First Footage of Project CARS Running in VR Released

VRFocus - Developer Slightly Mad Studios has released the first virtual reality (VR) footage of its upcoming racing title, Project CARS. The video, which can be seen below, features of 6 minutes of the experience running with an Oculus Rift VR headset on PC. It serves as our first look at how the title might handle in VR, both with the Oculus Rift and the Project Morpheus VR headset for the PlayStation 4.

[muffinbutton]

looks good

[frostypants]

Would be nice if the driver actually turned his freaking head once in a while so we could get a better sense of it. The guy plays most of that as if he's staring straight at a screen.

[ATi_Elite]

where is the Peripheral view when you turn your head?

Gotta be a way to film this using a camera and still show off head movements?

Looks like Oculus Rift may be a better option than Triple Screen Gaming especially for racers.

Gonna have to buy a rift when the price is right.

[amnalehu]

This is going to revolutionize driving games and flight sims. My virtual body is ready!

[nowitzki2004]

I would love an elder scrolls game in VR. Cant wait to see how VR is.

[rivencleft]

I would love to see pretty much everything in VR, Star Wars, Game of Thrones, Far Cry, any first person games I can really think of.

[nowitzki2004]

Yeah true. Theres just some feel the elder scrolls worlds have that get me attached. I loved sneaking all over Skyrims creepy world with my bow. Everything will be so amazing in VR... at least we all hope so.

[bumnut]

You missed porn off your list :)

[starchild]

It's going to revolutionize most types of games, but it will be very easy to implement and a perfect fit for the genres you mentioned.

[scotmacb]

But you need a machine to run 1080p in each eye run the game 1080p x2 thats ok for the rift on pc but the ps4 has no chance of doing that

[Eonjay]

And yet Project Morpheus is a go.

[bleedsoe9mm]

and worked well according to the media

[nowitzki2004]

No chance?

At least wait until we know more about it.

[Fixay]

Genuine question.

But does it actually have to render two different screens?
I have no clue how VR works, but that must be taxing as hell if true.

[KUV1977]

Occulus Rift uses 1080p shared by both eyes. Each eye only gets 960x1080p. PS4 will be able to do the same. As long as it maintains a real stable 30fps I don't see this as a problem. 60fps would obviously really be great for 3d (usually don't care that much about frame-rat) but S.T.A.B.L.E. 30 will be fine. I am willing to take a small visual hit for fluid VR!

@Fixay Yes it needs to render 2 different images as the angle both eyes look at thing is slightly different. that is what gives things depth.

[aliengmr]

I don't know, I'm pretty VR requires much higher than 30fps. At that point the latency starts to become an issue.

All I know is, 30fps is probably too low based on everything I've read. VR needs high and stable fps.

SMS has said the standard release of PCars is going for 60 fps.

Now, Sony could be going for 30 fps per eye, but they are showing Morpheus running games at 60fps.

[KUV1977]

Have you ever watched a movie in 3D? 24fps and it's fine. Games in 2D are fine in 30fps. Each eye sees 30 frames per second. Now each eye still sees 30 frames per second but each eye sees a different frame. I am pretty sure it will be fine. Higher would undoubtedly be better but I don't think that it will be much of a problem. I also think they will get to a point where they reach 60fps with somewhat reduced effects and resolution if they deem it neccessary and I am more than willing to take the hit. Unfortunately there are too many people out there that are not able to compromise. They want the best effects, the best resolution, the best frame rate - which up to that point would be fine, but they also want the lowest price. Obviously you will have to sacrifice at one point or another.

Also I wouldn't wonder if SONYs box between PS4 and Morpheus will employ some frame interpolation that could compensate the frame rate a little.

[starchild]

Games and movies are completely different things. The sensation of presence (feeling as if you were actually in the virtual place) requires low latency. Trust me, 30fps is not enough. Once you use the Rift yourself you will understand why.

For latency reasons 30fps isn't sufficient. Good VR requires total latency to be 20ms or less. At 30fps each frame takes 33.3ms...and this is just the frame rendering time and doesn't factor in all the other latency in the chain. At 60fps each frame is rendered in 16.7ms and this allows the total latency to be under 20ms.

The other problem is that 30fps doesn't allow for enough temporal resolution. Things become extremely blurry when there is motion, which in video games is nearly all the time. This might be fine when it is a tv across the room that you are looking at, but when it is your very vision that seems to be blurring it is horribly immersion-breaking.

A solid 60fps is basically an absolute requirement for good VR.

[FlyingFoxy]

VR pretty much needs as close to 60fps as possible..

Feeling of being in the game would require very smooth motion, it does really need 60fps minimum and i've never even tried VR.

I'd bet a large amount of money that if anyone tried a game @ 60fps in VR then tried one locked @ 30 they would start to feel strange or ill after a short amount of time.

Being used to 120fps though, i even feel the difference @ 60 now.

[medman]

@scotmacb
You're a loser. Seek help.

[MasterCornholio]

Sorry Scot but if they said the PS4 version will have VR then it will have VR.

Just give up your trolling already you can't win this.

[bumnut]

I think he is saying it won't be 1080 on PS4, not that it won't have VR

[aliengmr]

1. Pcars has Morpheus support.

2. Stereo rendering doesn't mean you have to render everything twice. Many things, like AI and even some visual effects can be rendered only once. There are also effects that can be turned off for VR.

Bottom line, while the Rift has the advantage of scalability, the PS4 can do VR. Sony just has to make sure games are developed with in the parameters of that system.

[frostypants]

"But you need a machine to run 1080p in each eye run the game 1080p x2"

So...it won't run in 1080p x2 for everyone. So freaking what?

[Dfooster]

Morpheus has an additional processor built into the head set to take some of the strain off the ps4.

[S2Killinit]

Morpheus has an external processing unit which is interestingly plugged into the headset which then plugs into PS4. This allows Sony to release more powerful processing units in the future without having to release new headsets. The external unit does the extra processing so the PS4 can do what it does.

[amnalehu]

PS4 can handle it. The rendering/3d is done post processing.

[S2Killinit]

Ooohot diggidy!! VR games incoming. Cant wait for more morpheus news at E3 (:

[kingPoS]

Sony was never really clear on what the box in between the PS4 & Morpheus does, aside from mirroring video to a hdtv... Wait! it can mirror video, what else can it do?

Gateway MT6706 2008

[rivencleft]

Looks amazing, can't wait to see where the push the boundaries with VR.

[Skate-AK]

Too bad I can't actually see it in VR.