New VD update is a dream, 4090 Q2

I haven’t flown for a while but just updated a few things and man, this sim is close to perfect now.

I’m using a Quest 2 with Virtual Desktop. That program just added new features including HEVC 10 bit codec as well as an upscaling program called snapdragon.

I loaded it up, put my VD settings down from Ultra to High so I can enable snapdragon (which upscales to ultra), and also turned down the free look momentum and speed all the way down on the camera settings.

I have now cranked every setting on MSFS (except TLOD is still at 300, 400 gives a tiny stutter) and it’s silk flying through the busiest airports and terrains, holding at 45-50 FPS (using space warp it fills in to 90). Every gauge is Crystal clear now on DLSS quality which was not the case before.

Anyway, just in case it helps anyone else!

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After playing few hours (Quest 2, 5800x, 3090) I can only confirm that. It is basically a “DLSS 3.0” for VR, running on headset CPU. Huge improvement in FPS, image clarity and better colors.

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Thanks for sharing, keen to give this a try.

RE: 10 bit HEVC - do you have to side load the VD beta app onto the Quest 2 to access that feature or is there a local setting that can be changed on the PC desktop streamer?

Sounds great will need to give it a try with my pico 4. Can you post your F2020 VR settings?

You can change app version to beta in Quest phone app. Manually installation of beta streamer is also required: Discord

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I got the instructions from the discord channel. You don’t have to side load, on the PC you just download the beta version of the streamer and then your oculus will download the update to VD. Was very easy.

My settings are pretty simple, I have everything on Ultra except I turn off bloom because it was causing a white flashing on my Q2. In Steam my resolution is at the default 150% (not sure why that’s the default). In MSFS, on the PC graphics settings, I turn off DLSS 3.0 so that the low latency boost mode becomes available on the VR graphics tab and use that. I also turned down those camera settings I describe above. I use DLSS Quality and have object detail at 200 and terrain detail at 250.

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I don’t see an option to download the beta streamer on vrdesktop.net

Hi @SearBreak225638 - Link and details about the beta are on the VD discord server, see announcement channel. A link to their discord should appear at the bottom of their regular website.

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After seeing this post I moved from OpenXR to steam VR and I’m very pleased that I did.
The stable version works fine but I can’t get the beta to work properly. There is no problem with the installation and VD connects fine, but when I hit the key to go on VR mode in the Sim, I see just a flash of the expected image and then I get a set of stripes of different color and size instead. I can see the double picture on my PC monitor but it’s not reproduced in the headset.
Tried changing codecs, setting those to automatic. Did a clean install of GPU drivers. Same thing.
I went back to stable version and everything is fine. Tried again with the beta and same result: no image in my headset.
Any help would be much appreciated.

Specs
5800x3d
4090
32 Gb RAM

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@ bachardie Did you make sure that the VD Streamer and the headset app are both beta?

As of 4/June/2023 the version is: BETA version 1.27.1

I tried the snapdragon upscaling when it was released, I found that the upscaling from High to Ultra was significantly worse than normal Ultra on glass cockpits so I am back to using my normal Ultra TAA on my 3090 with Q2, and swapping to DLSS quality in steam gauge aircraft.

Looking forward to trying the new 10bit encoding, I wonder if it helps the colour banding in clouds that has always been quite strong in VD

Yes, they both are.

I was using Ultra on VD and would have to go to DLSS balanced to avoid stutters in certain areas, and gauge clarity was pretty poor. Even on DLSS quality the gauges were a bit lacking.

I find now with snapdragon on with graphics set on high and HVEC 10bit they are perfect, I can even read the writing on the GPS from a distance.

The improvement was so big for me I am reconsidering getting the Quest 3 when it releases.

Granted my PC setup is pretty top of the line.

Hello.

It is very interesting and I want to give a try.
What version of VD should I buy ? It shows many version to buy like on steam, oculus store, etc.
I’m the user of Q2 and RTX4080.
Thank you for your help.

Oculus store, then switch to beta release.

You need to buy it from the Quest store, not the Oculus Rift store.

Really confused here.

I have the Microsoft Store version of MSFS 2020. Using an HP Reverb G2.

Can I use “Virtual Desktop”, and if so, which version, and purchase from where, i.e. Steam?

Would this then completely bypass Windows Mixed Reality, Microsoft OpenXR, and OpenXR toolkit?

I’m willing to try it, but I can’t seem to find anything definitive that says it works with the G2.

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it’s the same store.

There are 2x Meta stores; The Quest Store (which is where you buy standalone apps like Virtual Desktop for wireless PCVR) and the Rift store (which is where you can buy PCVR apps). They are very different so please try to understand this. There actually isn’t any Oculus store btw.

@SimpleSimon550 If you have a non-Meta headset then Virtual Desktop from Steam (I have this for my Vive Pro1) is not very useful imho. I doesn’t allow you to bypass anything or do wireless PCVR. Just gives you a better virtual desktop. You can always buy it from Steam and if you don’t like it get a refund.

Would this work with a Meta Quest Pro? I run it via the official Link Cable.
It sounds very tempting but I’m a bit leery since I was just recently able to achieve a stutter-free experience in MSFS by using DLSS and then OpenXR Toolkit to force a resolution override and create a crystal clear picture on the PMDG cockpit MFD’s.