DR-89/nfsu2-vr

An experimental VR port of Need for Speed: Underground 2, based on the original Xbox USA / NTSC-U version. It uses static recompilation with xboxrecomp, Vulkan rendering and OpenXR tracking and presentation.

This VR mod is based on the work of antoxa2584x in nfsu2-sw. The PCVR and Meta Quest 3 adaptations build on that project's Xbox recompilation and runtime work.

Other PC OpenXR runtimes and other Quest models have not been established as supported configurations. Inherited Linux and Nintendo Switch code remains in the tree; the focus of this development publication is PCVR and Meta Quest 3.

The current development release includes:

• Meta Quest 3 APK: sideload the development APK, then use its setup panel to import your own supported Xbox USA ZIP, 7z or ISO/XISO. Follow the Quest installation guide below.
• Windows PCVR package: extract the whole ZIP to a writable folder and run Start-PCVR.cmd. If game data is missing, Game data setup opens automatically. Select your Xbox USA ISO/XISO; progress and cancellation are available. All 12 required files are verified before VR starts. Saved games are preserved.
• Matching source archive, build information and SHA-256 checksums.

The PCVR ZIP includes the EXE, SDL/OpenXR loader DLLs, Visual C++ runtime DLLs, launcher, preset and notices. Install your GPU's Vulkan driver and a compatible OpenXR runtime separately; development testing uses Virtual Desktop / VDXR. No Python, Java or external ISO extractor is required to run the PCVR importer. See the included README for system requirements. These downloads remain development builds, not fully tested, with possible bugs and performance issues.

• Shared anthracite/blue cockpit with doors, front seats and rear bench from one generated Tripo cabin, fitted inside the original car body and hood.
• Cockpit View in the normal camera cycle, animated wheel, translucent racing gloves and one/two-hand motion steering, including crossed hands.
• Live interior/side mirrors using three sectors of the game's rear camera; speed display behind the wheel and map lower left.
• Collision/road rumble, revised driving controls, 360-degree total wheel travel, retained steering after release and deliberate left-stick takeover.
• Complete pause-menu presentation and stable glove contact while holding Grip.

The cockpit fit, controls, vibration, mirrors, pause-menu fix and held-hand fix have been accepted in native Quest testing. PCVR shares the code and builds successfully, but these new cockpit features still need a separate PCVR headset test. Stable 72 FPS and vehicle-by-vehicle cabin fitting remain unfinished. See release notes and cockpit asset details.

If you enjoy this project and would like to support its continued development, visit OpenSourceDevDirk on Patreon.

The Quest build runs standalone on the headset. Install the APK, copy your game data to the Quest, then import it in the app. This is an experimental development build; rendering and performance issues remain. Quest 3 is the verified target.

• Download the NFSU2VR-Quest3-<version>.apk asset from the project releases. If building it yourself, follow the Quest build instructions; the output is android/app/build/outputs/apk/debug/app-debug.apk.
• Have a computer, a USB-C data cable and your own unmodified original Xbox USA / NTSC-U copy of Need for Speed: Underground 2 ready.
• Prepare one of the following supported inputs:

Use complete, unencrypted files. PC and European editions, modified game files, RAR archives and split archive parts are unsupported. For a RAR or split archive, extract it on your computer first, then transfer the resulting ISO or repack the complete extracted game files as ZIP/7z. Renaming an extension does not convert it.

Allow space for the source file and temporary extraction. After the source has been copied to the Quest, these are useful free-space estimates:

Actual requirements depend on the archive size and existing saves. The importer temporarily copies the source, unpacks any contained ISO and installs about 2.4 GB of verified game files. Keep some extra space available when reimporting.

1. Follow Meta's device setup guide to create or join a developer team and verify the Meta account used on your headset.
2. In the Meta Horizon phone app, select your paired headset, open Headset Settings > Developer Mode, and enable it. Menu locations can vary by app version.
3. On Windows, install the Oculus ADB Drivers linked in Meta's guide.
4. Connect the powered-on Quest to your computer with the USB data cable. Put on the headset and accept Allow USB debugging. On your own computer, you can select Always allow from this computer.

Using SideQuest:

1. Install the desktop Advanced Installer from the SideQuest setup page.
2. Open SideQuest and wait until it shows the Quest as connected and authorized.
3. Use Install APK file from folder / Install APK, select the downloaded NFSU2VR-Quest3-<version>.apk, and wait for the installation task to finish.

Using ADB instead:

Download and extract Google's Android SDK Platform Tools. Open PowerShell in the extracted platform-tools folder and run:

.\adb.exe devices
.\adb.exe -s YOUR_QUEST_SERIAL install -r "C:\path\to\NFSU2VR-Quest3-<version>.apk"

Replace YOUR_QUEST_SERIAL with the serial shown by devices, and replace the APK path, including <version>, with your actual filename. The device state must be device; if it says unauthorized, accept the debugging prompt inside the headset. Wait for Success. On macOS/Linux, use ./adb instead of .\adb.exe and adjust the local paths. See the ADB command reference for details.

Choose one of the following transfer methods. Put the file in the Quest's shared Download folder (/sdcard/Download/), which the Android file picker may display as Downloads. Wait for the entire transfer to finish before starting the import.

Windows File Explorer (USB):

1. With the Quest connected, accept the headset's USB file/data access prompt or open its USB notification to enable file transfer. This permission is separate from USB debugging. If the prompt is missing, enable MTP Notification in the headset's Developer settings and reconnect the cable.
2. In File Explorer, open This PC > Quest 3 > Internal shared storage > Download.
3. Copy your .iso, .xiso, .zip or .7z file into that folder.

SideQuest file manager:

Open SideQuest's file manager, browse to sdcard/Download, and use its upload or file-transfer control to copy your ISO or archive from the computer. For this step, use the file manager; the APK installation button is for installing the app.

ADB (Windows PowerShell):

From the same platform-tools folder, run the command matching your file:

# Direct ISO import:
.\adb.exe -s YOUR_QUEST_SERIAL push "C:\Games\NFSU2-USA.iso" /sdcard/Download/NFSU2-USA.iso

# Or transfer a ZIP/7z archive (this example uses 7z):
.\adb.exe -s YOUR_QUEST_SERIAL push "C:\Games\NFSU2-USA.7z" /sdcard/Download/NFSU2-USA.7z

Replace the serial and source filename with your own. Keep the matching file extension in the destination path. No manual copying into Android/data is needed: the app installs the game files into its own private storage during import.

1. In the Quest's app library, select Unknown Sources and open NFSU2 Quest Development. The first launch opens the game data setup panel. You can also open NFSU2 · Game data to access setup directly.
2. Press Select archive, browse to Downloads (or the internal storage's Download folder), and select your ISO, XISO, ZIP or 7z.
3. Wait for Import complete. The app extracts and verifies the supported game files. A large 7z containing an ISO can take several minutes. Leave the setup panel open; closing it can cancel the import. Progress and Cancel import are available while it runs.
4. Press Start game. Later launches through NFSU2 Quest Development start VR directly. The computer and USB connection are no longer needed to play.
5. After a successful import, you may delete the source ISO/archive from the Quest's Download folder to recover space. The app keeps its installed copy and never deletes your source file automatically.

To import different data later, close the running game, open NFSU2 · Game data and select Reimport game data. Existing saved games and settings are kept. Update the APK by installing over the existing app with SideQuest or adb install -r using a build signed with the same key. Uninstalling the app or clearing its storage deletes the installed game data and saves.

For build details, importer limits and developer installation tools, see the Quest development notes.

The examples below use Windows PowerShell. Install Git and Python 3.13 first.

git clone https://github.com/DR-89/nfsu2-vr.git
cd nfsu2-vr
py -3.13 -m venv .venv
.\.venv\Scripts\python.exe -m pip install -r tools/quest-requirements.txt

Place your extracted, unmodified Xbox USA / NTSC-U disc in game/, containing default.xbe and the complete NFSUNDER/ directory. The PC retail release and European Xbox release are not supported by these title-specific addresses. The repository does not supply or download the game.

.\.venv\Scripts\python.exe tools/inspect_game.py .\game
.\.venv\Scripts\python.exe tools/regen.py .\game --gen-dir .\gen

The generator requires an empty output directory. Keep game/, gen/, build outputs and data archives private; they are excluded from Git.

Requires Windows x64, Visual Studio 2022 C++ tools, CMake, Ninja, Vulkan headers and a working Vulkan graphics driver. The current launcher is configured for Virtual Desktop / VDXR.

Fetch and verify the pinned source dependencies once:

$dependencies = Get-Content android/dependencies.json -Raw | ConvertFrom-Json
foreach ($item in $dependencies.PSObject.Properties) {
    $destination = "build/deps/$($item.Name)"
    $dependency = $item.Value
    if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $destination)) {
        git clone --depth 1 --branch $dependency.tag $dependency.url $destination
        if ($LASTEXITCODE) { throw "Dependency clone failed: $($item.Name)" }
    }
    $revision = git -C $destination rev-parse HEAD
    if ($LASTEXITCODE -or $revision -ne $dependency.revision) {
        throw "Dependency revision mismatch: $($item.Name)"
    }
}
.\tools\build-pcvr.ps1 -VulkanHeaders 'C:/VulkanSDK/<version>/Include'
.\tools\start-pcvr.ps1

Connect the headset through Virtual Desktop before launching. The local output is build/pcvr/game/nfsu2-pcvr.exe; keep its required SDL and OpenXR DLLs beside it. See PCVR build, configuration and testing notes.

Requires CMake, Android SDK platform/build-tools 35, NDK 29, JDK 17+ and Gradle 8.11.1, in addition to the common setup above. The build scripts fetch the pinned native dependencies automatically.

.\tools\build-quest.ps1 -Sdk 'C:\path\to\android-sdk' `
  -Ndk 'C:\path\to\android-sdk\ndk\29.0.14206865' `
  -JavaHome 'C:\path\to\jdk' -Gradle 'C:\path\to\gradle.bat'

This produces a local development APK at android/app/build/outputs/apk/debug/app-debug.apk. It requires your separate game data. The setup panel can import your supported local ZIP, 7z or Xbox ISO/XISO. See Quest build, import, installation and testing notes.

• Left menu: pause/Start. Right stick: menu navigation.
• Left stick click: cycle cameras, including Cockpit View.
• Right stick click: hold rear view outside the cockpit; no rear-view button inside it.
• Both stick clicks: recenter the seated view and release grips.
• While driving, A = nitro, B = handbrake; right stick up/down shifts gears with Manual transmission. Return the stick to center between shifts. Menu confirmation/back retain their normal mapping.
• Grip near any point on the wheel: steer with one or both hands. The wheel has 360 degrees total travel (180 each way). Held hands stay at their original contact points; release and regrip to move them, including hand-over-hand turns.
• Release both grips to retain the steering angle. Deflect the left stick at least 25% sideways to return to ordinary stick steering and centering.
• Triggers retain acceleration/braking. Enable Vibration in-game for rumble.

The platform documentation contains historical measurements and references to private logs and captures. Those files are not part of this publication, and individual successful tests do not imply complete gameplay coverage.

See publication scope, inherited Switch/Linux documentation, performance notes and Vulkan notes. When reporting a bug, include the platform, source revision, runtime, settings and steps to reproduce it. Do not attach retail game files or generated game code.

Based on antoxa2584x/nfsu2-sw and sp00nznet/xboxrecomp, with the current PCVR and Quest 3 development work maintained by DR-89. See THIRD_PARTY.md for upstream revisions, credits and license notices. Existing source and dependency licenses are retained.

This is an unofficial fan project, not affiliated with or endorsed by Electronic Arts, Meta or Microsoft. Need for Speed and Underground are trademarks of Electronic Arts. No original game content is distributed.