Support NeoGAF

[RurouniZel]

So my local mall has a Microsoft store and they were demonstrating the Vive and letting people try it out. I decided it was high time to dive in and see if the hype is real.

From a tech standpoint, it certainly is impressive, more than I thought it would be. It seemed a little blurry to me but I'm sure that's because I wasn't given time to fiddle with the lenses to get them in focus but even then it was damn impressive. I had the most fun with Tilt Brush (from a painting background it's no surprise), I drew a quick 3 minute doodle of Sonic that I sadly have no picture of 'cause I stupidly did not give my phone to someone to take a picture of. >:/ The archery game was damn cool as well.

But the demonstration on the ship with underwater ship and watching the fish swim while a whale flew past me, that was my "wow" moment. It kind of made me realize that my ultimate VR experience wouldn't be so much "game" as much as "walking simulator on steroids". Take me to a breathtaking 3D world and just let me sit in it for a while seeing amazing sights would be incredible I think, though I worry if the novelty would wear off eventually (I was also "wowed" by the 3DS screen and I never use that feature anymore).

Super positive experience all around though. I hope it comes down in price and gets more neat software.

 

[| Praxis |]

Ok. It's been 4 months and I'm still enraptured with VR gaming.
I struggle to play normal gaming with any where near the sort of enthusiasm I used to.
VR is here to stay.
All I need is photo realistic in VR project cars (man , that's a long way off!) and I will never leave the house again!

I haven't touched my Vive in weeks. Well, not to play games anyway. Too busy with Overwatch, Hitman and The Witcher 3. Just nothing coming out that appeals to me.

 

[Zalusithix]

we had my grandmother playing job simulator. She was really uneasy in the steam VR home since I have you essentially floating above the ground since the platform is disabled in my setup, once we got her into the game though her reaction was similar to the tilt brush reactions

Yeah, when demoing VR, it's best to be safe and make sure anything you show has a solid ground plane. Some people are are quite sensitive the feeling of floating in space.

 

[AwesomeMeat]

Yeah, when demoing VR, it's best to be safe and make sure anything you show has a solid ground plane. Some people are are quite sensitive the feeling of floating in space.

we had my grandmother playing job simulator. She was really uneasy in the steam VR home since I have you essentially floating above the ground since the platform is disabled in my setup, once we got her into the game though her reaction was similar to the tilt brush reactions

That is pretty funny. I had a similar experience. My home background was just the big desert/mesa background. So the guy I put in VR was like "Oh this is cool" and then looked down and immediately got the sensation that he was on a mesa with the floor boundary being a drop off. He was not too pleased once his brain came to that conclusion.

I have now changed to 3d van gogh room. Just to be safe.

 

[cakefoo]

So the guy I put in VR was like "Oh this is cool" and then looked down and immediately got the sensation that he was on a mesa with the floor boundary being a drop off.

 

[GReeeeN]

I haven't touched my Vive in weeks. Well, not to play games anyway. Too busy with Overwatch, Hitman and The Witcher 3. Just nothing coming out that appeals to me.

this,

there hasn't been anything new recently, and games costing as much as they are makes it difficult trying something new

Ive spent most of my time in Overwatch and Mirrors Edge over VR these past few weeks/ months

 

[Durante]

this,

there hasn't been anything new recently

I don't know, Raw Data seems like one of the larger VR releases to me, and it was quite recent.

That said, I'm obviously also still playing on-screen games, expecting anything else in the next decade or so at least would be silly.

 

[Cdammen]

• Dark Source: Flashlight functionality has been added. Automatically activates at mission start on Bishop’s pistol and Saija’s Flash Blade.

Thank god! Now I can continue with this game, I was scared shitless when I couldn't see in the dense shadows. Freaked me out a fair bit

 

[| Praxis |]

I don't know, Raw Data seems like one of the larger VR releases to me, and it was quite recent.

That said, I'm obviously also still playing on-screen games, expecting anything else in the next decade or so at least would be silly.

Raw Data is just another shooting gallery. I'm really not interested in that style of game, I was hoping for more experiences than what we have been getting. The output and lack of mods has been a real let down.

Not expecting VR games that would compete with regular games yet, but the releases seem to have already fallen into a rut of overpriced, short lived fairground experiences. The games I am interested in like Elite look like shit after the initial novelty of looking around wears off.

 

[The Teachinator]

So Adr1ft is a vomit commet. What were they thinking locking the head controls?

 

[kinggroin]

The major reason for inexplicable framedrops was already fixed though.

Now it's just a really demanding game. On my 1080 I can only run 1.1 RT and a mixture of medium and epic settings if I want to maintain 90 FPS without reprojection all the time.

Agreed. But it's been said there is still plenty of optimization to go. Not even factoring in the potential to support VR specific optimizations on Pascal hardware.

Raw Data is just another shooting gallery. I'm really not interested in that style of game, I was hoping for more experiences than what we have been getting. The output and lack of mods has been a real let down.

Not expecting VR games that would compete with regular games yet, but the releases seem to have already fallen into a rut of overpriced, short lived fairground experiences. The games I am interested in like Elite look like shit after the initial novelty of looking around wears off.

Sucks to hear, but shit, you've given it a fair enough shake. Why not recoup some cost and jump in next gen when the library has figured itself out?

As for me, I have no inclination or desire to play "flat" games at all. What few minutes I have a day to get some gaming in, are always satisfied with a Vive game (lately Rec Room paintball wars or 3D pictionary). I simply don't find regular gaming compelling ATM (I'm 35 so I've been around the block, gameplay premise wise).

I'm sure that'll change if Nintendo releases a new Punch Out or Waverace; something that's not tackled often (or well) in the industry.

 

[UncleSporky]

Raw Data is just another shooting gallery. I'm really not interested in that style of game, I was hoping for more experiences than what we have been getting. The output and lack of mods has been a real let down.

Not expecting VR games that would compete with regular games yet, but the releases seem to have already fallen into a rut of overpriced, short lived fairground experiences. The games I am interested in like Elite look like shit after the initial novelty of looking around wears off.

Yeah I'm really new to the Vive in general, I don't think it's even been a week, haven't even played all that many games on it and I'm already over shooting galleries.

I mean of course it feels pretty good but there needs to be more than just the shooting. Needs to be one aspect of a larger game. Cosmic Trip is leaning that direction, for example, though progress is slow, but I cut them some slack for at least trying something different.

 

[pj]

this,

there hasn't been anything new recently, and games costing as much as they are makes it difficult trying something new

Ive spent most of my time in Overwatch and Mirrors Edge over VR these past few weeks/ months

Cosmic trip is pretty new and looks great. Lots of existing early access games are making pretty big changes as well. Cloudlands minigolf just added a level editor! I will be dicking around with that this weekend.


I don't think it is realistic to expect a flood of games in a market this small. There aren't nearly enough headsets out there for devs to really dive in. Oculus and PSVR are throwing cash at devs to get around this but I haven't been impressed with the output so far.

 

[Durante]

Raw Data is just another shooting gallery.

It really really isn't. I mean, I play Saija, and most of my time is spent moving around, which seems like the opposite of what I'd consider a "shooting gallery". (Never mind the fact that I also don't shoot )

Obviously it's fine if you don't like its gameplay, but comparing it to something like SPT (an actual shooting gallery), the difference in gameplay (and depth) should be clear.

So Adr1ft is a vomit commet. What were they thinking locking the head controls?

Wait, they lock head controls? That's like the first thing everyone discovered not to do on DK1 years ago.

Agreed. But it's been said there is still plenty of optimization to go. Not even factoring in the potential to support VR specific optimizations on Pascal hardware.

Sure. But you can optimize as much as you want, if you want VR graphics that rival on-screen graphics, have great IQ, and never want to drop below 90 FPS, you're talking multiple 10s of TFLOPs.

 

[UncleSporky]

I actually don't have a problem throwing some money around here because some of the games are still in development and going to see price increases as content is added. Of course it's also a gamble as you have stuff like Audioshield where the developer suddenly disappears forever.

 

[A Grizzly Bear]

I actually don't have a problem throwing some money around here because some of the games are still in development and going to see price increases as content is added. Of course it's also a gamble as you have stuff like Audioshield where the developer suddenly disappears forever.

Wait, did he? I haven't been keeping up with my VR games. Shitty news if true.

 

[UncleSporky]

Wait, did he? I haven't been keeping up with my VR games. Shitty news if true.

Yeah, no one has heard from him regarding Audioshield in ages. He'd been gone for a long time even as of two months ago. And I guess this isn't the first time he's pulled this too, did it with Audiosurf before.

Which is a shame because Audioshield is still pretty jank and needs a lot of features and fixes.

 

[GuitarAtomik]

Wait, they lock head controls? That's like the first thing everyone discovered not to do on DK1 years ago.

It doesn't really. You can look around, it's just that you look around inside your astronaut helmet.

 

[Edvardelis]

I picked up a Vive last week since Microcenter had them in stock. I had to try it in the Microsoft store before I was convinced.

One odd glitch that I'm seeing (and I saw it happen in the store) is that sometimes one of the controllers and/or the entire display will "flick" and shift down/right for less than a second before shifting back. What causes this?

 

[Zepp Twofist]

People are always complaining about too many games being shooting galleries, but apart from SPT there aren't really any good ones out there right now. I'm really looking forward to the update to that as well as Serious Sam VR, because I really like those kind of games.

 

[JMZ555]

Sadly the Vive is not quite there for me yet. Tried it with a gtx1080.

Playing in the Rec Room with other ppl was amazing fun, especially paint ball. Also archery in the lab felt amazing.

But too many things pushed me to wait for version 2/3 etc....

. Screen resolution even with subsampling is still not good enough for me, its getting there but needs a big boost. Hopefully the tech improves and they come up with a way to improve it without having to have a monster PC to run crazy resolutions. Viewing anything up close like the controllers is ok but mid to long and that's when detail is very poor. FOV I found ok.

. Ergonomics: Found the controllers fine but the headset uncomfy and heavy and when you add in to the fact your trying to hit that lens sweet spot while moving around in VR and it begins to annoy.

Ive gone from DK1 to DK2 to Vive. I feel we are 50% of the way to what I would consider myself happy with the quality.

It will be long time but once its wireless( Or with much better Ergonomics/weight) and light with good resolution il be back day 1.

VR is on the right path and some of the games I tried blew me away and you can still enjoy it as it is but I'm happy to let it cook a little longer.

 

[Sky Chief]

Raw Data is just another shooting gallery. I'm really not interested in that style of game, I was hoping for more experiences than what we have been getting. The output and lack of mods has been a real let down.

Not expecting VR games that would compete with regular games yet, but the releases seem to have already fallen into a rut of overpriced, short lived fairground experiences. The games I am interested in like Elite look like shit after the initial novelty of looking around wears off.

Except it's not a shooting gallery?

 

[metareferential]

It doesn't really. You can look around, it's just that you look around inside your astronaut helmet.

Which makes sense since I doubt real astronauts can turn their helmets together with their heads.

But in a first-gen VR game? Come on.

 

[| Praxis |]

Except it's not a shooting gallery?

Fair enough, it is not strictly a shooing gallery. It is still not the kind of game I'm interested in, especially at that price. I was hoping for more experimental experiences, less gamey/high score focused things.

 

[GuitarAtomik]

Which makes sense since I doubt real astronauts can turn their helmets together with their heads.

But in a first-gen VR game? Come on.

Don't get me wrong. The controls are still really obtuse. The way it sort of lets you rotate by shifting the entire helmet when you look too far inside it is really weird.

 

[spannicus]

Waiting for more top down games on the vive

 

[UncleSporky]

Waiting for more top down games on the vive

YES same here.

I think one of VR's greatest potentials for incorporating traditional game types without making people feel sick is doing worlds in miniature, looking down on them. Like so many existing games have already done in the past, it's a time-tested way of viewing and playing games. We need more VR games like Quar.

Imagine if Civ did VR. Or XCOM.

 

[DouglasteR]

Waiting for more top down games on the vive

Dota VR Hub is just released.

Its amazing.

 

[wanderingprostheyltite]

Dota VR Hub is just released.

Its amazing.

Saw this on r/vive earlier, plan on jumping in later today. First heard about this prior to last year's international (maybe even the first vive public prototype showing at steam dev days?), nice to see it finally getting released.

 

[RurouniZel]

I was wondering if anyone here has used the Theater Mode or a Virtual Desktop to play normal games on Vive. Is it any good? Problems?

 

[| Praxis |]

I was wondering if anyone here has used the Theater Mode or a Virtual Desktop to play normal games on Vive. Is it any good? Problems?

If you have a half decent monitor, I wouldn't recommend it. Looks really bad.

 

[UncleSporky]

The virtual screen in VorpX is pretty cool because it's a 3D TV and converts non-3D games to 3D. Trying to play one in VR like you're really there is kind of puke city but as a giant 3D screen, it's usable.

 

[DouglasteR]

Saw this on r/vive earlier, plan on jumping in later today. First heard about this prior to last year's international (maybe even the first vive public prototype showing at steam dev days?), nice to see it finally getting released.

Its very nice to see the game up close. Dont forge to increase the render distance in the console !

 

[RurouniZel]

If you have a half decent monitor, I wouldn't recommend it. Looks really bad.

Good to know. It's not a reason by itself that I would ever buy the Vive, but it is a reason I wouldn't buy it it doesn't work well. If that makes any sense.

The virtual screen in VorpX is pretty cool because it's a 3D TV and converts non-3D games to 3D. Trying to play one in VR like you're really there is kind of puke city but as a giant 3D screen, it's usable.

I never considered 3DTV, that might be fun.

Its very nice to see the game up close. Dont forge to increase the render distance in the console !

I'd be using on a PC, 980ti with i7 4790k, would that render poorly if up close?

 

[OldGangWarily]

I have not been able to figure out the Adr1ft controls on the Vive. Using the wand causes the character to go in random direction and thus ends up with me getting sick.

Controller works fine though!

 

[UncleSporky]

I never considered 3DTV, that might be fun.

I should say, I haven't explored all the options of VorpX yet, whether it can be used as a full-on 3D monitor or if it just plays supported games in 3D. I know it has a Virtual Desktop sort of mode that I can't use because I'm still on Win 7 and it only works in 8 and 10.

 

[RurouniZel]

I should say, I haven't explored all the options of VorpX yet, whether it can be used as a full-on 3D monitor or if it just plays supported games in 3D. I know it has a Virtual Desktop sort of mode that I can't use because I'm still on Win 7 and it only works in 8 and 10.

Ah okay, I'll research into it. Thanks for the info!

 

[elyetis]

Tried Ping Pong Waves VR, at 50% there wasn't much risk to it. The game feel pretty good, but even with my very limited experience with ping pong I can tell that the game clearly underestimate the spin you add to the ball. I think it might sometime overestimate the strength at which you hit the ball, but I could be wrong on that one.

If they can slightly improve the ball physics and make a decent multiplayer, it will definitely be a game I recommend.

 

[UncleSporky]

Man I go on a binge and try a bunch of stuff, Cloudlands, The Lab, theBlu, Tilt Brush, Vertigo Demo, Altspace...

I quit out to find like 3 of them still running, frozen and hung up. Probably eating system resources, making each experience worse than the last!

Wonder if the problem is going to Vive Home between games instead of actually quitting.

 

[blackMamba1187]

Just picked up a vive from gamestop. The free game code didn't print on the receipt like it is supposed to. The store manager didn't know what was up. Anybody else purchase from gamestop and can drop some wisdom on me?

The store manager said we'd get it sorted out, so I'm not worried, just curious.

edit: Got it sorted. Went back in today (7/31) and the associated called corporate to get me a code.

 

[pj]

Well, cosmic trip is god damn awesome.

It has some bugs and is a little thin on content if you can believe it, but it has great style, great gameplay, and fantastic UI.

After one session it has jumped into my top several VR games list

 

[DouglasteR]

Good to know. It's not a reason by itself that I would ever buy the Vive, but it is a reason I wouldn't buy it it doesn't work well. If that makes any sense.



I never considered 3DTV, that might be fun.



I'd be using on a PC, 980ti with i7 4790k, would that render poorly if up close?

Its my config too, you will be fine.

 

[Enordash]

Thinking about picking up a few games during the sale. What would people recommend out of SPT, Cosmic Trip and Audio Shield? Maybe there's something better than all of these? I already have Raw Data and Holopoint.

 

[Wallach]

Grabbed whole bunch more stuff during this VR sale going on.

One of the games I picked up is called HoloBall... seems pretty cool, like fun idea, simple, great visuals. But I mean, are they fuckin' serious with how they are using your play space right now? Even on easy I would have had to literally make dash leaps from one side of my room to the other to make some shots, or basically scoop the controller near the floor. Between serves I checked the edge of my in-game boundary against my chaperone border and it's like not even the length of a controller. I mean what the hell, do they think I'm going to just risk slamming my shit against the wall to play this game? As cool as it is I might just refund the game, that seems like a dangerous use of play space to me. Lord knows I wouldn't let anyone else try it with my hardware.

Something else I picked up called Blasters of the Universe, and that seems really promising. It's sort of a SHMUP themed wave shooter, where you kind of have to do SHMUP style pathfinding through bullets with your face. You also get to put together your gun from a big selection of different components, each one having a different impact on how it works. Great aesthetic, too (though in need of some AA solution since the polygonal style doesn't do it any favors with jaggies). So far I think this is my favorite of the wave-style shooting games.

 

[TheRed]

Dota VR Hub is just released.

Its amazing.

I can't wait to get back home next week to give this a try even though I've been out of Dota a long while now.

 

[Wallach]

I can't wait to get back home next week to give this a try even though I've been out of Dota a long while now.

I just tried this tonight for a bit and it is pretty amazing. Was running into a fair amount of reprojection on default settings on my 980ti, but truth be told reprojection is not too big of a deal in there either. Aside from that it is wicked cool, I'll probably watch as much of the upcoming TI in the VR Hub as I can.

 

[Teknopathetic]

"I just tried this tonight for a bit and it is pretty amazing. Was running into a fair amount of reprojection on default settings on my 980ti, but truth be told reprojection is not too big of a deal in there either. Aside from that it is wicked cool, I'll probably watch as much of the upcoming TI in the VR Hub as I can."


Yeah, it's probably going to be the first TI I watch heavily since...TI2.

 

[Mokuren]

Well, cosmic trip is god damn awesome.

It has some bugs and is a little thin on content if you can believe it, but it has great style, great gameplay, and fantastic UI.

After one session it has jumped into my top several VR games list

I didn't notice that many bugs (maybe because I really suck at the game and get killed too easily), but it has also become one of my favorite games after my first session this morning. There's something really cool about it and most of all it has the potential of becoming big if they keep expanding on the RTS options (as they have planned on doing).

I love how just when I had decided to not buy anymore VR games until the next sale, Steam just makes a weekend VR sale coming from nowhere (you evil Gaben, you). So I sighed, my wallet cried and I got to try some more VR goodness:

• Water Bears VR => I love this game. I thought it was just for kids, but manages to be challenging for adults too and takes great advantage of the roomscale. Love the relaxed ambiance and the cute little water bears (whatever they are supposed to be).
  
• Waddle Home => As charming as Water Bears, but shorter and more challenging (at least for me, games like Captain Toad Treasure Tracker and this one are nightmares for me as I have no spacial awareness).
  
• A Legend of Luca => It's like playing Zelda, but you are there and the monsters that you would normally laugh about are bigger than you and surprisingly menacing. It's more fast paced than Vanishing Realms, but equally entertaining.
• Home Improvisation => Cheap and neat. The game just confirmed that I'm not great building furniture in virtual reality either. I've to try the multiplayer, as it has the potential of being an hilarious experience.
  
• Left-Hand Path => I've noped this game faster than A chair in a room:Greenwater, which is saying something. Maybe is because of the prevalent darkness of the dungeons, the long cool-down of the spells, or that I lack any aiming skills, but I find this game scary af. Perfect, just when I had stopped having nightmares with Raw Data giant robots...
  
• La Peri => It's not really a game but a cultural experience. I don't regret the five euros of the price of admission as I want more of this kind of content available on VR, but I've to admit that is short and you really have to appreciate ballet to enjoy it.

You would say that I'd have learned my lesson after this new steam rampage but I'm already ogling Black Hat Cooperative, Steampuff: Phinegan's Factory and Babel: Tower to the Gods. This madness must stop...

 

[Durante]

• Water Bears VR => I love this game. I thought it was just for kids, but manages to be challenging for adults too and takes great advantage of the roomscale. Love the relaxed ambiance and the cute little water bears (whatever they are supposed to be).

Yeah, Water Bears is great, I'd love more stuff like that.

• A Legend of Luca => It's like playing Zelda, but you are there and the monsters that you would normally laugh about are bigger than you and surprisingly menacing. It's more fast paced than Vanishing Realms, but equally entertaining.

I've considered this one before, I guess I should just get it.

 

[Durante]

I just played Raw Data again, for the first time in version 0.2.

This game is just so great. My first time playing mission 3 (we play each mission twice in coop to unlock each upgrade), and it was a nice change of pace to play in a more open area. I also managed to "cheat" at the game by teleporting to an incined surface and then quickly moving another step in real live to reach a location which shouldn't be reachable. Fun stuff all around.

Overall, fighting in that game in coop is probably the most engaging moment-to-moment action game experience I've ever had, and by a good margin too.