Going to do this (VR) - appreciate help...

[Keith Briscoe]

Here's my situation... firstly, I've been doing a bunch of research on forums/reading/videos, etc. - so I'm trying to get educated and prepared.

My plan (most likely) is to dip my toe in the VR waters by purchasing a used [edit: just agreed to buy a used Reverb G2 v2... not Quest 2] and try to get set up with my current system: i7 9700k, 32g ram, 2080ti, 2x m2 drives.

My goals are: 1) see if I can get the needed HW and SW set up and working; 2) discover whether I can physically stand/get used to the VR environment - I'll do my best to not just start doing yee-haw barrel rolls; 3) determine whether the immersion warrants further investment in both PC and headset(s).

So... here's where I'd like help:  I hope it's not just me, but for all the reading and video watching I've done, I cannot figure out what HW or SW I need to / should start with. Strike this... Specifically: do I need an extra battery pack?  do I need a "link"/usb cable?  do I use OpenXR or Oculus Debug or Tray Tool or SteamVR??... [edit: do I just use both steamVR and WMR, or do I also do openXR?]

I realize there are a lot of variables and a lot of personal preferences for optimization - and I'm confident I'll figure those out over time if I stick with VR.  But, would really appreciate and reasonably straight-forward starting point given my PC specs and goals.

Thanks in advance.

Edited April 5, 2024 by Keith Briscoe
Different headset

[Maddaawg]

With the G2 you will use WMR and OpenXR. You didn't say which Windows version, the G2 requires WMR which I hope you know Windows is ending support for with the next Win11 yearly update. So don't update Win11 or stay in Win10. As long as you don't update you'll still be able to use WMR and I believe that's until 2027ish.

I would stick with standalone which is directly from ED vs Steam. Though any modules purchased on Steam can be transferred but not visa-versa.

You'll want to get multiple apps to assist you eventually, but WMR and OpenXR -Toolkit to start. Google that and it's a free app on Github.

WMR should start automatically when you power up the G2, then from the monitor in the WMR home start DCS. 

This is a long process, and the above was just the key to the door of your new classroom.

Also, your going to want a HOTAS immediately. It is not fun without one. But if you just want to see if you can stand VR, you can use a keyboard and mouse.

[Chief_Biv]

You need to get OpenXR Tools for WMR from the Windows App store as well as The OpenXR Toolkit from Github for the G2.

In DCS Controls make sure you have enabled the VR Headset in the VR tab and set pixel density to 1.0.

In DCS System I would select the VR level of detail button and use DLSS with your card (try balanced). A 2080ti will not be able to run VR smoothly with high details. You can work your way up from the default VR settings.

In OpenXR Tools for WMR: Turn on latest preview OpenXR runtime; Customize render scale to 100%; prefer frame rate over latency. I Disable Motion Reprojection in this window (But turn it on in the OpenXR Toolkit).

In the OpenXR Toolkit: Turn on Motion Reprojection and let it be unlocked. Turn off Turbo mode and Over-prediction reduction.

I also recommend running Quadviews Fixed Foveated Rendering (another app) instead of doing it in the OpenXR Toolkit to get better performance and visuals in VR. You will need to Google this as the instructions of how to implement this is a little complicated and it must be done correctly.

 

 

[Keith Briscoe]

12 hours ago, Maddaawg said:

With the G2 you will use WMR and OpenXR. You didn't say which Windows version, the G2 requires WMR which I hope you know Windows is ending support for with the next Win11 yearly update. So don't update Win11 or stay in Win10. As long as you don't update you'll still be able to use WMR and I believe that's until 2027ish.

I would stick with standalone which is directly from ED vs Steam. Though any modules purchased on Steam can be transferred but not visa-versa.

You'll want to get multiple apps to assist you eventually, but WMR and OpenXR -Toolkit to start. Google that and it's a free app on Github.

WMR should start automatically when you power up the G2, then from the monitor in the WMR home start DCS. 

This is a long process, and the above was just the key to the door of your new classroom.

Also, your going to want a HOTAS immediately. It is not fun without one. But if you just want to see if you can stand VR, you can use a keyboard and mouse.

Thank you both.  First off, I'm all set with HOTAS and I'm currently on Win10 - so all good there.

I notice you did not call out SteamVR (nor did @Chief_Biv)..  Can I therefore assume I do not need to use/access SteamVR... but instead only need the OpenXR pieces of sw to get started?  Then, perhaps use the quad views app/sw after I get some baseline settings and reasonable experience?
Maybe all the videos are a bit dated, but it seems I've most seen the reference of SteamVR when it comes to the Reverb G2 (and I understand that I can add my stand-alone DCS to Steam if that's what I'm required to do).

Is it just that OpenXR and SteamVR ultimately do the same types of things so you only need one??  This is where I really lose the plot....

[Phantom711]

No. You need „Windows Mixed Reality“ as the „plattform“ to run VR with a Reverb G2. Don‘t bother with SteamVR! Back in the days…so more than a year ago, maybe more…one had to run DCS through WMR and SteamVR, but then DCS started to support OpenXR which made that detour obsolete.

Edited April 5, 2024 by Phantom711

[Maddaawg]

You only need to worry about WMR to start with. Get the G2 up and running in the WMR home and try getting use to VR. When your ready, open DCS from within WMR on the monitor screen and that's it. After that, you can worry about other apps. One of the most recommended is OpenXR Toolkit. OpenXR Toolkit

[Nightdare]

On 4/4/2024 at 5:12 PM, Keith Briscoe said:

My plan (most likely) is to dip my toe in the VR waters

 

What you are using is somewhat scraping the bottom of the barrel, VR asks for quite a bit more than 2d users need to get the same effect
With my setup I get a bit more than half the FPS in VR (and not nearly as consistent), as I do in 2d at the same low/moderate graphic settings and I could boost the detail in 2d quite a bit, while keeping decent FPS, not so for VR

BUT, VR is an experience on another level and the only time I would fly without is when I'm setting up controls, so if your system doesn't cut it, I'd still be a proponent of putting cash into more horsepower, rather than giving it up

[Keith Briscoe]

Well,,,, first of all, thanks to the responses.  Second.... holy hell!!!  I got this up and running and I'm blown away.  If this is scraping the bottom of the barrel, I can't imagine what you all are seeing with higher spec.  Sure, I've only done some instant action and basic SP missions, but so far I cannot believe how well it's working.  Is that a first for a new VR, mid-to-"lower" spec player??

To be honest, this has basically just cemented that I'll pony up for even more horsepower. 

Time to give my eyes and head a break!  

[MAThrasher]

Welcome to the club!  .  Flying VR is not cheap, but it is worth it for the experience!

[Chief_Biv]

ED has introduced a lot of performance enhancements in the last 12 months (MT and DLSS). Therefore, provided you can live with down rating some of the visual candy you can enjoy VR on a modest GPU. Yes more horsepower will be next on my upgrade path (cash sink hole). Hopefully the G2 will keep running for a while yet.

[Keith Briscoe]

Now I need to figure out how/if any amount of passthrough is possible.

Certainly going to get my voice attack going again too.

[Qcumber]

 

8 hours ago, Keith Briscoe said:

If this is scraping the bottom of the barrel, I can't imagine what you all are seeing with higher spec. 

Welcome to VR. There is no going back. You can probably tweak your settings to get better results. For example, you could try using Quad Views Foveated rendering. This allows you to reduce resolution in the periphery and increase performance. The g2 has no eye tracking but can still work in fixed mode. I understand that the g2 has a sharp centre and soft edges so this might work quite well for you. 

https://github.com/mbucchia/Quad-Views-Foveated

[Keith Briscoe]

Re: quad view/foveated... I will try this.

Buy, I just read/saw something that said this is less likely to be effective if I am CPU bound.

When using only the in game dcs fps counter, I do see the msg CPU bound and in yellow and red at times.  I'll pull up the openxr toolkit overlay to further check.

[Qcumber]

7 minutes ago, Keith Briscoe said:

Re: quad view/foveated... I will try this.

Buy, I just read/saw something that said this is less likely to be effective if I am CPU bound.

When using only the in game dcs fps counter, I do see the msg CPU bound and in yellow and red at times.  I'll pull up the openxr toolkit overlay to further check.

Just looked at your specs. A 9700k is quite old so you might not see much benefit with QVFR but it could be worth a try. You could also try an earlier form of Fixed Foveated Rendering in open xr toolkit. 

[Nightdare]

18 hours ago, Keith Briscoe said:

I got this up and running and I'm blown away.  If this is scraping the bottom of the barrel, I can't imagine what you all are seeing with higher spec

 Like I said: "VR is an experience on another level" even at lower fidelity