I just got my very own 737-800...

[Silicus 879]

 

 

Good question and I was thinking the same thing myself before trying it out but it's actually really easy and very much like when you're using TrackIR. You will still have your mouse cursor with you inside the VR cockpit and to turn a knob or flick a switch you simply look at it and then move your mouse cursor over there just like you would using a normal 2D screen. It can be a bit tricky sometimes operating small switches but you'll get used to it in the same way you do using Track IR. Compared to TrackIR which I also have lots of experience with I think this is much easier.

 

Thanks so much for your answer! Thats sounds really cool!

[WebMaximus 372]

So 1440x810 pr. eye i guess?

 

This is getting better and better. I was in the impression that you needed 70fps or more ro have a smooth experience.

 

How does the smoothneth feels compared to normal?

 

Seems like some training is all it takes to control the Mouse clicks.

 

Is flyinside a part of oculus or just some sort of P3D software?

What is the earliest P3D supporting version?

 

I dont thing SLI works with Oculus Rift.

 

Is it also easy to access the FMC?

 

Thanks Michael Moe

 

As I said in my initial post FlyInside has a method that will allow you to experience a much higher FPS compared to what you actually have in P3D. When you bring up the main menu in FlyInside it will show you both your P3D (actual) FPS as well as the FPS you will experience in your VR glasses. In my case a FPS of about 40-45 in P3D will give me 90-95 in the glasses.

 

As for the mouse clicks some training is all it takes like you say just when using TrackIR for the first time. Same goes for the FMC, you'll be able to operate it just fine from the VR cockpit but might take some sessions before you get the hang of it.

 

FlyInside is a separate software developed to give you a great VR experience in flight sims. You can read all about it if you follow the link I posted above in some of the posts or just do a Google search for it and you'll find the homepage.

 

Not sure about SLI since I don't have an SLI setup myself but I do think I read somewhere in the FlyInside documentation they were talking about SLI and since FlyInside relies on Oculus (or HTC Vive although they recommend Oculus) that would indicate Oculus indeed does support SLI but that too should be easy to find doing some Google searching.

[WebMaximus 372]

OK, so I just completed my first "real" flight online of Vatsim using the VR glasses and it was an amazing experience I can assure you for several reasons.

 

First seeing other aircraft around me for the first time in VR and knowing they were all controlled by other people, that was so cool! Also very cool to talk to live ATC while at the same time having the sensation of actually being in the real cockpit...made it all feel so real!

 

However once I got airborne I realized something was wrong with the IRS and the result was I couldn't connect the A/P so I had to hand-fly the aircraft all the way up to my T/C. Not exactly what I was hoping for on my maiden flight using my VR glasses but on the other hand an interesting challenge...just like IRL things don't always turn out the way you planned for...

 

Anyway before reaching my T/D I managed to get the IRS working OK again so I could connect the A/P and the rest of the flight went really good.

 

Was mind-blowing to get down to Copenhagen approaching 22L with some low clouds and with the small island called Salton on the left hand side down there on short final. Made a very smooth landing and taxied to gate C30 where I was met by the GSX guys standing at the gate waiting for us.

 

Then seeing the jetway slowly moving to connect to the a/c after I ran through the shutdown checklist with the FO while the GSX PAX was deboarding with comments such as 'Thanks for a wonderful flight, you did a great job guys' really made it feel like I was finally where I always wanted to be...in the left seat of a 737NG feeling proud and happy after a great flight with equally satisfied passengers safely transported to their destination.

 

So cool so cool and can't wait to fly the return leg up to Stockholm tomorrow!

[Gregg_Seipp 568]

 

 

So cool so cool and can't wait to fly the return leg up to Stockholm tomorrow!

 

So, that was about 90 minutes with the Occulus on, right?  How was the comfort?

[WebMaximus 372]

So, that was about 90 minutes with the Occulus on, right?  How was the comfort?

Actually I think it was close to 2 hours including the preflight etc and I had no problems with the comfort. I did take a quick 5 min pause though to take a phone call after ATC closed and I was on my own on the UNICOM frequency.

[WebMaximus 372]

I just learned the technology to use your own hands in the cockpit is already here :smile:

 

https://flyinside-fsx.com/Features/LeapMotion

[edpatino 1,964]

Hi folks, this looks really good!.

One question tough, those "Touch" devices that could come together with the Oculus are needed or not?. If yes, what exactly they do?.

Cheers, Ed

[whitav8 98]

I have been using the Oculus Rift for about six months and agree with the OP in that I was really getting somewhat bored with monitor flying but VR has really reinvigorated my desire to fly - because, except for the Gs, I am.

   Yes, we all have to figure out a way to control knobs and switches - BTW, I use a Thrustmaster HOTAS 4 (has less deadzone than the X model) with 12 buttons and I use the POV to move my eyepoint center forward/aft/left/right - simulates moving my power seat, buttons 3/4 for elevator trim, and buttons 8,9,10 for flaps up/down, Gear up/down, and speedbrake. For knobs and switches, you can use the mouse (if you can find it easily with your hands) or use Voice Activation commands - just like your newer cars. This helps you to set the comm frequencies and MCP dials ("Altitude Select 15000 feet", "Seat Belt Sign On").

   I would have to say the biggest challenge is doing much CDU work for the FMS. As the OP says, with FlyInside you could perhaps set up a floating screen (if the aircraft has that concept) instead of trying to lean in and down to get close enough to the CDU (don't hit your head on your desk!!).

   Just for your information, in addition to FSX/P3D/Xplane and FlyInside, there is DCS World, War Thunder, and Aerofly FS2 that provide great VR experiences for flying - each with strengths and weaknesses - with Aerofly FS2 showing just what kind of framerate (> 250fps on a single monitor and >90 in VR) can be had with a 64-bit modern developed flight sim.

 

Dave

[Michael Moe 495]

Interesting ,

 

So you really need to move quite a bit forward to manage the CDU ?

 

I was wondering if both the PFD,ND and the CDU in normal position is unreadable then ? That would be a downside i guess.

 

Using EZDOK in VR is a no go btw or ? It would be cool to switch to your F/O seat and watch catering etc .

 

 

Thanks

 

Michael Moe

[WebMaximus 372]

Hi folks, this looks really good!.

One question tough, those "Touch" devices that could come together with the Oculus are needed or not?. If yes, what exactly they do?.

Cheers, Ed

 

They are not needed for anything of what has been discussed in here because I don't have them and still I'm able to do and enjoy everything I talked about.

 

Not really sure what they are for but I believe the purpose of those devices is for you to be able to simulate physical movements inside the VR world like maybe how you hit a tennis ball with your racket and things like that.

 

This is just me guessing though and I'm sure you'll be able to find more info on the net.

I have been using the Oculus Rift for about six months and agree with the OP in that I was really getting somewhat bored with monitor flying but VR has really reinvigorated my desire to fly - because, except for the Gs, I am.

   Yes, we all have to figure out a way to control knobs and switches - BTW, I use a Thrustmaster HOTAS 4 (has less deadzone than the X model) with 12 buttons and I use the POV to move my eyepoint center forward/aft/left/right - simulates moving my power seat, buttons 3/4 for elevator trim, and buttons 8,9,10 for flaps up/down, Gear up/down, and speedbrake. For knobs and switches, you can use the mouse (if you can find it easily with your hands) or use Voice Activation commands - just like your newer cars. This helps you to set the comm frequencies and MCP dials ("Altitude Select 15000 feet", "Seat Belt Sign On").

   I would have to say the biggest challenge is doing much CDU work for the FMS. As the OP says, with FlyInside you could perhaps set up a floating screen (if the aircraft has that concept) instead of trying to lean in and down to get close enough to the CDU (don't hit your head on your desk!!).

   Just for your information, in addition to FSX/P3D/Xplane and FlyInside, there is DCS World, War Thunder, and Aerofly FS2 that provide great VR experiences for flying - each with strengths and weaknesses - with Aerofly FS2 showing just what kind of framerate (> 250fps on a single monitor and >90 in VR) can be had with a 64-bit modern developed flight sim.

 

Dave

 

Thanks Dave for sharing your tips and experiences!

 

I agree assigning as many buttons as you can to your controllers will make life easier when flying in VR minimizing the need to use the keyboard. Using voice-activated commands is also a great idea. I have a software called Voice Activated Commands that is very powerful for this. In the NGX I also have my FS2Crew FO helping me out a lot.

 

Speaking about the NGX and doing CDU work for the FMS the NGX will allow you to "un-dock" the FMC by simply left-clicking it's screen and this works just fine also in VR and will result in having the FMC "floating" in front of you just like any other virtual window you decide to bring with you inside the VR environment. It can be positioned, resized etc to suit your liking.

 

 

So you really need to move quite a bit forward to manage the CDU ?

 

I'm able to manage the FMC from my standard position but it does get easier if you move your head a bit closer to it just like IRL.

 

If you check some in-cockpit videos on YouTube where the pilots are operating the FMC when putting in a STAR for example preparing for the approach you will see how they very often/normally will lean in a bit on the FMC to do this.

[Michael Moe 495]

Hi Richard

 

Thanks for all clarification. Seems like SLI might be down the road but also maybe a dead end. 

 

I might just sell my 2 GTX970´s for one GTX1080 later on.

 

Great stuff that you can have your Navigraph Charts with you in VR. 

 

Any solution in how to drink beer on the way  - i know not safe driving  :wink: 

 

Looks really promising this VR (bad for cockpit builders)

 

Michael Moe 

[WebMaximus 372]

Hi Richard

 

Thanks for all clarification. Seems like SLI might be down the road but also maybe a dead end. 

 

I might just sell my 2 GTX970´s for one GTX1080 later on.

 

Great stuff that you can have your Navigraph Charts with you in VR. 

 

Any solution in how to drink beer on the way  - i know not safe driving  :wink: 

 

Looks really promising this VR (bad for cockpit builders)

 

Michael Moe 

 

I never used an SLI setup but always opted for the fastest possible single GPU instead and I guess in most situations you will have less issues with a single card vs two cards. I think for the future of VR the development of faster and faster GPUs will be even very important.

 

Yep, using this amazing software called FlyInside and it's feature named Virtual windows IIRC you can import any application/window inside your VR environment.

 

I tried it out yesterday myself and it was actually even a better experience compared to looking at the charts on a second screen which is how I did it before VR. Reason for this is I could make the window really big and put it just in front of my nose making it very easy to see all the small details and text on the chart.

 

If you haven't already I highly suggest you head over here and read a bit about FlyInside and you'll also be able to see some screenshots that to a certain degree will give you a hint what it's all about and what it looks like.

 

As for having a beer (with no alcohol of course :wink:) I remember there was a mobile app that would show you a glass of beer and you could then drink it by simulating the mobile phone was a glass by doing the same movement. I guess if we could find that app in a Windows version we would almost be there

 

What you mention for cockpit builders it's funny that you mention it because I was thinking about that the other day myself.

 

However I don't think this will necessarily be bad for them since regardless how good this will get it won't be able to give you the same sensation you have turning real physical knobs for example not to mention not having to think of the resolution of the same knobs :wink:

 

I would consider this VR technique a way to almost experience the same thing but without having to invest tens of thousands of $ and without having a free garage or cellar to do it.. A bit like a poor man's "real" cockpit.

[Bob Scott 7,720]

nVidia VR SLI was fielded about six months ago, but is still not widely incorporated into gaming...however, according to Flyinside's website, from V1.6 forward, support for nVidia VR SLI is indeed built into the Flyinside program and activated automatically when it detects an SLI configuration.

 

The Oculus Touch controllers are intended to give your hands a presence in the VR environment...you hold a controller in each hand that detects position and orientation, and the controllers have a button or buttons for touch/grasp type operations.  I see that as a problem given that we need to have physical contact with a yoke/joystick/throttles outside the VR bubble as well--e.g. how do I grab the yoke with a touch controller in my hand?.

 

I found an Oculus Rift headset at my local Best Buy yesterday and snagged it, but I am hesitant to unbox it because of all the questions I have and potential issues I see:

 

How do eyeglasses and the VR glasses work together?

VR Goggle cable length/extendability?

Is head positioning on the Oculus Rift as wonky and hypersensitive as TrackIR?  (I gave up on TrackIR because of the aggravation associated with trying to keep my head properly positioned and the hypersensitivity at higher hear rotation angles)

How to manage peripheral applications (ATC/WX/etc) running on a second PC?

How difficult to switch between my 4K TV display and VR goggles?

Reports of memory (OOM) issues associated with P3D V3.4 and particularly with VR use (I have been sticking with V3.3.5 because of the problems reported with 3.4.x).

 

Regards

[JacquesBrel 639]

How do eyeglasses and the VR glasses work together?

 

https://support.oculus.com/help/oculus/240118749657829/

 

My glasses are almost at the maximum width and height recommended by Oculus, and I have no problem wearing/removing the headset with glasses. My only issue with glasses was that they fog up when I do sim racing and start to sweat, but that was solved by placing a fan close to where I sit, and when flying I haven't been in situations where sweating was a problem.

 

There is a third party website that makes prescription lenses for VR headsets, in case your glasses don't fit or aren't comfortable with your headset: https://vr-lens-lab.com/

 

VR Goggle cable length/extendability?

 

http://www.vrheads.com/how-extend-your-oculus-rift-cables

 

HDMI and USB extension cables will work.

 

Is head positioning on the Oculus Rift as wonky and hypersensitive as TrackIR?

 

The head tracking is very precise and natural. If it wasn't, it would be fast track to Barf Bag City. Getting the head tracking right has been one of the major issues with developing virtual reality headsets, because you absolutely need accurate head tracking to avoid motion sickness.

 

There can be slight drift of your initial head position over time, so you need to recenter your view once in a while.

 

Reports of memory (OOM) issues associated with P3D V3.4 and particularly with VR use

 

That is an issue. FlyInside needs to run inside the P3D memory space, so you will have OOM issues in situations where you're already at the limit without VR. I've just had to dial back the LOD and Autogen sliders one notch to avoid problems, but I only fly GA, so I'm rarely near major international airports and I never fly big passenger liners.

[WebMaximus 372]

nVidia VR SLI was fielded about six months ago, but is still not widely incorporated into gaming...however, according to Flyinside's website, from V1.6 forward, support for nVidia VR SLI is indeed built into the Flyinside program and activated automatically when it detects an SLI configuration.

 

The Oculus Touch controllers are intended to give your hands a presence in the VR environment...you hold a controller in each hand that detects position and orientation, and the controllers have a button or buttons for touch/grasp type operations.  I see that as a problem given that we need to have physical contact with a yoke/joystick/throttles outside the VR bubble as well--e.g. how do I grab the yoke with a touch controller in my hand?.

 

I found an Oculus Rift headset at my local Best Buy yesterday and snagged it, but I am hesitant to unbox it because of all the questions I have and potential issues I see:

 

How do eyeglasses and the VR glasses work together?

VR Goggle cable length/extendability?

Is head positioning on the Oculus Rift as wonky and hypersensitive as TrackIR?  (I gave up on TrackIR because of the aggravation associated with trying to keep my head properly positioned and the hypersensitivity at higher hear rotation angles)

How to manage peripheral applications (ATC/WX/etc) running on a second PC?

How difficult to switch between my 4K TV display and VR goggles?

Reports of memory (OOM) issues associated with P3D V3.4 and particularly with VR use (I have been sticking with V3.3.5 because of the problems reported with 3.4.x).

 

Regards

The Oculus touch controllers are probably not suitable for our needs just like you mention. Then I think the other method I linked in an earlier post is much better. Using the mouse though works really good IMO and you can also use the method built-in in FlyInside where you press the interact button and then simply look at the switch or whatever you want to operate and it will be highlighted. At that time you can press the interact button again and a small floating menu will pop up with arrows where pressing the arrows again by looking at them and using the interact button will turn the switch left or right. Works really good but personally I prefer to use the mouse.

 

What eyeglasses will work is in the FAQ over at the Oculus website.

 

I haven't measured the headset cables but they are quite long and I'm using a normal desk with my desktop PC on the floor and the cables certainly are long enough. Also I'm sure you would be able to buy extension cables should you need to since the cables are normal HDMI and USB3 cables.

 

Head positioning works really good and is not even close to TrackIR where you constantly need to re-center your view. With Oculus Rift and FlyInside I rarely need to re-center the eye position and when you move your head what you see inside the VR environment corresponds to what you experience in the real world.

 

As for peripheral apps they can simply be imported into your VR world and will appear as floating in the air and you can move them around and resize them to your liking. This was mentioned before and you're also able to read more about it and how it works on the FlyInside website.

 

Switching between your normal display and the VR goggles is very easy. To use your normal display you start P3D just as you normally would and to use the VR goggles you start FlyInside which will automatically start P3D. Switching between the two while P3D is already running is not possible as far as I know.

 

Lastly about VAS issues I haven't seen any but this is when using 3.2 which is the version I reverted to after lots of VAS issues with version 3.4 but this was long before I got the Oculus goggles.