VR Gear usage

[scaber]

Just asking on the off chance that someone in Christchurch might have their flightsim setup with any of Oculus Rift, Vive, Vive-Pro or Vive Focus VR headsets.

I'm interested in seeing how these sorts of things work with my flight sim before getting too tempted. I'm running P3D v4 and also XP-11 but I'm more interested in the overall sensation rather than how it works with a particular sim.

If anyone is willing so let me share their experience I would be grateful. I would need to get a new graphics card so at the moment renting to try isn't really an option.

[Charl]

If all else fails, this guy can rent you everything you need - including PC!
https://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listin ... =659537518

[jpreou]

See my previous posts re: Vive Pro on P3Dv4
...and I also hired from https://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=659537518
...dead easy, and good to test before purchase (which I haven't, but that is another story ... see my posts)
Cheers

[scaber]

Thanks Jeff, I've now read your previous posts - it seems a bit mixed with the pros and cons and that's what I suspected could be the case and of course the reason why I wanted to take a look at a working system. I'm not sure about the hire option as it would take quite a while to get things installed and set up as I would want and then there's always the issue of "it's not working very well" and is that because of the design of the CR gear or because of something I've done (or not done maybe!)

I'll have to do some more thinking on this it seems.

Thanks again for the input from both of you. It's appreciated.

[jpreou]

Yeah, ultimately I decided it wasn't for me at this time.
I think I could get over the nausea with more usage, but the edge focus made for poor peripheral vision and the resolution for reading 'small' numbers on gauges isn't quite there yet. And then there is the cost.
So ... for me anyway ... perhaps next gen, when I will hire again and re-test ... but I don't expect that to be for a while yet.
Cheers

[chopper_nut]

I don't use VR but from talking to the guys that do, the biggest thing is FPS. You've got to have super FPS. Apparently the nausea is caused (unless you actually get motion sickness) from poor computer performance and the brain not being able to process the information. On the flip side of that, they also say that once you have VR, you'll never go back to anything else. I'd like to be able to try it out on this system before I bought it though, it's a hell of an investment...

[jpreou]

I think my frame rate was ok, in most places at least. I only fly NZ, so I don't have those issues with large US cities / airports / areas that are known FPS killers (although there are some issues in ORBX ChCh).

Don't get me wrong; VR was fantastic and I could see the appeal, but not for me yet due to the aforementioned reasons. The other reason is I have a number of hardware devices that essentially become useless in VR, such as the Saitek radio, switch and multi panels, fuel cutoff switch, fuel tank selector switch and to a lesser extent the TPM (although that one is easy enough to find and feel).

Like I said, when the next gen come through I'll try again but not just yet. Of course, by then I'll need a whole new PC and I can't see a way of funding that without a significant change in circumstances, so who knows?!!

Even so, I would recommend to people to hire and try. It really isn't that difficult to set up; I learned a few things on the Vive Pro which I passed back to Graeme to put in his FAQ. By hiring, even with a less-than-optimal PC you'd at least get a bit of a feel for the concept. Try doing a virtual 'wing-walk' from the cockpit to the wing tip at 5000ft if you want to get the butterflies in your stomach fluttering!

Cheers

[scaber]

Some good thoughts there gentlemen. The peripheral blurriness isn't a biggie for me as I already have that with my progressive lenses, it didn't actually take that long to get used to moving my head around and now I do it without any thought.

The inability to see my controllers is the biggest issue I think and also checking my maps etc. Oh well, maybe the next ones will allow a temporary overlay of the real world at the press of a key or voice command!!

I did see a review of the Vive Focus which showed wire-frame modelling of the external view so maybe things are heading that way to some extent. We will see I guess.

I did see some mention of the Pimax 8k which sound most interesting too - another to keep an eye on. The future is exciting, but probably expensive!!

[Charl]

IPACS have implemented Virtual Hands for AFS2.
These allow clicking turning and setting everything in the VR cockpit.
When they release their R22 I will step back into full Virtual Reality.