VR support will arrive for EA SPORTS WRC next week, initially in beta form, as features detailed.
Images: EA
When the Season 4 update for EA SPORTS WRC landed at the start of the month, PC virtual reality support was “targeting the end of April as a release window.”
Now we know that an open beta for VR support will arrive 30th April 2024, sneaking it in one day before May begins.
The VR beta will simply arrive to all PC WRC drivers via a patch, usable across all 18 locations and all single-player and multiplayer modes. Photo mode is currently absent.
The gameplay trailer showcases four stages in different car classes: Ford Puma Rally1 in Finland, Porsche 911 in Kenya, classic Mini in Monte Carlo and Hyundai i20 Rally1 in Sweden.
“With VR, players will be able to experience rallying directly through the driver’s eyes and immerse themselves fully in the challenging experience that the WRC offers,” said says Creative Director, Matthew Battison.
The foundational technology the Southam-based development team uses for EA SPORTS WRC doesn’t necessarily have the greatest reputation for VR compatibility when it comes to sim racing – something Yannik recently discussed.
With this in mind, and the ‘beta’ label, we hope to test the new feature upon its release and provide some hands-on impressions.
"Our implementation of VR into EA SPORTS™ WRC is referred to as VR Beta as it is a new project for our development team," explains EA.
The VR implementation for Dirt Rally 2.0 was by external development agency Climax Studios, whereas with EA SPORTS WRC this is now handled internally.
A list of "tested and confirmed" headsets, plus two “partially supported” headsets, has been published. As it uses OpenXR, additional headsets may work, but the development team "cannot guarantee full functionality at this time."
Minimum and recommended PC specifications have also been issued for VR use - the minimum is set to a similar level for recommended when not in VR. A suite of graphical and comfort settings for VR use have also been added, alongside the option of mapping a 'reset VR view'.
Images: EA
When the Season 4 update for EA SPORTS WRC landed at the start of the month, PC virtual reality support was “targeting the end of April as a release window.”
Now we know that an open beta for VR support will arrive 30th April 2024, sneaking it in one day before May begins.
The VR beta will simply arrive to all PC WRC drivers via a patch, usable across all 18 locations and all single-player and multiplayer modes. Photo mode is currently absent.
The gameplay trailer showcases four stages in different car classes: Ford Puma Rally1 in Finland, Porsche 911 in Kenya, classic Mini in Monte Carlo and Hyundai i20 Rally1 in Sweden.
“With VR, players will be able to experience rallying directly through the driver’s eyes and immerse themselves fully in the challenging experience that the WRC offers,” said says Creative Director, Matthew Battison.
The foundational technology the Southam-based development team uses for EA SPORTS WRC doesn’t necessarily have the greatest reputation for VR compatibility when it comes to sim racing – something Yannik recently discussed.
With this in mind, and the ‘beta’ label, we hope to test the new feature upon its release and provide some hands-on impressions.
"Our implementation of VR into EA SPORTS™ WRC is referred to as VR Beta as it is a new project for our development team," explains EA.
The VR implementation for Dirt Rally 2.0 was by external development agency Climax Studios, whereas with EA SPORTS WRC this is now handled internally.
A list of "tested and confirmed" headsets, plus two “partially supported” headsets, has been published. As it uses OpenXR, additional headsets may work, but the development team "cannot guarantee full functionality at this time."
Minimum and recommended PC specifications have also been issued for VR use - the minimum is set to a similar level for recommended when not in VR. A suite of graphical and comfort settings for VR use have also been added, alongside the option of mapping a 'reset VR view'.
EA SPORTS WRC Supported VR Headsets
- Meta Quest 3
- Meta Quest 2
- Meta Quest Pro
- Valve Index
- Oculus Rift S
- Oculus CV1
- HTC Vive
- HTC Vive Cosmos - “partially supported”
- HTC Vive Pro 2 -“partially supported”
EA SPORTS WRC Minimum PC Specs For VR
- Operating System: Windows 10
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X or Intel i5 10600K
- GPU: AMD Radeon RC 5700XR or NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070
- RAM: 16 GB
- DirectX: Version 12 (“DX12”)
- Storage: 95GB, SSD preferred
- Network: Broadband internet connection (to download updates, game is playable offline)
- Other hardware: Monitor and keyboard
EA SPORTS WRC 'Optimal' PC Setups For VR
Configuration 1: 90+ fps achieved- Headset: Meta Quest 2
- CPU: Intel i9 13900K
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 (4090 also tested)
- RAM: 32 GB
- In-Game Upscaler Setting: DLSS Quality
- In-Game Graphics Preset: Ultra
- Headset: Meta Quest 2
- CPU: AMD Ryzen R9 7900x
- GPU: AMD RX 7900XT
- RAM: 32 GB
- In-Game Upscaler Setting: FidelityFX Quality<
- In-Game Graphics Preset: High
- Headset: Meta Quest 2
- CPU: Intel i9 10900K
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080
- RAM: 32 GB
- In-Game Upscaler Setting: DLSS Quality
- In-Game Graphics Preset: High
EA SPORTS VR Update 1.8 Known Issues
- Game may crash if the player frequently changes the Display Mode (Alt+Enter) during the “Enabling VR” dialogue screen.
- Game may crash if the player turns the PC monitor off and on again while VR is active.
- Game may close abruptly when the player removes and re-wears the headset, during Replays in Time Trial. (Meta Quest 2 + RTX 2070 Super)
- Performance on Meta Quest headsets will drop for a period of time after enabling or disabling passthrough. This could last for around 30 seconds, though may be longer in specific scenarios.
- The player’s view may clip through the environment when using the dynamic camera during Replays.
- Post-stage cutscenes may not focus on the vehicle after completing a Rally School lesson.
- Codemasters & EA splash screens may not play or get skipped, when viewed from a headset.
- HP Reverb does not launch the game in VR Mode by default. To fix, go to Steam VR settings > OpenXR > Change to Steam VR OpenXR
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