I sincerely hope that there will at some point be a physical Sega Classic collection with all of M2's great ports so they won't be lost to time some day

I finally got my copy of VR Deluxe. The game is definately a lot of fun to play and a must have for the 32X.

As an original Arcade Virtua Racing veteran pumping hundreds of dollars into the 4 player sit down with my buddies every Saturday for two years I love what M2 has done. 😁 Your hat game is strong in this one master Jenovi. Oh yeah Switch version >>> 32X version.

I do think they did a good job on the Genesis , for the limitations

I can't wait until they port over the Daytona USA series to the Switch.

Now it's time for you to cover Hard Drivin'!!!

Always love your content about obscure topics not many youtubers talk about, dudes. Keep it up...

Play both the Switch version for the best arcade experience enhanced and 32X version for the extra content.

I believe the extra tracks on the PS2 version come from Virtua Racing's arcade sequel, Virtua Formula. But I may be wrong there. But there was a Gameboy Advance port in development, but it was cancelled. There's footage of it on KZfaq.

I think you're blind or something. 🤔 The Switch version is the arcade version. They used the original source code and enhanced it.

Fantastic video! I also got the 32x version when it first came out and played the heck out of the game to the point of having it mastered. The 32x version was pretty mind blowing for its time and really helped to show what the 32x could bring us but sadly Sega quickly pulled the plug on the 32x. Also loved the part where your playing the switch on the riding lawnmower lol so great.

The Mega Drive version of this game was such a minor miracle that it was used for the basis of a port to PICO-8. The PICO-8 version of Virtual Racing is a miracle on top of a miracle.

I really hoped that the Switch version would be a "Definitive Edition" or sorts, bringing together the extra cars and tracks from the 32X, Saturn, and PS2 versions into one package. Sadly it's more of an enhanced arcade port, which is great, but it really shows how thin some of these classic arcade racers were on content.

Always liked the PS2 version best, personally. Controls totally different to the original (drifty!) but always liked the visual upgrades, blistering framerate, more neutral pallet choices, gameplay etc. I remember being taken aback by how much I enjoyed it when I first got a hold of it. That tyre squeal though! I'll agree on that!! I think VR is similar to Daytona is so much that there isn't a definitive, per se, and the top choice will always be subjected to preference. Unless you own the Arcade Machine I guess 😋

I find it interesting how none of the American boxes for Virtua Racing have a picture of the actual Virtua race car, but instead have real pictures of real vehicles (or a painting in the case of the MD version). Where I live (Australia, which is a PAL territory), every version has a picture of the polygonal Virtua racecar (in fact, even the Virtua Stock and Virtua Prototype for the Deluxe version on the 32X!), not to mention the addition of the polygon race queens on the boxes of the first two Japanese releases.

Great video. You really bring your subject matter to life. I have always loved Virtua Racing. It’s awesome to see that there are so many different versions to experience.

Cheers, I always loved Virtua Racing on the Saturn!

JENOVI HAS POTENTIAL TO GET MILLIONS OF SUBSCRIBERS I CAN SEE IT... HIS PRESENTATION IS LEGIT.. VERY WELL STRUCTURED. ITS A MATTER OF PATIENCE.. ROME WASNT BUILT IN ONEDAY.

Great rundown, dude!

I still haven't gotten to play the original arcade VR, but I rented the Genesis version from blockbuster a bunch of times back in the day... I even spent a ton of time in the 2-player mode with a friend and we had always had a lot of fun, even with the super jank framerate. I still enjoy it, warts and all. When I finally got my hands on a 32x and VR deluxe, I was blown away; literally everything was better, and I even spent a good amount of time in the 2 player mode with the same friend. We loved it, and I must have traversed every square inch of every track in the game... I remember trying to see where I could get out of bounds, find new paths (my friend and I used to play chicken in the big open concrete area in bay bridge), etc. Deluxe set some high expectations for the Saturn version, and I was admittedly disappointed when I finally got my hands on it years later... I didn't play Time Warner's version until I had already gotten experience with 32bit road rash, wipeout, destruction derby, sega rally, Top Gear Rally, Cruisin USA, Gran TUrismo etc... so I had already been spoiled by bigger racing experiences, but I was hoping for it to at least be as polished at VR Deluxe and Sega Rally. I tried to like it but I was just frustrated by the collision, the handling, the inconsistent framerate all the time, etc. If I can divorce myself from expecting it to feel like Virtua Racing, it's just fine, acceptable. The PS2 release was a big disappointment for all of the thing you listed... controls, soundeffects, graphics... which is a bummer because I kinda liked the new tracks, just like the saturn and 32x versions. I loved the original Virtua Racing format and concept, I just wanted More Stuff. But the PS2 version played so bad... I'm in the US so I got it on the Ages compilation release, so at least we got that absolute fire techno remix of Space Harrier's main theme lol Haven't tried the switch version (refuse to buy another Nintendo console until we get a proper new F-Zero, or until Nintendo gives the IP to Sega), but from all the video I've seen, it just looks weird. The high frame rate combined with the very flat speed aspect ratio (ie, items in the distance move toward the camera at very linear rate instead of the "stretched" distance perspective of the Genesis and 32x versions) makes it just look too slow. It looks like it "feels" sluggish, and it makes the whole game seem less dynamic. There's really something to be said for the sense of speed in racing games, and some titles get it while others just look like a flat boring mess. (It's a hard thing to describe; if you play either Top Gear Rally 2 on N64, or Quantum Redshift on the OG xbox, both games have some cheat codes that let you mess with the depth aspect ratio... it's not specifically a useful option, but it hilights how much of an influence a game's sense of depth changes its sense of speed.) Over the years I think I've decided that the Genesis version "feels" just a little bit better than the fantastic 32x version, at least for the F1 car (LOOOOOVE the stock car in Deluxe). The collision is still unforgiving in the Genesis version, but I think of it as the difference between Daytona USA and CCE on the Saturn... The first game is incredibly rough around the edges but plays really well; CCE feels much different, and is fantastic in its own right once you learn its mechanics, and it has a ton of extra content.

great video! I am also a huge fan of the series - I own all except the switch version. You are one of the few reviewers to mention the sound issues in the PS2 version, its so bad I have to keep it on mute. 32x version is excellent but damn its hard, sometimes I put the Saturn version in so I can easily get on the podium haha. The added extra tracks on the 32x just dont feel right to me, but I think its definitely the most polished and true to the original.

I love the Mega Drive version! Something about porting such an impressive, 1992 arcade game (that ran on the then cutting edge Model 1 arcade board) to a 1988 console, even if the SVP is here to help but still, a beautiful achievement and one of the best 16-bit racing games. Now the 32X version has some expected improvements, it runs in higher resolution, looks smoother and has some nice extra content but it also has some gameplay issues (as @LightBlue2222 explained in another comment) so while it's still enjoyable, it's also a bit of a disappointement. I never played the Saturn version but I often heard bad things about it. And apparently the PS2 and Switch versions look and sound great but still aren't perfect. A phenomenal game for its time and one that has aged gracefully with its timeless flat-shaded look.

I really appreciate the high production review and the points / research made for this video! Great stuff man, big fan of the old school Virtua Racing.

Just a little tip re the Switch versions over-saturated color, make sure to set your Switch to full range RGB in the Switch's settings, this ensures the game is putting out the full 0-255 color values and helps make the game look closer to the arcade original, also, sometimes modern TV's especially LG OLED's have a black level setting that also needs to be toggled on certain content.

Awesome vid as always Jenovi 🤘

After so many years, the only version I still constantly come back to is the x32 one. It's just so much fun.

Great video, dude. It's nice seeing the 32X have it's day in the sun. With the Genesis port, I *think* SEGA was cutting corners. A 24 MEGAPOWER cart would've cost quite a bit more than a 16 meg cart. :D

Great video Jenovi, I love the 32x version of virtua racing, and I'm glad to see it remains the best overall.

Great analysis, I love the side by side comparisons.

the engine sound used for the standard F1 car in the saturn port isn’t a bad sound effect, it just doesn’t fit with that type of vehicle, it sounds like it would rather suit a kart instead

Really great video. I loooooove the 32X version 😍 That said, with a patch, the M2 version has the potential to become the definitive version, even above the arcade. But yeah, that camera jump when pressing accelerate is pretty tough when feathering! 🤬

I love the 32x VR. Also, i like to play the saturn version with the wheel. The "Metropolis" track with the kart is awesome!

The Switch version of this game is a miracle. I never would have expected such an awesome, modern version of Virtua Racing.

As a member of the Geo Metro appreciation society, I feel personally attacked! Haha! Otherwise, another great video as usual.

Fantastic video as always, dude! Congrats on being names the July 2019 SMASHER Of The Month!!! Keep up the incredible work, Jenovi!

Great review!!! Hopefully m2 does an update to address everything, especially to fix the colors. The Saturn version is beautiful. I also

I love how thorough your reviews are!

The Switch version of Virtua Racing includes the replay song from the 32X, redone in the style of the original arcade music. My understanding is they essentially recreated the song in such a way that it could have actually been played back on the original arcade hardware.

I am an owner of the Genesis, 32X, Saturn and PS2 versions - the Switch version is exactly what I saw when I first laid my eyes on the cabinet in the Arcade. The Switch version is by far the best version of all, including Arcade.

Nice comparison! Really enjoyed watching this.

Iirc, wasn't the SVP not able to address anything larger than 16 megabits? I think the SuperFX had the same limitation.

Another great video as always! :)

Great review/side to side comparations! Loved your voice and script, so now you earned a new sub, hahaha!

I gave a very real laugh out loud when you drove by on the mower. 😂

Love Virtua Racing Deluxe on 32X and am strongly considering getting Switch version. This video helped a lot. Thanks!

"What is definitive edition of Virtua Racing?" is really hard answer for decades

The thing that I miss from the arcade? The wonderful harmonious engine note of the player car. And if you play the arcade version on MAME with a gamepad it controls in a very similar way to the PS2 version. At least, thats how it feels, I havent played the PS2 version in a decade...

Good video, but imo the Switch version is by far the best 👍 Online mode is a mess though, I was pretty disappointed too.

Very thorough review of all the versions. Thank you!

A true Definitive Version of Virtua Racing is a product that is still very much overdue from Sega, and considering what we have witnessed from every build of it to see a release up to now, it is clear that we know how much is missing in the era of the Switch port, some of which I will discuss from my longtime views on them below: ~ Mirror Mode: Virtua Racing MD allowed for you to unlock Mirror Mode if you completed every map in Pole Position on Hard; unlike Mario Kart's Mirror Mode and the 2007 ROM hack Sonic: Return to the Origin, Virtua Racing MD's Mirror Mode is a simple flip of the map on the X Axis, you won't be playing the course in reverse from Point B to Point A akin to the previously mentioned but it does deliver a respectable challenge on Muscle Memory for Veteran and Master Players. ~ Extra Cars and Courses: Deluxe, Time Warner, and Flat~Out all benefited from their new additions on this front, with the Stock being the most preferred vehicle among most fans and select Speedrunners due to its better handling and ability to handle sharp turns while the Prototype is one of the best for Speed (despite having trash Handling); I always wondered how all the courses would look under Flat~out's engine, and had the devs for Sega Ages 2500 had more time to work on this remake, it would've been the Definitive Version in many ways but even we know there's only so much you can put on the lower budget Blue Compact Disc that some things had to be axed (though in this entry's case, it was due to Time; Flat~out had north of 0600 Megabytes of space free on the CD to add extra material if D~Three Publisher had more to work with). ~ Eight Player Mode with an Uncapped Framerate: The Switch port is based heavily from Virtua Formula, a I993 update to the original Arcade build that was optimized for Multiplayer and usually would come in sets of Four and Eight Player cabinets that were easier to manufacture, hence why we even have Local Eight Player to begin with; the Switch version runs these matches in 030 FPS (I need confirmation from emulation testers if Yuzu and Ryujinx allow for it to be played uncapped), so it'll be nice to see a lift of that cap and wishfully that'll come in a future port down the road, maybe even with a special Sixteen Player Mode to go with it. ~ Battle Versus: Now, if you were following development of Racing Apex back in 20I5 and 'I6, you would know that this title was literally Virtua Racing with Combat mechanics in a similar vein to Motocross Mania III, given that you could wipe out your opponents; when it was rebranded to Hotshot Racing after the project was picked up by Sumo Digital, this core gameplay mechanic was ultimately removed and it did upset many fans who were expecting it to be in the main game outside of extras; it would be nice for a presently hypothetical Virtua Racing: Definitive Edition to deliver something similar to help distinguish this title from its competition and it would fulfill the original ambition of Lucky Mountain Games to truly evolve what Sega delivered to us Thirty Years ago in the most effective way possible. ~ Surround Sound: For players who want more of an Atmospheric experience, it wouldn't hurt to have Six Channel (05.0I) and Eight Channel (07.0I) Surround Sound be possible from doing upgrades to the audio, especially considering some of the natural sounds of certain parts of each map and also given how the Vocal Tracks are separate from the music (in the Arcade version, they are togglable by simply disabling certain audio channels); being able to get this treatment especially for Deluxe and Time Warner's tracks would be phenomenal, there are some good cues in there and to hear them in an Uncompressed form would make for good Remixing value down the road, given how much is left on the table with their original masters. (:

I personally prefer the PS2 port, i dont know why but i like the darker look and the controls for me feels much better, is easier to pick up and play. I like your video btw.

I wish Virtua Racing on Switch had LAN play alongside that 8 Player Split-screen. That could artificially extend the lifespan, especially since the Online 2P is booty cakes.

The 32X version was my first and so far only Virtua Racing game I have played. It is a magnificent game. My only complain about this series is, how the car almost stops when it collides with another and spins on its point.

I played 32x Virtua Racing for the first time recently. On my Playstation Classic. It is a damn good version, and I wish Switch had the same amount of content, but I'm really happy with the Switch port.

Great comparison video, thanks. I'm still mad at Sega for never releasing a Dreamcast version, and I think the Saturn edition could have been great if it had been produced in-house.

That Phalanx feeling at the start of the video

A good video, but that hat… where you auditioning for the box art for _Phalanx_ on the SNES..? ;) (Also, I think there's a typo at 8:58 ..? "experiance" should probably be "experience")

Was just playing the 32X version today. Still enjoy it.

The Switch version is fantastic. And the pallet has been fixed since (google it :). The ONE thing they could have done is offer a mirror version, jumping from 3 to 6 tracks, no effort. I actually contacted M2, but no answer...

You have to play the 32X version on a Hitachi Ultravision projection screen. It is glorious!

Another well done and extremely polished episode! I totally agree! Keep up the great work!

Great collection of Virtua Racing games !!! There is also Virtua Racing as alone game on japanese PlayStation 2. In the collection "Sega Ages" ! :)

Cool hat. I mean that that woven straw hat keeps your head cool.

I wondered if you'd make this video. Good job.

I won't lie, that acceleration pop demo you did from the Switch version almost made me nauseous. I enjoy the video, but that almost needs a warning.

If only the Switch version had a vaporwave soundtrack like Virta.zip

Great vid! You deserve more subs.. but please blink more when reading your scripts :)

You reminds me of Don Johnson in Django

When i was gatting into youtube for the first time back in 2007/2008 i was fascinated with researching about consoles and games that i never owned or even seen in my life Before that the only way i could experience a gamecube game was to get an actual gamecube and the actual game and play it Nintendo never picked up in brazil though, i've seen more sega saturns and dreamcasts than wiis in my life, and i never saw a gamecube irl, just to give yall a perspective I was as dumb as a kid gets but i loved the fact that i could now see how consoles looked like and how their games looked and sounded I looked lots of wikipedia, i watched angry video game nerd subbed in portuguese, and i discovered emulation and i'm pretty sure i played at least one emulator for each freaking console i know, including the virtual boy, the fm towns marty, the wonderswan, and im also a huge fan of amiga and pc9801 emulation I first saw virtua racing in lists of games that push the limits of X console And being a sega mega drive owner myself i never saw any 3D game for the mega drive so i was baffled and i remember getting on my dad's nerves for us to look for a copy when we came to the downtown where is easier to find games for older consoles Even though i was already familiar with GTA San Andreas, NFS Most Wanted, Counter Strike 1.6, and other big 2000s games that i played on PC It was still a blast that my freaking 18-year-old(at the time) sega mega drive could run a 3D Racing Game I got addicted. Its... I dont know, NFS felt like something too mature and complicated and VR was colorful and felt more kid friendly to me, i played the saturn version on an emulator called yabause and i think i had the saturn version on every single computer i have ever owned I thank youtube for recommending me this video as this game is huge for me, even though i'm an early gen z specimen

it's a shame there's no real, definitive release for virtua racing, it feels like it really shouldn't be hard to do. i've been wanting to get into the game but it would be nice to have all the content and the most polish / accuracy in one place.

Owned them all over the years but imho nothing compares to the original arcade cab, the feedback through the steering wheel on the cab is light years away from any port although having said the i do enjoy the 32x and the switch version more than the others but i must say the switch port wins the console war for pure arcade mode, but for now I'm still playing on my upright cab, my pride and joy :).

32x would be great if it had drafting. That's my major complaint, and the other versions dont have this problem. It means the 32x version is just about impossible to beat on Hard. Drafting to gain speed is a major component of the game. The programmers messed it up. What's suppose to happen is you get behind the opponent and it sucks you foward adding more speed to your car. But what happens in the 32x version is that you have to physically bump the car in front of you to gain speed. The drafting is suppose to help you catch up to the car, but instead you have to catch up to the car without drafting, then clumsily bump into the opponent without crashing to gain the extra speed. Meaning there is no such thing as a clean race on the 32x when you have to play bumper cars just to get ahead. Amazes me how Sega overlooked this. Drafting is what takes this game to the next level of fun, showing just how fast the cars can actually go. and the 32x sadly let us down here. And I have to rank Genesis above 32x for this reason alone.

Great video. I agree that future patches to improve multiplayer make the game unplayable in 10 years! I would say that the lack of pop in on the single player switch version surely brings it above the 32X version. Just going by the video comparisons it looks like it would be hard to judge most corners on the 32X version!!!

I love this game. Always glad to see videos on it. Of the 3 I've played, my personal rankings from best to worst. 1. Genesis. because everything feels right. Intense arcade racing, spot on mechanics. I can live without the coat of polish the others offer. 2. 32X. Would easily surpass Genesis if it had a proper drafting mechanic to gain extra speed, which in my opinion is needed to beat it on hard. What's racing without a slipstream? But it's still very fun. 3. Saturn. Has lots of content but just doesn't feel right and was hard for me to get into. Plus those slow go cart tracks are brutally boring, I lost my patients. I've still had hours of fun with 32x but the slipstream of the Original gives it that extra edge. I beat all 3 levels on hard on Genesis believe it or not. Wasn't easy but without the drafting I wouldnt have stood a chance. Is the 32x broken? Has anyone been able to beat it on hard? It's as if I can do perfect laps but never catch up to that 1st player. I'm fairly sure it's because it was designed for drafting and the programers messed it up.

I want to take a look at all the Virtua Racing games. My only big hurdle is the Arcade version. I'll try figuring out a way...I guess.

I'm really fond of the 32x port although I've enjoyed the Saturn version too. I was disappointed the Genesis version couldn't be played on my 32x also...bummer..

What the hell? The Switch version IS the arcade. 32x looks like garbage.

The PS2 version looks like it uses the Zack Snyder filter.

32X version for life ;)

I've been waiting for this! Can't wait to watch it after work

Did you say "experiance" lol, great vid

I prefer 32X version even now. I have felt challenging spirit against limited technology.

I still hope we see a Steam version someday...

So an arcade cabinet it is then!

20fps on 32x never knew that...

Awesome comparison! I love the 32x version. Call me crazy but I find the high resolution of the switch version off-putting. I much more prefer the lower resolution when combined with the flat shaded polygon look. The switch version just looks wrong to me, personally. Would love to see a video on Earthworm Jim, NBA Jam, Chuck Rock, Final Fight, Shadow of the Beast 2, Prince of Persia, Street Fighter 2, Daytona USA, to name a few ;)

Your Hat make the video beter, and you know it..... Great video!!!

No one uses Nintendo's online function. It's what is known as the race to the bottom of online functionality of all current consoles. 🤣

If Limited Run put out a physical copy of Virtua Racing on Switch, would that be enough to raise it to your #1 definitive way to play the game outside of the arcade? I agree that the online is a huge disappointment, but otherwise I think M2 did a great job with the port. I hadn't noticed the camera jumps because the only time I find myself feathering the accelerator is during turns. I wouldn't compare bad multiplayer to missing a third of the TV screen because I don't consider it a core component to the experience, especially when comparing it to the other versions which don't have it. I would say it's more like a commentary track that isn't interesting or a blooper reel that isn't funny.

Did you bust out a riding lawnmower to prove a point? I suppose I have to sub now. Great episode.

Thanks for the subtitles, I'm from spain.

Love the 32X Virtual Racing game

Likely I'll be getting the Switch release, but I will get the 32X version as well. I had the PS2 one before I lost it.

I was never able to beat a single race. Every time I get nearly last or get so far behind I don't want to finish. Am I doing something wrong and is everyone else getting 1st easily? My favorite Genesis racing game was Kawasaki Super Bike.

has anyone here played the pico8 demake? that's right, they fitted this game into png!

Great analysis!

At 16:34 you said we had a Virtua Racing digital only game disappear. No we didn't. When?

Another great video! Also, I dig the hat!

If I owned a software company I would release an virtual racing lock-a-like game maybe called formula A? ? ? that merges the best features off f1 and Indy car racing with the odd mario kart type shortcut thrown in! and load in the best tracks of each decade eg hockinghiem ring/imola 90s Nurburgring 70s and fantasy tracks like modern monza with a modern oval joined to it…… somehow have Mexico City track with both the 90s banked last corner and the modern stadium setions (although in real life you can only go down 1 or the other) Indy car 1 oval of each size and shape plus all the good american road courses + long beach street track +Cleveland airport +Rio roval 90s etc etc Chuck in Daytona and Talladega thrown in for good measure! add rain/wet races+kers on or off options+ safety cars and virtual safety cars+refill/pit stops... and a fantasy dirt track (maybe Sau Paulo 70s layout ) and a ice track (maybe 80s rio road track layout at 150% scale) and a f-zero 64 type random track generator.........add virtua racing cars in each colour/2 colour combinations but when you choose different wing levels it looks/loads different wing polygons...............all tracks with standing f1 grid line starts.and then maybe job done box office smash!

do you tap too when steer? very strange mechanic when car rotates more if you release button