VR is almost ready for primetime…

[JacquesBrel 639]

53 minutes ago, Daytona125 said:

train simming

omg Train Sim World runs on Unreal Engine, so with the PrayDog Unreal Engine VR Injector you could... Man I know what I'm doing tonight...

[fsiscool 251]

10 minutes ago, FlyIce said:

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.

This very nicely highlights the difference: with VR you feel control inputs much different and much more precise. It is natural, that you would treat the aircraft in which you sit much more gentle than the aircraft which just seems to live behind a flat screen.

It is like the difference between being a spectator (2D screen) vs. being a participant (VR).

Edited January 15 by fsiscool

[turbomax 3,286]

22 minutes ago, FlyIce said:

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. 

this.

flying VR "in the soup" i.e. IFR in the clouds is the closest you can get to feeling all alone without any visual reference to the ground, white-out so to speak. some people panic when they experience this for the first time in the cockpit in real life. training for this in VR on a pc before it hits you in real life has helped me to be prepared and cope with such an experience the first time I encountered single pilot white-out in a real airplane.

I think the reason there is only ca. 10% VR users is they either don't know about it or have never had a chance to try it for themselves. my first encounter with 3D was long ago, red-green anaglyph "glasses" made of paper. back then I knew I wanted 3D for flight simulation. Ever since Asobo  included support for VR there was no return to 2D anymore. charts and fine print is nice and all, but not enough to trade for VR.  2D = zero immersion factor for me. everyone should try it at least once.

"It is like the difference between being a spectator (2D screen) vs. being a participant (VR)."

or looking at a glass of wine and drinking a glass of wine. 😃

Edited January 15 by turbomax

[Daytona125 225]

2 hours ago, JacquesBrel said:

omg Train Sim World runs on Unreal Engine, so with the PrayDog Unreal Engine VR Injector you could... Man I know what I'm doing tonight...

I am totally considering Train Sim World after getting Derail Valley 3 weeks ago. When I figure out how to use VR in train sim world I'll definateley be buying that. Derail Valley is easy for me, it's set up for VR. I'M ADDICTED! Thanks for this, I know what I'll be doing after worlk lol. PrayDog Unreal Engine VR Injector 

[threexgreen 3,139]

2 hours ago, turbomax said:

charts and fine print is nice and all, but not enough to trade for VR.

This isn't even accurate anymore with the newer headsets that have high resolution. With the G2, I have no trouble reading my OFP and charts or anything on an EFB or any cockpit instruments.

[RobJC 2,069]

I definitely believe in the benefits of VR, so I don't want anyone to think I don't. But I am waiting for a no-compromise VR solution, and that no-compromise solution just doesn't exist today for the consumer market. Or maybe it does exist? Tell me the product to buy that...

1. Has the form factor of something like Bigscreen Beyond. Very small. Very light. 

2. Has inside-out tracking. 

3. Has 105-110 FOV. 

4. Has aspherical lenses (or better). No glare or god rays. No distortion at the edges. 

5. Has Mini OLED displays. 4k resolution per eye.

6. Hardware that can run this setup at 120 fps.

I do not know of such a device in the $2000 price range (or higher), but maybe I am wrong? I do, however, believe we are on the cusp of such a device in the next 12 months, with the hardware to run it. This is how "I" define ready for primetime. It has no compromises, except being on the higher end of cost. I think we are going to see a wave of headsets that fit the smaller form factor with these specs. I am sure Apple's product is good, but they landed right at the end of the snorkel generation of headsets. I am sure it will get a lot smaller with gen 2.  

Pretty exciting times overall. The only issue will be availability, but many companies will be coming to market with such devices so that might help a little. In any case I will start building my new sim rig later in the year, as I have a full plate of work outside simming that will keep me somewhat busy until then. 

I am glad you guys are really enjoying VR. I really like flight and racing sims, so this is going to be a wild time for simming! 

 

Edited January 15 by RobJC

[fsiscool 251]

4 hours ago, turbomax said:

"It is like the difference between being a spectator (2D screen) vs. being a participant (VR)."

or looking at a glass of wine and drinking a glass of wine. 😃

Or watching youtube-videos of a place vs. being there... 🙂

1 hour ago, RobJC said:

But I am waiting for a no-compromise VR solution, and that no-compromise solution just doesn't exist today for the consumer market.

Don't forget, 2D screens are a (very bad imho) compromise too. It is about weighting two compromised solutions. And for my taste, after flying once with VR, 2D screens are so compromised, that I would not be able to enjoy any single flight just looking at the screen.

Edited January 15 by fsiscool

[FlyIce 354]

1 hour ago, threegreen said:

With the G2, I have no trouble reading my OFP and charts or anything on an EFB or any cockpit instruments.

Yes. It's amazing with the right addon approach charts in VR look almost as good as display on 2d screen. The process does require a few clicks/adjustments to open and place the chart window, but the visual experience is amazing.

Edited January 15 by FlyIce

[graeme1 2]

12 hours ago, threegreen said:

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. 

 

[rickjake 243]

2 hours ago, RobJC said:

 But I am waiting for a no-compromise VR solution, and that no-compromise solution just doesn't exist today for the consumer market. Or maybe it does exist? Tell me the product to buy that...

 

 

I am sure glad I took the plunge to to VR a few years back.  I only fly in VR for all the reasons everyone here has stated. Nothing like the feeling of sitting inside the plane instead of looking through a window (PC monitor) to fly your plane. I have gotten so immersed into the sim, on occasion, that I have actually reached up with my hand to flip a switch, before realizing, this isn't real, I need to use the mouse.

I went from the Vive Pro. HP Reverb G1, then G2, and now the Vargo Aero.  The clarity is great. No screen door effect, no issues reading the gauges and no issues reading charts, etc.  I think MSFS has done well with implementing VR. But there will always be room for improvement. 

The thing is, if you are waiting for the best, no-compromise solution, it will likely never come.  Just like PC hardware, it's is always improving. The moment you buy your new computer, its already out of date. I think the same thing with VR technology, it is always improving. 

Sure, I would like a lighter headset, a wider field of view, but if I'd had kept waiting for the next best thing, I would have missed out on all the VR enjoyment I get now.  In my opinion, "It exists now". 

[tull 290]

So I’m a newbie to VR….we bought a Meta 3 quest for Christmas for the children to share and I borrowed it for a few hours last week as they were at school and now I want my own!!😃🤣…..I’ve took over the headset and I want it all to myself….in 56 years old! What an unbelievable experience ….i was truely blown away and I still am a week later…bloody unbelievable!! So now I’m stuck because I don’t want to fly with my 42” monitor because it’s bloody rubbish 😃 …and yiu know my PC is ok…but not a powerhouse of a Pc…i7 high end processor and running a Nvidia 3060 12GB card…it runs quite smooth considering and I run FS2020 through virtual desktop…you truely do feel like you are in the cockpit…it is amazing! 
Just wanted  to to give you my opinion, I’ve been flight simming since 1998….VR is the future no doubt about it.

Anyway the children are in bed now so we’re did they put that headset……😃👍

 

[blueshark747 1,843]

10 hours ago, Daytona125 said:

I'm now using it for train simming(want to talk about addictive).

I'm totally hooked on UEVR injected Ark!🍺

I've been eyeing TrainSim4 as well, can you give me a general estimate of how big the maps are?

I'm totally new to train sims and train operations in general.

It looks looks just as therapeutic as flight simming, throw on some music and enjoy the sights.

Edited January 16 by blueshark747

[TheFamilyMan 280]

As an aging boomer, IMHO life's too short not to enjoy VR in a flightsim right now, even with all its imperfections. 

Edited January 16 by TheFamilyMan

[basher5 3]

I started using VR a year ago and have never gone back to 2D. The immersion alone is worth the price of admission and if you a are real world pilot this is as close as it gets without the G-forces. I wish I had VR when I was doing my instrument rating years ago as it is that good for practicing IFR and shooting approaches.

Edited January 17 by basher5

[FlyIce 354]

3 hours ago, basher5 said:

wish I had VR when I was doing my instrument rating years ago as it is that good for practicing IFR and shooting approaches.

This is exactly what I'm doing now as I'm in the middle of IR training. I genuinely feel every hour I flew IFR in VR is almost equal to a real IR training hour, probably better since I'm in the "real" soup in VR. Of course, no ATC communication is a big minus in VR