Steam’s First VR Sports Game Launches

The first virtual reality sports game just hit Steam with the release of Motorsport Revolution, a physics-based PC racing game compatible with the Oculus Rift DK2 headset.   It is the first sports VR game added to the Steam library. And based on the VR buzz at the Consumer Electronics Show, this is just the beginning.

The single-player game features multiple 3D tracks to burn, such as California Speedway, Brazil Raceway and Big Country Criterion, as well as over 20 different cars to choose from as one races through five sports classes, starting with economy and ending with the ultimate formula class.

Neal Nellans, CEO of Ghost Machine, the game’s developer, said the game is more about action than a simulated racing experience.

“We wanted to create an adrenaline-filled action scenario,” Nellans told me. “The AI is very aggressive and it (the game) gives very fantastic crash scenarios.”

Nellans said that a racing genre lended itself nicely to VR because first-person, 3D racing games already existed. This made the transition to VR easy simply by adding a 3D camera.

When asked about issues of nausea, a common challenge within VR experiences, Nellans said that cockpit-type games – games in which action moves around a stationary first person or object — reduce those issues.

Waiting for EA Sports to launch a John Madden VR title? Don’t hold your breath. Nellans thinks the big developers will take a wait-and-see attitude with the tech.

Ghost Machine, a virtual reality studio based in Austin, is also developing Extreme Golf and expects to launch in December. This is not your grandpa’s golf. Features include a timer for each hole which affects scoring, along with the ability to smack your opponent with a club and knock them down to gain an edge and improve your score. Nellans said the game will include a multiplayer element.

The company has six VR games currently in development.

Motorsports Revolution is currently on sale for $12.74 (regularly $14.99) while the Oculus Rift DK2 headset costs $350.

Images via Ghost Studio