Microsoft Flight Simulator virtual reality mode slows down even on powerful computers

Microsoft released an update to Flight Simulator, which added VR mode to the game. Players began to complain that the new mode is slowing down even on the most powerful PCs. reports Upload.

Journalists tested the game on a PC with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Super and found that Flight Simulator really slows down and produces a small number of frames per second. Upload posted a video of their gameplay on their YouTube channel.

One YouTube user in the comments below the video said that he tried to play Flight Simulator with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 video card, but it turned out that it was “unplayable.” Reddit complains about similar problems: even with the 2070 Super, the frame rate does not exceed 40 frames per second.

So, user DeliciousPangolin told that with an overclocked Intel Core i7-9700k and RTX 3080 processor, it was only able to get “shaky 45 frames per second” at default settings and only in those game zones where there are no buildings. He also noted that even with minimal settings, it cannot get rid of reprojection artifacts – the game uses duplication of every second frame for low FPS, but this leads to visual defects in the display of close objects. In Microsoft Flight Simulator, these objects are window frames, which are found on most aircraft; according to DeliciousPangolin, they “start to shake like crazy” when he looks at them.

Upload writes that Microsoft has never released the minimum and recommended system requirements for Flight Simulator’s VR mode. The Microsoft Store lists requirements for the version without VR – an Intel Core i5-8400 processor and a GeForce GTX 970. However, there is no mention in the game description that they correspond to the VR mode.

In addition to frame drops per second, users also complain about the lack of support for the stated VR headsets. Microsoft reported that the new mode supports all of the company’s own VR headsets, as well as Oculus, Valve Index and HTC headsets, but did not specify which ones specifically. One of the Upload journalists tried to launch the game via Steam on the Oculus Rift S, but failed.