Varjo Aero: General guide for new owners

[Supmua]

The newest version of NVInspector is out.  Didn’t get a chance to check it out yet but I consider this an important tool to have.  Anybody notice anything different with this version?

https://github.com/Orbmu2k/nvidiaProfileInspector/releases/tag/2.4.0.4

Edited April 2, 2023 by Supmua

[Willdass]

Thanks for the reBAR reminder Had forgotten to enable it when I upgraded GPUs...

[Supmua]

rBar is now in 5-Common section when you launch NVP inspector.  Just enable it from Digital Combat Simulator profile, and use Battlefield V option.

[Gasman63]

On 4/2/2023 at 10:03 PM, Supmua said:

If you don't know what reBar is then it's not on because DCS is not on their white list for officially supported games, and there are specific workarounds to do to enable it with DCS (What is Resizable BAR, and should you use it? | Rock Paper Shotgun).

If the game is still not working right then I'd recommend uninstalling Varjo Foveated mod (and all other mods that you are using) and try to run it without DFR, and see if it's working correctly.  The easiest way to test DCS mt (without mods) now is via Steam OpenXR, because Varjo OpenXR wtihout mods will result in quadview mode (with or without DFR depending on whether you choose InstanceExtension wrapper or Foveated mod).  Just turn off Varjo OpenXR switch in VB, and select Steam OpenXR runtime in SteamVR setting/Developer.  If DCS still doesn't work then the issue may lie with your computer setup.

 

Looks like it was an issue with the USB-C cable to the headset.

 

[Willdass]

4 hours ago, Supmua said:

rBar is now in 5-Common section when you launch NVP inspector.  Just enable it from Digital Combat Simulator profile, and use Battlefield V option.

Yeah, I noticed (after a few minutes of going through the "unknown" category...) Thanks though

[GunSlingerOZ]

On 3/31/2023 at 10:41 PM, Supmua said:

It depends on your DCS settings and rendering resolution, and as long as you don't max out on everything most people with high-end setup report 90 fps or near 90 at default res.  For instant missions or simple free flying, yes.  Complex campaign missions or a large MP session, no.  DFR, imo, still has issues with more framedrops compared to traditional mode in complex missions especially on the ground/airfield with multiple objects.  From my findings, avg and max fps is better but min fps is worse due to intermittent framedrop (or frametime spike), of course this is with my setup only so YMMV.

Thanks for the info. Unfortunately I'm not interested in free flying or basic missions - I play DCS mostly in campaign mode, or co-op with mates. These missions tend to be relatively complex. Alas, looks like I'll have to wait a while, but at least my wallet loves me. 

[Supmua]

8 hours ago, GunSlingerOZ said:

Thanks for the info. Unfortunately I'm not interested in free flying or basic missions - I play DCS mostly in campaign mode, or co-op with mates. These missions tend to be relatively complex. Alas, looks like I'll have to wait a while, but at least my wallet loves me. 

That’s pretty much what I do also, campaign and small scale MP.  The Aero in general will give better performance vs other headsets now because of the DFR mode, but it is still far from perfect. 

[Ready]

Hi guys,

I am on the fence about the Aero and a few uncertainties are holding me back.

If I get an Aeo, can I get;

- smooth visuals, no stutters (willing to turn down visual details)

- smooth OBS recordings, no microstutters (willing to turn down details)

- OpenKneeboard visible inside my recordings (I get the impression that it currently is not possible with Aero, but unsure.)

I have a G2, 4090 and 5800x3D and record everything in OBS in 4k. I mainly fly multiplayer in the A-10C close to the ground and I use VR-kneeboards a lot. I have motion reprojection switched off because this causes too many artifacts inside the kneeboards. This overall configuration costs me quite some CPU power and makes DCS CPU bound on the ground. In order to have things clear and stable in the G2, I lowerered my G2 frequency to 60Hz, which gives me strobing inside the headset, but smooth(er) recordings. I use an OBS mirror created by Jabbah. I would like to return to 90Hz in the headset and wonder if that can be achieved with the Aero, because I kind of get the impression that the Aero takes care of clearing things up quite a bit in comparison to the G2. I have a thread on the forum about optimizing my 4090 for VR and get the feeling that the best next step is to upgrade from G2 to Aero.

 

For me the upgrade in visuals (FOV and sharpness) are very appealing, but secondary to the stability and smoothness that I might get, both in the headset and in the videos. So I am very interested in learning if Aero users who fly multiplayer and record videos are able to get smooth and stutter free experiences. I would like to hear about previous G2 owners' experiences with stutters between the G2 and Aero headsets, in combination with OBS recordings, especially after the Multi Threading and Dynamic Foveated Rendering updates, which I understand make a difference.

Thanks for all the help, much appreciated.

Edited April 8, 2023 by Ready

[Gunnars Driver]

I followed the guide for DCS multi-threaded via Varjo OpenXR, it seem to work like it should whennit cones to geting it to run with MT and DFR.

Witouth any settings changed I did get (much) worse overall performance compared to the old steam openVR.

(that turbo mode is still activated, will try it of. Never tryed Resizable bar).

I did run the steam openVR without any sync to 45 etc, and did get 90fps most of the time, at low level overland about 75 (average in fpsVR about 87 or do) but just because the GPU frame time went slightly above 11.1ms, some 12-13ms.

Gaming was of course not always 100% smooth but the stutter was ”proportional” to the GPU frame time, so not that bad. 

The CPU frame time was mainly 4-6ms and never ever above 9-10.

With MT /DFR i can not see the frame times other than the built in DCS coubyer that shows CPU bound all the time. 
I get quite bad stutter from time to time, feels like frame times briefly goes well above 22 ms. Between the stutter I get 90fps sometimes but not as often as in ST with steam openvr.

With no tools for evaluation, it feels strange going from Single thread with no CPU limitations but sometimes GPU bound to ”always” CPU bound as the DCS tool states.

No DCS settings is changed.. 

Any tips where to begin sort it out?

[Edit]13900/Z790/32Gb DDR5 6200mhz and RTX4090. 

Edited April 13, 2023 by Gunnars Driver

[dburne]

Here  is to hoping today's patch does not affect our quad screen ability with the Aero and DFR with the eye tracking.

[dburne]

1 hour ago, dburne said:

Here  is to hoping today's patch does not affect our quad screen ability with the Aero and DFR with the eye tracking.

 

Ok so everything still working great as I had it for DFR with eye tracking. Today's DCS update did not affect it.

Performance "may" have improved a little with this patch, hard to say really as I was already geting great performance.

Edited April 13, 2023 by dburne

[Supmua]

I did notice some stuttering with DFR in complex missions which may or may not be specific to my setup, which is why I still play in Steam OpenXR whenever I need everything to go smooth in a long mission.  Did a PC reset and still has this, no issue with simple free flights.  Haven’t tried the new patch yet though so things might change, hopefully for the better.

[motoadve]

26 minutes ago, dburne said:

Performance "may" have improved a little with this patch, hard to say really as I was already geting great performance.

Same feel I am getting.

[Gunnars Driver]

1 hour ago, Supmua said:

I did notice some stuttering with DFR in complex missions which may or may not be specific to my setup, which is why I still play in Steam OpenXR whenever I need everything to go smooth in a long mission.  Did a PC reset and still has this, no issue with simple free flights.  Haven’t tried the new patch yet though so things might change, hopefully for the better.

Just tried Steam OpenVR and it still works very nice, all settings still the same, so i might stay with that for a while. 
CPU framtimes 4-6ms same as before

GPU frametimes 7-13ms, same as before

average FPS not that far from 90, same as before.

[Supmua]

1 minute ago, Gunnars Driver said:

Just tried Steam OpenVR and it still works very nice, all settings still the same, so i might stay with that for a while. 
CPU framtimes 4-6ms same as before

GPU frametimes 7-13ms, same as before

average FPS not that far from 90, same as before.

I get pretty smooth gameplay with Steam OpenXR, but the visual is no match for DFR at the same framerates. 

[Gunnars Driver]

4 hours ago, Supmua said:

I get pretty smooth gameplay with Steam OpenXR, but the visual is no match for DFR at the same framerates. 

Well, I made that update that came today. 

Started with steam openVR, worked just like before. Same frametimes, same fps, maybe a tad lower at low level over land.

Then I tried MT again, after re-running mbucchias DFR setup. 

Now…. ….it works flawless. For 25 minutes of flying I had 90 fps all the time, even at mach 1 at low level and landed at senaki kohlki and still had 90 fps.

Second test was pheriperal set to 0.8 and focus/fovea at 1.5, still 90 fps all the time  I did not have a single stutter or like yesterday, frame time that cause the game to stop shortly….it just flows all the time. 

I think I always have seen the threes on ground move slightly choppy even at 90fps but now they actually flow around very smooth.

I do not get how being GPU-bound and having good CPU overhead can turn into this, but I-m sure will not complain  

This feels like the biggest step forward since I started with DCS, so some very big thanks to mbucchia, dcs people and also you Supmua that is so helpful -Great work!

[dburne]

5 minutes ago, Gunnars Driver said:

Well, I made that update that came today. 

Started with steam openVR, worked just like before. Same frametimes, same fps, maybe a tad lower at low level over land.

Then I tried MT again, after re-running mbucchias DFR setup. 

Now…. ….it works flawless. For 25 minutes of flying I had 90 fps all the time, even at mach 1 at low level and landed at senaki kohlki and still had 90 fps.

Second test was pheriperal set to 0.8 and focus/fovea at 1.5, still 90 fps all the time  I did not have a single stutter or like yesterday, frame time that cause the game to stop shortly….it just flows all the time. 

I think I always have seen the threes on ground move slightly choppy even at 90fps but now they actually flow around very smooth.

I do not get how being GPU-bound and having good CPU overhead can turn into this, but I-m sure will not complain  

This feels like the biggest step forward since I started with DCS, so some very big thanks to mbucchia, dcs people and also you Supmua that is so helpful -Great work!

 

Congrats! It is a wonderful thing, you are experiencing the same as I did when I added the DFR with eye tracking for my Aero and DCS-MT. I am still blown away every time when I strap myself in for a day of flying.

[Gunnars Driver]

12 minutes ago, dburne said:

 

Congrats! It is a wonderful thing, you are experiencing the same as I did when I added the DFR with eye tracking for my Aero and DCS-MT. I am still blown away every time when I strap myself in for a day of flying.

Nice!

What settings do you use for the rendering (fovea/pheripheral) ? 

[Supmua]

Just did some quick flights with the new beta. It seems performance is slightly better (I typically use F-16 PG free flight to tune my setup for 90 fps goal as that one is more stressful compared to other non-Marianas maps).  Very nice framerate at 37 PPD with 0.9 pixel density.  Currently, I leave both focus/peripheral at 1. 

Edited April 14, 2023 by Supmua

[Gunnars Driver]

There seems to be headroom for other adjustments, if the framrate is locked at 90fps. 
 

I saw a few pages back that there could be a problem with setting pheriferal resolution too low? What level is recommended by you guys that have tested this? (I do not use any vsync, and no motionsmoothing/reprojection etc.)

 

 

 

[Supmua]

52 minutes ago, Gunnars Driver said:

There seems to be headroom for other adjustments, if the framrate is locked at 90fps. 
 

I saw a few pages back that there could be a problem with setting pheriferal resolution too low? What level is recommended by you guys that have tested this? (I do not use any vsync, and no motionsmoothing/reprojection etc.)

 

 

 

My recommendation is to play with those parameters yourself.  I don’t have any extra headroom with my setup with the F16 PG free flight, as a matter of fact fps still dips into the 80s in some areas.  Your setup might be different.  I’d suggest leaving PD at 1.0 if you are going to change focus/peripheral multipliers, this is to avoid stability issues. 

[dburne]

12 hours ago, Gunnars Driver said:

Nice!

What settings do you use for the rendering (fovea/pheripheral) ? 

The default of 1:1.

[Darpa]

It looks like much has happened in the DCS and Varjo world since the last DCS stable update at the end of last year. Assuming that it can't be too much longer for a stable update (hopefully the end of 1st Quarter 2023) I have been reading this rather long and useful thread looking for the most expedient and simplest path to take advantage of the ongoing changes. Not being overly technical I I will take a stab at what I think I would try given what I am seeing in this thread. If some kind soul could confirm (or correct) the process I would appreciate it. Note: I do not use OpenXR Toolkit

After the update to stable: 

1) Run the DCS executable from the bin_mt directory if it has not already been moved to the regular bin directory in the stable release. There is no need for any command line arguments as it now runs OpenXR from Varjo Base automatically. 

2) Get the mbucchia DFR update (from the location stated in this thread)

3) Follow all instructions in the DFR update – re: calibration and foveated rendering and DCS settings

All of this should not only provide MT support, Varjo OpenXR support and DFR support but should get rid of any cursor related problems that originally occurred using the Aero and OpenXR. 

If for any reason any of this this fails I can always go back to using the command line argument to force the use of Steam's OpenVR along with the multi-threaded DCS executable.

Thanks for any feedback.

[Supmua]

I don’t think MT supports OpenVR. So your other options if DFR doesn’t work is to fall back on MT Steam OpenXR (or MT Varjo OpenXR with InstanceExtensions wrapper to disable quad view), or ST Varjo/Steam OpenVR/OpenXR.  There’re plenty of ways to get DCS going with the Aero. 

[dburne]

2 hours ago, Darpa said:

It looks like much has happened in the DCS and Varjo world since the last DCS stable update at the end of last year. Assuming that it can't be too much longer for a stable update (hopefully the end of 1st Quarter 2023) I have been reading this rather long and useful thread looking for the most expedient and simplest path to take advantage of the ongoing changes. Not being overly technical I I will take a stab at what I think I would try given what I am seeing in this thread. If some kind soul could confirm (or correct) the process I would appreciate it. Note: I do not use OpenXR Toolkit

After the update to stable: 

1) Run the DCS executable from the bin_mt directory if it has not already been moved to the regular bin directory in the stable release. There is no need for any command line arguments as it now runs OpenXR from Varjo Base automatically. 

2) Get the mbucchia DFR update (from the location stated in this thread)

3) Follow all instructions in the DFR update – re: calibration and foveated rendering and DCS settings

All of this should not only provide MT support, Varjo OpenXR support and DFR support but should get rid of any cursor related problems that originally occurred using the Aero and OpenXR. 

If for any reason any of this this fails I can always go back to using the command line argument to force the use of Steam's OpenVR along with the multi-threaded DCS executable.

Thanks for any feedback.

 

Only the Open Beta currently has the MT support. Not the stable version. And if you are running that with an Aero it would be a crime not to run with DFR/eye tracking as it gains so much in performance and of course the Aero already having the eye tracking.

Trust me DCS Beta with DFR/eye tracking in Open XR is da bomb!

https://github.com/mbucchia/Varjo-Foveated/wiki

If you are only willing to run the DCS stable branch then you will need to wait a bit on the DFR/eye tracking feature to propogate to it.