Pico 4 experience and settings
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Since there’s no category for Pico headsets, I’m creating this post for discussion and tips regarding it…
I got mine yesterday, and it’s my first VR headset. First impressions were not great, with MFDs and HUD practically unreadable. But after lots of tweaking and trying stuff it now works pretty great!
My specs: Ryzen 5 5600X + Radeon 6600XT. Windows 11. Using Virtual Desktop for now, but will play more with the Pico Streaming Assistant later. Also getting a USB tether later this week.
Network is TP-Link Deco M5 mesh. WiFi 5 with the PC connected via ethernet.
BMS config: g_fVRResolution 1.4, g_bVRNoPresent 1 and environment mapping off.
Steam VR: World scale 125%
Virtual Desktop: High quality, 125 mbps bitrate, 40% sharpening.
I dont use any AA at all (for now)…
When starting BMS i lean back a bit and recenter VR. When I move forward again everything lines up perfectly.
What I think was causing my initial problems was my 2nd. monitor. A low res. touchscreen. When I disconnected it, my VR experience really improved.
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Tried Streaming Assistant again, settings maxed and with the bitrate set to 100-125 mbps via manual edit of the config-file for it. While the GFX is on par with or slightly better than VD, there’s something that looks like a “zoom-stutter” using this, and it’s very annoying! The performance is also worse, and bitrate seems more unstable with some stuttering.
My conclusion is that Virtual Desktop is superior on the Pico 4. Also, there’s no warping that Quest 2 users have been reporting with VD.
Final settings (for now):
BMS Config:
set g_nVRHMD 1 // Enables the OpenVR (default 0/false). set g_fVRZOOMFOV 60 // Field of view in degrees for VR ZOOM (default 60.0). set g_nVRHMCSEYE 0 // HMCS renders, 0 Right eye, 1 Left eye (default 0/false). set g_fVRResolution 1.3 // VR resolution multiplier. 1.0 by default. set g_bVRParallelRenderThread 1 // Enable Multi-Thread optimization for VR set g_bVRNoPresent 1 // This will not display the companion window in VR (only HMD will show image in 3d).
Also turned off environment mapping, but left shadows on.
Steam VR:
- World scale 120%
Virtual Desktop:
- Quality: High
- Bitrate: 125 mbps (go higher if you can, this is my max ATM)
- Refresh: 90 Hz (has to be enabled on the headset first)
- Sharpening: 30%
- Everything else is on default/auto.
Since I have an AMD Radeon GFX-card, VD uses H.264 encoding for better performance. Nvidia users will most likely want HEVC, and VD will probably select it automatically. This will improve the image slightly, at the cost of a bit more latency.
YMMW, so if anyone else is using the Pico 4 do please share your experiences, settings and computer specs
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3070Ti oc
9600K oc to 4.8ghz
24gb
Win11Wifi6 router , gigabit Ethernet pc connection
Virtualdesktop
Bit rate 90, hvec and ultra quality. Sharpening 50%
Steam VR res 100%bms evinroment mapping is on etc
BMW rez 1.4And Pico4
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Oh, and my world scale is 130% , makes all bit more easy to read. 125% would be perfect to scale i think but i find 130% best for me.
But i have to say, i never ever will take VR headset without pancake lenses , Pico lenses are soooo good.
My ex VR headsets from first to last:
CV1 rift
Samsung odysey
Pimax 5K plus and quest 1
Vive Cosmos
HP reverb 2
Pimax artisanAnd then Pico4 !
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Hello guys,
I really would like to buy Pico 4 because of its pancake lenses. But I am a bit hesitant because of the lack of a display port or HDMI connection.
Now I, as an operational Falcon fighter simmer with more than 1000 hours, would like to ask you: Do you recommend it? Would it be practical for operational use? Could I read MFDs and differentiate two close dots of FCR AA contacts? Or could I see the little dot of an aggressive Su-27 in the VFR range?
Thank you.
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@TUAF-Ripper Quest2 works without such a tweak…I recommend Quest 2. You can read MFDs.
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@chihirobelmo I agree the Quest 2 has readable MFDs for sure and a great overall headset, especially as an easy button for other VR stuff too. I would say that the Reverb G2 and the Pimax 8k X both have slightly but noticeably clearer MFDs than the Quest 2 though. It’s not on my list to buy anytime soon but @haukka81 you have me curious about it’s lenses!
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The Pico 4 has a better FOV than the Quest 2, and better resolution if you have the hardware to support it. How do they compare within BMS? I have no idea… Hopefully someone with more experience than me can chime in.
MFDs are readable for sure on the Pico. Just don’t expect them to look like on a 1440p or 4K monitor.
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@ipetter do you need a 4080 or something to run the Pico ? Does the encoder take up a lot of resources?
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@spotdott I run mine on a Radeon 6600XT + AMD Ryzen 5 5600X. The GFX card is roughly comparable to a Nvidia 3060.
I’m using Virtual Desktop at high settings, and have no problems reading MFDs etc. It looks great, except the cockpit textures. But those aren’t VR optimized (yet) and look like shit with any hardware. Performance in the Benchmark TE is around 45 FPS on the ground and 80-90 in the air.
Other games also runs great. HL Alyx looks amazing and runs very smoothly at a steady 90 FPS.
I don’t think you can beat the Pico 4 in “bang for bucks” ATM.
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My system runs Pico great.
And all is easily read. Mfd etc are Sharp. No need to VR zoom etc…
And i find that cockpit textures are nice.
And it runs fast, More important than 8k textures for pilot seat
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@haukka81 to be clear, nobody is getting 8k textures in the cockpit. The default BMS textures aren’t that high and Pimax’s math is mostly marketing. The Pico 4 and Pimax 8k X have similar PPD so should be similar screen clarity (not factoring in the lenses), it’s just you are driving so many more pixels for the wide view of the 8k X.
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I think we made a Pico section possible. Thanks Max.
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Does this hack work for current Pico owners?
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@spotdott Probably, but I find VD much better than Streaming Assistant. So can’t say I’ve bothered.
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VD is king. You can add sharpness filter etc… really makes things crisp and clear
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@haukka81 is VD the app on steam? Also does it only support wireless connection?
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@spotdott No… You buy VD in the Pico Store and install the app on your VR headset. Then download the streamer app for the PC here: https://www.vrdesktop.net - and install it.
Do NOT buy VD on Steam. That version doesn’t support Pico 4.
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I’m seeing better overall performance with SSW and video buffering off in the VD settings. Just an FYI for anyone wanting to try bumping your FPS a bit in heavy BMS scenarios.
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Does VD only support wireless? And if yes, do you need a Wifi 6 router to get a decent image quality?