Community Question | Who Here Uses VR, And Why?

[Paul Jeffrey]

Sim racing is far more than just the simulations themselves - a long, wide and varied array of hardware can be used to enhance your experience, and one such device is VR - but who here uses it on a regular basis?

VR - otherwise known as Virtual Reality, brings with it the ability to place a driver right into the heart of a virtual racing cockpit. Adding an immersive 3D experience to the driving aspect of sim racing, the technology and immersion are no doubt impressive - but can come with a cost - namely loss of visual performance, high PC horsepower demand and the (potential) discomfort of wearing a headset for prolonged periods of time.

As with much in life, one has to weigh up the pros and cons and VR is no different. With that said, I'd love to know how many of us here at RaceDepartment regularly use their VR headsets when sim racing, and the reasons why they prefer it (or not) over traditional screens.

Fire away in the comments section and poll!

 

[Neilski]

but I had the opportunity 6 months or so ago to try out a VR setup with motion. The HMD and GPU were both older, so the quality of graphics was nothing to write home about, but even with the greatly decreased graphics quality, I was blown away.

Oh, I would so dearly love to try VR+motion!

vFOV is adopted by Kunos and all ISI engine based games (rFactor 1 & 2, GSC, GSCE, SCE, AMS), hFOV is only PCars and EATS. I think it's more accurate and easier to use for different monitors ratio as your world scale for given vFOV will stay the same regardless of 4:3, 16:9 or ultrawide monitors.
Remember that FOV is not only how much you can see but how proportional to real life the distances and objects are.

Ahh. I think this means I don't fully understand the issue here, as it had seemed like it was just a question of a different choice about what you're keeping constant when changing things (whether 16:9, 32:9, or other). Don't want to drag things further off topic though so will just ponder it for now

 

[metalnwood]

The Reverb Pro v2 is a great headset, I've sold mine to move on to the G2 as the main weakness of the original is lens sweet spot and sound both of which are, supposedly, sorted on the G2. I did notice mura and CA in the original Reverb as well but this was quickly forgotten once driving.

In terms of pixel density only the 8k plus will be better, the 5k screens are nearly twice the size with so need twice the pixels to match the reverb. For $340 you can't go wrong, it needs a beefy pc though for some games (ACC was unplayable on my i7 9700k/rtx 2070 super setup).

I have seen a few people now with both headsets, reverb g2 and pimax 8kx say that the reverb is the clearer of the two.

 

[BP]

I'm glad it helps a great many feel more in-tune and immersed in the sims and I hope the tech continues to be supported and improve in the years to come. While I'd say most people are not sure of their motion sickness tolerance with VR, I'd say I'm one of the few who's definitely sure it would mess me up pretty badly. I've suffered from vertigo symptoms for the past 6 years non-stop to varying levels (if you've ever watched "Arrested Development", I'm like Lucille 2). It eventually corrected itself "enough", but it's still always there and varies in intensity. On top of all that, I've always been sensitive to motion since childhood, especially when not controlled by me (i.e. I hate being driven by someone for long trips, and sailing/flying tend to suck depending on length of trip and turbulence/weather). Don't even talk about being in an anchored boat and bobbing around

So why you have a history like that, VR seems pretty intimidating...because even though people just assume your mind can't fathom how awesome being "in the game is" (trust me, I have a vivid imagination...I've actually wanted VR to exist since I was a little boy in the 80's), you know it's not for you. Triples however work pretty well for me, although every now and again I might feel a slight sickness...my theory is that since I can see my actual hands and feet it's not as jarring.

Not trying to take away from VR at all, just explaining the perspective of a few who are reluctant to try it...but happy for all of you who get to experience it

(I just hope devs don't forget about us Triple Monitor guys, luckily most modern sims support it)

 

[BrightCandle]

What's the audio quality like on these headsets?

Can you hear cars over/undertaking you as you race?

What about tyre/brake squeal/ suspension squeak?

J

I can only speak for the Samsung Odyssey+ but it is reasonable. They have AKG on ear speakers and I can hear cars get alongside as well as tire and brakes and all that jazz if its there in the sim. They definitely aren't as good as my Sennheiser HD 598s which I run off a Sennheiser GSX 1000 DAC/AMP which goes into my Schitt Magni 2 but that is comparing $500 worth of audio kit to the headset. It gets the job done and it is pretty good but not music audiophile good.

 

[Emery]

Is anybody hacking the audio components?

 

[BrightCandle]

I mostly race in VR to the point where if a sim doesn't do VR then I don't bother with it. The primary reason seems to be I am quicker, faster and safer in VR than not. I suspect its the depth perception but also the correct scale and immersive effect that ensures the environment feels correct, I can judge speed much better in VR than I can on a screen even if the FOV is set to be 1:1 world scale on the screen.

The other thing I love however is fighting other cars in VR. You can look right at the car you are fighting in the corner to know precisely where it is and judge how you get on the power as you exit corners maximising the space they give you. It can really help win a fight for a position because you don't have to just give margin you know precisely how much to give. Most people likely solve this with car radar and it works but its not very realistic and in VR you can read the dials that the car gives you and turn off most of the HUD. Helps with getting focussed on the task at hand of driving.

You can look to where the wheels are going and into the corners and apex and exits and its got nothing to do with the attitude of your car at that moment, you can easily look where ever you want to for ideal vision. Its main drawback is that VR costs a bunch of extra performance which usually means worse graphics with low perceived resolution and its hard to do all the other computer stuff like discord and such that racing with others often entails.

 

[Greg Savoie]

VR! Started with Oculus Rift. Now use Pimax 5K Plus. It is all about immersion and recreating my real life experiences on a race track.

 

[ricardo bacigalupo]

Hi, this is a very subjective issue and somewhat difficult to understand. A little over 2 years ago, the first time I used the rift cv1 I had an episode of extreme congratulations, a feeling seldom felt of surprise when being inside a car and that extreme immersion. This is the "honeymoon" period of VR. I used them for 2 years and later I bought the rift "s", after using them for a few months, I started using a 34 ultrawide monitor, then I changed the monitor to 49 ultrawide, currently I run with a monitor and used the vr from time to time to relive the "honeymoon" and then return to the monitor. Because he explained this, it is for 2 reasons, it is not by definition edo never bothered me, problem 1 is that after running for a few minutes, not seeing my hands, I do not feel that I am the one who runs but only my eyes inside a car, Reason 2 is that after 20 minutes of running I start to wish it would end due to the discomfort of the lenses, I started to get distracted and the race pace slowed (I have a fan pointed at my head). Pd. Sorry for goolgle translator.

 

[RCHeliguy]

So why you have a history like that, VR seems pretty intimidating...

Not trying to take away from VR at all, just explaining the perspective of a few who are reluctant to try it...but happy for all of you who get to experience it

(I just hope devs don't forget about us Triple Monitor guys, luckily most modern sims support it)

I think everyone needs to understand that people have different needs and there is no absolute right or wrong, but just what works for you.

While I love VR, I can't see triples going anywhere for many reasons.

1. Endurance racing
2. Parents who need to be aware of children around them
3. People with nausea
4. People who just prefer it. This is as good a reason as anything else.

 

[paokkerkir]

I love VR, dont get me wrong, you get totally immersed being in the car, but...
Usually I end up using the triples, mostly for comfort. With VR you are completely spaced out, which is a good thing, but can be bad also.
And yes, I'm a bit faster in VR due to depth perception, but I'm slow anyways so doesn't really matter

 

[Deleted member 1234936]

I wish you could rent a set out for a month, Maybe post corvid the manufactures could look at this.

 

[BertramRaven]

I spent a lot of time customising my Vive to be comfortable for long periods. This included replacing the lenses with a non-fresnel type from a Samsung VR kit, adding the up-rated headband (with audio), and creating a custom face cushion.I know the makers of HMD's are trying to creating something which will work with a wide range of people, but my modifications should have been something which came as standard - none of them were expensive or unusual.

 

[Lars Stjernstrøm]

If there is ever glasses free 3D screens, i would consider triple 55” Until then i’m using VR, but wider FOV would be nice.

 

[actuallyasriel]

I have VR hardware, and just got my wheel stand and such set up as well the trackers for the headset, but I still haven't gotten around to trying it yet... because I developed a freakin' ear infection the past couple weeks! Just sitting down in Virtual Desktop made me feel sick! Yay!

Additionally I tend to get VR sick pretty easily, but I'd like to try it out at least once. It's starting to get better so hopefully soon.

 

[markie44]

Having recently got an HP G2 (my first VR headset), I was very disappointed to discover I suffer from quite bad motion sickness with racing Sims. I'd used headsets previously and never really had that problem with games that you can walk around in, so thought I'd be OK. With Alyx for example I can go well over an hour without any side effects (other than VR frazzle face) , but with racing I struggle to do 10-15 mins.

IMO there is no question that the immersion in a racing sim is massively superior to screens so I'm really incentivised to 'get over' it. I've tried some suggestions - lock to horizon, ginger etc. I'm least affected if I drive on a full stomach, or just do very short stints.

I have some actuators, fans and a butt kicker still to add to my rig so I'm hoping with them and regular exposure, I might trick myself and increase my tolerance - A LOT!

I'm amazed (and slightly jealous) of those who have never experienced any sickness and would be interested to know what pre-disposes people to be prone. No vertigo, but I cant read in the car without feeling sick for example - but I thought everyone had that problem?

Ah, just to add I'm running a 1080 (non-ti) until I can source a 3070/80 - so again, I'm hoping that may be making the issue worse. I've noticed people mentioning that frame drops in VR is nausea inducing. It would be good to know if people who have upgraded to high end GPUs are affected less by the upgrade...

 

[Deleted member 197115]

@markie44, all sims need some sort of view stabilization for VR use. AC has lock camera to horizon, ACC also has setting to balance between view/cockpit movement, etc.
Without that sickness is guaranteed.

 

[markie44]

@markie44, all sims need some sort of view stabilisation for VR use. AC has lock camera to horizon, ACC also has setting to balance between view/cockpit movement, etc.
Without that sickness is guaranteed.

I use the horizon stabilisation in AC (see post) - it helps a bit, but not much TBH.

 

[Fat-Alfie]

@markie44, all sims need some sort of view stabilization for VR use. AC has lock camera to horizon, ACC also has setting to balance between view/cockpit movement, etc.
Without that sickness is guaranteed.

I can't use Lock to Horizon in AC or I do feel sick, so it's not exactly guaranteed.

 

[Deleted member 197115]

That's unusual, does RHM work better?

 

[Alvaro de la Orden]

Having recently got an HP G2 (my first VR headset), I was very disappointed to discover I suffer from quite bad motion sickness with racing Sims. I'd used headsets previously and never really had that problem with games that you can walk around in, so thought I'd be OK. With Alyx for example I can go well over an hour without any side effects (other than VR frazzle face) , but with racing I struggle to do 10-15 mins.

IMO there is no question that the immersion in a racing sim is massively superior to screens so I'm really incentivised to 'get over' it. I've tried some suggestions - lock to horizon, ginger etc. I'm least affected if I drive on a full stomach, or just do very short stints.

I have some actuators, fans and a butt kicker still to add to my rig so I'm hoping with them and regular exposure, I might trick myself and increase my tolerance - A LOT!

I'm amazed (and slightly jealous) of those who have never experienced any sickness and would be interested to know what pre-disposes people to be prone. No vertigo, but I cant read in the car without feeling sick for example - but I thought everyone had that problem?

Ah, just to add I'm running a 1080 (non-ti) until I can source a 3070/80 - so again, I'm hoping that may be making the issue worse. I've noticed people mentioning that frame drops in VR is nausea inducing. It would be good to know if people who have upgraded to high end GPUs are affected less by the upgrade...

hi there sir,
what sim did you try?
years ago when I bought my CV1, I went for Dirt Rally. After 30 seconds with the Alpine in a gravel stage, and had to stop and the diziness lasted a whole day.
Then I started Assetto Corsa, and never felt anything similar, no sickness at all. So I figured out the drifting and sliding hit me hard, rather than the accurate handling in a tarmac track.
flying combat planes, no problem either.
playing Onward, doing single player stuff, all good. Switching to multiplayer(much faster enviroment), got me sick and vomiting after 15 mins.

So my advice is don´t give up. Just make short sessions. If you ever going to hit a barrier or armco, just close your eyes before contact.