The best racing games on PlayStation 5
Gamers love going as fast as they can. From mountain bikes to Formula 1 cars, here are the best racing game available on PlayStation 5 and a breakdown of each.
Get Closer to the Formula 1 Grand Prix Action With The Dream VR
Formula 1 (F1) is one of the most well-known motorsports, with some considering the pinnacle of racing. Just like most sports fans want to get up close and into the action, seeing their favourite cars and drivers. To make this easier than ever, F1 has partnered with The Dream VR to provide plenty of behind-the-scenes immersive entertainment.
The Dream VR will offer its users unique access to Formula 1 events, enabling fans to share in the excitement of the starting grid, podium celebrations, and the Pirelli Hot Laps. They will also be able to ‘walk’ along the paddock, enter exclusive hospitality facilities, feel the adrenaline of a team garage and share the fans’ experience in the grandstand.
Content will be available via The Dream VR app later this month, with content from the 2018 F1 season arriving before Christmas. To start with viewers will gain access to the 2018 Mexican Grand Prix, including behind-the-scenes footage of Lewis Hamilton’s fifth world title celebration, followed by the Formula 1 2018 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix soon after.
VR 360º experiences will be recorded at ten races next year, to be distributed via The Dream VR app.
To enjoy the new F1 content when it arrives all you need to do is download The Dream VR app for Oculus Rift, Oculus Go, Samsung Gear VR, Google Daydream and HTC Vive. The app also supports iOS and Android devices as well as smart TV’s. It features a range of 360-degree content – not just sport – with categories like food, music, art, and fashion to name a few.
As further updates are made to The Dream VR, VRFocus will keep you updated.
Life In 360°: Last Lap
So, here we are at the end of what can only be described as an ‘interesting’ week here on VRFocus. There’s not much I can say at this poing other than this is the penultimate Life In 360°. Unless something changes rather drastically. Which, frankly, would be nice right about now.
Next Monday is the last Li360 but that’s been in the bag for a little while since it was something I’d actually written long in advance for the Christmas period. That leaves this last slot. Now, a while back we went through the Formula E archive of 360 degree videos as a way of, well… delaying us before we caught back up with everything that Formula 1 had put out. But since our time is up on this series let’s do just that today and fulfil my vow from a couple of months back.
Since the last time we checked in was at the beginning of July we actually need to go through everything that has happened since the 2018 Canadian Grand Prix.
Onboard With Bottas At Paul Ricard (360 Video) | French Grand Prix
“Not familiar with Circuit Paul Ricard? Join Valtteri Bottas for a few onboard laps from a 2017 Pirelli tyre test and get acquainted with the venue in good time!”
Hamilton’s Pole Lap at Paul Ricard (360 Video) | 2018 French Grand Prix
“Lewis Hamilton became the first man to take pole at a French Grand Prix in ten years on Saturday – jump onboard for a 360 view of the lap that got him there.”
2018 Austrian Grand Prix | Valtteri Bottas’s Pole Lap (360 Video)
“After a glorious qualifying battle, ride onboard with Valtteri Bottas for a glorious lap – a new Spielberg record, and good enough to edge out Lewis Hamilton by just 0.019s…”
Sainz and Grosjean’s Wipeout at Silverstone (360 Video) | 2018 British Grand Prix
“There are two sides to the story – and now 360 angles from which to see it! Take a fresh look at the dramatic collision that brought out the Safety Car at Silverstone.”
Lewis Hamilton Hits Trouble In Qualifying (360 video) | 2018 German Grand Prix
“Get a unique, all-angles view of Lewis Hamilton as he battles with his Mercedes car during qualifying at the Hockenheimring.”
F1 Miami Festival: Renault Live Car Run! (360 video)
“Miami hosted the final F1 Festival of 2018 over the weekend of the US Grand Prix. Jump onboard with Renault as they tear up Biscayne Boulevard!”
And that’s us all up to date! Look out for update throughout today and the weekend and Life In 360° will be back for the final time on Monday.
Life In 360°: Three Laps And A Little Crazy
If, by any chance you were here at this time last week firstly thanks for sticking around with VRFocus. It’s very much appreciated and I just wanted to say that. Secondly, however you’ll recall that I reported at how the official NASCAR YouTube channel had got a hold of some sort of 360 degree camera at a race last month and proceeded to lose their minds, uploading fourteen 360 snippets without much in the way of formatting.
As I then mentioned we were due another round of videos from Formula 1, as Liberty Media continue to put up a really nice variety of clips from across the races with action from both qualifying and the race. Thankfully this selection isn’t all mostly about Max Verstrappen getting in scrapes. In fact, the young Dutchman isn’t involved at all – but his teammate is. We go in chronological order. Starting back in May with the 2018 Spanish Grand Prix.
2018 Spanish Grand Prix – Grosjean Spin Causes Lap 1 Chaos
“We’re onboard and in 360 with Romain Grosjean as the Haas driver’s spin on lap one takes out Nico Hulkenberg and Pierre Gasly.”
2018 Monaco Grand Prix – Charles Leclerc’s Lap of Monaco
“Jump onboard with Charles Leclerc for a tour of his home race, with the full lap in 360 degrees.”
2018 Monaco Grand Prix – Daniel Ricciardo’s Record Pole Lap
“You’ve seen Daniel Ricciardo’s stunning pole position in Monaco. Now, jump onboard for a unique 360-degree view of the Red Bull driver’s epic tour of the Monaco circuit.”
2018 Canadian Grand Prix – Sebastian Vettel’s Record Pole in Montreal
“Whichever way you look at it, this was one special lap. Jump onboard with Sebastian Vettel for his lap record pole position at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, in 360 glorious degrees.”
VRFocus will be back on Monday at the usual time with another example of 360 degree video use.
McLaren Announce VR Partnership with HTC
It has been a rough couple of years for the McLaren Formula 1 racing team, but that hasn’t stopped them from embracing new technology and finding new ways of connecting with its dedicated fanbase. The latest involves a multi-year partnership with HTC for virtual reality (VR) content, technology and esports.
McLaren have long been considered one of the Formula 1 teams who are more engaged and supportive of its fanbase, which comprises over 100 million fans worldwide. The new partnership has been announced as a way to make McLaren and F1 more immersive for those fans.
McLaren and HTC will be launching a special edition McLaren-branded HTC Vive headset, and will also be joining forces to create new immersive VR and augmented reality (AR) experiences in an effort to bring fans closer to the action of the sport.
HTC will also become the official VR partner of McLaren’s esports programme, which will integrate VR esports into a real-world sport. The HTC Vive Pro will act as the official VR device for the competition, but full details on the event have yet to be revealed.
Zak Brown, Chief Executive Officer, McLaren Racing, said: “Today’s announcement is a real statement of intent from both McLaren and HTC. We are both committed to using the latest technology to give our fans the most immersive experience possible, short of physically putting them in the car. We will also work together to transform the way VR is used to enhance gaming, creating an experience that enables gamers to feel like one of the world’s best racing drivers.”
Alvin Wang Graylin, China President, HTC, said: “McLaren and HTC both have a long history of disruptive innovation in our respective fields. By joining forces, we will be giving F1 fans new ways to experience and enjoy the sport like never before. The McLaren esports programme will be the first time a real sport has been combined with esports, and now by adding VR to the mix, anyone can realize their dream of being an F1 driver.”
For further news on VR use in sports, keep checking back with VRFocus.
Life In 360°: Both Ends Of Sauber F1’s 25th Year
Every so often you just have to right a wrong. Even if that wrong isn’t really a wrong at all, nor even an oversight. Still, time and circumstance sometimes combine to leave you feeling like you’ve almost done someone a disservice.
If you read yesterday’s edition of my weekly column VR vs. I talked at length about growing up in the UK watching Formula 1 racing on the BBC (and ITV) and how the progression of technology meant that something that I connected with my father over will be a very different to how I connect with any potential children I have.
At the time I mentioned how, as we were discussing 360 degree video, VRFocus had over the years covered a number of the Formula 1 teams as they had experimented with using the technology. Both on cars and behind the scenes. In double checking I noticed that in fact the only team to apparently not use 360° to date was the Force India team, leaving three that we had yet to feature at some point.
One of those teams were Sauber, one of the hardest working teams on the grid and also one of those teams who sadly seemingly always end up near the back of it. The Swiss team celebrated 25 years within Formula 1 this season, which at one point saw founder Peter Sauber sell the team to BMW where it became the German car manufacturer’s works team only for it to be sold back in 2009 after four years.
Since we’ve just come to the end of the 2017 season, which was, as I say, their 25th, it seems only right we feature them in a Life In 360° and fill in one of those gaps. As it turns out Sauber quite like a bit of 360 degree video so here’s two videos. One from the beginning of the season and one from the end.
The first video sees us zip back eight months to March and to an on-board lap with Marcus Ericsson at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, complete with track overlay and additional notes.
Whilst the second is recorded just a couple of weeks ago at the 2017 Auto Zürich Car Show, where the team fire up their Ferrari engine for the audience.
We’ll have to deal with our other ‘missing in action’ Formula 1 teams another time on VRFocus. We’ll see you on Friday for another scheduled trip into 360 degree video from around the world.
This gamer raced past the competition to become McLaren’s F1 simulator driver
Expert gamer Rudy van Buren has just become a simulator driver for the McLaren F1 team after seeing off 30,000 rival contestants. It's a dream come true for the Dutchman, who had to quit a promising racing career nine years ago.
The post This gamer raced past the competition to become McLaren’s F1 simulator driver appeared first on Digital Trends.
Codemasters Holding Back on VR For Formula 1 Title
Many critics and fans were somewhat surprised to learn that the latest Formula 1 videogame, F1 2017 would not feature any virtual reality (VR) capability. A member of the Codemasters development team reveals some of the reasons behind that decision.
F1 2017 is due for release on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC today, 25th August, 2017. but there are no plans for a VR mode, something that many have questioned, since the sit-down position of racing titles tends to make a good fit for a VR experience.
Creative Director Lee Mather spoke to GamesIndustry.Biz about that choice: “We’ve certainly given a lot of consideration to VR,” Mather said, “It’s a little trickier for us because we’re pushing the boundaries when it comes to our physics. We have a lot of elements on screen with the OSD, so that’s a lot of information the player would have to process in VR. The changes to move the game onto VR would be fairly significant, and we wouldn’t want to do it if it meant compromising any area of the game. That’s why we’re holding back on that at the moment, but it’s something we’re considering.”
F1 2017 is facing some tough competition in the racing genre this year, with Gran Turismo Sport and Project Cars 2, both of which feature VR compatibility, as well as the relaunch of Need For Speed and Forza Motorsport 7. Mather comments: “We’re a niche within a niche to a degree,” he says. “Racing games are a niche in themselves, and we are unique within that and that’s our big selling point. We aren’t just a racing game; we’re a representation of a full sport. So whereas other racing games may appeal to racing game players, we appeal to Formula One fans as well. We’re pulling in people who love the sport as much as we’re pulling in people who love games and racing. That’s where our place is and that’s why we’ve got such a dedicated fanbase every year.”
VRFocus will bring you further news on developments within the VR industry.
Logitech G and McLaren are offering the fastest gamer in the world a dream job
This summer, the World's Fastest Gamer competition will whittle players down to one individual who will score a one-year contact with McLaren. The job: serve as an official Formula 1 simulation driver to improve the machinery.
The post Logitech G and McLaren are offering the fastest gamer in the world a dream job appeared first on Digital Trends.
McLaren and Logitech step on the gas with the World’s Fastest Gamer contest
The McLaren Formula 1 team is planning a contest to find a new simulator driver, with a one-year contract up for grabs for the entrant that can prove they’re the World’s Fastest Gamer.
The post McLaren and Logitech step on the gas with the World’s Fastest Gamer contest appeared first on Digital Trends.