It might be, that's true. I measured my TVs input lag in the past and it is around 47ms. For a 60FPS game like Wipeout that's 3 frames. So yeah, that must be it. I kenw I couldn't suck at a racing game :P.

I got a few laps in yesterday, after I changed some button mappings. Initially I left the airbrakes alone, but I didn't notice much of a difference and double taps were slow, so I changed to R1L1, and then I was pressing the wrong buttons for a couple of laps. Then I had to go someplace so the result of the changed controlls is still unknown. I almost won a race that I didn't gold before, but I slammed the side of the last hard turn and the bastards got me.

One of the benefic effects of this thread is that I am much more relaxed when I play the game now.

I looked up F-zero, and reminisced of about Star Wars Episode One Pod Racer. May I venture in saying that both are much more epic visually, and that the sense of speed from SW Pod Races is unsurpassed? 

Thirded.

I'd say it was far more worth then a full game disc game release as it had more features and gameplay then most buyable £40 games. It cost me £12.

Wipeout HD is a great game if you want to play Wipeout HD - which is a title that features wonderful graphics, fluid, fast racing combined with an actual need to master the piloting to get far. And weapons.

If that's not for you then that's fine - but it doesn't make the game suck. Honestly, I literally hate the whole simplistic I don't like this therefore it must suck worldview.

Wipeout is clearly, both in sales, content and critical reviews, one of the best digital titles of this gen (particularly when you add the Fury expansion). Of course not everyone will like it - but that's just the way it is. Nobody likes every game, that's why no game ever sells anywhere near the actual install base. Heck, even something like GT5 (or Halo on 360) only appeals to a fraction of the total install base.

Look on the bright side - you got to try it for free. Think of the folks who bought it to learn they didn't like it.

I however, love it - even though I'll never master the top levels - and find it great fun to play on a big screen to experience what remains some of the best graphics this gen IMHO combined with a rare game that challenges you to learn instead of falling over to be so easy everyone can win first time around and be given the false impression they were actually skilled in the gameplay.

Platinum. Then we talk.

I'm all for a challenging game. What I am not for is a fast racing game that is frustrating on the easiest setting. I don't think people would have much of a false impression of skill if they are doing ok on Novice. 

And I didn't call the game names, I said I would be tempted to do so based on playing a small portion of it and not having fun.

Now, my experience is negatively affected by the HDTV I use, now that this issue came up, I am sure of it (in some sections I go from being planted in the rignt wall to being planted in the left wall and back sometimes, because I overcorrect based on visual input, which is late), but it's only 3 frames out of 60 per second, it shouldn't be that much of a problem.

Either way, I am getting better at it, but still the most fun I have is listening to the menu music, and racing on some of the tracks ... one of the tracks?

Wipeout has always been hard even on easy.  It's just the approach of the game.  Once you get it the feel for the basic driving (piloting?) tends to cross over to each title.  Again, frustration is down to the individual.  Plenty of players feel no frustration with the game (myself included).  There are plenty of people who get frustrated with FPS controls but that again is down to the individual not the controls.

I'm glad you're getting into it, though, but just as with say Demon's Souls, this is a title designed to reward user effort with a much steeper, tougher learning curve than most games today.  The comparison for me would be something like GT5 if you take of all the assists - suddenly you need to really know how to drive better than average just to finish.

Most games try to give an impression of difficulty while actually making sure most people can do okay - Wipeout HD is in the rare camp of games that doesn't take this approach.  It is difficult, and someone new to the title will almost certainly struggle until they put in effort.

Yes, it is dificult to control a high powered car without assists, that's why realistic driving simulators have driving schools (some of them, GT5 included). Wipeout could use one i think. Or rather that a full drivng school stile set of "missions", only a few tips and tricks kind of short examples of how to take a dificult curve using both airbreaks and direction controll, and anticipating the curve and such. 

I got it as one of my welcome back games and so far its just been a bore fest. Wish I chosen little big planet instead...

(give me F-zero over wipeout any day)

At least now we can better understand why majority of games have difficulty levels set so low that one handed 10 year old kid could finish them on normal.

That's a good suggestion.  The assists in wipeout are a bit if a catch 22 IMHO because if you get used to them they'll limit you're eventual success.  A series of teaching trials would be very nice for newcomers to the gameplay.