I Drove a Real-Life BMW M2 on a Virtual Racetrack and Survived - Car and Driver

• BMW's "M Mixed Reality" puts the idiosyncratic successful a existent car successful a existent situation and lets them thrust connected a integer racetrack.
• Wearing a virtual world (VR) headset and driving a existent BMW M2, I got to effort the brand's mixed-reality creation.
• BMW debuted M Mixed Reality earlier this year, and the exertion has immense imaginable arsenic a driver-training device.

Driving a existent car portion wearing a virtual world (VR) headset is astir ever a unspeakable idea. I accidental almost ever due to the fact that there's a clip erstwhile not lone is it okay, but it's besides a wholly large (if surreal) experience. And I person the receipts—in the signifier of this video—to beryllium it.

BMW's Version of The Matrix

BMW calls its mind-bending instauration "M Mixed Reality." It's fundamentally a driving simulator, but alternatively of the emblematic stationary devices that show virtual racetracks and mimic real-world feedback, the mixed-reality acquisition lets users thrust connected a virtual racetrack successful a existent car successful a existent environment. In this case, it's the recently revealed 2023 BMW M2 astatine the brand's M Driving Academy successful Maisach, Germany.

Wearing the VR headset portion driving mightiness look similar a country from the Sandra Bullock flick Bird Box, but I wasn't really driving blind. The headset allowed maine to spot world until the virtual portion was mixed in. I besides had BMW M technologist Alexander Kuttner riding shotgun, providing directions and guidance. Fortunately for Kuttner, helium had a brake pedal connected his broadside successful lawsuit things went disconnected the rails.

Virtual Track, Real Car, Real Consequences

What admittedly sounds similar a questionable conception is really ace entertaining and mostly accessible, arsenic agelong arsenic you're similar maine and don't endure from question sickness. Having logged countless hours playing racing video games arsenic good arsenic having anterior VR acquisition besides helped. Despite those advantages, it inactive took maine a infinitesimal to get my bearings. Never earlier had I recovered myself wearing a bulky VR headset erstwhile sitting down the instrumentality of a existent car with 453 horsepower astatine the disposal of my close foot.

Once I was strapped into the information harness successful the M2's driver's spot and the VR headset was strapped to my skull, Kuttner directed maine to travel a acceptable of cones toward a designated spot connected the runway of the aged U.S. subject basal that BMW present uses for its driving academy. The level asphalt aboveground and wide surroundings provided a cleanable closed course, which is simply a necessity for this benignant of thing.

When I reached the loading zone, Kuttner activated the mixed-reality sequence, and similar Neo successful The Matrix I was transported into a caller benignant of world wherever what I did successful the virtual satellite had real-life consequences. However, I didn't conscionable past this experience, I thrived arsenic soon arsenic the virtual situation appeared earlier my eyes and a disembodied pistillate dependable began giving orders.

Mario Kart Meets Forza Motorsport

The rules were simple: It's a time-trial contention wherever the fastest thigh wins (although I had nary hint what times I was competing against). The integer racetrack I drove connected featured a elemental figure-eight configuration. For an other challenge, the way included holographic walls that popped up connected either broadside of the way and had to beryllium avoided to person a clip bonus. There were besides floating "time coins" with BMW roundels wrong that were scattered astir the way similar point boxes successful Mario Kart. Unfortunately, driving done them lone unlocked a clip bonus alternatively than a shootable ammunition oregon a slippery banana.

As soon arsenic the crippled said "GO!" I kicked the M2's throttle and felt the acquainted sensation of acceleration, yet successful beforehand of maine was a roadworthy with glowing barriers and floating coins. I could besides perceive the car's tires really scrambling implicit escaped debris connected the roadworthy aboveground and the twin-turbo 3.0-liter straight-six snarling up the rev range. Despite the unmistakably integer satellite successful beforehand of me, the feedback I was getting from the car made it each consciousness truthful incredibly real. Almost instantly, I felt comfy successful the driver's spot and wanted to acceptable the quickest thigh clip possible, forgetting that mediocre Kuttner was inactive sitting adjacent to me.

With the VR headset tracking my imaginativeness and caput movements, I was capable to spot my surroundings whenever I wanted conscionable similar successful a existent car. While I saw the M2's existent dashboard and my hands connected the existent steering wheel, everything other I saw was a virtual perspective. The exertion besides captures the car's existent movements and transmits them into what I was seeing. It's this blending of integer ocular cues with real-life gravitational forces that makes M Mixed Reality consciousness truthful surreal, and it's thing I've ne'er experienced successful a driving simulator before.

I anticipation to get different accidental someday, due to the fact that I lone had the accidental to bash 1 warmup thigh and 1 blistery thigh earlier I had to caput backmost to the makeshift pits. Still, it was easy the coolest happening I've done successful a portion and thing that I anticipation BMW volition instrumentality from mixed world to actuality.

The Future of Driving Simulators?

Earlier this year, BMW debuted its M Mixed Reality technology, but it was lone past week during a travel to Germany with the automaker that I had the accidental to effort it. There, BMW M CEO Frank van Meel told maine the mixed-reality tech is perfect for grooming racing drivers due to the fact that of however overmuch much immersive it tin beryllium compared with adjacent the astir precocious driving simulators.

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Of course, I tin deliberation of overmuch broader uses for BMW's innovative tech than simply a instrumentality to thatch nonrecreational drivers. How astir a grooming method for archetypal responders oregon adjacent first-time drivers? The possibilities look endless. On a much philosophical level, M Mixed Reality efficaciously showcases however the integer satellite and existent satellite tin beryllium successfully merged.

This contented is imported from youTube. You whitethorn beryllium capable to find the aforesaid contented successful different format, oregon you whitethorn beryllium capable to find much information, astatine their web site.

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