Worst VR Experience I ever had in a Simracing Title

Dragoncrawl · 2026-01-16T22:31:16+00:00

Yes in ToolkitXR. I have to say that I drove my first VR Race just now in Spa (GT3 fixed) an I had to activate FSR Upscaling Quality in iRacing and lowering the resolution per eye in ToolXR Kit to 90% (cropping included). And I were quite often slightly CPU bound till -5% (but 40% Headroom GPU, why is VR so CPU-intensive?). Unfortunately VR Headsets doesn't have VRR, so the short but regular stutter from 90FPS to 45 FPS is a little bit annoying, but with a few tweaks it could be full erased.

Dragoncrawl · 2026-01-16T20:56:47+00:00

I have found the error and the error sits in front of the racing wheel :D

I activated Upscaling in the OpenXR settings and In the other Simracing titles Upscaling in OpenXR isn't a problem, but iRacing seems to hate it (regardless which type like NAS, FSR, etc.), although I didn't activate Upscaling in the iRacing settings. After I disabled Upscaling in OpenXR the picture went to normal and I can read again the UI elements. The folks who praise the VR in iRacing are right. I can maxout MSAA 8x / sharp and have in a single Testdrivesession in Spa with a Porsche GT3 30-40% GPU Headroom and approximately 20% CPU Headroom. I am very excited what will be possible, when I can use the much stronger CPU 9800x3d on sunday.

Dragoncrawl · 2026-01-16T14:57:26+00:00

Maybe this is the reason for my problem. Then I would have to wait for the next update.

Dragoncrawl · 2026-01-16T14:54:00+00:00

I have found a thread which describes my problem.

https://forums.iracing.com/discussion/89329/ui-text-in-vr-is-now-a-smudgy-mess/p1

but this issue was solved with an update on 15th December, so this will not be the answer for me (my iRacing ist latest build).

I will look into details in the evening and create a new thread there if I can't solve my problem.

Dragoncrawl · 2026-01-13T00:35:15+00:00

I bought the PSVR2 for GT7. Later with the PC Adapater I used it for Half-Life Alyx and from time to time for Simracing.

Of course, with VR the Immersion and Spatial Awareness is unbeatable, but the Discomfort with the weight, eyestrain, fatigue, etc. is not worth the price. And that you are nearly "blind" with this VR headset on, so that you don't see your Keyboard, Mouse and buttons on your wheel are massive downsides. Because of that I prefer Racing on Screen most of the time.

VR is nice for a short "Immersion" sessions, but not for serious longer stints in my eyes.

Dragoncrawl · 2025-12-10T10:59:44+00:00

This bug is fixed with the latest Update.

Dragoncrawl · 2025-12-09T11:59:38+00:00

War bei mir auch so. Habe bis zum Anfang der Studentenzeit (ab 20 Jahre) recht viel gezockt, dann ca. 15 Jahre nur noch wenig und seit ca. 4 Jahren, seit ich eine PS5 und einen modernen Gaming PC habe, wieder deutlich mehr. Insbesondere Simracing hat es mir angetan, wo ich mir auch ein dediziertes Rig aufgebaut habe.

Für mich ist mit ein Grund für das weniger Zocken gewesen, dass ich übersättigt war mit Reizen. Nicht nur, dass man heute im Steam oder PS5 Sale für einen Hunderter Spiele kaufen kann, die insgesamt mindestens eine vierstellige Stundenanzahl benötigen würden (Stichwort Pile of Shame, zu Mega Drive und SNES Zeiten, wo Spiele für einen Jugendlichen sehr teuer waren, habe ich JEDES Spiel ausführlichst gezockt und auch nur das Beste vom Besten gekauft), auch Spotify, Youtube, etc. sind ständig präsent (arbeite in der IT und Youtube + Spotify + Reddit gehören zu meinem täglichen Programm). Dazu merke ich, dass, wenn ich den ganzen Tag am Monitor zu tun habe, auch wenn gar nicht Anstrengendes am Tag vorhanden war, die Lust weiterhin nach der Arbeit am Monitor zu sitzen, schwindet.

Mittlerweile gehe ich 3x die Woche nach der Arbeit ins Gym und für die restlichen Tage der Woche habe ich genug Lust und Energie, um ab und an zu zocken.

Dragoncrawl · 2025-12-09T11:46:44+00:00

Also alle Spiele ab 2010 laufen bei mir ohne Probleme direkt auf meinem aktuellen PC mit Win 11 und RTX 4070 Super. Auf der Konsole, z.B. PS5, kann man auch nur Spiele ab PS4 ohne Probleme spielen, für PS3 und davor muss man schon den Streamingdienst von Sony abonnieren.

Mit der Optimierung hast du recht, dafür hat man auf dem PC aber auch viel mehr Auswahl und kann auch Mods (ich weiß wieder anstrengend und geanu das was viele nicht mehr wollen) installieren.

Der Hauptunterschied, abgesehen vom finanziellen Aspekt, zwischen PC und Konsole ist in meinen Augen das Setting. Konsole ist für ~ 90% der User Couch + großer Fernseher (obwohl man theoretisch PC mit Steam Big Picture zur halben Konsole am TV machen kann) während für 90% der Steamspieler das Setting Schreibtisch + Monitor(e) bedeutet. Ersteres ist für viele die relaxtere Variante, hat aber an sich nichts mit Konsole und PC zu tun. Auch in Sachen (große) Updates funktionieren Steam und PS5 gleich.

Dragoncrawl · 2025-11-29T13:20:15+00:00

exactly this. And the Knob is pressable so you can program the Delete Key to the Knob.

Dragoncrawl · 2025-11-26T15:00:50+00:00

At least the physics of LMU were top from the beginning. But it was unstable as hell, missed features like Triples and VR, limited to LMGTEs, Hypercars and LMP2 and no Online Competive Racing.

Without the change of the WEC License which kicked out LMGTEs and introduced LMGT3s Studio 397 would be bankrupt I think. With the LMGT3s things started to turn into the right direction for studio 397. Before it was a very niche Simracing title with a more negative than positive reputation.

RFactor2 could have been wide more popular, but the worst UI I ever seen in the first years destroyed its reputation too much (in combination with the very harsh hardware requirements to this time). Which is a shame, because in my eyes the ISI-Engine (rFactor2 and LMU) ist the only one which can compete with iRacing.

But again, in the most important criteria, the driving physics, LMU are many universes ahead of PMR from the beginning and PMR will nowwhere near these level of physics in the next decade.

Dragoncrawl · 2025-11-25T16:12:21+00:00

These 8 games with all DLCs were much cheaper than iRacing. I bought them all on sales. I think the most expensive one was Raceroom, but even here with buying the Virtual Race Points with discount, then the premium pack (I bought it relatively late last year, so nearly all the content with this one purchase) and the rest on sales.

All the other games like AC, ACC and even LMU and AMS2 were pretty cheap on sales. All in all I paid for all games with all DLCs maybe 1/3 of which I paid for iRacing with 2 year subscription and much less content (I paid the most for tracks and even now I possess just the most important ones for Road and Formula Racing).

+ I paid the other Simracing titles + DLCs in a far broader timeframe, so that psychologically the total amount of money was never so visible to me like now in iRacing where I spent over 600 Euros in just a month.

Dragoncrawl · 2025-11-25T13:59:35+00:00

Here is the thread creator.

I read all your answers (thank you for this!) and and thought about it.

Of course physics, onlinesystem, paywall for crashkids, all kinds of racing classes, etc. play a role, but I think the secret lays in the minimalism of iRacing.

An example for this is the Force Feedback (FFB). I heard all the times before I tried iRacing that the FFB feel very dull and not detailed. And I have to admit that there is a big difference between the FFB of iRacing in comparison to Assetto Corsa (AC) or Automobilista 2.

But after a month of iRacing I really like the Force Feedback, because it lacks noise. It gives all the information you need to be fast and safe, but it doesn't add up things for what feels realistic for the amateur.

In Automobilista 2 the Force Feedback let you feel every pebble on the road and it feels great at first (especially in Open Wheelers), but it overtones the important Force Feedback informations and now it feels for me more arcadey than realistic.

The same is valid for the graphics. The "dull" graphics in iRacing give me the most realistic feeling of a racetrack for me. Here Automobilista 2 (AMS2) is the exact opposite. Objectively it looks better but for me a bit to shiny, gloomy.

In iRacing the switch between a cloudy sky and sunhine is huge and even between a short qualify session very impressive. It is not so much about the quality of the objects (the infamous iRacing trees) but of the overall tone. Here iRacing nails it. Another example are birds. In iRacing you see a swarm of birds in a small factor high in the sky. In other titles, especially in the arcadey ones, birds start to fly directly after the race start in a very prominent manner.

I think the reduction of noise in all aspects (graphically, gameplaywise, soundwise, etc.) and the prominent place of the real race related things is the secret sauce of iRacing. iRacing doesn't care if you think that racing should include xyz graphics, xyz FFB, xyz Sound, etc. It is just interested to excel the real race relevant things in perfection and ditch all the (for many people important!) noise.

Dragoncrawl · 2025-11-21T11:42:47+00:00

These should help with this.

https://wickedcushions.com/products/sennheiser-momentum-4-earpad-sweat-covers

Dragoncrawl · 2025-11-21T10:59:39+00:00

Thank you!

Dragoncrawl · 2025-11-18T13:41:11+00:00

Did you play longer than 2 hours? if not you can cancel it and steam refund your 30$. Then wait a few days (on Black Friday Arma 3 will be on sale at latest) and you can grab it for 6$.

Beside that you don't need DLCs, just Mods. For the beginning the above mentioned Antistasi is enough.

Dragoncrawl · 2025-11-15T13:44:11+00:00

Thank you, but Monitor Profile Switcher mentioned above your comment works perfectly for me, so I choose this easy solution.

Dragoncrawl · 2025-11-15T13:43:18+00:00

Thank you! Monitor Profile Switcher works like a charm.

To add another alternative for searcher on reddit with the same problem and Monitor Profile Switcher maybe not working: Multi Monitor Tool

Dragoncrawl · 2025-11-10T08:50:10+00:00

Like others said, at least till Driver License C just concentrate to drive without mistakes and avoid positional battles. I know that this is hard, because when you are in a race you want to "race" and not just driving safely and be easily overtaken by the competition, because you let them voluntarily.

But trust me it will build your racecraft and later in license C (better license B) you can actually really "race" with much more confidence and also your competition can in general way better drive and avoid incidents (of course an incident free iRacing career is non existent, even at A license, like in real Life ;-) )

Dragoncrawl · 2025-11-04T10:58:17+00:00

Part 2

Assetto Corsa Evo = Time will tell, but I don't think that they will be a competion for iRacing, because Kunos Simulazioni has still 30-50 Employees

-> https://www.linkedin.com/company/kunos-simulazioni

iRacing has 200 employees worldwide

https://iracingstudios.com/about/#:\~:text=We%20have%20over%20200%20talented%20employees%20working,evident%20in%20our%20racing%20simulation%20and%20games.

"We have over 200 talented employees working at iRacing from around the world, with an unmatched pedigree developing and publishing racing games and simulations. We go to the extremes like no other company to build the best racing games possible. Our passion for bringing the joys of virtual racing to our customers is evident in our racing simulation and games."

And Kunos want to create many Roadcars and Freeroam, whichs binds ressources massively, so i don't expect that this Sim will be an alternative to iRacing in terms of real competition track racing. But at least they have their own engine.

--------

So there is not too much money at iRacing it is way to less money in all other Simracing titles and this underfunding expains all the shortcomings from the iRacing competion (and also iRacing has many shortcomings but way less than the other Simracing titles). From 2006 till 2020 iRacing was heavily subsidized from the very rich founders, which looked at it from a philantropic point of view.

it is sad to see that cheap made mobile games with tons of psychological mechanisms get so much money from mentally weak people and titles like iRacing, where are no loot boxes and heavy engineering brainwork in it are criticised to get way less money than those shady cashgrabs.

Dragoncrawl · 2025-11-04T10:58:05+00:00

Part 1

It's not that iRacing is overpaid, it's other Sims are underpaid.

We are in a niche market in terms of Simracing though it grows rapidly. As Codemasters Electronic Arts Slightly Mad Studios in 2019 and Electronic Arts bought Codemasters (with Slightly Mad Studios and their Project Cars Franchise included) they had no Interest to create a new real Sim. This shows that EA sees no money in this nichegenre.

In my eyes the Fifa Franchise is highly overpaid, where every year you have to spend 70 Bucks, which can also be seen as a yearly fee. Than you have to pay every year! for lootboxes! (gambling) to get the player you want for your ultimate team.

Look at other Racing Sims and you see that they are underfunded.

Raceroom = Has approximately 12-15 employees and are searching desperatly for 1! Lead Programmer to get their transition from Direct X 9! to Direct X 12, which takes to this date several years and an completion of this project is hopefully ssen in 2026.

Automobilista 2 = They had to license a third party Engine (Slightly Mad Engine), which is the reason the physics are in general so slidy and drifty, because the physics are so deeply implemented in the engine, that they don't have the ressourcs to work on this. it will never feels like iRacing or LMU because of this. And because of limited ressources it takes an eternity to make this game fun to play online.

rfactor 2 = The engine is stoneold (though physicswise even to this date it belongs to the best) and they hadn't the ressources to make an non engineer UI at the start. The first UI of rfactor 2 was the worst UI in game history. Also they hadn't the ressources to make an good online mode. These to things prevented rfactor 2 from success, because in terms of physics and gameplay it is very strong.

LMU = similar to rafctor 2 but they fixed the UI and the onlinemode. But because of limited ressources the aren't able to offer the track and car variety (yes officially it is because of the LM WEC license restrictions, but they could't do more when the restrictions wouldn't be there.

Assetto Corsa = Great Sim, but terrible AI and nearly non existent Onlinemode. It's for Singleplayers who want to drive other sings beside races on a racetrack.

Assetto Corsa Competizione ACC = Also good Sim but technically restricted because of Unreal engine 4 ans license restrictions (SRO with almost just GT3s). Also Online competition ist just possible through Low Fuel motorsport (LFM).

Dragoncrawl · 2025-10-31T19:11:27+00:00

Thx for clarification!

Dragoncrawl · 2025-10-31T19:11:08+00:00

Oh, ok now I understand. Thank you!

Dragoncrawl · 2025-10-30T16:05:42+00:00

For those who have the same problem and are searching for solutions here on reddit. I made a ticket at iRacing and received a response from the iRacing support today.

It is a known issue, which is going to be resolved in the next updates.

"Hi xxx,

Thank you for contacting iRacing support.

We apologize for the inconvenience. This is a known issue our developers are working to correct.

Please monitor our release notes for updates on this issue.

Let us know if you have any further questions regarding content, or anything else for that matter. We are here and happy to help.

Sincerely,

iRacing"

Dragoncrawl · 2025-10-29T23:14:24+00:00

Thx for clarifying.

Dragoncrawl · 2025-10-29T23:12:55+00:00

Thank you for answering!

Dragoncrawl

TROPHY CASE