VR vs a very large monitor with TrackIR

[shu77]

The best comparison I've found for my friends asking about the new Rig is to compare it to driving.  When you drive your eyes follow the road, when you turn a corner you follow the corner with your eyes, past the windscreen frame around the corner, you anticipate and watch what's coming.  When you play a racing game you look straight ahead out the front.  With TrackIR you can glance at the console or across a turn, but you cant really follow it naturally, you cant feel where you are in space relative to the ground around you or look out and over the side of your Helo.  TrackIR is a concept, Vr is the realisation of it.  My only remaining issue is the lack of input controls which I am hoping a finger mouse will resolve. Even with the current limitations of the engine I would not go back to 2D beyond using it to learn system concepts on my Cougar MFD's which have a screen output underneath and are slightly easier to use when writing notes. .

[dburne]

1 hour ago, shu77 said:

The best comparison I've found for my friends asking about the new Rig is to compare it to driving.  When you drive your eyes follow the road, when you turn a corner you follow the corner with your eyes, past the windscreen frame around the corner, you anticipate and watch what's coming.  When you play a racing game you look straight ahead out the front.  With TrackIR you can glance at the console or across a turn, but you cant really follow it naturally, you cant feel where you are in space relative to the ground around you or look out and over the side of your Helo.  TrackIR is a concept, Vr is the realisation of it.  My only remaining issue is the lack of input controls which I am hoping a finger mouse will resolve. Even with the current limitations of the engine I would not go back to 2D beyond using it to learn system concepts on my Cougar MFD's which have a screen output underneath and are slightly easier to use when writing notes. .

 

If you have not have a look at Point Control.

Seems to be really good , I finally broke down and got on the waiting list for one.

 

[Brainfreeze]

3 hours ago, dburne said:

 

If you have not have a look at Point Control.

 

What's wrong with the existing point and click using just your head and 2 mapped button on your hotas for left/right click? 

[dburne]

2 minutes ago, Brainfreeze said:

What's wrong with the existing point and click using just your head and 2 mapped button on your hotas for left/right click? 

 

It works ok but is not great for scrolling and depending on where the button is having to turn the head a lot to get cursor over it. I ain't as young as I once was.

[unlikely_spider]

10 minutes ago, Brainfreeze said:

What's wrong with the existing point and click using just your head and 2 mapped button on your hotas for left/right click? 

Oh, crap, you can do that?

 

Edit - wait, then how do you get the cursor to appear? For me I use the mouse and it only appears when I move the mouse

Edited February 25, 2021 by unlikely_spider

[some1]

I keep this next to my throttle, works great for clicking stuff in the cockpit and navigating menus/desktop in VR. 

 

 

 

 https://www.amazon.com/ELECOM-M-XT4DRBK-Wireless-Trackball-Left-Handed/dp/B016QCPRBM

 

Edited February 25, 2021 by some1

[dburne]

19 minutes ago, unlikely_spider said:

Oh, crap, you can do that?

 

Edit - wait, then how do you get the cursor to appear? For me I use the mouse and it only appears when I move the mouse

 

 

You can assign mouse functions to buttons on HOTAS in the UI Layer of the controller menu.

Scroll down the aircraft listings it is near the bottom.

Be aware this is a global setting and not module specific.

Just a press of the button will get you the mouse cursor.

Edited February 25, 2021 by dburne

[unlikely_spider]

4 minutes ago, dburne said:

 

You can assign mouse functions to buttons on HOTAS in the UI Layer of the controller menu.

Scroll down the aircraft listings it is near the bottom.

Be aware this is a global setting and not module specific.

Just a press of the button will get you the mouse cursor.

 

Oh, cool, good info. Maybe not great for things like switching the oxygen on in the Tomcat (I'm not an owl), I see this being a quicker way to do things like Master Arm or switching the TID mode that are more upfront. Quicker than reaching for the mouse each time?

[dburne]

2 minutes ago, unlikely_spider said:

Oh, cool, good info. Maybe not great for things like switching the oxygen on in the Tomcat (I'm not an owl), I see this being a quicker way to do things like Master Arm or switching the TID mode that are more upfront. Quicker than reaching for the mouse each time?

 

Yeah it is certainly good for some things where one does not have to turn head too much to get cursor over it.

[Brainfreeze]

2 hours ago, dburne said:

 

It works ok but is not great for scrolling and depending on where the button is having to turn the head a lot to get cursor over it. I ain't as young as I once was.

Fair enough...I do have to 'help' my head too to click behind me

[Brainfreeze]

2 hours ago, unlikely_spider said:

Oh, crap, you can do that?

 

Edit - wait, then how do you get the cursor to appear? For me I use the mouse and it only appears when I move the mouse

 

I don't use the mouse...so not ticked under VR tab... that way you always have the pointer in the middle of where you look and you click right away

[AlpineGTA]

2 hours ago, some1 said:

I keep this next to my throttle, works great for clicking stuff in the cockpit and navigating menus/desktop in VR. 

 

 

 

 https://www.amazon.com/ELECOM-M-XT4DRBK-Wireless-Trackball-Left-Handed/dp/B016QCPRBM

 

 

 

Yes, that's the exact one I have.

 

 

[unlikely_spider]

4 hours ago, Brainfreeze said:

I don't use the mouse...so not ticked under VR tab... that way you always have the pointer in the middle of where you look and you click right away

So I just tried and that solution seems awesome - except for the constant blue crosshair right in my center of view. Is that something that you just grow to tolerate? Everything else is better really - being able to use the one crosshair for the radios, using assigned hotas clicks instead of the mouse - but I'd have to learn to get used to the blue crosshair right in prime visual territory.

Edited February 25, 2021 by unlikely_spider

[Brainfreeze]

8 hours ago, unlikely_spider said:

So I just tried and that solution seems awesome - except for the constant blue crosshair right in my center of view. Is that something that you just grow to tolerate? Everything else is better really - being able to use the one crosshair for the radios, using assigned hotas clicks instead of the mouse - but I'd have to learn to get used to the blue crosshair right in prime visual territory.

 

I mostly do not see it anymore indeed. At least not when focussing outside so it does not bother me.  I did turn off the switch labels though otherwise these would appear everytime the crosshair would sit on an actionable button/lever etc... that was annoying

 

BTW... I assigned the stick buttons for left/right/wheel using Joystick gremlin rather than assigning them in DCS.  Otherwise you can't use them when going through menus as they only become active once flying... I found that irritating in VR especially as pointing / clicking using that becomes instinctive.  Personal preference though.

Edited February 26, 2021 by Brainfreeze

[DerekSpeare]

If a VR device manufacturer could simply give 140 degree FOV and no SDE they would win the internet.

[nobuttons]

15 minutes ago, DerekSpeare said:

If a VR device manufacturer could simply give 140 degree FOV and no SDE they would win the internet.

 

How would you feel about 160 degree FOV and no SDE?

 

That said I run mine at 120 degree FOV because I prefer 72fps to 15fps in VR...