I’ve installed the Piplay software and Steam VR and successfully tested and setup the Pimax.
When I launch Elite in the Pimax Mode there is no option in the Elite graphics menu for the HMD. If I switch to Video Mode then the Pimax does appear in the Elite graphics menu (tertiary display), it can be selected and 3D can be enabled. Unfortunately, at that point all of my monitors turn black with only the cursor on display. Occasionally, there are flashes on each display including the Pimax. The only way to restore the display is to remove the power to the HMD. At this point Kodi is visible and can be killed and Elite can be accessed on the main monitor.
If I look in the Nvidia Control Panel, in Pimax Mode, only my regular displays are visible: the Pimax does not appear as one of the displays. If I switch to Video Mode, then the Pimax appears as another monitor. I assume that this is the reason why it appears in the Elite graphics menu options.
So my question: how do I launch Elite and play it on the Pimax?
Their solution is to uninstall the existing version, get a Steam key (provided by Frontier) and then install the Steam version. I’d hoped to avoid all of that if at all possible. Their information in the last paragraph is also incorrect as I understand from Frontier, in that the game will happily launch Steam VR when it is put into VR mode using the approach I originally took.
I’m also a little cautious, since I have tried - successfully - to add Elite to Steam and launch it through Steam VR. It would launch successfully, but it wouldn’t run on the Pimax, though I had it in Pimax Mode at the time, which seemed the be the problem when enabling it through the graphics options menu. Steam VR started as expected, but it would run only on the primary display.
As you can see this article was released february 2017.
There is no way to enable VR mode for Oculus Rift or SteamVR from the standard PC version of the game anymore. Before you uninstall the game, be sure to head to Users/[accountname]/AppData/Local/Frontier Developments/Elite Dangerous/Options/Bindings/ in Windows and move the “custom.binds” file until the game is re-installed.
Now you should be able to backup your current ED by renaming the game directory or making a copy of the game directory. Then install the one with thr steam key.
If your looking to run with Hotas controller there is a trick that involves running the launcher outside of steam. Folks like @lukeb have experience with this. I do apologize though to the fellow that initially posted the solution for luke.
Thank you for the help Heliosurge. I’ve finally had a chance to try it out and I’ve successfully launched Elite in VR. I don’t think it has picked up my Commander and as you correctly noted, I’m unable to use my current Hotas setup; indeed, I couldn’t even get my keyboard or mouse working, but it is working in the Pimax. So, now to solve those problems.
I play ed in pimax and I suspect you have a new player profile loaded. And this is why your hotas and keys are not working… It is using the default settings and not your customized profile bindings.
Did you put you user profile back into the steam after installation of Ed when you reinstalled?
I think that once your profile configuration is back in the directory Ed will work fine
Thank you for the suggestion Eno - it worked up to a point. As Heliosphere mentioned, Hotas seems to be a problem. Enabling my Thrustmaster TARGET customisation software for the Hotas is locking out the keyboard and when I disable it, I have mouse control restored. In both cases, my Hotas is not working. Still, things seem to have been restored.
Hi Mooseifer, If you are launching ED from the Steam library, ED will not find your HOTAS.
That is the problem I had as well.
I reportedt his to Frontier and they said that a change in Steam was causing this with some HOTAS’s and that they would have a fix in due course.
I play the Steam version of ED but launch it directly outside of Steam by running EDLaunch.exe (from the ED directory) and this allows my HOTAS (Seitech X52Pro) to be found by ED and to work correctly.
I don’t use the keyboard or mouse at all when playing (can’t see them anyway :)) and I’ve mapped the pinky trigger on the joystick (instead of F12) to recenter the image in HMD as required.
Thank you for the suggestion. Initially, I tried to use the launcher in the Frontier folder, which kept asking me to install the game. It was at this point I found the other launcher in the Steam folder in the steamapps\common folder. I’d already launched Steam VR and it had detected the Pimax. When I started the game, it appeared in the client window on my monitor, put not on the Pimax. However, the Hotas was working and a quick trip to the Graphics menu in the settings allowed me to enable the Pimax in the 3D section of the options - and it worked! Thank you kindly for the advice.
The issue I now have is adjusting the settings on the Pimax. At least I think that the Pimax is the issue. The centre view is very blurred and unreadable. From certain angles - mainly looking through the “top” of the lenses - I get a sharp view. Most of the rest of the time I get a binocular effect, with two competing images. If the central image were sharp I suspect that it would be okay - it doesn’t appear to be a split image - but it’s very blurry. The only exception to this that I found was looking at the Galaxy Map’s planet marker, which was clear, sharp and had no split to the image.
Anyway, thanks again, to you, Heliosphere and Eno for getting things working.
Usually blurryness in the center is because you have the wrong IPD setting - but if its clear top or bottom of the center then the setting is probably close but not quite right?
You need to measure the distance between you pupils… Easiest way is to use a ruler and a mirror - i had mine set to 65 initially and had a similar issue… turns out after ruler and mirror measurement i found it to be 70, so i changed it and it improved a lot but was not quite right … so i then tried 1 number above and below of that 70 and found it best on the 69 setting…
way to measure:
Close 1 eye and put ruler up to open eye on 0cm then holding ruler still open other eye and look at the measurement… Set this in piplay settings (COG top right of piplay and where it says IPD setting).
Eno, I’ve only just had the chance to do some IPD adjustment testing. Prior to this, I’d already measured my IPD - same method as you had suggested - which wasn’t giving me a good result. I’ve adjusted the IPD today be several mm in each direction. There has been a noticeable improvement in the sharpness of the centre image, though I haven’t been able to get it sharp; it always seems to be sharper below the image centre as I make the adjustments.
The real issue seems to be that I have a double image. No amount of adjustment seems to help. In the initial loading screens for ED, the Horizons title is clearly split into two separate images. Similarly, when I load into the introduction screen, the ship in the near distance has a split circle on its hull, which I see as two separate circles. I’m not sure what adjustments that I can make from this to get a good image?
interesting… i have just managed to get my piplay back to 1.1.92 with the help from CronyBox (Thanks Crony!)
the weird thing was i also had double images when i went back to that earlier version.
interesting thing was my actual IPD has been measured at optometrist and is 69.
but when going back to 1.1.92 everything was double image and changing the IPD right down to 60 fixed it? don’t ask me why… maybe for older version of piplay it was sold when predominantly in asian market - maybe the asian IPD they measure from the edges of the pupil and in the newer versions of piplay can the Caucasian market they measure from the center of the pupil… i really dont know?
but i too have a little blurryness at the sides of the lenses but clear in the center, tilting the headset slightly when putting it on your head can help.
My IPD setting changed when I changed drivers too. Also had to drop it down to 60. Also had the double image. Still it looks good now so I am staying on 1.1.92.
Eno, Jonny - I’m currently on PiPlay1.2.57. My PC has been busy crunching numbers all week, so I’ve only today had a chance to test out your IPD setting changes. Counter-intuitively, reducing the IPD setting from something that is right to something that very wrong seemed to improve the image sharpness overall. My IPD is 67mm, yet setting the headset to 55mm significantly improved the overall image quality.
Unfortunately, I’m beginning to think that my device is flawed. With none of the IPD settings I’ve tried - and I’ve tried everything from 55mm to 70mm, - have I been able to get centre sharpness. With the very small IPD settings I’ve had good off-centre sharpness, while the centre of the image is clearly blurred. With different settings I always get centre blur, while the off-centre sharpness varies, sometimes being sharp above and below the centre, though never the centre itself. In addition, even with the smaller IPD value, I continue to get the double image when viewing distant objects.
Since you’re both having success with 1.1.92, I’ll see if I can install that version of PiPlay and if it offers any improvements.
let us know how that works out for you… as a side note some our our visitors are finding a solution moving the headset slightly further away from the face… if you put he hmd from your face does the center lenses clear up? maybe you need to add additional face foam to pull the lenses away from your face slightly? just a thought
