What is the current state of VR in DCS; was your headset worth buying?

[Goblin]

@red777

 

It's always interesting to read a different point of view.

I'm not impressed with the resolution or the FoV of the Rift, either.

But the 3D depth perception, 1:1 scale and head tracking is what makes VR so great, IMO.

VR come with positives and negatives. I certainly feel the positive outweigh the negative. But this is of course very subjective, like you feel the weight of the Rift, and I barely notice it's there :)

[Xgkkp]

I'm not impressed with the resolution or the FoV of the Rift, either.

 

I'm extremely impressed with the resolution of vive/rift given that we had nothing before. Obviously i'd like things to be higher but it'll get there.

 

There is obviously room for improvement but this is the first generation of the technology and is really pushing what the hardware is capable of, especially for developers/games whose pipeline has been entirely geared towards 2D and "30fps is good enough for most people". Remember that it's trying to render 1080p per eye - so for most average gamers on a 1080p monitor it's the requirement equivalent of doubling the rendering and then doubling the fps.

 

There are obvious improvements both on the software side (optimisation for graphics, decoupling sim and rendering, hardware pipeline things like Nvidias SMP) and hardware (eye tracking and foveated rendering), all on a platform that didn't exist six months ago.

[Goblin]

I'm extremely impressed with the resolution of vive/rift given that we had nothing before. Obviously i'd like things to be higher but it'll get there.

 

Let me put it this way, resolution is better on a 2D screen, so it's not the resolution that makes me choose VR over a regular screen.

It's the combination of all that is VR that makes the experience so incredible.

[Phantom88]

Is this true? Other than a flurry of patches for Oculus and initial vive support a couple of months ago, I haven't heard anything about VR support - and zoom and pixel density only work on oculus.

 

Well.To be fair I use The Rift and was mainly talking about that device.

[Redacuragsr]

After reading the above comments, I guess I'll be the first to make a... well, not negative but certainly not a "wow! it's f@%ing amazing" comment.

 

When you try the rift for the first, it's quite impressive, you feel like you're in the cockpit BUT NOT at 100% due to the resolution even with pixel density.

It's not as beatiful as you would think. looking through the rift it's like looking at a retrojection on a wall. It's hard to explain but this is not impressive at all.

 

secondly, the performance.. you really have to turn down alot of settings to have decent fps.

I went back to regular screen last week and I really think DCS is beatifull when you have the graphics on high.

And after a while of not using the rift, I kind of forgot it as it is really not comfortable to have something this heavy on your face.

 

Some people say that you kind of ignore the resolution after a while, well I don't agree with that... for example when I come in on final approche, I really notice it and it's really bad looking at the runway.

 

I tend to agree with red777 assessment of the rift, except for the part that its heavy and uncomfortable on your face, for me thats not really a problem. Even though I will be buying the next generation VR HMD because I definitely see the potential of this technology, its not quite there yet for me.....it is only the first generation though.

[Jamesp1]

Just to follow this up: I bought the rift, another 8gb of ram and a GTX 1080.

 

It was absolutely worth it and DCS is fantastic in VR.

 

As everyone else has said I feel like I'm sat in the plane!

 

I'm also getting far better performance than I'd expected: Am running almost all settings on high with 2.0 supersampling and getting 45fps over Las Vegas.

 

Other games also seem great: Racing games are excellent, Elite Dangerous is also very immersive and Luckys Tale is well worth playing.

[Bushmanni]

I had a Rift on loan from a friend for a week, here's my impressions. The biggest worry I had was that my GTX-970 would not be able to run DCS with decent fps for the Rift to be enjoyable. How wrong I was. While my fps was indeed rather poor being mostly between 30-60 with low visible distance, high texture settings and 2.0 pixel density, it was still entirely comfortable experience. The ATW seems to make low fps feel smoother that it would on a monitor. Even 20 fps didn't feel bad at all although you could really feel it in sluggish response to controls. While I do get slight motion sickness sometimes while reading in cars I generally have had zero problems with motion sickness otherwise.

 

Sense of space and distance is real asset when gunning down other planes, judging if you have enough altitude for split-S and especially when flying with helicopters. There seems to be some inconsistency in cockpit scales between different planes. F-5 cockpit especially seemed double the size as my legs would have reached only halfway to the pedals. While it's only cosmetic it does look and feel very strange.

 

1:1 headtracking is both an asset and "problem" when compared to trackIR. It's fast, accurate, realiable and extremely intuitive but you also have problems turning your head to look behind. Checking six during BFM is a real workout.

 

The only real issue in DCS is visibility of other planes. Contrast in Rift isn't as good as on a good monitor or TV and hence the dots are harder to spot even if they would be visible. The other thing is that besides lower resolution, Rift users don't have the zoom capability of the monitor users either. The current zoom function is veeery slow to zoom and it doesn't zoom enough. It's better than nothing but doesn't help much. I hope you could have the zoom in an axis slider like you have when using a monitor. Then you could zoom as fast and as much as you need.

 

Cockpit instruments are generally easily readable but using mouse to click buttons is a bit complicated as you have trouble finding the mouse. You can easily aim the cursor by turning your head though as the head tracking is excellent.

 

Overall I was pleasantly impressed by the Rift and would by my own if I had just a little bit more of extra cash. It's just so much fun flying with it as you really feel like flying. I could do pretty much everything as well as with monitor except PvP on 104th server. I was unable to approach a bandit visually from 7 NM out but lost him in ground clutter despite the zoom. With monitor or better zoom with the Rift he would not have had a chance. As long as I could depend on my radar and instruments I could fight just as I would have using a monitor.

Edited October 4, 2016 by Bushmanni

[SageOT]

 

Cockpit instruments are generally easily readable but using mouse to click buttons is a bit complicated as you have trouble finding the mouse. You can easily aim the cursor by turning your head though as the head tracking is excellent.

 

Don't forget you can set up any spare hotas buttons for left and right Mouse buttons. I have a small button box I made mounted in front of my throttle. I put all the eyepoint movement controls on it. It's my new favorite thing. I slide myself all the way back for startup in the A10. Everything is easy to get to that way. Then while flying I can quickly slide back to work the radios, lights, ect, then slide right back up to my normal position.

[Aries]

Just got mine CV1 a few days ago...

...its F*****G amazing!

 

Flying inverted over a runway in a Hawk last night... haha... the sheer happiness...

 

This is the only real revolution in the last 20 years of my gaming...

 

GO! RUN FOOL! BUY ONE!!! :thumbup:

 

:pilotfly::pilotfly::pilotfly:

[Goblin]

1:1 headtracking is both an asset and "problem" when compared to trackIR. It's fast, accurate, realiable and extremely intuitive but you also have problems turning your head to look behind. Checking six during BFM is a real workout.

 

This is actually quite realistic. Although it's even harder IRL, wearing a full helmet, strapped to a seat with shoulder harness, while pulling g... ;)

 

Cockpit instruments are generally easily readable but using mouse to click buttons is a bit complicated as you have trouble finding the mouse.

 

It can be hard to find the mouse. Try a trackball, or a touchpad. They will stay in the same position.

[capthaltli]

Don't forget you can set up any spare hotas buttons for left and right Mouse buttons. I have a small button box I made mounted in front of my throttle. I put all the eyepoint movement controls on it. It's my new favorite thing. I slide myself all the way back for startup in the A10. Everything is easy to get to that way. Then while flying I can quickly slide back to work the radios, lights, ect, then slide right back up to my normal position.

 

Hey Sage, on your setup, does the mouse dot show up in your center field of view (like flyinside) for mouse selection? Can you turn off the dot when you are not using it in the sim and back on when you need it (dynamic)? so it is not there all the time. Thanks

[SageOT]

It's like flyinside. However it stays on all the time. You have to turn off clickable cockpit to make it go away. I have it set to voiceattack. Honestly though I don't turn it off very often. Kind of get used to it.

[Flit]

2 or 3 weeks with it now. Love it! +1 to all the positive comments above.

 

When I first got my Rift running in DCS, I found I was sitting the wrong way around in the cockpit - I was facing the headrest. But I was looking out the sides and craning my neck to the front and I stayed in this position, reluctant to turn it off and figure out the problem, for about half an hour in utter amazement with a massive grin on my face.

 

These days, I fly an Mi8. I just love sitting in it. I'm there! In a helicopter! The wife, who sits nearby, laughs/scoffs at me when I get in odd positions. There's switches everywhere in a Mi8!

 

I wear a woolen hat under it - I don't have a thick mane - so it causes a little pain/annoyance sometimes on my forehead or back of head.

 

I wish the gap at the bottom was bigger sometimes. I heard there was a gap, and I thought 'ahh, I'll need that for when using the keyboard', but I often have to lift it up so I can see. How do you Rift users find that? I guess the shape of the face has something to do with any differences maybe.

 

Yes, I agree, the res is a problem for distant targets. This is singularly the biggest issue. The positive aspects dictate I'll put up with it.

 

i7 4770 - 16gb ram - GTX 1070 - no issues at all with frame rates, even when I bump it to 2.5 pixel density and have most settings on high.

[hansangb]

LOL. I guess face shape has a lot to do with it. I have no issues looking through the bridge of the nose.

[AldoUSMC]

Ditto on immersion. I have been flying DCS 1.54 Beta in my VIVE for about 3 months now a lot. Almost every AC and helo though I mostly fly strike and Helos. I fly solo and servers including multi player gazelle. I run pixels at 1.5 to 1.8 and I love it. I have a 5760x1200 setup on screens and miss some of the high detail but this is the biggest change in flight sim since TIR and programmable HOTAS for me. I've been flight simming since the late 1980s. No F10 map in 1.54 is a pain but the kneeboard and help from other pilots gets me passed that. I bought after trying DCS on my computer with a buddies VIVE....the next day.

[Jamesp1]

LOL. I guess face shape has a lot to do with it. I have no issues looking through the bridge of the nose.

 

I can barely see anything. I obviously have a big conker!

 

Still I suppose it stops light leaking in

[Flit]

I can barely see anything. I obviously have a big conker!

 

Still I suppose it stops light leaking in

 

I think my issue is the woolly hat I wear, now that I think about it. The top of the Rift rests on the Woolly hat, and so angles the Rift closer to my face at the bottom.

 

Therefore, the answer to my woes must be to wear a balaclava. Now, that would look odd.

[eaglecash867]

Absolutely worth it! Your eyes will quickly adjust to the lower resolution, and moving your head in the sim is as natural as moving your head in the real world...its a 1:1 relationship.

[SageOT]

What smacked me in the face recently was cockpit size. I was flying the a10 for a while then jumped into the M2KC for the first time in along time. Holy crap, what a small pit. I unconsciously pulled my arms in a bit so as not to bump anything, lol. I need to jump back in the Mi8. That's like sitting in a mini-mall. ;)

[Corbett1403]

Any VR squadrons out there.? Or anyone wanting to fly with VR I would love to join.

[SageOT]

vVFA2 has three VR users in it. We were kind of itching for a high fidelity plane so we've been taking a break from the f18c FC3 mod and doing a bit of P3Dv3 Superbug and F5e and M2KC on DCS. Usually flying on Tuesdays and Saturdays 2130ish EST. Feel free to drop by. Forum and TS info on our website.

[Corbett1403]

Thanks Sage il check it out.

[JaBoG32_Prinzartus]

Any VR squadrons out there.? Or anyone wanting to fly with VR I would love to join.

 

IMHO there is no need for a dedicated VR squad. We have three VR pilots in our squad, the others still with various screen setups. No worries!

[hannibal]

following a plane is soo much better than screens, particularly when i refused to use trackIR

[Gladman]

I haven't plugged my TrackIR in since I got the Rift. Just can't.

 

I need to sell that thing.