Oculus Rift experience

Discuss and share resources with fellow gamers
Post Reply
verreli
Posts: 1558
Joined: Sun 12 Mar 2017, 6:05 pm
Location: Lake District

Oculus Rift experience

Post by verreli »

Following posts last week on this forum and comments by Wissam24, Agg and The Doctor, I decided to get an Oculus Rift for use with CAD and DCS. This is my initial (rose tinted glasses) experience which may help others decide to buy now or hold for the next generation.

I decided to buy now because having looked online, the prevailing view is that there'll not be a significant upgrade this year (2018) and I wanted to use the technology for productivity (CAD) and entertainment (DCS) in the near term.

CAD: I have experience using CAD tools but wanted a way to visualise the thing I'm designing (an aircraft) in a more intuitive, realistic way to aid with the design process. The result - WOW - It's a bit if a pain to get the model into the rift but this really is a game changer. To be able to 'walk' upto a full size aircraft, sit in the passenger pod and experience the design first hand is fantastic. To be able to poke your head through panels and into compartments, intakes, etc allows you to experience the design process in a way that's impossible on a 2D monitor. It was worth the money for this alone. 5/5

DCS: I've been a pilot more than half my life but a couple of years ago stopped flying (other than as a passenger) so wanted to experience some of the enjoyment of flying again. Did DCS achieve this? Sort of. To be able to position yourself in the cockpit and look around allows you to achieve the same perspective you would as a pilot and this is impossible by looking at a monitor, even with head tracking and photo realistic graphics. All my head movements were the same and I was able to fly profiles just like in a real aircraft. I could easily read the numbers in the HUD and needle readings on the gauges but gauge numbers were undefined. So was this like real flying. Err, no. I've flown demanding aerobatics in reality and never felt ill. After 5 mins of a few loops and rolls in DCS and I was feeling nauseas. Also a lot of how I fly is by feel; the stick forces, movements, airframe vibrations, G, the risk, etc. It's a bit of a cliché but you do become one with the machine you're flying. This is all missing in a flight sim and is impossible to replicate. Was it fun? Undoubtedly. Will I continue to enjoy using it? Definitely, especially as it allows me to 'sample' aircraft I have no chance of flying in reality 3.5/5

Will the next generation VR headset improve the experience? Quite possible with the nausea (which may be to do with frame rates) and higher resolution will always be better but I didn't feel the current resolution was a significant drawback in the applications described above. The often quoted barn door effect was evident and higher resolution will help with this but again, for game play, you soon forget about it.

The Doctor
Posts: 110
Joined: Wed 26 Jun 2013, 12:26 pm

Re: Oculus Rift experience

Post by The Doctor »

You may find that over time you might get over the nausea as you get your VR legs, I certainly did.

User avatar
Wissam24
UKAR Staff
Posts: 8270
Joined: Mon 29 Apr 2013, 9:54 am
Location: London

Re: Oculus Rift experience

Post by Wissam24 »

So I have heard
Twitter: @samwise24 | Flickr: samwise24 | Shamelessly copying LN Strike Eagle's avatar ideas since 2016

The Doctor
Posts: 110
Joined: Wed 26 Jun 2013, 12:26 pm

Re: Oculus Rift experience

Post by The Doctor »

Wissam24 wrote:So I have heard


About my nausea? Word travels fast :clown:

User avatar
Wissam24
UKAR Staff
Posts: 8270
Joined: Mon 29 Apr 2013, 9:54 am
Location: London

Re: Oculus Rift experience

Post by Wissam24 »

I follow the blog!
Twitter: @samwise24 | Flickr: samwise24 | Shamelessly copying LN Strike Eagle's avatar ideas since 2016

verreli
Posts: 1558
Joined: Sun 12 Mar 2017, 6:05 pm
Location: Lake District

Re: Oculus Rift experience

Post by verreli »

Well, as suggested the nausea is much better after a few more days use.

A bit more feedback for DCS:

Some of the scenarios evoke real emotion. The dusk landing with the free Su-25 took me back to many similar flights albeit not flying a Su-25... This can only be done with VR.

Not related to VR but a comment on the flight sim aspects of DCS; I find the physics reasonably accurate up to 95% of the angle of attach range but at the stall and post stall the physics break down and it becomes computer program hokum. Not surprising when you think about it, but it would have been nice. Typically I'd pull to the buffet boundary then ease off slightly but this doesn't exist in the flight sim so you have to check your gauges.

The other aspect of flying a flight sim is the lack of risk. I find myself doing things which would have been illegal or with considerable risk of death in real aircraft. For example, flying at 5ft, under bridges, knife edge between buildings and skimming tree tops inverted. While fun, it does suggest that your approach to flight management may not be representative.

That said, the game is fun and I'll be buying a few of the paid modules. The Spitfire and the F18. I'm looking forward to my first carrier landing and given that the F18 has a carefree handling flight control system, DCS should be able to model the flight dynamics quite accurately. I wonder if the boat will pitch and roll? I'm also thinking the meat ball may be difficult to read in VR with the current resolution.

User avatar
Wissam24
UKAR Staff
Posts: 8270
Joined: Mon 29 Apr 2013, 9:54 am
Location: London

Re: Oculus Rift experience

Post by Wissam24 »

verreli wrote:
Not related to VR but a comment on the flight sim aspects of DCS; I find the physics reasonably accurate up to 95% of the angle of attach range but at the stall and post stall the physics break down and it becomes computer program hokum. Not surprising when you think about it, but it would have been nice. Typically I'd pull to the buffet boundary then ease off slightly but this doesn't exist in the flight sim so you have to check your gauges.


What are you flying? Both of the free aircraft have stall buffetting...
Twitter: @samwise24 | Flickr: samwise24 | Shamelessly copying LN Strike Eagle's avatar ideas since 2016

verreli
Posts: 1558
Joined: Sun 12 Mar 2017, 6:05 pm
Location: Lake District

Re: Oculus Rift experience

Post by verreli »

Wissam24 wrote:
What are you flying? Both of the free aircraft have stall buffetting...


So far, just the two free aircraft Su-25 and Mustang. I picked up a Thrustmaster Hotas from the Maplin sell off so it doesn't have force feedback. How do you experience the stall buffet? Through the stick? There doesn't seem to be any feedback in the Oculus, either visually or via audio.

The Doctor
Posts: 110
Joined: Wed 26 Jun 2013, 12:26 pm

Re: Oculus Rift experience

Post by The Doctor »

May I also suggest you look at the Huey module*, it is challenging, rewarding and works really well in VR. My personal recommendations to new DCS players would be Huey, Spitfire and F-5E but I can't guarantee that is 100% objective as they're the prettiest aircraft for me. :love:


*obviously works a lot better with rudder pedals.

verreli
Posts: 1558
Joined: Sun 12 Mar 2017, 6:05 pm
Location: Lake District

Re: Oculus Rift experience

Post by verreli »

The Doctor wrote:May I also suggest you look at the Huey module*


I've not flown rotary P1 so it wasn't top of my list but may give it a look. How do you control collective? Is it a combined collective / throttle input or do you have a dedicated helicopter setup?

The Doctor
Posts: 110
Joined: Wed 26 Jun 2013, 12:26 pm

Re: Oculus Rift experience

Post by The Doctor »

I split my throttles so I have one axis for throttle and the other for collective.

User avatar
Wissam24
UKAR Staff
Posts: 8270
Joined: Mon 29 Apr 2013, 9:54 am
Location: London

Re: Oculus Rift experience

Post by Wissam24 »

That seems unnecessary to me. You hardly ever need to move the throttle, surely you're better off assigning it to a smaller axis? I have mine on the "friction" wheel on the Warthog
Twitter: @samwise24 | Flickr: samwise24 | Shamelessly copying LN Strike Eagle's avatar ideas since 2016

User avatar
Wissam24
UKAR Staff
Posts: 8270
Joined: Mon 29 Apr 2013, 9:54 am
Location: London

Re: Oculus Rift experience

Post by Wissam24 »

verreli wrote:
Wissam24 wrote:
What are you flying? Both of the free aircraft have stall buffetting...


So far, just the two free aircraft Su-25 and Mustang. I picked up a Thrustmaster Hotas from the Maplin sell off so it doesn't have force feedback. How do you experience the stall buffet? Through the stick? There doesn't seem to be any feedback in the Oculus, either visually or via audio.


Oh, well you can't feel anything but you can see and hear the plane doing it...
Twitter: @samwise24 | Flickr: samwise24 | Shamelessly copying LN Strike Eagle's avatar ideas since 2016

The Doctor
Posts: 110
Joined: Wed 26 Jun 2013, 12:26 pm

Re: Oculus Rift experience

Post by The Doctor »

Wissam24 wrote:That seems unnecessary to me. You hardly ever need to move the throttle, surely you're better off assigning it to a smaller axis? I have mine on the "friction" wheel on the Warthog


You are probably correct and I'm sure I'll change it in time. It was just my default setup for props.

Post Reply