Foveated Rendering and Eye Tracking in iRacing, MSFS 2024 and DCS
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Foveated rendering draws the centre of your view at full resolution and the edges at lower resolution, so the graphics card renders fewer pixels per frame. Fixed foveated rendering keeps the sharp area in the middle of each lens. Eye-tracked, or dynamic, foveated rendering moves it to wherever you are looking, which needs a headset with eye tracking. iRacing and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 both support it natively, and DCS World has Quad View options in its VR settings. The requirements differ by title, and they decide whether an eye-tracking headset is worth paying for.
Quick Answer
- iRacing: fixed and dynamic foveated rendering, in OpenXR mode, with an Nvidia RTX 2000 series or better graphics card.
- MSFS 2024: native foveated rendering since Sim Update 2. It works on any headset and gives best results with eye tracking.
- DCS World: Quad View options in VR settings since September 2024. Eagle Dynamics has not published a statement on eye-tracked operation that we could find.
- Headset: you only get the eye-tracked version if the headset has eye tracking. The Pimax Crystal Super does. The Crystal Light does not.
Fixed vs Eye-Tracked Foveated Rendering
The technique these simulators use is called quad views. Instead of two images, one per eye, the simulator renders four: a low-resolution view for each eye and a high-resolution inset on top. Khronos, the standards body behind OpenXR, made this part of OpenXR 1.1 as "Stereo with Foveated Rendering" and describes it as a way to realise eye-tracked or fixed foveated rendering across headsets.
- Fixed: the inset stays in the centre. Varjo calls this static foveated rendering, where the high-resolution inset does not follow eye movement. Look toward the edge of the lens and you see the lower-resolution area.
- Eye-tracked (dynamic): the inset follows your gaze. iRacing describes it as rendering a higher-resolution inset wherever it detects each eye is looking.
That difference matters in a simulator. You check mirrors, glance at an apex or scan an instrument panel with your eyes, not only your head. For the optics side of the same topic, see our pancake vs aspheric lens comparison.
Support by Simulator
Each row is taken from the developer's own release notes or changelog, checked in October 2026.
| Simulator | Fixed | Eye-tracked | Stated requirements and caveats |
|---|---|---|---|
| iRacing | Yes, since 2025 Season 3 | Yes, since 2025 Season 4 | OpenXR only. Nvidia RTX 2000 series or better. Eye tracking needs a headset that supports the OpenXR eye gaze extension. |
| Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 | Yes, since Sim Update 2 (May 2025) | Used when available and enabled | "Works for any headset." Can add some CPU overhead. No graphics card requirement is stated. |
| DCS World | Quad View options added to VR settings in version 2.9.8.1107 (September 2024) | Not stated by Eagle Dynamics | No requirements published in the changelog. |
iRacing
iRacing added Quad View fixed foveated rendering in 2025 Season 3 and dynamic foveated rendering in Season 4, with two settings, "Allow Eye Tracking" and "Show Eye Tracking". Its notes carry one warning that catches people out: the SteamVR runtime does not support eye tracking properly for some headsets, and iRacing says to select the Pimax or Varjo OpenXR runtime for those headsets. iRacing also recommends removing the OpenXR Toolkit plugin, an older third-party tool, now that foveated rendering is native.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024
The Sim Update 2 release notes say the feature uses the quad views technique to improve GPU performance, that the gain is higher at higher resolutions, and that it can add some CPU overhead. If your simulator is limited by the processor and not the graphics card, a GPU saving will not raise frame rate. Our VR flight sim optimisation guide explains how to tell which one is holding you back.
DCS World
Eagle Dynamics' changelog for version 2.9.8.1107 reads "Added options for Quad View to VR settings". We found no Eagle Dynamics statement describing eye-tracked operation or naming supported headsets. Headset makers have made their own claims about DCS, but those are not developer documentation, so we have left them out. If DCS is your main simulator, test on your own system before relying on the feature.
Which Headsets Have Eye Tracking
Eye-tracked foveated rendering needs eye-tracking hardware in the headset. From each maker's own pages:
- Pimax Crystal Super: eye tracking supported. Pimax lists dynamic foveated rendering as a feature.
- Pimax Crystal Light: eye tracking not supported, so fixed foveated rendering only.
- Pimax Dream Air and Dream Air SE: built-in eye tracking, which Pimax says powers dynamic foveated rendering.
- Samsung Galaxy XR: four eye-tracking cameras. Samsung describes them for menu control, and we found no Samsung statement about PC simulator foveated rendering.
A headset having eye tracking is not the whole answer. The simulator, the OpenXR runtime and the graphics card all have to support it, as the iRacing notes show. Compare headsets in the high-resolution simulation VR collection.
How Much Performance Does It Add?
No developer quoted here publishes a frame-rate figure, and we have not measured one. iRacing says only that foveated rendering "may be faster", especially for high-resolution displays. The OpenXR specification gives a worked example in which a four-view layout with an eye-tracked inset renders 75% fewer pixels than standard stereo. That is a pixel count for one example headset, not a frame-rate promise. The practical reading is that the benefit grows with headset resolution, and shrinks when the processor is the limit. Our VR PC requirements guide covers the hardware side.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is foveated rendering in VR?
It is a rendering method that keeps full resolution where it is needed and lowers it elsewhere to reduce the load on the graphics card. Fixed versions keep the sharp area in the centre. Eye-tracked versions move it with your gaze.
Do I need eye tracking for foveated rendering?
No. Fixed foveated rendering works without it. iRacing's fixed mode and the MSFS 2024 feature both run on headsets without eye tracking. Eye tracking is needed only for the dynamic version.
Does iRacing foveated rendering work with AMD graphics cards?
iRacing's release notes state that foveated rendering requires an Nvidia RTX 2000 series or better graphics card. They do not list AMD support.
Is the Pimax Crystal Light good for foveated rendering?
For the fixed version, yes in principle. Pimax lists eye tracking as not supported on the Crystal Light, so it cannot do eye-tracked foveated rendering. The Crystal Super can.
Check Your Simulator First
Start from the title you fly or race most, read its requirements, then decide whether eye tracking belongs on your headset shortlist.
Sources
- iRacing, 2025 Season 3 Release Notes and 2025 Season 4 Release Notes
- iRacing, Notice Regarding OpenXR Toolkit
- Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, Sim Update 2 Release Notes
- Eagle Dynamics, DCS World changelog 2.9.8.1107
- Khronos Group, OpenXR 1.1 release and OpenXR 1.1 reference: XrViewConfigurationType
- Varjo, Quad View and eye-tracked foveation
- Pimax: Crystal Light comparison table, Crystal Super, Dream Air and Dream Air SE
- Samsung, Galaxy XR