New Quest 2 Headset...now what?

[Steel Jaw]

20 hours ago, unlikely_spider said:

You can alt-tab to change Window's focus to another application and then use the mouse there.

No you can't...VR gets angry and DCS has to be restarted. 

[diego999]

1 hour ago, Steel Jaw said:

No you can't...VR gets angry and DCS has to be restarted. 

It works for me and apparently for the other guy too. You might have some issue there.

[aleader]

19 hours ago, PawlaczGMD said:

The one I had didn't have to 90 deg, but it's still fine. In theory, any USB 3.0 to USB C will work, the headset doesn't need crazy speed. It's more about the physical quality of the cable.

I has to be USB C on one side because that's what your headset has, right?

I think all these cables are good.

 

When you play in VR, your monitor just mirrors the VR view. It doesn't rerender a 2D view in a different resolution. So the in-game res should not matter at all for performance.

I just ordered the Fasgear one as it was only $22, seems to have power, mostly passed the fake reviews check, has a 90 deg (apparently easier on the port and less chance of breaking?), and is USB C to C, which theoretically should not bottleneck anything.  I can always upgrade to a 'better' one later if I see the need.

I still don't really understand how your video card can show something on your monitor and not use resources, but I'll take everyone's word for it I guess you have to anyways, so it's a moot point.

I'm going to finally try this probably today or tomorrow, just haven't set the time aside yet.

[PawlaczGMD]

5 hours ago, aleader said:

I just ordered the Fasgear one as it was only $22, seems to have power, mostly passed the fake reviews check, has a 90 deg (apparently easier on the port and less chance of breaking?), and is USB C to C, which theoretically should not bottleneck anything.  I can always upgrade to a 'better' one later if I see the need.

I still don't really understand how your video card can show something on your monitor and not use resources, but I'll take everyone's word for it I guess you have to anyways, so it's a moot point.

I'm going to finally try this probably today or tomorrow, just haven't set the time aside yet.

GPU resources are used to draw the image to display in the Oculus from abstract game data. What you see on your 2D screen is just copied from your Oculus. It's more like opening a jpg - don't need a beefy GPU to do that. The image has already been drawn once.

[aleader]

On 12/29/2023 at 1:12 AM, PawlaczGMD said:

It's debatable whether airlink or VD is better TBH. Start with airlink. Quest link = cable. Air link = no cable. VD = third party app, no cable. 

Turn on airlink in headset options, install oculus on PC, pair it, enter airlink and launch the game. It should just work, really, but if not, just buy VD, it's more intuitive to set up.

Then, you can either try to launch the DCS .exe directly through the toolbar, which doesn't always work. Or, you can launch steam VR, and launch DCS through that, which should work. You can add standalone DCS as a non-Steam VR game to Steam.

Just trying this now.  I tried VTOL VR with Steamlink and it runs great...started right up, no lag or stutters.  DCS...not so much. 

I now have my cable hooked up (USB C to C...Questlink test app says 2.8 GBps).  I tried launching it through the Questlink toolbar, and I just get the 3 circles endlessly cycling, DCS never launches, but I can hear menu sound in the background.  What I read here is that I need to launch Questlink (it won't allow me to just start up DCS on the 2D screen without first launching Questlink), then launch SteamVR...through the 2D desktop I'm assuming, after I somehow add standalone to it?

EDIT:  Got it to work by launching it outside of the toolbar (i.e. on the 2D desktop) while Questlink was running.  

Edited January 11 by aleader

[aleader]

Also, I don't see any threads or anyone talking about it, but did they move Mutlithreading to the open beta?  I have DLSS available, and I didn't make any special shortcuts.  It also shows 'mutithreading' at the bottom right, so I'm assuming it's 'on'.

Edited January 12 by aleader

[Phantom711]

What are you talking about? Why would MT have been „moved to Open Beta“? Moved from where?

 

[aleader]

1 hour ago, Phantom711 said:

What are you talking about? Why would MT have been „moved to Open Beta“? Moved from where?

 

As the default option.  I thought you needed to make a shortcut to run MT?  As I said in my above post.  I haven't played DCS for a long while, so I just installed it a few weeks ago.

I've been playing it a bit now, and the graphics are terrible.  Lots of aliasing and 'shimmering' (as I've heard it described).  I assume I now need to figure out settings for my 4070ti/5600X.  It would be nice though if I could find a few screenshots of what I should be expecting it to look like in-game with my hardware.  I'll have to look.  The first time I moved to the runway in the F18 I had some hard stutters every 5 or 10 seconds.  That seems to have stopped now, but makes me think I've got something set way off.

Edited January 12 by aleader

[PawlaczGMD]

4 hours ago, aleader said:

As the default option.  I thought you needed to make a shortcut to run MT?  As I said in my above post.  I haven't played DCS for a long while, so I just installed it a few weeks ago.

I've been playing it a bit now, and the graphics are terrible.  Lots of aliasing and 'shimmering' (as I've heard it described).  I assume I now need to figure out settings for my 4070ti/5600X.  It would be nice though if I could find a few screenshots of what I should be expecting it to look like in-game with my hardware.  I'll have to look.  The first time I moved to the runway in the F18 I had some hard stutters every 5 or 10 seconds.  That seems to have stopped now, but makes me think I've got something set way off.

 

MT is a different .exe 

ST is in bin folder, and MT is in bin-mt folder.

This is separate from open beta.

You definitely want MT, I am unable to play in VR without it, as there is horrible stuttering.

You need to adjust your expectations for the graphics. Q2 is an old budget headset with relatively low resolution. In-game settings can't overcome this issue. I tried playing with Q2 and also found the graphics to be too bad to have fun, just a proof of concept. I purchased Pimax Crystal which has significantly higher res, and the visuals are a LOT better, but still have room to go. DCS is extremely demanding on VR, as you need to be looking both at cockpit up close, and spot objects very far away. I just don't think Q2 is usable for DCS. If you like the VR experience, at least get the Q3.

[aleader]

14 hours ago, PawlaczGMD said:

MT is a different .exe 

ST is in bin folder, and MT is in bin-mt folder.

This is separate from open beta.

You definitely want MT, I am unable to play in VR without it, as there is horrible stuttering.

You need to adjust your expectations for the graphics. Q2 is an old budget headset with relatively low resolution. In-game settings can't overcome this issue. I tried playing with Q2 and also found the graphics to be too bad to have fun, just a proof of concept. I purchased Pimax Crystal which has significantly higher res, and the visuals are a LOT better, but still have room to go. DCS is extremely demanding on VR, as you need to be looking both at cockpit up close, and spot objects very far away. I just don't think Q2 is usable for DCS. If you like the VR experience, at least get the Q3.

I was expecting to, but I didn't look for any of that in any folders, just went to the ED website and installed the open beta, as I always have.  I have DLSS available in-game (and all of the upscaling options), and it says '2.9XXX multithreading preview' in the lower right corner of the screen, 2D and in VR.  My .exe is the 'DCS.update.exe'.  Does that not indicate that I am using MT?

The stuttering only happened to me the first time I loaded it (F18 on the ramp) and taxied to the runway.  Every other playthrough it didn't stutter at all, and was very smooth.  Now, this is just in instant action with a few other planes flying around.  I also had bumped it up to 90Hz/1.1 res in the oculus app, but I have MSAA at x2.  I'll bump that up next.  The shimmering and AA are very noticeable and annoying.

Lol, the Rift S was an 'old budget headset' but I recall people on here crowing about how wonderful it was in VR.  I'm pretty sure a lot of others have been using the Q2 with DCS since it came out, so it's obviously 'usable', or they would have quit using it.  It's like the guys on here saying DCS is 'unplayable' at anything other than 4K .  I will never spend that much just to play in VR (Pimax - $2,900 CAD!!).  But yes, I may get a Q3 if I can 'get my VR legs' with the Q2. 

Also, it's clear from the now thousands of threads here and on Reddit and Steam trying to figure out how to set the graphics in DCS VR that's it's a DCS problem...the ARMA of flight sims .  Pretty much every other game I've tried now in PCVR looks quite good on my system, even the old Half Life 2 (VR mods). The fresnel lenses are annoying, but from what I've read the center-view problem is fixed in the Q3 with the pancake lenses.

I'm going to start the tweaking process now that everyone else needs to do with this and see if I can get the graphics to something that are not from 1998.  I'm obviously exaggerating, but it's a stark change going from 1440p very high graphics, 143 fps to VR in this game.

Of note, if anyone is interested, the FASGEAR cable is working well.  Obviously I can't comment on the long-term viability, but so far, so good, and it keeps the headset 'almost' fully charged while playing.

Edited January 13 by aleader

[Qcumber]

19 hours ago, aleader said:

I've been playing it a bit now, and the graphics are terrible.  Lots of aliasing and 'shimmering'

Make sure you use the max output resolution from the oculus app and then add 1.3 from oculus tray tool/oculus debug tool. This should give you better visuals. Use DLAA to control aliasing. It's better than MSSA and little performance hit. If you want more performance use DLSS but you will get a softer image. 

[Phantom711]

vor 33 Minuten schrieb aleader:

I also had bumped it up to 90Hz/1.1 res in the oculus app, but I have MSAA at x2.  I'll bump that up next.  The shimmering and AA are very noticeable and annoying.

I would always recommend the lowest possible Refresh rate on the headset. It is far easier for your GPU to deliver FPS at native refresh rate and provide a smooth gameplay. I find 72Hz smooth enough. For the occasional drops below I use ASW on auto.

Edited January 13 by Phantom711

[aleader]

18 minutes ago, Qcumber said:

Make sure you use the max output resolution from the oculus app and then add 1.3 from oculus tray tool/oculus debug tool. This should give you better visuals. Use DLAA to control aliasing. It's better than MSSA and little performance hit. If you want more performance use DLSS but you will get a softer image. 

Performance isn't the issue, it just looks terrible.  I'll have a look and try your suggestions, thanks.  

2 minutes ago, Phantom711 said:

I would always recommend the lowest possible Refresh rate on the headset. It is far easier for your GPU to deliver FPS at native refresh rate and provide a smooth gameplay. I find 72Hz smooth enough. For tze occasional drops below I use ASW on auto.

I don't understand the nuances of that enough, but I will put it down to 72Hz.  I've read that some keep it on 120 (with lesser hardware) and seem to have better results, but I don't see how that is possible.

About the MT, am I using MT in-game or not?  From what I read if you don't have upscaling available, you're not 'in' MT?

[Phantom711]

vor 6 Minuten schrieb aleader:

I don't understand the nuances of that enough, but I will put it down to 72Hz.  I've read that some keep it on 120 (with lesser hardware) and seem to have better results, but I don't see how that is possible.

There are no nuances….

If your FPS are equal to the refresh rate of the headset the movements are smooth.

Yes…if you could run the respective game at even higher refresh rate with the matching FPS it would be even smoother.

examples:

72 FPS at 72Hz —> smooth

90 FPS at 90Hz —> even smoother

85 FPS at 90Hz —> not smooth

 

For the 120Hz…well I don‘t know. Maybe they lock their FPS to 60 so that every frame is shown twice which would also be smooth. Or they use motion reprojection a whole lot.

vor 15 Minuten schrieb aleader:

About the MT, am I using MT in-game or not?  From what I read if you don't have upscaling available, you're not 'in' MT?

The Dcs.updater.exe is used to look for updates of the game but yeah…it also starts the game which I find annoying. No idea if it starts the MT or ST version.

To be sure use the dcs.exe from the bin-mt folder.

[aleader]

11 minutes ago, Phantom711 said:

There are no nuances….

If your FPS are equal to the refresh rate of the headset the movements are smooth.

Yes…if you could run the respective game at even higher refresh rate with the matching FPS it would be even smoother.

examples:

72 FPS at 72Hz —> smooth

90 FPS at 90Hz —> even smoother

85 FPS at 90Hz —> not smooth

 

For the 120Hz…well I don‘t know. Maybe they lock their FPS to 60 so that every frame is shown twice which would also be smooth. Or they use motion reprojection a whole lot.

The Dcs.updater.exe is used to look for updates of the game but yeah…it also starts the game which I find annoying. No idea if it starts the MT or ST version.

To be sure use the dcs.exe from the bin-mt folder.

I guess first I should confirm what fps it's running at when I adjust settings, then set the refresh?  

Then I need to run a separate .exe for VR and 2D do I not?  That's a hassle I'd like to avoid if possible.  Is that not true, that without MT your upscaling options wouldn't show up?

[Phantom711]

vor 13 Minuten schrieb aleader:

I guess first I should confirm what fps it's running at when I adjust settings, then

Theoretically yes…but I have 4090 and there are still situations where I can not maintain the 72 FPS.

 

vor 13 Minuten schrieb aleader:

Then I need to run a separate .exe for VR and 2D do I not? 

I use one shortcut to the updater and one for 2D and one for VR. Both for the MT version. I don‘t see a need for the ST version. Not much of a „hassle“ really.

Not sure about the upscaling options…

 

EDIT: You don‘t „need to“ run seperate exes for VR and 2D unless you want to switch between both modes regularily… It is just a matter of convenience.

Edited January 13 by Phantom711

[Tomcat388th]

Aleader

             Here are some screen shots of my quest 2 settings these ran really well with my 6700xt gpu.  I cant remember if you were using OTT or oculus debug tool at but I use the debug tool to tweak a couple of settings I always had trouble with OTT locking up or getting corrupted. Either way I run the open beta standalone MT via link cable   IGNORE THE OPENXR TOOLS SLIDE NOT NEEDED THAT WAS WHEN I RAN A G2

Edited January 15 by Tomcat388th

[Phantom711]

@Tomcat388th

for the umpteenth time now…YOU DON‘T NEED THAT!!!

You are not using Windows Mixed Reality. It has zero effect. It might confuse others.

 

[aleader]

Thanks, I will try these and I will set the refresh back to 72.  I've read on other threads that the 'shimmering' is a known AA issue because of the old DCS engine.  I'll try DLAA/DLSS and see if it helps.  I'm asking about the MT thing on another thread so I can get it straight from ED.  

EDIT:

This is a response I received: "Yes.  When it has 'multithreading preview 2.9XXX' at the bottom right you are getting MT, so however you're doing it is working."

This is in the ED graphics thread (from Nineline): "These options (upscaling) are not available for the Single Thread version of DCS."

 

So it seems they released it to the 'default' without telling anyone?

Edited January 14 by aleader

[Lange_666]

8 hours ago, Tomcat388th said:

Aleader

             Here are some screen shots of my quest 2 settings these ran really well with my 6700xt gpu.  I cant remember if you were using OTT or oculus debug tool at but I use the debug tool to tweak a couple of settings I always had trouble with OTT locking up or getting corrupted. Either way I run the open beta standalone MT via link cable

Regarding OTT i never had that locking up or getting corrupted. Not once. Something must be off on your side, installation wise.

Also, everybody his own thing off course but Force IPD Distance set to "30"?
Did you ever notice that it's only the cockpit that gets twice as big  "and" that the outside world does not?

[Tomcat388th]

@phantom711

Whoops left over slide form my reverb G2 it wont let me delete the slide but I put a note to ignore it

 

J

22 hours ago, Phantom711 said:

@Tomcat388th

for the umpteenth time now…YOU DON‘T NEED THAT!!!

You are not using Windows Mixed Reality. It has zero effect. It might confuse others.

 

whoops left over slide for my G2

Edited January 15 by Tomcat388th

[Tomcat388th]

14 hours ago, Lange_666 said:

Regarding OTT i never had that locking up or getting corrupted. Not once. Something must be off on your side, installation wise.

Also, everybody his own thing off course but Force IPD Distance set to "30"?
Did you ever notice that it's only the cockpit that gets twice as big  "and" that the outside world does not?

For some reason OTT hates my system no idea why.  As for the IPD 30 this keeps me from having to wear cheater glasses  so I can read the txt on the mfds in the hornet/ viper. and I did notice it only effects the cockpit

J

[aleader]

It does get a little confusing.  People were having issues that they were getting ST thinking they had MT for a long time and sometime this fall they changed the default to now run MT rather than ST which confused people again (the default icon now launches MT).  And depending if you had made your own icon direct to the ST.exe or MT.exe things might not have changed . 

 

So apparently the default now...no need for shortcuts.

[Phantom711]

vor 4 Stunden schrieb aleader:

So apparently the default now...no need for shortcuts.

Because you go through the folder path everytime to get to the respective dcs.exe instead of having a shortcut on the desktop?

[aleader]

18 hours ago, Phantom711 said:

Because you go through the folder path everytime to get to the respective dcs.exe instead of having a shortcut on the desktop?

No idea what you're talking about.  I download the open beta, it puts an icon on the desktop, I double-click it.  You seem fixated on this shortcut thing.  If you want to keep doing that, nobody is stopping you.