Apologies, but I’m going to rephrase a question I asked in the VR thread here, since it is MSFS specific, and others may have the same question.
When I play MSFS I use a second screen for things like the mobile companion app, flight charts, navsim, whatever economy sim I’m using, etc. I am told there is a way to pin an external window in the 3d view, which I can bring up and hide with a button press. Does anyone have any more information on how specifically to do that? I also need to note that my left controller doesn’t work and will have to be replaced, in case the solution requires the use of the left controller.
Matt_W
2948
Is there a place that describes how to set up VR graphics for performance that’s in words I can read and not a 25 minute video?
I saw this on reddit: https://forums.flightsimulator.com/t/wmr-scaling-and-dev-tools-some-explanations/339477/6
I haven’t tried using MSFS in VR yet, so I have no idea how useful it is, but it looks pretty important.
What VR setup do you have? I infer from the comment below that it’s WMR of some kind. In that case, I think you do it from the WMR home area. But as my G2 isn’t working, I can’t say for sure. In Oculus and SteamVR it’s something you do from the overlay that pops up when you press the relevant button on your controller.
Either way, I’d suggest getting comfortable with whatever your setup is outside of MSFS first, so if something goes wrong you have a starting point from which to deal with it.
Matt_W
2951
I’m using an Oculus Quest, so I’m pretty sure the WMR settings won’t do anything for me. I’ll just fiddle with it. Advantage of the Quest is lower framerate and resolution don’t automatically tax my machine to death.
It is a G2. I am not at all comfortable with it yet. It is neither plug and play nor user friendly. I am having a host of issues that are more detailed in the VR thread.
Like I say, then, I would suggest getting comfortable with it in simpler games and the built in software, maybe Steam’s VR Lab or whatever they call it, testing all the various features, before trying to do much in MSFS.
Matt_W
2954
I was able to do a flight from Gillespie to Montgomery field, flew over my house and through the gorge in Mission Trails park in San Diego. The hardest part was figuring out how to use a controller to fly. And there aren’t any virtual controls yet, so you can’t really do anything but arcade flying. But it looks really good (not nearly as good as flat screen though) and flies well. Still can’t figure out how to get the sound to come out of my headset earphones rather than my computer speakers, but it’s pretty nice to be able to check my downwind approach by just glancing over.
If you’re using a HOTAS and mouse, it’s basically the same as pancake mode.
Matt_W
2956
I have trouble getting the mouse to be where I want it, but I’ll have to put more time in.
Editer
2957
These are the VR settings with the Reverb G2 that get me silky-smooth terrain updates. I’ve actually moved the render scaling to 80, which is slightly over native resolution of the G2, and I’m still able to fly around Seattle with the Drzweicki scenery smoothly. (My most demanding region.)
Just did a short flight from KBFI up to Vancouver International in VR and it was amazing how much of the area looked so good. Flying over Whidbey, Deception Pass bridge, seeing Whidbey NAS, and the approach into Vancouver looked great. The MB-339 can’t be beat for VFR sightseeing.
If you’re flying in the Washington/Oregon/California area, make sure to grab the airports from FreakyD. Some nice updates. And if you like challenging short strips, these San Juan Islands strips are a great addition to the area.
Got VR working with my CV1 Rift. Graphics are… well, about as good as expected on this aging VR gear. I’ll have to live with it until I snag a 3080 and a G2. I’m just happy to get it working. Now I need to tweak a few things a bit to get the framerate up and figure out how to get rid of the black frame.
Matt_W
2959
Posted over in the VR thread, but just update your Oculus software to the beta version and it will solve it.
Dejin
2960
That’s actually why I stopped flying in VR, I couldn’t read the instrument panel unless I really leaned forward, I figured good flight sim VR for instrument flying was a good generation or two away. Although that was on an OG Oculus on a 2080. It’s possible a 3080 with a G2 might be able to do it. The ability to change focal distance based on what you’re looking at would make a huge difference too though, something that AIUI is only in the VR sets in research labs.
Look forward to hearing what things look like when you get the G2 working.
Skipper
2961
Denny, beside the G2, what GPU are you running it off of?
Here’s DennyA’s PC: (Intel 10900K + MSI 3080)
Quaro
2963
If you mean the Oculus CG1 by OG Oculus, they have come a long way. Even the Quest 2 is drastically more readable, assuming you have the GPU power to run it (using Render Resolution 1.7 to get native pixel resolution.)
Note that you actually need more than the 1:1 VR headset display resolution to get true 1:1 pixel mapping, because the VR render is a fish-eye lens sort of thing, and you need denser pixels than your actual VR hardware that then expand into native resolution over a wider area.
In v23 of Oculus Link, the new app-resolution slider maxes out @ 5408x2736 (combined-eyes). This isn’t a random number we picked for Quest 2. It is the number that achieves 1:1 app-to-display pixel ratio at the center of the displays assuming the encode & display is 3664x1920.
So while the slider achieves similar results as the “pixel density” override in ODT, it doesn’t go into the “super-sampling” range as many folks think it does. The higher you can push the slider, the crisper the app visuals will get, assuming your GPU can keep up w/ the perf hit.
Dejin
2964
I think it’s the original non-DevKit Oculus design. I bought it when Facebook dropped the price down to IIRC $350. At that price it was fun to play with and it really gave me a chance to see the long term potential of VR.
The resolution isn’t great though and there’s heavy screen door effect. The need for better focal point really came up trying to play Subnautica with it. While the environment worked okay, the little PDA displaying (among other things inventory) was right in your face. Since the Oculus has a focal point set to ~1 to 1.5 meter from your face, trying to read a PDA which is a foot from your face shows up as a blurry mess which your eyes can’t actually help to make readable.
I thought about getting the Rift S when it came out, but decided to hold off until the technology had matured more and the video cards able to drive it well had been released. I’ll be eagerly watching the thread to hear how people’s 3080s hold up running VR.
Gave this a go on my Index.
Pretty rough first impressions, but after some forum reading and some fiddling with settings it’s working OK with the Index set to 80hz (which runs at 35-40 fps) or 90hz (which runs at 30fps). Reprojection is a non-starter, since everything is very swimmy (especially the scenery through the propeller). Had to just turn it off.
Adjusting the resolution scaling in Index doesn’t seem to do anything. Is that because it’s not running direct out of steam (I am using the Games pass client)? I guess I could try changing from a restart and see if that changes things. The cockpit is very sharp with 100 scaling in MSFS, but I’d like to play with turning that down and turning up native Index scaling and see what happens.
Also just hangs when you try to save a flight in VR.
There was moments of magic, certainly. Hopefully some fiddling and perhaps some optimizations from the developers will smooth out the rough spots. I’ve got a pretty robust system but it’s definitely not up to running this in VR without lots of compromise.
But sitting in a Cessna and seeing the familiar scenery just feels amazing, so I’ll be back.
Skipper
2966
This was my take on the G2 even. Not optimized with any settings yet but holy shit it was like I was THERE.
