There was no shortage of anticipation as I dropped the VR headset over my eyes, plunging me into an alternative reality. The five-point harness of the BMW M4 Competition held me against the rigid racing seat, in a Ready Player One reality that I wasn't expecting. BMW had invited me to Sokolov to look at a range of advanced technologies being tested at the Future Mobility Development Center: surely taking my life into my own virtual hands wasn't part of the package?