VR Implementation - Support Cockpit Interaction

I want to do two things with this post. I really appreciate Microsoft’s time and effort into putting together VR implementation and keeping its word regarding what it said previously. Thank you, Microsoft Decs. We do appreciate you not forgetting about us!

I also want to discuss how the manner implementation is something we would have expected to see within the first year or two of VR’s release. Only headset support?

No touch controller support?!

Come on Microsoft! You already have cockpit replicas of every plane. The thing about VR is it is supposed to be immersive. Occulus has hand tracking! We should be able to reach out and manually adjust every knob, toggle, button, throttle, etc…

Have an option to virtually grab the imaginary flight yoke or use hardware. This is something No Man’s Sky implemented beautifully and they’re a tiny Dev Shop. What is your excuse Microsoft?

My frustrated criticism aside, everything that exists in the game is beautiful. Thank you.

Hand tracking is an Oculus Quest only feature and works solely (and sluggish) in Quest environment.
I’m not convinced that manipulating knobs and levers or even the yoke with VR controllers give an advantage over mouse/joystick /xbox controllers. You do not want to steer your plane with a VR hand controller in the air. I tried with Aerofly FS2.

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Whatever one’s preference, implementing controller support doesn’t preclude keeping mouse interactions as well… This is not a matter of saying mine is bigger than yours, instead, it is a matter of having choices.

I just wanted to express that it’s not my top priority regarding vr implementation.

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And it is not the priority of many others either, but what is the point saying so in a topic asking for controller support then?!?

It is just a vote system where you can vote if you’d agree to the request, or just don’t vote for it if you don’t?!?!

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I referred to the OP.

Ok I believe I get it. Nevertheless the link I’ve posted above is the main one discussing this matter and in which there is already 100+ posts debating the pros and cons and nearly 200 votes already. I believe it would be the best place continuing debating so that this specific subject gets a central, and unique, location where Asobo can read the pros and cons too, otherwise the information is diluted in many similar posts and nothing gets done.

Sorry, but I do not read all posts in this forum. I get in touch here and there as a VR enthusiast.
And I appreciate your enthusiasm and diligence.

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Thank you for your response. Honestly, it’s up to Microsoft to figure out how they (one of the largest tech giants) in the WORLD, want their VR implementation to be top notch and what I would expect from this Tech Giant and Innovator, or whether they want their users to have no other option but to fumble for their keyboard and yoke peripheral.

Virtual Desktop (Oculus to PC platform) implemented a sort of hand tracking conversion and it works. Whether or not Microsoft wants to make use of that, or if they want you to use the touch controllers - either is fine in my book. Headset only, however, is a level of mediocrity that I would not expect from the company that brought Windows PCs to homes across the world.

Um, you do know that Microsoft didn’t build FS2020 right? They contracted Asobo, a small (relative to MS) French games developer to build it for them.

Microsoft’s name is the one in the title. They can absolutely revise it to “Asobo Flight Simulator 2020” if they would prefer to not be associated with it.

If they did change the name, would you change your expectations?

Right On.:clap::clap::clap::clap::clap::pray: , let’s thank Asobo. MS can’t even get their Store running properly.

Manipulating yoke with controllers is not a good idea, however everything else works beautifully in X-Plane (relatively to MSFS mouse that is). Look at the video in my topic referred to above.

It’s a night and day difference. Yes, you hold the controller but still you ge the feedpack and operate with your finders and you push, pull, rotate, press buttons and feel the clicks and flap lever notches etc. It an order of magnitude more real than a mouse and when you get used to it a bit, its very fast. You don’t watch the mouse cursor and try to align it with a control - you just reach and grab, your motive memory kicks in, so everything is intuitive. And feedback is really there, so pulling up a gear lever or extending flaps in 737 is so satisfying. Look at the video at some denser parts you can see how fast and easy I can operate things. And it feels so much better. There is no way you can operate rotating knobs on autopilot that fast with a mouse, for example - because the speed of numbers changing and the step depends on your twisting/rotating hand speed. You really grab and rotate to do that. And try recording VATSIM ATC instructions on a notepad in VR with the mouse: impossible. I can scribble or type in with VR controller - not ideally, but fast enough to write down runways, frequencies, taxiways etc.

I would change my expectations - yes. I would like to see the tech giants continuing to innovate the VR landscape rather than just doing the bare minimum. I am more understanding of small dev shops lack of resources to accommodate that same idea.

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