Add another collaboration to the growing list of companies that the sim racing rig manufacturers over at Next Level Racing are working with.
Kicking off the week (19th September 2022), Next Level Racing announced that they’d be joining forces with Varjo, a leading Virtual and Extended Reality headset technology leader, to bring the “highest-immersion experiences” to various sim racing platforms and communities.
With Next Level Racing’s motion rigs and Varjo’s Aero headset paired together, the companies hope to create the most immersive sim racing experience on the market. The combined forces will showcase their paired technology at multiple industry events to engage with various global sim racing communities.
While there are levels to what each sim racer is comfortable and capable of spending towards as far as sim rig equipment is concerned, both motion and VR are considered to be some of the most immersive. This is NOT cheap by any means, however. The Varjo Aero retails for $1,990 while the Next Level Racing Motion Plus Platform alone is $3,499. That’s not including a rig, a wheel and pedal set, or even a PC.
Still, it should be noted that both technologies have come a long way in a short time. Many top-level sim racers in the iRacing Off-Road Championship series opted for VR headsets as opposed to the standard monitor setups during the inaugural season. NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Anthony Alfredo uses D-Box haptic technology with his at-home rig.
I do wonder, however, if there are any Off-Road sim racers utilizing any type of motion system out there. Maybe someone like Travis Pastrana could get in on something like that…
Next Level Racing continues to add partnerships and collaborations to their growing portfolio. Just in the last few months, we’ve seen them team up with Veloce, VCO and even the folks at Monday Night Racing. This partnership is a little different, however, as the two companies look to forge their tech to make a top tier product in the sim racing sphere.
“Varjo is one of the best manufacturers of virtual reality and mixed reality technology,” said Kam Khadem, Head of Brand for Next Level Racing. “It is exciting to partner with Varjo to bring a more immersive experience to simulation. The goal of this collaboration is to ensure that we work together in the direction of growing the simulation industry for the sim racing and flight enthusiasts around the world.”
Next Level Racing and Varjo are both stepping up to the (dare I say it) next level in sim racing technologies with their partnership. The first event that the pair are scheduled to visit is PAX Australia in Melbourne from the 7th to the 9th of October. Would a motion rig plus virtual reality be your dream sim racing setup? Let us know in the comments!
