Dumb VR Questions

Quest 2 user here, so I’ll chime in.

I find the Q2 a great balance of price, performance and clarity. I have been using it for over a year with MSFS and the-other-sim and it has served me well. With the link cable, oculus app, openXR toolkit I get a very very smooth experience locked in at 36 FPS. And that’s at full render resolution with ultra/high settings in MSFS running off an i9-9900k OC’ed to 5.0GHz and a 3080Ti.

All screens, gauges, displays are fully readable without having to lean in (except the CRJ lol but that’s true in real life, too )

I have the kiwi headstrap and facepad and I can wear it for four hours at a time or more (and have done streams of 4+ hours wearing it!) without any problems. My tailbone is more the issue on longer flights in VR sitting for so long

With a powered USB hub and the link cable, it stays charged for… well… I have never come close to running low on battery and that was on one of those 4+ hour streams.

Some answers to OP’s questions:
The above headsets come with a couple of hand devices. What do those do? - I use only the right Oculus controller to interact with the flight deck/cockpit switches/knobs/buttons/dials. There isn’t a single aircraft I own (and I have many many) that I can’t interact with using the controller.

What other stuff would I need to buy to get VR working: Cable? Charger? Other? - Depends on the headset, but I have an oculus link cable and a powered USB hub so it stays charged… well… forever.

Do detailed setup & use instructions come with these (or in general)? - Not really. But if you go with a quest 2, let me know and I’ll send you some videos I did that should help you get started. Or DM me and I’ll help you or get you over to our Discord where we have lots of people who will help you get up and running… it’s a small mission in life to get as many people up and running in VR btw

Will I need to set up any device(s) for the headset to locate itself – since I’m sitting still while piloting? - Not with the Quest and other headsets. Tracking is built-in. It’s sort of magic to me the way it works. No lighthouses/base stations… just the headset.

What SW is needed to get VR working? Does it (or links to it) come with the headset? - Some software is required and can be downloaded. Other software is recommended to improve your experience and further tune things (like OpenXR Toolkit)…

When I move my head, do the views in the headset move accordingly? - Absolutely. It is incredibly immersive. You won’t ever want to go back to pancake mode again.

Are the headset images distorted (wide angle? telephoto? Asobo edge stretch? other?) - No. Again, it is incredibly realistic. You will feel like you are sitting on the flight deck of a 737 or Citation or whatever aircraft you load. Granted - sometimes it takes tweaking a few settings, but we can help you!!

Does the headset allow for eyeglasses if needed? - Yes! I don’t wear them, but the Quest 2 comes with a spacer and I know many people who wear glasses and use VR with no issues at all!

Would I still need a joystick or other mechanical device to control ailerons & elevator? - I highly recommend this. I have a sidestick (for airbussing) a yoke (for everything else), rudder pedals and a throttle quadrant. You can also use these to bind commands to the many buttons and switches that are on the physical controls.

How would I control the rudder pedals – for rudder deflection? nosewheel steering? brake(s)? - Again, highly recommend getting some actual physical pedals. then you can use these for yaw, braking and, if you want, nosewheel steering (I use the twist on my joystick for NWS, but that’s up to you)

How would I move the throttle/mixture? elevator trim wheel? turn knobs? hit buttons? Will I need an external device (keyboard, mouse, other) to do these? - See above

I don’t touch-type. Would I need the keyboard & how could I see it? - I do have a wireless keyboard that sits on top of my yoke… and I do touch-type so it’s not an issue if I need to use it. Having said that - I hardly ever every have to use it with my setup.

How would I see a chart while using VR? - There are plugins that allow for this. I never have to take the headset off or switch to 2d to use anything once in VR. I have a few plugins that let me see charts, approach plates, everything needed for IFR or VFR flight. Also have a plugin that allows me to easily switch frequencies and do other things related to ATC when flying in VR on VATSIM. Let me know if you want more details… I have a good video showing these tools and how they work in VR.

I’m technical (microcircuit design), but not a SW guru. Generally, how long might it take me to get VR working? - Ah… well… for me, it took weeks or maybe a month. And I’m still not done tweaking! BUT!!! It won’t take you that long. We can help! I have some videos that provide a good baseline for settings that should get you up and running in a few days if not sooner…Don’t be scared of it. There are lots of people that can help you get running quickly. I felt like I was blazing a trail when I started with VR because there was not a lot of help out there like there is today.

Ok, that was a long post But I’m passionate about getting people up and running in VR. So, again, please feel free to reach out either in DM or in a post if you want more info. I don’t like to blast out lots of links to my channel because sometimes I feel like I’m pushing something or self-promoting. Honestly, I really just love the VR experience and want as many people as possible to love it, too! So let me know if you want more info and I can send you links or post them here in your post.

Cheers!!