VR + HOTAS + Asp Explorer = Amazing!!!

[TorTorden]

VR is incredible in the game. Like it was built specifically for the oculus and Vive. The Oculus, which I have, is incredibly responsive; to the point where as fast as I move my head to look at a menu on my left or right, is how fast the headset responds. It will not be less efficient to look at the menus with VR, at least in the cockpit, because it's practially 100% efficient.

if there is one thing lacking, using the mouse is pretty awkward with the oculus, especially on the galaxy map so you have to learn to use hat switches to manipulate the map and sometimes the menus. An X52 is very, very recommended. The game was built for it.

Then menus aren't what I'm concerned with. I have freed those from the look at function and have a dedicated hat for them all (I have 72 mapable buttons on my Hotas so plenty to spare). In other words they neither lock my head look nor do the screens pop up or go away when I dont.

No what I meant is the more extreme angles for target tracking, I now easily go to the extremes of what the game let's me..
And quite honestly I'm not as limber as our in game character.
I physically can't look that far up or too the sides without possibly incurring some injury or pulling a muscle...

I should probably start stretching exercises now before I even have it...

The target tracking is more a thing with being like a real life fighter pilot tracking a target. In reality, about 90% of the time, I use the radar and just look slightly up and down except maybe during docking where being able to look at the station while flying toward the door really helps. So you can get away with not having to look up much. Down is rarely needed/useful except for the few ships with a glass floor like type 6 has a half bubble-like glass cockpit.

Looking left to right is a bit more important in that you need to look left or right to look at the side menus. You don't have to go as far as chin on shoulder but it would help.

The alternative is just swivel your whole chair and the oculus should take that as moving your head left/right.

Most of the time, even in VR, you'll be looking ahead just like you look ahead in a car and just glance at gauges; and a swivel chair should be able to handle the side menus fine.

Yeah that's what I'm planning to do as well.
Besides it's not like I have any range of motion limits, I'm just not as limber as I used to be on the account of not being twelve physically anymore (just mentally).
Heck I used to be able to put my ankles behind my ears..

I don't think any combat pilot visibly tracks targets during a dog fight but that's besides the issue.

Oh, and it's in the mail...
ITS IN THE MAIL !

[Roger Wilco Jr]

That's the thing with VR, it's 1:1 tracking or bring out the puke bags, or it will be completely immersion breaking. The main purpose of an HMD is to make things real and this is probably the second most important thing for it. So yea, no shortcuts.

I can certainly see that for panel focus, or having them change where you are looking. And maybe for sims/games where you stand, walk around, or interface with your hands and you need to keep the head to hands relationship straight. But for sitting game like ED and other flight/racing games, I don't necessarily see why 1:1 would be important. Exaggerated movements using head tracking doesn't ruin immersion for me (seeing the monitor bezel and walls does that). I think I'd be completely fooled to think my head was turned 90 degrees, if that's all I could see, even if my head was only turned 30 degrees.

Of course, some people get sick using head tracking, and I don't know how VR will affect me either - just gotta try it - damn!

[Deadeye313]

VR will make you sick, too, at first. You do kind of have to develop "VR legs".

I bought the oculus for FSX and tried it with flyinside and I could barely handle it at first. Also, the perceived resolution is lower on a VR headset than on a computer screen so be prepared to do some tweaks to get to a happy medium there.

And Tortorden, it sounded like you did have range of motion issues. If you don't, then you should be fine in all but maybe the hairiest of dog fights. Generally if you can drive a car, you can drive these ships fine. (Though they sometimes like to handle more like a truck)

And as far as tracking enemies visually, it's the most basic of skills in dogfighting. The radar helps a lot in Elite because it provides relative angle and altitude information but I still like to be old fashioned and look out the window at the bad guy.

[TorTorden]

I have made my VR legs quite well already with the gear.
So far only thing that has made me a little queasy is when I use the passthrough camera or played quake with sideloadvr.
But that last one could be because I had nothing but coffe and gummibears that day...

Anyhoo time will tell.

Best suggestion I can make for getting "vr legs" is simply to try and not fight the illusion.

[thebs]

Honestly, it's not the looking around that I'm anticipating. I feel the TrackIR does an adequate job for head tracking, and with my 32" monitor I can easily get lost in the game - not really seeing outside the borders. VR will certainly be more immersive though, only ever seeing inside and outside the cockpit.

What I'm really looking forward to is experiencing real 3D. They try to simulate it in 2D on a monitor, and it looks pretty good most of the time, but other times it just feels flat, especially when approaching planets. But with VR you will get the depth, seeing what is in reach of your hands, seeing outside the cockpit, seeing the hanger and ships a bit further away, and seeing stations and planets floating out is space. In combat, seeing ships moving away and coming closer, and really feeling it and experiencing it - not just inferring it from a 2D image getting smaller or larger. It's going to be a whole new experience, orders of magnitude greater than any other advance in computer gaming.

Hopefully I'm not building it up too much in my head.

Yes, I have used both active shutter glasses with CRT and DLP displays since '99 through '09, as well as the passive, lenticular screen LCD glasses on 3DTVs since the '10s. I also have a head tracker. The head tracker is suggestive, not direct pointing. And both older 3D options (which were better) and newer, but cheaper/more commodity 3DTVs (which are worse) are not even close to VR.

The combination of direct tracking will be very eye opening, I'm sure. I will report more when I have first-hand exposure to the Rift next week.

Off Topic

Started my thread on the Oculus Rift, and will be posting my experiences on an i7-4790K with GTX 980 Ti next week.
- viewtopic.php?f=9&t=5478

[thebs]

I have an oculus rift and yeah...it's amazing. Being able to look all around the cockpit. Craving your neck to try to keep visual on and enemy.

I use a TrackIR and look around and keep an enemy in sight. Is VR really much different? (wish I could try it)

Yes.

The Delan Clip is the cheapest entry (around 35 pounds, US$50), and I highly recommend just getting their PS3 Eye Camera kit, with the filter already included, to save effort.
- http://www.delanengineering.com/shop/#! ... /43397050/

This was my "first solution" for Elite back in May of 2015:
- Intel i5-2500K SandyBridge (quad-3.3GHz, 3.7GHz turbo)
- nVidia GeForce GTX 660Ti 2GiB GDDR5
- Thrustmaster Hotas-X w/PS3 Eye Camera and Delan Clip

It even worked with old version 1.x at 2560x1440 fairly well, but 1920x1080 was a lot smoother, and I'm sure 2.x Horizons would definitely not be playable with it at 2560x1440.

The first time loading the drivers for the DelanClip is a bit of a PITA, and you'll have to buy certain support for the PS3 Eye on the PC (just a couple of bucks). I also had to ensure I got the 64-bit TrackIR support working, which is an added library in a newer patch version of the open source TrackIR software, for Horizons after it was released. I also ran into the issue where my camera sensitivity was set way too high and I had to load something like Skype, or another camera program, to reduce it. But once you set it up, it's so freak'n worth it. I also recommend you get an USB extension cable for the Delan's input cable, it's not very long.

I got a Tobii EyeTracker, the 2nd generation Steel Series, and it just didn't work with my thick glasses. It was bad enough with a 23" LCD, but absolutely not within distance for a 42" TV.

Of course, now I have ...
- Intel i7-4790K Haswell (quad-4.0GHz, 4.4GHz Turbo)
- nVidia GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GiB GDDR5
- Saitek X55 Warhog w/Oculus Rift (comes in early next week)

[souprmage]

I started ED not too long ago, triple screen setup and an older PC. It ran perfectly fine. Then I bought a Vive along with a new PC rig (6700K and GTX1080). Obviously this is a perfect VR setup, and it's superb in every way.

Head tracking on a triple setup is fine, but it's nowhere near the same thing. The very first thing that jumps out at you is the HUD. It's all in 3D and the feeling of being IN the game is very very real. I'm constantly reaching out and trying to touch things.

I've been in a Cobra MK III since I got the vive setup running, it was the ship I saved up for after the sidewinder. Being able to look over at the lonely co-pilot seat is always cool. Makes my tiny office feel as big as the cockpit.

I made the trek over to Sothis/Ceos earlier this week. I wasn't quite Merchant rank and I had to do a lot of lower missions to build up my reputation and get to Merchant. The goal was to save up for an ASP Explorer. It took me a little while, as the smuggling missions between the two systems are few and far between, but I managed to save up 16mil and so I grabbed a 400ly smuggling mission and headed back to civilization last night. Bought my ASP, then traveled to a station to get upgrades.

I mean WOW. First, the ASP is quite large, significantly so compared to the Cobra. And it has a LOT more inertia. My boost entry for the star port went completely wrong. I missed the opening, smashed into the station, got stuck on the entry, somehow managed to break free with enough thrusters in the right direction, just made it into the station with 3 seconds left on the 'blocking entrance' countdown timer. Smooth, very very smooth.

Opening the Galaxy Map and seeing lines extending 30ly made me giggle. Can't wait to get back to Sothis to fill the coffers again before I head out and put all the multi-cannons I just bought to good use.

I'm still using an XB1 controller though, but it's not too bad. I ordered a TM Warthog yesterday. Newegg is throwing in the pedals with the order. Hopefully their narrow foot position won't bother me too much.

[KRRONOSS]

I'd be happy for you if I wasnt so darn jealous!! I cant wait to get mine, this has to be the best game for it imho.

So great to read a post like this, hope you get many ore hours of joy