Gman109

Great job MD44, my niece is learning the F14 module right now and has found your guide invaluable, I find it very useful as well, well done.

I haven't run a Rift since the Vive Pro and Odyssey came out (sold all 3 of our Rifts for those). What software do you need to run for the Rift S now, do you still run the Oculus Tray Tool along with the other software? My memory is spotty on this, again, it's been a while.

I was going to mention that any of you in Canada, the Microsoft Store will give you 10% off the Rift S right now if you're currently a student. (I'm doing distance learning @ Stanford in their AI Lab/CS and didn't use my .edu email, just my Gmail one, and I qualified last year for the Odyssey+ student discount and they accepted my creds still for the Rift S). Just and FYI for any Canadians that are in school or want to sign up for online/school, that there is a small but helpful discount available for those who qualify. They offer express shipping for 10 dollars too, 1-2 biz days, mine gets here tomorrow and I ordered last night.

WinWing, thanks for keeping us up to date with your visits, can't wait to see your website once it's finished, and of course the stick and throttle as you move further along.

If anyone who has or has tried an Odyssey+ gets a Rift S in the next day or two, I'd love to hear your opinions while I wait for mine to show up later this week.

IMO the only thing an A8 will have in a fight starting from fairly neutral positions vs the current Allied fighters in DCS is to try and use its roll rate to suck the other fighter into a rolling scissors of some type. Using superior roll rate and the ability to rapidly decelerate using this will sometimes give the A8 one good opportunity for a shot. Miss that shot, and then you're very slow in a fighter than turns and accelerates in a much inferior manner - IMO.

Great, thanks for this Saburo. I was just going through my Osprey collection of military books (I have them all in pdf) and the 190 books in that series. I'll read through the above today, thanks again.

Doesn't the A8 have an even higher wing loading than the D9, along with a bit more weight when combat loaded? Based on other sims that have put in varying amounts of work into their FMs, the A8 is no "dogfighter", not in terms of being a good angles/rate/radius fighter, not IMO. The gun package is pretty great though, 4 MG151s with lots of ammunition, 500 rnds in the inboard wing guns and IIRC it's 280 in the outboard ones (they aren't the crappy MG FF guns that are in the A5/etc model either, but MG151 as well). That plus a very large 13mm nose MG loadout (can't remember the rounds with these) - fantastic guns package for busting bombers and larger fighter/bombers. Interesting points about the boost/c3 here - am I understanding correctly that the A8 standard fighter model had no boost or "war emergency power" analogue at all? So no magic "turbo" switch for an instant increase in power/acceleration/speed, not like the Mw50 or WEP in the Western fighters? Getting wrapped up into turn fights probably won't be a good idea with the DCS A8. Still, it'll be my favorite WW2 fighter in DCS until the P47 comes along someday...

TrackIR still has a large advantage over VR in that seeing directly behind your aircraft is made much easier. Other simulation games have addressed this by allowing a snapview that is independent of VR head movement/location, and will put the view immediately towards the rear out the back of the cockpit (as it's able to be depending on type/etc), with the VR head movement still registering as the snapview key/button is held down. I was told and had read in various posts that this is possible in DCS, but IMO it's not, at least I haven't been able to rotate my head while in snapview setup mode with VR engaged, and been able to save that view pointing where I like in the rear quarter or 6 oclock directly. I'm not sure if this is possible, but if it is, I'd really like to be able to do it. I do have a swivel chair, but with hotas/keyboard/mouse on Monster mounts, being able to spin about is nearly impossible, not to mention the cable is a pita when trying to spin in the chair with the HMD on as well. Even getting your head to 4 or 5 oclock isn't good enough, as VR HMDs current tech doesn't allow for your real life eyeballs to use peripheral vision as they do in a real cockpit/plane. If for some reason I'm too much of a view noob in DCS and this IS possible, I'd love it if someone would point out what I'm doing incorrectly.

Thanks for responding Nibbio, at least I know it's not just me not being able to figure this out. Really appreciate it, as I don't want to waste any more time on this if contrary to what I've read on the forum, it's NOT possible. I should link some of the posts I've read about this subject, or maybe I'll PM Skatezilla as he had posted once that this IS possible - I just don't understand how yet. And yes, you're correct, that was the game I was referring to. I truly wish DCS would allow a similar feature, it very much gives VR pilots an even playing field with TrackIR pilots in PvP, plus for single player, lets you look around behind yourself in flight much, much more comfortably. IMO without a swivel chair (and even then, it's cumbersome as all hell), you cannot look behind your aircraft in VR, again, due to not being able to use your eyes peripheral vision in VR as you can in reality.

I've been told by an ED/DCS staff person that snapviews work in VR. I've not been able to get one setup though, I'm not real familiar with making them work. What I'd like is to have a custom snapview I can bind to a HOTAS button, and be able to rotate the head view in the cockpit - not just move it "left right", but actually turn and rotate the head view, so I can get it pointed backwards, and thus be able to actually see wth is happening behind my aircraft while using VR, and then SAVE that spot to a snapview keybind/whatever, and be able to use it instantly while in flight to get my VR point of view pointed close to rearward.. Since in VR our peripheral vision hasn't been modelled by an HMD maker yet, we can't do what real pilots do, which is get the head to around 7/8 or 4/5 oclock, and let our eyes do the rest to see behind us. TrackIR we can set up goofy curves and easily do it, but not in VR, not yet. Thus, I want a snap view that I can hit/hold, and still have the VR tracking be working when pointed back in that snapview. If anyone can help me set this up, I'd appreciate it. I've messed with all the snapview KP/etc keys, and all it'll let me do is move my head left/right/up/down/etc, and not rotate, which is what I need. Plus how to save it and make it actually stick. TYVM in advanace. Sorry to be a DCS noob when it comes to views, but I'd always just stuck with TrackIR and now the VR, but I want to play more multiplayer VR, and not being able to see your 6 well really sucks in PvP and VR, and I want this "sorta" fix in the meantime to work. It works well in another online pvp prop sim I play, really well in fact, negates the TrackIR advantage completely for me.

Wow, well done. I really, really dig the size of the left arm/throttle arm rest. My personally I'd love to have this same setup, but have a keyboard in the center spot, and the stick on the right side. I realize using stick extensions pretty much limits you to center stick though, and it's really cool that way too. Nice work.

I'm not in the UK, but I' m in Canada, and ASUS RMA is effing BS here too. I built 3 new 9900k systems in Nov 2018 when they came out. The Asus z390 ROG motherboard I had in one of them died the 2nd night I had it, blue screen and then wouldn't post. Took a whole afternoon disassembling and testing every component to confirm it was the motherboard. Contacted Newegg, who said tough crap, and contact Asus support. I did that. Sent it back to ASUS Canada. I should also note that 2 of the SATA ports didn't work on the board out of the box, and I just used other ones instead as I only needed a couple for that build as I was using 970 1 TB drives in the m.2 slots. Anyhow, they contact me and tell me one of the pins in the CPU socket has a very slight bend. Just one, and anyway that's complete BS, as I had taken pics of that in case they tried this frequent trick, and emailed them pics of it right before I loaded it into the box. They still denied my warranty, even though it was faulty out of the box (sata ports), and died after 48 hours. They wouldn't even check to see what part of the board failed (I know it wasn't the socket, they could have tested that even IF the socket had a very slightly bent pin, or replaced the socket and then tested it, and seen it wasn't the socket that failed). I've bought SO much Asus stuff, tons of gaming ROG products, at least 10 of their ROG monitors alone, including 2 4k 144hz units recently, and more MB and other components than I can even compute. Never again. I've gone out of my way to avoid their GPUs, MBs, and now monitors, not because of their products, but because of their lack of honoring their warranty.

Hey Wags, are you still under the NDA, or has it been lifted for you (lots of reviews up on YT from tech reviewers). Inquiring minds wouldn't mind hearing your opinion of how the Rift S stacks up against other VR HMDs you've used in DCS, specifically the first Rift, but also the Odyssey you had used for a while, etc. I'd really like to know specifically what you think of the Rift S in DCS compared to the Odyssey/+.

Heh, looks like I'll be trying out the Rift S first. I'm going to bite the bullet and buy all of the new ones now I guess, and the Index won't be until later in summer, and the Reverb = who knows now.

MRTV's reviewer using 200% SS got 47FPS average in DCS using a 1080ti/8700k. That's without knowing other settings (in game/etc), but that's encouraging IMO, on a 1080ti and before ED/DCS's upcoming VR optimization. Sorry Naruto- posted same minute.

Working on lighting/setup for Virpil specific vids today, I'll see how those go before trying a hotas-wide roundup. I would point out that Virpil is my primary hotas by choice - and I have pretty much every option out there. While the Gunfighter/Kosomina are excellent, IMO the T50 and Warbrd along with the various stick and mounting options from Virpil are top of the pile for me, close as it may be. Virpil's customer service in my experience is also what every company should model themselves after. Mazex's video and posts do show that there is a bit of a lack of information particularly when it comes to videos showing the differences in Virpil bases and sticks, their operation and options, etc. I'm hoping we can all work together in terms of criticism and advice once I pop up a few test vids comparing the current T50 and Warbrd with the various sticks (including using the TM sticks in the Virpil bases) and extensions and whatnot.

I have every Virpil/VKB stick and base, several of some, so I'll try and put together a comparison video like you suggested. I have the extensions as well. I also have pretty much every major hotas made as well, again, several of some like the Cougar, Warthog, X65, etc. Pedals too, Slaw/VKB/MFG, etc. I should do a complete roundup in the next couple of weeks time permitting.

Witwas, IMO due to your PC hardware, I wouldn't even consider going with a Vive Pro or Odyssey+, much less the newer and higher res Reverb. Index, perhaps, but IMO the Rift S is probably your best option. With the new DCS VR improvements coming, your GPU will probably work well with the Rift S (even as is possibly). Since you were very specific you didn't want to outlay more $ for a 9700 or 9900k and 2080ti, I think you'll be best served by the Rift S so far as the new HMD go. Of course, based on the very limited info we all have... Probably the best advice any of us in DCS can take is to wait until the new HMD are actually out and tested by DCS players, as well as waiting for the DCS map/VR optimization to be released, if spending $ on a new HMD is a decision you can only make once and have to get right the first time.

Sebastian Ang/Mixed reality TV have some other great shots of the Reverb through XP11, and some driving and one of those medieval walk around 3rd person deal games. It looks good so far, although I too would like to see some more detailed DCS pics and vids. He's a reviewer, and has a Reverb for a day already, not a retail customer.

Great video, you're correct OP, we need more videos. I have several VPC units, 2 T50 throttles, 2 Warbrds, and 2 of the first gen T50s. I'll make a video myself I think now after watching yours.

3 gaming PCs is why - got tired of having the missus and nephew and niece all whining for me to get off my PC so they could use it a couple years ago, so I continually build 3 new ones now to keep the infighting over use time down.

I know it's ridiculous, but some do it, one of those ebay links has 3 bids already. My point isn't about the Ebay Index links, it's about the lack of the same for the Reverb, which would 100% of popped up if anyone had gotten an order in, as this always, always happens in my experience, with every HMD so far, when there is a lag in easy ordering/access, right from day 1. I'm in no major rush, I've owned every DCS optimal HMD out there pretty much, 3 Rifts, 3 Vives, 3 Vive Pro, 3 Odyssey, 2 Odyssey+, and one Pimax5k. I can wait for the Index and Reverb, but HP still shouldn't be pulling BS stunts like this.

Obviously I didn't rely on the email notification, hence the refreshing of their website, as well as Bestbuy and Amazon, every 10 minutes (or less) today. All options switched from not available to out of stock within that time frame, and I can't find a single mention in 1/2 dozen forums plus Reddit of anyone seeing it in stock for order either. With no preordering options, that means IF it was available today, which I have doubts, but no proof - it sold out in a few minutes from 3 sources, all from others doing the exact same thing I was, checking every few minutes. I somehow doubt that, which IMO means HP just wasn't ready to release it, but doesn't want to look bad after missing the May 6th release. I don't have a problem with that, I'd rather have them sort out any issues they have, but doing a "fake" release, if that's what today in fact was, is pretty lame, instead of just being honest and saying it isn't ready to ship yet for xyz reasons, and that they need to push the date (again). That looks better than this, way better. Also - there are/were numerous Ebay adds for people selling their Index pre orders this week for profit. There isn't a single add for HP Reverb buyers doing the same, something that ALWAYS happens with hard to get and much anticipated PC gaming units like this, up charging ridiculous amounts over retail in almost every case. This is another thing that makes me believe that HP did a fake release today for the Reverb. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Valve-Index-VR-Headset-2-Controllers-2-Lighthouse-Sensors-and-Virtual-Link/192906442058?hash=item2cea1eb54a:g:vBcAAOSw5eBczKaS https://www.ebay.com/itm/Valve-Index-VR-Headset-2-Controllers-2-Lighthouse-Sensors-and-Virtual-Link/392289528371?_trkparms=aid%3D888007%26algo%3DDISC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20131227121020%26meid%3D2182076cc4c7499fa45b4a1d42741ee5%26pid%3D100009%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D1%26sd%3D192906442058%26itm%3D392289528371&_trksid=p2047675.c100009.m1982

I was refreshing the website every 10 minutes, I had a alarm set every 10 mins to remind me while working all day online, and I didn't miss a single try. When the website went from "Notify me" to " Shop now", it was within about a 6 minute gap, that was the longest possible time I could have been absent from their website, and it was more than likely half that or less, and it was showing "out of stock". That and I never got an email from their "Notify me" signup, which I did with several different email addresses. All the talk on Reddit is that the Reverb switched from "Notify Me/not available", to "Shop now/out of stock" pretty much instantly. I can't confirm that nobody got to order one from HP or Bestbuy, but I sure didn't miss the release by more than a few minutes, and it was sold out from both options, as well as Amazon...