Next Gen VR hardware

Stringfellow

Stringfellow

Member
Firstly... I think KE has done everything possible to ensure the successful implementation & adoption of VR into Realflight.

- They made it compatible with the two main rigs... Oculus & Vive.
- They've speculated that it should work with anything that uses OpenVR.

We can't expect them to gaurantee support for hardware which isn't even out yet! And I'm sure the VR aspect of Realflight will need to be tweeked as VR in general continues to evolve... or maybe even explode!

I don't have any VR hardware right now so I'm keen to buy into the cutting edge. So far, the HMD Odessey by Samsung looks like the top shelf VR unit to grab. But it's actually just one of many units being released under the banner of Windows Mixed Reality.
This Next Generation includes offerings from...
- Samsung
- HP
- LG
- Dell
- Pi Max
- Lenovo
- Acer
- Microsoft
- Many others I'm sure

As WMR badged units, they will all support OpenVR, Steam VR content and inside-out tracking. But they will have differences in screen type, refresh rate, field of view and of course price point.

So let the VR comparison, experimentation, glitching, griping and Evolution begin!
 
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I'm looking at Samsung, hopefully Knife Edge will get one to test and report back to us. These WMR devices look to be the must have gifts for the holiday season.
 
I just watched some info on the Pimax 8k. This looks like a Samsung killer (which was already an Oculus/Vive killer)

Specs are -
- 3840 x 2160 per eye resolution
- 200 Degree feild of view
- Capable of Inside Out Tracking (but maybe with extra hardware sold separately)

... But will it work with RF? Can RF take advantage of 200 degrees FOV? What kind of horsepower are we talking about in order to even run 2x 4k displays?
Btw - when I read about Time Warp & Brain Warp, it makes me feel like waiting for a card powerful enough to do it properly without these little 'cheats'.
 
I don't think that the Pimax unit is quite there yet. I read a forum on their website http://forum.pimaxvr.com and it looks like they're have a few things to work out. Right now they seem to having problems with the refresh rate at the maximum level of 90hz. Reading a forum post from the team making the set, it looks like it's only stable at 80hz and below. They are also talking about the possibility of 5k resolution which would be easier to work with.

This is also why we need a off topic discussion forum
 
Yup, it's an exciting time for VR. Now is the time when old standards are going to get exploded and replaced with new heights. Seems like VR poised to squeeze every bit of power from the yet to be released graphics cards... and actually to drive new card development.
It's wide open. There will be some false starts, unfulfilled promises and also-rans along the way. But this competition bodes very well for all of us :D
 
Just How Many Sets of Goggles are We Going to Need?

I am totally digging this VR stuff. I have been doing the FPV goggles for several years. Now different goggles are needed for desktop VR. Is it only me that wants a standard around all these technologies can be based?

Hard to know what I want next... I am stuck with buyers panic of not doing anything.
 
12oclockhigh said:
I am totally digging this VR stuff. I have been doing the FPV goggles for several years. Now different goggles are needed for desktop VR. Is it only me that wants a standard around all these technologies can be based?

Hard to know what I want next... I am stuck with buyers panic of not doing anything.
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The FPV Goggles that RC uses, Like My Fat Shark Dominators, should not be confused with VR Goggles and do not have the capability of connecting to The computer and work like the Occulus, Vive, and the Windows Mixed Reality goggles. They don't have the motion sensors and tracking functions required to work in the VR Space of the computer. My Fat Sharks, do have a HDMI input, but it works more like a fixed computer screen when connected to the computer. Head movements do not move my picture around Like they would on actual VR Goggles.

Then there are the phone VR setups, like the Samsung Gear VR. These setups use the phones built in sensors, to detect movement and move the picture around simulating the VR Setups that you get with PC VR. The phone is doing the work here, and there really isn't a way to connect this to Realflight.
 
12oclockhigh said:
I am totally digging this VR stuff. I have been doing the FPV goggles for several years. Now different goggles are needed for desktop VR. Is it only me that wants a standard around all these technologies can be based?

Hard to know what I want next... I am stuck with buyers panic of not doing anything.
Click to expand...

Same here. Eventually it'll settle into a common standard new units will revolve around. Now it's the wild west. The WMR units are set to unify some basic standards, but there are outliers such as the Pimax trying to out do the pack... and experiencing the difficulties of skipping ahead to the next next generation.
Another wrinkle is that the exponential growth in graphic card power we've come to expect may begin to slow as the existing techology begins to top out... while VR will want to charge full Moore's Law speed ahead. So there may be an impending bottleneck... hope not.

I'm not too keen to buy into Oculus or Vive because they're about to become last gen pretty quick. Maybe if I can pick one up for cheap as a stop gap while the new tech shakes out.

So yes, it's hard to know what to want at this point. Ain't it great? :)
 
Well, I just picked up an Oculus Rift at Best Buy for $349 on sale. Tonight or tomorrow I'm going to order a Samsung Odyssey.

Stay tuned for side by side comparison :D
 
Got RF8 working with Oculus last night. Didn't take much once the headset was set up... just had to set Oculus software to run Unknown Programs.

Wow what an experience! Totally changes the feel of the sim. You get used to the camera automatically following the bird, but when you have to turn your head, you get so much more sense of SPEED! Just like at the field! You become more conscious of keeping that freeging unhinged angry lawnmower the hell away from you! Just like at the field. I won't say I got the same pucker factor as in real... but it's alot closer!

- One odd thing though... I could not get objects to show in VR. In neither photofields or rendered ones. I'll look into that and call tech support if I have to.

- Only bad thing is the resolution. And this is pretty bad. The SDE (screen door effect) is more pronounced with RF than with other applications. No fix for this really... radio control models are small objects which are always some distance from the pilot. As Ryan said, VR is about the experience, not adding pixels. But it looks grainy, and I never stopped noticing it.

- Speaking of other applications... They gave me Robo Recall and a few others as a bundle. If you never had any interest in VR but you're a casual gamer, CHECK THIS OUT! Hahaha, I spent 2 hours last night shooting robots and deflecting bullets! The "Touch" controllers are very intuitive and once you have a VR set, there's all kinds of mischief to get into!

- Skycar is a BLAST too! Just fly around a cityscape in a flying car. Go between buildings & such. Controls will be instantly familiar to RC pilots. ( Do it sitting down! )

- Waiting on the Odyssey to arrive. I've watched all the review vids. Before laying hands on it, I already have the feeling that it's only real advantages will be resolution and ease of setup. In comparison to the Rift/Vive, common themes among reviewers are...
- Feels cheap & plastic-ee
- Tracking is "Good enough" but not as good as Rift/Vive with external trackers
- Controllers are "Good enough" but nowhere near as good as Rift/Vive

So if resolution is the Odyssey's only real advantage, is it worth the tradeoffs in price & quality? RF8 is the program which cries out for higher res, and that's the one I care about most soooo Maybe!

And of course, we don't really know if it even works with RF... Updates to come!
 
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Nice review of the reality of VR right now. I also purchased it for RF and updated to RF 8 from 7.5 No other real reason to update except for the VR. The idea is great it works but the resolution makes some things just not work like flying pattern sequences which are by design flown a good distance away from you. Close in flying, 3D flying does work.

On the other hand I too was amazed by the VR games including the free ones that you get. It is a real cool technology. Much better than I thought it would be. My wife said I couldn't return it and it was a hit over Thanksgiving.

Too bad but I am sure that in the near future the resolution issues will be addressed.

One caveat if you are prone to motion sickness some of the games will get you there quickly including RF if you pick in front of the plane camera view (not in the cockpit). Hear you are flying freely controlled by your controller. Took all of one banked turn to moake me sick ?
 
It is an exciting time in VR. A lot is still being figured out, but the experience of standing on the ground with an RC airplane really sells the illusion for me.

Motion sickness seems to be really variable for folks. Nose cam is fine for me, but I get unhappy quick in chase cam. Being "dragged around" by the plane really messes me up.
 
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I've been messing with RF8 with Oculus also. I'm a 3D pilot, and own a company in the industry. Fly demos etc.

I'm sold. Totally love it.

I bought a Samsung Odyssey $50 off during BF and it will arrive Friday. Since RF8 only cares about seated tracking in theory the Odyssey should be perfect. with 50% more pixels it should vastly open up the flying area.

SteamVR supports MR headsets now, so this should all work. Fingers crossed.
 
OnTheSnap said:
I've been messing with RF8 with Oculus also. I'm a 3D pilot, and own a company in the industry. Fly demos etc.

I'm sold. Totally love it.

I bought a Samsung Odyssey $50 off during BF and it will arrive Friday. Since RF8 only cares about seated tracking in theory the Odyssey should be perfect. with 50% more pixels it should vastly open up the flying area.

SteamVR supports MR headsets now, so this should all work. Fingers crossed.
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It works... Ryan posted about it.

https://forums.realflight.com/showthread.php?t=32852
 
OnTheSnap said:
Sweet!

But disappointing he wasn't more excited about the better resolution. :-(

I'll know for myself soon.
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Buy aerofly 2 if you want to experience flying real planes in the cockpit..........i was amazed ! and you really need to know how to fly. its not that easy !
 
BaMMeR991 said:
Buy aerofly 2 if you want to experience flying real planes in the cockpit..........i was amazed ! and you really need to know how to fly. its not that easy !
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I gather there are quite a few full size simulators to choose from. But that's really off topic for this thread.
 
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