The latest entry in Codemasters’ annual Formula 1 series, F1 22, will be the first to offer VR support to players on PC – but PlayStation owners holding out hope for the same compatibility in the future should temper their expectations.
In an exclusive interview with TechRadar, the game’s Senior Creative Director, Lee Mather, revealed that Codemasters has “no plans at this time” to add VR support for either Playstation VR or the in-development PSVR 2.
“We’ve been investigating VR for some time and we want to bring it to our F1 game without compromise,” Mather said. “We have partnered with a team who has worked on other Codemasters’ titles and it has taken several years to get us to this point where we know we can deliver a premium experience for our players.”
F1 22 is scheduled for release on July 1 across PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and PC. At the game’s official unveiling in April, Codemasters announced that only PC players would be able to race in VR at launch, but it wasn’t clear whether the developer intended to offer PlayStation VR users the same functionality later down the line.
Now, though, we know that console players may have to wait until F1 2023 for the pleasure.
The current list of VR headsets compatible with F1 2022 on PC are as follows:
Impressively, the option to play in VR on PC will be available in all F1 22 modes, and those choosing to do so will also be able to race against non-VR players, too.
What’s more, Codemasters has implemented several features to ensure that driving at speeds of more than 200mph in VR feels as realistic as possible. The game will use binaural audio, for instance, to simulate the sensation of 3D race sounds, while rain droplets and grime will also build up on players’ virtual visors.
The experience won’t be quite as sickening as is it in reality, mind. “Due to the speed and severity of an F1 car’s movement, we must ensure significant impacts aren’t overly jarring for a player,” Senior Creative Director Mather told us. “We don’t want them to feel queasy.”
Introducing the new era of Formula 1
As disappointed as PlayStation VR owners might be to hear that VR support isn’t coming to consoles any time soon, there’s still plenty to get excited about with F1 22.
Alongside co-op multiplayer and the usual roster of updates, Formula 1’s newest location, the Miami International Autodrome, makes its debut in the upcoming game. You can check it out via the recently released footage below:
F1 22 also introduces a new adaptive AI system for “less experienced players” that’ll adjust the pace of AI cars depending on your performance – if you’ve never played an F1 game before, trust us when we say this feature is a welcome one.
Elsewhere, Codemasters has added a customizable hub – dubbed F1 Life – that lets players collect supercars, clothing and accessories (think of it as the driving sim equivalent of a shiny apartment in GTA V), while both the Formula 2 and My Team modes return with their own set of upgrades.
F1 22 is available to pre-order now for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and PC. It’s scheduled for release on July 1, 2022.