Now You Can Watch Formula E Racing Using Virtual Reality
Virtually Live is bringing electric open-wheel racing recaps to VR headsets.
Several months after the announcement that Formula E would be working with Virtually Live to produce virtual reality recaps of its races, the finished product is finally ready for public consumption. And it's pretty damn neat.
Virtually Live has released four VR highlight reels of some of the most intense Formula E races from last season two—Berlin, Long Branch, and the two races in London. Interestingly, the clips aren't actual footage from the races themselves; rather, they're computer-generated recreations that allow viewers to hop between various locations around the race track. There's also a mode designed to guide viewers through the race, bringing them to the best locations at the ideal moments to catch the action.
Each clip is about five minutes long—so all told, there's roughly 20 minutes of electric, open-wheel racing content ready to be absorbed virtually.
Virtually Live uses physical trackers and image recognition technology to bring the races to live through VR. According to The Verge, Formula E and the San Francisco-based VR company have been testing the systems for live broadcasts since December of 2015.
Obviously, these early virtual reality recaps still are apoor substitute for going to see a race in person. But for those who can't make it out to the tracks for one reason or another, experiencing the competition from the comfort of your home with a semi-realistic and fully-immersive recap isn't not a bad second choice.
The reels are currently available for HTC Vive for free and will come to Oculus later this year. And if these aren't cool enough to grab your interest, stay tuned: Virtually Live says it will eventually offer live VR versions of Formula E races.
