VR support in Assetto Corsa 2016

1. Yes. If Virtual Desktop does not come back after a race, just press the home button twice on the oculus remote.
2. Sorry, no idea

 

I played AC for a very long time in crystal-clear 3D-vision-surround (3x full-HD resolution) and Track-IR.
Since I got my CV1 I never got back to my triples although they already were 3D, although I already had head-movement via Track-IR and although the surround-resolution was much higher!
No way Track-IR can compete with CV1-headmovement, which feels 100% natural and like in real-life.
Of course I would like a higher resolution in VR too, but the immersion of really sitting in the car in an 1:1 full-scale virtual 3D world let me sacrifice the higher resolution. I wait for CV2 or CV3 too but in the meantime I enjoy what's already possible in VR today. It takes some time to get used to the lower resolution but pixel density 2.0 and 8xAA help at least a bit.
I hope that all VR enthusiasts who can afford it will support this new technology by buying the available products so that it can be developed further, otherwise we will never experience a CV2 or CV3, which would be a lost chance IMHO...

 

Yeah I have done some more testing because I cannot mail it today anyway (made sure beforehand I have the right for full money-back) and after initial shock, I can appreciate the upsides. It really is like actually sitting in real-size Ferrari. Scale and depth is amazing, everything is just right size. Especially open wheelers are awesome. But what bothers me is that realistic "being in a car feeling" has less to do with actual driving, than long draw distance (at least for me).. which was always a big deal in gaming, especially in driving games. Not many game genres where good draw distance would matter more, imo. While the added depth helps in placing the car to apex, have to admit that.

If there was only way to get slightly better resolution, I would keep it. The screen door effect is not a problem actually, eyes do not focus on it. But low resolution is. Immersion is super convincing, until you look out of the windshield.

 

Yes, it's unfortunate that VR is currently a matter of accepting certain trade-off's in terms of image quality. If you are driving F1 cars, the lack of long-distance clarity might be a bigger issue than it is with slower cars but, I don't find it to be anything that dramatically affects my racing unless it's a track that I'm not familiar with. For the most part, racing in VR provides improved judgement of space and timing IMO although, getting used to the lower image quality can take some time.

 

Envelop VR available for free on steam, allows to play AC without having to remove the goggles between races, works particularly well with Content Manager.

 

it needs minimum win10. it needs account on their service and needs a code to launch. i have read it is better than Virtual Desktop, but come on - win10 is a must requirement..

 

Hmm, I really don't find it THAT bad with 8xAA (via video.ini) and pixel density 2.0 (via oculus.ini) and everything else maxed (especially AF). I play with PP effects off as it makes the picture a bit clearer for me and is less demanding for GPU/CPU at the moment (and it has a still a bug).
Of course because of the lower resolution the picture in VR doesn't look that good like on a monitor but I have absolutely NO PROBLEM to see distant corners or distant cars or braking marks! I can't read the number plate of a far distant car but I can defenitely see the car!
In the latests formula one grand prix in Brazil (heavy rain) the drivers would have been happy if they've had the image quality of AC in VR...

 

I agree with above comment it's not super sharp but its far from effecting the game play in any way, i don't really give it a second thought. Its more of an aesthetics issue for me.

 

Me three, I was ready to return mine from day 1 until I gave it more time. 1. Usually rookie VR users don't have the headset properly fastened so it can seem blurry . Took me a while to get the proper setting. 2. I use glasses so investing in lens inserts would be good or contacts, or lasix surgery. 3. the protective lens tape leaves a residue on the len's surface which some forget to clean. 4. Time to see the benefits. For me, I say compare the ability to run consistent laps under pressure. You can't really do this with a demo at Best Buy store.

Finally, I say the advantages outweigh the disadvantages as long as your system can run with high pixel density and smooth frame rate. If you have to run at 1.0 PD to get 90Hz then it's more subjective.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

 

Well, this wasn't the issue I can assure. There is even tutorial on how to adjust the height + lense spacing, to find the "sweetspot" (spot where SDE truly starts to show ) 8xAA haven't tried but doubt 980 Ti can handle it. And if the physical hardware pixel grid is such, that you can see the black gaps between individual pixels (SDE) it's clearlys a hardware limitation, no amount of AA will make the actual screen show any more pixels than it physically has. Which is not enough imo. Although, if it had more, the hardware of today couldn't even run it. Ohwell

VAR (variable acuity resolution) sounds interesting technology, used in Fove headset: http://www.virtualrealitytimes.com/2015/05/23/fove-eye-tracking-vr-headset/

It has infrared camera following the users eye, and draws higher detail only in the area that the eye is focusing on. Mimics human eye, we see accurate detail in only very small area of our vision, the one we focus on. Rest is just vague shapes and colors. Maybe this could give crisper image in future, without making hardware requirements insanely high. Some early WIP featurelists for Oculus mentioned using VAR but it was dropped.

 

Yes, this is an interesting development in VR-tech but, also quite new and unproven; none the less, I think it may hold great potential to improve image quality while maintaining reasonable hardware requirements. Many believe this tech is still some years and a couple of generations of VR-HMD's away from being ready for prime-time. In the meantime, one can resolve themselves to accepting a longer wait for better VR or enjoy what is here now; for some, age may be a determining factor.

 

Yes, the tutorial is good, but I meant the position of the harness itself and the alignment of the goggles (I adjusted the lenses, but it took some strap adjustments to find the right position). I had the harness not far down enough on the back of my head; therefore, the goggle's swivel adjustment did not allow a good alignment (flush and perpendicular to my eyes). Also, this can move/creep over time. Best adjustment test is using menu text--viewing HMDs' screen center.

1070's performance is similar to 980Ti so you can just try 2.0 PD and 4X AA (16X AF) and turn off PP (reflections too). Leave everything on low and try a 15 car grid at Red Bull Ring starting last. If you can keep 90 Hz (turn off all apps except frame rate counter--having apps open will affect frame rate substantially) with this many cars then you can probably run on most public server races. If you want to experiment with adding reflections and detail/shadows you can then bump one at a time and check to see if the 90Hz requirement is still being met (run a lap or two and keep an eye on the FPS--make sure to keep the FPS app closer to the screen's center).

Yeah, I've been looking closely at the FOVE; however, IMO I would be worried about compatibility, latency, and eye tracking issues. Even the HTC Vive is not officially supported with AC and they seem to suffer a performance penalty so I would suspect even if FOVE works with AC it might still run a performance risk. Also, I am skeptical the eye tracking latency tax has been fully worked out. I would be cautious. Finally, until the eye tracking capability has been fully vetted by a large test sample, I don't really trust it since different iris colors could affect its tracking capability (light color eyes on a dark pupil vs. dark color on a dark pupil).

 

I noticed when the headset wasn't tight enough text was much harder to read maybe it's similar for you. When you load the CV1 at first you get that user warning you need to click at that point play around with the straps and you will see that depending on it's position the text can be improved and then the in-game graphics look much better. Less jagged lines at a distance.

 

The only downside of VR for me is that it has limited the number of race games that can be played. The triple TV's are gone (since day 1), the immersion in VR is much much better.
For now there's only : Assetto Corsa, Iracing, PCARS and Dirt Rally

Assetto Corsa is for me personally the best looking title in VR. With pixel per display pixel setting at 200% and 4xAA it looks pretty good. With ASW enabled you only need 45fps, so racing with full grids and and post processing is not a problem anymore.

I have my rift a little over 6 months now and i already feel i have my money's worth. It's a glance into the future of simracing and right now it's pretty aweome. It does take sometime to get used to the lower resolution. Sometimes when i put the rift on, i'm still amazed by the picture quality, sometimes i'm disappointed. Going back to 2d hasn't been an option from the first moment i put the rift on and put myself in the drivers seat. When you stop focusing on the picture quality, something magical happens and you find yourself racing in an actual racecar. Much better than sitting in a rig watching a couple of monitors.

Raceroom and rFactor2 support is comming too, which is great.

 

@HoiHman I agree with you 100%, since I started VR, playing on a flat screen is not an option anymore. The future is now!
You forgot one SIM that is very nice in VR, they even added the adjustment of the mirrors in the last update, LFS.
The BMW formula is a treat to drive in VR.

 

Yeah, I like what they did with the Mirrors in LFS and iRacing - nice touch and attention to detail. My biggest gripe with LFS is the sounds though, completely ruins it for me but, that's my own fixation.

 

I would love to have the mirrors adjustment option in AC, when driving in VR it makes total sense.
While on the mirrors subject, seeing the back of the car in the mirror would also be very nice and more immersive.

 

The side mirrors are 90% useless as setup. I so agree with you, or if that is too much of a hassle at least make it reasonable (blind spots). The I spin my head every time I go into a turn.. But at least I can in VR..

Nathan

 

I just downloaded it off Steam, no need for an account and it works great with AC, I also have Win10 so that's not an issue for me.

 

Yeah totally forgot about LFS, although i don't play it much.

One other great thing about racing in VR, what i forgot to mention is...... The wind simulator



It really feels like adding the 4th dimension when racing in VR with open wheelers.
The sense of speed and acceleration with the wind coming from the fans is unbelievable.

Without an HMD covering my eyes, this would not be possible.