7 ms·

I bought the 1982 version. Today I'm sat in VR [1] with MSFS [2], flying over photogrammetry scenery streamed from the cloud, using consumer flight controls [3

I bought the 1982 version. Today I'm sat in VR [1] with MSFS [2], flying over photogrammetry scenery streamed from the cloud, using consumer flight controls [3] modelled on a real Boeing 737 [4], talking to an air traffic controller in Portugal (I'm in Seattle) [5], checking my Nav charts [6] and checklists [7] as I go, just having a good time playing pilot for fun, as I like the buttons. Things have come a long way in the last 40 years; will be crazy to see what the next 40 do. (I've included the links for people not familiar with the hobby as that's always interesting) [1] https://www.hp.com/us-en/vr/reverb-g2-vr-headset.html https://www.hp.com/us-en/vr/reverb-g2-vr-headset.html [2] https://www.flightsimulator.com/ https://www.flightsimulator.com/ [3] https://www.thrustmaster.com/en-us/products/tca-yoke-pack-boeing-edition/ https://www.thrustmaster.com/en-us/products/tca-yoke-pack-bo... [4] https://pmdg.com/pmdg-737-700-for-microsoft-flight-simulator/ https://pmdg.com/pmdg-737-700-for-microsoft-flight-simulator... [5] https://www.vatsim.net/ https://www.vatsim.net/ [6] https://navigraph.com/ https://navigraph.com/ [7] https://flightsim.to/file/32315/pmdg-737-700-summarised-normal-checklist https://flightsim.to/file/32315/pmdg-737-700-summarised-norm...

Koshkin 4y ago
The next 40 years? A robot that will arrive on a drone will do a hip surgery right in your bedroom (not on you, sorry).
- xattt 4y ago
  Will it bring its own surgical linen, or is there some DARPA-funded cutting-edge laundry detergent research for after the procedure?
  - Gordonjcp 4y ago
    You won't need it, it'll be laparoscopic surgery that barely needs anaesthesia and leaves a hole like a flea bite that you stick a plaster on for a day or two.
    - Koshkin 4y ago
      This is exactly right.
digitallyfree 4y ago
I wonder if by then we'll be able to directly stream a simulated environment into our nervous system (think something Matrix-esque) where you could be physically lying in your bed but virtually in the cockpit of the plane as if you were really there. Previously I would've simply dismissed that as science fiction, but if I was currently living in 1982 it would be hard to imagine what we have now.
- daviding 4y ago
  As a young kid in 1982 I thought those graphics were stunning, at least compared to text based games I'd been playing. For the future I personally think it really depends on if mainstream AR/VR will get traction or not, and there are so many challenges for that. Flight sims (and combat, driving games etc) are a great but very small niche of whales that benefits from the tech, but it needs a bigger consumer base than that to push it forward. AR is a better bet I think, and I could picture flight sim's using that well. I currently use either a VR controller in a 3D space or a mouse to flick switches in the virtual cockpit, but mixing real-world and the sim would take it up a notch - especially if haptic. Graphically VR is still pretty awkward for this sort of thing, as even though 3164x3096 per eye the clarity struggles for real-world simulation like this (lots of detail in a cockpit). We need variable focus depth, higher refresh rates and better (non-fresnel) lenses tech. Meta/Apple/Valve hint at it, and Varjo has some good new things, but it's a race condition between having a monster PC to drive it = niche market vs stand-alone AR/VR for consumer adoption. I guess streaming the entire experience from the cloud via high bandwidth and stand-alone is really the only way this is going to go. I'll post back in 40 years to see if I was close. ;)
  - emmelaich 4y ago
    I had the Sublogic version on the TRS-80. 127x80 monochrome! Crazy thing is that it was pretty involving even then.
  - matthewdgreen 4y ago
    I always wondered what kind of crazy city only had one building.
outside1234 4y ago
Is the VR a compelling upgrade over the 2D experience? In particular does it help with the controls? (Can you directly interact with them?) Finally, if I can be so bold, how much hardware did you need to pull off VR? Does it require a high end Nvidia 3080 or 3090?
- tiff_seattle 4y ago
  It's a very compelling experience. It's kind of mind blowing to take your F-16 and casually glance at real world scenery outside your cockpit. The most immersive controls are hardware HOTAS/Yoke controllers, IMO. It runs fine for me on an RTX2080 and a Vive Pro.
- daviding 4y ago
  Recommending VR gaming to someone is hard, it's like saying 'Go on this rollercoaster, you'll love it!' which a good chunk of people will just not enjoy it. There are moments of brilliance and kludgy pits of annoyance. I personally love it. I'm sat here with pretty much every headset made in the last 7 years, so I'm probably not a neutral person to ask. Try it first if you can. If you like it then going back to 2D is sort of hard. For a PC, yep for flight/driving sims the bigger the monster the better. I use a Nvidia 3080Ti and an i9 overclocked cooled water to an inch of its life and I still struggle with framerate. There is always a bigger fish to buy next year though. The again, it's cheaper than other hobbies like boats or flying for real (airliners at least) so like anything it's really the value you get out of it.
  - hirundo 4y ago
    > I'm sat here with pretty much every headset made in the last 7 years, so I'm probably not a neutral person to ask. Got a favorite? Which headset gives the best overall experience?
    - daviding 4y ago
      That's a hard question, as they are all a little flawed in some way. Something like: Varjo Aero - probably the nicest overall, but quite expensive. HP Reverb G2 - nice for sit-down VR like simulators etc. Not great for general VR so much. Meta Quest 2 - good entry level for general VR as it can be stand-alone (no wires!) or PC linked and is probably the best value overall. Valve Index - probably the nicest stand-up VR overall package due to its tracking tech, but getting long in the tooth now and needs a revision.
deleted 4y ago
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ssl232 4y ago
Can you take the role of air traffic controller in MSFS multiplayer? If so, that's very cool.
- meheleventyone 4y ago
  There’s a third-party sim for air traffic control called VATSIM that lets people play as air traffic controllers for various regions with data relays from a few flight sims so they can see participating traffic and chat to them: https://www.vatsim.net/ https://www.vatsim.net/
  - GekkePrutser 4y ago
    There's also IVAO that's meant to be a bit more beginner friendly (someone told me that Vatsim people often have very low patience, not sure if true as I've not used either)
- exDM69 4y ago
  No. But you can use MSFS as a client to join VATSIM as a pilot, where someone else is the air traffic controller (using another client app). Being a controller needs training, even when doing it online.

Koshkin 4y ago

The next 40 years? A robot that will arrive on a drone will do a hip surgery right in your bedroom (not on you, sorry).

xattt 4y ago
Will it bring its own surgical linen, or is there some DARPA-funded cutting-edge laundry detergent research for after the procedure?
- Gordonjcp 4y ago
  You won't need it, it'll be laparoscopic surgery that barely needs anaesthesia and leaves a hole like a flea bite that you stick a plaster on for a day or two.
  - Koshkin 4y ago
    This is exactly right.

digitallyfree 4y ago

I wonder if by then we'll be able to directly stream a simulated environment into our nervous system (think something Matrix-esque) where you could be physically lying in your bed but virtually in the cockpit of the plane as if you were really there. Previously I would've simply dismissed that as science fiction, but if I was currently living in 1982 it would be hard to imagine what we have now.

daviding 4y ago
As a young kid in 1982 I thought those graphics were stunning, at least compared to text based games I'd been playing. For the future I personally think it really depends on if mainstream AR/VR will get traction or not, and there are so many challenges for that. Flight sims (and combat, driving games etc) are a great but very small niche of whales that benefits from the tech, but it needs a bigger consumer base than that to push it forward. AR is a better bet I think, and I could picture flight sim's using that well. I currently use either a VR controller in a 3D space or a mouse to flick switches in the virtual cockpit, but mixing real-world and the sim would take it up a notch - especially if haptic. Graphically VR is still pretty awkward for this sort of thing, as even though 3164x3096 per eye the clarity struggles for real-world simulation like this (lots of detail in a cockpit). We need variable focus depth, higher refresh rates and better (non-fresnel) lenses tech. Meta/Apple/Valve hint at it, and Varjo has some good new things, but it's a race condition between having a monster PC to drive it = niche market vs stand-alone AR/VR for consumer adoption. I guess streaming the entire experience from the cloud via high bandwidth and stand-alone is really the only way this is going to go. I'll post back in 40 years to see if I was close. ;)
- emmelaich 4y ago
  I had the Sublogic version on the TRS-80. 127x80 monochrome! Crazy thing is that it was pretty involving even then.
- matthewdgreen 4y ago
  I always wondered what kind of crazy city only had one building.

outside1234 4y ago

Is the VR a compelling upgrade over the 2D experience? In particular does it help with the controls? (Can you directly interact with them?) Finally, if I can be so bold, how much hardware did you need to pull off VR? Does it require a high end Nvidia 3080 or 3090?

tiff_seattle 4y ago
It's a very compelling experience. It's kind of mind blowing to take your F-16 and casually glance at real world scenery outside your cockpit. The most immersive controls are hardware HOTAS/Yoke controllers, IMO. It runs fine for me on an RTX2080 and a Vive Pro.
daviding 4y ago
Recommending VR gaming to someone is hard, it's like saying 'Go on this rollercoaster, you'll love it!' which a good chunk of people will just not enjoy it. There are moments of brilliance and kludgy pits of annoyance. I personally love it. I'm sat here with pretty much every headset made in the last 7 years, so I'm probably not a neutral person to ask. Try it first if you can. If you like it then going back to 2D is sort of hard. For a PC, yep for flight/driving sims the bigger the monster the better. I use a Nvidia 3080Ti and an i9 overclocked cooled water to an inch of its life and I still struggle with framerate. There is always a bigger fish to buy next year though. The again, it's cheaper than other hobbies like boats or flying for real (airliners at least) so like anything it's really the value you get out of it.
- hirundo 4y ago
  > I'm sat here with pretty much every headset made in the last 7 years, so I'm probably not a neutral person to ask. Got a favorite? Which headset gives the best overall experience?
  - daviding 4y ago
    That's a hard question, as they are all a little flawed in some way. Something like: Varjo Aero - probably the nicest overall, but quite expensive. HP Reverb G2 - nice for sit-down VR like simulators etc. Not great for general VR so much. Meta Quest 2 - good entry level for general VR as it can be stand-alone (no wires!) or PC linked and is probably the best value overall. Valve Index - probably the nicest stand-up VR overall package due to its tracking tech, but getting long in the tooth now and needs a revision.

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

ssl232 4y ago

Can you take the role of air traffic controller in MSFS multiplayer? If so, that's very cool.

meheleventyone 4y ago
There’s a third-party sim for air traffic control called VATSIM that lets people play as air traffic controllers for various regions with data relays from a few flight sims so they can see participating traffic and chat to them: https://www.vatsim.net/ https://www.vatsim.net/
- GekkePrutser 4y ago
  There's also IVAO that's meant to be a bit more beginner friendly (someone told me that Vatsim people often have very low patience, not sure if true as I've not used either)
exDM69 4y ago
No. But you can use MSFS as a client to join VATSIM as a pilot, where someone else is the air traffic controller (using another client app). Being a controller needs training, even when doing it online.