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Game
https://store.steampowered.com/app/552520/Far_Cry_5/
Enabled technologies
Supported version(s)
The R.E.A.L. VR framework was tested with the Gold Edition, Title Update 11, available from Ubisoft Connect with Ubisoft+. The same version of the game bought from other stores should also work, like for example the one found on Steam at the address linked at the top (I get no commissions). I cannot give any guarantees however, as there could be differences that cause issues ranging from small defects to showstopping problems in VR.
Older versions or pirated copies are not supported. Official versions later than the ones listed above may or may not work, depending on what was changed. See here for information on how to prevent automatic game updates from breaking VR functionality.
Special setup notes
The folder where you should extract the R.E.A.L. VR archive and run RealConfig is "C:\Program Files (x86)\Ubisoft\Ubisoft Game Launcher\games\Far Cry 5\bin_plus" if you have the Ubisoft+ subscription, or "C:\Program Files (x86)\Ubisoft\Ubisoft Game Launcher\games\Far Cry 5\bin" if you bought the game from Ubisoft directly but without the subscription. You might need to customize the path if you moved your games library or in case you own the game from a different store, but it will always be the folder that contains the "FarCry5.exe" executable file.
Resolution and aspect ratio
A few steps are needed in order to set the resolution for the first time and make FC5 run properly in VR:
boot up the game, which will most likely start in fullscreen mode;
put on your headset and watch or skip the intro movies;
once you get to the main menu, bring up the R.E.A.L. overlay and use the "Target pixels per degree" slider and "Adapt resolution" button (see here to find out how they work);
as the prompt tells you, the new custom resolution will have been injected into the "Borderless" category, but due to a quirk in the engine that I haven't been able to sort out yet, it won't be immediately available;
in game, go to OPTIONS> VIDEO> MONITOR, choose Borderless mode, and select the first available Borderless resolution (typically 1920x1080): apply it and confirm;
then go all the way back to the main game menu, and once more select OPTIONS then VIDEO then MONITOR. The injected resolution will finally be available in the Borderless category and you'll be able to select and apply it.
You'll know that the correct resolution is set because the window on the monitor will appear squashed vertically, but in the headset the aspect ratio will be correct. Also the R.E.A.L. VR overlay will report it as the current VR resolution.
The resolution will remain valid until you quit the game. On the next gameplay session, FC5 will remember your injected resolution, but it won't be automatically activated for some reason. What I do to get it back is quite simple (a little tedious, but you only have to do it once per play session):
boot the game up;
put on your headset and watch or skip the intro movies (the window on the desktop will be cut, but in VR everything will be visible);
when the main menu finally becomes available select OPTIONS and then VIDEO. Make sure that Borderless is selected and your custom resolution will be shown (although inactive). Temporary switch from that to the standard one (1920x1080) and press B on the gamepad. The game will apply 1920x1080 and ask you if that's okay. Answer no (another B) and the game will finally apply the custom resolution, which will result in a squashed image on the desktop monitor but a correct one in VR.
Options
You can set all graphics and gameplay options according to your liking and how powerful your GPU is, but there are a few settings that you must leave at the defaults preselected by RealConfig in order for the title to display properly in VR:
Reticle Position = Offset
Window Mode = Borderless (not the usual Windowed!)
Aspect Ratio = NATIVE (16x9)
Motion Blur = Off (you should never enable any kind of motion blur when using R.E.A.L. VR, or the world will look smeared out horizontally)
V-Sync = Off
Enable Framerate Lock = Off
The following settings are preselected by RealConfig but it's possible that different values would still work correctly, although I'm not sure because I couldn't test them thoroughly:
Dynamic Resolution (target frame rate) = Off
Resolution Scale = 1
I also recommend setting "HD Textures" to On unless you card is really low on video memory.
Additional game-specific notes
You can bring up the R.E.A.L. overlay with the Pause key on the keyboard, or by pressing both thumbsticks on the gamepad (this latter gesture is recognized only when the title is paused, to avoid interfering with gameplay).
Input
You will definitely want to use a gamepad to play FC5. Keyboard and mouse sort of work too, but there might be issues, like mouse clicks activating other windows at random or some entries in the game menus being unreachable with the cursor; thus, in order to have a smooth experience, using a gamepad is highly recommended.
Don't worry about console-player syndrome: with R.E.A.L. VR, 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 ;-)
Camera, HUD, gameplay, cutscenes
The R.E.A.L. framework supports 6 DoF tracking, i.e., the camera will follow your head rotation and movement. Gaze-based aiming works and the crosshair will always be properly aligned. To that effect, whenever you have a weapon drawn 6 DoF will be limited to 3 DoF, i.e., without positional tracking. Binoculars work too, and tagging enemies similarly follows the direction of your gaze.
Some animations look a little weird in virtual reality, like entering ladders or reviving allies.
All kinds of vehicles (ground, sea, air) work very well, with a new control system that I implemented for this game and then ported to the other games in the series. Even shooting your handgun while driving feels quite easy and intuitive.
Unfortunately, to the best of my knowledge, there is no way to swivel generic mounted guns like turrets in FC games according to where the player is looking at, so I decided to disable gaze-based aiming completely in those situations. In other words, mounted guns will be fully controlled by the thumbstick while the camera has freelook. The crosshair won't be in the correct position, but it doesn't matter much because mounted guns give you a pretty clear idea where you're shooting at, just by watching where the bullets and tracers go ;-)
When your personal weapon is holstered, the HUD will float in space in front of you, so you can just look around in order to be able to read its full information, even the hints appearing on the sides and in the corners.
FC5 offers co-op multiplayer, which took me some additional time and effort to fix but is now working properly. There might still be some jank when using the Ubisoft overlay (the chat for instance has a tendency to become headlocked and too big), but that can be worked around by temporarily switching to the 2D virtual screen. Chatting while playing co-op in VR is best done via mics anyway instead of textual input.
Cutscenes have top/bottom black bars, which I didn't disable because they work correctly in VR and sort of preserve the "cinematic" effect. There is no forced camera though: you can still look anywhere and the frame will follow your gaze.
The game is not heavy on cutscenes (most gameplay is based on combat and free-roaming, without too much handholding), but when cinematic portions are present, they are really intense and well implemented, with very few artifacts like missing props or broken animations. The intro sequence in particular is truly something that you'll want to add to your personal collection of "OMG did I really experience that in VR?"
Custom controls in the "FC5" overlay tab
For accurate, intuitive ADS (Aiming Down Sights), don't forget to set your dominant eye. The default is right-eye dominant, which works for about 2 out of 3 people.
I disabled depth of field effects because usually they have no place in VR, and in FC games they make weapon models look all blurry, especially when you aim down the sights. However, since I always believe in keeping as faithful to the original gameplay and design as possible, I left a checkbox to allow you to restore them if you so wish.
It's a rare occurrence, but sometimes the game may tilt the camera left and right, for example when you're lying on your side on the floor (it mostly happens in cutscenes). If the effect bothers you, uncheck the "Allow camera roll" box to keep it from happening in VR.
As usual you can 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.
Known issues
Steam Input: Some users have been encountering a bug where the game does not recognize certain inputs, like for instance braking while taxiing in a plane. Disabling Steam Input (globally or for the game) should take care of the problem.
Widescreen monitors: If you are using a desktop monitor resolution which is not 16:9 and the game appears to be using the wrong FOV (which results in the world distorting as you look from side to side), make sure to set your desktop to a 16:9 resolution before starting the game. Maybe there is an easier solution to this issue, but for now that's the only workaround we have found.
[I'll post new information here as it becomes available.]