This week’s v1.13 update to Assetto Corsa includes native OpenVR support, adding official Vive and OSVR support to the title. The popular racing simulator previously only supported the Oculus Rift, and HTC Vive owners had to use the Revive hack to launch the game in VR.

Assetto Corsa has a long history with virtual reality, having supported the first Oculus Rift DK1 development kit in 2013, back when the simulator itself was in its early stages. With major physics engine and content development to focus on, VR support was always in an ‘early’, unfinished state, but its core driving experience was so convincing, it was worth the effort to jump through the hoops required to race in VR.

SEE ALSO
Best Steering Wheel & Pedals for Newcomers to VR Sim Racing

Rift owners have enjoyed a more effective VR implementation since developer Kunos Simulazioni applied the v1.6.1 update in May 2016, which allowed for full interaction with the in-game UI and the various HUD ‘apps’. Since then, the state of VR in the sim has remained largely the same, with no sign of native support for the HTC Vive, or indeed any VR menus. The Revive injector quickly enabled unofficial Vive support, but it has never delivered the same performance as the Rift, and seemed to exhibit odd world scaling issues.

The latest v1.13 update brings some important improvements to the software, including much-requested multiplayer features such as reversed grids and mandatory pit stop functions for server admins, and most significantly for VR enthusiasts, the HTC Vive is now supported natively via OpenVR as well as the OSVR HDK. Full details of the update can be found on the game’s Steam page.

assetto-corsa-vr-2
Photo courtesy Kunos Simulazioni

The VR support is in ‘beta’, and while the performance on Vive has improved, the Rift remains smoother still, and OpenVR appears to exhibit similar world scale problems seen when used with Revive. In addition, the recent v1.12.3 update that allowed audio to follow head rotation is not functioning on OpenVR. So for now, the native Rift support remains the stronger VR experience, but with OpenVR actively receiving attention from Kunos, the gap will hopefully begin to close.

Newsletter graphic

This article may contain affiliate links. If you click an affiliate link and buy a product we may receive a small commission which helps support the publication. More information.


Dominic Brennan
The trial version of Microsoft’s Monster Truck Madness probably had something to do with it. And certainly the original Super Mario Kart and Gran Turismo. A car nut from an early age, Dominic was always drawn to racing games above all other genres. Now a seasoned driving simulation enthusiast, and former editor of Sim Racer magazine, Dominic has followed virtual reality developments with keen interest, as cockpit-based simulation is a perfect match for the technology. Conditions could hardly be more ideal, a scientist once said. Writing about simulators lead him to Road to VR, whose broad coverage of the industry revealed the bigger picture and limitless potential of the medium. Passionate about technology and a lifelong PC gamer, Dominic suffers from the ‘tweak for days’ PC gaming condition, where he plays the same section over and over at every possible combination of visual settings to find the right balance between fidelity and performance. Based within The Fens of Lincolnshire (it’s very flat), Dominic can sometimes be found marvelling at the real world’s ‘draw distance’, wishing virtual technologies would catch up.
  • I3ordo

    Although read great stories for it, i Tried vive with pCars, did not like it…(ps2 visuals on a 1080 with 40 ish framerates), wonder how oculus fares…

    • George Vieira IV

      PS2 visuals? On the Oculus it is pretty amazing, obviously not sharp, but play more than a couple of minutes and you quickly adapt to the lower resolution.

      I haven’t had the issues with juddering either, running a i7 970 with a GTX 1080, though I don’t usually run against a full field of opponents.

      • Jerald Doerr

        So the questing is does it support SLI in VR mode? That’s the only thing that killed PC2?

  • mbze430

    VR Menu already! ggggeeessshhhh