Oculus Rift

[simpilot1 0]

On ‎18‎.‎01‎.‎2018 at 1:09 AM, Turbine777 said:

Just my own input on VR.

Thiago has not been wrong yet and has perfectly stated my perception. Since FS2000 I lived through my cockpit builder stage (spent $11k+). Later went through my multi monitor era, and now cannot imagine anything better than VR. Personally I choose Oculus Rift over vive, and Thiago is 100% correct in no Oculus v2 until 2019. They do have a cordless one that will temp people to get, but it's not as good as the corded, other than it being wireless. Like many people I watched videos on youtube but there is absolutely NO WAY to record the experience. I have yet to experience PMDG in VR, but the A2A 172 and Duke B60 is heavenly bliss. I cannot (no one can) explain how real it seems unless you witness it. The first time you're placed in the cockpit of a C172 and have an airliner roll on by and you turn to see it in actual size, or when you duck a tad and look over your full size wing. I have several thousand dollars of addons and wouldn't bat an eye at not using any of them anymore if they chose not to support VR. It's that good. Price is crazily low. As Thiago stated, it's less than half and you actually get a lot more. For those considering which to get, know that Oculus, Vive, and I'm sure the rest use the same components for the most part, but Oculus is big brother. They know the next gen parts to make the improvements needed to make it a worthy v2 aren't going to be readily available until the end of the year. Others will use their own software perhaps to upscale, but I've messed with many and it's crazy to compare VR to a monitor's resolution. It's not at all the same experience and can't imagine anyone that has used it to not see that. 4k? Haha, not likely until later. Anyone stating otherwise are not be truthful and are doing what all manufacturers have done since the wheel, and that's gimmicking up to what the market is asking for. Like when "doublespace" (software) said you got double the hard drive space. No one could top the current hard drive capacity back then and Maxtor did overnight, only not to tell people they were getting a normal size drive with compression software. It certainly will be nice when it happens, but spoil yourself now unless your only money is allowance. You could be dead tomorrow and if I had the money I would buy every simmer out there VR just so they could share my enthusiasm about it, knowing they have no clue how great it is.

 

Lastly, I will explain a couple things that VR did to change simming for me that 6' of monitor never could. When landing, you are taught to look far down the runway and beyond. As you would in driving a car in not looking straight down on the road. No matter what you read, you will never get the feel of what they mean until VR. Steep turns is HUGE. Steep turns can finally be practiced correctly. You can easily do a steep turn once comfortable in an actual aircraft without ever looking at your gauges and without dropping more than a few feet. Simming on a monitor is nothing like VR and VR I can finally steep turn all day with the same ease as the real thing. Turning on a point is another one. Even with triple screens and track IR, it lacks a certain feel. VR it's easier of course, but your also seem to feel all the other factors (yaw, elevation changes, speed). All from what VR tells your senses. IFR is better in my opinion because in the real world it's easy to not trust your instruments because the way the clouds look. Never on a monitor did I get too disoriented. I've heard many people complain about IFR but it's much more realistic in my opinion. In a real aircraft (even a crowded 152) you will lean in. Same with VR. Blurring is there, but it's far from a deal breaker for me. When you lean into a gauge and see it's many working layers, it's just awesome. Seeing the GTN750 in VR is also mind blowing every time. I feel like I own the real thing.

 

There are many things to get used to and I use controllers and the keyboard. Immersion for is not blown for even tipping my headset to find something. It was at first and now I have to do it much less, but if I do it isn't at all an issue. My personal main gripe is night lighting action. Headlights and streetlamps have an annoying flicker at times. I use a few addons though like PTA, ENVIR, etc so I could be making it worse.

I have had a random friend come over for the last few months from work to show them the VR experience. They've freaked. I save the flight sim for last and take off from KTEX in the A2A C172. They are all at their loudest when I go wheels up! One friend tipped right over and face planted my floor. I have to keep telling people that if it gets too much, to close their eyes. It's that real that you feel as if you were on a moving platform.

 

Anywho, that's my zero two!

I feel exactly the same.

Since 25 years of flightsimming nothing changed that much the immersion as VR does right now.

Never without again.

Andreas Hövel

[jfriz 27]

Folks,

I found a Rift on CL, nearby, bought it and its installed. Thanks to everyone here that helped me decide to buy it.  Now, I have to be careful not to drive my car for a few minutes after a flight,.

I  experienced that sensation a few times in the real world also. I was based in Anchorage, had some hard approaches, wind, fog, etc.

On the negative side. I can't wear my glasses. I have heard that the Vive has room for glasses

So far, I have only done circuits at Palm Springs. [Orbx]  in a single engine.  Next flight Kpsp to Ksfo, in the good 37-900.

 

Best, Jerry Friz

Edited April 1, 2018 by jfriz
wording

[OzWhitey 3,353]

On 3/16/2018 at 3:28 PM, GCBraun said:

You may like P3D better as a simulator, but I find that XP11's native VR much more intuitive and forward looking. Menus, Views, Movement, Hand Controls, everything is implemented. How can P3D's implementation be superior? The only thing that it may have an edge is the Single-Pass rendering, but that is currently bugged as hell. 

Regarding hardware controls, sure they may work better for something like the Throttle and Yoke, but I cannot see how interacting with switches and knobs with a mouse is more realistic than using your hands.

 

X-plane was lagging with VR last year, now it is back in front. I don't think hand controls effectively replace a hardware yoke/stick, but they can replace just about everything else. For switches on the overhead etc, they're great. 

When I said I liked the P3D VR experience best, I was talking about the whole experience, particularly flying complex jets (as this is the PMDG forum, and I was going through a 'jet phase' with the QOTS2/NGX when I wrote that).

Sadly X-plane's payware jets don't currently work very well with touch controllers (For GA flying, X-plane's hand controls are brilliant, IMHO).

Now, having said that, X-plane is far enough ahead with its engine and VR implementation that flying jets in that sim is very tempting, and I've actually been doing that a fair bit lately. Honestly, I'm spending more time with X-plane than P3D, since LR started getting serious about VR.

PMDG - it's worth building the NGX for x-plane, with full VR implementation (which is becoming standard on payware for that platform). The Zibo freeware 737 is great, but I'd still buy the PMDG version on release, just for the deeper systems depth. There's not a great 777 or 747 form that platform, either (FF777 was OK in X-plane 10, but is not up to modern standards). Would love to see those two planes in X-plane as well! (or even in AF2). 

Btw, in terms of VR and 737s - in X-plane, I fly with a hardware sidestick (sorry boeing!) and rudders, along with touch controllers. Touch controllers work fine for the FMC, They work fine for flaps and spoilers. I've got a motorised 737 throttle quadrant, and I prefer the touch controller experience to that. So keep that in mind when you're designing your next PMDG X-plane (modern) jet. VR functionality is key to any plane that I (and a lot of other people) are going to buy from here on out.

[jfriz 27]

Robert, what are you using for "touch controllers?" 

Jerry Friz

[OzWhitey 3,353]

1 hour ago, jfriz said:

Robert, what are you using for "touch controllers?" 

Jerry Friz

Oculus touch. If you buy a rift, make sure you get these ($99 accessory). Plus a third sensor for tracking. 

https://www.oculus.com/accessories/

Edited April 3, 2018 by OzWhitey

[jfriz 27]

Robert, I have the Rift. Also have the controllers, that work, but they won't connect  to  P3D. I thought you might  be using something else. Are you sure I need a third sensor?

Jerry

[GCBraun 2,390]

Touch controllers won't work in P3D, only XP11.

Regarding using jets in VR in XP11, the experience in the Zibo and IXEG is just amazing. The FFA320 still does not support touch, but at least you can use the mouse now.

[Ephedrin 418]

I consider buying it for my A2A GA and future warbirds, when they eventually release them for P4D. But how would you read charts on your second monitor or tablet when flying airliners? This still holds me off... 

[GCBraun 2,390]

3 hours ago, Ephedrin said:

I consider buying it for my A2A GA and future warbirds, when they eventually release them for P4D. But how would you read charts on your second monitor or tablet when flying airliners? This still holds me off... 

If you are using a Rift, you can natively pin applications such as Navigraph or vPilot to your cockpit. It works great.

[avhpilot 156]

On 1-4-2018 at 6:42 AM, jfriz said:

Folks,

I found a Rift on CL, nearby, bought it and its installed. Thanks to everyone here that helped me decide to buy it.  Now, I have to be careful not to drive my car for a few minutes after a flight,.

I  experienced that sensation a few times in the real world also. I was based in Anchorage, had some hard approaches, wind, fog, etc.

On the negative side. I can't wear my glasses. I have heard that the Vive has room for glasses

So far, I have only done circuits at Palm Springs. [Orbx]  in a single engine.  Next flight Kpsp to Ksfo, in the good 37-900.

 

Best, Jerry Friz

Good to hear you're on board. Hope to hear your experiences being a real world pilot.

It took me a few days to realize that you can ease the comfort level of wearing the rift by widening the band on left and right sides. That makes a huge difference when wearing glasses (like i do). I take it you have already tried that out?

As for your other question (another post) about the need for a 3rd camera I can tell you that i only need the two (not three) when flying in FSX with FlyInside nor in AeroFly, nor in DCS world. However, I do not know if it's a factor in P3D or XP11 but i suspect it is not.

 

 

 

[scandinavian13 5,192]

42 minutes ago, avhpilot said:

Good to hear you're on board. Hope to hear your experiences being a real world pilot.

Having spent quite a lot of time in DCS with Oculus, I have to say it is really amazing. It's essentially all of the freedom of being in a real plane, but getting the opportunity to fly planes I'll never get to out in the wild. The only downside is that the clarity can occasionally be an issue for finer elements like text.

In P3D, performance/visuals aren't as stellar, but it's still a nice experience.

[NoahBryant 26]

I just want to stress to everyone: If you are trying to do VR in P3D without FlyInside, you are doing yourself a great disservice. P3D VR support is nothing compared to what FI is able to do. I dont blame people for disliking VR in P3D if all they tried was the VR setting in P3d, it's terrible. 

[scandinavian13 5,192]

14 minutes ago, NoahBryant said:

I just want to stress to everyone: If you are trying to do VR in P3D without FlyInside, you are doing yourself a great disservice. P3D VR support is nothing compared to what FI is able to do. I dont blame people for disliking VR in P3D if all they tried was the VR setting in P3d, it's terrible. 

I've tried both. I don't notice much of a difference, honestly, apart from a seeming limited FOV in FI.

[OzWhitey 3,353]

21 minutes ago, NoahBryant said:

I just want to stress to everyone: If you are trying to do VR in P3D without FlyInside, you are doing yourself a great disservice. P3D VR support is nothing compared to what FI is able to do. I dont blame people for disliking VR in P3D if all they tried was the VR setting in P3d, it's terrible. 

I disagree strongly. I own flyinside for p3d v3 and v4. I think since p3d 4.1, native VR is a better experience, and with 4.2 even more so. I have hundreds of hours of GA and jet VR time, and I’ve really enjoyed the last few months with 4.2. I haven’t used flyinside at all since that iteration of p3d came out. Its a worthy program, but far from necessary. 

Having said that, as I mentioned above I increasingly feel that x-plane’s VR has overtaken the p3d options. So even though I’m heavily, heavily invested in p3d, I’ve been flying almost 100% X-plane in recent weeks, I’m sure I’ll still use p3d a bit, but they’ve got a lot of work to do on VR/the engine to catch up.

i fly DCS VR a bit, but miss the ability to fly anywhere in the world. I did discuss ‘PMDG for DCS’ here a few years back, and RSR said he was a fan, but the world was too small. Maybe PMDG should reconsider an NGX/P8 Poseidon for this platform! Maybe Kyle can make this happen.

I was an early adopter of AFS2, but can’t say I’ve spent much time in it since p3d and x-plane upped there VR game.

 

Edited April 4, 2018 by OzWhitey

[jfriz 27]

Folks, thanks again for all the good information. 

I am using P3D v2, only,, so can't compare,  with other platforms

Real world, VERY, close to the real thing. Setting in your seat is rock solid, you can look out your window, [left seat[ and see the wing tip. 37-900.

Haven't tried low level in a cub yet.

I set-up  from cold and dark, turn on VR, taxi, take-off, during climb I'll disable VR.  set up the approach, and enable VR for the landing. A big work load for sure,

But like Kyle says, lacking in clarify.   Hope for 4K

There is a free video download, called, "Aviator" from Rift,  A large Russian cargo plane  [ Antonov AN-225]  [  landing over your head from behind will blow your socks off.

Jerry Friz

 

Edited April 4, 2018 by jfriz
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