Contemplating on getting a VR set but....

Hi All,

As the tittle says it, i am seriously considering on getting a VR but I’m really unsure if i should go down that route. Understand from the forums that the resolution isn’t that fantastic and some areas in the Sim is unreadable. Would like some info from all of you and what the pros and cons of a VR set. Would also like to know what brand of a VR set should i go for with a relatively good resolution.Any sugggestions and feedback is greatly appreciated.

Thank you very much

Regards

Like a lot of IT kit, with the tech advancing so rapidly, there is never a perfect time to buy. The early consumer headsets, the Rift and the Vive, have been around for a couple of years now and the latter has recently been updated and the former is rumoured to be on the brink of announcing a successor. With the 1st generation headsets, the resolution isn't as good as a good monitor, but for flight simulators, IMHO, VR is definitely the way to go. The feeling of sitting in a life-sized cockpit, surrounded by realistic avionics and weapon systems is tough to beat.

It will be up to you, and you wallet, to decide whether you go for it now or wait for a potential 2nd generation headset though. Either way, just do it. :)

I absolutely love my Rift, been flying with it almost daily now since Jan of 2017. Have not gamed on the monitor since.

The immersion grabbed me from the get go, and the resolution does not bother me.

BTW, the new F/A 18-C over the Persian Gulf in VR is stunning!

It is a great kit and a very reasonable price. I will remain quite happy with it until a true second generation product comes out. ( will likely wait on second gen Rift).

Some are really enjoying some of the new WMR devices ( Windows Mixed Reality) like the Samsung Odyssey. I am sure others will chime in that have one of those.

I'd second dburns post.

Whilst a lot of people complain about resolution and sure more would be better, however I find the Rift reasonably good for 1080 pixels wide (again more would be better) it can be a bit fuzzy on some things but for me it's acceptable.

There are some MP4's here of DCS (maybe download and play from HDD/SSD.

Whilst it really doesn't give you a feel for VR the point is if you look at them pixel for pixel i.e. no scaling this is pretty much what I see in Rift. The slightly jerky nature of the vids if more to do with rendering at 45FPS and recording at 30FPS and displaying at likely 60FPS. But that's how the instruments, dash, scenery and such pretty much appear in the Rift.

P.S. Don't take any notice of my attempt at flying just how it's displayed. :music_whistling:

The Odyssey is the highest resolution consumer ready HMD you can buy. The Vive Pro matched its resolution but still requires base stations that add way too much to the cost.

Agree with others comments, been flying vr (vive) since the day it game out and its awesome. The resolution loss does not outweigh the massive gain in immersion, ability to fly effectively, etc.

Los

I bought VR a year ago (rift) because it was 1/3 the price of an ultrawide monitor.

and I have not flown DCS on a monitor since.

so it saved me loads of money :)

I got it in last years summer sale. so if you wait a month.. it will probably be on sale again.

I got my Rift a couple of weeks ago, and Im still fine tunning the graphics to take the most out of it.

I wish I could have bought the device earlier, it´s a game changer.

I had this very dilemma about a year ago. I also had the fear, that resolution is just not up to par yet, and that VR might be a nice gimmick, but is not quite there yet as a viable alternative to a monitor.

I was wrong.

Cons:

Yes, the resolution makes some cockpit labels a challenge to read. But it's manageable. You might have the feeling targets are harder to spot, but this was always a challenge on monitors too. It's harder to use the keyboard, but having everything mapped to a HOTAS, and having the mouse nearby, it's actually pretty good.

Pros:

It looks and feels amazing. Finally you are actually sitting IN the aircraft. It's not just a little screen attached to your head. Everything is in 3D and looks as if you can touch it. It just feels wrong to play DCS on a screen now. It's firmly a VR experience for me.

i bought my rift this christmas and i had the same question

well is awesome the resolution at first days comes second you can startup the aircraft just fine without problem the hud is readable just fine as well the MFD's

i played the whole campaign of the MIRAGE without labels (except the mission with the infantry) and was just fine

but i use a lot zoom which you can bind in your hotas

i say go for it... dont think it!!!!!!!;)

VR + Persian Gulf + F/A 18-C = flight sim nirvana!

I love my Rift, and will be holding out for their true next gen product before upgrading and retiring my Rift. They are working on some very exciting things that I think will be real game changes for VR..

You won't be able to land on the carrier with the Hornet if you're in VR since you can't see the meatball because of the low resolution.

Doesn't mean you can't TRY to land without the meatball, it's just not realistic at all to go without relying on the meatball.

You won't be able to land on the carrier with the Hornet if you're in VR since you can't see the meatball because of the low resolution.

 

Doesn't mean you can't TRY to land without the meatball, it's just not realistic at all to go without relying on the meatball.

Oh crap I must be doing something wrong then... having a blast taking off and landing on the carrier.

Me too. I don't even know how many successful traps I have now with a Rift on my head.

Oh crap I must be doing something wrong then... having a blast taking off and landing on the carrier.

Can you post your settings which allow you to see the ball when you enter the groove? Or do you only see the ball when you're already on the deck?

Me too. I don't even know how many successful traps I have now with a Rift on my head.

+3...

Can you post your settings which allow you to see the ball when you enter the groove? Or do you only see the ball when you're already on the deck?

Heck I am not even sure what the ball is lol. I am new to this bird.

I just line up the circle with the ladder thingy and keep my eye on the lights where they are in the middle ( circle). I line them up with the rear of the carrier deck and fly the plane onto it.

Not sure if I am explaining myself very good, it just seemed intuitive to me and seems to work for me. Not to say I don't miss some, but usually can get her down on the deck ok.

I love taking off from the carrier, flying around the area a little bit, then landing back on the carrier.

At least till I read up some more and get busy learning the other functions of the aircraft.

Man it is drop dead gorgeous in VR.

edit: What VR headset are you using?

Heck I am not even sure what the ball is lol. I am new to this bird.

I just line up the circle with the ladder thingy and keep my eye on the lights where they are in the middle ( circle). I line them up with the rear of the carrier deck and fly the plane onto it.

Meatball is the landing light system on the carrier that is guiding you in. You get as well a wave off call through that.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7C08dr2oQug

You won't be able to land on the carrier with the Hornet if you're in VR since you can't see the meatball because of the low resolution.

 

Doesn't mean you can't TRY to land without the meatball, it's just not realistic at all to go without relying on the meatball.

I think it's the reverse. The lack of 3D spatial awareness would make landing on a carrier much more difficult to land with a monitor. Just like flying the Huey was so much harder w/o VR. It's just not realistic to land planes in 2D space. But hey, that's just me and to each his own.

Agree w all above, landing on the carrier is way easier in VR. I haven't had one crash. (A few bolters though...

I think it's the reverse. The lack of 3D spatial awareness would make landing on a carrier much more difficult to land with a monitor. Just like flying the Huey was so much harder w/o VR. It's just not realistic to land planes in 2D space. But hey, that's just me and to each his own.

:thumbup:

Yeah I think that is pretty much it, the spatial awareness likely really helps on these carrier landings.

Meatball is the landing light system on the carrier that is guiding you in. You get as well a wave off call through that.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7C08dr2oQug

 

Thanks much got it, and yes I do see the ball on approach.

I agree with what everybody has said about the improvements in spatial awareness. Not just from a purely visual standpoint with everything in 3D, but also from the standpoint of your head movements are the same as they would be in the real world. That makes it much easier to keep from getting disoriented and confused as to which way is up. I've pulled off some really ugly landings in the A-10C that didn't damage the aircraft, which I don't think I could have done without the depth perception and spatial awareness that VR offers. I think I've seen it said in these forums before. Flying in VR is like being in the plane. Flying on a monitor is like watching a movie about flying a plane. I wholeheartedly agree with that. :D

Carrier landings in VR are awesome, but it is hard to see the meatball. I use VR zoom to check it at 3/4 mile and then I can see it well enough at 1/2 mile or so. One critical thing that vr helps with is the turn at the 180 and 90. Being able to turn your head and see an actual acurate spatial relationship between the jet and the boat is key, especially when you start to train your sight picture.

To add my 2c. The low res and fov (think viewing the world through a diver's mask) are a big drawback, expect to make compromises. But still not enough of a drawback to beat the gain in immersion.

It's been a bit of a double-edged sword in that once I tried VR, I just haven't been able to go back to using a monitor. I doubt I ever will.

For recent versions of DCS (2.5.1 and up), you'll most likely be wanting a 1080Ti.

Another surprise for me has been how much I'm enjoying "proper" VR games (clue: I'm not young). I really thought I'd only be using it for flight sims, but since my original purchase, I've bought a 3rd sensor and have had to make room for a play area. Echo Arena, Sprint Vector, Sparc, Brass Tactics... these are types of games I'd thought I'd got bored with years ago. Fun and exercise!

I have not regretted buying the Rift, not once. I've had it for nearly a year now.