VR vs. TrackIR

[Masterius]

Bought the Oculus Quest 2 today. It'll be going back. The quality, per se, is quite good, and definitely appealing. But I strongly dislike being tied to a Facebook account to use it, and I'm also not thrilled with having to use my mobile phone to use it, and I'm unable to get P3D to "see" it. Three strikes...it's out.

I'll continue saving and look to get something more to my liking.

[Skycat]

Fair enough. A lot of people are reluctant to connect through Facebook. As for connectivity, did you get the version with a link cable?

[Masterius]

Fair enough. A lot of people are reluctant to connect through Facebook. As for connectivity, did you get the version with a link cable?

Yes...and no. I bought the Quest 2, which can connect with a PC using an optional cable. However, said cable cost $79 at the store, and since the headset itself was $299, I was a bit reluctant to purchase a cable that cost 26% of the entire VR equipment.

I have to admit, just playing around with the VR unit on its own is amazing. Even without my wearing my glasses (which means the scenes are a bit blurry at the edges) and without "fine-tuning" any of the settings, I find myself going "Wow".

But, having done so, I'm still unsure about using it for flying. Partially that's because of using my peripherals (which I do see how the need for programmed buttons would dramatically decrease) but also because of some other things. For instance, I use three monitors: one 40" wide screen TV in the middle, and two smaller, 19" ones at either side. The right one displays LilNavMap and Vatsim, while the left one displays various panels such as mini controls, clipboard, radio, ATC, autopilot, etc. I'm not sure how I'd still access/see those when using VR. I also use a kneeboard to write down important information, like VOR frequencies, directions, and distances, as well as ATC instructions. I don't see any way of seeing those, either.

Still and all, VR does look intriguing. At the moment, though, I'm probably going to stick with some sort of headtracking until I save up for a better VR rig.

[Lewis - A2A]

Id def recommend making sure you do research before buying given the expense. The Q2 does require an fb account even if its a burner account you don't use. The cable is a standard USB 3 lead, so all you need is a USB 3 lead to USB C of the required length. Ideally with the L connection the C end so it fits nicely. The cable is the part that'll let you play P3D btw, otherwise you'll have to use the wireless option to cast to your Quest 2. This works great with the caveat you need to have a decent up to date home network and ideally be in the same room as the wireless network is based.

I am a happy Index user but its the super expensive route I am afraid and bang for buck the Quest 2 is pretty much the best you can get and by a massive amount too purely on not being the best but being damn good and excellent value for money.

thanks
Lewis - A2A

[Skycat]

I've been curious about the Quest 2 after my minor disappointment with the Reverb G2. I read that both sets have improved since release. That said, I pulled my G2 out of the box last night to give it another chance. Performance seems to have improved, and I love the clarity... but FOV is compromised compared to my Rift S and the headset gets incredibly hot. DCS is beautiful in the G2 until flying down low and fast, and then all the ground objects get out of focus. The older Rift S gets dismissed as obsolete technology but honestly the FOV feels more natural to me and it gets great frame rates for an almost unnoticeable loss of clarity. Considering price and features I honestly think Rift S is the way to go for a for air combat sims especially starting out. I also like its controllers a lot. The downside with Rift S is the Facebook login (it doesn't impact me personally) and, like the G2, it has to be tethered to your graphics card by a cable.

I don't have any advice on wearing glasses inside various HMDs. I suspect that the Quest 2 is about the same as Rift S. I tried wearing reading glasses in the headset once (I can't remember why) and it didn't work well. So I understand that consideration.

[Masterius]

So...while experimenting with my Oculus, while I still have it, I ran across a free thing on Steam called "1943 Berlin Blitz". It's a recreation of a bombing mission (with Lancasters, no less!) using actual audio from a BBC reporter who was on the mission.

[Masterius]

I'm curious if anyone with VR--especially our Lancaster fans--have checked out the VR documentary I'd mentioned, and what you think of it.