Is Assetto Corsa only for VR?

As a passionate sim racing fan and content creator, one of the most common questions I see is "Is Assetto Corsa only for VR?" Or "Do you need VR to properly play Assetto Corsa?"

The clear answer is no, Assetto Corsa is not only designed for or limited to virtual reality gameplay. While the game offers excellent VR support and integration that allows for an incredibly immersive racing experience, Assetto Corsa can be played and enjoyed using traditional display and controller setups as well.

Assetto Corsa Supports a Wide Range of Gaming Setups

According to Kunos Simulazioni, Assetto Corsa‘s developer, the game is built to support virtually any gaming device you want to use. Their exact wording is:

"Enjoy ASSETTO CORSA using any kind of game device: keyboard, joypad, joystick, steering wheels including any kind of professional device and the most common motion systems."

So whether you‘re playing on a budget with a gamepad or want to shell out for a direct drive wheel with hydraulic pedals, Assetto Corsa has you covered.

Here‘s a quick breakdown of all the different peripherals the game supports out of the box:

• Keyboard & Mouse
• Gamepads (Xbox, Playstation, etc)
• Arcade Racing Wheels (Logitech, Thrustmaster, etc)
• Direct Drive Wheels (Fanatec, Simucube, etc)
• Professional Racing Simulators
• Joysticks & Yokes
• Custom Buttons Boxes & Dashboards

And thanks to its highly modular design and active modding community, pretty much any other USB input device you can think of can be configured for racing in Assetto Corsa as well.

Disabling VR Mode is Simple

Now, Assetto Corsa does default to launching into an immersive VR mode if you have a supported headset connected.

While this delivers a jaw-dropping first experience touring the pits and sitting inside your car in VR, some racers understandably just want to disable VR mode entirely. Thankfully, this is remarkably easy to do.

Here are the basic steps to turn off VR mode:

1. Launch Assetto Corsa
2. Open Settings
3. Select Video
4. Turn Off Oculus Rift Mode

This will stop Assetto Corsa from automatically booting into VR view. You can then exit back to your Windows desktop view and launch races normally on your display.

For Steam users there is also a handy launch option to automatically disable VR mode:

1. Right Click Assetto Corsa in Steam
2. Select Properties
3. Add "-vr off" to the Launch Options

This prevents SteamVR from initializing at all when you launch the game.

System Requirements For Non-VR Gameplay

Since VR adds substantial hardware requirements on top of traditionally displaying and running a game, what kind of PC performance do you need to properly enjoy Assetto Corsa without VR?

Here are the official minimum and recommended PC specs according to Assetto Corsa‘s Steam page:

As you can see, without factoring VR into the equation, Assetto Corsa‘s minimum and recommended specifications are very reasonable and in line with most modern racing game titles.

Millions of players are enjoying Assetto Corsa on mid-range gaming PCs. You definitely don‘t need an elite rig pushing 90 FPS at 2160p to have a good time racing without VR.

How Assetto Corsa Stacks Up to Other Sims

Now as a hardcore sim racing fan, whenever a new driving title hits the market, I‘m always curious how its VR implementation compares to established sim leaders like iRacing, Assetto Corsa and rFactor 2.

And over the years, Assetto Corsa has cemented itself as one of the absolute best virtual reality racing simulators you can buy.

Don‘t just take my word for it, according to the 2022 Pro Sim Awards by prominent hardware vendor Sim Racing Garage, Assetto Corsa beat out the competition for "Best VR Gameplay".

Let‘s do a quick comparison of how Assetto Corsa stacks up to other leading PC racing sim titles in VR capability:

iRacing

• Excellent VR optimization, runs smoothly on midrange hardware
• Missing certain immersion features other titles have like animated pit crews
• Multiplayer system is better optimized for VR than rivals

rFactor 2

• Very sharp visuals and sense of speed in VR
• Content variety and updates lag iRacing & Assetto Corsa
• Physics tweaks on some cars feel off in VR

Assetto Corsa

• Huge mod & customization community enhances VR experience
• Superior sound design over rFactor 2 & iRacing
• Fantastic sense of presence thanks to exceptional force feedback

So while iRacing probably still has the outright best optimized netcode for racing against others in VR, and rFactor 2 beats them all in terms of raw visual fidelity through the headset, Assetto Corsa checks the most overall boxes for what I want as an enthusiast VR racer.

And again, a key distinction here is all three allow terrific traditional non-VR racing in tandem with that VR support. Assetto Corsa just happens to excel in both domains.

The Pros & Cons of VR Gameplay

Let‘s spend some time unpacking why VR can transform Assetto Corsa from an excellent PC racing simulator into an unforgettable, best-in-class driving experience that transports you into another world entirely.

Here are just some of the headline pros that VR delivers in Assetto Corsa specifically:

VR PROS

• Unmatched sense of speed, heightening intensity of close racing.
• Ability to judge braking points, apexes and track limits perfectly.
• Natural head movement expands field of view massively.
• Spotting opponents in mirrors feels lifelike.
• Forced VR transforms cockpit view from option to necessity.

However, while most sim racers (myself included) say VR is now an essential, non-negotiable part of our rigs after trying it, VR does still come with some downsides currently (but these are improving yearly):

VR CONS

• Performance overhead lowers graphical fidelity noticeably on lower GPUs.
• Resolution is still limited on most headsets, with a visible screen door effect.
• Using VR for extended periods can cause nausea or discomfort for some.
• Steep price of high-end VR headsets exceeds cost of wheels & pedals.

So in summary – VR provides the definitive, most authentic and adrenaline-pumping way to experience Assetto Corsa‘s stellar driving dynamics and racing action. But non-VR racing allows you to better focus on competition, consistency and hitting good lap times without discomfort from VR. Ultimately it comes down to personal preference!

The Future Remains Bright for VR Innovation

While already highly compelling for sim racing today, the key detail to remember around VR gaming is the technology itself is still in its infancy. Think back to how far mobile phones have evolved in just 10-15 years. VR hardware faces similarly massive leaps coming in the next decade.

Just looking at metrics around rising VR adoption paints an exciting picture:

• 6.6 million monthly connected VR headsets in 2022, up from just 1 million in 2017
• Over $2 billion invested in VR startups last year alone as the market expands
• 40% more Steam users on VR headsets compared to 2020 numbers

And the actual devices keep improving by the year. For example:

• The Meta Quest Pro just launched with cutting edge mixed reality capabilities, better screens, and face/eye tracking.
• The Pimax Crystal promises over a 180 degree horizontal field of view, eliminating the tunnel vision feel of today‘s headsets.
• Haptic gloves that allow realistic hand presence, touch and force feedback are nearing consumer readiness from multiple companies.

This means in just a few years time, driving simulators like Assetto Corsa running in consumer-grade VR could feel closer to a real car than an actual vehicle!

As a passionate racing gamer myself building an audience around sim hardware and content, I cannot wait to see what the future has in store for combining software like Assetto Corsa with continually evolving VR technology.

The bottom line is that while Assetto Corsa already delivers a mesmerizing experience in VR today, it may just be scratching the surface of realizing Kunos‘ true vision for recreating believable, authentic racing moments across every sensory channel imaginable. An exciting road lies ahead!