First Drive: BMW M Mixed Reality M2 Is a Real-World Racing Sim - CNET

From motion-controlled VR rigs to Volvo's 3 cardinal euro R&D chassis simulator, I've tested a wide scope of racing simulator setups. Yet arsenic adjacent arsenic the champion get to replicating the consciousness of driving, each autumn conscionable abbreviated of the existent thing. BMW's M racing and show division's latest task comes astatine this occupation from the other direction, bringing a existent accelerating, cornering, power-sliding 2023 M2 athletics coupe into the simulation utilizing mixed world technology.

I was capable to trial BMW's M Mixed Reality M2 prototype connected a grey day successful precocious November at the M Driving Academy astatine Fürstenfeldbruck Air Base, conscionable a half-hour's thrust from the automaker's Munich headquarters. For the astir part, this is conscionable a mean 2023 M2 with a acheronian techno-livery. Opening the door, I spy the ample stereoscopic camera pod occupying astir of the dashboard and the mixed world headset waiting for maine successful the driver's seat.

The headset is the Varjo XR-3, a pro-level mixed world portion that features lidar-based 3D spatial positioning, passthrough cameras and manus and oculus tracking. It's the latest mentation of the XR-1 rig that Volvo used a fewer years agone to trial operator safety, and it's 1 of the astir precocious VR/MR headsets that I've ever strapped to my melon. The XR-3 has been modified somewhat with six tiny positioning spheres that further boost caput tracking accuracy.

The mixed world headset combines a unrecorded presumption of the dashboard and driver's hands, but wholly replaces the presumption retired of the windshield.

BMW

As I settee into the racing bucket seats and unafraid the four-point harness, BMW's technologist explains to maine that by combining  virtual reality with existent driving, the M squad is taking an inside-out attack to creating the astir realistic simulator. There's besides little question sickness than with a afloat virtual acquisition due to the fact that your assemblage (specifically, your interior ear) volition beryllium experiencing real-world physics. He besides explains that he's got a distant brake pedal connected his broadside of the car — similar a driver's ed car — but promised lone to usage it successful an emergency. 

Through the XR-3's displays, my imaginativeness is filled with unrecorded video of the M2's existent dashboard successful beforehand of me, implicit with my existent hands connected the precise existent wheel. It's arsenic if idiosyncratic replaced my eyes with the MR headset's cameras. It's a small weird, but there's nary perceptible latency. I'm instructed to displacement into thrust and determination to the starting line.

Suddenly, the presumption extracurricular the car changes. The grey entity and bare airstrip I'd lined up connected vanish and they're replaced by a futuristic racetrack with a cyberpunk nighttime cityscape successful the distance. As I determination my head, the virtual satellite moves perfectly successful sync; I tin adjacent thin guardant oregon tilt my caput to adjacent astir the extortion up astatine the nighttime entity — astatine least, arsenic acold arsenic the harness volition fto me. My existent hands and the. M2's dashboard are inactive determination — that' s the mixed portion of this world — but beyond them stretches a neon-lit course, marked by tall, glowing barriers. The ample camera pod, I notice, has besides seemingly disappeared. 

BMW partnered with Epic Games to make the mixed world simulation successful Unreal Engine 4.

BMW

My co-driver explains that the elongated figure-eight circuit fits nicely wrong the paved runway — which they surveyed and GPS-marked with a drone astatine the commencement of the lawsuit overmuch similar however you'd people the harmless boundaries of room-scale VR astatine home. The strategy uses a operation of camera and laser caput tracking, precision accelerometer information and GPS, on with information pulled from the M2's onboard sensor network, to accurately enactment up the vehicle's presumption and my augmented tract of view.

Then it's "ready, set, GO!" arsenic I'm instructed to instrumentality a dilatory thigh to get acquainted with the system. The infinitesimal I get rolling, each of the mixed world weirdness disappears and I'm immersed successful the sim. Muscle representation takes implicit arsenic I aviator the M2 smoothly done the video crippled landscape. BMW added a spot of Mario Kart gamification to the people with BMW roundel tokens to cod to amended my people and ample reddish integer barriers to avoid. It's fun. 

Of course, determination are limitations to the tech. It can't make camber oregon elevation changes wherever determination are nary — a large parking batch is ne'er going to consciousness similar the Nürburgring's banked carousels oregon Laguna Seca's corkscrew. And truthful the 2 times this tech has been demonstrated to journalists person been level simulations connected creaseless runways. The other is besides true: If there's a bump oregon pothole connected the existent driving surface, you'll consciousness it — and if a puddle oregon lipid slick develops oregon a cervid runs into the driving area, you won't spot it coming successful the simulation, which is wherefore the quality co-driver and their exigency brake pedal are there.

Later, BMW's engineers excitedly explicate their imaginativeness for utilizing exertion developed successful the M Mixed Reality prototype to thatch novice drivers show techniques oregon to let casual enthusiasts to trial the real-world limits of a car similar the M2 without the fearfulness of putting it into a partition oregon wrapping it astir a pole.

Currently, the prototype uses a Varjo XR-3 headset, but that could alteration successful the future.

BMW

Expert drivers tin besides payment from mixed world driving. Say there's a tricky conception connected the Nürburgring you privation to practice. Load it up connected a skid pad and deed it implicit and implicit again without the request to implicit the full Nordschleife betwixt attempts. You could walk the time autocrossing with a antithetic course, each tally without having to laic retired oregon prime up dozens of cones.

On my 2nd lap, I propulsion the velocity a small further and the illusion remains unbroken. The car moves astir the simulated people precisely, people pursuing my inputs and matching perfectly with the seat-of-the-pants feel. Only the value of the headset reminds maine that I haven't been magically transported wrong an arcade racer. 

The BMW M Mixed Reality prototype is simply a ton of fun, but for present it's conscionable a improvement level with nary plans to nutrient oregon connection the tech to M car owners. At the extremity of my session, each that I truly privation is 1 much lap.