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HTC Vive Launch Thread -- Computer, activate holodeck

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Planning on ordering a Vive very soon.

I really, really, really dislike Steam, for not entirely rational reasons. Is installing Steam 100% required in order to use the Vive? Valve keeps playing up how the Vive is an open platform, so I'd imagine it should be possible.
 

Raticus79

Seek victory, not fairness
Wow, this VR cover shipping is taking forever. It started on May 11, just entered Canada on the 25th. Didn't realize it would be international shipping.
 
Just got a straight 2 hours of Chronos on the Vive via Revive.

The game's so good, glad its worth the price.

The scale of the world is awe inspiring.

The sound design is excellent and the gfx is enough to fix me.
 

Tain

Member
Planning on ordering a Vive very soon.

I really, really, really dislike Steam, for not entirely rational reasons. Is installing Steam 100% required in order to use the Vive? Valve keeps playing up how the Vive is an open platform, so I'd imagine it should be possible.

You can run SteamVR without running Steam, using desktop view to launch games. You might have to install Steam to install SteamVR but then remove Steam after copying SteamVR somewhere? idk.
 
You can run SteamVR without running Steam, using desktop view to launch games. You might have to install Steam to install SteamVR but then remove Steam after copying SteamVR somewhere? idk.

Is there an installer I can copy to my giant archive? I reinstall Windows really often and don't want to have to install Steam each time.

I'm guessing that just copying the executable directory won't be enough; presumably it comes with drivers and stuff.
 

thematic

Member
You can run SteamVR without running Steam, using desktop view to launch games. You might have to install Steam to install SteamVR but then remove Steam after copying SteamVR somewhere? idk.

isn't SteamVR interface literally Steam/Big Picture in VR space?
 

FSLink

Banned
Is there an installer I can copy to my giant archive? I reinstall Windows really often and don't want to have to install Steam each time.

I'm guessing that just copying the executable directory won't be enough; presumably it comes with drivers and stuff.

Just use ninite to reinstall Steam (and other stuff).
 

Sky Chief

Member
Damn, this experience would be so perfect if not for this jitter. More stuff to try tomorrow. If it means anything, it doesn't appear to occur at all on the window on my monitor, only inside the headset.

Not sure exactly what you mean by jitter? Do you mean stuttering or the world is wobbling? If it's the former then my guess is you need more powerful hardware. If it's the latter it could be the way you have your lighthouses setup.

I brought my Vive into work yesterday and the world was wobbling horribly. I couldn't use the poles from home because the ceilings were too high. I was able to fix my stabbing stuff up to get them above 6' high and then angling them down. Just getting them high enough did not fix the issue, I had to tilt them so they were angled down.
 
Just use ninite to reinstall Steam (and other stuff).

Convenience isn't the problem here; I'd install ten programs if doing so allowed me to not install Steam. :p

I'll install Steam if I have to, but if there was a way to avoid it, it would make me very happy.
 

Croatoan

They/Them A-10 Warthog
Thats really cool, I wonder if the step time increment couldn't be slider bases on user comfort, so as you increase the slider to the left its more a slow deliberate blink step..in the middle instant teleport like yours is but timed, then full slider on the right where its full on smooth traditional wasd movement and the player can increment up to where they are comfortable with as they get more use to VR but bring it back down a step if they get queezy..

Actually yeah, that is kind of what i had in mind. A comfort slider. Although i was just going to have 3 comfort levels that i fine tuned. You don't really need the in between ones. Smooth - medium - comfortable should cover most people's needs in any game you want to have wasd style movement in.
 

wwm0nkey

Member
Orders are going out insanely fast, the order my boss made last week is already getting there by Wednesday lol

Guess you will be able to go to stores and get them soon too
 

Thoraxes

Member
Orders are going out insanely fast, the order my boss made last week is already getting there by Wednesday lol

Guess you will be able to go to stores and get them soon too

I just need them to be in Best Buy stores so I can use my credit card and points. I've been banking 'em with Elite last year, so it'd be nice to get the cost down by a huge amount and get 5% back in rewards too.

My money is going to the first one I can find in a store at this rate though, but i'd definitely like to have the Vive more.
 
Someone is selling one on Craigslist for slightly less than it would cost to order one and have it sent to my country, and I'm tempted. However, it also means buying a new PC... Now I like my Gear VR and I thought the PSVR demo I tried was pretty good but I haven't tried Vive yet. At this stage is it really worth buying a PC primarily for the Vive experience?
 

Tain

Member
isn't SteamVR interface literally Steam/Big Picture in VR space?

Nope, that's just part of it. I've had it run without successfully talking to steam, so to speak.

You get all the room config and VR space and chaperone stuff and virtual desktop, just not the steam game launcher.
 

Paganmoon

Member
Just a note, it's available on steam but still requires revive right now. Official vive support is supposedly being worked on, which I'm guessing would include proper roomscale and vive controller support, if you're willing to wait.
Going to wait till my Asus Strix 1080 OC arrives anyway, so one or two weeks longer. I'm sticking to basic demos right now with my 7970.

Orders are going out insanely fast, the order my boss made last week is already getting there by Wednesday lol

Guess you will be able to go to stores and get them soon too

Lots of stores in Sweden at least are getting stock by mid June, so jupp.
 

Bboy AJ

My dog was murdered by a 3.5mm audio port and I will not rest until the standard is dead
Someone is selling one on Craigslist for slightly less than it would cost to order one and have it sent to my country, and I'm tempted. However, it also means buying a new PC... Now I like my Gear VR and I thought the PSVR demo I tried was pretty good but I haven't tried Vive yet. At this stage is it really worth buying a PC primarily for the Vive experience?
No.
 
Is there an installer I can copy to my giant archive? I reinstall Windows really often and don't want to have to install Steam each time.

I'm guessing that just copying the executable directory won't be enough; presumably it comes with drivers and stuff.

The Steam.exe file works as a Steam installer by itself. It will install Steam to the folder it is executed from automatically.

That being said, if you don't want to have Steam installed and use it to buy/play games, I wouldn't bother getting a HTC Vive. It's going to be more trouble than it's worth, and you will have a really hard time finding any content to use it for.
 
Someone is selling one on Craigslist for slightly less than it would cost to order one and have it sent to my country, and I'm tempted. However, it also means buying a new PC... Now I like my Gear VR and I thought the PSVR demo I tried was pretty good but I haven't tried Vive yet. At this stage is it really worth buying a PC primarily for the Vive experience?
VR is at a new stage. At this point in a tech's life, it's worth it if you think it's worth it. And judging by your post, I feel that you wouldn't find it worth it if you got it.
 

BrettWeir

Member
I'll claim ignorance, and apparently my Google-Fu sucks. How in the world can you change the sound profile (equalizer) through HDMI so I can get better results from my headphones?

I'm running an MSI Z97 Gaming 5 motherboard.

**Edit, Windows 10, sorry.

When I bring up the Realtek audio manager, this is what I get:

GnG0kGW.jpg


Music through Audioshield sounds so flat :(
 

Paganmoon

Member
I'll claim ignorance, and apparently my Google-Fu sucks. How in the world can you change the sound profile (equalizer) through HDMI so I can get better results from my headphones?

I'm running an MSI Z97 Gaming 5 motherboard. When I bring up the Realtek audio manager, this is what I get:

GnG0kGW.jpg


Music through Audioshield sounds so flat :(

Windows 10? IIRC, with Realtek audio on Windows 10, there's a Dolby application installed as well that starts messing with audio settings. Click Start, then type Dolby, should get the application up. start it, and then turn enhancements off.
 

BrettWeir

Member
Windows 10? IIRC, with Realtek audio on Windows 10, there's a Dolby application installed as well that starts messing with audio settings. Click Start, then type Dolby, should get the application up. start it, and then turn enhancements off.

Thank you. Unfortunately, I get no results for Dolby :(
 

Hawkian

The Cryptarch's Bane
Not sure exactly what you mean by jitter? Do you mean stuttering or the world is wobbling? If it's the former then my guess is you need more powerful hardware. If it's the latter it could be the way you have your lighthouses setup.
How would you distinguish stutter from wobble? I can tell you that it doesn't seem to be occuring in the window on my PC monitor, only in the headset, and that it's kind of like the world skips side-to-side as I move my head. Ideally it is my hardware, my GPU is not at the recommended level and I'm upgrading soon. But I don't know how to tell for sure.

edit: it's also extremely inconsistent and much more noticeable some places than others. Just walking around the lab it's extremely distracting and bleh
 

Wallach

Member
How would you distinguish stutter from wobble? I can tell you that it doesn't seem to be occuring in the window on my PC monitor, only in the headset, and that it's kind of like the world skips side-to-side as I move my head. Ideally it is my hardware, my GPU is not at the recommended level and I'm upgrading soon. But I don't know how to tell for sure.

That sounds like what people usually refer to as "judder". Typically it's performance related, usually the GPU being too far behind.

Out of curiosity do you have f.lux, or something like ASUS GPU Tweak II installed?
 

Hawkian

The Cryptarch's Bane
That sounds like what people usually refer to as "judder". Typically it's performance related, usually the GPU being too far behind.

Out of curiosity do you have f.lux, or something like ASUS GPU Tweak II installed?
Well that's best case scenario, really. I'm almost all the way down the list of other stuff to try.

No f.lux or other graphic apps installed... now that you bring it up I haven't tried turning off aero/dwm though, wonder if that has any impact.
 

Durante

Member
I just did a 3 hour VR demo for someone (which involved launching a whole lot of different games and experiences), and I didn't even have to go to the PC room (separate from the VR room, don't ask) once during the entire time.

A few weeks back that wouldn't really have been possible, the entire software stack (both system level and the games themselves, especially Audioshield) really improved in terms of stability.
 

Zalusithix

Member
Got the Vive setup. Everything for the most part went as planned. The magnetic mounts have a little less stability along the thin edge than I'd like, but nothing that impacts actual use. (Measures out to .59/.15/.11 max/std/rotation deviation for tracking jitter which is on par for those reporting direct wall mounts.)
Revisiting my mounts for a bit. I decided to redesign them because I wasn't happy with the fact that they could rock along the thin edge. They wouldn't move with normal operation, and would fall back to the same position if nudged, but just knowing it was possible kind of bugged me. So I went ahead and modeled a completely custom design that didn't use any of the provided hardware. Support along both axes, twice the magnetic holding power, predefined angles, and a cleaner look.

Holds rock steady now, and amusingly enough could be used on the floor on a makeshift setup as the legs are large enough to stabilize the lighthouse even without the magnets.

Unfortunately, ironically enough, my jitter performance is marginally worse now than my initial measurements. I think the old design had a level of vibrational decoupling as drop ceiling rails are less rigid the further you go from the walls or cross sections. I can't compare directly though as they're destroyed now to salvage the magnets and metal shielding rails. (The originals weren't designed to disassemble cleanly.) Perhaps I'll try putting some sorbothane between the lighthouse and the bracket itself and see if that leads to any improvement. Jitter aside, relative controller positioning seems more consistent as I rotate around now, but that could be due to the sync cable being used instead of relying on optical sync. I'd get a message every once in awhile about the lighthouses losing sync before, so I figured I'd run the sync cable while I was printing out the new brackets.

It's amazing (and somewhat annoying) how sensitive everything is. The more concerning part is I'm not sure how to address the inherent weakness of the Lighthouse producing its own vibration in future iterations. Any device (including the Rift's cameras) will be subject to external vibration, but the lighthouse also has to contend with its own on top of that. Theoretically something like a micromirror array would eliminate its own vibration, but they don't have the sweep angle needed, and I'm pretty sure they're also binary in position.
 
Will we ever have VR of a live event? A concert? Sporting event? Car race?

Like, could we get a free-roaming VR experience of a Super Bowl one day? Where you can view the game through the goggles from anywhere in the stadium that they have the 360 camera's installed?

It wouldn't be a GAME, but rather a free-roaming camera type of thing where you can literally look around and move around wherever you want at the venue while the performance is happening live? - all while in your own living room.

That would be a cool use of VR, IMO. Outside of the videogame stuff.
 
Will we ever have VR of a live event? A concert? Sporting event? Car race?

Altspace has a live stand up session with Reggie Watts last week.

But for conventional events, there are considerable challenges with capturing video where you can also move around in a way that doesn't feel terrible. You need cameras that capture stereo images that are valid regardless of your position in a tracked area, something that at least requires some new and revolutionary on the fly image processing.

I do think that stuff like that will come though, and most likely it is the thing that truly will bring VR to mainstream rather than games or artificial experiences.
 

Krejlooc

Banned
Will we ever have VR of a live event? A concert? Sporting event? Car race?

Like, could we get a free-roaming VR experience of a Super Bowl one day? Where you can view the game through the goggles from anywhere in the stadium that they have the 360 camera's installed?

It wouldn't be a GAME, but rather a free-roaming camera type of thing where you can literally look around and move around wherever you want at the venue while the performance is happening live? - all while in your own living room.

That would be a cool use of VR, IMO. Outside of the videogame stuff.

We already have. They have broadcast several basketball games in VR, both NBA and NCAA.
 

jj70

Neo Member
HI folks,
happy owner of a vive here. I tried to connect it with an minidp to dp port but in this case hmd is not seen and I was not able to start it anything and re-connect it with hdmi. What is going wrong? Got MSI 980 gaming and windows 10... thanks...
 

Durante

Member
HI folks,
happy owner of a vive here. I tried to connect it with an minidp to dp port but in this case hmd is not seen and I was not able to start it anything and re-connect it with hdmi. What is going wrong? Got MSI 980 gaming and windows 10... thanks...
Hmm, did you try restarting the device and/or your system?

I've been using DP->miniDP for the Vive since day 1 without issues.

Oh, and silly question, but are you sure the cable is working?
 

EAPidgeon

Member
Well that's best case scenario, really. I'm almost all the way down the list of other stuff to try.

No f.lux or other graphic apps installed... now that you bring it up I haven't tried turning off aero/dwm though, wonder if that has any impact.

If you have Space Pirate Trainer I found it was a fairly sufficient indicator the weird wobble delay I had minorly in Audioshield was indeed performance related. At least with a GTX 780 and 2600k @4.4 looking at the spaceship in the back of the stage introduces the wobble or judder effect of lower framerate quite noticeably.

Originally I presumed it was the headset slipping along with the momentum moving around. Granted that possibility might be true still.
 

CaLe

Member
Really debating also getting an oculus rift. Someone nearby is selling it at cost. Anyone here with both ? If so, do you find yourself using both or the Rift is collecting dust ?
 

Onemic

Member
Seems like audioshield also works with my R9 270 with no problems as long as I pick the default stage.....Too bad Im gonna get a refund on it anyway.

I dont know why I thought It would be different from audiosurf, but it isnt really. I got tired of that game 6 years ago.
 

Zalusithix

Member
Seems like audioshield also works with my R9 270 with no problems as long as I pick the default stage.....Too bad Im gonna get a refund on it anyway.

I dont know why I thought It would be different from audiosurf, but it isnt really. I got tired of that game 6 years ago.

The general premise of procedurally generated sequences based on songs is the same as Audiosurf, as is the feel of how it does so. Speed-ups and pauses based on the tempo, "beat density" changes, etc. The interaction itself, however, is significantly different IMO. Kind of like how shooting in VR is different than shooting in a traditional FPS. Everything else can be the same, but the experience is quite different. The greater movements required for the VR interaction alone enhance the experience beyond Audiosurf. Perhaps its a release of endorphins from the exercise, or perhaps its due to the similarities to dance triggering some low level response, but I certainly feel more "into it" in Audioshield than I ever did tapping keys for Audiosurf.

I wont say the game is for everybody. It isn't. It's not a hand crafted experience, and the algorithm is very picky about what music works and what doesn't. More than Audiosurf even. I'm still trawling through my collection finding out which songs are the most enjoyable. Depending on a person's collection, it could very well be a bust. I'd say I get about a 2:3 ratio between passable and boring song interactions, with perhaps half of the passable being good, and a fraction of that being great. It favors upbeat songs in general, but being upbeat isn't any guarantee of it being good, and sometimes slower songs work surprisingly well. Lots of time needed with experimentation.

One thing is for certain though. Hardest is the only way to play. You can get your bearings on normal/hard modes, but the faster you move to hardest the better. The increased orb density and rate of hand crossovers are what makes the experience. Working up to a 10 technical score on a song where the orbs are coming from all directions and requiring you to cross your shields over constantly is where it's at.
 
NextVR has been doing some live sporting events in VR. They have some contracts with different broadcast stations, like Fox Sports.

How does live or single point of camera VR work. I mean, by necessity its just a stereoscopic 360 degree film, right? so there is no point moving your headset other than rotation?
In the Vive with room scale, does that make you sick if you move back and forward or side to side, let alone walk around, and don't get a corresponding shift in camera position at the live event?
 

Wallach

Member
How does live or single point of camera VR work. I mean, by necessity its just a stereoscopic 360 degree film, right? so there is no point moving your headset other than rotation?
In the Vive with room scale, does that make you sick if you move back and forward or side to side, let alone walk around, and don't get a corresponding shift in camera position at the live event?

There is no positional tracking as far as I know (they target GearVR as their primary platform at the moment I'm pretty sure), and aren't meant to be viewed standing.
 

bloodydrake

Cool Smoke Luke
I've been exploring some 360 videos and they're all very low res looking.
and besides the 3d rendered ones like Henry and Lost most I'm starting to think 180 or 270 is better since it lets you look around alot but directly behind ya is very awkward to view unless sitting in a spinning chair
 

Zalusithix

Member
There is no positional tracking as far as I know (they target GearVR as their primary platform at the moment I'm pretty sure), and aren't meant to be viewed standing.

Positional tracking would be impossible with today's tech. The camera view point is fixed, and can't adjust for translation. With enough cameras and processing power, however, you could generate a 3D recreation with live texturing to create any arbitrary interim viewpoint. Much like how they can create a 3D recording of an actor's face with tons of cameras aimed at them. The cost to do something similar on a stadium scale though... Perhaps decades down the line we'll have thousands of cameras ringing stadiums linked up to petaflop scale servers to provide that sort of capability. Not any time soon though.
 

Durante

Member
Really debating also getting an oculus rift. Someone nearby is selling it at cost. Anyone here with both ? If so, do you find yourself using both or the Rift is collecting dust ?
I've had both since launch, and my Rift is collecting dust. (Note though that I don't have much interest in cockpit games)
 
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