This article might help smokihole…
1 Like
Thanks! I don’t normally run SteamVR except with IL2 (currently the only game in my library that seems to require it).
My bad. Getting my sims crossed obviously. Perhaps the article will be of some use to someone using a SteamVR app.
It seems to unload them when it doesn’t have focus, so it does seem quite light. In the latest update it also has changed so that when you press the ‘windows’ button on a controller it doesn’t actually load the house up but just the shortcut icon menus, allowing you to change volume, flashlight etc without the house loading up. If you want to actually go to the home then you can click an icon to get there which seems a smarter idea.
1 Like
I’m having a rough time finding DCS World settings that are smooth enough to prevent that maddening drop to the Steam VR loading screen while in game. This is happening on occasion when radio messages play and at other times when the game gets bogged down a bit. I might not have the sim on an SSD…so I might need to move my install… 
I’m running 1.6 PD in game and 200% in Steam VR. Do I need to knock one of those back ya think?
1 Like
Personally I think you will need DCS on an SSD, as judders like that will happen.
@chipwich did some great SteamVR and DCS experiments here:
It looks like just set SteamVR to 100% (as it is ignored visually) and use PD and MSAA alone (or just PD in my case on my weaker card).
1 Like
Yeah…thanks for the tips. Also going to try some of these suggestions too:
1 Like
Yep that guide is good and works well on X-Plane, IL-2 etc, but for DCS we’ve been scratching our heads seeing if the SteamVR values make any difference at all (to visual quality, it can certainly tank frames), especially as PD 1.6 seems to be O+ default resolution. Experiments needed! 
So yeah, I moved my Steam VR down to 100%. There is a place there (Pre Application) where you can tailor each program to what you want, but I don’t see DCS World there, it looks like it only contains Steam programs and games. Is there a way to manually add games to that ya’ think? Because for something like VTOL VR, I’ve found I can run up to 300% there with no problems (probably because it isn’t real super graphics intensive I assume).
Any-who…dropping Steam VR to 100% for DCS World made a big difference in fluidity (retaining 1.8 PD setting in DCS World). I didn’t see any decrease in picture quality by going from 200% to 100%…just performance gains…
Maybe I’ll try 1.6 PD and see how that works since maybe 1.8 doesn’t buy me anything more. I’m also moving my install to an SSD. Probably should have done that a long time ago.
3 Likes
Is there a difference between launching Steam VR and Windows Mixed Reality for Steam VR? The WMR one disappeared from my quick launch menu for a while today and I was only using the Steam VR one and it did seem to work. Or did I divide by zero and cause the universe to implode?
On my system, when I pick up my headset, WMR launches automatically. If it didn’t, I would launch it manually just before I put on my headset so that I can get through the Look Left Right Down process. Then I launch SteamVR, then DCS.
Yeah…no, the WMR always launches when I put on the headset…but if I want to turn on Steam VR, I have to go down to the quick launch area and there are two options there…
Just wondering if there is any difference between selecting “SteamVR” or “WIndows Mixed Reality for SteamVR”…or if they just launch the same thing…
You can do the ‘Add Link’ thing in the Steam Library and add an outside app, that makes it appear in the SteamVR list.
For the WMR ‘chain’ it sort of looks like this:
[DCS] → [Wants to Talk SteamVR Device] → [WMR SteamVR ‘bridge’ detects that] → [SteamVR]
…so essentially you are using SteamVR from DCS, but just through a translation layer of the WMR SteamVR bridge app. The translation is actually pretty tiny, as the WMR api is very close to SteamVR.
What I tend to do is just start the DCS icon from my desktop and then everything starts up fine. You will need SteamVR to be running always unless the app wanting to use the headset natively supports WMR, of which not many games do.
1 Like
Thanks. Trying to get the best order of operations down so that I don’t blow 5 minutes waiting for DCS to load only to realize that I’m missing something like the handset controllers. I think you had mentioned before to prevent the 6DOF errors you must have those showing in Steam VR prior to launching DCS World. They fall asleep sorta fast sometimes.
I’ve pretty much been using Skate’s utility to launch in VR or non-VR depending what I’m doing.
Thanks for the Add Link tip…didn’t know I could do that.
Hmm, for the add link I am now not so sure. It certainly shows the ‘running app’ in there, so perhaps that’s the way to use it. For ‘Application Resolution Adjustment’ when ‘DCS.exe’ is shown it seems like you can put it to ‘20%’ and it still ignores it all.
EDIT: It doesn’t ignore it, it just only reads it at start-up. If I put the Video / Manual Overide to 20% in SteamVR then it makes a tiny DCS window.
1 Like
It worked well for me. I set Video Resolution to auto (200%), added DCS and DCS multiplayer in the Steam Library, went to the properties tab for each and chose “Include in VR Library”, then in SteamVR reduced each Application Resolution slider to 50%, which yields the same resolution as putting the global slider on 100%, launched DCS and it was very smooth. No noticeable performance hit as before when placing Vid Res on Auto and not making the app adjustment.
Ah, the Application adjustment of 50% is combined with the Video Resolution setting of 200% to make it 100%. For me I had the Video Resolution at 100%, and the App adjustment to 50% and saw a blocky image as only 50% resolution in DCS when restarted.
1 Like
So, now you guys have had a few days with the Odyssey Plus, are you still happy with it? More to the point, would you buy it again if you could turn back the clock?
1 Like
I would again I think, especially as the comfort thing I’ve got used to with my Zoolander headband.
A fair analogy for those who have stared at graphics cards is that is it like having a Nvidia 1080 and then spending the money going to a 2080 Ti. On one level it is completely unnecessary for a 1080 owner to do that, while on another it probably provides future headroom. If you wouldn’t go from a 1080 to a 2080 Ti then I probably wouldn’t go from a Rift to an O+. If you don’t have a 1080 already, then you might as well go for the 2080 Ti if you’re spending money anyway.
2 Likes
I’m running a 1080 right now. I will wait on a 2080Ti until I get a new PC probably next year sometime. I’m seeing the O+ as a stepping stone upgrade. I guess at $300 (if I can snag one this weekend) I can’t really go wrong.