Sim racing can be a sweaty business. I dare say that's something I can write with experience, but perhaps no more. I went for a test drive in a sim rig over at CES 2025 from Nitro Concepts that included a set of blowers that kept me cool, and more importantly, plenty immersed while racing.
For my test drive, a set of blowers sit either side the Moza wheelbase on the Nitro Concepts E-Racer rig. This set-up also includes large LED light strips that light up in accordance with what's happening in the game, ie flashing yellow when there's a yellow flag, and a haptic rumbling cushion. This 'Immersion' gear all connects up to various controllers that are hooked up mostly out of sight.
I'm initially quite sceptical about the whole 'wind' thing. Will it really feel like wind or will it feel like someone turned a fan on in front of me?
The answer is: both.
It does feel like wind, and the gradual scaling up and down of intensity stops it feeling too much like a fan blowing in your face. That said, a fan blowing in your face might also do just as well when going at full speed.
I'm racing around Spa Francorchamps, a racetrack in Belgium on the F1 calendar, and there are some high speed straights that really let these fans reach full whack. There is something quite exhilarating about it—something in my inner brain is better tricked into feeling like I'm travelling at high speed with the 'wind' hitting my face.
But if you think about it, it's not even that realistic to have wind hitting your face in anything other than open cockpit cars. Modern racecars might not be entirely sealed up like a family SUV, but there's at least a windshield on many of them. Nevertheless, I found the wind really added to the experience—immersion doesn't always have to be about pure realism.
I put a lap in, and then another, and I would've happily gone for a few more had I the time to stick around. But as I'm climbing out of the rig, a Nitro Concepts spokesperson tells me that wind simulation can be especially useful for VR gaming.
Firstly, it keeps you cool while wearing a headset—sim racing and VR gaming is an especially sweaty combination. Though what's more is that it is claimed that simulating wind can help keep nausea away. There's something to having a sense of direction through the flow of wind that tricks your brain.
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Wind set-ups aren't a brand new concept for sim racing and I had a look around to see if others report an diminishing nausea while using them. There are, in fact, anecdotal reports of wind simulation having this effect for people. If you suffer from nausea in VR, at the very least, it appears worth trying for yourself.
Also, there are some beefy wind simulator set-ups out there. The Nitro Concepts option was pretty sleek by comparison, though I suspect you might get more oomph out of a bigger unit.
I don't have availability info on the wind gear from Nitro Concepts just yet, but you can find the lighting and haptic systems over on its website for $50 (just the LED controller) and $1,000, respectively.
