Project CARS Simulator is the VR racing experience we’re dying for

Project CARS Simulator is the VR racing experience we’re dying for

One of my first experiences with modern-era VR was during E3 in 2013 with the then-named EVE VR, which would later become Eve: Valkyrie. Sitting in the dark room, I placed the early Oculus Rift on my head and looked around my space fighter jet. A dogfight or so later, I knew that it VR could be special again. And though the galactic scenery was amazing, I kept wondering what that experience would be like translated into a supercar on a track.

Cut to nearly three years later and Slightly Mad Studios, the team behind Project CARS, may have cracked that nut with the aptly titled Project CARS Simulator, a full VR version of their highly regarded racing game.

Simulator is aiming to be the full Project CARS experience, albeit in glorious VR. First announced to support the Oculus Rift VR Headset waaaay back in 2012 during the project’s Kickstarter, Simulator and racing games seem like a great fit for VR. For one, race car drivers wear helmets, and the Rift is a VR headset in and of its own. The trailer shows the ability to look around a vehicle while taking turns, watching competition, and scanning the track ahead. It may seem like a minimal addition, but being able to see the world in head-tracked 3D should add a tremendous level of realism that most other racers miss. Add in racing wheel and pedals, and Simulator could be fantastic.

Project CARS Simulator launches alongside the Oculus Rift on March 28.