VR and homepit consistent?

Anyone here has experiences with the use of VR in a homecockpit?

I've just bought a new system with an Ryzen 2700X and a RTX2080. I also bought a Pimax 4K for VR.
I only want to use a VR headset, no VR controllers. I had the idea of connecting a little cam in
front of the headset, so I can see my pit through the headset in simulations which are VR compatible.

I want to programm a switch on the HOTAS to activate the cam if it's needed. This way I could use my
pit even in VR. Don't know if something like this is working.

VR makes some things really easier for my kind of "universal cockpit" cause you don't need to make
all displays and especially the 7-segment displays working in every sim, but I also don't like to
have the pit in other simulations, I mainly designed it for, completely useless in VR.

VR is impressive for the flight-feeling, so I don't want to miss it, but I also like the feeling of having a
real pit around me. It's a difficult decision if you must choose between, so I try to find a way to use both.

I have a cockpit , based on the Akers - Barnes plans, and I fly most often (almost exclusively) in VR using the Oculus Rift. The key is having a HOTAS system. I have CH Pro Throttle, CH Fighterstick and CH Pedals. Also my keyboard is backlit and I can get a glimpse of it by tilting my head back and raising the headset slightly if need be.

I find the cockpit very conducive to VR flying, everything remains stationary and easy to find by muscle memory alone.


Older picture of my pit, pre VR:

The Akers - Barnes was something I wanted to use as I started again with pit-building. Very nice layout!

I have very much switches, buttons, rotaries and displays in my homepit and wanted to use simulations like DCS, Falcon BMS, Strike Fighters Project 2 and EECH Allmods etc.

For some of them its really hard to get MFD's or gauges working (EECH Allmods, SF2 for example) but some guys were able to get old simulations running with some kind of pseudo VR.

This means the display is actually simple 2D with headtracking, but you can run it with a VR headset. So you have the feeling to sit in the pit and all the instruments are
working, cause it's the normal game displayed in a VR headset. No need to make interfacing between the sim and the pit with exception of the inputs, which is pretty much simple.

That was the idea that came in my mind. For the simulations, which are capable to run with a homepit, I could use the pit instead. But the feeling you get in VR if you fly an aircraft is much better than with a monitor layout, so I'm searching for a way to control all the inputs through the VR headset in all kind of sims. So I can choose to fly with the pit in VR- or Cockpit-mode depending on what I like better.

I know this isn't something which could be easily done, if its possible at all. It must be some kind of camview you could fade in with a simple press of a button on the HOTAS, which is able to show the outside world, without the need to take off the headset.

P.S: Just have seen that the HTC Vive has such an option I look for. " https://www.windowscentral.com/get-most-out-camera-your-htc-vive "
I had choosen the Pimax 4K cause of the better resolution to read instruments in VR. At this time the outside view wasn't something I
took care of. Hmm, maybe next time I should better consider what I exactly want to do before buying a new hardware

Hi Viper,

I don't think even the HTC Vive would do what you want. From what I read the camera on it allows you to switch between VR and camera. I assume you would want the external and VR views superimposed.

I also don't think a normal webcam would work either as it would need to be very wide angle.

Sorry to be a downer. If I think of something I'll let you know.

Ironically, Cast AR was what I was going to use. Replace the windows with the reflective material and stick the glasses on the helmet. Unfortunately it's been closed down.

Cheers,

Andy

Hello Andy,

no switch between VR and camera outside-view would be enough. It only must be possible to sign this to a simple keyboard command, so you can program a button
on the HOTAS for it. As far as I understand, its only possible to do this in the HTC Vive's menu in Steam.

But I have the Pimax 4K and sadly this headset has no frontface cam. Maybe I can built something comparable by my own. I hope, cause its really hard for me to choose between VR or a homepit. If I had to choose, I will prefer the pit, but if its possible to integrate VR somehow, that would be extra nice