VR Flight World

So, this post comes from a recent question I received about whether or not you can run VR Flight sim with X-Plane on a Mac.  There is lots to consider here, so let’s get started.

Why Would you Want a Mac for Flight Sim?

So, I own a Mac and I own a PC. My Mac is a late 2009 iMac that has been put through it’s paces over the years. I really do understand why people love their macs. The way it runs, the way it feels, it is just a great product.

I know some of you might be on the other side of the fence and hate the Mac. Some of you might think the Mac is just an under powered, overpriced PC.

Well, for me, I understand both sides of this argument. I think it really depends on what you want to use the Mac for. The Mac is an amazing computer for many things, but gaming has never been its strong suit.

Can a Mac be used for gaming? Definitely. It all depends on what you want it to do. For the purpose of this post, we are not talking about gaming. We are talking about running a flight simulator and a virtual reality headset. To me, this is on a completely different level.

I can run all my games on my Mac without a problem… Why would this be any different?

A flight simulator is a very demanding program that is constantly making calculations on how it will react to every flight input and turbulence. This type of computing requires a strong CPU (the Processor) and a strong GPU (Graphics card). A flight simulator is also tasking the computer with putting out graphics that should be ultra realistic. The graphics should draw you into the flight, so much so, that you forget you are sitting on your couch.

Now on top of this demanding software, you are connecting a Virtual Reality headset to the computer. This headset is causing your graphics card (GPU), to render the image you are seeing twice. It is different then just duplicating the image for both eyes to see. The VR headset needs two completely different images in order to produce the 3-d effect. Essentially it is producing an image from the perspective of left eye and right eye. Lastly, you are demanding that your computer runs this at somewhere in the range of 90 frames per second. This means that it is producing the image you see, 90 times every second for each eye.  You need the frame rate to be high or you can get motion sickness from the movement.

So Now we know why we need a powerful computer. Can a Mac keep up to this pace…

Well, Mac’s come with strong CPU’s, however they have never focused on their graphics cards. On top of this, a graphics card in a Mac is not something that you can just easily swap out and upgrade.  This is good and bad news. As I pointed out above, a strong CPU is definitely necessary, however a strong GPU is just as important. Without both, you are not going to fly X-Plane in VR without gitters and very low graphic settings.

If you have an older Mac, like I do, then VR on a Mac is not going to be possible. It just won’t happen.

There is Hope!

After looking at all the specs of the new Mac’s coming out, a few shone above the rest and gave hope to the Mac world.

There are currently 3 iMac’s for sale from Apple. All three are great computers, however the top iMac caught my attention.  The top of the three iMacs, has a Radeon Pro 560 graphics card, which is probably a step down from the GTX 1060 (this could be debatable). I am currently running the GTX 1060, and I enjoy my flight sim with my Oculus Rift. I would not want to go below this mark, as you will have to sacrifice more and more.

The most interesting Mac for me has not been released. It is going to be released in December, 2017. This is the iMac Pro (Not to be confused with the Mac Pro). The iMac Pro is going to come with a solid graphics card and a solid CPU.

If you noticed, I did not mention the Mac Pro as a good choice. This is very different from the new iMac Pro. The Mac Pro has a decent CPU, however is really lacking a great GPU. This computer would not be a great choice in VR Flight.

A VR ready iMac is great, however can it handle X-Plane 11 in VR. Well, as I point out above, the top iMac at this time has a Radeon Pro 560, which could technically could run X-Plane 11 and the Oculus Rift, however would still be a bit under powered. The iMac Pro, will have a Radeon Pro Vega graphics card, which will definitely be able to run whatever you throw at it, however there is still one more problem.

The Problem…

There is one catch. Although X-Plane 11 can run on a Mac, X-Plane does not have native VR support built into the game. Without native VR support, you have to search for a 3rd party solution. The current 3rd party solution that is offered to solve this problem is a program called FlyInside.

FlyInside is a great program that I use to fly in X-Plane on my PC. The only problem is that FlyInside is a Windows based program that does not currently support the Mac. Which means that there is no way to connect your VR headset to your X-Plane game on a Mac.

Another downside, is that currently the Mac is supporting VR, however, the VR has to be done on an HTC Vive, as Oculus also does not support the Mac.

In my opinion, it may just be too soon to try and jump into VR on a Mac. Do I think it is far off… Definitely not.

I believe that the to be released, new iMac Pro, paired with X-Plane 11, could be the way of the future for the die hard Mac fans. Just keep in mind, that you will have to wait for a few hurdles to clear.

If you really love your Mac…Wait till X-Plane offers native VR support and get the iMac Pro with the HTC Vive (or Oculus…when they start offering support).

If your not attached to the Mac, then I suggest getting a PC. The PC will cost you far less and you will get all the power you need and more (as long as you pick the right PC). You will not have any compatibility issues and you can run FlyInside with the Oculus Rift. It really is a better choice at this point in time… Don’t get me wrong, I love my Mac but when it comes to VR flight, the PC wins, hands down. If you want to see some PC’s ready for X-Plane VR, check out my other post, Top 5 things you need for VR Flight.

Thanks for reading

Dan

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