The ONE thing that would make X-Plane feel more real

[OlaHaldor]

I present to you, Oculus Rift.How I'd love for this to work with X-Plane (among other simulators or first person games).

Edited May 7, 2013 by OlaHaldor

[Nicola_M]

I can see where that might work with FPS games.  I watched a TV program, Gadget Show, here in the UK only a few months back wherein they did exactly that.  They teamed up with a number of devs and created a one-off FPS environment, complete with roller-bar type flooring so you could actually move around in the game arena.  I think they used something like Call of Duty.  The coolest bit is they got an ex-SAS guy, Andy McNab, in to test it.  As said, it was a one-off, and I think all in it was something like £250K to put together - well out of reach of us lot - but it demonstrated what could be done.

 

Only thing is, as a conventional FPS, it only needed yourself and a weapon and some space. With OR and xplane, yes you'd get the virtual reality of seeing dials, switches and levers but operating them is gonna be a whole new ballgame entirely.  And then the cost.  Maybe 10-15 years for it to be achievable?  Another 10-15 years for it to come down to a heck of a lot less (than £250K) for the public to not need to remortgage to buy one.

We're already at the age whereby the US has made its final manned fighter.  Who knows, by the time this technology comes of age, the idea of flying planes, and flying them manually, like we currently do, will be right out there with the dinosaurs.

[sqrt(-1)]

1.  We're already at the age whereby the US has made its final manned fighter. 

 

2.  Who knows, by the time this technology comes of age, the idea of flying planes, and flying them manually, like we currently do, will be right out there with the dinosaurs.

 

1.  At best, an unsubstantiated rumor.

 

2.  I sure hope not!

[Nicola_M]

1.  At best, an unsubstantiated rumor.

A very widely reported one, however.  Held by a remarkable number of (influential, btw) sources too.  Scoff away, ya won't be laughing when it happens. We didn't, when they took our Concorde away.

 

"Rumour" based fairly and squarely on its off-the-scale cost and way way way overdue coming. Heck I was playing Novalogic's version of it in 1996.   That's saying something if a games company can get a fully-working sim out before the real design hasn't even dried on the paper.

In any event, the sheer cost and p*ss-take of development has made very very sure there won't be a repeat scenario.  I'll put money on the next US manned fighter being fabric and wood.  The point is, the way forward is unmanned. Drones are already unmanned, piloted remotely from the other side of the world, while carrying ordnance, proving it works.

Just this week the UN are taking autonomous vehicles seriously enough to regard it as the future: "Killer robots should not have power to destroy human life"     http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2318713/U-N-report-warns-killer-robots-power-destroy-human-life.html

Spacecraft are already unmanned (at least the one that was sent up to the ISS months back with food). I think when the future-of-airline concept, HOTOL, came out that was mooted for unmanned too. 

Whichever way it goes, convincing the sheep to board when there isn't going to be a pair of sheep at the pointy end will be..... interesting.

 

I digress, this OR virtual headseat's gonna be great when it arrives. Just hope they put rubber on the front, because as sure as eggs is eggs, someone will get up and walk into a door with them on.

Edited May 8, 2013 by Nicola_M

[OlaHaldor]

I let the controlling problems be up to each individual. I tell you, this would be tons more awesome than TrackIR and such. The "feeling" of being inside the cockpit would be insane.

The devkit pricing is at $300.. They are aiming for the gaming enthusiast. At home. No 250K budget needed.

 

(and that was Battlefield 3 by the way, using Kinect and projectors)

[Nicola_M]

I do agree with the virtual reality side of the idea.  It is a double-edged sword, though.  We still use keyboards for functions, and I'll bet even those with custom setups still need to also, so having to "step out" from the goggles at certain times is going to detract from the immersion, I think.

But if they go the all-interactive levers and switches in 3D, you lose the tactile benefits.

What you gain in one scenario, you lose in the other.

[sqrt(-1)]

A very widely reported one, however.  Held by a remarkable number of (influential, btw) sources too.  Scoff away, ya won't be laughing when it happens. We didn't, when they took our Concorde away.

 

Rumors, regardless whether held by large numbers or

, are still only rumors. 

 

No one is really laughing here either.  And the Concorde was a different story altogether.  Having flown a round trip on it, I have missed her. 

[Cameron]

I let the controlling problems be up to each individual. I tell you, this would be tons more awesome than TrackIR and such. The "feeling" of being inside the cockpit would be insane.

The devkit pricing is at $300.. They are aiming for the gaming enthusiast. At home. No 250K budget needed.

(and that was Battlefield 3 by the way, using Kinect and projectors)

The devkit is a highly subpar resolution.

[Andyrooc]

Would be awesome...except trying to click on a 'FD' or 'LOC' (etc) with your mouse...and the G is quite close to the B, so be careful after landing, because accidentally hitting G could lead to a big Bump!

 

Re: unmanned fighters, either they mean future fighters will be womanned, or the US/EU is no longer going to sell aircraft to allied customers.

[Femke]

If they make with a small side switch to change lenses to transparent thereby toggling to operate controls then return to immersive flying it may work perhaps.

Edited May 8, 2013 by Femke

[Nicola_M]

Who knows, by the time this technology comes of age, the idea of flying planes, and flying them manually, like we currently do, will be right out there with the dinosaurs.

 

Pilotless flight trialled in UK shared airspace

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-22511395

 

Ah, thank you, thank you, thank you.  I rest my case. 

[Andyrooc]

People have been flying empty aircraft remotely for many many years. Nothing new there.

[Nicola_M]

People have been flying empty aircraft remotely for many many years. Nothing new there.

 

Really?  Apart from the USAF, with its drones and UAV helicopters, name one non-mil operator that's been doing it for years.

As far as I can tell, this is a first, especially for the UK, where nothing moves under the sheer weight of red tape.

[JimboG]

I am so glad this thread came up, I've been looking forward to it.

I'm with the OP - The Rift I think will be amazing on XP.... I for one would be happy to give it a go with a mouse for switches so as to know where your "hand" is. I've got a Leap Motion on back-order from last year, that could be an interesting utility - who knows!?

I decided not to pull the trigger on a dev kit as I don't have coding experience, but the more I am hearing about others experience it would seem that with relatively little-to-no coding experience a lot of games can at least be tried out, conceptually.

But I am positively itching to see (mind the pun!) what the experience would be like with XP and the Rift. To *really* look up at your overhead panel and down to your MCP and behind you to look at the window, wow!

As for the resolution issue, it's well known that the dev kit is not hi res as it doesn't impact the *potential* that needs to be accepted by the community first, but.......... It's soooooo good apparently that I might have to "borrow" one that I know is in the near vicinity of where I live, or...... Get one. Find I can't make it work and then ship it to Ben with an accompanying begging letter to get it working/optimise "XP for VR"

Wow. Mega wow. Big kid time. Definitely.

[JimboG]

Woot!

 

Check it out people, it's already started with FSX!

 

https://developer.oculusvr.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=752&p=7629

 

Only a matter of time!

 

Cheers

 

James

[Andyrooc]

Really?  Apart from the USAF, with its drones and UAV helicopters, name one non-mil operator that's been doing it for years.

As far as I can tell, this is a first, especially for the UK, where nothing moves under the sheer weight of red tape.

http://www1.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/news/FactSheets/FS-003-dfrc.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Boeing_727_crash_experiment

 

...but beside those, controlling anything remotely is rather passe / old hat. Now do it with a bunch of passengers on board, and that would be interesting. I suspect it'll be a loong time before you start convincing people to fly on a plane where the flight crew are not in the same boat (taking the same risk) as the passengers. Besides, you wonder what the point is.

[JimboG]

Saw a YouTube video tonight of RoF being played using the rift, looked pretty cool - although I know nothing about Rise of Flight.

Cheers

James

[Nicola_M]

Saw a YouTube video tonight of RoF being played using the rift, looked pretty cool - although I know nothing about Rise of Flight.

Cheers

James

 

Cool, but you're not missing much.  I found RoF very, very slow, very, very, very hard to hit anything.  It's sodding annoying when the enemy climbs like monkeys and stay at 10,000 ft meaning you spend half your life trying to climb up to get at them.   I used to play Solitaire while I waited.....

I've loved WW1 for years and back in 03 I had a fantastic WW1 addon for a WW2 sim that I lost in a pc crash and (can't remember what the sim or that addon was), but it was much more entertaining. RoF doesn't come close.  It's mind-numbingly boring and frustrating.  If watching paint dry is too much of an adrenaline rush, then RoF is a great alternative.

 

Damage simulation is great.  You really need a top of the line pc to run it though. What you can get away with to run xplane won't cut it with RoF.

Edited May 17, 2013 by Nicola_M

[JimboG]

Not exactly flight sim I know but seriously check this reaction out!

With a 3D stereoscopic interface those 3D cockpits are going to be great!

Cheers

James

[Capt_Spencer]

I am an avid X-Plane fan and have been for quite a while.  I have always loved the realism that comes from the product that Laminar puts out.  I have never reached out to a forum before but knew that they use forums like these to gage the public opinion.  What changed…this - http://www.oculusvr.com/ , I saw this and knew instantly that it would be the final step in creating that full Simulator effect at home.  Yes I did see the issue with the keyboard interface.  For basic and maybe even some advanced controls, a small single handed key board like Belkin's Razor Nostromo would make it easier http://www.razerzone.com/gaming-keyboards-keypads/razer-nostromo.  Hopefully Laminar will take this up with their Dev Team and put something out.