One more for us

Yep guys, something has been going on in my secret underground modding lab! I've been cooking another game (or is it brewing?!)

This is a title many of you have been requesting over and over, and now that it's working in VR, I can finally see why you were so keen on having it :-)

Release 21.0.1 of the R.E.A.L. VR framework adds support to...

No, wait.

Before getting to the last of my efforts, let's get something out of the way. Yes, this version also fixes DOOM: The Dark Ages, which has been broken in VR for a few days now due to an official update that added Path Tracing to the graphics options. I know several Patrons were stuck halfway through their campaign, unable to finish the game, but It wasn't straightforward to fix VR support due to the changes to the renderer.

So, will Path Tracing be available in VR now, together with NVIDIA's Ray Reconstruction acceleration and my own DL(S)SS patch to make everything work properly in stereo 3D? The answer is yes.

But will you actually want to turn that on in game? My own personal answer is, I don't think so. The performance hit of enabling Path Tracing is brutal, and it makes a game that already runs slowly due to the forced ray-tracing chug along at even lower frame rates. That's definitely not the way you want to be playing a fast-paced game like DOOM.

So, my recommendation is to leave Path Tracing off except as a curiosity. If you do switch it on temporarily to see how it looks and performs, please note that after turning it off again the DL(S)SS fix will no longer sync properly until you restart the game. I'm not sure if the bug is in my code or the game's (I suspect the latter because the same behavior does not occur in other games); it might even be a driver issue. Anyway, it's not something worth spending much time on because it only happens during the session when you turn Path Tracing back off, so as long as you're aware of it and restart the game after doing that, you won't be affected by the bug.

Okay folks, see you next time and...

Oh, I was almost forgetting: there is a new game []-D

This is one you might want to be playing late at night in a darkened room (provided that your headset tracking system allows for that).

And if you're unsure, maybe bring an extra change of underwear to the room with you. Because this is...

The Last of Us Part I.

Get ready to be bitten!

Games list

There is only one package to download, which enables all 36 VR conversions you can find on this Patreon. All titles support AER v2, which is my own version of frame interpolation tailored for Alternate Eye Rendering (see this post for a detailed description). Most of the games also support DL(S)SS, meaning that I fixed the DLSS implementation for them so that it will work correctly in stereoscopic 3D. And 5 titles even allow for Ray Reconstruction!!! Here's the complete list:

• Atomic Heart [AER v2 + DL(S)SS]

• Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora [AER v2 + DL(S)SS]

• Cyberpunk 2077 [AER v2 + DL(S)SS-RR]

• Dark Souls: Remastered [AER v2]

• Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin [AER v2]

• Dark Souls III [AER v2]

• Death Stranding Director's Cut [AER v2 + DL(S)SS]

• DOOM Eternal [AER v2 + DL(S)SS]

• DOOM: The Dark Ages [AER v2 + DL(S)SS-RR]

• Elden Ring (with its massive Shadow of the Erdtree DLC) [AER v2 + DL(S)SS when NVIDIA DLSS is enabled with a third-party mod]

• Far Cry 4 [AER v2]

• Far Cry 5 [AER v2]

• Far Cry 6 [AER v2]

• Far Cry New Dawn [AER v2]

• Far Cry Primal [AER v2]

• Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade [AER v2]

• Final Fantasy VII Rebirth [AER v2 + DL(S)SS]

• Ghost of Tsushima [AER v2 + DL(S)SS]

• Ghostrunner [AER v2 + DL(S)SS]

• Ghostwire: Tokyo [AER v2 + DL(S)SS]

• Grounded [AER v2]

• High On Life [AER v2 + DL(S)SS]

• Hogwarts Legacy [AER v2 + DL(S)SS-RR]

• Horizon: Zero Dawn [AER v2]

• Horizon Forbidden West [AER v2 + DL(S)SS]

• Indiana Jones and the Great Circle [AER v2 + DL(S)SS-RR]

• Kingdom Come: Deliverance II [AER v2 + DL(S)SS]

• Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered [AER v2 + DL(S)SS]

• Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales [AER v2 + DL(S)SS]

• Star Wars Outlaws [AER v2 + DL(S)SS]

• Stray [AER v2]

• The Last of Us Part I (new) [AER v2 + DL(S)SS]

• Uncharted 4: A Thief's End [AER v2 + DL(S)SS]

• Uncharted: The Lost Legacy [AER v2 + DL(S)SS]

• Watch Dogs [AER v2]

• Watch Dogs 2 [AER v2]

Please note that all trademarks belong to the respective owners, and that no copyright infringement is intended or condoned. And of course, you'll need to have a legit copy of the original games that you want to play in VR.

Setup

I developed and tested the mod for The Last of Us Part I using the Steam version of the game. It should work if you get it from other stores as well, but if you encounter issues please upload your RealVR.log file somewhere so we can try to sort them out.

Generally speaking, if you own a game in a different version than the one I modded, or the game just had an official update, it's always a good idea to take a quick look at the log. It's conveniently accessible from the mod overlay itself, with a search function. The usual symptom if a version diverges too much from the one I modded is that some patches will fail to apply (you can search for keywords like "patch", "error", "fail" etc.). If you give me that information, I might be able to fix it quickly.

Also, always make sure that your video drivers are updated to the latest version. That's especially important for NVIDIA due to a flurry of regressions in driver releases since the 50xx series came out; we have now gotten to the point where new games refuse to launch if they detect that the driver version is not the specific one they were tested against :-(

Run TLOU1 flat (not in VR) at least once, so that it can generate its config files and you can check that it works correctly. Then quit out of it and extract the mod archive into the "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\The Last of Us Part I" folder. Note that you might need to customize the path if you moved your library or own the game from a different store, but it will always be the folder that contains the "tlou-i" executable file.

Finally run RealConfig.bat. It will perform a few required operations (including the v-sync fix for NVIDIA drivers) and preselect graphics settings that are known to work well in VR. Remember that running RealConfig is mandatory; if you omit this step the mod will not work.

At this point, the next time you launch TLOU1 it should automatically display in your VR headset. Read on to find out how to get the scariest experience in VR!

Game options

Configuration for The Last of Us Part I is very simple. RealConfig will choose suitable defaults for the OPTIONS> DISPLAY and OPTIONS> GRAPHICS submenus, as follows:

in the OPTIONS> DISPLAY> GENERAL submenu:

• Display Mode = WINDOWED

• Aspect Ratio = AUTO

• Ultrawide Pillarboxes = MINIMAL

• V-Sync = OFF

• Framerate Cap = UNLOCKED

• Frame Generation = OFF

• Scaling Mode = NVIDIA DLSS Super Resolution. Make sure this is turned on so that you can use my DL(S)SS fix to eliminate the shimmering around the characters and nearby objects. DL(S)SS also works with this game if you are running an AMD GPU thanks to the voodoo magic of OptiScaler (see my previous post for details on how to install and configure it for VR).

• Quality = QUALITY (you can adjust this according to your GPU performance)

in the OPTIONS> DISPLAY> EFFECTS submenu:

• Film Grain Intensity = 0 (this is not mandatory and you can experiment with it if you want, but I personally prefer to have no simulated film grain in VR)

in the OPTIONS> GRAPHICS> POST-EFFECTS SETTINGS submenu:

• Depth of Field = OFF

• Motion Blur Quality = OFF (make sure never to turn this on, otherwise everything will look smeared horizontally)

Additionally, in the CONTROLS> ASSISTANCE submenu, you'll want to set:

• Camera Assist = OFF

• Aim Assist = 0

• Lock-On Aim = OFF

so that you won't get any unexpected camera pulls during gaze-based aiming.

Cutscenes

Cutscenes are fully 3D and allow you to look anywhere without restrictions. As usual there will be some elements missing in areas you weren't supposed to see with a fixed camera, but mostly the environment is complete and the emotional impact of the cutscenes is preserved.

And no pre-baked 2D movies in this title, yay!

Resolution and frame rate

The high resolution needed for VR can be set very easily by bringing up the mod overlay and looking for a slider in the main "R.E.A.L. VR" tab named "Target pixels per degree". Set it to a value approximately in the range 15-30 depending on your GPU, then press the "Adapt resolution" button to set the game resolution to your preferred value. You can do that at any moment, even during actual gameplay. The target PPD you choose will be remembered and re-applied automatically across sessions, and the aspect ratio will be optimized by the mod to adapt to the FOV of your headset.

The game runs pretty well on modern hardware, and the reflections are ray-tracing quality without having to pay the huge tax on frame rate that actual RT incurs. However, big open areas can still bring your fps down, so in order to have a smooth experience the Render mode will default to 1/3 rate. You can also try 1/2 rate to get more fluidity and less artifacting, but you will probably have to leave something behind in terms of graphics options and resolution.

Input and cameras

I recommend using a gamepad to play TLOU1 in VR; XInput-compatible controllers like the ones from Microsoft are usually the best for my mods.

Don't worry about console-player syndrome: in my mods aiming is gaze-driven and extremely fast, intuitive and accurate, so even if you're used to playing FPS with your mouse, give your gamepad a chance ;-) The crosshair in this title can be quite shaky though; that adds to the challenge and is actually quite realistic in a scared-all-the-time situation like the ones the game depicts, but in case that bothers you, try moving the "Reduce shaking" slider further to the right. Scopes are already automatically stabilized through the "Minimize shaking when zoomed" checkbox.

The game is played in third person, but at the very last moment (literally today, as I was writing the release post) I found a way to control the camera distance and left-right offset, so you can position it freely!! Joel's body will pop in and out if you put the camera too close to him though, so you might want to experiment and find the arrangement that you like best.

HUD and gameplay

The HUD rescaling can be finely customized, so you won't miss any of the important information that appears at the sides like health, hints, ammo count and so on. If the default size I suggest doesn't work for you, you can tweak it from the R.E.A.L. VR mod overlay, using the "HUD scale X/Y" and "HUD offset X/Y" sliders in the "TLOU1" tab (NOTE: I'm not referring to the sliders found in the "R.E.A.L. VR" main tab, which in this title will only control the mod overlay size). The HUD sliders take effect immediately while playing, without any need to bump the resolution.

I also recommend ticking the "Higher quality AER v2" checkbox in the main page of the mod overlay because it will reduce movement-related artifacts sensibly, especially on the HUD. Actually, even though it's still marked as "experimental", I haven't received any negative feedback on this improved accuracy mode, so I'm thinking of making it the default in upcoming versions of the framework. Please let me know how well it works for you!

The TLOU1 mod supports 6 DoF tracking, i.e, the camera will follow your head rotation and movement. It's usually completely decoupled from the character (i.e., you can look in a different direction from Joel), except when you're aiming.

In the "TLOU1" tab you can also change the world scale, from small adjustments to playing with dolls or giants, and even force the game to render to a 2D virtual screen in case you should find a section too hard to play in full VR.

Updates and known issues

Release 21.0.1: there was an official update to Star Wars Outlaws today that apparently broke VR for some users. Please upgrade to v21.0.1 and let me know if that fixes the issue for you!

When the R.E.A.L. VR mod overlay is open, keyboard input will incorrectly leak through to the game. You can avoid the problem by using your gamepad to navigate the overlay.

The spores animation that appears when you load a level at the start of a gaming session is headlocked. You can switch to the 2D virtual screen if it bothers you, but it only lasts for a few seconds and won't appear again when you reload a checkpoint, so it's probably not worth fixing.

[I'll post new information here as it becomes available.]