Good to see someone still using an old (+6yo) SteamVR Native headset like the Index with MSFS 2024. I have a +5yo Vive Pro1 with amoled screens, Etsy lens mod, 2x2.0 Base Stations, and Index controllers. The VP1 was the last true native SteamVR headset ever produced. It was also the last time Valve and HTC Vive ever worked together on anything, lol! I still love using my VP1 once in a while, esp. for night flying, since those amoled screens produce such nice blacks and beautiful colors contrast. Still has a bit too much SDE, but thanks to my 9800x3d/rtx5090 ability to super sample (I don’t see any benefits above 350% btw), it still looks pretty good. The VP1 and Index have the same screen resolution (1600x1400), but I think that the Index has a little better pixel layout and a bit higher FOV, thanks to its canted screens. I get ~115deg FOV with my VP1 using a thin facepad and pretty well no binocular overlap. Also, no glare or murra btw.
The beauty of the Index is that it has multiple refresh rate options (80/90/120/144Hz). My VP1 only has a fixed 90Hz refresh rate. SteamVR still has the very best Reprojection in the business imho. This is why there’s no benefit using RP in the MFSF2020/2024 settings. It will automatically display at multiples (1/2 or 1/3rd) if your fps cannot achieve your selected refresh rate. In my case (9800x3d/rtx5090/64Gb 6000 ram) this then projects at 45fps. In your case it is projecting at 48fps (1/3rd of 144hz). I don’t really know for sure, but I doubt that there is any benefit using 144Hz with MSFS2020/2024. If I had an Index, I would probably try using 80Hz in order to get a more stable RP at 40fps.
Foveated Rendering does work ok now with msfs2024 SU4 but I still don’t like the pixelated outer part of the display and find that this hurts my overall immersion. It also seems to cause a bit more frametime instability.
Rather than using the fairly complex msfs2024 fps output option, like you’ve shown, I like to temporarily use the Steam VR performance graph in headset option (SteamVR settings/developer/display performance graph in headset). I think that this provides more useful, basic information to help fine tune things. The beauty of SteamVR settings is that you can switch back to 2d, make a few changes, then go right back to VR and see how things compare. If you change your refresh rate, you’ll probably need to restart SteamVR though.
With my VP1 I’ve found I get the best overall results with SteamVR visuals set manually (not auto) to 100% with advanced super sample filtering = off (makes distant objects too blurry). Then I adjust the in-app settings to whatever works best. With all my games/sims, including msfs2020/2024, I’ve found 350% works best and I don’t see any visual improvements going any higher, just a little higher latency. Also, while TAA works fine, I’m finding the latest dlss4.5 overrides with 591.74 preset M and dlss/balanced still gives very good, TAA-like cockpit clarity, together with less light shimmering while night flying and a bit better/smoother performance. I mainly fly heli’s dusk-to-dawn in complex cities like LA, Tokyo, and Osaka, with lots of roof top takeoffs/landings. This really taxes my PC to its limits, lol! Once I’ve gotten good results in those areas, the rest of the world is a piece of cake.
Anyway, like I said, it’s nice to see others still getting good results with older SteamVR Native headsets like the Index. Thanks for sharing your experience mate and best cheers from Australia for 2026!
