I am sure I am not alone, while VR is blurry the feeling of being in the cockpit is great. Equally while head tracking is beautiful the information on a 32” 4k PC monitor is just too small to really appreciate.
As an example I fly mostly in the Aerolight 103 so low and very slow. I flew a route I’ve not done before in the UK from one Farm strip to another - so unlike Heathrow (or any major airport) they are hard to spot. In VR I found it quite easily but with head tracking I struggled to see it.
I use a Quest 2 but feel hesitant to upgrade as when you google the options there are a mind blowing number of reviews all praising and criticising in equal measure with many just saying Q2 is OK and to wait for the next next Gen of headsets. I summize by all this that while it may not be the greatest I doubt I will have a “night vs day” moment should I go G2, Q3 or even Crystal, and that’s before we start taking software issues.
On the head tracking route I do wonder if a 42/50” TV might be the answer but then you read about the compromise between proper PC monitor features such as Gsync and refresh etc not being available on a TV.
I honestly get giddy just reading about it. Has anyone been brave enough to purchase the whole lot and provide a good critique or an honest opinion? BTW pc specs 3080, i79700k, 32gb all on SSDs.
I have a 42’’ LG OLED as my main monitor. It’s 4k, 120Hz and has G-Sync. I also have a Quest 3. Although I also have a TrackIR bought over a decade ago, I barely use it. For me it was always more of an annoyance than a benefit. Whenever I can I fly in VR, except maybe when learning a new airplane. The 3D vision and possibility to look around dwarves all negative aspects of it - like lower image quality.
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Thanks for the reply, it’s roughly how I feel as well. The prospect of better VR is thrilling but the reality is incremental gains which can be a little disappointing. My first HMD was the CV1 and it was amazing or I should say VR was amazing. The move to the Q2 on paper was massive nearly twice as much - similar to Q2 and Pimax. However the experience between the two was not twice as good or indeed night and day. Better yes, but only after coming to terms with the compromise which for me was no darks (lcd vs oled), the sound downgrade and the image compression artifacts. I wonder did you have a headset prior to the Q3?
I tried a Quest 2 three years ago and recently got a Quest 3. It is an improvement but not massive.
Quest 3 is fun but most of my flying is airline and I much prefer to use my 48" high refresh G-Sync TV for that.
I thought about getting tobii head tracking but I think it would be more of a nuisance than anything useful. (I dabbled with head tracking several years ago and didn’t like it then). Also it’s expensive and I think putting the money towards a full blown VR headset like a Quest 3 for not a lot more was better value.
As a die-hard VR advocate, I will say that I can’t imagine enjoying a long-haul flight in a complex airliner in VR. If that’s your preference, then I would definitely advise a large monitor or a head-tracker. For me, VR works best for low and slow flying–or at least GA flights lasting one to two hours. For that VR is unbeatable.
I used a G2 from the early days of MSFS 2020. Now I am a Quest 3 user and loving it.
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