Categories: EquipmentFlight

X-Plane 11 VR System Requirements

So your thinking about getting into the world of VR Flight Simulation. Lets dig into what kind of system you will need. You will have to remember that, your system needs to run your flight simulator and the Oculus Rift at the same time. If you are planning to fly with FSX then you will also need a program called Flyinside, which will also be running along side the other two systems.   Running all this will take a decent computer. For the purpose of this tutorial, I will assume that you are going to fly X-plane 11, however you may want to use a different software. The numbers will be similar for most flight simulators. In general, flight simulation is very demanding on your computer. Let’s break down the X-Plane 11 VR system requirements.

X-Plane 11

Minimum Hardware Requirements:

CPU: Intel Core i3, i5, or i7 CPU with 2 or more cores, or AMD equivalent. (Dual-core CPUs slower than 3 GHz should try the demo before purchasing.)
Memory: 8 GB RAM
Graphics Card: a DirectX 11-capable video card from NVIDIA, AMD or Intel with at least 1 GB VRAM

Recommended Hardware Requirements:

CPU: Intel Core i5 6600K at 3.5 ghz or faster
Memory: 16-24 GB RAM or more
Graphics Card: a DirectX 12-capable video card from NVIDIA, AMD or Intel with at least 4 GB VRAM (GeForce GTX 1070 or better or similar from AMD)

FlyInside (not required anymore for X-Plane 11 but it is required for FSX)

Recommended Requirements

CPU: Intel i5-4590 or better
Video Card: NVIDIA GTX 970 / AMD R9 290 or better
Ram: 8 GB of RAM or more

Oculus Rift

Recommended Requirements

CPU: Intel i5-4590 equivalent or greater
Graphics card: NVIDIA GTX 1060 / AMD Radeon RX 480 or greater
Alternative graphics card NVIDIA GTX 970 / AMD Radeon R9 290 or greater
RAM: 8 GB+
Other Requirements: Video output Compatible HDMI 1.3 video output
USB ports 3x USB 3.0 ports, plus 1x USB 2.0 por

Minimum Requirements

CPU: Intel i3-6100 / AMD FX4350 or greater
Graphics card:
NVIDIA GTX 1050 Ti / AMD Radeon RX 470 or greater
Alternative graphics card: NVIDIA GTX 960 4GB / AMD Radeon R9 290 or greater
RAM: 8 GB+
Other Requirements:
Video output Compatible HDMI 1.3 video output
USB ports 1x USB 3.0 port, plus 2x USB 2.0 ports
OS Windows 8.1 or newer

To Sum it up.

Since you are running all three programs at the same time, you could think that you need to have the absolute top of the line computer to run a VR Flight Sim, however this is not true. The Oculus Rift is Recommending computer settings that will account for the fact that it will be running a program alongside it.  X-Plane 11 still does not appear to add this into its consideration, however if you stay closer to the recommended settings, vs the minimum settings you will be able to run it with VR.

My Recommendation would be to stay away from any of the minimum requirements and get a PC with equipment to either match or pass the recommended setting for X-Plane 11. X-Plane 11 is a very demanding program. In my Top 5 Things You Need for VR Flight post you will find some PC’s that I recommend.

  • CPU: Intel Core i5 6600K at 3.5 ghz or faster
  • Memory: 16-24 GB RAM or more
  • Video Card: a DirectX 12-capable video card from NVIDIA, AMD or Intel with at least 4 GB VRAM (GeForce GTX 1070 or better or similar from AMD)

This should get you flying. The last thing to watch for, would be the amount of USB ports and HDMI ports. Oculus recommends 3 (USB 3.0), 1 (USB 2.0) and 1 HDMI. I recommend getting as many as possible, as you have to think about flight controls (at least a joystick). It is also nice to have a graphics card with two HDMI ports in order to plug in a monitor.  If you run out of USB ports, you can always get a USB hub. The link I have included is the one I use.

I do say that going with a GTX 1070 would be best, however if you look at what I am running, I am using a 1060 6GB. My system works great, however it is nice to future proof your hardware.

If you have any questions, please feel free to send me an email with my contact form, or put a comment below. Thanks for reading.

If your interested in using the
Oculus Rift , please check out my link. I want to be 100% transparent, and let you know that I do get an affiliate commission from the link. I plan to put out lots of great content in the future and would appreciate it a lot if you used my link.

Also, here is the Yoke and Rudder Pedals I use in case you were interested in that as well.

Dan

View Comments

  • Great article! thanks!
    I am working on a private pilot license and am interested in getting a good realistic VR flight simulator. It sounds like Oculus Rift is a good option, but I don’t know where to start.
    What do I need to buy?
    - 1 Ocukus Rift Package
    - 1 PC (following your performance recommendation)
    - 1 simulation software (which one would simulate a Cessna?)
    - Anything else? I should not need a stick since I can pilot with the VR handles, right?
    - Also it it possible to get and connect a second headset to be flying with someone else?

    Thanks!

    • Hi Pierre,
      VR flight has been a great tool for me. Keeps me flying when I can’t get up in the air to fly a real plane. Really allows you to practice flying between your lessons.

      To get started, here is a post I have created where I go over the equipment that is needed. https://vrflightworld.com/2017/10/20/5-vr-flight/ . I have a list of computers as well as a list of everything else you need to get started.

      Here are answers to your questions

      - you need to buy a VR headset (Oculus Rift is great and is what I use), a decently powerful computer and software (I recommend X-Plane 11)

      - you asked about flying a Cessna. I am going to assume you are referring to the Cessna 172. In X-Plane 11 this comes with the simulator, however if you are flying a different plane, you can actually get aftermarket planes, such as the Cessna 152 and a lot of other planes. The only problem I have had with the stock 172 is that it is a new plane and therefore is fuel injected (no carb heat). The plane I fly in real life is carbureted.

      - do you need a stick? I would say technically you do not. You can easily get started without a stick, however I do recommend eventually getting some controls. It will add a lot more realism to your flight. But getting started without is a perfect way to go. Oculus comes with touch controllers. The only downside without controls is you won’t have rudder pedals.

      - lastly, you mention hooking up two headsets. Unfortunately you won’t be able to do this with one system. You can do this if you bought two computers and connected through the internet, however this is essentially buying two setups. If you have someone that is watching you fly, they will be able to see what you see by watching the monitor.

      Hope this helps, if you have any other questions just reply to this and I will try to help you out.

      Also, take a look at some of my other posts as well. Lots of posts of vr flight and flight training.

      Thanks,
      Dan

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