VR is almost ready for primetime…

[RobJC 2,069]

I have been watching the progress of VR for a few years, and I think we are almost ready for an experience that really has no compromises. I have not been a fan of the form factor of existing VR headsets, as they were just too uncomfortable for extended use. Also, the screen door issue was a major turnoff. But products like Bigscreen Beyond have nailed the form factor, and the hardware needed to run 5k displays is here. By the end of this year or early 2025 I believe all the pieces will be in place. The RTX 5000 series GPUs will provide plenty of horsepower and the headsets are going to be much smaller, with mini OLED displays being common. It is going to be amazing. 

I am tempted to just jump in right now, but i think later this year or early next i will build a monster pc and then get a top VR headset. I am not going to upgrade my monitor, and instead save the money for the new hardware.

Pretty exciting to finally be able to have a legit VR experience. Now that doesn’t mean great VR experiences aren’t available today, because there are - assuming you can live with the compromises. I just can’t currently. 
 

 

Edited January 14 by RobJC

[Pilot53 544]

I share your sentiments. Oled 5k+ displays, 48gb vram gpus, and small comfortable hmds would be pretty much perfect.

[DD_Arthur 1,050]

1 hour ago, Pilot53 said:

I share your sentiments. Oled 5k+ displays, 48gb vram gpus, and small comfortable hmds would be pretty much perfect.

Agree very much. If I’ve got to put something on I’d much rather look like Roy Orbison than Jaques Cousteau…

[Greazer 1,321]

9 hours ago, RobJC said:

I am tempted to just jump in right now, but i think later this year or early next i will build a monster pc and then get a top VR headset. 

I had a similar plan, however with the new Frame Gen Mod and LOD Mod I am getting good perf with 3080Ti. Aso I expect FS2024 to be massively better optimized. Therefore the new plan is to build the monster in about 3 years with a RTX 6080 and pci express 6. And possibly an ARM CPU.

[MikeH99 156]

No way near atm.

[JacquesBrel 639]

46 minutes ago, MikeH99 said:

No way near atm.

Because...?

[Donka 645]

Jump in now. I did get into VR around spring last year and it completely changed flight simming for me. Things aren't perfect but the drop in visual fidelity is more than made up for by immersion for me and as you say, things will only improve with new hardware.  I just think at the moment, it's good enough to offer an excellent experience.

[fsiscool 251]

For me VR primetime has started since I tried the old Acer WMR headset the first time in MSFS.

Even if a 2D screen would be 100 times sharper, this could never fix the fact that you are watching at a 3D world through a window rather than being part of this 3D world. I can sure live with the compromises VR still has if I can avoid that colossal compromise of a 2D screen.

If 10 would be the level of compromise of VR, 100000000 would be the level of compromise of the 2D screen.

I feel sorry for everybody with a 2D screen who is talking about immersion, because the level of immersion, which can be achieved on a 2D display is about the same as watching a youtube video.

Personally, after 3 seconds, I don't feel anymore the weight of my HP Reverb 2, which is much larger and heavier than the Bigscreen Beyond. Also don't forget, that real pilots often wear helmets and headsets, which are as clumsy as a VR headset.

Edited January 15 by fsiscool

[threexgreen 3,139]

It's amazing already and my G2 is giving me such a good experience despite the current VR drawbacks. I couldn't go back to a 2D monitor if you paid me. Just putting the headset on and sitting in an actual cockpit puts a smile on my face every single time even after like 3 years of flying in VR exclusively.

It's realistic to the point that when I'm in a real 737 or A320 cockpit from time to time for work, it doesn't feel new. It feels like I've sat in there a thousand times before and instantly recognize the space and dimensions and the overall vibe just like I do in the PMDG 737 or Fenix A320 in VR. It's hard to put into words. I remember popping into a real 737 cockpit for the first time in my life and thinking 'Yep, been here before'. 

What MSFS has going for it over P3D's VR implementation, where I was before, is controller support. Actually having to stretch and reach around the cockpit to flip those switches trains your muscle memory to the point you can sit in a real cockpit with your eyes closed and still hit those switches even though you've never been in one before. It's that degree of realism and immersion of being inside a real cockpit that you can experience right in your armchair at home.

Besides the immersion, VR makes flying a thousand times more realistic since you have an actual three-dimensional space you're in so you have a natural, realistic feeling for things like altitude/height, distance, speed, etc. making it so easy to nail that landing. My first crosswind landing in VR was almost scary since I, in my seat, was so far off the centerline due to the crab angle.

It's something that one needs to experience for oneself since it's hard to describe that feeling of being there, inside of it. It's like flying a real airplane minus the g-forces and, presently, with some visual limitations. Can't wait for a new generation of headsets that improve even more.

Regarding VR in general, Half-Life Alyx is a mindblowing experience too. Once I even tried to play some horror games in VR like Blair Witch VR and some others set in haunted asylums... never again, I couldn't take it, lol. It was that real. I felt my legs get weak despite knowing it's not real, but it's so real nevertheless that it triggers your brain to get terrified anyway. Afterwards I laughed to myself feeling like an word not allowed for getting so scared, lol. If you thought horror games/movies at night with the lights out on a screen were scary, boy, you're in for some full blown heart attacks. 

Edited January 15 by threegreen

[jon b 2,050]

My VR experience of powering a Varjo aero with a 4090 GPU is absolutely spectacular, it’s hard to comprehend how it could be improved, although I have no doubt it shortly will be.

As I’ve mentioned before, on a scale of 1 to 10 where flying a real aircraft is 10 and a simulator on a monitor is 1, VR would be 6 or above. That is to say personally, I find flying in VR is nearer to flying a real aircraft than it is to flying on a monitor.

[DD_Arthur 1,050]

3 hours ago, threegreen said:

 but it's so real nevertheless that it triggers your brain to get terrified anyway. Afterwards I laughed to myself feeling like an word not allowed for getting so scared, lol. 

I don't do MSFS in VR. For some reason it just doesn't float my boat. Combat flight sims like IL2 or DCS are a completely different kettle of fish though!

One of the best VR flight experiences for me is online formation flying with friends. Just fantastic. Personally,  I don't think the net code for MSFS is up to that yet but we'll see what 2024 has in store for us.

One of the freakiest,  weirdly disturbing things I've experienced in VR is making a hash of a carrier landing in DCS and being run over by the carrier. You're trapped in the cockpit as this massive hull with rudder and screws passes over you! Urghhh....

[RobJC 2,069]

VR is close, no doubt. I just want to keep my powder dry until all the pieces are in place for a near perfect experience. I basically want Pimax Crystal image quality and tracking, in Bigscreen Beyond form factor, paired with a 5000 series RTX card to get over 100 fps. Throw in mini OLED and excellent FOV, and it will be incredible. Plus as mentioned, MSFS 2024 will be out and that much better later this year. I think we are literally 12 months away from simming nirvana. Pretty exciting times. Just going to give it a little more time for everything to mature. I am sold on VR. Just not yet. 
 

 

[Daytona125 225]

I've been using VR since Oculus was a KickStarter project in 2012 for flight simming and there in no way I could ever go back to a flat screen, I'm now using it for train simming(want to talk about addictive). I even find myself using it more and more just surfing on the net and doing regular day to day stuff on my computer using virtual desk top. My only problem is typing on a real keyboard while in VR, I should have paid more attention in typing class.  VR has come a long way and it has been ready for prime time for a long time imho, and it just keeps getting better.

[FlyIce 354]

The good thing is with G2 + 4090 we're pretty much already at 80% prime time of VR. Last night I showed it to a few of my friends who never touched VR and flight simulator before and they were all amazed by the experience. All agree that it just feels so real. None of them even noticed the small sweetspot of G2, all praised its incredible (center) sharpness.

Two of them tried to fly for the first time ever in their life and I instantly noticed that they flew very gently and smoothly with VR. This is very different from other first timers I had flying 2D screen - they often yanked the stick all over the places. I think the stark difference is due to the benefit of VR giving them the right sense and feeling of being in a real cockpit. 

[turbomax 3,286]

7 hours ago, threegreen said:

Once I even tried to play some horror games in VR like Blair Witch VR and some others set in haunted asylums... never again, I couldn't take it, lol. It was that real.

same here, incredible because you are absolutely alone in that horror environment, nobody can help you there, no way out. I had the same experience with "the town of light". I had to stop. 💀