TrackIR or VR? why?

Only thing i can tell you at this point is that the wife covets the box :) Innatek should be in tomorrow . Thanks guys .

Wait until you have your first crash in VR Bahahaha :music_whistling::D

Need to work on that evil laugh bud . It's Almost there !

Indeed exciting times.

Just a heads up I remember when I first got Rift I took the Huey out and OMG, well then I took the Gazelle out and after about 10 minutes I had to put it down and have a break or it wasn't gonna end pretty. Good news a few more sessions perfect :thumbup:

But then you probably haven't seen how I miss the ground, well mostly. :D

My vote , just delivered .

:thumbup:

Sweet - enjoy!

I started on the spectrum Amiga PC e.t.c like many others with flight sims when I first tried DCS in VR I had a tear in my eye I had finally made it and that takes a lot because I am a horrible **** in real life :D

I've used mine twice and can tell you that I will never go back to Trackir. It's a game changer. You have so much more of a connection with the plane in VR.

I started on the spectrum Amiga PC e.t.c like many others with flight sims when I first tried DCS in VR I had a tear in my eye I had finally made it and that takes a lot because I am a horrible **** in real life :D

Same here. Amiga 600HD. Before that a Spectrum 48. I hear you.

Ha ha!

I have the Asus, got it on sale for $1800, and then got another "employee relative" 35% discount, so a total $1170 including tax. :D

 

I'm hoping that HTC cranks up the pixel density on the Vive Pro Eye by 50%, so that with foveated rendering we get higher quality picture for about the same performance, and we might literally be just a few months away... I hope.

Foveated rendering has to be supported by application, eg. DCS. So, until ED decides to do that (and it's not trivial) Vive Pro Eye won't be any different than Vive Pro.

I keep tiptoeing up to pulling the trigger, but what holds me back is the thought of being cut off from the world in VR. I won’t see my keyboard (and don’t have enough buttons on my HOTAS for everything for FC3 planes), and my clipboard with notes on each plane will be useless (unless I make images and put them in a kneeboard), and I don’t know how clicking in the cockpit would work. Would I have to take my hand off stick or throttle and feel around for a VR controller on my desk and use it to click, then feel around to lay it back down and grab controls again? That seems clumsy, and potentially an issue when I need to do something quickly. Feeling around on the base of my Gladiator Pro for the right buttons seems a bit dodgy as well.

So, I worry that VR would be a mix of immersion and blindness at the same time.

I keep tiptoeing up to pulling the trigger, but what holds me back is the thought of being cut off from the world in VR. I won’t see my keyboard (and don’t have enough buttons on my HOTAS for everything for FC3 planes), and my clipboard with notes on each plane will be useless (unless I make images and put them in a kneeboard), and I don’t know how clicking in the cockpit would work. Would I have to take my hand off stick or throttle and feel around for a VR controller on my desk and use it to click, then feel around to lay it back down and grab controls again? That seems clumsy, and potentially an issue when I need to do something quickly. Feeling around on the base of my Gladiator Pro for the right buttons seems a bit dodgy as well.

 

So, I worry that VR would be a mix of immersion and blindness at the same time.

I just experienced much of what you speak of here . It is a bit disconcerting being blind the first time . It will take a bit of thought about adapting . It does require something of a leap of faith . HOWEVER :

It is all absolutely worth it ! Just sitting in the cockpit on the ground is a revelation , let alone flying . It really is something you have to experience to understand .

I keep tiptoeing up to pulling the trigger, but what holds me back is the thought of being cut off from the world in VR. I won’t see my keyboard (and don’t have enough buttons on my HOTAS for everything for FC3 planes), and my clipboard with notes on each plane will be useless (unless I make images and put them in a kneeboard), and I don’t know how clicking in the cockpit would work. Would I have to take my hand off stick or throttle and feel around for a VR controller on my desk and use it to click, then feel around to lay it back down and grab controls again? That seems clumsy, and potentially an issue when I need to do something quickly. Feeling around on the base of my Gladiator Pro for the right buttons seems a bit dodgy as well.

 

So, I worry that VR would be a mix of immersion and blindness at the same time.

As far as clicking in the cockpit, no problem you can activate the mouse in VR and assign left mouse, right mouse, and scroll to buttons on HOTAS.

I will say at least for VR, a stick/throttle with many buttons would be more conducive to using VR as you can assign so much to them, and they are in easy reach. I use a Warthog Throttle, MCG Pro grip, and also have a CH Throttle Quadrant just for a few extra buttons and axis. But then I am able to have everything I need on my HOTAS.

Then I use Voice Attack with Vaicom Pro for all my comms. I only fly in single player.

I just experienced much of what you speak of here . It is a bit disconcerting being blind the first time . It will take a bit of thought about adapting . It does require something of a leap of faith . HOWEVER :

 

It is all absolutely worth it ! Just sitting in the cockpit on the ground is a revelation , let alone flying . It really is something you have to experience to understand .

This is truth.

Look at it like this. It takes time to learn that HOTAS too. The VR isn't any different.

Your going to have some challenges with the key mapping. A few solutions I use, in addition to a good HOTAS with a lot of buttons, is I have a gaming keyboard with a row of six programmable keys along the left side. They are easy to find. Also I have been getting pretty good at knowing where my function keys are, since they are spaced in groups of four they are easy to find. Also space bar and arrow keys are easy to find. I could go on.

What I am getting at is you can adapt pretty easy. I also use Vaicom Pro.

I am pretty new to DCS (Long time Falcon BMS guy and IL2) I actually moved over here because of the VR support. I have never flown in DCS without VR actually. I am a pilot as well, and practicing touch and goes in P3d in the A2A 172 is a game changer.

The biggest downside that is hard to deal with, is you are cut off from your home, you might as well not be there. That's great for the game not so great for watching the kids or paying attention to the better half.

Voice control apps, like Voice attack or Viacom are really helpful in VR. And for some things like navigating the radio menus they are more realistic than hunting around one the keyboard for F5, F1 etc. Other than that you really quickly learn where all the "real buttons" are in the plane.

Voice control apps, like Voice attack or Viacom are really helpful in VR. And for some things like navigating the radio menus they are more realistic than hunting around one the keyboard for F5, F1 etc. Other than that you really quickly learn where all the "real buttons" are in the plane.

+ 1 on VoiceAttack and Vaicom ! I used them even with TiR , to get rid of the immersion-breaking comm menus . I'm sure I'll find the control functions helpful as well , as soon as i get brave enough to edit the Vaicom profile :)

Thanks for the input, guys. It's helpful.

I do fly Xplane a lot as well (and am a RL pilot). So it's tempting for that reason also.

I do have Voice Attack installed and bought Vaicom Pro, but haven't really used them. I had forgotten about that option.

A gaming keyboard is not a bad idea either. I didn't know about activating the mouse.

So, if I go to Best Buy and demo the Rift, will the stuff they use to demo it there (games I'm sure) give me a sense of how it works?

Dcs through the Oculus is promising. It is indeed very cool to be immersed in a 3d world but.......the graphics just aren't there yet to make it fun to play via oculus. Experimenting with all variables in the graphics quality of dcs through oculus the graphics just aren't there yet. Not being able to see the cockpit gauges clearly or not being able to really see other aircraft during a merge gives me a headache. Even though i can still read the gauges the fact that the resolution is so poor makes DCS unplayable in VR for me. I suppose i got spoiled to the clarity of 4k........Definitely headed in the right direction with flight sims going VR. Very promising.

I went with the trackIR after much thought and now that I'm used to it I think I've made the correct choice for me. The graphics just ain't there as yet on the VR but they're getting there. Plus the attendant issues of keys and buttons to press with VR compared to the ease of use with trackIR.

For you pancake guys (I learned a new term today to describe flat-screeners! :) ) I guess its all about what you want to do. Without a doubt its easier to fly the plane hit the keyboard etc. play competitively etc. But you are staring at keyboard, and a hotas, and your flat screen. VR guys are in the plane, flipping the switches like an actual pilot would have to do, currently that functionality isn't quite where it needs to be, but honestly its no big deal to use a mouse to interact with the pit. IRL a pilot has to take his hand of the hotas or the stick too to flip whatever switch. IDK, different strokes for different folks.

I haven't been tempted enough to even try the Oculus Rift with DCS yet and I have access to one. After reading about the lower quality graphics I'm personally not interested. I've been happy with my TrackIR for years. Now if some really kick butt VR headset comes along I may have to re-think that, but I don't see myself switching anytime soon. When I was flying with a VFW, I can recall people not being able to do certain things because they are stuck in the VR headset. For instance I can write things down on paper quick nearby or look at notes I have on my desk. I also have a lot of useful keyboard re-mappings I use depending on airframe. Maybe the way to go is with a better monitor setup and not VR.

did you try flying your helos on VR?

did you try flying your helos on VR?

Helos in VR are night and day better.

If you have VR and haven't flown DCS helos with it, you are missing out on the best possible experience DCS can deliver using VR. It not only feels immersive but permits much better flying due to the wide field of view (especially in the vertical) and the sense of position and speed it gives you. Some missions still need 2d high resolution, but if they don't, VR is by far the way to go for DCS helos.

Something I learned today that's very cool.

With opentrack software (free) you can turn your oculus into a headtracking device. When I'm building missions, I just prop it on my head like a hat (quite comfortable) and get head tracking. When I wanna be fully immersed, on it goes.

So glad I discovered that because it is a pain to fly without head-tracking and a pain to build missions while in VR, so I was struggling with the hat ala original poster.

If you have VR and haven't flown DCS helos with it, you are missing out on the best possible experience DCS can deliver using VR. It not only feels immersive but permits much better flying due to the wide field of view (especially in the vertical) and the sense of position and speed it gives you. Some missions still need 2d high resolution, but if they don't, VR is by far the way to go for DCS helos.

Indeed my man!

I don't touch my keyboard in VR now and don't need to. The hand controllers work well and in combination with Voice Attack, it works well. In fact, this is the best and most stress-free and it has to be said the most realistic feeling of interfacing with a simulation I have ever experienced.

I don't touch my keyboard in VR now and don't need to. The hand controllers work well and in combination with Voice Attack, it works well. In fact, this is the best and most stress-free and it has to be said the most realistic feeling of interfacing with a simulation I have ever experienced.

Are you saying you use hand controllers for cockpit interaction and aircraft controls, or do you also use a HOTAS? If so, isn't it cumbersome to switch from the HOTAS to the controllers?