In the past, it was considered cool to play racing games with a steering wheel. Nowadays, professionals invest thousands of euros in hardware to make the games feel even more realistic. For them, a simple steering wheel has become too boring.
Many users invest quite a bit of money into their gaming systems to get the most out of their games. It is not uncommon for five-figure sums to be invested, like the 30,000 euro gaming setup of a professional player.
There are also professionals and wealthy individuals who invest tens of thousands of euros to bring their car into their home. After all, gaming should feel no different than sitting in a car.
For some, a small investment is enough to significantly improve their setup. MeinMMO editor Patrick Freese explains why a steering wheel has been his most important gaming purchase:
A professional setup can already cost more than €10,000
How much do you need to invest? The prices for such hardware are not exactly cheap. You’ll need to pay around €17,000 for a gaming simulator. For many professional devices, you might even pay double.
The prices for a professional device start at more than 25,000 British pounds. That’s about €29,000. So you’re paying roughly the same amount for the equipment as for a decent small car. For the most expensive setup from the manufacturer “Cool Performance”, you would even have to pay around €40,000 (via coolperformance.com).
Often the argument is made that such an investment is much cheaper than getting into a real race car and being on the track. As PCGamer explains, on a real racetrack you’d need to spend between €6,000 and €12,000. A realistic simulator is therefore significantly cheaper in the long run than regularly getting on the actual track.
Wealthy individuals and enthusiasts are willing to invest a lot of money in their hobby
Who even buys something like this? Connor Hughes, the head of the company Cool Performance, which develops such devices, explained to the magazine PCGamer that half of their customers are “wealthy individuals who want to train at home like Carlos Sainz and Mick Schumacher in their free time.”
However, there are also many enthusiasts who are willing to invest a lot of money in such devices. These are people who will fine-tune every detail until everything fits perfectly. For them, it is also the fulfillment of a dream and less about interest in ultimately participating in e-sports or real sports. Others would rather buy collectible figurines or travel halfway around the world for an absurdly expensive Pokémon card.
The COVID-19 pandemic has also contributed to gaming and the personal setup gaining a whole new importance. During this time, many racing rigs were completely sold out because many started gaming at home and didn’t step foot outside.
What do you think? Would you also invest so much money in your gaming system? Or would you rather spend that money elsewhere? Tell us in the comments!
Further stories about crazy gaming systems: Others invest half a million euros into their gaming systems. This even drives a well-known Twitch streamer to ask what they even need that for:
Man shows PC setup for $500,000 – Twitch streamer desperately asks: “What do you need that for?”
