Flying inside the cockpit of an airplane just got more realistic.
Here are the 3 best VR headset for Microsoft Flight Simulator you can buy in 2022. We ranked them based on price, field of view, resolution and overall comfort level.
Let's check them out
Top Flight Sim VR Goggles
Oculus Quest 2 - Best Overall Comfort
Facebook's Oculus Quest 2 is one of the most mainstream VR headset for a good price just under $300. You can fly with it inside FS2020, and also use it for other VR games.
Wireless - Connect to PC via Air Link and it works for FS2020
No PC Required - User can do a wide range of activities previously unable simply due to the redesign of the cable system, and NO PC is required.
Faster Setup - Switch on the VR mode inside FS2020, and you are good to go
Customizable - Highly recommend using an aftermarket headstrap for better comfort, and some have built in battery to make the headset run longer
Specs:
- System: Android source code
- Memory: 6G
- Position Tracking:
- Field Of View: 104°
- Weight: 126g
- Hard Drive: 128Gb or 256Gb
- Screen Resolution: LCD 1832 X 1920 per eye
- Refresh Rate: 120 Hz
- IPD: Manual (1, 2 and 3)
- Graphics: Adreno 650
- Connection: Wifi, USB-C and blutooth
Pros
- Affordable for mainstream users
- Connect via Air Link
- Very easy to setup
- No wire
Cons
- Facebook required
- Mandatory credit card info to login
- Better headstrap not included
Varjo Aero - Best Image Clarity
Varjo Aero is checks all the boxes for a high visual fidelity for VR headset for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and VR developers.
Human Eye Sight Resolution - Up to 35 pixels per degree, and up to 2880 X 2720 per eye. See everything in the cockpit and switches with real life alike resolution
Top Training Quality - It blows Oculus Quest 2 and HTC Vive Pro out of the water
Content Streaming - Stream VR content from the cloud as Varjo Reality Cloud becomes available
Specs:
- System: Android source code
- Position Tracking: SteamVR
- Memory: 6G
- Field Of View: Horizontal: 115°, Diagonal: 134° at 12 mm eye relief
- Weight: 487g
- Hard Drive: 128Gb or 256Gb
- Screen Resolution: LCD 2880 X 2720 per eye
- Refresh Rate: 200 Hz
- IPD: Automatic 57 - 73mm
- Connection: Wifi, USB-C and blutooth
Pros
- 20 20 alike resolution
- Auto IPD
- Foveated rendering
- No annual subscription
- Lightweight, less strain on neck
- Active cooling to keep it running longer
- Reduced headache running at 200hz
Cons
- Expensive
- No camera
- Requires SteamVR tracking
PIMAX 12K - Best Field Of View
PIMAX 12K offers the widest field of view experience for VR pilots to experience the cockpit. This means you can maximize situational awareness by glancing around with your eye balls to see other gauges during flight.
Tobii Eye Tracking - Foveated rendering only sharpen the part of the image to reduce graphics computing power
200° FOV - Up to 12K resolution using QLED display with a whopping 200 Hz refresh rate. This 10X your flying experience.
Auto IPD - It automatically recenter the lens to the position of your pupil for maximum visual clarity on its own. It saves time putting it on yourself and setting it up for others
Specs:
- Position Tracking: SteamVR
- Optics: Bionic lens system
- Field Of View: 200° Horizontal, 135° Vertical
- Screen Resolution: QLED 12K per eye
- Refresh Rate: 200 Hz
- IPD: Automatic 57 - 72mm
- Connection: Wifi, Fibre Optic Cable
Pros
- Widest FOV to fly and pay attention to the gauges
- Auto IPD
- Foveated rendering
- Bionic lenses
Cons
- Expensive
- Bulky
- Facial tracking may invade personal privacy
What To Look For
Comfort
The weight of the headset matters lot for long period of use for VR pilots.
The lighter the headset, the easier it is to wear and experience VR for a long period of time. The heavier it is, the faster the user will strain the neck and may also lead to motion sickness.
Learn more: How to reduce VR motion sickness
Resolution & FOV
As VR technology improves, field of view and resolution will continue to improve, and this is a key feature for smooth VR flying experience inside FS2020.
Most VR headsets use Fresnel lenses, and only the center of the lens will give the user the highest clarity. Therefore proper IPD setting is important for both eyes to see the highest quality image as much as possible.
IPD
New VR technology is pushing towards automatic IPD adjustment as soon as the user puts on the headset.
This means easier adjustment for yourself or when setting up VR for others.
Foveated Rendering
Foveated rendering will sharpen the image according to where the eye is looking inside the cockpit while reducing computing power on rest of the screen.
This will make VR headset run a lot efficient and also provide depth of field experiences for user who may wear bifocal or non-progressive corrective lenses
Refresh Rate
Anything at around 90 hz, 120 hz or 200 hz is a good starting point for a modern VR headset. The higher refresh rate and higher FPS (90FPS or higher) can reduce motion sickness, and provide good low level VR flying experience.
The lower the frame rate, the worse the experience. In addition, an optimized computer can support the hardware is also helpful.
Sound System
Built in immersive sound system is great, but and most serious VR users will use their own audio system to enhance the experience. So this is not a major feature to fuzz about if your headset doesn't have it.