Laminar Research released the beta of the next update for X-Plane 12, numbered 12.4.3, and dubbed “VR Update.”
As mentioned on the official site, the simulator will support Apple Vision Pro.
This includes the following features:
- NVIDIA CloudXR Foveated Streaming
- Spatial Tracking via AR Kit
- Full Pass-Through Capability
- Custom Masking
- Hand-Tracking
- Gesture Controls
- UI Wrist-tap functionality
That being said, the VR improvements are not limited to Apple Vision Pro, and all headsets that support it can now use Passthrough rendering for mixed reality.
Handtracking and gestures have been improved with better support for actions like pinch, grip, and poke, alongside the introduction of Variable Rate Shading, which is basically the sim’s version of dynamic foveated rendering, keeping detail at its best only where you’re actually looking, improving performance.
The VR interface has been improved with changes to pop-up menus to let you know more comfortably where to grab. This is what you can expect.
- A new resize grab handle is at the bottom right of each pop-up
- A new quick zoom-in and zoom-out for each open pop-up
- Pop-Up styling slowly fades away when not in focus
Supported controllers will have haptic feedback, and a larger and movable virtual keyboard has been implemented.
For those who don’t use VR, Munich Airport in Germany got a full facelist, alongside Lanai Airport in Hawaii.
Static Aircraft have been updated with 10 new models and 182 liveries. Scenery items also got updated with Flat Hangars, Warehouses with EU Trucks, and Cargo Facades.
You can check out all these elements in the gallery below. As usual, you have to opt into the beta via the native client or Steam to participate.
If you’d like to read more flight simulation news, you can find plenty in our latest roundup article from yesterday.
If you want to go further back, we have a handy overview video of the major flight simulation news in the past week. You can watch it below. As usual, leaving a like and a comment and subscribing to our growing YouTube channel is extremely helpful.
