How to Drive Le Mans Ultimate in VR

How to run Le Mans Ultimate in VR.jpg
Images: Motorsport Games
As part of its most recent update, Le Mans Ultimate has rolled out a VR beta mode. Here is how to activate virtual reality in-game and what you can expect.

Image credit: Studio-397

Virtual Reality is perhaps the closest many of us will ever get to racing real cars on real circuits. That is even more true when the cars in question are some of the most advanced sportscar racing prototypes ever seen.

But sadly, the official FIA World Endurance Championship game, Le Mans Ultimate does not currently have full, official VR support. In its Early Access development stage, the rendering view has been shuffled lower down the priorities list.


However, as part of the title’s most recent update alongside content such as the final 2024 Hypercars and the Circuit of the Americas, Studio-397 has launched beta access to VR for Le Mans Ultimate. Where previous VR access was limited to simple in-car driving, you now get menu screens, HUD and other creature comforts.

How to Launch LMU in VR​

As aforementioned, accessing Le Mans Ultimate in VR has always been possible. But this required a great deal of back-and-forth settings changes. Thankfully, that is no longer a requirement thanks to this pre-beta rollout of Virtual Reality in LMU.

Now, just one small change before launching the game in Steam will provide you with a VR experience:
  • Step 1: Right click on Le Mans Utimate in Steam and select Properties
  • Step 2: In General => Launch Options enter “+VR”
  • Step 3: Launch LMU in VR

Add +VR to the Steam launch options to play Le Mans Ultimate in VR.

Add "+VR" to the Steam launch options to play Le Mans Ultimate in VR.

Previously, playing Le Mans Ultimate in Virtual Reality would not render the game’s menu screen UI, nor the HUD. However, you can now control everything you need to from your headset, even entering races.

How to Re-Centre VR view in Le Mans Ultimate

Take a stroll through Le Mans Ultimate’s Control Settings menu and you will notice an inexistence of VR-related bindings. In fact, resetting your position for example is one thing you currently cannot do. Officially that is.

Here is how to map a VR head position re-centre button for Le Mans Ultimate.
  • Step 1: Set a control in-game on your keyboard that you do not plan on using ad close the game
  • Step 2: Open “keyboard.json” in “Le Mans Ultimate/UserData/Player”
  • Step 3: Search for the control you mapped earlier
  • Step 4: Replace the binding name with “VR : Re-center head position”
Your input for re-centring VR should look like this.

Your input for re-centring VR should look like this. In my case, key 29 is Left Ctrl. Image credit: Studio-397

You can also bind the control to your wheel. In this case, instead of your keyboard file, open the file relating to your specific input device.

Is it any good?​

When we last gave Le Mans Ultimate a go in VR, we found the act of driving in-game with the headset strapped on an enjoyable experience. The game is already immersive and in VR, that is only improved.

But without a HUD, the game aspect was far from present. Racing itself was impossible as navigating the pit menu is rather crucial to longer races and the odd bug, frame freeze or stutter did not inspire confidence for online sprint racing.

Race Le Mans in VR.jpg

Line up for your first VR session in Le Mans Ultimate. Image credit: Studio-397

Now though, with the HUD fully in-view, one can realistically take part in longer events against the AI with good results. There is no denying that the on-screen display itself is quite large and out-of-view to the left and right. It also blends into the car’s 3D model at times. But for a beta release, it does the job.

For online use, we would recommend drastically dropping graphical settings in case of stutters. You do not want to impact that hard-earned Safety Rating after all. Indeed, we did experience the odd frame drop and graphical glitch at times.

Have you tried Le Mans Ultimate in VR yet? What do you make of the experience? Let us know in the comments.
About author
Angus Martin
Motorsport gets my blood pumping more than anything else. Be it physical or virtual, I'm down to bang doors.

Comments

Have you tried Le Mans Ultimate in VR yet? What do you make of the experience?

Yes, horrible massive aliasing/shimmering without MSAA and it doesn't work online.

Not usable, not worth an news article.
 
So, Le Mans Ultimate does not currently have VR support, does it matter, if it is possible to use VR anyway?
Once in VR in LMU, does it matter if it is "officially" (whatever that means) supported.
VR user are, unfortunately, use to some limitations, one way or another, to be part of the VR experience. RF2/LMU user are use to, unfortunately, having to endure some "quirks" to enjoy playing the SIM.
Anyone expecting perfect, or near perfect, experience from VR and/or RF2/LMU, must have been living under a rock for a long time. :D
Fact is, LMU, in all its glory, plays in VR, for those interested in either VR and LMU.
Thank you for the detailed news article.
 
Premium
VR still seems gimmicky. after a while in vr, the immersion becomes the same as looking at a screen. When it looks as good as it does on my PC screen, i might switch permanently, but i also have the issue of the vr screen fogging, and i get sweaty on my head and tired eyes. My best racing experience in VR has been on Live for Speed, they get the locking to horizon etc correct and it looks practically the same as on a screen as it is a little dated now, but just feels smoother and nicer than Assetto, AMS2 and others in VR.
 
Sorry Angus, but the workaround is not VR, it's crap. To many flaws and a bad experience.
Unfortunately official VR support is not important anymore. LMU lost it's momentum. Decreasing player numbers telling us the game is dying and VR will not save it. Good choice to skip the sim.
 
It's been great to get a little hotlap preview of LMU VR to this point and to get a feel for where the driving dynamics are. Beyond that, it's an exercise in futility to try to play it in VR in any sort of serious manner. Hope they can square VR away in the coming months, it's a pretty thrilling drive and trying to tame the hypercars is a real challenge. Still find it hard to get used to their "drive by wire" style of steering where it wants to pull itself in the input direction running counter to what most of us are probably used to with previous prototype and GT driving.
 
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VR still seems gimmicky. after a while in vr, the immersion becomes the same as looking at a screen. When it looks as good as it does on my PC screen, i might switch permanently, but i also have the issue of the vr screen fogging, and i get sweaty on my head and tired eyes. My best racing experience in VR has been on Live for Speed, they get the locking to horizon etc correct and it looks practically the same as on a screen as it is a little dated now, but just feels smoother and nicer than Assetto, AMS2 and others in VR.

VR is definitely too gimmicky for me in racing... Being able to move your head around like that just isn't possible in most racing cars where you are strapped into position as tightly as they do for safety reasons... Great for when you're in a street car drifting around in AC or something like that, terrible for immersion in a race car... Any decent sized screen is far better...

But gimmicks like VR and FFB that acts like a guiding hand around the track always sells well with a majority of gamers looking to go fast and pretend they are their favourite driving super star... It's how Forza, Need for Speed and pCARS got popular...
 
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Don't be angry DonaldRacer. I was really interested in LMU and wanted it to be successful. Maybe they can turn things around but at the moment it doesn't look good. 700 players 24h-peak is not so much...
 
Still find it hard to get used to their "drive by wire" style of steering where it wants to pull itself in the input direction running counter to what most of us are probably used to with previous prototype and GT driving.
It's not any "drive by wire". Just suspension geometry of two hypercars.
Hypercars
  • Cadillac V-LMdH
    • Note: Due to suspension geometry of this car, it has a tendency to pull steering towards the direction of steering
  • Ferrari 499P LMH
    • Note: Due to suspension geometry of this car, it has a tendency to pull steering towards the direction of steering
 
It's not any "drive by wire". Just suspension geometry of two hypercars.
Ahh, appreciate the clarification. Always figured it also had something to do with the fancy electric steering assist they use in these cars that's beyond the standard power steering.
 
Premium
VR is definitely too gimmicky for me in racing... Being able to move your head around like that just isn't possible in most racing cars where you are strapped into position as tightly as they do for safety reasons... Great for when you're in a street car drifting around in AC or something like that, terrible for immersion in a race car... Any decent sized screen is far better...

But gimmicks like VR and FFB that acts like a guiding hand around the track always sells well with a majority of gamers looking to go fast and pretend they are their favourite driving super star... It's how Forza, Need for Speed and pCARS got popular...
VR a gimmick, he says as he climbs up on his nag with all those pesky model Ts buzzing past him. Each to their own maybe?
 
VR is definitely too gimmicky for me in racing... Being able to move your head around like that just isn't possible in most racing cars where you are strapped into position as tightly as they do for safety reasons... Great for when you're in a street car drifting around in AC or something like that, terrible for immersion in a race car... Any decent sized screen is far better...

But gimmicks like VR and FFB that acts like a guiding hand around the track always sells well with a majority of gamers looking to go fast and pretend they are their favourite driving super star... It's how Forza, Need for Speed and pCARS got popular...
Sure thing buddy ... terrible immersion and all ...
Look at me not-drifting in my not-JDM on a not-street circuit in not-AC
 

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Angus Martin
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Shifting method

  • I use whatever the car has in real life*

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  • I always use sequential

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