Racing with Oculus Quest2

So I got weak and a bought rig, a Fanatec wheel, pedals  with load sensor brake and fairly powerful PC. Instead of triple screens I went VR. It is great, really, in many ways. The immersion is unreal (because it feels so real) and I have a much better feeling for what I should do, and when, than last time I did sim racing 6-7 years ago.

But. 

It is not really comfortable in the long run. The imagery is not really clear and  the peripheral vision is still limited. Yes, I can look in all directions, but it is kind of a tunnelvision. Frame rates and everything is good, but I cannot really figure out what exactly is wrong and therefore I cannot solve it. Maybe the VR technology is not there yet? Or is there some secret tricks that can improve it?

I use iRacing and Asetto Corsa. It feels better in iRacing. Better, but not good. 

Not much VR-experience myself. The times I've used it have been professionally (as I've been at a professional place/game release).

You might have more luck in getting a good answer at the iRacing forum, or specialized forums like RaceDepartment

Edited by Myrvold, 18 March 2022 - 11:10.

I'm not sure if that's an issue which is easy to find a workaround for. That's why people with almost unlimited budget prefer the Pimax headsets for sim racing, because those have great field of view, but they truly require a power plant behind them to get acceptable performance (only the highest tier of high-end PCs can be considered enough for them). The Valve Index has a somewhat wider view angle and the distance of the lenses from the eyes is also adjustable, but it still doesn't feel natural regarding the issue you described. I naturally developed this 'I point my head where I want to look' movement when wearing the headset, from the outside, I must look like a scared pigeon.

The image quality was also a bit disappointing for me, because the Index is a "second generation" headset so to say and everyone praised the reduced screen door effect in it, but it's still very noticable at first, I can only say that your brain gets used to it pretty quickly.

Edited by balage06, 30 March 2022 - 08:52.

The imagery is not really clear and  the peripheral vision is still limited. Yes, I can look in all directions, but it is kind of a tunnelvision. 

This sounds like driving with a full-face helmet, ie accidentally realistic 

This sounds like driving with a full-face helmet, ie accidentally realistic 

I know, I really had that feeling and remembered why I dropped my full-face and used my motocross helmet also with the street bike. I really like to have peripheral vision (contrary to almost all waiters/waitresses). 

VR is the original autonomous driving tech, always just around the corner to get right but never happens. 

Edited by Alfisti, 30 March 2022 - 16:23.

From what I've seen there are various good VR experiences out there. I've not had a chance to try any myself, but it's definitely here now. It's not just around the corner. It's happened.

From what I've seen there are various good VR experiences out there. I've not had a chance to try any myself, but it's definitely here now. It's not just around the corner. It's happened.

One part of the issue is that the studios behind sim racing titles are quite small ones and they don't necessarily have the resources to optimize their games around the VR experience. They cannot really utilize modern hardware capabilities and it really shows in VR where two high resolution screens have to be rendered simultaneously. The sim racing community isn't that big in the first place and VR users are only a small precentage of their user base.

My biggest problem is, once I tried and got used to driving in VR, I completely lost the ability to enjoy driving on a flat screen. I admire and envy those who can effortlessly switch between the two.

Edited by balage06, 30 March 2022 - 19:50.

Search the Reddit forums, it has a huge VR userbase. Check if you have all the settings set correctly.

When I ever decide to get back into sim racing I want to go the VR route as well.

I also bought a Quest 2 about a month ago and have used it with Assetto Corsa (and Competitzione), Xplane11 and FS2020. I have to admit, it is quite amazing at first, did a good handful of races/flights, however the blurriness is quite off putting. It’s a great experience, but I’ve gone back to using a monitor for ACC. For Xplane it’s pretty cool as it’s a bit more relaxed…the blurriness isn’t as off putting. I’ve got a pretty high-spec PC and have tried all of the various settings mentioned in tutorials and Reddit threads, but I’ve never quite felt like I could make the switch fully to VR yet. I don’t feel like it’s quite there but it’s getting very, very close.

It may well be that the Quest 2 isn’t the highest of spec headsets out there (which it isn’t), but I’m glad I bought it anyway. It’s a great experience and the games that you can buy on the actual headset (Star Wars, VR mini golf, Beat Saber) are great fun. Google Earth is amazing on it (sounds a bit rubbish I know, but try it - it’s surreal!).

Used my Oculus Rift S in Project Cars 2 and Dirt Rally 2 on a budget wheel setup (G27), and I can say it certainly adds a whole new dimension to racing, Dirt Rally 2 really pushed my nauseous levels to the max though, some of the jumps made my stomach turn!  

VR is the original autonomous driving tech, always just around the corner to get right but never happens.