F1 2022 + VR + DD Pro = F1 heaven?

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F1 2022 preview: Is the HP Reverb G2 VR headset and Fanatec DD Pro steering wheel a winning combination? I put my digital driving gloves on to find out.

Note: This is an edited version of my script from YouTube, in case you would prefer to read it. Click play above to watch or go here.

Hello and welcome to A Tribe Called Cars. My name is Ben Griffin and this is the F1 2022 preview. And this is also my terrible driving.

Now the reason it is so bad is we have quite a lot going on. We have obviously the F1 2022 preview running in the background, I think there are five tracks available. We also have the HP Reverb G2 VR headset. Virtual reality for those who have been living under a rock.

And the final component is the Fanatec CSL GT DD Pro steering wheel. DD short for direct drive. So yes, this is a pretty slick combination. Of course, the HP Reverb G2 is a PC VR headset meaning it needs a PC to run it.

If you want to play F1 22 VR with the Oculus, Meta, whatever the hell it is called now, Quest 2 or similar, then you need the official Link Cable or a (considerably cheaper) third-party alternative. At which point, it becomes a PC VR headset and the hardware limitations apply.

Because the Reverb G2 is one of the highest resolution headsets actually. More than 4K across both eyes, combined. About 2K per eye. So it is pretty detailed.

Now I am just trying to get into the groove, not so easy. I have actually not got audio because of the way I am trying to record this so my gear changes are more visually-based than normal.

Of course, the CSL DD Pro has a shift light but I have a headset on so I cannot even see that. Anyway, first thing I have noticed from F1 2022 VR and a good steering wheel is that it does feel real.

Now, of course, I have not driven a real F1 car itself. I think there is only one way to do that, if you are not an F1 driver, and the cars are limited to 75 per cent. But anyway, I have done Formula 3000 single-seaters. Little pocket rockets.

Jesus Christ, after about ten laps you just want to get out and have a cold shower. Mainly because it is fun but it is exhausting. I had blisters in places I did not know existed by the end.

But the sensation of speed in this game is definitely very real. And it is weird, the body sort of does try to emulate some of the G-forces. For me, anyway. It is a slightly odd feeling. If you have done Microsoft Flight Simulator, again, it is quite, sort of makes you feel lighter. The brain is a bit confused.

But not in a bad way, it does not make you sick. I am surprised at that. Just in a “this is real happening” type thing and even though VR headsets are still not perfect, I am amazed (even with the slight softness off-centre of this particular headset), it does just look good.

And you plug it in, and F1 2022 adjusts the settings. And as you can see, we are getting a good frame-rate. The dream for this particular headset is 90Hz or 90 frames per second refresh rate. And the higher that is, the less likely you are to feel queasy.

And in a fast-paced game like this you really do want that. So when you guys are setting this up drop the detail a bit so you get a nice frame-rate. I am going to do a VR guide because I spoke to Codemasters about the best way to get it running.

It was not DLSS. Or whatever it is called. Nvidia’s trickery. God, it is exhausting. There is a bit of a mini-heatwave. Yes, we do get sun and no it is not always raining. But I am sweating out.

These cars definitely have… Can’t even get straight. You get into the groove with these cars but just takes a split-second being that little bit heavier, aerodynamically different, wheels that can get colder quicker, warm up more slowly – all of this adds up to I think a more involving experience.

I love the feel of the F1 2021 cars. It is mad how quick they shift. But from a spectator’s perspective maybe the new cars are not so good. They are supposed to be evening the pack, that is not really happening in the championship’s standing.

But from where I am sitting, literally, the PlaySeat Challenge if you are interested, this feels intense. It is exciting, I mean I can look at the wheel, I can look up, I can look round the Halo. I can forget to change gear, do not hate me.

You can check your mirrors. Okay, the resolution is not great and you have to reset your VR position otherwise you look through yourself. Or more fun, cannot quite see it, but I can look down my neck which is a bit weird but anyway.

Now I was actually getting into the groove earlier, as you can see my ghost is a little more impressive up in front but that is fine. I am mainly here just to show you what it is like with this particular equipment configuration.

Because maybe you have it and you are excited. Or are looking to upgrade. This happens quite a lot. Now, of course the headset blocks your view so I have to manually lift it up to look.

And now the sound is working through the HP Reverb G2 headset. That is unusual, but anyway. So, yeah, you are looking for this particular setup would I recommend it? Absolutely.

And the cool thing about F1 2022‘s VR is that you can do it in everything. Time trial, actual racing, online, you are not separated from those who are, well, playing with a normal monitor or TV. Or whatever it is they are using.

So if you want the full immersion so you can look at the crowd, or veer the way you look like in real life, this will let you do that. I need to work on my multi-tasking.

Of course, as a car journalist who has done some video stuff – oooh, she nearly went – you do get used to talking and driving. It is worrying about everything else, that is the hard part.

Now I will say the PlaySeat Challenge does flex a bit with the extra torque of the CSL DD Pro Gran Turismo Edition but not so much it is annoying. I mean, purists might be upset. If you care that much, you may have to spend a lot more I an afraid.

But for us casual F1 noobs or semi-decent, or even the good drivers who do not care, I think you will find it pleasing. The force feedback (FF) could be better. There is better anything on the normal tarmac. It is a bit like Dirt 2.0 all over again.

However, when you go off, rumble strips, I can really feel that. It is quite subtle. Other circuits seem to have better tarmac personality, shall we say. I do not mean it is charismatic but yeah a bit more granular.

And you can really feel those sausage kerbs. And you can really feel when you catch the grass and off you go. Oh look, we can look at the fuelling truck as you do. So I like the kicking up of the dirt on the wheels. Like it is flinging it at you, this is what VR about.

It really does bring the game to life. It is fun. Of course, you need a good PC unless you have [a headset] that does it all internally. Of course with a headset I can be anywhere, I do not have to move my office monitor I use for work, editing, making these videos.

I can just let that sit against the wall, which means this room can be in any room. Well, near the PC but it does give you a little more flexibility in what you can do in terms of layout, which is pretty cool.

I do not know why I let the steering out so early but anyway it is better. Poor engine, it is screaming to death because of my changing. That is fine.

The point of the video is to show you whether all this stuff works well and given that this is a preview, I mean that it is probably not that different in reality. They say that to make judgement less damning, quite a clever PR tactic. But anyway.

The reality is that this is working well. I mean, I am looking round. I can check my mirrors. The steering wheel is lovely, very smooth. It feels involving. I am not even feeling remotely sick. Dizzy, nauseous.

I have lost count of how many laps I am doing in this video, but it is a good amount. I imagine you could get to, you could do a complete F1 race. And you would not be throwing up into a bag by the end so that is the dream.

Now of course the other cool thing with VR is I can look down. I say that, it is quite hard to do at this speed. But I can look down and check what is going on, do strategies, I have the wheel there. Is it me or is the wheel not rotating? Yeah, it looks like that.

But anyway, minor detail. You can stare at your own crotch while driving. That is the future of gaming. Crotch watch. Oh, invalidated lap. Definitely over the edge there.

Now in terms of lap times, the wheel is much harder. However, I can be really smooth and get right up to the edge. If you sit up a bit you can really see where those wheels are. How close you are to the kerb.

It is mainly my lack of input control in terms of coming into the corner that is the problem. The steering is very accurate and easy to do, it is just that I am like a bull in a china shop sometimes.

Those of you who are actually good at this game will probably find themselves doing some very good lap times. Of course, the controller’s advantage is that it gets optimal turn. It will not steer the wheels too much.

But obviously with a steering wheel it will. So if you are wondering why people steer into a corner and keep steering back it is just to feel you are getting that maximum grip.

God, that was almost professional. Still a bit slow but anyway. I am going to take this headset off and it will be like I poured a buck of water out.

Shall we go into the pits and have a look? Oh no, that is not what I wanted. Okay, so what we are going to do now. Grand Prix, let’s do Silverstone. What could go wrong? And then let us be old L’Eclerc. Weather, time of day. Midday, we will do wet.

Now this might kill the frame-rate because I have not optimised this but at least you will get an idea of what it is like in terms of ease of use. We have a 5950X CPU, which is overkill, and an RTX 3080 which is top tier and the 40 series cards are coming or maybe when you are watching this they have already arrived. In which case, you can crank up the detail.

Gosh, he looks cheery. Definitely English. You can see the blower thing, keeps the leaves out the cockpit.

You can actually see the drops, okay they do not land on the surface. I actually pointed then, that is how weird this feels. They are playing Angry Birds.

And we are away, and so far the frame-rate is good. Now you can change the settings so they do not drive through you. However the default is that they are a little ghosty. But that is fine.

I do not mind that given my terribleness. It gives you a rough idea of what this game looks like so actually weirdly, enough the rain, is not slowing my computer down too badly. I did faff with the settings and yes you can push up to high with this spec.

Some stuff ultra, and you can be clever with some stuff you do not need like shadows but… That was bad…

But actually if you add too much detail, the way VR works it sort of, well, A) you can affect the frame-rate. As I said you want to keep 90FPS or match what your frame-rate maximum is for the best performance and the best look and the best for your body. Not feeling sick or whatever but also.

If you add too much detail it just looks a bit more muddy. This might not look brilliant, obviously in the OBS capturing what I can see in one eye. This is not both eyes. I cannot really do that, or at least not very easily.

But the combination of that, the rain dripping the helmet. Or at least, I hope it is rain. And really does feel fun. I mean, I am not really racing, I kind of am but not, because I cannot touch them. So it is not quite the same and you can just push through there like that.

But in terms of the excitement of a race, catching the counter-steer and stuff really is amazing. I mean look at that. This is not an easy corner, it sort of pulls in and then you are ready for this one.

And in the wet these cars are quite snappy. Or particularly snappy. That was a bad line by me there. Ooops, nearly lost it.

Oooh, even though I am not doing the best driving it is enjoyable. If you like F1 or racing in general, I think Codemasters has nailed it pretty well. It is nice to have official VR support. This wheel, you just plug it in and it did its thing.

Really, no hassle at all. Just, err, make sure you do not drive like I do. But yeah, take a… Just make sure you have got – oh what am I doing – the optimum settings for your headset. And disable everything in the background.

As I said I will do a video on this to get the best. But yeah you just want to give your computer the easiest time, have the least going on so you can get to that 90 [FPS] or whatever it is.

But yeah, if we get another jump in VR headset ability, I mean this would be mad. We are at a very, very good point in tech for driving games. How immersive it is. The sensation of speed is fantastic. It really is. Despite not being great, I mean I would probably find this easier in real life, I am still doing okay.

Look, you a have the sparks flying up in my face from the car in front. It was not that long ago I was playing Super Hang-On on Mega Drive and now we have this. Now I am using a wheel and paddle shifters. This is really just an old person going on now. But you young whipper-snappers do not know how lucky you are.

Anyway, that is F1 2022, the HP Reverb G2 headset and the Fanatec CSL DD Pro Gran Turismo Edition. If you enjoyed this, I can make more videos like this or answer questions that you have in the comments.