So, recently I have been considering immersing myself more into the sim with a VR headset. I have a few questions that I am sure other VR users will be able to answer.
First off, I have the following system spec’s and want to know if I will be able to get better than average quality running VR.
Secondly, I have Honeycomb peripherals and would like to know if I can use them in conjunction with the VR headset or do I have to use the hand controllers that I have seen come with VR headsets?
Thirdly, although I am not on a tight budget, I really don’t think it’s such a great idea to “get my toes wet” by dropping 2k on a Varjo Aero headset. That is, unless your experience tells you that that’s the route a newbie in VR looking for an above average quality should go. That being said, would a Quest 3 be a good entry level headset or do you have any other suggestions or input?
And finally, I saw mention of the headset having a display port or USB. Is that something I should be concerned with?
First, your hardware should be fine. I have no xp with AMD, but that’s a higher end cpu, yea? Your card is better than mine and with a Quest 3 I get by… barely… with a 2nd gen 3080 with 12 GB of ram. I wouldn’t want to go lower than what I have though.
Secondly, no, you don’t have to use the VR controllers. I rarely touch them except to start Virtual Desktop.
Third, I love my Quest 3. I did a lot of research when the Quest 2 was the thing. I got that. I upgraded to a 3 and while I’m not sure it was worth a solid $500 for an upgrade, it’s a fantastic headset. I highly recommend it!
The headset has a USB-C port. I used a magnet to mount a 10k mAh battery pack that gives me, or would give me an extra 4 hrs of life if I ever needed it. The battery in the headset by itself might last 90 min to 2 hrs. I’ve never really pushed it. I find it rather aggravating having a wire connected to it. For one thing, USB ports won’t charge as fast as it drains - tho it might last for several hours still - I’m not really sure. Part of the issue is my PC is on my right side and the charging port on the headset is on the left. It’s just way easier to use a battery. Plus the weight of the battery balances the weight of the headset so it’s very comfortable.
Yea that is the king so you won’t have any worries there.
I’d also recommend the Quest 3 as a starting point. It’s great value and easy to use. Takes a bit of trial and error to get the sim running well but that is true for all VR headsets. The Q3 is probably easier.
There are lots of topics on the forums about setting it up so take a look through those if you get stuck and I’m sure you will find the answers or you can post and everyone will be happy to help.
I use mine with Virtual Desktop over WiFi (you need a good WiFi 6 router close to your head if possible) and then just use the USB-C port with a longer cable plugged into mains to power it. Don’t ever have to worry about battery even on marathon weekend flying sessions this way. I can’t be dealing with changing batteries mid-flight.
I have the cable hooked up over my head so there is no “drag” on my head at all. Wouldn’t even know I was “attached” so works perfectly for my situation. But yes the port is on the left so you’d need to be able to plug into a wall socket or extension on your left side.
As for using yoke etc, of course it all works and you’d be surprised how quick your brain works out where it is by muscle memory
I also recommend the Quest 3. I never user VR controlers except to start Virtual Desktop ( I recommend) . Flying TBM930 numerous actions are done using mouse buttons.
Ryzen 7 5800X3D-ASUS RTX4070 TI Super 16 Gb- 32 Gb DDR4 3200 Mhz
I think quest 3 will be a good start into VR.
Really another experience. When I fly 2D on my Monitor it’s boring. With VR you are in the cockpit.
I hope with FS2024 there will be some optimation for performance.
I suggest a Quest 3 running Virtual Desktop at either medium or high quality, if it doesn’t choke up that high, in the VD streamer settings. Re battery longevity, you can either get a new strap (the original one is rubbish anyway) with extra battery on it, like BoboVRS3, or run a long 90 degree connector USB cable from the headset to a USB charger. The former will get you a couple of hours runtime, the latter indefinite. I have both but ended up using the latter with my setup as my VR use is mostly fixed position and I hate battery charge anxiety.
I’ll throw my vote in with the Quest 3, but here’s some things to chew on.
It has a bug that will lock it permanently into battery saver mode, even after a factory reset, which means running low resolution. There have been some reporting this bug was already tripped right from the factory. There are some tips floating around on how to get it working right again, but they are not guaranteed (I’m one of the lucky ones). If you get one, make sure battery saver mode is turned off and stays off. Turning it on will trigger the bug until they get a permanent fix out.
Consider getting a third party facial interface and head strap. The stock facial interface felt rather scratchy on my skin, and third party head straps are just way more comfortable. If you get one with a built in battery, it’ll help balance the weight out. These are pretty subjective on which one will feel the best for you, but there is now at least one option with a hot swappable battery if you want battery powered but not be as time limited. I only fly a short while in VR, so this isn’t a problem for me.
As has been suggested, use the Virtual Desktop app. It will function much better than the Quest app, but the downside is it will require the headset to be on WiFi, and recommends the PC be hardwired.
A common recommendation is to have a dedicated VR only Wi-Fi network, but I would say that is not necessary unless your existing network is lower than Wi-Fi 6 or congested. I’m running just the one network on a Wi-Fi 6 mesh system in my home and things work fine. The Wi-Fi router is in the same room as my PC and about 10-12ft away.
I’ve thought about doing something like this, but it would be a rather long run from the outlet, up to a hanger and back down again. Do they make extra long Link cables to keep it properly powered over such a long distance?
Don’t need an actual Link cable if it’s only for charging. Any good quality rated (60w) charging cable will work. I had a 3 metre one laying about but search Amazon for usb-c charging cable and loads will come up. Like this:
That one has good reviews and decent price for 3m length but there are literally hundreds. Anker make one if you don’t mind spending a bit more on a “known” brand. Just make sure you get the other end with the correct type of USB for the plug that came with the Q3. I can’t remember now (not at home) but I think it’s C to C.
This is how mine is hooked and how close the WiFi access point is (dedicated):
@TheBlackWind977 & @Coleo91 - I was most concerned with my video card and more so, it’s VRAM. It’s only 12mb where I believe 16mb is recommended for MSFS. My son suggested these parts and built this PC for me. I only realized after the fact that I should have gotten a 16mb version of graphics card. This 12mb does fine for me in 2D but if I enjoy VR and this card isn’t giving me the quality of image I expect, I might step up in the future.
From the comments, it sounds like the Quest 3 would be a good entry point. I’m happy to hear that as it is rather inexpensive.
I see that most commented on the power supply and connectivity. I didn’t even realize the headset required power. Not sure why I didn’t think about that as it does have essentially 2 monitors in it that need power so thanks for all of your suggestions on power supply. As for connectivity, I do have WiFi 6e, my router sits about 5-6 feet from my head and I am the only one using it so I think I am good to go in that area.
I see that I will also need the Virtual Desktop software to run VR. I was unaware that software was required to run VR.
@Mooncatt3953 - Thank you for pointing out the bug with the battery saver mode. Great info that will save me some headaches. That will be the first thing I do when I receive the headset. I will certainly also look into a third party facial interface and head strap once I receive the headset.
This community is great! Thanks again for all of your help, pointers and suggestions.
When I went to look at purchasing options, I see that there is a 128GB or 512GB option. What is this storage used for on the headset and which is preferred for MSFS?
PC VR doesn’t need any extra storage on the Q3 whatsoever.
The 512GB option is only for people planning to use VR apps from the Meta store on the headset exceeding 128GB.
With regards to the Quest3, if you live in the U.S., Costco sells it with a better headstrap and has a VERY generous return policy just in case VR doesn’t work out for you or you decide later on you might want that Varjo Aero headset
12 will work. 16 might be optimal, but mine works with 12 and yours is a much more powerful GPU. You can always upgrade at some point, but I don’t think it’ll be necessary.
Rather than address the several comments of people using external batteries built into the headset - they are handy, in some ways better than the option I listed above, but my battery costs $12 to replace and under moderate to heavy use, they DO wear out. I’ve replaced mine once in 2 yrs - so that’s your call. Just keep it in mind.
I don’t think it’s a requirement - I never saw it listed as such, but it’s so handy for many things. I had it before I got MSFS. I haven’t tried to use it without VD.
With my Quest 2 I opted for the bigger one. I got the smaller with the 3 as I never used it. Basically if you use it as Meta intended and buy games from their store, you’ll probably want the bigger one. If you’re using it for FS, it won’t make a lick of difference. The other reason you might want storage is if you end up watching 3D movies (very cool!, or any movies) on a huge theater-like screen and don’t have it set to stream from your PC or stream them from the web.
You don’t HAVE to use it but it’s the only way I could get decent performance. Others have managed fine with the Meta software so worth a try but the VD app is not expensive in the grand scheme of things.
Nope… still working on that aspect of my lifelong obsession
You will need software on the PC to get the headset to talk to it properly, but it doesn’t have to be Virtual Desktop. Meta does have a free Quest desktop program you can use. If you do use it, they haven’t been good at updating their hardware support and you may get an erroneous hardware incompatibility notice on it.
Virtual Desktop is an optional third party paid program (not too expensive) that gives you a lot more flexibility, quality of life improvements (the virtual environments are pretty cool), and stability. One of the most useful features is its namesake. When running, you load into a virtual environment with your actual 2D desktop view represented on anything from a virtual monitor, a virtual TV, a movie theater screen, or simply floating in space. You then can interact with it just like in regular use.
The reason I say that is so useful is because of another bug that is in Windows itself and impacts the sim. If spacial audio is on, you can’t swap the sound output once the sim is loaded. You have to set the sound to the intended output prior to starting the sim. That means the headset would need to be connected and selected in the sound output prior to launching the sim. Virtual Desktop simplifies this by being able to get it connected and doing everything in it, including automatically switching the sound if needed, instead of connecting the headset, removing it to start the sim, then putting it back on again.
