Racing simulators help you feel what it’s like to race in real life without risking your life, limb and wallet. That’s why realism and immersion are important for games like this.
One of the factors that helps a racing simulator feel real is the FOV – so you must get it right. So, here’s how to find the best FOV for your current racing sim setup. We also have extra time to deepen your driving experience. So, let’s get to it!
What is FOV in sim racing?
FOV stands for “field of view”. In racing simulators, this is the angle at which how wide or small your monitor displays the simulated world. Think of your monitor as a window; The closer you are to the window, the more of the world you can see. Conversely, moving away from the window makes you see less.
If you’re new to sim racing, you might want to know how to get started sim racing at home. We’ll take you through your options, and you’ll find which type of simulator suits you best.
How does FOV improve immersion in racing simulators?
It’s not the end of the world if you haven’t perfected your FOV. However, a properly set field of view will help you see the distance better. This is important in racing simulators, as you need to accurately adjust your braking point or length from the car in front.
With your FOV just right, the competing cars, the track, and everything else on your monitor are fully magnified – it’s like you’re driving in real life. So, if you want your racing sim to feel as close as possible to the track, the best thing you can do is set the right FOV.
You won’t want to be sitting away from your monitor. This narrows your FOV, making it difficult to see things next to you, especially cars trying to overtake you. So, if you can’t sit closer or can’t justify buying an extra monitor, you can sacrifice some immersion by increasing the in-game FOV, or camera view, for better side-to-side awareness.
If you’re new to sim racing, take a look at how to choose the right sim racing wheel for you. There are many cheap options out there, but some of them can be a waste of money. So, we will help you choose your ideal sim racing wheel.
How to set your FOV in racing simulator
Setting your FOV in racing simulators is fairly easy. You can use online tools, or you can calculate it manually. Whichever way you want to do it, the most basic thing you’ll need is a ruler or measuring tape.
measure your distance from your monitor
This is where you’ll need your measuring tool of choice. If the ruler is too short, you should use a measuring tape. If you don’t have a measuring tape, use some wire and measure with a ruler after flattening it.
When you are doing sim racing, sit at the same distance from the monitor as you usually are. You should keep this distance as constant as possible to avoid having to measure and adjust your FOV again.
Measure the distance from your eyes to the center of the monitor. Ideally, you should measure as close to eye level as possible and make sure it’s in between your eyes and not just over one eye.
Measure Your Monitor and Find Your Aspect Ratio
The next thing you’ll need to know is your monitor. For the manual measurement method, you’ll need to measure the horizontal axis of your monitor. If you’re going to use the online tool we recommend, measure your monitor’s diagonal axis. If you already know your monitor size, you can skip straight to the next section.
If you want to find out your aspect ratio, you can do so by finding out the resolution of your display and visiting the aspect ratio calculator. Input the resolution, and the calculator will tell you your aspect ratio.
Calculate your FOV
We’ll show you the online FOV calculator tool first because the manual method will take a bit of trigonometry.
You can use either the modern FOV calculator or the FoV calculator 2021. There are many more, but these are the easiest to access and find. Simply input the information you collect; Your monitor’s size, distance to the monitor, and aspect ratio.
These calculators will spit out the answer, and you can copy the hfov or horizontal FOV numbers into your racing sim of choice; In our case, we are using Assetto Corsa Competizione.
You only need to measure a and b; The result is an angle. However, since we’re using a right-angled triangle, we only measure for half the monitor, which means the angle you get is only half the FOV, so needs to be doubled.