R42

"You don't really drive the machine, you ARE THE MACHINE, and pretty much every movement you make with your hands, arms, head, neck and upper body can control the steering. I'm not sure VR racing can get more immersive, more personal than this." ----Me and my pup, Chiquita But steering can also be quite simple, such as using an XBox-type controller, or just leaning from side to side, or even lying on your back with only your hands steering. (Review section on playing as a disabled gamer toward bottom. But keep in mind, R42 is NOT a "disabled game". It is a game that this reviewer believes just about anyone can play and enjoy tremendously.) I’m a big fan of Steam-offered driving/racing games (owning dozens), and at the very least the Store Page description of R42 offered something new and unusual. And I must say, R42 has delivered! It took me a bit to understand that my every body movement while waiting at the starting line might change the direction faced, but that is easily understood, and that unprecedented degree of response is THE strongest game feature (IMHO.) While R42 stresses the use of VR controllers (Oculus Rift and Rift S, in my case), it seems that they can act entirely as the gas pedal. What was so difficult for me to originally realize is that movement control is achieved by a combination of leaning and moving the controllers from side to side. If you wished, while acclimating to this concept, the controllers could remain stationary. (They could rest in your lap, if you wish.) There are three types of controller use available, but I can only speak for the VR controller method. Gamepad allows for more traditional steering control. Centroid is the VR controller method, and seems to provide the most complete amount of "full body" control. Bike is for VR controllers to be held to the front of the body (such as while lying prone.) For ultimate control it seems best to combine leaning with a side-to-side controller movement, which can result in a great, rapidly responsive means of movement control. For anyone thinking this doesn’t present a challenge; please allow me to respectfully correct you. It can be every bit as challenging for your body to do the steering (perhaps more so) than the more traditional controller driving techniques of stick or wheel. But whichever your choice, it's a new world of driving control to me, and one I am excited to explore. But I can say with some confidence that there may be no more immersive way to drive than for your every movement to act to drive your vehicle. In fact, it's much more a feeling that you ARE the vehicle. (DON'T scratch your nose in the middle of a race! And try not to sneeze....) There are essentially two challenges to each track: finishing while scoring the best time, and finding shortcuts that can cut large portions off of each track's time. (There is no such thing as cheating in R42!) Currently there are 10 tracks, and more are being added regularly. Multiplayer isn't ready yet, though you do race against named AI opponents. The global and friends leaderboards are now available (not within R42, but within Steam), and they update immediately upon exiting. On some tracks the goal is to collect as many speed-enhancing power-ups as possible to improve your time, and while the challenge to react quickly enough is great, it's far from impossible. Some tracks involve (literally) "leaps of faith" into space, with numerous possibilities for your landing site. Other tracks don't have power-ups, but require tight corners, and that constant lookout for the elusive (and sometimes numerous) shortcuts. And I must add, the Discord community is made up entirely of helpful and supportive R42 gamers (and almost instantly responsive developers.) As a disabled gamer, VR has been both a godsend and a crushing disappointment. I love the opportunity the best of VR games give me to feel that I have, however briefly, left this bed that is my home at least 23 hours of most days. But many otherwise excellent VR games involve too much physicality (for some of us), and thus too much difficulty and discomfort. And so when I encountered the R42 Store Page, I was immediately intrigued. And I have not been in the least disappointed! What I love most about R42 is simply the exceptionally fluid feeling of movement. It's as wonderful a feeling of movement as I've ever felt in any game (of any type) in my life. The controls are perfectly responsive to even the slightest movements, and can be adapted to gamers standing, sitting, or lying prone. No use of fingers is needed to control, and in fact a rubber band can be used to activate a trigger's only setting: ON. And if you choose to integrate VR controllers into your steering strategy (highly recommended!), they can be strapped to your hands, arms or wrists, and still be 100% functional. I have had no issues with nausea, even with a severe and chronic sinus issue. The freedom of movement that is denied me IRL has found its way into my life by way of R42, and I am deeply grateful for these developers, and for their passion both for this game and for their customers. At the bottom it says, Do you recommend this game?" (Hmmm... What do you think?) Thank you for reading. I hope you have the opportunity to enjoy R42 as much as I have.

Obwohl ich noch ständig von der Bahn falle macht es eine Menge Spaß. Ich hatte es erst mit der Index getestet aber da gab es Probleme mit den Controllern, die Support Anfrage wurde promt beantwortet, ich hab es dann mit den Vive Controllern versucht im Fahrrad Modus und es klappe damit mit der Index gut. Weil bei mir alles was mit den Vive Controllern läuft auch mit meiner Samsung Odyssey Plus und den Mixed Reality Controllern läuft habe ich es damit auch getestet obwohl WMR HMDs nicht angegeben sind läuft es damit sogar noch besser, die WMR Controller Dell und Samsung reagieren deutlich besser als das Lighthouse System mit den Vive Controllern. Die Steuerung ist etwas ungewöhnlich aber nach etwas Training liebe ich die Steuerung, endlich mal was neues.

A really fun game but does not feel at all finished. Worth it on sale if you're curious and have the spare money. The UI doesn't seem like it was built to be used in VR. The game's also in desperate need of comfort features like vignetting, blurring, movement lines, etc. i was squinting through the discomfort to keep playing though because it was really fun. a more in-depth tutorial would be nice too. I couldn't figure out the leaning movement option and had to go with the bike one, which seemed less interesting in comparison. Still really neat racing in VR in an endless rainbow road.