CXC Simulations knows a thing or two about racing simulators — they build some of the best in the world. And now they’re testing their premium racing simulation system with the Oculus Rift.
The current state of the art for consumer — and I use that term lightly, given the prices — racing simulators is a multi-panel panoramic display. The extra screens on the side add to the immersion of the game by giving players a wider field of view and much needed peripheral vision. However advanced, such a system lacks head tracking — and integral part of convincing the mind that it’s actually inside the game.
Which of course brings us to the Rift and its high performance head tracker.
CXC Simulations rigged up an Oculus Rift helmet to be paired with their ~$60,000 Motion Pro II racing simulator. Though the resolution of the Rift dev kit certainly leaves much to be desired, the wide field of view combined with head tracking and 3D is highly immersive.
There’s an added benefit too: the CXC Motion Pro II shakes and moves in response to what’s happening in the game. This shakes the player’s head — and just as it would in real life, causes the player’s view to shake along with it thanks to the head tracker detecting the motion. That’s a very difference experience than having your head bobbed around in front of stationary displays.
CXC Simulations notes in comments to the above video that they “haven’t noticed any motion sickness,” and that “this is a very rough test with components in early prototype phase.”
Perhaps they’ll consider offering the Oculus Rift consumer version in place of the multi-monitor setup — it could quite possibly enhance the experience and decrease the cost!
I’m awaiting the day when someone hooks up the CXC Motion Pro II and Oculus Rift with a game like Mech Warrior Online. Feeling each footstep of your gigantic mech would be something to behold!
