Guys VR is the future for FS. I can't go back to 2D

[Gulfstream 416]

I have a Quest 2 and was going to buy the link cable for $70 but then I saw there are alternatives, including a $20 app called Virtual Desktop that requires no cables.

Has anyone tried this with Flight Simulator?  I'm curious how downgraded the graphics would be compared to the link cable.

Edit: I just realized that Anker sells an Oculus tested/approved 10 foot cable for $22, just going to go with that.

Edited January 19, 2022 by Gulfstream

[HiFlyer 9,363]

Just now, Gulfstream said:

Has anyone tried this with Flight Simulator?  I'm curious how downgraded the graphics would be compared to the link cable

Virtual desktop works well, but just keep in mind that very few wireless connections will currently supply both the bandwidth and the stability to let you set your headset at 90 or 120hhz at max resolution.

A good USB Type-c link cable with an E-marker (10Gbps) can let you do that.

 

[Gulfstream 416]

3 minutes ago, HiFlyer said:

Virtual desktop works well, but just keep in mind that very few wireless connections will currently supply both the bandwidth and the stability to let you set your headset at 90 or 120hhz at max resolution.

A good USB Type-c link cable with an E-marker (10Gbps) can let you do that.

 

Thanks, I just purchased an Anker USB C Cable and an elbow connector to try to get into this VR thing.

I also want to play Half Life Alyx so even if I can't run MSFS in VR, at least I'm not wasting my money.

Edited January 19, 2022 by Gulfstream

[rickjake 243]

2 hours ago, qqwertzde said:

I think everything is slightly too small. However, I haven't played with any VR settings yet, so there might be a way to adjust the size simply by scaling a parameter. 

I used to think that too, until I sat in a few real planes.  

Edited January 19, 2022 by rickjake

[blueshark747 1,845]

5 hours ago, MarkDH said:

Stereoscopic vision is irrelevant for anything outside the windows, so all it does is make the cockpit look nicer. (I said 'little revelance' BTW. For some people looking around the cockpit may be of prime importance.)

All 3d environmental objects are rendered in stereoscopic 3D and for such reasons VR users can fly and judge peripheral distances better on taxiway operations, takeoffs, landings, formation flying etc etc. For example my transitioning from 2D to VR has helped my landings particularly at St Barts (TFFJ) over the years with the the hill slope and treeline before the runway are much more believable and I can use better peripheral vision to judge the top of the trees and hillside's distance to my landing gear. VR gives me a more in depth feeling of where my aircraft is over this particular approach than landing through a 2d pancake screen or even multiple 2D surround screens can ever. I have a better grasp of when to cut power and flare. Also as far as racing sims are concerned don't you think having opponent cars rendered in 3D outside of your cockpit and full FOV help the driver determine the next strategic maneuvers and control in close knit racing groups and lines before and during apexes and straightaways?

Why do you think tons of DCS and Assetto Corsa simmers went VR and have now become better formation/fighter pilots and race drivers with such titles? Come on let's make some sense here...your statement isn't it.😏

 

 

 

Edited January 20, 2022 by blueshark747

[dogmanbird 269]

For folks trying to squeeze a bit more performance out of their systems for VR, you can try the developing software in the following thread. Most of us have had good results with minimal image quality impact (maybe even improved). 

Apparently the next version will also include a "world scale" adjustment for those who see the world / cockpit as too small / big

https://forums.flightsimulator.com/t/openxr-nis-upscaling-software-release-thread/482927/561

[HiFlyer 9,363]

3 hours ago, Gulfstream said:

Thanks, I just purchased an Anker USB C Cable and an elbow connector to try to get into this VR thing.

I also want to play Half Life Alyx so even if I can't run MSFS in VR, at least I'm not wasting my money.

I have several cables, one of which is the Anker, but i find it a bit thick-ish and less flexible than the one I finally settled on for everyday use.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08FY28Z8F/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

[Gulfstream 416]

1 hour ago, HiFlyer said:

I have several cables, one of which is the Anker, but i find it a bit thick-ish and less flexible than the one I finally settled on for everyday use.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08FY28Z8F/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

Thanks this is actually cheaper than my dual approach, and I agree Anker cables can be too stiff, I was concerned about that.

I am running a laptop that only has a 1660Ti in it, so I doubt I can run VR even at the lowest settings.

I am eyeing a new 3060 laptop but I haven't pulled the trigger yet as this one runs great for everything else.

[odourboy 1,290]

Is there any point in jumping in with my current system (see below) or am I just setting myself up for a disappointment? 

[Lord Farringdon 496]

Great thread. So  do I understand that smoothness in VR can be a bit of an issue?  Is that correct or is it buttery? I know the card, MSFS settings and flying location, internet connection and speed,  will have a big part to play here as it does in 2D, but I mean all things being equal, when comparing the same thing in 2D, is VR more shaky or have more stutter?

In much the same vein,  am I correct in saying that the benefits of VR are more noticeable in low level flying (over tree tops, ridge hopping and flying under bridges , bush flying  and that sort of thing than it is in tube flying? (Excepting the VR of the cockpits which it seems is a wow factor for any type of flight). 

Finally, there seems to be a few of these headsets available, Oculus, Quest 2, Varjo Aero Bose A20. I will do my research but for the benefit of short circuiting this a bit specifically in relation to MSFS, where do these or any others not mentioned, sit on a scale of 'do not go there' to 'best ever for MSFS'?

 

Cheers

 

Terry

 

        

Edited January 20, 2022 by Lord Farringdon

[dogmanbird 269]

2 hours ago, odourboy said:

Is there any point in jumping in with my current system (see below) or am I just setting myself up for a disappointment? 

Certainly worth a try, as others are happily using systems similar to yours. If you can go into it with the expectations of not being able to achieve the visual quality (sharpness and LOD etc) of what you have in 2d at this stage. 

 

Lord Farringdon - Yes you probably appreciate VR more with lower level flying, but feeling like your sitting "in" the pilots seat within the cockpit is amazing in itself. Having proper depth perception to judge distance during take-off and landing is terrific. Gazing around is perfectly in sync with your head movement (no lag) and you look where you want to look (no turning your head one way while looking the other way with your eyes - ala Track IR).

Smoothness - yes it can be difficult to get it to run smooth and takes some experimenting with settings, due to the extra processing the PC does to generate two images from different angles. Software "Motion Reprojection" can synthesise/interpolate frames to pad out the FPS. With the Reverb G2, this is possible with only 22.5fps output from the game, and it will generate 90fps for buttery smooth movement. It does generate some graphical wobbling at times, particularly near propellers. To me it's perfectly acceptable considering what it's achieving. So the trick is to tweak graphic settings till you can achieve the minimum FPS that motion reprojection can work with.

Regarding the current range of headsets - if you are mainly seated, and happy to spend closer to $1000 Aus dollars, the Reverb G2 is generally accepted as the pick of them. The Quest 2 is a great all rounder, but doesn't have quite the sharpness required to read small cockpit labels and details without zoomin in a little, or leaning forward, where the G2 can. The Quest 2 can be wireless if you want (with some caveats).  I've got two Huey addons for DCS on two PC's. I use the G2 for the pilot seat for it's clarity, and the door gunner uses the Quest 2 wirelessly so they can move between a second set of cyclic/pedals/collective if needed or a DIY door gun i've made on a tripod.

I've had a chance to use most of the others that have been on the market for at least 6 months. Overall, currently it's hard to beat the two above in my opinion 🙂  Though this new generation of headsets coming out could be a whole other level of clarity. At the moment they sound very pricey.

For anyone considering VR - It's worth doing some research on Sweet Spot, FOV and VR sickness, just so you know what to expect. There's a bit of research needed to get the best out of it all. Although it's maturing, PC-VR's still not particularly user friendly and needs the user to be somewhat tech savvy.

 

 

Edited January 20, 2022 by dogmanbird

[Tinribs 52]

On 1/18/2022 at 9:46 PM, sidfadc said:

However......I wear glasses and need them for watching TV because I'm shortsighted (meaning I can read without my glasses but struggle with distance at say 4 or 5 feet, the typical distance watching the TV from the sofa.  The issue I had with VR is without glasses I had the same issue watching the TV from the sofa, I couldn't see the screen very well despite the fact I had two screens right near my eyeballs in a VR headset.  So I needed to wear my glasses with the headset and it just wasn't suitable for periods of long play.

Companies like Lenslab make optical inserts. You provide them with details from your optical prescription. They send you a set of custom fit lenses for your particular headset. These 'snap' on to the default lenses and can also be removed easily. 

I have a set in my G2. Work like a charm!

[JSmith2112 317]

On 1/18/2022 at 11:14 PM, caneman said:

Have a question I've been wanting to ask.  I have one eye that's 20-20 vision ... and the other, not so good.  Not really correctable and and see mostly blurry.

So, is VR possible with just one eye?    

I have the same problem and have tried a few 3D gadgets over the years. It's been a no-go every time. No depth perception.

[simon747 185]

1 hour ago, Tinribs said:

Companies like Lenslab make optical inserts. You provide them with details from your optical prescription. They send you a set of custom fit lenses for your particular headset. These 'snap' on to the default lenses and can also be removed easily. 

I have a set in my G2. Work like a charm!

I got the inserts fitted to my eye script and they work great. Glasses under a headset can be awkward.  I am one of the few people who had a quest 2, one in the flat already, and loved it beyond question for flight simulators.  I then bought the Reverb 2 two weeks later and returned the reverb 2 as I preferred the quest 2 in terms of color projection; the resolution difference was minimal as VR is so immersive anyhow.  Both seemed to use similar resources both from CPU and GPU.    The quest 2 is heavier and I find starting it and shutting down awkward; but it works really well for me.  I am lucky to have tried VR as turned it down for many years; never flown without since May 2021.

 

 

[MarkDH 234]

6 hours ago, blueshark747 said:

Why do you think tons of DCS and Assetto Corsa simmers went VR and have now become better formation/fighter pilots and race drivers with such titles? Come on let's make some sense here...your statement isn't it.😏

Close racing and close formation flying are limit cases where stereoscopic vision may be a factor. Maybe taxiing on narrow taxiways too. But for a flight sim in general, and probably including the approach for all but extreme bush flying, I am not convinced. But don't shoot the messenger, google stereoscopic vision, depth perception, etc. and read a bit before deriding.