Back after a long hiatus... would like to try ED in VR

[eachann]

Hello,

I did try reading through posts but didn't quite see my same questions, though I'm sure they are very common... so I apologize in advance for commonly asked questions.
I originally bought the game back in 2014 off the kick starter with DLC. I put the game down for a long while , but now that I have an Oculus Quest 2 I wanted to try it again in VR.
Do I have to play it through steam VR to play it in VR or can I just install the game and let it update? If I do need to go through steam, how exactly do I link my frontier account to steam so that don't have to repurchase the game there?

Thanks in advance!

 

[jojon]

The game runs with both the Oculus and Steam VR runtimes, and checks on launch first for the former, and then the latter (if an "HMD" option is selected in options/graphics/3D.

Regardless of which of the above you use, the game does not need to be installed, nor launched, from any vendor specific launcher, such as Steam or the Oculus store - I have never done any account linking, and use the game's own, stand-alone launcher.

 

[eachann]

Thank you! I did get it to launch in my VR headset.... now I just have to figure out how to do anything. The occulus controllers don't seem to work and I can't see my keyboard or anything to try to control it that way. It's been years since I played and I don't even remember how I had controls set up. I assumed I'd be using the Oculus controllers but maybe not? Mine automatically went into Steam VR when I started the game on my PC even though I didn't link my account to steam, and it doesn't show up in my steam library.

 

[Dragsham]

A hotas

Memory muscle

Problem solved

 

[Willyum-71]

I use the Thrustmaster 'T.Flight HOTAS One' In VR.... I chose the 'One' over the 'Four' or 'X' because of the extra 3 button layout and compatibility. The price was right at $80... and I liked the fact that it is a very solid unit when the 2 parts are connected as 1... I can just sit in my favorite chair and plop it down on my lap and it's very stable without needing to mount it.... the height of it on your lap seems to be the perfect height while your arms are comfortable on the arm rest.... The thrust has a detent (stop position) at the 50% point which is perfect because in game that equals 'full stop, 0% thrust). pull back is reverse... and forward is forward... Elite Dangerous has a Pre-setup map for this HOTAS and it is decent... but I have modified about 7-10 changes that I preferred. I have 570 hours so far with this HOTAS in ED and maybe another 50 in Star wars squadrons and the only problem I have ever had is occasionally you need to re-calibrate it in windows every 3-4 weeks of heave use.... Because of it being cheaper, the shaft is plastic or resin something.. so 'dead center' of the yolk can have a very small amount of jitter drift. As I said, i usually just re-calibrate (unplug and plug back in... then then move it in every direct to all 4 corners twice... but you probably could just set the dead-zone to 3-5 percent from center. Money is not really an issue for me, so I have looked at the more expensive ones plus chair mount packages... but this unit has been so incredibly comfortable and stable to just plop it onto my lap and get going, plus the 3 years $9 full coverage from Micro Center... I just really really happy with this unit.... I also have a Stram Deck that I pre-programmed some text responses to be able to reply since there is no keyboard, and also have buttons programmed for 'screenshots', re-center VR, Inara... and some other stuff. Stream Deck is very flexible for needing to do everything else while you are in VR.

 

[jojon]

...Mine automatically went into Steam VR when I started the game on my PC...

Oh. I haven't used an Oculus device since the CV1, so I don't really know the runtime situation with newer ones - I had assumed OVRServer would go between them and PC applications just as it did with the old, but with the Quest devices possibly being segregated into their own "mobile device" realm with separate shop, maybe (?) interfacing them with PC apps is not "officially sanctioned", leaving OpenVR (...which is the basic VR runtime part of SteamVR, without the store bits) having to fill in the vacated space...

Elite has never recognised any of my VR controllers as input devices, but I recall hearing others saying otherwise in the past, for the original Oculus Touch controllers, specifically...

It is possible you could find some application that maps your controllers to a virtual gamepad, which the game could recognise -- I recall somebody even made one that let you use the positional tracking to simulate a pair of virtual "air-" -stick and -throttle, as well as letting you set up floating buttons in your cockpit, but that was rather long ago - don't know if it ever went anywhere.

Like others have suggested, playing with HOTAS helps a lot - all I've ever used to play this game, myself. :7

Another thing that helps, is an application called: "Voice Attack", which spoofs key presses on voice commands, as per your config, so you can say: "deploy landing gear". and VA will send the game the appropriate key press event. (There is even an entity selling ready-made such configs coupled with pretty complex vocal responses, voiced by celeb actors). :7

 

[Arioch]

Mine automatically went into Steam VR when I started the game on my PC even though I didn't link my account to steam, and it doesn't show up in my steam library.

That should be a setting in SteamVR - something like “Start SteamVR when an application starts” - possibly in the Developer menu of SteamVR if I recall correctly. With the standalone Frontier launcher you just need Oculus running in the background.

If you’ve got a gamepad then the “default context” settings work really well in my opinion - with the added bonus of bringing up a key legend if you press and hold a button; helps with the old what-does-what memory issues

 

[He$$eeTant]

I would also recommend using a hotas for VR. I often take time off and it’s always a bit of a learning curve remembering all the bindings but after a week or so it’s all second nature. Enjoy your new game.