VR is amazing and I'm surprisingly large/tall in VR

[Razi]

(Sorry in advance, I know this topic has come up before and is somewhat contentious... so feel free to ignore me and just move on ;))

 

 

I just received my Lenovo Explorer and am loving VR! I have a replica SJU-17 seat, made from dimensions others have taken with photos and measuring tapes, which seems to get me in the ball park +-1". My stick is centered and my throttle is where the throttle is in the aircraft according to the measurements. I was very curious to see how well this would match up in VR and to my delight it seems to match the F/A-18C in VR exceptionally well! Overall it feels amazing!

 

 

My throttle is a DIY throttle made from measurements of a real throttle and I positioned it according to the measurements I found and low and behold it matches perfectly in game. The hand position and travel of the throttle are perfect! When I peak under my headset, my actual hand is in the exact same spot. My center stick is just about right, I need to make some small adjustments to its position, by my travel is almost identical. Even when I roll all the way to the right and the in game hand touches the thigh of the pilot, I can feel my own hand touching my thigh and a quick peak show the stick in just about the exact same spot.

 

 

So with all that said, the size of the switches and stick/throttle/hands themselves, seems to be a bit on the small side. I have toggle switches IRL and the scale of the in game switches seems to be like 3/4 the actual size. Same with my pilots hands, they are like my wife's size. The throttle and stick also seem to me to be something like 3/4 size, it is an odd feeling.

 

 

 

It is far more pronounced in the A-10C, the stick and throttle seem tiny. The throttle, compared to the Thrustmaster, seems miniature.

 

 

I measured my IPD at 63.8 and have set that ingame, but that is barely different from the average 63.5 (Lenovo Explorer is physically set for this IPD, from what I understand) so this all seems good.

 

 

 

Overall the F/A-18C scale seems quite good and I'm very happy with it, even if things appear somewhat small. However the A-10C is rather startling, especially the throttle, it is so tiny! It feels like my whole had would engulf it and it would be better to just pinch it with two fingers. In the A-10C I feel like I'm a giant. My eye point is way above the top of the HUD frame about 3-4 degrees, I have to slouch way down to even get a glimpse of the HUD on the horizon (I'm not complaining that the HUD is too large to see, I understand that this is accurate) just saying that I feel exceptionally large and tall in the A-10C.

 

 

Anyways, not even sure if I'm asking a question or what I'm doing in the post, so like I said, feel free to just ignore me. This is just my initial impressions.

[arturojgt]

It’s fine, con you post photo of your setup? Side, front , back, etc. photos.

 

 

Sent from my Tornado IDS while on autopilot using Tapatalk Pro.

[Harlikwin]

Yeah, I've had the same experience with the hawg. You can recenter your view so you can see through the hud. Also you might play with IPD/world scale for that specific plane (I haven't).

 

One thing I'm glad to hear is that you managed to sync your real world controls to at least one other plane. Which I think will be increasingly important with the introduction of glove/hand tracking+IRL hotas.

[rrohde]

I measured my IPD at 63.8 and have set that ingame, but that is barely different from the average 63.5 (Lenovo Explorer is physically set for this IPD, from what I understand) so this all seems good.

 

IPD in DCS should really be called World Scale, as it has nothing to do with your HMD's IPD. You should really use the "IPD" in DCS to match your real world hand size to that of your virtual DCS pilot to be in the ballpark for a realistic scale.

 

In my case, using the Samsung Odyseey+, I set the DCS "IPD" value to 48 (and again, that has nothing to do with the real IPD that you dial into your HMD). For me, 48 gives me a reasonably sized cockpit across all of DCS.

[Razi]

IPD in DCS should really be called World Scale, as it has nothing to do with your HMD's IPD. You should really use the "IPD" in DCS to match your real world hand size to that of your virtual DCS pilot to be in the ballpark for a realistic scale.

 

In my case, using the Samsung Odyseey+, I set the DCS "IPD" value to 48 (and again, that has nothing to do with the real IPD that you dial into your HMD). For me, 48 gives me a reasonably sized cockpit across all of DCS.

 

 

Thank you, that was it! Playing with the IPD setting as a scale setting instead did the trick! It is amazing how much of a difference that it made. Even though it is a subtle change, the whole experience feels a lot better! I'm still tinkering with it, but I'm also around ~50.

 

 

Is there a way to independently set this for different aircraft, out of curiosity?

[Razi]

The F/A-18C is fantastic now! It even made reading all the labels and the MPCD and DDIs far easier which is an unexpected surprise.

 

 

The A-10C on the other hand... feels far different from the Hornet, especially now that the Hornet scale is set right for me.

 

 

Oh well, I'm a Hornet fan to and through and so I'm a happy camper (simmer?)

[rrohde]

Thank you, that was it! Playing with the IPD setting as a scale setting instead did the trick! It is amazing how much of a difference that it made. Even though it is a subtle change, the whole experience feels a lot better! I'm still tinkering with it, but I'm also around ~50.

 

:thumbup:

 

 

Is there a way to independently set this for different aircraft, out of curiosity?

 

I wish... but to be honest, I think only the A-10C would need a different setting, but I am sure that ED is already working on upgrading the geometry of its cockpit, as it's really quite off in VR, imho.

[Alligin]

I’m still struggling with my IPD distance. I had mine set to 63 also. I’ll give the 50’s a try.

 

In the A10. I read somewhere in hear that the DCS A10 cockpit was designed before VR and needs an upgrade

[Razi]

I've settled on 50 for IPD after trying a range of values from 40-60. In all the aircraft except the A-10C, the scale feels perfect. Everything just feels more natural, it is difficult to explain, but getting the scale right dramatically improved my experience and comfort level.

[Deano87]

Just something to point out. The A-10 cockpit is HUGE compared to the F-18, so they should feel quite different in VR. I’m not saying the geometry is perfect in the A-10 but it certainly should feel different from a small fighter cockpit like the Hornet or F-16.

 

Look how small and low the pilots head is in this pic.

 

[Headwarp]

You guys aren't neglecting the seat adjustment switch in the A-10C are you? :P The pilot on the other hand.. I feel like he has small feet.. at least when I'm in the chute.

[hansangb]

And A10C retexturing is coming I don't know how much it will help with VR or not, but I can hope for the best.

[Razi]

Thanks guys. Good info to know. The difference in feeling, to me, is not the size of the cockpit itself, I'm not surprised to hear the cockpit is larger, or just a different size than the others - I sort of assumed each cockpit would be a different size. It is the size of the elements within the A-10C, the toggle switches/throttles/stick, etc., that are significantly off (tiny), especially now that the scale is set very closely for the other aircraft. (Which what @Deano87 said)

 

 

I flew the SU-25T, F/A-18C, and P-51D last night after getting everything scaled properly and syncing my pit to the Hornet and the experience was astounding! I was taken aback by how much of a difference that subtle scale change made.

Edited February 2, 2019 by Razi

[Tinkickef]

I've settled on 50 for IPD after trying a range of values from 40-60. In all the aircraft except the A-10C, the scale feels perfect. Everything just feels more natural, it is difficult to explain, but getting the scale right dramatically improved my experience and comfort level.

 

Intriguing. Does this apply to ground objects too? I have IPD set to 64 which is what my actual IPD is according to Rift setup.

 

Cockpit scale seems fine, albeit I never messed with the IPD setting and having had nothing to compare it to, have just become accustomed to it; but having being a private pilot in a previous life, I always find the buildings appear to look too small from a given altitude, maybe by a factor of 30 - 50%.

Edited February 3, 2019 by Tinkickef

[Razi]

Intriguing. Does this apply to ground objects too? I have IPD set to 64 which is what my actual IPD is according to Rift setup.

 

Cockpit scale seems fine, albeit I never messed with the IPD setting and having had nothing to compare it to, have just become accustomed to it; but having being a private pilot in a previous life, I always find the buildings appear to look too small from a given altitude, maybe by a factor of 30 - 50%.

 

 

It appears to. The whole DCS environment feels more natural to me and less toy like.

[dburne]

I have been playing around with the IPD setting to experiment and can't really say I notice any difference, maybe my eyes just are not that good or something.

[Razi]

Interesting. The change is definitely noticeable to me, particularly if I adjust the IPD in the cockpit with the ESC menu, rather then in the main menu. Going from say 65 to 40 is pretty dramatic to me. At 65 I feel too big and at 40 I too small.

[dburne]

Interesting. The change is definitely noticeable to me, particularly if I adjust the IPD in the cockpit with the ESC menu, rather then in the main menu. Going from say 65 to 40 is pretty dramatic to me. At 65 I feel too big and at 40 I too small.

 

Hmm I will have to try that with the ESC menu thanks.

[Muskoka]

Interesting. The change is definitely noticeable to me, particularly if I adjust the IPD in the cockpit with the ESC menu, rather then in the main menu. Going from say 65 to 40 is pretty dramatic to me. At 65 I feel too big and at 40 I too small.

 

Agree, it's very noticeable. I'm usually mid to lows 50's with in game ipd, too high a number and the cockpit is way to cramped, too low and the cockpit is way too big.

[hansangb]

Interesting. The change is definitely noticeable to me, particularly if I adjust the IPD in the cockpit with the ESC menu, rather then in the main menu. Going from say 65 to 40 is pretty dramatic to me. At 65 I feel too big and at 40 I too small.

 

By ESC Menu, what are you referring to? Hitting ESC key to get out of the menu?

[oboe]

I took the plunge into VR too; I recently ordered the Lenovo Explorer and it is scheduled to arrive tomorrow. I'm not sure how many others use this headset but the price compared to the Rift, Vive, and Odyssey made it too tempting an opportunity to pass up.

 

Hopefully it won't be too difficult to set up, and if I have questions/problems its nice to know there are a few players around with the same equipment.

[Razi]

By ESC Menu, what are you referring to? Hitting ESC key to get out of the menu?

 

 

No, sorry. I just mean that IPD is one of the settings that you can adjust after you've loaded a mission and are in the cockpit using the menu there (with ESC) and don't need to exit the mission to go back to the main menu.

 

 

The benefit to this is that the IPD settings change takes effect immediately, as in the moment you type any numbers in, the scale of the world changes instantly. It just makes it easy to see the difference and adjust the scale without having to reload the mission every time.

[Razi]

I took the plunge into VR too; I recently ordered the Lenovo Explorer and it is scheduled to arrive tomorrow. I'm not sure how many others use this headset but the price compared to the Rift, Vive, and Odyssey made it too tempting an opportunity to pass up.

 

For the price ($190 CAD), I'm perfectly content with the Explorer. For me it is meant as a entry into VR to hold me over until the next Gen of hardware comes out. I got lucky (I guess, depending on how you look at it!) because my unit came with a dead pixel in the right lens in the bottom left side. I submitted a return request, but instead I got a full refund and was told I can keep the Explorer! So I actually got it for free and thankfully the dead pixel is far off to the side and I only notice it when I try to look for it in dark scenes or menus.

 

 

Hopefully it won't be too difficult to set up, and if I have questions/problems its nice to know there are a few players around with the same equipment.

 

 

Setting up the Explorer on Windows with the Mixed Reality Portal is simple and straightforward. Getting DCS to work was not what I expected and not as straightforward as I assumed it would be, but simple once you figure out what your supposed to do.

 

 

 

DCS (even the non-steam version) has to run through SteamVR. So Steam and SteamVR have to be installed. Then "Windows Mixed Reality for SteamVR" has to be installed in Steam. Lastly, you have to enable VR in DCS. Now every time you start DCS, Mixed Reality Portal starts, then SteamVR starts, then DCS starts. Not what I expected, but it is also just a sign of the infancy of VR to me.

Edited February 4, 2019 by Razi

[oboe]

Well you sure can't be that price! I paid $109 USD through B&H Photo - I've never done business with them before. They had used Explorers rated in excellent condition for as low as $77 USD, but these no longer have the factory warranty as they are pre-owned.

 

Like you, I consider it an inexpensive first step into VR just to see what its all about. The Explorer doesn't come with hand controllers but flight sims are the only games I play so I don't think I'll need those anyway. Looking forward to giving it a try!

 

Thanks for the tips; I'll get Steam and SteamVR installed today.

[hansangb]

No, sorry. I just mean that IPD is one of the settings that you can adjust after you've loaded a mission and are in the cockpit using the menu there (with ESC) and don't need to exit the mission to go back to the main menu.

 

 

The benefit to this is that the IPD settings change takes effect immediately, as in the moment you type any numbers in, the scale of the world changes instantly. It just makes it easy to see the difference and adjust the scale without having to reload the mission every time.

 

 

Ah...gotcha. Thanks for the clarification