VR controller support in SU7

I would guess “proximity” means you reach out and grab a switch, “raycast” maybe means you use the hand controller to point a laser thing at thing at the switch?

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That sounds very similar to how X-Plane does there VR controllers which I happen to like very much. :grinning:

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They’ve mentioned that every switch and knob should be usable with VR controllers but I haven’t heard about sticks/yokes and / or throttles. Does anyone know if you will be able to grab and manipulate those with VR controllers (like in Xplane)?

My guess is that the yoke will not be able to be manipulated, but the throttle will. This is because the throttle can be controlled by click-and-drag using the mouse currently, but the yoke cannot.

My hope is that we get the X-plane style “ergonomic” control of the yoke eventually, but I don’t think that will come in SU7. For others who use the “non-ergonomic” style in X-plane, I hope that comes too, as more choice is always better, in my opinion.

Cheers!

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It would be great if yoke and throttle could be controlled, in the manner of VTOL VR. Then can use just the controllers and no need to fumble between controllers and stick.

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I’m very eager to get VR controller supports, as you can see - it was my post that got 503 votes and 1st place in the VR wishlist. It’s crucial with all interactions and VR immersion. I agree that more choice is better, but I personally think that VR yoke is useless - there has to be a physical controller to be able to exercise fine control - I even built my own. Throttle can be virtual, I used it in X-Plane that way. Although a physical throttle may be better as I had to glance bottom-tight every time I had to operate 737 throttles, to make sure I make contact with both throttles, which became annoying on landings etc. So it looks like that will be supported, as mouse can control throttles (but not yoke). I just with they implement grab-and-rotate dials the X-Plane way (with vibration “clicks” on rotation) - that was very nice. It will be disappointing if you’d have to grab and drag the rotational controls. We’ll see.

I’m not sure how I’m supposed to operate a physical yoke and virtual controls, if I have to remove a controller from my hand or pick it back up every time my hand goes on/off the yoke?

Or would you use the yoke with the left hand and one controller in the right hand, awkwardly reaching the right hand under the yoke to get at controls that are on the left?

Just put it on your lap.

Which is “it”? (If you mean “the right-hand VR controller”, that sounds like a recipe for having the right-hand VR controller fall on the floor a lot.)

We need gloves, with haptic feed back!

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Yes, I agree, I hope they use the click-and-rotate method with haptics for the knobs/encoders too!

You can see my post for detailed explanation of how I use it. I 3D-printed a strap holder (or there’s one you can buy) so the controller is strapped to your hand, you don’t actually have to hold it all the time, it’s just there. Or you can put it on your lap if you are using physical throttle and just grab it when you need to do physical interaction. If something is beyond the yoke or unreachable - use the “laser pointer” mode to operate. Your left hand is on the yoke.

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Google LucidVR glove. It’s already there, you can make it for pennies. But it would only work in SteamVR, so no luck for the G2 which uses WMR and its SteamVR OpenXR implementation is bad.

Personally I see zero use with VR controllers in MSFS. I use physical yoke, throtthle, spoliers, gear etc. Having a hand controller that you would need to pick up and put down constantly is way more inconvenient than using the mouse. Hand controllers just gonna fall down, or you hit some objects around you. I can’t see how that will be of any real use to be honest…

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Yeah same here, I have some good quality flight sim hardware I will not be giving up anytime soon. Love all those programmable buttons and axis especially with my combat flight sims.

When it comes to using VR controllers at the same time as stick/yoke etc, I still prefer the good old Vive wands - I can easily put them on my lap or just next to me and reach for them when I want to flick something then drop them down - easier than putting on the Valve Index controllers just for one interaction for example.

Good luck writing down ATC instructions with your mouse :slight_smile: Also, personally, after X-Plane excellent VR controller implementation I feel crippled using the mouse in MSFS. It’s insanely irritating trying to twiddle knobs and encoders and switches with the mouse, and almost impossible to operate GPS and glass cockpit in flight. I don’t know how people can find it acceptable and prefer it to actually pressing the buttons and rotating encoders and operating switches with a VR controller with full muscle memory and depth perception working. But apparently many people do. My theory is that they mostly consider VR an improvement on TrackIR or a better headtracking display. While those who appreciated VR before the sim treat it as a crippled, or just not a complete “half-VR” implementation. For a VR enthusiast no controllers means not a full VR experience, period. It’s all about immersion for us, and not being to interact in 3D is a terrible immersion-breaker. Mouse is a crutch that translates 3d movements to a 2D device, making our hand that is capable of 3D operate in 2D on another plane, and translating the motion back to 3D, mapping it into a 3D environment. It’s insane, if you think about it, when you can map your full motion directly into 3D.
With an exception of a real yoke and possibly throttle, everything else is best done with controllers, by far.

Having said that, I’m planning to improve it further, so I’ve built a full 8-axis throttle quadrant (including analog reversers), custom pendular yoke / joystick on hall sensors, left HOTAS-stile throttle with switches (convertible to helicopter collective control), switch box for electrical/lights/gear lever, 6 dual encoder + 8 button box for directly controlling radios, barometer, AP, GPS etc. Oh yes, and all this, along with a Wacom tablet (for writing down ATC instructions) is mounted on my home-built motion platform with vibration transducers. This should mean that I’m able to operate virtually everything I need in flight and in intensive workload moments (take-off, landing, approach, climb) without grabbing the controller, and mostly use the controller during cold start procedures and for programming/operation of FMC/G3000 and the like. G530 is fully controllable by my encoder box, and some of the G1000 functions are too.

Can’t wait to be able to use this together with VR controllers. (work in progress photos)




So I’m aiming for the best of two worlds, basically. But even with all that control under my fingertips, there is no room for the awful mouse here! I’ll be so happy when I’ll get rid of it.

This is just my personal opinion. Let people make their own choice… But having 500+ vote and 1st place in the wishlist, this feature is clearly in highest demand among VR MSFS users.![image|690x414]

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So, first you explain how amazing it is using VR controllers. Next you say you will only use it during cold&dark startup. Then you show a home cockpit with all physical controls so you don’t have to interact via mouse/VR controller…
I assume you gonna rip that hardware out and use the amazing VR controller support in SU7 from now on?

Let’s wait and see how well Asobo will implement the VR controller support.
I also have circa 150 buttons and switches on my H/W panels (Honeycomb Yoke, Saitek Throttle, some midi panels) + 30 encoders.
It requires some muscle memory and tactile recognition to find them all while wearing VR headset. Also the buttons location is not the same as in the VR cockpit.
If Asobo will implement the VR controller support on similar convenience and reliability level like X-Plane, it will be great to have the choice between H/W buttons and VR controllers. I can only guess now that everything requiring and axis or encoder will be better suited for H/W, while buttons (e.g. FMS control unit) and switches may work conveniently with VR controller.
Soon (I hope) we will be able to try it (SU7).

@RomanDesign
Personally, I would rather implement hardware that was specially developed for Sims, e.g. PointCtrl.
It’s just perfect for VR.

Unfortunately, this remains only a dream in the FS.