Thanks for the great feedback on the “what hardware” question, folks. It seems like it will be a while before I can put together a machine capable of running MSFS 2020 nicely in VR. Fortunately, I just figured out how to make the hat switch on my stick do a fluid pan almost like having VR. Makes for a lovely flight through Patagonia at sunset 
It won’t let me post a link, but google “FS2020 - how to set up your Hat Switch to look around the cockpit freely!”