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!

 

[dadara74]

After using 24" triples 60hz 1080p for some years I bought a Rift S just before they went out of stock everywere earlier this year and all the praise is true; it's epic! Everything described above is true, it truly is a giant evolution in gaming and an out-of-this-world experience.

But........at the same time I bought an 34" ultrawide 144hz 1440p to replace the triples.....and tbh I found myself using that monitor more and more often on my rig than actually driving in VR. The ease of use, clarity, sharpness an especially 144hz refresh rate just makes the whole experience so much smoother and enjoyable it even felt a step back visually going back to VR despite the 3D feeling and depth perception. Driving in VR also means more latency, my laptimes are slightly better and more consistent on the 144hz ultrawide than in VR, despite the initial advantage that you have in VR when it comes to hitting apexes and judging brake distances. VR makes you faster in a shorter amount of time, but a 144hz display makes you faster and more consistent after a longer period...at least that was my experience. Catching slides is also something that is a lot easier to do on a monitor than in VR as you notice sliding of the car much earlier due to the fixed head position, higher refresh rate and less latency.

Despite the awesomeness racing in VR does have its drawbacks, especially in long stints; you cant take it easy or relax for a brief moment but more important you simply cannot interact with your surroundings which can start to become very annoying when the wow-effect of VR is fading away after a couple of weeks. VR is brilliant for hotlapping and sprint races but for longer stints and endurance/team racing it can be just too much to really enjoy over longer periods of time.

My advice is yes, you HAVE to try VR, it's amazing, extremely immersive and just awesome but for the long run (in simracing) imo the current tech just isnt quite there yet. As soon an affordable high refresh rate (144hz+) VR headset with much higher resolutions and no screendoor effect hits the market (no, the Valve Index is not there yet either) I will immediately jump right back into VR, no question about that....I do hope I will have the time to first upgrade everything from CPU to GPU though to make it work properly...

 

[Intrepid]

I always use VR for simulation. I have Rift S. Waiting for my Reverb G2.

 

[jfeelders]

I bought a 2nd hand Rift in june 2019, followed by a RiftS during black friday 2019 and I'm considering a Quest2 when support for 90Hz is released. It's all about immersion. Whether it's in a Formula Hybrid on Spa or in a Porsche RSR on Le Mans with 24h day/night-cycle and weather. It's so much easier to hit the apexes if you can freely move your head and focus on the corners.

 

[MrBraindown]

I use VR as often as possible. I've got AC set-up really well, the fidelity and sharpness is perfect. I also use it for Automobilista 2, I've been playing it tonight and its finally beginning to grow on me - and it looks ace in VR. Dirt Rally2 is great as well.

The immersion is amazing, it's truly a mind-blowing experience, especially in vintage single-seaters. DRM and Group C is incredible as well. I also find cars a lot 'easier' to drive in VR, I tend to always hit my apexes and have better positional awareness, generally my laptimes improve.

Maybe a feature/bonus that isn't discussed enough is the ability to just get out your car and walk around it - space permitting of course. This is a great way to really appreciate the car and its details. I've also 'sat' on the roof of my DTM car during a replay and watched an amazing battle behind me for a few laps. I've also parked up at Longford to spectate a classic F1 race. Please tell me other people do this and I'm not some weirdo?

I was gutted when I first bought my headset (Rift-S) as I was sick as a dog when I first started using it, but I restricted myself to short sittings at first to help build up an immunity, eventually I was fine on longer stints. The massive game changer for me was buying a mini USB fan, I put this on full power, nailing me straight in the chops. Never had an issue since (although Dirt Rally2 desperately tries), plus it adds to the immersion when in single seaters or convertibles.

I still dabble in flat-screen with ACC and rF2 as I can't seem to get the picture quality I want with either. It runs fine on both, but the sharpness just isn't there. I've wrestled around with various settings in rF2 but I'd rather wrestle my grand-mother naked than spend a minute longer in that UI and she's been dead twenty years.... and only had one leg when she was alive.

I recently stumbled across a decent engine.ini file for ACC and it's ok, but I'm spoilt by the quality of AC plus ACC is pure eye-candy on flats. My brain would fry if they actually put some time in just to make that sim pop in VR.

 

[Patrik Marek]

I use it sometimes, as it's takes time to setup. I also have the Oculus Rift CV1, which didn't have the thingies for hands, which does limit VR in some games, where they rely on those :-/

I really like it , it adds to immersion so much, much more than driving on wheel

I have Fanatec CSW2 , which also takes a bit of time to setup , but I'm definitely having way more fun on Gamepad in VR, then with Fanatec on monitors ( I have 2 screens, but mostly play on 1 only)

2huge factor that are game changing experience in VR - you see a lot of the world around you thanks to bigger FOV and screen really close to your face , therefore you see a huge amount of the world, but also the 3d aspect of it, seeing in proper stereoscopic vision makes a huge difference

of course what sucks is that the FPS goes much lower and some sims are poorly optimized for VR, but if you can get a decent FPS, it's hard to ever go back

i'll be looking into newer gen of VR at some point to get bit more resolution and some controllers for the hands, but it might need to be paired up with a beefy GPU as well

 

[Patrik Marek]

Maybe a feature/bonus that isn't discussed enough is the ability to just get out your car and walk around it - space permitting of course. This is a great way to really appreciate the car and its details. I've also 'sat' on the roof of my DTM car during a replay and watched an amazing battle behind me for a few laps. I've also parked up at Longford to spectate a classic F1 race. Please tell me other people do this and I'm not some weirdo?

as a modder working on cars, I do this all the time, take a look at my cars up close, and tweak some details as needed / fill out gaps that are not easily noticeable, it's incredible how different it looks when you see the car you did in front of you!

 

[cprelot]

I stoped using VR ...I really enjoying when I started , but devoloping eye fatigue and losing focus more often now
and as well playing more ACC running crap in VR so it's a deal breaker...
I invested with a triple 32 inch screen setup recently and so far I just love it!

 

[BillyBobSenna]

Well that's one hell of a first VR experience - I think the problem is that you easily get sick if you see movement you don't control. If you actually turn the wheel yourself your brain anticipates the movement you see so you won't get sick that easy when driving yourself. Give it a try again, I'm sure you'll see what I mean!

I agree, having control helps a lot or even solves the problem. I also tend to get car sick when I am on performance drives on the test track and I am not driving. This never happens when I am driving. I believe motion sickness is partially hereditary. My brother also tends to get car sickness when not driving.

 

[Beef36]

For me and where I live, VR headsets are too hot and uncomfortable to wear in summer.

Thus it's VR in cold weather, and triples when the weather warms up.

 

[Tony 93]

I have had VR for years and even now I am blown away with the realism
I would never go back to triples so use to VR

 

[Jason Chamberlain]

I got VR shortly after getting my gaming rig last December. I can't imagine racing without it now. I added a couple of tactile transducer pucks a couple of months ago and the combination is fantastic.

However, there are times I do miss using a monitor. Sometimes my Rift S and AMS2 just can't get together and AMS2 starts in the virtual desktop. I keep a wireless keyboard with a trackpad handy when I do anything in AC as it's just easier. I really like the PC2/AMS2/Dirt Rally 2 interface for VR. ACC was OK (once I got the settings right), but I found after a couple of hotfixes ago I need to use a keyboard to advance after a race (any ideas anyone?).

The only time I feel a bit queasy is if I have to reverse after hitting a wall. There are also moments like that in Dirt Rally 2 that make me feel a little weird. Otherwise, I love it. There is nothing like being in an open-wheeler in VR. I love using the paid mod for the modern F1 cars in AC in VR as I feel like I actually have a little idea of what it's like (narrator - it would be terrifying).

Now Skyrim VR is another story. I had to stop playing that because I felt terrible.

Oh, and having a fan blowing on you is a must. My rig is in a basement, but I live in North Carolina where the air conditioning sometimes has to struggle to keep up in the summer. Even when it's chilly I find that between my seat and the VR headset I get pretty hot. I also can't imagine more than a 90 minute session without a break.

 

[ShredatorFIN]

Rift S, but if a sim doesn't have VR, I don't think it's unplayable. In some cases I even prefer flat screen, if VR is not great and runs badly (like Assetto Corsa Competizione used to be, haven't tried lately)

I have triples too, and again, if there is no true triple support, it doesn't make me skip a title. If it's otherwise good

Wreckfest would need VR though. But skipping a title like that, because it has no VR? Come on. Next racing game with similar damage model comes... maybe not in my lifetime? Realistic sims come and go, but Wreckfest is one of kind

 

[Jason Chamberlain]

Maybe a feature/bonus that isn't discussed enough is the ability to just get out your car and walk around it - space permitting of course. This is a great way to really appreciate the car and its details. I've also 'sat' on the roof of my DTM car during a replay and watched an amazing battle behind me for a few laps. I've also parked up at Longford to spectate a classic F1 race. Please tell me other people do this and I'm not some weirdo?

I have been known to spend time in the pits just looking around the cockpit of my car for a while. I also agree that replays can be amazing in VR.

 

[Ryan Robbins]

I got into VR about 6 months ago. Haven't played one flat screen game since except a few games of Fortnite. I like ACC so I tried it with my flatscreen but I just cannot do it.

First time I tried it I played 5 minutes and was nauseous for 30 minutes. After a week I could play 1/2 hour...but couldn't deal with any rally driving. Now, I can play Dirt Rally for 45 minutes with no I'll effects. I can play AC for a few hours.

 

[The Flying Hun]

I use VR exclusively since 2017. The quesiton why I do it, honestly said I cannot take serious.

Being on an Oculus Rift, I plan to switch to a different brand, newer model in 2023 when Oculus has made login via Facebook mandatory. I do not accept that. I do not tolerate Facebook et.al on my rig. Its bad enough as it already is with the current Oculus-Facebook setting for old owners being on delay since a month or so now. After Oculus got retired, I either will get a new system (if the new headset needs it), or reinstall the old system I currently run.

 

[The Flying Hun]

Tip for Wreckfest players: as you know, no VR mode in this game. Try it on the big movie screen in "Virtual Desktop" with the Cineplexx DLC mod. Works well, gives big images, 2D (cinema ambience is stereoscopic of course) but still a blast to the eye, does not compare to a monitor screen. I mean, its HUGE!

It does not work good with Oculus Desktop interface only, hence my recommendation to use Virtual Desktop.

Not all games and genres give you a good experience with this setup, a FPS for example can give you the vomits this way easily. But with Wreckfest, you get an EXTREMELY good experience in this setup, second best to true stereoscopic in-cockpit display..

 

[MrBraindown]

Now Skyrim VR is another story. I had to stop playing that because I felt terrible.

I literally played that for ten minutes and refunded it, as soon as I'd emptied my bucket of puke of course.

 

[papa john]

VR is my next move but i will probably keep my 49 inch widescreen. I only play AC or ACC but VR seems like total crap in ACC.

My biggest concern is the HZ. The last years i have only played on 144 or 240 HZ screens and i don't wanna go backwards. I have been looking at G2 or Quest 2 but it's only Index that runs 120 or 144 hz.

 

[Lars Hansen]

Not for me.
While I agree that the immersion is incredible, there are a few cons as well, most already listed.
Lack of graphic fidelity. I'm in no way a graphics-slut, but there are limits. And the current tech simply isn't good enough for me.
Heat, especially when combined with something physical as racing with FFB. I get sweaty enough as is, throwing a heat-source, complete with foam-insulation, onto my head seems like a bad idea.
And finally, they're impractical when you're using glasses. It can be done, but there's a pretty good chance you're going to scratch the HMD, the glasses or both.

I do occasionally use it for flight-sims where depth-perception becomes kinda important. But the combination of an already resource-heavy sim and VR doesn't help the frame-rate.

I'm sure VR will get more and more ubiquitous as the tech improves.
We're just not quite there yet.

 

[Deleted member 197115]

Just can't force myself to do racing on screen anymore, it's just bland, caricature like experience comparing to VR, which is as close to being in real race car as it can get.
In other words, it's Reality, only Virtual. Pretty sure someone said it before me already.