New to VR - Which software should I use?

[Indyplumber]

So I am now the proud owner of a new HP Reverb G2 v2.  I see so many video guides but they mention all of these 3rd party applications which has me slightly confused.  Am I suppose to use WMR, SteamVR and OpenXR all together?  Or are these all just different offerings of the same software?

Is there a particular one that is best with DCS?  Just need a little push in the right direction and then I think I can take it from there.

[edmuss]

Go and read Thud's guides at VR4DCS and follow them explicitly. Get your head around steamvr (you will need to use WMR via wmr4svr) and the options to get a smooth setup and gameplay that you're happy with. Then branch out to open composite/openxr so you can see what the differences are and what is better and worse; then you can make an informed decision for yourself as to which suits you best

There's a huge amount of tweaking to get the most out of the G2, it's definitely not a plug and play setup with DCS.

[Leader98]

Thud's guides at VR4DCS are from back in 2021?
There must be a more recent guide which explains the OpenXR setup for new DCS pilots?

I think the quickstart at https://mbucchia.github.io/OpenXR-Toolkit/ will get you going in no time.
The real time consumer is the tweaking for optimal quality & performance afterwards...

My advice: Do a basic setup and just enjoy DCS in VR!

[edmuss]

They're under review to be updated but all still holds true for tuning windows which actually is the most important part of getting the G2 to work well with DCS.

For openxr, I wrote a guide that's somewhere in this forum. Covers most of the basics. The openxr toolkit faq will give you the rundown of what each system does.

[bies]

17 hours ago, edmuss said:

There's a huge amount of tweaking to get the most out of the G2, it's definitely not a plug and play setup with DCS.

For me it was the opposite with Reverb G2, i just installed OpenXR and i didn't change anything, just plug and play. I didn't even have SteamVR. It works good both DCS and other sims.

I used Pimax 5KX before, it was a bit more complicated to setup.

[Indyplumber]

So it appears that there is SteamVR or OpenXR to try.  Is WMR just a framework in windows that works with both?

[edmuss]

Pretty much, you'll need to use WMR whichever option you choose.

Basically: -

Steamvr (openvr) doesn't talk directly to WMR so it needs a translation layer in the form of wmr4svr. Effectively what it does is copy the frame buffers from one bit of software to the other, this introduces losses in VRAM and I think there is some image compression in there as well.

So for steamvr it's DCS>openvr>wmr4svr>WMR>headset.

Openxr works in a similar manner but with a slightly more direct route. Open composite hooks into the openvr runtime and translates it directly to openxr which is supported natively by WMR and the headset. This eliminates the frame buffer copy and is generally more efficient. Openxr also handles the VR compositor differently.

So for openxr it's
DCS>openvr>open composite>WMR>headset.

Openxr can be plug and play but only because of the hundreds (probably thousands) of hours put in to setting it up, testing and reporting by users. I'd still recommend getting to know both systems so that you know what different things do

[Indyplumber]

5 hours ago, edmuss said:

Pretty much, you'll need to use WMR whichever option you choose.

Basically: -

Steamvr (openvr) doesn't talk directly to WMR so it needs a translation layer in the form of wmr4svr. Effectively what it does is copy the frame buffers from one bit of software to the other, this introduces losses in VRAM and I think there is some image compression in there as well.

So for steamvr it's DCS>openvr>wmr4svr>WMR>headset.

Openxr works in a similar manner but with a slightly more direct route. Open composite hooks into the openvr runtime and translates it directly to openxr which is supported natively by WMR and the headset. This eliminates the frame buffer copy and is generally more efficient. Openxr also handles the VR compositor differently.

So for openxr it's
DCS>openvr>open composite>WMR>headset.

Openxr can be plug and play but only because of the hundreds (probably thousands) of hours put in to setting it up, testing and reporting by users. I'd still recommend getting to know both systems so that you know what different things do

Thank you.  I was able to get in the cockpit last night using the guides pointed out for OpenXR.  It was amazing but I think it needs some tweaks.  I'm going to disable OpenXR and try it with SteamVR today to see what it is like as well.  Then I suppose spend the rest of the day tweaking settings to get it smooth.  The only issue I had was little micro stutters when I moved my head quickly.

[maxsin72]

I use steamVR with a G2 and it's ok.

Edited December 28, 2022 by maxsin72

[dburne]

I personally prefer Steam VR due to it's simplicity.

More time flying less time tweaking.

 

[Wolf8312]

3 hours ago, dburne said:

I personally prefer Steam VR due to it's simplicity.

More time flying less time tweaking.

 

Yep that's what I've decided. I was driving myself mad with the tweaking! I went back to steam VR locked the FPS and to be honest I couldn't make out much of a difference and am getting nice performance now. Also don't need to worry about all those repairs and messing around whenever theres an update. DCS is just too much trouble for mods and I have limited time already!

[maxsin72]

10 hours ago, dburne said:

I personally prefer Steam VR due to it's simplicity.

More time flying less time tweaking.

 

I agree with you

[Magnate]

As an HP Reverb G2 user I noticed a significant improvement moving from SteamVR to OpenXR. It allowed me to increase my pixel density a couple of notches without losing frame rate. I went from .7 to .9 and that made a big difference in the A2G missions which I fly. I did try a pixel density of 1, but that was pushing it a bit far when flying the Apache, I found.

So, I'd certainly recommend it. The actual process of switching to OpenXR is very simple, if you read the instructions.

 

That was using a 2070 Super GPU. This month I treated myself to a 4090 GPU, and despite the cost I'd say it was a good investment. I'm now flying with everything maxed out other than shadows, and I think water detail, and am achieving frame rates in the mid-40s. That's about 8-9 fps better than what I previously had on much lower settings and I'm very happy with the results. On my original settings the 4090 was giving me frame rates of around 90, but I was more than happy to trade surplus FPS for enhanced visuals.

I should say that this is all solo play - not multiplayer.