Searching for the configuration of Elite Dangerous for Oculus Rift S?
There is a lot of information on the web on how to do it and how to set it up so that you can play it on VR headsets. But not all of them give you those little details that can change your experience enormously.
If you want to SKIP right to the setup, scroll down to the Setup heading 😉
Elite: Dangerous is considered one of the best Oculus Rift games that are out there.
For me, it’s seriously like a match made in heaven. Elite Dangerous is meant to be played on VR.
Here are the words from the Redditor on the immersion:
I cannot express it with words, but guys, that was pure magic. Fighting in VR in ED is something incredible. It was so intuitive, so immersive, so intense! We spent the rest of the afternoon shooting at poor random NPCs, feeling like kids in Disneyland.
I cannot remember the last time I enjoyed a video game this much (except maybe when I started playing WoW 15 years ago, but this is another story for another subreddit). The sheer sense of magic VR manages to produce in ED is something to try once in your life.
And he is not the only one who thinks like that.
But in order to get the maximum from Elite Dangerous and Oculus Rift S, it is best if you have a reasonably good computer. Potato computers and laptops may cut it, but it’s a close shave.
Elite Dangerous System Requirements for Oculus Rift S:
- OS: Windows 7/8/10 64-bit
- Processor: Intel Core i7-3770K Quad Core CPU or better / AMD FX 4350 Quad Core CPU or better
- Memory: 16 GB RAM
- Graphics: Nvidia GTX 980 with 4GB or better
- Network: Broadband Internet Connection
- Hard Drive: 25 GB available space
These specs are coming straight from official Frontier Support Forums, the ones that made Elite Dangerous.
The good news is, if you already own Oculus Rift S, chances are that you are already ready to turn this bad boy on.
If you want to run it on Ultra quality, then I should tell you that I had no problems running it on Ryzen 3600 and GTX 1070 back in the day.
It doesn’t that many resources compared to the latest triple-A games.
How to Play Elite Dangerous on Oculus Rift
Do not buy Elite Dangerous directly from Epic Games Store, Playstation Store, or Xbox Store.
See also: Will Oculus Rift work with Xbox Devices?
Many have had problems finding the right settings to turn on the VR mode.
In case you did, make sure that this setting is on “HMD Headphones”:
So, to avoid confusion, I recommend buying directly from the Oculus Store or Steam VR.
How to Setup Elite Dangerous for Oculus Rift
The first thing to do after downloading and installing Elite Dangerous on your computer is to configure some buttons.
1. Configuring HMD view reset:
- Go to options – Controls – Miscellaneous – Assign key for “Headset HMD Orientation”.
I do to that make sure that whenever I have problems with my view being crooked, I can press the button and my view is good again.
An extremely useful button that many don’t use.
2. Configuring your settings for regular monitor use:
I am sure that every now and then you would want to play on a regular monitor. I’ve done it not because I like monitors more, but because it’s convenient sometimes.
There are manual options and 3rd party options.
For the manual option, go to:
C:\Users\Username\AppData\Local\
Find the – Frontier Developments\Elite Dangerous\
Go to Options\Graphics.
Once you are there, tick the “Hidden items”.
Once you see the files just like in the picture, you can make a note – these are your graphics settings.
What I recommend you do is, copy the files into a folder called “Elite Dangerous VR”. Put the folder wherever you want.
Then create a folder called “Elite Dangerous non-VR”. Put that folder next to the VR folder copy.
With that, you can swap VR settings to regular monitor settings, and vise versa.
All within seconds.
If you don’t want the hassle, download a 3rd party program.
For the 3rd party option, use EDProfiler.
This is the one that I use. It quickly swaps your settings to whatever you want in just a few clicks.
If you need to save your settings, just click the green button “Detect current settings”.
There are many profiles that you can create, including the one for streaming. If you want, you can consider donating to the creator.
3. Configuring your Display settings:
If you are in VR mode, changing resolution settings will not change anything on your HMD end.
The only difference will be on the monitor.
The resolution is only for the people that watch your action on the monitor from the outside.
The only reason you want it higher than 720p is if you record your Elite Dangerous gameplay.
I generally just lower it to potato level to save the rendering power for my VR headset. The same thing is with the refresh rate, as well as vertical sync.
Only make sure that the frame limit setting is on 80Hz for Oculus Rift S.
4. Configuring your 3D Settings:
Make sure to:
- Disable GUI effects (OFF)
- Reduce camera shake (OFF)
- Vehicle Motion Blackout (OFF)
- Vehicle Maintain Horizon Camera (ON)
- Disable Idle Hand Animations (OFF)
As you noticed, Vehicle Maintain Horizon Camera is the only setting that is ON.
If you leave it OFF like all the other settings, you will get VR Motion Sickness. If you leave all the other settings ON, you will also get the VR motion sickness.
Just leave it as I showed you above.
Trust me.
5. Configuring Quality Options
Configure everything to your own liking and performance in quality settings, except for 4 settings.
I do not know what computer you use. Maybe you have the latest and most expensive RTX card? Then you have a better computer than I do.
It’s all about the performance.
However, Bloom, Blur, Antialiasing, and Depth of Field are not needed inside VR.
You can safely turn them OFF for a better VR experience inside Elite Dangerous.
Pay attention though.
If you want more sharpness, only play around with “Supersampling”.
I can not tell you what multiplier to use because of the various PC rigs that exist.
Some notice the difference, and some don’t. I saw the difference, but I’ve heard reports of people not seeing any variation.
5. Configuring Brightness levels
This is also something that can only be changed by you to a value you like the most. I prefer darker tones when I play Elite Dangerous, but I’ve noticed that some users crank that value up to high brightness.
Play around with it and choose what you prefer the most.
6. Time to Click Apply.
This is the time to save everything by clicking “Apply” and by visiting your EDProfiler (in case you did use EDProfiler).
In EDProfiler, click “Detect Current Settings”.
That is it.
When you want to play on just the monitor, change the settings to whatever you want and save it in the EDProfiler again.
Make Use of Oculus Debug Tool
As an owner of Rift S, you have an opportunity to use an official program made by Oculus called “Oculus Debug Tool”.
This application will give you all the information you need to read your performance. Not only that, you can directly change some of the game settings from within this tool. Supersampling is most commonly used.
If you experience some lag in Elite Dangerous with your VR device, and you’ve done all the steps above, you can play around with a certain setting called:
“Asynchronous Spacewarp”
Click on it, and switch it to “Disabled”.
It’s enabled by default, but it may be disabled already. If that’s the case, click on any random option there, apply it, and then switch to disabled again.
The reason is, users have reported it not working as it says it does. Reapplying fixes that issue.
Interesting fact:
You can actually save these asynchronous spacewarp settings within the game!
Why I did not start with that was because it’s more useful to know where to change the settings manually – seeing is better than feeling in most cases.
Changing Asynchronous Spacewarp settings is easy:
- CTRL + NUMPAD1 – Disable ASW and USE ATW
- CTRL + NUMPAD2 – Force apps to 45hz, DISABLE ASW
- CTRL + NUMPAD3 – Force apps to 45hz, ENABLE ASW
- CTRL + NUMPAD4 – Enable ASW to operate automatically
You might have Numpad disabled, so make sure it’s turned on by pressing the NumLock key.
Once you’ve done all these steps, you should be ready to play the game without issues.
Follow or share this article if you liked it. It helps me and helps you to find the article in case you need it.
Credit to Exploration of Games for some tips.
Issues with the Oculus Rift
Sometimes there can be some issues when trying to make everything work. If you have problems check the following things:
Problem: I experience lag despite following all the steps above.
Solution: Make sure that you have the latest Oculus and GPU drivers installed. This is the most common mistake people overlook.
Problem: I don’t know how to launch Elite Dangerous from Oculus Home.
Solution: If you purchased Elite Dangerous outside of Oculus Home (like from Steam) after 24th April 2019, you cannot play it on Oculus Home. You can only play on Steam VR.
But, if you purchased before 24th April 2019, you can do this:
- Log into Frontier Store.
- Select ‘Account Dashboard’
- Click on ‘Partner Keys’
- Click ‘Claim the key for Elite Dangerous (Oculus Rift)
- Go to Oculus Home Settings Page
- Add the key to the Oculus Home Account page.
Problem: Text is unreadable.
Solution: Play around with supersampling, as well as make sure that the bloom is turned off. In terms of bloom, Your HUD will not look as awesome but that way there will be no difficulties with reading.
Still, it is one of the best games for the Oculus Rift and can give you the immersion you never experienced before. If you have an Oculus headset, buy this game!
Problem: The blue barrier (Guardian) distracts me from playing Elite Dangerous.
Solution: You can turn it off in the Dash Settings menu fairly quickly. That option is exactly for moments like this.
By the way, fellow VR’er, I’ve got tons of information regarding VR, especially for Rift. Share this article or follow me to receive the best information.
Comment down below if you have something to add or ask. I usually always respond.
