Some of us may be receiving Rifts this Christmas. Would be helpful to get updates from earlier adopters as to what to expect from the Rift on initial use and also after the new wears off. Any thoughts on the Rift re the BoX vr implementation would be appreciated. Thx.

Well first, you can expect to be blown away the first time you climb into a cockpit in VR!
They did an incredible job in their VR implementation for this sim.

Perhaps some useful info in here for ya, I copied this from a post I made over on the 1CGS forums earlier this year.
Hope it helps...


Hey gang,

With the current sale obviously we are going to have some new Rift users in here, maybe even some new IL-2 users as well.

Just thought I would take a moment to highlite some things that may help one get set up and running IL-2 in VR for the Rift.

-- First, take your time and get everything set up properly. Do not rush this part, it is essential for helping to insure you have a trouble free experience with your new Rift.
If you got it on this sale, you got the bundle deal with the Touch Controllers. Now here's the thing, you may be thinking well BoS or flight sims in general do not support Touch, so no need for me to set it up or the sensor that came with the Touch package. Do not take that approach!
First off, the second sensor is not just for the Touch controllers, the controllers will use actually both sensors, same as the headset. Even if you think you will never use Touch, still install the second sensor and go ahead and set them up whilst setting up your Rift. Trust me on this, you will be thankful later. While for sitting applications one sensor is plenty, two is even better. And you will try those Touch controllers later, and love them. There are several great free games that come with them. During setup you will also set up your Oculus Remote and the X-Box controller. I would not skip any of this, get them all set up at one time so everything is there.

Take your time, go through the entire setup process, and through the entire tutorial at the end. Allow approximate an hour to get through all this. The tutorial with the robots is pretty neat anyway and worth going through it.

-- Once you have your Rift successfully set up and gotten through the tutorial, and all appears to be working fine, download and install Steam VR. BoS currently only supports SteamVR in it's VR implementation.
Now, one common misconception is oh great, I have to sign into Steam, and then run Steam VR from there. Not true, unless of course you have the Steam Version of BoS. I never launch Steam for flying BoS, only Steam VR. And it launches automatically for me whenever I launch BoS ( after the VR tick box is checked in the BoS GUI).
Important - Do not install Steam VR Beta! It is problematic for running BoS. Just the standard regular version of Steam VR is all you will want.

Also after having the Rift setup, you have to go into the Oculus Home interface on your monitor, ​go to the settings tab and put a tick mark in the " allow unknown applications" . Any game you have installed that is not within the Oculus Home environment, requires this in order to run in the Rift.

-- If you are using Re-Shade, get rid of it. Especially if you do not have a lot of hair. It does not play nice with BoS in VR. Can cause hair pulling out moments.

-- Nvidia settings. Forgot about them, many will not work for VR. Use the in-game graphics settings for AA, AF, etc. I use Nvidia settings only to set prefer maximum performance, everything else pretty much at default.

-- Once Rift and Steam VR is set up, and you have gone into BoS on your monitor and put a tick mark into VR, exit out.
If you have not, put the headset on - Oculus Home will start up automatically shortly after. Then launch BoS. Steam VR will immediately start up, and BoS should launch and then you will find yourself shortly after in a life sized hangar with the menu screen showing nicely on your right. This is where the jaw first starts to drop to the floor - it will finish dropping when you are in the cockpit. Obviously if you are running the Steam version of BoS, you will need to log into Steam first as well.

-- Audio - to get sound in your Rift headphones, which are actually pretty darn good, you will need to either set the Rift headphones as your default audio device, or change the audio prior to launching BoS to Rift Headhpones. You can also set it to automatically switch with the Oculus Tray Tool, which is mentioned at the end of this post.

- Before getting into the cockpit though, go into the key mapping, and go to the Pilot Head Control category. There you will find two essential features for VR that can be assigned to buttons. VR Zoom ( Press and Hold), and Default VR View ( this resets the view). You will definitely want to assign those two features to buttons on your stick or throttle. Very handy to have. I have both of these features assigned to buttons on my Warthog throttle.

-- Now load up a quick mission in your favorite ride, and prepare to be in total awe! Yep, that is actually a life sized plane you have just found yourself sitting in.

- Lastly, once everything running great and you are a happy camper, than you can start playing with running without ASW , and increasing the Pixel Density. The Oculus Tray Tool which can be found here, is a great tool for setting these things.
https://forums.oculu...es-hopefully/p1
But do get the Rift set up and running properly first.

I hope some info in here might be helpful to new Rift users, you are truly in for a treat!

Great info. I have a third sensor that I have already checked to be recognized by Rift software. Have that one mounted on a Matthews Microgrip extension rod. Planning BoK as a starting point. Several issues seem to need comment as they recur in Amazon and YouTube reviews. First is how to avoid disconnect or deal with disconnect issues. The other is how to keep faceplate clean. I have acquired 2 pack of the VR cloth covers and a 50pk of disposable covers. Am wondering how best to deal with this aspect of Rift ownership. I of course hope to be lucky and not have any electronic malfunctions related to manufacturing process but it seems these devices are always something of a gamble. Thx for excellent VR BoX primer.

I installed my Rift on Jan 15th of this year.
I have yet to have a disconnect issue.
You really don't need a third sensor at least for flight simming ( seated ) games. It will come in handy if you get into some large room scale games.
Mine with two sensors seems to be adequate for me, I have a moderate size play area so not too large, about 9ft x 12 ft or so.

I have never had a need to clean my faceplate, but I do have a Mitsubishi air unit in front of me up on the wall blowing cool air down on me so I don't really get sweaty. It was a necessity for me as my game area is in the garage and I live in a warm climate. But depending on room temp it certainly can get sweaty easily enough.

The only thing I do is to wipe the lenses occasionally with the included micro fibre cloth ( no cleaning solution just fog from my breath).
My Rift is as good and solid today as the day I bought it.

Thx for words of encouragement. I have desk mounted oscillating fan I used to use at work. Really looking forward to Christmas!

Have fun! Be sure and let us know how you make out with it.

Rift Experience
Setup per dburne’s recommendations except did 3-sensor setup with son’s help. Oculus still says play area too small (~1x2m), but setup works without issues anyway. Using blue cloth VR cover that fits fine after a little fiddling. All Oculus demos run without issue. Il-2 BoK Spitfire is all I’ve flown in VR mode to date. Agree it’s impossible to appreciate a great VR implementation without experiencing it. I had been landing the Vb without incident in 2d for quite some time without much drama. In VR I suddenly found myself needing to do multiple aborts before a successful landing. Finally understood that I needed some slow flight time and realized that Vb stall speed in landing config is 80...83mph. In VR with open canopy I can focus on relationship of exhaust stack to landing strip while also viewing airspeed indicator and throttle lever position effortlessly to achieve soft touchdown. The illusion of being in cockpit is pretty much flawless for me. Once Spit comes to stop and engine is off I will sometimes just sit there for a while looking around. The illusion of a 1 to 1 size relationship between player and sim world seems key. Ymmv for the VR experience. Given 1070 class gpu, i7 6800k cpu and 16gig ram smooth performance for my flights is typical. How large object count will impact frame rate idk yet. I am happy just flying around in VR. Few 1v1 QM’s show difference between TiR and VR. Lot of work in VR, but much prefer VR tracking. Blue guardian ring I ignore, does not detract from VR experience for me. Screen door effect seems much over rated. Nausea: none to date. I am hoping the Oculus will prove durable. It is essential flight sim hardware for me now. Admittedly the excellent BoX VR implementation is having positive impact on my VR assessment.

How do you handle not being able to see HOTAS buttons/keyboard keys/cockpit controls (assuming you have them)?

This has been my main reason (beyond the infancy of the technology) for not investing in this to date. Sometimes, I need to be able to see where my gear handle is, or which switch on my GF panel controls engine 1 vs 2.

For years i’ve had x45 throttle & stick mounted to a wood block so i can set it on my lap so as not to require desk space and store easily when not in use. I do not need to”see” the X45. I know where the buttons are. Even with Rift on I can reach trackball and keyboard. For keyboard I can easily identify Control, F1 and F2 keys. Early adopters buy development kits. The CV1 and Vive have been around for quite some time now so I do not consider myself an early adopter in any sense. There are many good reasons to refrain from buying VR, susceptibility to motion sickness being a case in point. The sensivity would certainly be exacerbated if using a marginally capable pc. The technology has already been developed to a point where I now see TrackIR and multiple monitor setups as becoming obsolete. Price for a 3-sensor Rift setup is comparable to what I paid for a fancy fast refresh 2d monitor. There is nothing like the sensation of sitting in the cockpit once you have had time to experience it. If possible, I will buy a “high res” VR system when it becomes available, but I see no reason to not purchase a VR system today as opposed to at some unknown time when such upgraded units may come onto the market at a reasonable price.

So for me, I have a lot of control mapped to Go Flight controllers, (engine switches and the like). I assume (as would be the point) there is no ability to see what physical control/button you are touching, correct?

Sounds likely no iteration of VR hardware might ever meet your needs if you are unable to adopt a VR-compatible control setup. I may look into a voice command app to augment my control setup for some items less essential to flight basics.

Maybe, maybe not. That is what I am trying to figure out. Obviously, if the sim had completely clickable cockpits, that would make things easier, but since that is not a consistent feature across flight sims/games, the ability to interact with controls (beyond a basic stick or mouse) that are outside the VR experience is something that has to be considered.

I am looking at a major sim cockpit upgrade sometime in the next year or so, and trying to make the decision for visuals whether I go the VR or the 3x32" Monitor route.

I would not suggest anyone forego a complex/comprehensive 2d setup if that is what “floats their boat”. I am only bearing witness to what others have said before: there is nothing like being in the cockpit watching gauges and levers move from the “center” of a make believe world. That sensation is just not available in 2d. I do not accept that 2d and VR setups are mutually exclusive. Further, I do not accept any suggestion that VR needs more development before it is able to produce a believable “in cockpit” experience. Difference in tracking between TiR and VR is striking. With VR I can work up a sweat during multi aircraft dogfights because of the 1 to 1 relationship to my VR environment but there is no point where the tracking simply gives up as with TiR. I also note that I do not experience the “double gunsight” problem that has been reported by some. I can clearly see the sight and can use with both eyes open (3 kills in a single df). I acknowledge that ymmv. I seem to be immune to motion sickness to date. I tested myself on a “free” roller coaster app from Oculus store to no effect. As to keyboard I am finding some keys more easily accessed. Cockpit lights and engine start for BoX VR are now on keypad. I now cannot switch engine off by accident. Other adaptations will likely follow. I have thought about DCS for clickable cockpits but then I read the forum posts. So for now I am sticking with BoX for the VR experience. One important issue I have not raised before is that there is more to VR experiences than flight sims, Google Earth VR being an example.

I got an Oculus CV-1 for Christmas and just wanted to pipe in my $.02. I was excited to use it but I had no idea just how incredible VR in a flight sim would be. I fired up a quick mission and, when it loaded in, I was instantly in the cockpit of a Bf-109. I mean it seems like you're really there! It has to be one of the coolest gaming experiences I have ever had. I have tried several games or demos in VR but keep coming back to BoS because it is just jaw dropping and unbelievably fun.

I don't really have a problem with accessing the keyboard and stuff because I just look out through the little area where my nose goes...I am able to see well enough to still access the keys as I would have before. It would be awesome if cockpits were fully clickable, because you will want to just move the controls with your hands once you are there in VR.

Being in VR ups the intensity a ton over 2d and Track IR. And the immersion of the total experience is really no comparison.

The only problem I have run into so far is the screen graying out when frame rates drop due to a lot of activity. I don't know just yet how to work around that. I can't wait, now, for them to do some planes I am more fascinated with...like the Pacific theater. I know that has been pushed off the table for now. I can't wait for Flying Circus in VR though. That is going to be incredible.

Thx for your input. I am still working thru key mapping adjustments for BoX VR. I have not experienced “graying out” yet but that may be because I have limited my missions to 2v3 QM dogfights. One item I don’t recall seeing addressed before is how VR applies to flight record playback. Typically I will call up a flight record and press Control/F2 to bring my enemy target into external camera view. That done I am able to stand and view the entire battle area in a 360 degree field of view. Of course if df takes place over water there will be waves moving somewhere below my feet. Some might find that disconcerting, but the idea is that I am able to view the entire battle area without mouse or trackball and can return my view to the enemy aircraft and/or its pursuers effortlessly. It is a feature unique to VR.

A report about how well VR works in campaign or well populated single missions would be very helpful.

I have no interest in campaign. I have no interest in bringing my FPS down to a point where it creates an unsatisfying VR experience. I have no current interest in buying a gtx 1080ti since my 1070 is providing adequate VR performance for my current needs. If VR could only be used for practicing shooting landings I would probably still have bought in because, with some turbulence and wind speed thrown in it reminds me of the RL process wherein each landing is a bit different from another. In VR frame rate is King. I see frame rate as far more important than increased resolution because fluidity of motion is paramount in VR.

It works very well, at least for me ( specs in sig).

I have flown both parts of the stock BoS campaign, Blazing Steppe, Ivan's War, and now am currently 202 missions into a PWCG campaign.
I am not having any performance issues, it is doing great for me. I fly with ASW off, at times during heavy combat my fps may dip into the 60's or little lower, but still it is a very smooth and fluid experience for me.

SP is all I fly, and I am having a blast flying BoS in VR.

As for me, I have a Virpil T-50 Stick, Warthog Throttle, and a CH Throttle Quadrant. All mounted in easy reach, and I have my button assignments committed to memory.
Now there is a small gap down below the nose, and one can peer down at the keyboard, but scanning it for certain keys is not so easy.

I also use Voice Attack for my wingmen commands. So I really have not trouble with the lack of sight on keyboard issue.

Thx for your input. Some comments on Voice Attack would be appreciated. I have seen mixed reviews. I have recently retrieved an old CH throttle quadrant from storage and have attached it to my pc desk. Would I need to expect Win 10 to reassign all my controller id’s if I plug it in? I just want to be prepared if I plug the TQ in and then have to redo all my previous game settings.