When trying to manipulate items in the cockpit that are not handled by your other input devices, you can still use your mouse but unfortunately, Microsoft Flight Simulator does not support input from any VR controllers at present which positions it rather behind other simulators such as X-Plane which supports controllers natively. Stupidly, I have even tried to reach for the lever in the VR cockpit but nearly ended up knocking a glass off my desk. On the climb out, I fumbled for the flap and gear levers on my throttle unit which does take some getting used too. I could only put this down to the level of immersion and perspective that the VR headset provides within the 3D space. The speed and positioning of the aircraft were a lot easier to judge too. After looking around and familiarizing myself with the unique VR view of the Diamond DA62 cockpit, it was time to get airborne and fly a circuit.ĭuring the takeoff roll and climb I noticed that in VR, the size of the aircraft compared the environment felt a lot smaller and more realistic than when flying conventionally.
I had seen videos online, but they just don’t do it justice. It felt as though I could reach out and touch the panel in front of me as if it were real. From the minute the G2 headset flashed up and I caught my first glimpse of the true 3D cockpit, I just smiled and laughed to myself.
To describe my first experience of MSFS in VR in one word would be ‘mind-blowing’, ok, it’s hyphenated but I cannot describe it in any other way. I find that turning VR Mode on after the initial load phase requires less from my PC but loading in VR will just show your desktop within the WMR environment. Once you have all your settings in the right place, simply load up your flight as normal. I think this feature is great as flying in VR is so much more strenuous on my PC than normal, so not having to go in and out of the menu each time I turn VR on to lower my settings is ingenious and a lot less time-consuming. Within Microsoft Flight Simulator you can have a different settings profile for when you are flying in VR as well as conventional flying using a screen. To launch into VR Mode using the menu, you can find the VR toggle under General and VR Mode. Without these key bindings, if you launch MSFS into VR, it’s impossible to navigate out without restarting. Other handy keys are to toggle the toolbar on and off as well as toggling VR Mode which will save you going into the menu each time. The most important function you will need to bind is ‘Camera Reset’ as the simulator requires you to reset your view position each time you switch VR Mode on.
I have found that the WMR app does load a few secondary applications so if you are suffering from performance issues, you can terminate these to free up some resources.Īfter starting MSFS, it will recognize your VR headset but there are no default VR key assignments like you get for most functions. Once this is installed, you will need to run the WMR app every time you use your VR headset.
The HP Reverb G2 communicates with your PC through the Windows Mixed Reality Portal, a VR app that can be downloaded through the Microsoft App Store. Once you have put the 2 AA batteries in each of the hand controllers, you are ready to turn your PC on and get installing the headset. The second is a USB-C connection but also comes with a USB-C to a conventional USB connector. The first of the two cables plug into the Display Port found on most graphics cards. The headset only requires one cable that splits into two at a junction box that does need to be plugged into a mains power source. Setting up the Reverb G2 is rather straightforward. I explore exactly what MSFS in VR has to offer in this FSElite First Look. I wondered how such a high resolution, complex simulation would work and how it would operate on my moderate PC setup using the brand-new HP Reverb G2, which currently has the highest resolution at 2160×2160 per eye, of any VR headset available for PC. Personally, I have only used VR once before and I was astounded with the gaming experience but the game I played was simplistic and one-dimensional.
In a subsequent update just before Christmas, developer Asobo Studio, released the all-important feature, in a free update, to allow users to experience the platform from a whole new perspective. One of the most requested features that were on the desired list was the ability to fly using Virtual Reality technology. When Microsoft Flight Simulator was released back in August 2020, the list of features that were yet to be implemented at the request of the community was still quite long.