3rd-Sep-23, 07:35 AM
Welcome 
Having the space to run 1/24 is wonderful! You will need to factor space for the extra border pieces around the layout - 1/24 cars need these added to the inside and outside of standard track pieces. And - of course - you will be able to run 1/32 scale cars. You will need a different voltage power supply plugged into the Control Unit for 1/32, which will also come in handy for other brands of 1/24 cars. D124 cars run at 18.5 volts, D132 and most other slot cars run at around 13.5V.
Carrera, Scaleauto and BRM produce ready-to-run cars in 1/24 scale - and there are plenty of options for kit and scratch-building. Of course, all cars will need to be fitted with a digital decoder that is compatible with the digital system you are using. All current Carrera 1/24 cars come fitted with a Carrera Digital chip.
A Carrera D124 set will give you a great introduction to digital slot cars. It will have pretty much everything you need - including borders and wireless controllers. You’ll be able to run ghost cars using the standard Control Unit. Next steps would be to add a pit lane and to use the superb SmartRace app (https://www.smartrace.de/en/) via the Carrera AppConnect dongle, which may be bundled in your set, or can be purchased separately.
Personally, I think the Carrera set with SmartRace gives you massive possibilities. However, if you then decide to go for oXigen or Scorpius, you will be replacing everything in your Carrera system - apart from the track pieces and cars. The digital track pieces (lane changers, pit lanes) will need the electronics replaced and the Carrera decoders in the cars will need to be replaced too. Then you will need new electronics to connect cars/controllers to computer, plus new hand throttles. The price differences are huge - and there is no gradual or economical way of making the transition. OXigen and Scorpius users will swear the extra cost is worth it, but I’m not sure…
Personally, I think SmartRace helps make Carrera probably the best digital slot car system available at the moment - and I say that as a Scalextric digital user. The main focus of SmartRace is racing in groups, but the Ghost Car feature looks pretty decent (https://www.smartrace.de/en/the-smartrac...host-cars/). In terms of playability, oXigen nor Scorpius offer anything close, although both are developing new race management software, which may close the gap.
It’s also worth noting that Carrera also has a much, much larger user-base, especially in North America and Europe, giving a vast reservoir of knowledge, expertise and third-party add-ons. We are talking a hundreds of thousands of Carrera users vs dozens or maybe a couple of hundred for oXigen and Scorpius.
I’d recommend getting stuck into Carrera D124 + SmartRace and see where that journey leads you. My hunch is that it won’t lead to either Scorpius or oXigen.
I hope that helps!
Having the space to run 1/24 is wonderful! You will need to factor space for the extra border pieces around the layout - 1/24 cars need these added to the inside and outside of standard track pieces. And - of course - you will be able to run 1/32 scale cars. You will need a different voltage power supply plugged into the Control Unit for 1/32, which will also come in handy for other brands of 1/24 cars. D124 cars run at 18.5 volts, D132 and most other slot cars run at around 13.5V.
Carrera, Scaleauto and BRM produce ready-to-run cars in 1/24 scale - and there are plenty of options for kit and scratch-building. Of course, all cars will need to be fitted with a digital decoder that is compatible with the digital system you are using. All current Carrera 1/24 cars come fitted with a Carrera Digital chip.
A Carrera D124 set will give you a great introduction to digital slot cars. It will have pretty much everything you need - including borders and wireless controllers. You’ll be able to run ghost cars using the standard Control Unit. Next steps would be to add a pit lane and to use the superb SmartRace app (https://www.smartrace.de/en/) via the Carrera AppConnect dongle, which may be bundled in your set, or can be purchased separately.
Personally, I think the Carrera set with SmartRace gives you massive possibilities. However, if you then decide to go for oXigen or Scorpius, you will be replacing everything in your Carrera system - apart from the track pieces and cars. The digital track pieces (lane changers, pit lanes) will need the electronics replaced and the Carrera decoders in the cars will need to be replaced too. Then you will need new electronics to connect cars/controllers to computer, plus new hand throttles. The price differences are huge - and there is no gradual or economical way of making the transition. OXigen and Scorpius users will swear the extra cost is worth it, but I’m not sure…
Personally, I think SmartRace helps make Carrera probably the best digital slot car system available at the moment - and I say that as a Scalextric digital user. The main focus of SmartRace is racing in groups, but the Ghost Car feature looks pretty decent (https://www.smartrace.de/en/the-smartrac...host-cars/). In terms of playability, oXigen nor Scorpius offer anything close, although both are developing new race management software, which may close the gap.
It’s also worth noting that Carrera also has a much, much larger user-base, especially in North America and Europe, giving a vast reservoir of knowledge, expertise and third-party add-ons. We are talking a hundreds of thousands of Carrera users vs dozens or maybe a couple of hundred for oXigen and Scorpius.
I’d recommend getting stuck into Carrera D124 + SmartRace and see where that journey leads you. My hunch is that it won’t lead to either Scorpius or oXigen.
I hope that helps!
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