VR for beginners

Hi all.

While I'm still going on with my homemade cockpit (Ka50 - endless....), I'd like even to fly my huey, the forthcoming F16 and maybe some other else.

As it will be (i guess) inconceivable to build an individual cockpit for each of them (it would be awesome, but first of all, the place for each of them, then the cost, etc; and out of scale, the wife.....), the good solution will be the VR.

It's quite some time I'm reading and collecting infos about the VR market, expecially in this last time I'm considering (in the order): Valve Index, Vive Pro and Pimax.

Well, maybe the day I'll finally get my VR headset (if I keep going on this way....) many other VR products will be made, but I've a big...perplexity about, and I beg perdon for the silly question.

I see, for every headset, they report to Steam environment or such.

As I abhor all of these streaming/online/etc provider (reason why I'm getting all my DCS modules as standalone), I'm wondering if the VR headset will work even with no reference to them.

I mean (low level talking): despite the compatibility with Steam and others, the VR headset will be seen like a "SciFi monitor" (ok with the VR features), or someway I will have to depend from these online platforms?

Thanks

Jocman

Oculus Rift S. No Steam required :) . Best VR Bang for the Buck at the moment in my opinion.

All those headsets will require Steam VR to run . Once installed , you don't have to run Steam , just the Steam VR app . No worse than Oculus , imo .

Oculus Rift S. No Steam required :) . Best VR Bang for the Buck at the moment in my opinion.

Seconded.

Well, thanks for the replies.

About the models, I think maybe it will be better to pay a little bit now, but get a good (high ?) level device, more than get a cheaper one, then feel to want more, get a new one and keep the old one "on your bal...s" trying to sell it undercost.

The Valve Index, currently, seems to be the one giving more features (not least the refresh rate), followed by Vive Pro. I was considering Pimax for the FOV, but something leaves me someway dubious.....

BTW, I'm planning the attend the Cologne Gameshow the next month, hoping to test some headset, and in a...professional way. Couple of months ago I went to a local fair, they had some headset to play with (the Vive first generation), but (I hope) the setup was really a sh..t, the images were really a bounch of squares (really, squares, not pixels!), unconceivable! It seemed to me the first headset I played with (it was the far 1995) with Doom: for that year it was awesome, but not today!

Oculus Rift S. No Steam required :) . Best VR Bang for the Buck at the moment in my opinion.

Sadly I would say it's a fact, not an opinion.

Despite de lack of IPD adjust and headphones, the rest of HMDs launching this year are worst or very expensive.

I just ordered an HP Reverb, but I guess I'll keep my Rift CV1 for playing non cockpit games.

I'm in the same position as you, looking to get an HMD for the first time.

I have decided to wait out the teething issues on the high-quality sets like Reverb and Index. A bonus might be to wait until October/November once these issues have been resolved (hopefully) and they might come on pre-Christmas sale. I.e. they've been subject to better quality-checks and will be cheaper (again; hopefully).

Sadly I would say it's a fact, not an opinion.

Despite de lack of IPD adjust and headphones, the rest of HMDs launching this year are worst or very expensive.

 

I just ordered an HP Reverb, but I guess I'll keep my Rift CV1 for playing non cockpit games.

Where did you ordered the reverb? There is no stock...

Every headset will require some kind of software. The WMR headsets require the most right now to run DCS (however I wouldn't exclude them because of this). They all have pros and cons. You'll just have to pick what fits your use case the best.

Every headset will require some kind of software. The WMR headsets require the most right now to run DCS (however I wouldn't exclude them because of this). They all have pros and cons. You'll just have to pick what fits your use case the best.

All headsets will require some sort of runtime to use, either WMR, Occulus or SteamVR. And DCS only directly supports Steam and Occulus right now, supposedly we are gonna get native WMR support too. So that means if you have a WMR headset, you need the WMR runtime, AND the plugin to make it steam compatible. Its clunky for those headsets right now.

Honestly its not a huge deal, but if you are jumping into VR for the first time ease of setup and use is going to be a bigger factor for you than other folks. In that sense the Occulus software "just works" for the most part. And SteamVR is fairly easy to get running too. I have no experience with WMR but from what I read it can be a bit more involved to get stuff running right.

You didn’t mention if you’re a fat head like me. I have an IPD of 71.5. Fortunately the Odyssey + has a physical adjustment for IPD. Add in the high resolution (not highest anymore), anti screen door technology, and the OLED screens; it’s still the best thing going IMHO.