VR Cockpit - function over form

[RoyMi6]

So I've always wanted to do this but the perfectionist in me never allowed me enough time to create something that looked as good as I wanted.

 

With VR however, appearance of the physical hardware comes waaaaaaaay down the list of priorities because once you've got the headset on it makes little to no difference whatsoever.

 

With that in mind my friend and I put together the "cockpit" below with the basic design requirements:

 

1) It holds my warthog and sidewinder with room to spare for a second keyboard/mouse for ease of use setting things up

 

2) It's no deeper than my current desk

 

That was it.

 

The second requirement that it's no deeper than my current desk was required so that when not in use it wouldn't infringe on the VR playspace for the HTC Vive headset that I also own.

 

Complicated by the fact that the throttle unit really needs to sit beside you the unit itself actually the same depth as my desk and simply pulled in and out from against the wall when I need to use it.

 

With no prior design we put it together in an hour and a half.

 

I plan to tart it up a bit with a lick of paint and installing a hub on the desk itself so that there's only one cable from the unit to the computer.

 

Considering it was made from leftover wood from my new bathroom installation the total price was effectively free to me - so double win.

 

Hope this inspires some others to get to work on a really simple build of their own! :)

 

[jcbak]

I wonder what will happen to "pit building" once VR becomes popular. There doesn't seem to be a point in building a realistic looking cockpit anymore (other than the enjoyment of building it).

[Fri13]

So I've always wanted to do this but the perfectionist in me never allowed me enough time to create something that looked as good as I wanted.

 

With VR however, appearance of the physical hardware comes waaaaaaaay down the list of priorities because once you've got the headset on it makes little to no difference whatsoever.

 

With that in mind my friend and I put together the "cockpit" below with the basic design requirements:

 

Cool, but I would only buy a can of black paint and paint that thing totally black.

Of course before that I would buy a file sandpaper and round up those corners and smooth edges so you don't get anything from them when being "blind".

[hansangb]

I wonder what will happen to "pit building" once VR becomes popular. There doesn't seem to be a point in building a realistic looking cockpit anymore (other than the enjoyment of building it).

 

 

There's a thread for that...in the Home Cockpit subforum. But to sum up, there's room for Minecraft *and* Lego! :)

[KLR Rico]

Because a level D Sim might be the only thing better than VR.

[Cripple]

Go to Viperpits. VR is hardly even mentioned over there.

 

Good Lord, is that still going? VR is far less attractive when you have to mount two CRT monitors to your flight goggles... :P

 

 

 

Seriously though, why are we looking at two rapidly polarising positions here? Unless you have some tactile feedback gloves tucked away (or are flying fully glass cockpit) then you are still going to need some way to activate all the little switches - ergo building cockpits are not exactly dead in the water. That said, the fidelity bar becomes considerably lower once you pop a pair of goggles on... which must be a bit aggravating if you've slaved away getting 1,523 rivets placed accurately.

 

As for why a professional air forces aren't using VR: because they have REAL planes, maybe? In other words, their needs are different. They aren't so much wanting to play a spot of Blue-on-Blue-Dakka-2016 as train the buzzcut-boys for getting in to the Real McCoy. Turning one's head about to admire the vapour trail and generally having a gay ol' time is far less important than making sure the lads don't press the wrong little button at the wrong time - at the taxpayer's expense.

 

 

I like the desk though. You can always add more buttons as the bug bites you.:thumbup:

[Einherjer]

That is no productive discussion... VR is VR and a pit is a pit.

 

If I play one plane only and need to train my switchology - I will build a pit

 

If I want sticktime in multiple planes - I will buy VR

 

I for my own, don't have the money nor the room for a accurate A-10c, mig 21, bf 109, Gazelle and what the hell is coming on the future - simpit, so there is no better or worse that fits for everyone's need...

[hansangb]

The happy middle ground is for guys like me. I want to use my MFDs, am building swtch boxes because I want to quickly hit laser arm (for example) and fly in VR. Best of all the world.

[dot]

Kudos on Microsoft Sidewinder FF2! It really works great in VR:)

For a personal flight holodeck, one just needs a small 6dof motion platform :)

[RoyMi6]

Thought I'd chime in with my own thoughts - as I say in the OP this was nothing more than a project to allow me to use my HOTAS. It's been in a box since I bought it 6 months ago because I was never able to mount it correctly and make it usable on my desk.

 

Using it with the Oculus headset gave me the motivation to rearrange my priorities and I'm super pleased with how it worked out.

 

I also think there's the same room as ever when it comes to pits and I'm actually keen to help a friend that's trying to make a millimeter accurate cockpit as much of the enjoyment of a pit comes from the building and finding solutions to problems - like the cheapest way to get the screens working in an F15 pit :D

 

Cool, but I would only buy a can of black paint and paint that thing totally black.

Of course before that I would buy a file sandpaper and round up those corners and smooth edges so you don't get anything from them when being "blind".

 

When it comes to finishing it I'm actually going to coat it with black plastidip - which will give it a rubberised texture finish and yeah, sandpaper all around!

 

Kudos on Microsoft Sidewinder FF2! It really works great in VR:)

For a personal flight holodeck, one just needs a small 6dof motion platform :)

 

Yeah, the MSFFB2 is such a star - such a shame that FFB joysticks are so hard to comeby as I've tried to get a couple of friends into WW2 flight sims but it's just not the same without FFB.

 

3DOF motion platform in the works ;)

[trigen]

Nice! I'll be downgrading my big desk to something like this but with room for a wheel. Don't need the 5 monitor setup anymore. Maybe just a couple of toggle switches for quick access to important stuff. Vive chaperone on hotas and flip the switches.