Launching the Sim & OpenXR Confusion - Help please!

[SkyTreks 0]

Hi, all!

Recently completed a high end build, specifically to support MSFS2020 using the Reverb G2.

I watched many YT tutorials and eventually got up and running. Kind of. I purchased and downloaded the sim, then downloaded and installed WMR, Steam, SteamVR, and OpenXR. After all that, I was able to have a go in a Cessna 152 for a bit. Beyond fun!

Now my issue is I can't recall how I got it all going or from what app I should be launching the sim. Every session seems to require a lot of trial and error before I can have the sim running in the G2 instead of my monitor. The settings in the sim say I switch between the two using CTRL + TAB, but that never works and another message says to use Windows key + Y, which sometimes works.

What ALWAYS works for me is a concise, clear STEP-BY-STEP checklist of clicks and selections I can print out and learn through repitition which always result in a successful launch. What frustrates me to infinity is that out of all the so-called "experts" out there in cyberspace, such a checklist has so far been impossible to find. What ever happened to the simple double-click of a game icon to launch a game to the default start screen??

My other issue, for now, is that I wish to tweak settings in OpenXR, which I KNOW I downloaded and installed to get all this going, but now has gone MIA and I cannot find the app anywhere on my system.

I will have more questions down the road, but if someone could please help me just get the steps down to the simplest way to launch a VR session of this sim, as well as where I can find my OpenXR app, that would go a long way to prevent my heaving all of this right into the garbage barrel. (not really, but that is how I feel right now). Your time and expertise is most appreciated, and I promise to pay it forward once I have it down myself. :^)

[dogmanbird 269]

The short answer - If you are currently able to open MSFS via the desktop icon, and steam VR is not open (or running in the background) at any time before, or while playing MSFS in VR, you are most likely doing it the way that's offering best performance (as of how things stand at the time of writing this). It's also an indicator that WMR OpenXR is your active OpenXR version.

Longer version -

My understanding of it all is (and based on how things behave on my PC) - As long as the WMR OpenXR runtime is set in the registry, MSFS will talk to the headset directly via the WMR portal and bypass Steam VR.  MSFS is one of the few WMR games that doesn't refer back to  Steam VR configuration settings for certain things, therefore it can be opened from the msfs desktop icon and it will only open the general steam app in the background (if not already running) as it still needs to refer to the general steam app for licensing purposes if purchased through steam.

You can see which version of OpenXR is being used by checking a Windows registry entry, or by opening Steam VR / settings / video / developer. It will generally say either Steam OpenXR or WMR OpenXR. Both OpenXR types work, but I find the WMR OpenXR runs a bit more consistently for overall FPS. If Steam OpenXR is your active version, you'll get a notification to switch to WMR OpenXR when ever you open the WMR portal. If you've done all the latest windows updates, WMR portal would have also been updated and will most likely support and be configured for WMR OpenXR by default.

If you want to try Steam OpenXR with MSFS, you set it in Steam VR / settings / video / developer. Once done, Steam VR needs to be closed (not running in background) and you'll need to open MSFS via Steam App, then select "Steam VR" when prompted. Depending on your Windows version, GPU driver version and Steam VR version, Steam OpenXR may have some graphical quirks in MSFS

Regardless of which OpenXR version you've set, Once you are at MSFS main menu or while flying, you can control+tab while in the game to switch to/from VR via the WMR portal if it's already open.  I don't know if there's any simpler way than this? I've modded the padding on the g2 in a way that lets me peek through at the outside world via the nose gap, so using the keyboard etc is not an issue

Does anyone know if MSFS can launch directly into VR using a launch command?

Was it the OpenXR developer tool you installed, and has gone missing? (pinky purple WMR icon?)

MSFS starts to blur the cockpit gauges if the in game VR render scale is set below 100, so players often drop the render scale in the OpenXR developer tool instead. This maintains sharp looking gauges. It's a bit of a mystery why one affects things differently to the other.

 

 

 

Edited February 13, 2021 by dogmanbird

[rickjake 243]

My Process using MSFS (non steam version) and using the WMR Open XR.

 

1. Launch Mixed Realty Portal 

2. Launch MSFS

3. When ready to go into VR.  "Ctrl + Tab"   

That's it. 

 Note, that if you have the headset on, then the desktop is not active. (you will see the blue ribbon at the top, saying Press "Windows +Y key".  So if you try and use the "Ctrl + Tab" to switch between VR and desktop and you see this blue bar at the top, the command may not work. You can press the Windows +Y key or what I do,  just take my headset off and point in down or set it down. It seems to know if your not wearing it and the blue bar will go away.  I think its just some protection, so that other apps and programs on your PC are not activated accidentally using keyboard commands while wearing the Headset. 

More notes:

(MSFS can be configured to work directly with WMR. No Steam setup required ( if using the non steam version of MSFS). I do not launch Steam or Steam VR. )

To pull up Open XR. just type "Open XR" in the search box in the bottom left. next to the start menu button. 

If "Ctrl +Tab" does not work, make sure in MSFS, that the keyboard profile is on default. If not, and you are using your own profile, you may need to add the "Ctrl + Tab" keyboard assignment to your profile in the VR settings.

 

Welcome to VR. 

Edited February 13, 2021 by rickjake

[dogmanbird 269]

Hi SkyTreks - sorry if my post added more confusion. I copied and pasted alot from another post I made previously, without reading your request thoroughly.

Rick above has said it much more eloquently 🙂

If it still won't work, it might be due to something mentioned in my post above, but let us know either way

 

[SkyTreks 0]

21 hours ago, dogmanbird said:

The short answer - If you are currently able to open MSFS via the desktop icon, and steam VR is not open (or running in the background) at any time before, or while playing MSFS in VR, you are most likely doing it the way that's offering best performance (as of how things stand at the time of writing this). It's also an indicator that WMR OpenXR is your active OpenXR version.

Got it!

21 hours ago, dogmanbird said:

I've modded the padding on the g2 in a way that lets me peek through at the outside world via the nose gap, so using the keyboard etc is not an issue

I just watched a YT video where the user just spoke "flashlight on" into the built in mic and a kind of night vision window of his desk and keyboard appeared inside the VR sim. I tried it, but nothing happened.

22 hours ago, dogmanbird said:

Was it the OpenXR developer tool you installed, and has gone missing? (pinky purple WMR icon?

The logo/text in the upper left corner of the app window was a pinkish color. It read "OpenXR." You can see it on many of the YT tutorials about setting up MSFS for VR.

22 hours ago, dogmanbird said:

MSFS starts to blur the cockpit gauges if the in game VR render scale is set below 100, so players often drop the render scale in the OpenXR developer tool instead. This maintains sharp looking gauges.

The first tutorial I followed instructed to set the render scale (inside FS) to 60 or 70. The latest I watched reversed/updated that and said to instead set it to 100, while setting render scaling in OpenXR to 50, which caused me to realize I can't find the OpenXR app I installed.

I am nearsighted and don't wish to try wearing my glasses in the G2 for fear of scratching the lenses. My left eye has degraded a lot compared to the right over the past year, but I can't/won't visit the optometrist until after I get the vaccine. Even then, I plan to purchase the prescription mod lenses for this headset, so I can't really fairly judge the clarity of the headset from my personal perspective. Looks pretty good with my right eye, however, but with a narrow sweet spot. Moving my eyes and not my head reveals lots of blurriness. Moving my head to keep the sweet spot centered gives pretty good results clarity wise. I see no screen door effect at all. Using the TM Hotas One plus mouse/kb for controls. It was cheapest solution until I start yearning for more realism and cough up the bucks for a Honeycomb kit with pedals. I think this Hotas kit works really well, though giving accurate control with the joystick and I can map other controls like trim, flaps, brakes, etc to the various buttons. I'll see if I can map the Windows + Y or CTRL + TAB function to one of them so I don't have to lift up the visor. Thank you!

[SkyTreks 0]

20 hours ago, rickjake said:

My Process using MSFS (non steam version) and using the WMR Open XR.

 

1. Launch Mixed Realty Portal 

2. Launch MSFS

3. When ready to go into VR.  "Ctrl + Tab"   

That's it. 

Thank you, Rick! Will give that a try.

I notice we share a couple of similar components :^)

[dogmanbird 269]

This is a link to the OpenXR developer tool that you may be seeing in tutorials. Once installed, the "developer settings" tab is where the OpenXR render slider option lives. When turned on, you can set a fixed value, such as the 50% you see in your tutes. You can close the tool once you've set your values and they are maintained, therefore only need to do it once. The values need to be set prior to running MSFS.

If the render slider option is turned off, it may automagically vary the value depending on scene complexity, but I'm not sure this has been officially stated by the developers and still a bit of a mystery.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/p/openxr-developer-tools-for-windows-mixed-reality/9n5cvvl23qbt?activetab=pivot:overviewtab

Based on the hardware listed in my signature;

- I turn on the  "use latest Open XR" (I'm unsure what impact this option has on MSFS performance)

- I leave the Developer tool slider set at 100% and the in game slider at 100%. I'm happy with how this runs for now. Setting them lower doesn't seem to achieve much in the way of extra FPS on my hardware, but it does degrade the graphics.

Many users tend to leave the other options you see on that tab, turned off (such as motion reprojection). At the moment the motion reprojection option appears to rob the PC of more processing power than what it gains visually . Maybe this will be refined in coming months. This option is supposed to interpolate frames to increase FPS in the headset.

In MSFS settings, for my PC, cloud options, shadow related options and reflection options have the greatest impact on FPS. Maybe turn them down to something still visually acceptable for you. I run them all on the lowest setting without being OFF.

The flashlight voice command might be an extra program called Voice Attack that tells the WMR portal flashlight to turn on. I'm not familiar with it but I'm sure other members could assist. Maybe put a post for this in the general MSFS forum? Even without voice commands set, you may be able to map a shortcut key in windows, but I haven't yet tried.

Have fun 😄

 

 

Edited February 14, 2021 by dogmanbird

[SkyTreks 0]

23 minutes ago, dogmanbird said:

This is a link to the OpenXR developer tool that you may be seeing in tutorials. Once installed, the "developer settings" tab is where the OpenXR render slider option lives. When turned on, you can set a fixed value, such as the 50% you see in games.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/p/openxr-developer-tools-for-windows-mixed-reality/9n5cvvl23qbt?activetab=pivot:overviewtab

Apparently this maintains a fixed value when set. If the slider is turned off, it may automagically vary the value depending on scene complexity, but I'm not sure this has been officially stated by the developers and still a bit of a mystery.

Many users tend to leave the other options you see on that tab, turned off (such as motion reprojection). At the moment the motion reprojection option appears to rob the PC of more processing power than what it gains visually . Maybe this will be refined in coming months. This option is supposed to interpolate frames to increase FPS in the headset.

Based on the hardware listed in my signature;

- I turn on the  "use latest Open XR" (I'm unsure what impact this option has on MSFS performance)

- I leave the Developer tool slider set at 100% and the in game slider at 100%. I'm happy with how this runs for now. Setting them lower doesn't seem to achieve much in the way of extra FPS on my hardware, but it does degrade the graphics.

In MSFS settings, for my PC, cloud options, shadow related options and reflection options have the greatest impact on FPS if you can turn them down to something still visually acceptable for you.

The flashlight voice command might be an extra program called Voice Attack that tells the WMR portal flashlight to turn on. I'm not familiar with it but other members could probably assist with this in the general MSFS forum. Even without voice commands set, you may be able to map a shortcut key in windows, but I haven't yet tried.

Have fun 😄

 

 

Thanks! Looks as if it was installed, but this at least enabled me to find it and adjust settings. I also pinned the launch button to my task bar for future access.

Not sure about the motion reprojection. I do want to somehow disable my monitor from mirroring the game as that seems as if it would overtax my video card which always seems to be at max load playing this sim.