Is flying in VR less boring?

I find it to be more exhausting rather than more exciting most of the days. VR takes a toll on my energy, both to setup and to use.

I fly both. I don’t use complex setups, just a FS, VR Headset, KB + Mouse, Flightstick, Gamepad.
They’re both great experiences, and each with their own pros/cons/baggage/limitations/issues.

VR is more “immersive” in some ways, in others it’s worse, depending perhaps on how much you want to spend trying to pretend you’re actually in a real plane vs a toy plane (or car or whatever).
It’s a matter of trade-offs for what you want to do at the time as well.
Sometimes it’s just easier to jump into FS, sometimes you can only get what you want in VR (sense of depth perception needed for certain activities being one). Even with relatively simple setups VR can be a pita sometimes to get going. It’s like following an aircraft checklist before you even get in the virtual aircraft.

You can alleviate some of these by injecting large sums of money in pursuit of “moar pixels and FPS” but if you’re not engaged with the simulation to begin with then that’s also a losing proposition. You should probably think a little more in that case why you want to play MSFS, and the sorts of activities that may interest you and which mode (FS vs VR) aligns best with those (and the time you have allocated to them).

Sim issues can also impact things negatively no matter how much you spend, so good luck with that lottery! The more hardware and software you add to your setup the more non-linear interactions you are creating which may or may not go belly up at any time. Enjoy those extra special moments when it all runs smooth as silk😂

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I’ve been using VR since 2020 came out. It’s just not possible to compare with 2d. It takes wayyyyy too much tweaking and sometimes I plan to fly but in the end it just doesn’t happen because something isn’t working like it was working (perfectly) the day before. But it is what it is.. I still have a ‘old’ headset (Reverb G2), but the image is clear enough to give me a total immersion. Comparing it to 2d, using your mouse or a button on your joystick or even a headtracker, doesn’t even do it justice. The issue I find most immersion-breaking ist the fact that I need to take of my headset to make notes when flying on VATSIM. So I usually start my Vatsim flights in 2D and as soon as I start to taxi, I switch to VR as from takeoff onwars, most can be done from within the VR environment (frequency changes, looking at maps etc). Perhaps my next headset will be one with a see-through option in case I have write something down. Good luck in making your final decisions!

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Have you tried Sky4Sim? It has a notepad and a scribble pad you can use on the tablet in VR.

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Thanks for the tip. I think I’ve looked at that yes. But still gives you a ‘keyboard’ to take notes. The closest I came to something suitable and ‘lifelike’ was using OpenKneeboard, which allowed me to make notes with stylus and a Wacom graphics tablet . But than you still have to find the tablet on your leg and the writing was kinda wishy/washy.

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Yes that is the case, but you could get quite quick at making short notes that you understand with some practice probably :slight_smile: (I think your actual keyboard works with it too)

Another option I use sometimes but it’s a multi step process. Use All-in-one tablet (a different payware product) with iOS (or Android depending on your phone) to show the phone screen in VR, then use a note app on the phone which you can ‘dictate’ to by voice. Then you are down to the voice-recognition gods whether it recognises what you say accurately but for numbers it’s usually spot on.

But yeah, there is not really a streamlined way of doing this stuff. VR is a compromise for sure.

To stay on-topic for the OP question:
There has been some great answers here, and it does totally depend what type of flying you enjoy. I mainly do GA touring / sight seeing / checking out Photogrammetry close up (often in helicopters) and close formation flying. For this, VR is amazing. I have been using it for just over 1.5 years and I have literally not flown on my flat screen a single time since getting it. No going back for me.

But the key (for you, it seems) is identifying WHY you get bored. As someone above mentioned, join some groups that fly regularly online doing they type of flying you do and it opens up the world in that you will have flight plans and locations to visit that you would have never thought of on your own. Some beautiful things to see out there and it makes the event more social, meet some like-minded new friends and chat about how bas Asobo is at doing updates :smiley:

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I understand that setting up VR can be time-consuming. But once it’s properly set up, shouldn’t it just work? Do you have to constantly adjust the settings?

I get bored sometimes during the cruise flight. Just flying straight from one point to another at the same altitude. With VR, I would expect that looking out the window, flying through clouds, or flying into sunsets, etc., would feel more exciting.

I’ve never tried group flights before. I really should give that a try.

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There’s nothing exciting to do in a real aircraft flying at FL380 during 3 hours cruise in real life either. We are there only to manage the systems. Maybe flight simulation its not the best place to get entertaining if you’re looking for it.

Or do different kinds of flying. 3h of high altitude cruise in VR with nothing happening sounds a bet taxing for nothing too. Most exciting after a while would be something like walking around the plane looking at things or through windows.

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Perhaps this helps you out 8 INSANE Tools to Find Your Next Flight in MSFS (You’ll Use #3 Every Time)

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I’m a bit late to reply, so I’ll try to give a summarized answer from my own VR experience.

=> Back when I didn’t use VR, there were some types of aircraft that I would not use, because they were boring to me. Stuff like small GA aircraft like a Cub or even a C172, etc… Not exciting, not challenging, you know…

=> After I switched to VR, and discovered how it felt to “actually be in the cockpit”, I suddenly felt the urge to check each and every single aircraft in my hangar, just for the pleasure to re-discover how it looks from the inside. Also, especially with low&slow small GA aircraft, I realized that I was getting a completely new feeling from flying even just around the airfield. It’s like everything was more exciting than before. Everything felt new. And don’t get me started about helicopters, which are probably the kind of aircraft that benefits the most from the VR experience.

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I bought my Quest 3 explicit for playing MSFS2024. Setting all up was a pain but the experience flying in VR is overhelming. As was said before the imersion of beeing in the cockpit is uncomparabel to a 2D view. I would never switch back to 2D for Sim flying.
That said flying Airlines @FL330 and above for a long time usualy is boring. Period.
From such hights you can´t realy see much of the ground and often times the only thing outside are clouds. Even if you are not IN the clouds and despite clouds looking gourgous in MSFS2024 (with the right settings and light) after a while it will get boring. And I yet have to find a good way to watch YT oder netflix or what ever while flying in VR.
What realy is crazy good is anything low and preferable fast. When you got no motion sickness that is. I had a realy bad start but given time and a slow familiarization period its completly gone now. And there is nothing linke going inverted over a ridge at slightly under the speed of sound in a modern fighter jet. Or doing some sightseeing in Paris at night in an ultralight plane. Or soaring on the side of mountain flank in the alps at sunset.
The possibilties are endless and MSFS 2024 is just starting. A few month ago I bought an addon that adds power cabels with collision detection to the sim and since then when we are doing a multiplayer excursion we are diving in tiny ga planes under such powerlines. That is not boring at all :slight_smile:
I would give it a try. Good luck and have fun

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I made the switch from 2D to VR at the start of this year & yes it’s been a bit of an experience but think I’m in a happy place with it now. Does it feel more exciting? I’d say yes but think the key word here is immersion.

I built my own PC (with plenty of help on this forum) later part of last year as I was doing all my flight simming on the xbox & I aways wanted to build a gaming computer. I gathered all the parts needed to best I could afford & got myself a 4K monitor. I was happy as Larry in MSFS2020 flying on the 2D 4K monitor switching my views via the hat switch on my yoke. I then discovered the Tobii 5 which I purchased second hand & was blown away how just moving my head or eyes could change my view on screen to where I wanted to look. I thought this is total immersion this.
I was happy with this 2D set-up but I couldn’t help notice the YouTube vids that was showcasing VR in MSFS2020 & was keen to dabble in it to see what it was like.

My other half got me a Quest 3 last Xmas & will never forget the first time I got it all set-up, fired the sim up and placed myself in the cockpit of the Cows DA42. Got to say I was absolutely blown away with what I saw. Everything just seemed on a different scale & as though I was sitting right there in the aircraft. Truly an amazing feeling of immersion. It didn’t take long before I wanted to try this out in the Spitfire :wink:

Now, once I was over this wow factor I spent the next 3-4 months tweaking this tweaking that, link cable or wifi, but was never really satisfied as I was trying to compare the image quality in the headset compared to what I got used to on a 4K monitor. I learned that in VR the settings on my system just needed toning down a bit & the image wont really match what I was used to on my monitor.

Nevertheless, I stuck with it & accepted the image & settings trade off between using VR & 2D 4K. I now have the Pimax Crystal Light ( Lenses replaced ) & love it & can’t see myself ever flight simming without it.

99% of the time I fly GA out of little airfields so the VR is great for that VFR flight. Everything from taxi, take-off, cruise & landing is totally immersive in VR.
I’ve tried going back to 2D flying with the Tobii 5 but it’s just not the same, nowhere near. The only time I do go back to 2D is when I fancy a change & fly the Fenix A320 with GSX etc all running, it just runs smoother on 2D. But I rarely fly tube liners anyway.

Sorry for long post, Good luck if you go the VR route you wont be disappointed or bored. Even with autopilot switched on & looking out the aircraft window at the scenery below in your headset will keep you entertained every time for sure.

Cheers

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I started with a small Oculus, then had a Samsung Odyssey, then a Pimax 8kx.
I also tried a Crystal and although the colours and resolution are better, I decided to stick with the 8kx for now because of the larger FOV.

Let me describe it like this (no kidding):
I fly with my brother, who lives far away from me, in multiplayer.
Then we land on a beach somewhere on the west coast of Africa in real weather and real time, using an add-on where you can share chairs and a campfire.
We both sit in camping chairs and enjoy the sunset on the beach (listening to the waves, birds an crackling fire) and watch the stars slowly appear. We have an undisturbed chat about Skpy and what we have experienced in our everyday lives.

We then realise that the only thing missing is a bowl of water for our feet to feel the sea and an infrared radiator for the sun, which is slowly dimmed down.
After a certain time, you don’t even realise that you’re wearing VR glasses.

Any questions? :wink:

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I’ve said this before in another thread, but it’s valid here too:

I’ve got a Quest 3 running off the back of a 9800X3D and 9070XT GPU. I’d say performance (with a mix of mostly high, no ultra settings) is juuuust about adequate. Most of the time things are fairly smooth, but it can and will dip, although you’re never sure if that’s the hardware struggling or just MSFS being so badly optimised.

How does VR compare to 2D? No contest. I couldn’t go back.

Is it realistic? No. But it is immersive, and make sure you don’t confuse the two. First time I tried it was a real “wow, I’m actually sitting in the cockpit” moment and it still puts a huge smile on my face. The ability to look around anywhere with ease, whether staring at the scenery or glancing down at an instrument, can’t be overstated enough.

But, and there’s always a but. The graphics simply aren’t as good/clear as in pure 2D. That’s probably a limitation of the Quest 3, but the higher resolution headsets are significantly more expensive and my hardware is barely driving the Quest’s resolution happily so I see no point in going higher. Things will change over time, they always do, and I’m looking forward to the next iteration of affordable GPUs/headsets. But I’m still very happy for now.

My other main - disappointment I guess - concerns the feeling of “height”, or lack of. I’m in a 3D world, sure, but I often feel like I’m flying low level over a miniature scale model rather than genuinely being high up in the air. I think this is down to a limitation of current hardware where the focal distance is fixed (somewhere about 1 metre ish front your eyes), so no matter how high you are in the game, nor how small the objects on the ground may appear, that feeling of not really being that far away from what you’re seeing still persists. It’s not something I’ve noticed people talk about much.

But as I said, I still wouldn’t go back to 2D :joy:

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blocking factor for you is proabably the graphics card. i have AMD 7900x3d and nvidia 3090 with 24 Gig vram, quest 3. Runs quite smooth in 2024, as airliner tried the Asobo 737 max and is allright.
agree its not as sharp as a 2D picture but keep in mind the PC has much more to do in VR:

Will also try it soon with new PC 9800X3D and 7900XTX and Q3, hope it works.
However, even in 2D it isn’t boring to me at all. I could fly hours and hours with the Comanche. It feels already so realistic and I guess I will love this oldie plane even more in VR.


Somehow scary this approach….

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You got bored bc u use the autopilot. Like the others, once VR, always VR. You will never go back

I had expected that you would perceive heights in VR. :thinking: That’s what I had heard in some YouTube videos. Could it be related to your headset? Maybe because it doesn’t have an OLED panel and therefore has lower contrast?