VR mode is rendering pixels that are never seen in the headset (a reason for performance loss)

Bug Reporting Hub Virtual Reality (VR)
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:white_check_mark: SIM INFORMATION

This is vital information for our test team, please do not skip it or your issue may not be able to be reproduced or fixed.

  • Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 or 2024: 2024

  • Version Build Number (Where do I locate that?): 1.1.7.0

  • Game Platform (Exampe: Steam, Xbox, MS Store): MS Store

:white_check_mark: ISSUE DESCRIPTION

  1. Description of the issue:
    I’ve been seeing a lot of people on this forum say that the performance of MSFS 2024 is about half of 2020, and I can say I have experienced the same.
    However, I have found a potential cause for this, and it’s because the game is not rendering at the headset’s proper resolution and aspect ratio! In fact, it seems 30% of the pixels being rendered right now can’t even be seen in the headset! Please see the image below where I show what I actually see in the headset VS what is being rendered.

iirc MSFS 2020 had a similar problem, but was solved shortly after VR support was released. Quite an embarrassment that they made the same mistake again! This clearly shows that VR support was just an afterthought for 2024 and it’s a shame to see.

  1. Did you remove all your community mods/add-ons? If yes, are you still experiencing the issue? Yes

:white_check_mark: FREQUENCY OF ISSUE

How often does this occur for you? (Example: Just once, every time on sim load, intermittently) All the time

:white_check_mark: REPRODUCTION STEPS

Please list clear steps you took in order to help our test team reproduce the same issue.

  1. Play in VR

:white_check_mark: YOUR SETTINGS

If the issue still occurs with no mods and add-ons, please continue to report your issue. If not, please move this post to the User Support Hub.

  1. What peripherals are you using, if relevant: Pimax Crystal

  2. [PC Only] Are you using Developer Mode or have you made any changes to it? Yes, no changes.

  3. [PC, MSFS 2020 Only] Are you using DX11 or DX12?

  4. [PC Only] Many issues may be due to an outdated graphics card. Please state your Graphics Card Driver Manufacturer (NVIDIA, Intel, AMD) and Version (Learn how to find your current graphics card driver version): RTX 4080 Super

  5. [PC Only] What other relevant PC specs can you share? Ryzen 9 7950X3D GPU

:white_check_mark: MEDIA

Please add a screenshot or video of the issue occurring.

vr bug
vr bug1920×1080 191 KB

This is how it should look. Click the link below to view the image:

[END OF FIRST USER REPORT]

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This isn’t really a bug, but rather a quirk with how VR works. Depending on your headset positioning on your face you may see more or less of the display inside the headset. There will always be abit of over-rendering to avoid seeing the edges of the display.

There is a setting for Meta Quest 3 users in the Oculus Debug Tool which can shrink the display down called FOV-Tangent Multiplier. I have this set to 0.85 for horizontal and vertical to gain some extra performance. This setting will be dependent on how you have your VR headset positioned on your face. If set too low, you will see the edges of the display which will make the vision boxy and break the VR effect.

I am not sure if Pimax offers a similar option?

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Thing is, the Pimax Crystal screens have a 1:1 aspect ratio which should be a square. However the sim is rendering much more of a vertical rectangle. I based my drawing on what I can see if I move my eyes around the lens to where I can see the edges of the screens.

I don’t think the Crystal has a built-in option of reducing the FOV. However, I was able to reduce the FOV using OpenXR Toolkit in FS 2020. Sadly I can’t get OpenXR Toolkit to work with 2024.