I am considering both getting a better set of controllers, (and maybe rudder pedals!), and a VR headset.
My system is a PC with an AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D 8-Core Processor at 3.4 GHz and an AMD Radeon RX 68000 video card with 32 gigs of memory and 16 gigs of VRAM.
Searching the forums for information about VR headsets and VR for MSFS in general, I discovered the above post which reads like MS is yanking support for VR from Windows.
Iām confused. . .
I thought VR was a characteristic of the game and the video card. Right?
Questions:
Does this affect the ability to use VR in MSFS-2020 or 2024?
Assuming that VR is still worthwhile, what VR headset would you recommend?
Choices here in Russia include:
Oculus Quest 3S 128gb for 40,000 rubles. (about $400 USD)
With the rest being either repeats of the above or āvirtual realityā glasses with a space for your smartphone which I suspect are a waste of money.
I am thinking hard about the Oculus Quest 3S versions that retail for less than $500 USD (at $1 = 100 rubles.) as the 85k version is a bit more than I want to spend.
Any other brands/models I can try to find that are worthwhile?
Support for Windows Mixed Reality is being pulled. This affects windows based headsets like the Reverb G2 and Samsung Odyssey. Iām switching to a Valve Index because of it. You can get the Index, or a Quest product.
Beware of the quest series in one way. Facebook insists you have to log into your FB account before you can use a quest. Uncle Zuckerberg is monitoring what you do via your FB account.
The index has no such issue, but itās $1000 USD.
I despise Facebork with an unbridled passion and thatās an absolute deal-breaker for me unless thereās a workaround. In fact, I use my Microsoft account as seldom as possible, (except on the FS machine - you have to be logged in to use it, but Iām still a local user.)
Iām looking at rudder pedals too - but theyāre either junk or darn-near the cost of an airplane! Even an update from my X52 (which is noisy) to an X52 Pro isnāt for the faint of heart.
====================
Update:
Facebork is no longer required, but you must have a Meta account, (I wonder if WhatsApp counts?), which appears to be just as intrusive as Facebork.
P.S.
I just donāt understand why people live their lives on social media.
I really donāt care if you had an avocado salad for lunch or your dog messed all over the rug.
Awhile back I saw a childās training potty that, (I kid you not!), would post a message on your Facebork accountās wall when your child successfully did what was necessary, where it was supposed to be done.
Real Facebork Updates:
(No lie, Iāve seen these re-posted on YouTube.)
Yes you have to have an account, I guess itās to do with age verification. When you say platform my pc spec is 14900+4900 (soon to be 9800x3d although thereās no uplift vs 14900). I moved from a Reverb G2 to Quest 3 and never looked back, I do use Virtual Desktop and meet their installation requirements. I offer a word of caution regarding MSFS 2024 itās very hard on performance even with the new optimisations and I dropped performance sadly compared to msfs2020. Iām no Meta fan (didnāt like Quest 2 at all) but I do like the Quest 3 and itās flexibility
Yes, for me VR is well worth it and actually the only way I can use this sim and really enjoy it. From your list, you should go with the Q3 (to start with! You may want a true display-port-based HMD later if the bug bites you).
Thereās a lot of stuff that requires me to use a VPN - and not just because of the āsanctionsā, but because Cloudflare, (et. al), doesnāt like Russian IP addresses.
For one data point - I have a 5800x3d and a 4070 ti - which if user benchmarks is anything to go on, is much faster (GPU). I also have DLSS, of course.
I can run my Quest 3 in VR using Virtual Desktop at a mostly stable 35FPS-ish. With Virtual Desktopās āSpacewarpā, I sit around 70FPS. Itās playable - I enjoyed the training flights a lot more in VR since being able to look around to spot your position to the runway makes a huge difference.
BUT - itās just āOKā. I still play a lot in desktop mode with my tobii since itās way smoother and I can run at high/ultra stable at 45-50FPS (which is a lot more playable than an upscaled/spacewarped 70FPS in VR).
Soā¦ up to you. Itās a fun toy/gimmick but with your rig I wouldnāt expect a buttery experience.
He already has certain data if you have a Facebook account, you dont give him more just because of being in VR. I had an Index and got a refund as it is a very poor headset advise Quest 3 as it is the better supported and better cost.
Besides the data collection, my biggest issue holding me to try VR is the idea of spending almost 1000 Eur on a piece of equipment and having to have every time āauthorizationā from the company to decide whether I can use it or not.
At anytime or for whatever reason they find justifiable, they can brick my device.
But they all operate like that, so I guess most consumers are happy with this business model.
I donāt see why VR headsets as display devices are so different from a monitor that they need to be behind an account.
So does anything more complex than a Bluetooth headset.
You need an āaccountā for your phone to work because thatās Appleās and Googleās business model, tying the phone to an āaccountā that can:
Identify you and aggregate personal information and data that they can sell.
Is an additional revenue stream from the sale of your personal data, app-store sales and usage based advertising.
There is no, repeat ZERO, legitimate need for a VR headset to REQUIRE an account and login to be used.
Aside from the incredible expense, (which is somewhat justified), the requirement that a simple video display device requires me to sign up with some third-party to use it, (and later on change the TOS so they can require you to watch advertisements or pay for a āpremium tier subscriptionā to avoid them), is an absolute deal breaker for me.
I will wait for something that I can use without all the extra logins.
