Growing up as a kid in the 1980s, nothing sparked my imagination quite like a trip to the local RadioShack. The excitement shone in my eyes darting between aisles filled with gadgets, looking for one thing: RC cars and trucks.
The thrill of maneuvering those pint-sized powerhouses was pure magic. Fast forward some 40 years and RadioShack as it was then is long gone and I’m not a kid anymore. Still, the feeling I had back then was recently rekindled by the Real Racer XR app for Quest and the RC car it pairs with from Kobotix.
Starting Up
Real Racer XR is an app and RC car combo from Kobotix that fuses VR immersion with the real-world thrill of first-person video (FPV) radio-controlled (RC) racing. The company sent UploadVR a unit to test and I gave it a spin across my home's floors and driveway.
The RC car is the star here, pitched by the company as having features like gyro-assisted steering, four-wheel drive and independent suspension, multiple methods of control and a 720p video feed that does a good job making you feel like you're in the driver's seat of the miniature vehicle.
Setting up Real Racer XR is a breeze. Once I got the car and controller unboxed and installed the free Quest app, I was up and running in minutes. I found the app’s interface intuitive and user-friendly, especially in the beginning, as it guides you through connecting the RC car to the headset via Wi-Fi. Once everything was synced up, it was time to jump into the virtual driver's seat and take it for a spin.
Thrilling Real-World Feels
From the moment I launched the app, it felt as if I was sitting inside a tiny car, tearing down tracks and zipping through tight corners in a massive world from my new perspective. The blurred wrap-around screen effect for the car's side windows is a very nice touch, simulating peripheral vision and seemingly enhancing the perceived FOV. The steering and independent suspension make the car very maneuverable too, with Kobotix telling us it tops out at 15km/h (9.3mph) with a 25-minute run time and interchangeable battery packs. Much like any quality RC car, then, having an extra battery or two charged and at the ready is recommended for drivers who want to go longer. You have to remove the rechargeable battery with a screwdriver, which takes some extra time, but it's not too much of a speed bump.
The Connectivity Conundrum
The Real Racer XR app’s performance hinges on having a robust Wi-Fi connection. The app offers two ways to connect Quest to the car, direct and using your router's network as a relay. Your mileage may vary here depending on a number of conditions, chief among them distance between the car and your headset. I saw occasional connection issues indoors with both methods, which manifests as immersion-breaking control glitches and on-screen warnings. When used outdoors, direct connection to the headset was easily the more reliable way of driving. For best results, it seems helpful to keep it away from other sources that produce strong radio signals.
The connectivity constraints are a downer, but they don't completely overshadow the experience. The connection and lag issues also seemed to be worse when attempting to drive the car using Quest controllers to grip the wheel and physically steer. The app says it also supports hand tracking but I couldn't seem to use it to control the car and the hand tracking only worked in the Real Racer XR app menu screens. Although not as immersive, using the included standard 2.4 GHz RC controller, the range got significantly better and some of the glitching issues cleared up.
While Real Racer XR delivers a remarkable experience, there are some areas where it could be improved significantly in future hardware. The video feed, though adequate, would benefit immensely from at least 1080p resolution and the addition of stereoscopic 3D would also be a nice touch. Unfortunately, given the additional bandwidth that would be required and the constraints already apparent, these improvements would likely be too demanding to pull off anytime soon.
A New Experience For Quest Owners
Where Real Racer XR excels is blending the physicality of RC racing with the immersive nature of VR. Back in 2020, we saw a similar mash up from Nintendo with their Mario Kart Live release, which paired Mario Kart-style RC racers with AR elements to create an outstanding experience for the Nintendo Switch handheld console. Those Nintendo karts, too, occasionally encountered some connectivity issues, so it's unsurprising to see them with Kobotix as well. Still, I noticed those connectivity issues with Real Racer XR occasionally even when the car was right next to me. It would also be great to see virtual content mixed into the views of the room as you drive around. While not exactly mixed reality, the Real Racer XR mobile app, for example, offers filters which are not present in the Quest version. Those would be fantastic additions.
Filters are currently only available in the mobile app.
Despite the connectivity challenges, Real Racer XR still offers an impressive immersive FPV racing experience that gets your adrenaline going as you drive around a giant-sized version of your own house. With the intuitive controls and realistic steering mechanics, it's still an utter delight watching your driving play out across both the virtual and physical worlds. The RC car's ability to make you feel like a kid again, even with connectivity challenges, is a significant achievement.
Even with the Wi-Fi connectivity issues I've noted, it's easy to imagine Real Racer XR and its connected RC car offering an eye-opening experience to someone curious about the advantages of FPV remote control.
Currently, the Real Racer RC Car kit sells for $150 directly from the Kobotix website as well as other resellers while the new Quest Companion app is available for free.
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