Oculus doesn’t need OpenXR, I even tried to use OpenXR just to test features w/ my Oculus, and it doesnt work, as it’s looking for a device connecting through Windows MR API, when Oculus does not use the API (unless I’m setting it up wrong).
But I have no issue with Oculus, the Mirror Application in Oculus is years ahead of everyone else, I can open the mirror while running DCS, Set it to 1 eye, offset the position, apply motion smoothing, etc and have OBS record that windows at 1080P w/ Zero Problems.
SteamVR/WMR Headsets should use OpenXR, as SteamVR has crash out issues with demanding GPU Engines.
So instead of DCS Render Pipe → WMR → SteamVR → Headset,
you get DCS Render Pipe → OpenXR → Headset
WMR API has it’s own issues, SteamVR API I believe is still 32-Bit, so high memory and demanding GPU Pipelines crash it out w/ exception errors.
I can confidently say 100% of the SteamVR Users I got to switch to OpenXR have not had any crashes since switching.
Concur. I didn’t see any significant performance increase with OpenXR (though I’ve not tested them side-by-side in some time) but I got tired of the crashing in SteamVR.
Highly concur with all points. I didn’t know how nice it was to have a stable VR experience until switching to the Quest 2. I’m not sure that I could go back to a WMR headset, even if they being given away. Hoping for Open XR adaptation by DCS as well, for our brethren’s sake.
I actually own two Quest 2’s (don’t ask) so I took your words to heart and put my HP G2 and my older Quest 2 up for sale tonight. I should’ve done this a long time ago … I don’t want these expensive assets collecting dust! Just in time for Christmas too! I have a feeling they’re still a hot commodity. I couldn’t even find a G2 on the buy/sell site in my area.
I got what he was saying, once he got around to it.
However a quick look at sale prices and…gasp!. It’s 3X more expensive than my G2. So, $1,600 for a VR headset? Then perhaps $1,600 for a 4090 to run it butta-smooth (maybe). Yikes. This hobby is getting more expensive exponentially. Or it feels that way. Need to mow some more lawns I guess
I got sucked into a massively expensive upgrade spiral back in the mid to late '90s - Upgrading from a 486 DX2/66 to a Pentium 133 in about two years wasn’t a single upgrade but four incremental upgrades, each costing about the same as a decent PC today (probably more if you factor inflation).
Since then, my upgrade ‘cycle’ and philosophy have changed. My current PC is only two years old, the previous build was 2009 (with incremental upgardes to CPU, RAM and Graphics cards). And, I’m more than happy to sit at least a generation behind the bleeding edge… e.g. now that 40 series nvidia cards are coming out, I will be looking at a 30 series (depending on how the new AMD cards stack up) to replace my 2060S.
Same with VR. My G2 isn’t ideal, but not to the point where I can justify dropping the coin on a Quest Pro, or even a Quest 2. Besides in 12-18 months time when my G2 might really be giving me the sh1ts, the next latest headset will be out that smashes everything today… which means Quest 2’s and Pro’s will then be available cheap on ebay when @Elby sells his
To each their own, but for me, as much as I would like to have the bestest and fastest like I did way back then… These days I’m happy to wait.
Considering 80% of VR Users are playing games that don’t overflow SteamVR’s memory buffer limit, and considering Oculus (I mean meta), is planning another Price increase, they should sell fairly quick.,
I just swapped out my Index, for a Pico 4 headset.
A good week in, and so far I’m really liking the new pancake type lenses, the lighter weight and better balance.
It also has a resolution similar to the G2, and due to the pancake lenses, a much larger sweetspot. Almost the entire lens really, but not quite to the edge.
The best thing, I sold the Index and my old 2080, and in return got a new Pico4 and a used 3080, without having to dig in to my wallet.
From the consumer POV, the price is outrageous. I wish that I would have bought 2 of the factory refurbished Quest 2 HMDs for $199 when @smokinhole linked them. I bought one for the kids and now in an epic struggle to reclaim it from them! It’s pretty common to sit down at my gaming rig after I put them to bed and find a disconnected link cable and no headset.
Anyway, I think the point of the video is yes, its expensive, but for flight simulations it is the best headset. It seems like all of the reviews prior were done by traditional gaming channels, most of which are using it stand-alone, and looking at it from that POV, its hard to make a case against the Q2. But from the prosumer POV, of which I consider most flight simmers are in that category, older with more disposable income and most sensitive to the HMD’s performance, it is a better fit for all of the reasons he details.
OpenVR through Steam? Are there any problems using that, as long as WMR isn’t thrown in the mix?
The Index ran DCS through Steam VR too, without any hiccups, in my experience.
With the Pico4 I’ve been using Virtual desktop to connect to the PC, and then run DCS with SteamVR, just like i did when using the Index.
Yeah, it is a good alternative to a Quest2, and pretty cheap too.
Hardware specs on the Pico4 is better though, the big thing being pancake lenses, so no more fresnel godrays. Also, it has separate displays, better resolution and motorized ipd adjust.
Downside is, it’s another walled garden, games store.
Luckily I’ve bought most games on Steam anyway, so doesn’t matter much to me.
Oh, and no display port, so wifi and usb cable streaming from PC only.
