Strike Fighters 2 VR with vorpX is working again!

[streakeagle]

Every now and then, I test to see if I can use VR with Strike Fighters 2. This requires a third party application named vorpX that allows 3d games to be adapted to VR with a correctly configured profile.

A long time ago, CAStary made a DX10 profile that worked with Strike Fighters 2. I got a copy of his custom profile and he gave me permission to upload it to the public vorpX profile library.

However, as gpu drivers change, windows gets patched, and vorpX is updated, my ability to run Strike Fighters 2 in VR has come and gone. It has been on the gone side for quite a few years.

I don't normally use the Oculus driver for my Quest 3, as Virtual Desktop using the WiFi connection gives me the best graphics quality and performance in most VR games, especially DCS World. But that format doesn't work for HiTech Creations Aces High WW2 combat flight sim. So, I updated my Oculus install and used it yesterday. Today, I decided to see if the Oculus/Quest 3 combination would work with the latest vorpX and AMD gpu drivers. It works great. The game looks good and runs between 70 and 90 fps. It takes a little bit of practice to learn how to start the game and toggle between the 3d VR view and a floating 2D view, but once you have that down, it is easy to use and works really well.

The main limitation is that SF2 was not designed for VR. In particular, you head movement is limited by default to keep you from seeing the low detail and/or non-existent cockpit behind and below the pilot's viewpoint. Some modern free mods don't have this limitation: if you view is unlocked, you can see a fully detailed cockpit in all directions possibly with animated controls like the stick and rudder pedals.

One advantage of SF2 in VR is that the graphics are relatively low quality compared to modern sims, which leads to high frame rates and the ability to fly complex missions with lots of AI. This isn't for everyone and the fact is compatibility isn't guaranteed. Another vorpX update could break it for another 5 or 6 years. But when it works, it is impressive, especially if you already spent a decade or more playing the SFP1/WoX/SF2 series.

[streakeagle]

I did another test using Virtual Desktop and the OpenXR driver. That works, too. I don't know why it is suddenly working so well, but it is great.