing seat with built-in surround sound speakers provides extra immersion in the simulation.
The amount of money and time that went into the design and building of Shane's rig is surely mind boggling. He doesn't give any numbers during the video, but just by looking at the quality and attention to detail, the price in components and material alone must be approaching five figures. In fact, he states at the beginning of the video that he could have bought a new car with the money, but sim racing is his passion and he does it because he loves it.
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