In its Early Access stage, Le Mans Ultimate does not currently have first party VR support. But thanks to its use of the rFactor 2 engine and the sim racing community's curiosity, it is now possible to test the game out in Virtual Reality. Here is how to get it running.
Image credit: Studio-397
Virtual Reality is perhaps the closest many of us will ever get to racing real cars on real circuits. That is even more true when the cars in question are some of the most advanced sportscar racing prototypes ever seen.
But sadly, the official FIA World Endurance Championship game, Le Mans Ultimate does not currently have VR support. In its Early Access development stage, the game is very much a bare bones title with few gameplay features to write home about.
With that in mind however, it is no secret that LMU is very much a title using rFactor 2 and its game engines as a base. As a result, features aplenty, graphics, handling and even the unwanted quirks of the decade-old simulator carry over to the endurance-centric game. Therefore, the sim racing community has found a way to get Le Mans Ultimate running in Virtual Reality, even before Studio-397 has managed to fully develop the feature. Here is how to immerse yourself in a 3D LMU.
Settings you will need to run LMU in VR. Image credit: Studio-397
But considering these truths, the process to launch LMU in VR is not a long-winded one. All it takes is a few simple steps, making sure to disactivate the few settings that will cause crashes. Here is what you need to do.
Add "+VR" to the Steam launch options to play Le Mans Ultimate in VR.
Upon first opening the game, you will not see much in your VR headset. Do not worry, this is totally normal as the game will only render in VR when on-track. Opening titles, menu screens and the pit wall display all appear on your regular monitor. Once you hit Drive, the put on your headset and you will find yourself aboard your favourite Hypercar, LMP2 or GTE.
As such, longer races will either require you to bind controls for all the MFD features, or suffer poorly managed hybrid. Furthermore, there will be no chance of seeing where you are in the race when in VR. That is unless battling a car with leader lights on.
The HUD does not render in Virtual Reality. Image credit: Studio-397
In addition to the HUD-less experience, setting up one's seat position can be a challenge. With the range limit on seat adjustment in ISIengine games, LMU requires an intricate use of SteamVR's recentre button. Once you set up correctly and accept the few limitations, however, it appears to be a great experience.
Being a workaround in a game with a less-then class-topping reputation, we expected performance to struggle. However, after some testing, it appears that LMU handles VR relatively well.
With a full grid at Monza, very rarely did we experience performance issues with the framerate holding steady. This may vary depending on your system, but for a bare-bones unofficial feature, it does the job.
Naturally, we're still anticipating a 'formal' or official update, and we're hopeful that when that arrives the experience will be better still. For now, this method merely whets our appetite.
Have you tried Le Mans Ultimate in VR yet? What do you make of the experience? Let us know in the comments.
Image credit: Studio-397
Virtual Reality is perhaps the closest many of us will ever get to racing real cars on real circuits. That is even more true when the cars in question are some of the most advanced sportscar racing prototypes ever seen.
But sadly, the official FIA World Endurance Championship game, Le Mans Ultimate does not currently have VR support. In its Early Access development stage, the game is very much a bare bones title with few gameplay features to write home about.
With that in mind however, it is no secret that LMU is very much a title using rFactor 2 and its game engines as a base. As a result, features aplenty, graphics, handling and even the unwanted quirks of the decade-old simulator carry over to the endurance-centric game. Therefore, the sim racing community has found a way to get Le Mans Ultimate running in Virtual Reality, even before Studio-397 has managed to fully develop the feature. Here is how to immerse yourself in a 3D LMU.
How to Launch LMU in VR
From a first party standpoint, Le Mans Ultimate is not officially a VR-ready game. It does not currently get the Virtual Reality tag on Steam, nor does Studio-397 claim it to be compatible with headsets in its present state.Settings you will need to run LMU in VR. Image credit: Studio-397
But considering these truths, the process to launch LMU in VR is not a long-winded one. All it takes is a few simple steps, making sure to disactivate the few settings that will cause crashes. Here is what you need to do.
- Step 1: Open the game on your regular screen
- Step 2: Check the following Settings - Windowed Mode on, Vertical Sync off, FSAA/FXAA off
- Step 3: Once the Settings have been changed, hit Apply and exit the game
- Step 4: Right click on LMU in Steam and select Properties
- Step 5: In General => Launch Options enter "+VR"
- Step 6: Enjoy Le Mans Ultimate in VR
Add "+VR" to the Steam launch options to play Le Mans Ultimate in VR.
Upon first opening the game, you will not see much in your VR headset. Do not worry, this is totally normal as the game will only render in VR when on-track. Opening titles, menu screens and the pit wall display all appear on your regular monitor. Once you hit Drive, the put on your headset and you will find yourself aboard your favourite Hypercar, LMP2 or GTE.
Is it any good?
Before jumping into a Virtual Reality stint in Le Mans Ultimate, it is worth pointing out some of the limitations of the non-official feature. Beyond the obvious hoops one must jump through to get the game working, the main downside is the lack of HUD in VR.As such, longer races will either require you to bind controls for all the MFD features, or suffer poorly managed hybrid. Furthermore, there will be no chance of seeing where you are in the race when in VR. That is unless battling a car with leader lights on.
The HUD does not render in Virtual Reality. Image credit: Studio-397
In addition to the HUD-less experience, setting up one's seat position can be a challenge. With the range limit on seat adjustment in ISIengine games, LMU requires an intricate use of SteamVR's recentre button. Once you set up correctly and accept the few limitations, however, it appears to be a great experience.
Being a workaround in a game with a less-then class-topping reputation, we expected performance to struggle. However, after some testing, it appears that LMU handles VR relatively well.
With a full grid at Monza, very rarely did we experience performance issues with the framerate holding steady. This may vary depending on your system, but for a bare-bones unofficial feature, it does the job.
Naturally, we're still anticipating a 'formal' or official update, and we're hopeful that when that arrives the experience will be better still. For now, this method merely whets our appetite.
Have you tried Le Mans Ultimate in VR yet? What do you make of the experience? Let us know in the comments.
