Eurofighter Typhoon v1.00

Version 1.00 of the Eurofighter Typhoon has been released to distribution! At the moment the file is only available at SimMarket, but other distributors will have it online soon. Thank you all for your continued support!

F-35 AVIONICS UPDATE TO V3.23 (P3D ONLY)

During the development of my new project, the Eurofighter Typhoon, some issues with the F-35 have been identified. Most notably, an issue with V3.20 and V3.21 caused the A-A missile seekers not to work as intended if slaved to a radar track.
This patch should solve the issue as a temporary fix, and bring some other minor improvements.
I have a middle-term plan to release an official update to the installer, which will bring also new features - but in the meantime you may want to install this patch.

CHANGE LOG
**********
Version 3.23
- Fixed a bug that prevented A-A missiles to work correctly in radar-slaved mode
- Fixed a bug in reporting FAB fuel quantities
- Increased in-flight refuel rate
- Changed visibiliy condition of landing light (light turns off when gear is retracted)
- Fixed a bug which prevented IFF Mode 4 automatic activation

As usual the update can be downloaded from the side bar, or by clicking HERE

Eurofighter Beta Test - List of Known Issues

This post contains a list of the known bugs or missing features in the latest Eurofighter Typhoon test build, as well as the latest version of the product manual. The product manual can be downloaded by anyone, and it is also meant as a preview of the Eurofighter simulation functionalities.
Beta testers are kindly requested to review this list of known bugs or shortcomings before reporting a new bug. Please be aware that the simulated Eurofighter differs in a number of ways from the real thing. Several controls and functions have been simplified or deleted, therefore a discrepancy from the real life procedures and operations may not be a bug but rather a design decision. The product manual serves also as a guide on how the simulated aicraft is intended to be operated and what functions are available and what not. Please read the manual fist.

The product manual can be downloaded by clicking HERE (UPDATED, 107 PAGES - tentatively good for release).

Bugs, request for changes and potential improvements in the list below are color coded as follows:

RED - High priority change - this is can be considered a major defect by most users. All "Red" issues must be addressed or mitigated before the product release.
YELLOW - Medium priority change - some users may perceive these issues as a significant product defect. All "Yellow" issues should be addressed or mitigated before the product release.
GREEN - Low priority change - a very limited number of users may perceive this as a product defect. These issues shall be documented and dealt with if possible.
BLUE - Suggestions for changes, additions or improvements.

LIST OF BUGS/CHANGES REQUEST
Last build: BETA 1-bis BUILD 13/03/2017 (limited distribution)
List updated on: 26/03/2017
Manual version: PreBeta 2 05/03/2017 (93 pages)

FLIGHT MODEL
The flight model has been developed by Roy Holmes - as the Typhoon performance figures are still classified, there is a lot of guesstimation in it - but rest assured that every single number has been carefully considered!

FM01 - Drag chute - While it is possible to deploy the drag chute, its effects are almost non-existent. Plan is to simulate it via the FSX flap controls
FM02 - Verify effectiveness of speed brake. SOLVED -> Roy fixed relevant code 07/03
FM03 - Coupled yaw during high-g high-speed turns.  -> SOLVED with new air file from Roy 08/03
FM04 - No G-limiter or Carefree Handling (this is a known issue - we have not implemented one in the simulation as we had no sound implementation)
FM05 - Potential improvement on takeoff/Landing figures in progress (vRAF/Roy). -> New flight model from Roy 28/03

EXTERNAL VISUAL MODEL
I believe the external visual model is relatively accurate. There are three visible mistakes to the trained eye: the nose cone is slightly less "circular" than the real one, the wing in reality is more twisted and the airbrake hinge is round in reality, while it has sharp edges on the borders in my model. I have tried to correct these, but most come from the original mesh I've started with...and fixing them created more issues than benefits...so we'll have to live with them.

EXT01 - FCS overreacts at AoA when the aircraft is still on the ground (animation only). FIXED on internal build 09/03
EXT02 - Landing gear stem animation has a weird angle during extension and retraction. -> SOLVED in the internal build. Gear animation sequence redone.
EXT03 - Minor light leakage on fueleage openings nearby the cockpit (not really much visible, but noticable in VR pre-flight inspection). -> Partial solution applied. Minor gaps due to mesh disalignment...difficult to recover. Create "gap filler" geometry so that the issue is not that visible anymore. 07/03EXT04 - Light leakage in the main Landing gear pivot -> Fixed 3D model in internal build. 07/03
EXT05 - Request to smoothen the radar radome -> Minor tweak to radar radome geometry... not a big improvement, but still.... 07/03
EXT06 - Canards should be linked to speedbrake only on the ground -> SOLVED in internal build. Fixed animation code. 07/03 -> UPDATE 11/03...turns out from that it may not be true either. Canards are Always independent from speedbrake activation. FIXED
EXT07 - Landing Lights do not illuminate the ground -> SOLVED in internal build 07/03
EXT08  - Landing/Taxi light visible when gear is up -> Made it so that taxi/Landing lights are turned off if gear is up.
EXT09 - Request to revise inner pylons geometry. -> Fixed in internal build 10/03
EXT10 - Slats to deploy only depending on AoA -> Fixed in internal build 12/03
EXT11 - Request to improve the pointiness of the radome -> Attempt done...not sure if it looks really better, but still...11/03 - Changed radome shape in Beta1bis 15/03
EXT12 - Nose wheel does not rotate -> Fixed in internal build 10/03
EXT13 - Request to implement red anticollision
EXT14 - Fix squadron logo for german repaint -> Done 15/03
EXT15 - Create Spanish aicraft livery -> Done 15/03
EXT16 - Evaluate creation of Austrian livery
EXT17 - Evaluate creation of Saudi Arabia livery
EXT18 - Better color matching of pilot uniforms
EXT19 - Improve Brimstone Textures-> Done 23/03

VIRTUAL COCKPIT AND AVIONICS
Note that the VC is though to be "Cold and Dark" compatible. When the aicraft starts on the ground, several switches/avionics will be turned off. When it starts in the air, most (but not all) of the key switches will be set to ON.
Note also that clicking on the rear view mirrors in P3Dv3 will make them become reflective. Clicking on the stick will make it disappear. To make it appear again, click on the bolts of the pedestal.

VC01 - NAV/TAC soft key selection missing from the HSI page -> Fixed in build 24/03
VC02 - HUD Declutter can be improved -> Fixed in build 24/03
VC03 - Allow Aircraft refuel when on the ground through the FUEL page -> Implemented in build of 23/03
VC04 - Allow Weapons configuration from the STOR page when on the ground -> Implemented in build of 23/03
VC05 - Emergency IFF controls don't work -> FIXED 23/03
VC06 - Initialization and "ready for takeoff" conditions must be perfected -> Improved 23/03 
VC07 - Park brake switch activates Smokewinders when on the ground (it is meant to work only in the air). -> SOLVED in internal build. Smoke system behaves as intended now: smoke is either trigged by the VRS Trigger or by the Brakes control if not on the ground.
VC08 - Fuel flow indications not working -> SOLVED in internal build. Typo on MFD3 code. 06/03
VC09 - HUD still reports the IAS -> SOLVED, replaced with equivalent airspeed. 08/03
VC10 - Make ladder non-retractable without weight-on-wheels. Ladder now auto-retracts with weight off wheels. 23/03
VC11 - Check mouse areas alignment on some buttons
VC12 - Some buttons can be operated only once? Need investigation - Likely to be the same issue as VC15
VC13 - IRST/FLIR button graphic is shifted when activating IRST -> SOLVED on current build 10/03
VC14 - Reversionary instruments panel is improperly labeled "Missile Launch Button" - Fixed in the internal build
VC15 - Request to Always confirm selections with ENTER key on DEK - FIXED on build 11/03, also, many improvements and bug fixes to DEK.
VC16 - Request to code proper RAD1 / RAD 2 switchology (at least for the battery gangbar) - RAD1 switch now works as Avionics Master and turns on the radios. RAD 2 switch acts as "Receive both" switch. PTT selector now allows selection of either RAD1 and RAD2.
VC17 - Canopy open/close button is in an incorrect position (but no clear photo available of the actual location) - Remodeled area. Fixed 10/03
VC18 - MASS positions are reversed (ARM should be outward) - Fixed in the internal build 09/08
VC19 - Check RADALT against the flight manual
VC20 - Transonic warning at 0.97 M not at 0.99 - Fixed in the internal build 09/08
VC21 - 5000ft voice warning is not present in current Eurofighter versions. - Removed from build 24/03
VC22 - Reflex of anticollision lights red (why not white)?
VC23 - Request to add countdown
VC24 - Cannot get back to the root menu once selected one item in CHKLST mode - Checked, current implementation seems correct. By deselecting the SEL button, the page reverts back to main menu.
VC25 - Check autopilot functionality
VC26 - Transponder mode A has no 0 digit - Fixed, graphical issue only. 10/03
VC27 - Some mouse areas cause a FSX crash (only one report on FSX-SE so far) - evaluating replacement of 2D Mouse Areas with 3D. FIXED - the applied fix seems to work.
VC28 - A/S and XMIT caps not lit  -> Solved on current build 09/03
VC29 - Pedestal panel to lit -> Solved on current build 09/03
VC30 - NVE switch can cause CTD on FSX:SE on some installations -> SOLVED on current build 09/03
VC31 - Barometric pressure change to show only for 5 secs (currently 10) -> SOLVED on current build 10/03
VC32 - Cannot add a new WP until Direct-to route is present
VC33 - AT not operational
VC34 - Request to add scroll system for Low Height
VC35 - Flickering Speedbrake animation from VC - Fixed, animation glitch. 10/03
VC36 - Pitot tube icing - Fixed, pitot tube Always on. 15/03
VC37 - Master Starter switch has incorrect animation _ Changed animation sequence 29/03.
VC38 - Check Velocity Vector diamond behavior
VC39 - FUEL page has some flaws. Center tank should only display if external tank is mounted, refuel probe icon is incorrect. SOLVED - Fixed in current build,
VC40 - HSI compass rose to appear over map view, if map is invoked (note: the current rendition is correct for early T1 software releases)
VC41 - Add ZOOM+/ZOOM- functions to PA format - FIXED on 26/03
VC42 - Slow Refuel rate (need to be redone on F-35 too) - FIXED - Greatly increased fuel transfer rate.
VC43 - ATTACK format does not return to VS once format is changed. - FIXED on 26/03
VC44 - LASER ACTIVE crossairs missing from LDP page. - FIXED 15/03
VC45 - Laser designation was not selectable by the user as intedend - FIXED 15/03
VC46 - HSI HDG bug not properly centered - FIXED 23/03
VC47 - Taxi/Landing light switch position is reversed - FIXED 24/03
VC48 - TFLIR Image shows even if gimbal limited or masked - FIXED 28/03
VC49 - Implement selective jettison/tank jettison/emergency jettison - IMPLEMENTED 27/03

TACPACK AND WEAPON SYSTEM FUNCTIONALITY
Note that as for many European aircrafts, there are two safety switches that need to be "ON" before releasing a weapon. The Master Armament Safety Switch (MASS knob on the right console, three positions: SAFE, STANDBY and ARM) is controlled either in the VC or by pressing control+alt+A. The Late Arm Safe safety is on the stick, and can be operated by either clicking the button in the VC or with control+A.

TP01 - Laser Guided Bombs may fail to hit the target in some circumstances. Root cause not identified yet. -> Minor bug apparently fixed. LGBs seem to hit target now. Reports from testers that buddy-lasing seems to work.
TP02 - Meteor does not follow targets. Identified major bug in Tacpack code, A/S system tried to load GPS coordinates on any seeker including missiles. Hence the missile seeker dropped the radar track slaved mode. It affected all the missiles. Potentially affects also the latest F-35 release. SOLVED on current build 10/03.
TP03 - Flare dispensing direction is incorrect. Fixed in the current model 16/03
TP04 - Request to add Brimstone. Added 23/03
TP05 - Storm Shadow fins should be retracted. Fixed in the current model 10/03.
TP06 - Request to make STA5-6 and 8-9 independent.
TP07 - Request to add data cartridge functionality
TP08 - Check DASS system (apparently display not working in RMHHD)
TP09 - Radar detection range is currently linked to A-A missile selected. Request to change it. Implemented 26/03


SOUND
Another great job by Serge Luzin!

SND01 - Request to improve the switch sounds -> Implemented alternate switch sounds.
SND02 - Fuel Boost Pump Switch have default noisy sounds. Request to change them.

OTHER
Misc01 - External tanks and CFTs are not replenished in the configurator
Misc02 - CFTs cannot be unloaded in the configurator -> SOLVED in internal build. Reworked configurator code. Loads can now be deselected individually. 07/03
Misc03 - Manual is still missing some images and weapon information
Misc04 - Configuration file was missing the descriptions. -> SOLVED in the internal build.Misc05 - GBU-10 non deselectable in configurator -> SOLVED in the current internal build

Eurofighter Typhoon Beta Application * CLOSED *

*** DUE TO THE OVERWHELMING NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS RECEIVED, NO MORE APPLICATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED. APPLICATIONS WILL BE REVIEWED DURING THE NEXT FEW DAYS, AND INVITATIONS WILL BE SENT AS SOON AS THE BETA IS READY. THANKS FOR YOUR INTEREST IN THE TYPHOON PROJECT! ****

The Beta of the Typhoon is *almost* ready, so, if you want to help by speding few hours in her cockpit, here is you chance... *but* first some rules:

- This is a closed Beta. Sorry for that, but having hundreds of emails will not help the testing process. A total of about 15-20 testers are needed. I will decide, after reviewing the applications, who gets a Beta and who does not. I will not have time to reply to everybody, so if you do not get an email invitation to the Beta by March 3rd, please assume you have not been selected.

- This will be a two-stage Beta: a first, non-feature complete, version will be released before March 1st. A second version, with additional features and bug fixes will be released later on. So, before reporting that a function does not work, please check that it is not in the *missing features list*.

- Please TAKE YOUR TIME to evaluate the product. It is not a race to who posts feedback first. It is a rather complex aicraft, and it may take some time to understand how it works. PLEASE have at least 4-5 flight hours before reporting any malfunction. It will not take much less than that to get acquainted with the aicraft cockpit and systems.

- Before reporting any bug or malfunction, PLEASE read the list of known/reported bugs on THIS PAGE of the blog. The same page will contain a WIP version of the manual.

- The preferred method to report bugs is to comment on THIS PAGE of the blog. You can also send me an email, but the comment is preferred so that other users can see and discuss the issue if need be. Please DO NOT send facebook messages if not strictly necessary.

- If you do not have time to test the Typhoon, please do not apply.

F-35 LIGHTNING II AVIONICS UPDATE TO VERSION 3.21 (P3D ONLY) *UPDATE*

* UPDATE *
****
I have identified a small bug in v3.20 so that the right MFD was not completely functional. Also, power up sequence of the MFD restored to left first, right second. Patch files updated to v3.21
****

As some of you are aware of, some months ago I lost all the source files of my flight simulation projects - this makes very difficult for me to update them as frequently as I would like to - but still I am doing my best in order to fix as many bugs as possible, and increase the overall quality of my projects.

Specifically, for the F-35 I am (slowly) rebuilding the cockpit models  - so that I can make some significant improvements to the VC enviroment. I have no firm schedule for this, as the Eurofighter Project has the priority. Still, I am not abandoning the F-35 and here is another update to the avionics.

As for the previous avionics updates, this is for P3D only. I will try to find the time to apply some of these changes to the FSX version too - although it is not officially supported as you know.

CHANGE LOG

Version 3.21
- Fixed bug in version 3.20 which prevented the right MFD to work as intended
- Restores MFD power up sequence: left first, right second.
- Fixed minor bug in the MFD Power up sequence

Version 3.20 (from version 3.16)
- Fixed a bug in all previous version that made it so that Air-to-air track no.3 was rendered in a wrong position on the radar screen
- As reported by user Ariel, changed the power up order of the MFD screens. Now the RIGHT MFD will power up first (on Battery power only) and the LEFT MFD will power up second (on generator power).
- Changed ENG page so that FF, HYD1 and HYD2 are reported as digits rather than "bars" - this should be the same as real life (reported by user Ariel)
- Changed FUEL page so that fuel quantities in tanks are reported in pounds rather than in gallons - again this should be the way it works in real life (reported by user Ariel)

Other changes already present in version 3.16 (with comparison to version 3.11)
- Fixed minor bug in FCS code
- Solved minor graphic flaw when the Function Access Buttons are SWAPped
- Restored "virtual speed brakes" indication in FCS page
- Implemented FAB-fuel function - fuel quantity, is now reported as magenta bars in the FAB section, Joker and Bingo are reported as white lines.
- Fixed position of transfer pumps in the FUEL page
- IPP switch now also drives engine starter (in reality, the switch has three positions: OFF-AUTO-START and should be spring loaded to the AUTO, in the sim it is just OFF or START)
- Left half of the MFD works on battery power only, Right half does not (as in reality) - when the generator is not working, the right MFD will turn off
- Increased startup time for both halves of the MFD to 15 seconds (as in reality)
- TFLIR and DAS now require generator power to run
- A/S and Tacpack radars will not work unless engine is running

You can download the update from Google Drive from the side bar on this blog or by clicking HERE.
The patch must be manually installed - to do so, simply drag and drop the folders in the zip file(namely F-35_MFD, FCS an Tactical) into the F-35A\panel folder.
Note that this must be done only in the F-35A folder BUT will affect also the -B and -C variants: the avionic code is aliased from the -A version for all the variants.

F-35 Avionics Update to version 3.16 (PREPAR3D ONLY)

* UPDATE *
A FURTHER UPDATE TO VERSION 3.20 IS AVAILABLE

Following user feedback I have been working on small updates to the F-35 project. As some of you are aware of, the source files have been lost, so - while I am slowly rebuilding them - some of the cahnges requested cannot be implemented.
I will not have much time to work on the F-35 for a little while, so here is a small .zip file that contains some minor improvements to the F-35 avionics:

F-35 AVIONICS UPDATE v3.20
***************************

Installation: the .zip file contains two folders (F-35_MFD and Tactical) - copy and paste these folders included in the .zip file into the F-35A\panel folder and allow the existing files to be overwritten
The typical location is C:\Program Files (x86)\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3D v3\SimObjects\Airplanes\F-35A\Panel\

NOTES: THIS UPDATE APPLIES ONLY TO THE PAYWARE F-35 VERSION FOR P3D - Do not use it on other versions, or in FSX!

Changes are as follows:

Version 3.20
- Fixed a bug in all previous version that made it so that Air-to-air track no.3 was rendered in a wrong position on the radar screen
- As reported by user Ariel, changed the power up order of the MFD screens. Now the RIGHT MFD will power up first (on Battery power only) and the LEFT MFD will power up second (on generator power).
- Changed ENG page so that FF, HYD1 and HYD2 are reported as digits rather than "bars" - this should be the same as real life (reported by user Ariel)
- Changed FUEL page so that fuel quantities in tanks are reported in pounds rather than in gallons - again this should be the way it works in real life (reported by user Ariel)

Version 3.16
- Fixed a bug in version 3.15 which prevented the air-to-air radar functions to work as intended in Tacpack
- Fixed minor bug in FCS code

Version 3.15
Oct-2016

- Solved minor graphic flaw when the Function Access Buttons are SWAPped
- Restored "virtual speed brakes" indication in FCS page
- Implemented FAB-fuel function - fuel quantity, is now reported as magenta bars in the FAB section, Joker and Bingo are reported as white lines.
- Fixed position of transfer pumps in the FUEL page
- IPP switch now also drives engine starter (in reality, the switch has three positions: OFF-AUTO-START and should be spring loaded to the AUTO, in the sim it is just OFF or START)
- Left half of the MFD works on battery power only, Right half does not (as in reality) - when the generator is not working, the right MFD will turn off
- Increased startup time for both halves of the MFD to 15 seconds (as in reality)
- TFLIR and DAS now require generator power to run
- A/S and Tacpack radars will not work unless engine is running

You can download the .zip file by clicking HERE

Virtual Reality at home... Impressions after one week with the HTC Vive...

I have been playing with the HTC Vive for a week now, and I really like it... so I thought it may be useful to give my impression on this whole Virtual Reality hype, especially for those who may be considering to purchase it.

First, it is not cheap. You need a good computer to run it, and my 3770k with a GTX970 is barely considered sufficient. Then the headset... in Italy it is 599€ for the Oculus Rift and 849€ for the Vive, plus taxes and shipment.
The two headsets have similar resolution and characteristics, but while the Oculus ships with an XBox 360 controller, the Vive comes with two "motion tracking" controllers... which are really nice and work well - but at first they look quite strange. The other big difference is that the Vive supports full "room-scale" VR, which means that you can actually stand up and walk through your room - up to 5m x 5m.
The last big difference (maybe not that big for us simmers) is the software availability - while both can work with software distributed in other ways, the Oculus has its own store, while the Vive relies on Steam (which also has a VR mode). The Oculus at the moment has more games and in general a better support - and its content is (supposed to be) locked, so you cannot play it with the Vive...although of course you can find hacks on the internet for this.

Reason why I picked the Vive over the Oculus is simply that, apart from being a simmer, I am also a technology enthusiast and a gamer... and I really liked the idea of room-scale VR. If you plan to use your helmet only, or mostly, for simulations (that means for "seated" experiences), the Oculus is perfectly fine and significantly cheaper.

The only word of warning on the Vive is that if you want to use it a room-scale, you need to have 2.0mx1.5m minimum free space, although some applications require 2.4x2.4 or more - I had to move some furnitures to make room for it - by the way there is a safety "chaperon" feature that will prevent you from hitting the walls by projecting virtual walls when you are getting too close to the real ones...very well implemented IMHO.

You will also need to drill some holes in your bookshelves or walls to fasten the two motion sensors.

Then...after the setup (which takes one hour or more)....here comes the magic. You are literally transported in the virtual world. You can walk, kneel, jump look around and you really "feel" you are there. The biggest drawbacks are:

- the resolution is not great: 1080x1200 per eye...not enough to read some instruments.

- if there are "judders" (which may be due to both the software implementation and/or the hardware) you may feel a little dizzy...this can become motion sickness if you use it for too long.

- Anything less than 60-90 frames per second may induce motion sickness... which happens (of course) more often in softwares like flight simulators. You may want to avoid too much acrobatic flying at 15-20 frames per second...

Here is what I tried, in no particular order:

PREPAR3D v3.4

The latest version of Prepar3d has native support for the HTC Vive, along with the Oculus. Unfortunately, the implementation is not great - apparently there is no Asynchronous Time Warp nor any other technique to prevent judders... so the experience is shaky and a little unpleasant.
On the good side image is well filtered looks good... let's hope that P3Dv3.5 has a better implementation.

PREPAR3D v3.4 with FlyInside P3D

Now, there is this nice software called FlyInside, available for both P3D and FSX, which not only renders the simulation with Asynchronous Time Warp, but also provides a number of functions and shortcuts to operate the simulator within the virtual environment. Albeit the image quality is a little more jaggy than the default P3D support, the difference is day and night. The experience is much smoother and you can actually enjoy flying in the virtual cockpit with an unprecedented level of immersion. Also, you can use it in Avatar mode too... and walk around your aicraft (albeit this mode is a little buggy especially if you hop-on, hop-off the aicraft a couple of time).

NOTE - FLYINSIDE P3D has some issues with  Tacpack experimental features (HMD and TFLIR imaging)... the HMD will not work as intended, and TFLIR sometimes works and sometimes not. It may be better to turn those features off.

FLIGHT SIMULATOR STEAM EDITION with FlyInside FSX

The magic of FlyInside works very well with FSX too... and it is even more valuable given that FSX does not support Virtual Reality natively. Also, the performance is really good and is smoother than P3D - although P3D has better shadows that result in a more realistic image rendering...

AEROFLY FS 2

As per my previous post, I also tried AEROFLY FS 2... And I was not super-happy as I thought. Sure the frame rates are stellar, and there is native support of the Vive... but, at least on my configuration, the head tracking suffers from occasional judders... resulting in a little discomfort in some flights. Still, cockpits are amazing - and so is the scenery. 

 ASSETTO CORSA

Assetto Corsa does not support the Vive, but, as I said, there is a hack on the Internet which allows you to use Oculus compatible games with the Vive. It works great...and you can even walk out of the car and be amazed by the level of detail of the modeling. No judders - very smooth performance and amazing immersion. 

THE LAB

We simmers have an headstart with respect to the rest of the "gaming" population... we have been building virtual cockpit for years, and it is awesome to finally "feel" there. But Virtual Reality has a huge potential for games and education. The Lab (directly from Valve) is a collection of mini-games / experiences that will make you fully appreciate the potential of these devices. Some of the games are really funny... but the whole interaction with The Lab is amazing. Really cool - try it (it's free)!

STAR WARS: TRIAL ON TATOOINE

Yes, there is a official free minigame of Star Wars. Yes you can wield a lightsaber (cool!)...but the game is disappointingly short. Just few minutes and it's done - and not much of a challenge. It is free, but I unistalled it immediately.

QUANERO

Another free game, Quanero is a cool experiment in storytelling... basically you are a CSI guy in a futuristic bar in which a bomb exploded and a guy has been killed. You can rewind the time and look around and your scope is to find who has done what. Really cool and quite well done... it suffers a little from the fact that it is an indie games and so some 3D assets are not top-notch... but don't get me wrong, it is well done and a very interesting experiment.

UNREAL ENGINE
I made a quick test just to see how difficult it would be to develop virtual reality experiences... and a look at the Unreal Engine VR support. It is quite good - and it would be possible to create something in a reasonable time...unfortunately, there is my real life job...

SO, SHOULD YOU BUY IT?

Well... it is a lot of money, and a pretty cool technology. Strictly speaking of flight simulation it offers an unparalleled level of immersion. For the first time in my life a computer program made me feel into the cockpit. It is great...unless you do a lot of IFR, then the resolution is a problem. Also, if you plan to use it with FSX/P3D you will have to face the poor frame rates - even with the magic of FlyInside you may feel a little uncomfortable.

The best things is to try before you buy. Don't get me wrong...it IS AMAZING. But it is also very expensive and my guess is that, in a couple of yearsm these devices will have better resolution and cost less.

In any case, Virtual Reality is probably the next big thing in home entertainment.