VR headsets and AH3

[Brooke]

What VR headsets will AH3 be supporting?

Has anyone tried it with AH?  What is it like?  Any nausea or headaches after playing for a few hours?

How far away from your eye is the VR headset's screen (i.e., what is focal distance from your eye)?  If I need glasses for nearsightedness, would I be able to skip wearing them in the VR headset?  If I would still need glasses, can they be worn in a headset, or do you need to use contact lenses?

Is there any way to try it before buying?

[Vulcan]

Currently the Oculus Rift (DK2 and CV1) and HTC Vive.

I've played AH2 with a VR headset for about 8 years now (using a 3rd party addon called Vorpx and Opentrack which makes it look like a trackIR to AH). I play for hours no problems though I am not prone to motion sickness (I used to go kayaking in storms for fun in my younger days).

Some people wear glasses in the headset, I don't. The headset is like sitting a few feet from a 60" screen.

The native support in AH3 is beautiful.

I cannot play AH in any form on a 2D monitor any more.

[BowHTR]

http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,378192.0.html

[Brooke]

Currently the Oculus Rift (DK2 and CV1) and HTC Vive.

Vulcan, I read through your trend-setting use of them back in 2013, I think it was.  I watched your Youtube video of it.  You are a kingpin! 

One thing I'm wondering about.  To look straight back, can you still hit a key and have the view mode change so that your straight-ahead view in your headset is, from plane position, straight back?  That way, you wouldn't have to crane your neck around so far to look straight back.

[Ack-Ack]

Currently the Oculus Rift (DK2 and CV1) and HTC Vive.

The OSVR should also be compatible.

[Vulcan]

The OSVR should also be compatible.

What's the availability like on the OSVR? I like the leap motion option after seeing flyinside fsx running with leap:

[Ack-Ack]

Think HDK2 should be available soon, at least that what is indicated on their website.  HDK1 is already available but sold at most places selling it.  This place though still has them available.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=&sku=1249837&gclid=CImOrp-4yc0CFUVhfgodD6QOsA&is=REG&ap=y&m=Y&c3api=1876%2C92051678882%2C&A=details&Q=

Another cool thing about the OSVR is that it's user-upgradeable, which allows you to keep the headset up to date without having to buy a new one when a new generation is released.

[Krusty]

Too bad I can't get it to run on my GearVR with my Note5. I got Alien Isolation running on it in a manner of speaking but it was problematic.

[Gman]

Vulcan, over at the Razer/OSVR site, you can sign up to be notified when the HDK2 kit becomes available - http://www.osvr.org/buy/ , they have a "notify me" tab there someplace.  I'm going to grab one too, for the $, it looks great.  Having Leap Motion combined with inexpensive VR units will be popular I'm sure, that video is great.

VR will be a large part of the future of PC sims.  HT has said how well the controllers with the Vive work in VR for AH.  There are piles of aftermarket VR controllers in the pipeline for open source VR units and the Rift/Vive as well.  Consider if Saitek/Thrustmaster/VKB/etc start making a VR flight sim controller - ie an F16/15/A10 shaped stick like the Warthog handle which is a VR controller instead which can be held in the hand without a base, and a throttle too (not sure how rudder could work, but I'm sure that could be solved easily enough).  Many ideas like this and others out there - so much potential for a more immersive experience in simulation/flying/combat games with these VR headsets.

A lot of potential AH3 future customers ARE going to have VR units, and as the availability of more and more different VR controllers come out, the proliferation of the combined VR technology from headsets to controllers to things we haven't though of yet, will just mean more potential AH customers that will already have the necessary components to jump in and fly/tank/etc in the game, without needing to buy another 400$ set of HOTAS controls.  I'm not saying the HOTAS will die off, just that there will be another option that will work well, and that many future potential players will own that stuff for other games they play already, which is a + in the column in terms of making AH attractive to new players IMO. 

[Krusty]

Has anybody used both the recent versions of the Rift and the Vive? If so, can you share a brief comment about the quality of how it runs AH (or any other flight sim)? Can you read the text clearly, and how hard is it to manipulate things vis-a-vis keyboards? Also, quality-wise, does the screen-door effect distract you? Or is said effect worse on Rift or Vive?

[Gman]

So far as "any other flight sim", Krusty, the ED forums for DCS have a ton of info regarding both units in the virtual reality section of the forum (it's under input devices, and has its own subforum at the top).  Your specific questions are all answered there with both units (the Rift seems by far to be the better unit for DCS, overwhelmingly so, AH, no idea yet).

[Krusty]

Thanks for the tip. I don't frequent ED forums much but I know of them. I'll check it out.

[MADe]

https://shop.freeflyvr.com/products/freeflyvr-usa

Any opinions on this?
I have an M8, rooted with s-off, so I can do whatever I want with it. I'm wondering is this worth the $80.
hell I do not even know what I'm asking. he he

[Krusty]

It looks like at attempt to jump in on the GearVR for Samsung phones, but for the iPhone. I would say the following:

It takes a lot of computing power to play games in one of those VR sets. Not a TON, but a lot. I don't know how powerful the onboard computing power is for the iPhone, but the Samsungs have been upping theirs every version and the 3D capability has been improving because of that with each iteration.

Another thing to note is that with the Oculus home/store on GearVR, there is an entire infrastructure built around this hardware, lots of options and available aps, games, etc. That means you'll get a lot more out of it in the long run, and makes that investment "worth it" more. For an iPhone I don't think they have much if any kind of support for that.

In short, my half-educated opinion on it is: It's a glorified google cardboard viewer, and too overpriced for that platform to really be worth it. You can get a similar effect for far far less.

[MADe]

I thought it could be a mickey mouse attempt.....................

Slowly understanding about what VR really is.............

I'm definitely not interested in using device interfaces that have nothing to do with actual input devices.

IE: my DIY flight controller must stay

So if the only way to interface with the game and use VR eye sets is to use proprietary controllers, I'm done..