Reaching for VR Racing Perfection with Driveclub

VRFocus recently had the opportunity to get hands-on with the virtual reality (VR) edition of Evolution Studios’ Driveclub and left feeling very impressed with what the very early PlayStation VR technical demonstration had become. Following that time with the videogame however, VRFocus has had a second opportunity to get to grips with Driveclub on PlayStation VR in a wholly different, far more immersive environment.

[uth11]

"There’s still no word on an official release of the VR edition of Driveclub either way"

Well Shu included it on his 2016 list, so wouldn't that mean it's official now?

[Peace_Love_and_FPS]

Evolution and their delays though, could be an issue. Really hope they put bikes in VR.

[ABizzel1]

I said this in my blog, the biggest challenge for VR going forward is handling the sense of feeling. VR immersion is fine in the headset along, but to take it to the next level there needs to be something that helps cope with the sense of touch / feeling.

Seeing and hearing are the first step of immersion and gets you 80% there, but when you feel something it really tricks your mind into believe the experience is real, and would give VR that 99% immersion and make it a true gaming revolution.

The problem is there's no real way, or more importantly safe and financially viable way to make a that kind of experience, which is why IMO Sony or a 3rd party needs to develop a VR gaming chair to go along with PSVR that way you can feel the rumble of the chair, as well as built in audio for a instant surround set-up that helps sell the immersion much more than the headset alone can do.

[Voids]

Yes and no.

Your brain literally fucks with your head when you're balls deep in VR, especially on good hardware.

The idea of a gaming chair with rumble support, etc. is great and all but 100% not needed in order to randomly shout "OH FUCK!" when you crash into a wall.

Think of a placebo effect, a sugar pill can merely cure some illnesses because majority of them can be controlled with the mind, which is scientifically proven. With that said, a high res beautiful VR goggle is essentially a visual representation of a sugar pill and slowly ushers your mind into a realm of believing what it's seeing is real, hence the random outbursts of emotion while gaming via-VR.

So in closing, sure a chair will be dope - but bringing more accessories into the VR experience isn't needed for it to feel "complete" since the goggles do that already.

[proskopos]

very well said

[ABizzel1]

Yet it's scientifically proven that our minds and bodies experience and recall the sense of touch/feeling more than any of our other sense.

You remember how something feels more than anything else, with remembering what you see not to far behind.

What you hear and taste are a step down from those, and what you smell is a step down from hear and taste.

As as someone who has tried all of this, it's a significantly better experience when you have the entire set-up (VR, controller, gaming chair) than simply using PSVR and a controller.

The sense of touch adds a lot more to the overall immersion that you don't know you'll miss until it's not there.

The article has a bit wrong. You could play DriveClub just like they said on the first day at PSX, there was a set-up for it by the VR area, but they took the demo down, I guess because it took up too much room, and they ended up adding more kiosk for VR games than they initially had, and they ended up opening new slots for scheduling VR appointments.

I was one of the first ones in there, because I was already on the 2nd floor when the showroom floor opened, and I ran straight to the VR areas, and got to play RIGS and DriveClub since it was 30 minutes before the appointments started.

And once the appointments started I got to play a lot of other games as well.

The immersion is just so much better when you have a gaming chair that rumbles, has fans, and speakers built in, because in a game like DriveClub the fans help stimulate the wind you would normally feel when racing, the tilt can hep with the lean of the car as you make a sharp turn (which was noticeably missing to many of us who also tried the demo in a normal chair), and the surround sound being built in means you don't have to wear headphones unless you want to really be closed off from everything, and even then you still can wear headphones and benefit for the having the outside surround become more ambient noise.

VR is there for immersion and to aid in our suspension of disbelief. A VR headset driving over a bump and the image simply bounces to give the effect of hitting a bump is fine and your mind will accept it simply because of the motion of the headset.

However, if you have an actual rumble or bump happen beneath you then it sells that immersion more than the headset alone could ever do, plain and simple.

Is a gaming chair required absolutely not, but once you experience VR with that bonus sense of feel it makes the entire experience significantly better.

Until you have that full experience, you simply don't know what your missing. The only problem is it adds another +$100 piece of equipment to the experience, but once again a VR gaming chair wouldn't be required and you can still get +80% of the full immersion without.

http://n4g.com/user/blogpos...

Someone and I literally had this same conversation in my blog about a full VR gaming rig being the ultimate experience with wheels, chairs, etc... The headset alone is fine for the majority, but having the other components takes the experience to the next level and it's simply better.

[freshslicepizza]

it's all part of it. the sound, the feel, the visuals. by placing people with a driving wheel you get the feel of driving better than a controller would. the sound also adds to this experience. but when you place a vr headset into the mix now you really feel like you are in the car.

this is the ultimate experience without the cost to get the car and worry about damaging it, lol. it would be neat to try this myself and the game should remove the players hands on the steering wheel. i wonder how smooth it is to look around and how natural it feels, that's what i would want to know.

[Scatpants]

I'm going to buy a Volaire Sim desk and hook one of those butt kicker seat rumblers to it with a really good flight stick and a force feedback wheel to add to the immersion. Star Citizen and various racing games are going to be awesome on it.

[Scatpants]

I'm planning on getting a force feedback wheel and the main reason I want the PS4 one over the Xbox one is that I will be able to play racing games in VR. I'd really rather play Forza with a wheel but the VR beats it.

[ReBurn]

I'd like to try a VR Driveclub with a racing wheel. It sounds pretty awesome.