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[Zaptruder]

Help. The lighthouses won't see my controllers! WTF. Just started happening. They're not syncing to the software or headset. They just show as not...discoverable


Anyone??

Yeah, I've been having a lot of connectivity problems with my stuff as well.

1. Make sure you have the linkbox plugged into a USB3 port if you don't.
2. Turn the camera down to 30fps or even off if you have it on.
3. Unplug and replug the USB cable to the linkbox (on the HMD side).
4. Turn on or off bluetooth via the SteamVR settings menu.

The third step in particularly seems to help most... but it also doesn't last long. Turning on bluetooth tonight feels like connection is a bit more solid. Only turned it on a few hours ago, but no disconnects yet, knock on wood.

 

[Makai]

Job Simulator on Vive is the greatest physics game ever. There is a jarring shortfall of interest in that game!

 

[Guardian Monkey]

Job Simulator on Vive is the greatest physics game ever. There is a jarring shortfall of interest in that game!

I havent gotten around to playing it yet actually.

 

[Zaptruder]

Job Simulator on Vive is the greatest physics game ever. There is a jarring shortfall of interest in that game!

I think you mean Modbox. Job Simulator has some nice interactions, but is entirely too limited.

Modbox is basically a physics sandbox where the creators spent time on giving the players creation tools instead of jokes.

You get a pretty diverse set of experiences out of the gate - bowling, shooting, swords, basketball, playing drums, chopping lumber, etc. Looking forward to seeing what creative people do with it (and upload it onto workshop).

 

[Krejlooc]

Sixense announced today that their stem controller offers vive and touch controller emulation. Which is really fucking cool for those of us who ordered one.

 

[Makai]

I haven't played Modbox, but Job Sim is just so fun. The humor is really important and they nailed it.

I don't actually have a Vive but there's one at my office and I want to go in just to play it again.

 

[IMACOMPUTA]

I had two consecutive, separate dreams last night where I got an email from HTC saying my Vive shipped. I hate waking up.

I had a dream that I was feeding my 7 week old son steak, and got my Vive shipped email.

 

[mrklaw]

I had a dream that I was feeding my 7 week old son steak, and got my Vive shipped email.

.

 

[Bunta]

Reading the impressions and knowing I won't be getting mine until at least May is tough.

 

[jaypah]

Reading the impressions and knowing I won't be getting mine until at least May is tough.

This! But like a dumbass here I am, all day, every day 😧

 

[Durante]

I just played Fantastic Contraption for a bit over an hour.
This may be my favourite VR game yet.

I can perfectly understand that many people prefer something more action packed, but for me (I've always loved games in which you build things. And building things in general) it's pure bliss to be able to quickly and intuitively create these huge 3-dimensional machines and watch them work.

The controls and level of polish are great, and it's simply amazing just how rapidly you are able to construct an idea that just popped into your head. I will probably need to put a carpet or something in the VR room at some point, I probably sat on the floor for 10 minutes working on the underside of some of the more complex contraptions. (I realize that I could just move the entire thing up for that, but somehow I always naturally gravitate towards moving myself) It would be nice for other games where you move around a lot too.

 

[mrklaw]

I just played Fantastic Contraption for a bit over an hour.
This may be my favourite VR game yet.

I can perfectly understand that many people prefer something more action packed, but for me (I've always loved games in which you build things. And building things in general) it's pure bliss to be able to quickly and intuitively create these huge 3-dimensional machines and watch them work.

The controls and level of polish are great, and it's simply amazing just how rapidly you are able to construct an idea that just popped into your head. I will probably need to put a carpet or something in the VR room at some point, I probably sat on the floor for 10 minutes working on the underside of some of the more complex contraptions. (I realize that I could just move the entire thing up for that, but somehow I always naturally gravitate towards moving myself) It would be nice for other games where you move around a lot too.

watching fantastic contraption mixed reality streams makes me want a multiplayer mode where you can just have spectators jump in via VR and sit on a virtual couch or walk around and talk to you.

 

[Krejlooc]

Fantastic contraptions is obviously a concept that can go places, but the actual game isnt that great. The first few times you try it, it is incredible, but you slowly realize there arent a lot of parts to use and that limits utility. Eventually, you realize the same common design can accomplish most of the goals with minimal reengineering. It lacks the depth of beseiged.

Good idea, great uxui, but only average execution.

 

[Dreams-Visions]

I just played Fantastic Contraption for a bit over an hour.
This may be my favourite VR game yet.

I can perfectly understand that many people prefer something more action packed, but for me (I've always loved games in which you build things. And building things in general) it's pure bliss to be able to quickly and intuitively create these huge 3-dimensional machines and watch them work.

The controls and level of polish are great, and it's simply amazing just how rapidly you are able to construct an idea that just popped into your head. I will probably need to put a carpet or something in the VR room at some point, I probably sat on the floor for 10 minutes working on the underside of some of the more complex contraptions. (I realize that I could just move the entire thing up for that, but somehow I always naturally gravitate towards moving myself) It would be nice for other games where you move around a lot too.

Yea, Fantastic Contraption is cool. Actually every game I've played is really cool.

Except for Elite which I'm still working on a set of recommended settings. It looks like shit with their defaults. Performance is perfect, but it doesn't matter if it looks of lower visual fidelity than any of the launch games made by 2-man studios.

Also did you try Audioshield yet? :33333333333

 

[Bunta]

This! But like a dumbass here I am, all day, every day 😧

Yep, can't stop myself from reading.

 

[spannicus]

.

Lol

 

[Durante]

Also did you try Audioshield yet? :33333333333

Yes, it's a large part of why I have sore muscles
That's why I started off less strenuously today with a puzzle game.

 

[| Praxis |]

Yea, Fantastic Contraption is cool. Actually every game I've played is really cool.

Except for Elite which I'm still working on a set of recommended settings. It looks like shit with their defaults. Performance is perfect, but it doesn't matter if it looks of lower visual fidelity than any of the launch games made by 2-man studios.

Also did you try Audioshield yet? :33333333333

Well that's shit to hear. I hope it is sorted out by the time I get mine.

 

[mrklaw]

Fantastic contraptions is obviously a concept that can go places, but the actual game isnt that great. The first few times you try it, it is incredible, but you slowly realize there arent a lot of parts to use and that limits utility. Eventually, you realize the same common design can accomplish most of the goals with minimal reengineering. It lacks the depth of beseiged.

Good idea, great uxui, but only average execution.

OK now I want beseiged in VR

 

[Lemonte]

yeah Fantastic Contraption looks too simple. Besiege VR would be awesome.

 

[wanderingprostheyltite]

This game Blarp looks to be a sleeper hit for the Vive

BLARP! is a fun-filled physics game build for the HTC Vive. BLARP! uses our intuitive understanding of motions and physics to create an active / addictive experience that is playable by anyone who has ever swung a racket, played with a yoyo, or held a rope.

Polygon gameplay

Looks fun, reminds me of the whacky ass Japanese games we used to get on ps2/Dreamcast. Gonna dive in later today and report back with impressions, it's only $2.69 right now.

Second time I've heard of frame rate problems with a 3570k - job simulator seems to push it too. You'd think it would be fine, especially if overclocked. But maybe it's time to start putting the pennies away toward an upgrade. Annoying because the motherboard is a dead end so it means a CPU/motherboard/ram swap

Wonder if swapping in a 3770k would help?

I'm also wondering if there is a good way to reduce the things running in the background when I'm going to use VR. Can I just make a second user and turn all that off, or is it more involved? Like disabling my plex server, teamviewer and various other background tasks.

Yeah I'm at the point where I'm tryna squeeze out every last bit of frames I can, I'm definitely having fun and it hasn't gotten in the way of most titles I've played but it tends to jump around here and there just the same, odd how inconsistent it's been. Sometimes I get a solid 90 in all areas of The Lab and then it plummets, and sadly Budget Cuts drops quite a bit. The tweaking process continues...

I do hope it's ok with a 3770K especially as mine is 4.6ghz, I flatlined on the Steam test at 11 so it must be.

wanderingprostheyltite what did you score on the test?

Not an 11 lol, around 7.7 iirc, yeah not stellar but the results description says I'm ready for recommended, hq VR /shrugs. Prob not that accurate a metric seeing as it doesn't test for cpu sensor processing (and says this explicitly in the results tab).

 

[Raticus79]

Sixense announced today that their stem controller offers vive and touch controller emulation. Which is really fucking cool for those of us who ordered one.

Right on. On that note, can you use the Lighthouse controllers without the headset? I went for a refund on my Sixense order when I heard about lighthouse, expecting it would be able to do the same job once the software side was sorted out.

OK now I want beseiged in VR

Definitely a good fit. It would also help for games like Terratech where assembly can be a pain.

 

[DOT DASH DOT]

This game Blarp looks to be a sleeper hit for the Vive



Polygon gameplay

Looks fun, reminds me of the whacky ass Japanese games we used to get on ps2/Dreamcast. Gonna dive in later today and report back with impressions, it's only $2.69 right now.



Yeah I'm at the point where I'm tryna squeeze out every last bit of frames I can, I'm definitely having fun and it hasn't gotten in the way of most titles I've played but it tends to jump around here and there just the same, odd how inconsistent it's been. Sometimes I get a solid 90 in all areas of The Lab and then it plummets, and sadly Budget Cuts drops quite a bit. The tweaking process continues...



Not an 11 lol, around 7.7 iirc, yeah not stellar but the results description says I'm ready for recommended, hq VR /shrugs. Prob not that accurate a metric seeing as it doesn't test for cpu sensor processing (and says this explicitly in the results tab).

Mines with a 980ti, im sure it's the GPU your side, crank up the OC on both if you can.

 

[newsguy]

So Elite isn't looking good on the Vive right now? I was thinking about the Vive launch and it's offerings the other day. It definitely looks like one of those short-lived hype scenarios where the luster will wear off as soon as players have seen everything the launch titles have to offer. I do think that if Elite plays well and it as immersive in VR as some people are saying, that would be a perfect title to fill the long gap before more substantial games arrive.

 

[RadioactiveLobster]

So Elite isn't looking good on the Vive right now? I was thinking about the Vive launch and it's offerings the other day. It definitely looks like one of those short-lived hype scenarios where the luster will wear off as soon as players have seen everything the launch titles have to offer. I do think that if Elite plays well and it as immersive in VR as some people are saying, that would be a perfect title to fill the long gap before more substantial games arrive.

I've heard both sides. Some people seem to be having major issues getting Elite to work on the Vive and others say it works perfectly and they can't imagine ever playing the game without he Vive again.

 

[Guardian Monkey]

I thought it was more to do with the display resolution being low for a game that needs more detail. I don't think any PC of can change that. I think this gen we will have more cartoon like games that do better. No point in making a graphically intense game when you can't see the difference or detracts from gameplay. It's like we are are in the psx version of 3D again resolution wise. But for some games like soundshield it doesn't make a difference. I think the majority of people playing it are for the experiences. I'm going to flat out say it after about 6 hours with the Vive. This eclipses mario64 in my mind as a benchmark and is maybe and I am not even sure if it does match my first experiences with my NES in 1987 as a kid. It not a fad. There is no way you can do with a controller or keyboard what you can here... This is it.. It's amazing and will only get better.

 

[wanderingprostheyltite]

Mines with a 980ti, im sure it's the GPU your side, crank up the OC on both if you can.

Yeah I'll give that a shot thx.

I thought it was more to do with the display resolution being low for a game that needs more detail. I don't think any PC of can change that. I think this gen we will have more cartoon like games that do better. No point in making a graphically intense game when you can't see the difference or detracts from gameplay. It's like we are are in the psx version of 3D again resolution wise. But for some games like soundshield it doesn't make a difference. I think the majority of people playing it are for the experiences. I'm going to flat out say it after about 6 hours with the Vive. This eclipses mario64 in my mind as a benchmark and is maybe and I am not even sure if it does match my first experiences with my NES in 1987 as a kid. It not a fad. There is no way you can do with a controller or keyboard what you can here... This is it.. It's amazing and will only get better.

Agreed, there's just such a stupid grin that keeps popping up on my face as I continue to use it, yesterday my SteamVR tutorial got shut down prematurely before hopping into The Lab, and I just did it for the first time. Something as simple as seeing the clickpad change into the four balloon buttons, blowing them up, and batting them away...it's just nuts the kind of childlike joy this elicits. I keep coming back to Longbow as simple as it is cause it's just so damn fun and intuitive, plus you feel like a badass in a way you simply can't using traditional controls, and as you said you don't need fancy graphics to achieve that feeling at all. The entire kinetic momentum with these hand tracked controllers is revelatory, I really don't want to go back to gamepad VR for the most part. It's that good.

 

[Fried Food]

I'm kinda bummed I can't just walk into a store and buy one of these. In fact I'll go so far as to say that neither VR headset has truly launched until a person can buy one in store. This is what I believe and I refuse to think otherwise.

 

[Compsiox]

I'm kinda bummed I can't just walk into a store and buy one of these. In fact I'll go so far as to say that neither VR headset has truly launched until a person can buy one in store. This is what I believe and I refuse to think otherwise.

Then some games must never truly launch then.

I know this is hardware but still

 

[Raticus79]

I thought it was more to do with the display resolution being low for a game that needs more detail. I don't think any PC of can change that.

Supersampling on the DK2 helped out a ton - made the difference between readable and unreadable displays. Hopefully there's still an easy way to do that.

 

[mrklaw]

Mines with a 980ti, im sure it's the GPU your side, crank up the OC on both if you can.

I think I went from a 6.9 to a 7.9 after overclocking my 970. That's with a 3570k at 4GHz (max my motherboard will allow)

 

[wanderingprostheyltite]

I'm kinda bummed I can't just walk into a store and buy one of these. In fact I'll go so far as to say that neither VR headset has truly launched until a person can buy one in store. This is what I believe and I refuse to think otherwise.

Speaking of...

HTC announced on Friday that its new VR headset, the Vive, will be available for sale both online and off come this summer. The company is partnering with Microsoft Stores in the US and Canada -- as well as Gamestop, but that's only in America -- to sell the devices in their retail locations.

As for actually buying a Vive, units won't go on sale -- like, you just walk up and buy one -- until later this summer. However, if you want to pre-order from one of these stores, HTC will fulfill those requests by June.

Not very helpful for folks internationally but at least it's some retail presence. Also wasn't there a UK retailer that was planning on selling them in-store?

 

[mrklaw]

Speaking of...



Not very helpful for folks internationally but at least it's some retail presence. Also wasn't there a UK retailer that was planning on selling them in-store?

PC world are taking preorders, but I don't know if that is only the 2-3 stores they're doing demos in

 

[Qassim]

I'm kinda bummed I can't just walk into a store and buy one of these. In fact I'll go so far as to say that neither VR headset has truly launched until a person can buy one in store. This is what I believe and I refuse to think otherwise.

what year are you from?

 

[Felix Lighter]

I set up my support poles and clamps for my Vive just to see how it will work out and because it's the only VR related thing I can do at the moment, ha. Well they will be perfect. It added cost but I think having the flexibility to set up in another room easily makes it worth it.

 

[cleveridea]

I'm kinda bummed I can't just walk into a store and buy one of these. In fact I'll go so far as to say that neither VR headset has truly launched until a person can buy one in store. This is what I believe and I refuse to think otherwise.

I can only imagine it getting worse - preorder a oculus today from their store and it says ships august

 

[DOT DASH DOT]

I think I went from a 6.9 to a 7.9 after overclocking my 970. That's with a 3570k at 4GHz (max my motherboard will allow)

Shows its well worth OCing then!

I can only imagine it getting worse - preorder a oculus today from their store and it says ships august

August wow, that's one hell of a lead time.

 

[Durante]

I just played chapter 1 of Vanishing Realms.

At first my classic strategy of "shoot scary enemies from afar with hundreds of tiny arrows" - honed to perfection over years of playing ARPGs - worked out well, but then my bow arm got tired.

Curse you VR!

 

[JackEtc]

So, I'll type up more detailed impressions and give more specifics as far as what the demo was if anyone's interested later when I'm on a computer, but I'm on the train back from Manhattan right now and only have my phone

Yesterday I saw an Ars article talking about how 3 Microsoft stores in the US just started demoing the Vive; one of them was the New York store and I just happened to be going down to the city for the night.

I stopped by the MS store this morning and tried out their Vive demo. It was my first time using VR, and....wow. Life changing. I was blown away. I had already watched a lot of VR coverage (giant bomb) and been pretty positive about it and hyped up for it, but...just wow, trying it for yourself is just unlike anything else. No video or impression from another person can do it justice.

It was amazing, and now I need VR ASAP

 

[FlyinJ]

So Elite isn't looking good on the Vive right now? I was thinking about the Vive launch and it's offerings the other day. It definitely looks like one of those short-lived hype scenarios where the luster will wear off as soon as players have seen everything the launch titles have to offer. I do think that if Elite plays well and it as immersive in VR as some people are saying, that would be a perfect title to fill the long gap before more substantial games arrive.

I played a lot of Elite on the DK2, and it looks a LOT better on the Vive. I haven't tried a CV1, but I was impressed.

 

[DrXym]

The amount of cables, power supplies and other requirements dooms this thing from the start.

 

[Dreams-Visions]

I've heard both sides. Some people seem to be having major issues getting Elite to work on the Vive and others say it works perfectly and they can't imagine ever playing the game without he Vive again.

Here's the truth: it looks like shit with FDev's default "high VR" settings. The fix is to set Supersampling to 1.5x or 2x. But most GPUs can't handle rendering ED that high and downsampling it l, introducing missed frames.

Understand that the scale and sense of the makes you not want to play it any other way. But the IQ on default settings and 1x Supersampling looks like dogshit. Especially in space stations. 1200 hours in, I'm as big a fan of ED as you will find but I won't apologize or ignore shortcomings. Unless your rig can run it at at least 1.5x, you won't be happy with it and will find a better experience with a really nice monitor and TrackIR.

I'm going to try some nVidia DSR settings as I've read they are less demanding than the SS options built into the game. Will report back. I bought into VR almost exclusively for this game and it's really close to what I hoped for...just gotta find a way to make the image quality not look so damn awful. I will report back all findings in our ED Horizons thread.

Also, Audioshield - may I recommend Michael Jackson hits? The engine almost seems designed for his songs. Specifically:

- Don't stop till you get enough
- Smooth Criminal
- Jam
- Do You Remember The Time

Those are the ones I tried and they were pretty damn amaze.

Forgiv spelling. On mobile.

 

[FlyinJ]

The amount of cables, power supplies and other requirements dooms this thing from the start.

I tend to agree somewhat. The unknown factor is once the general public actually tries it, they might go to extreme measures to acquire it.

It's something you need to use to understand, and once you use it, it's pretty mind blowing.

 

[Compsiox]

I tend to agree somewhat. The unknown factor is once the general public actually tries it, they might go to extreme measures to acquire it.

It's something you need to use to understand, and once you use it, it's pretty mind blowing.

With more retail demo booths coming to stores in the Summer I hope we see a lot of this.

 

[Graphics Horse]

The amount of cables, power supplies and other requirements dooms this thing from the start.

The mains charging units for the controllers seems very odd to me.

 

[Durante]

The amount of cables, power supplies and other requirements dooms this thing from the start.

It's pretty awesome for something "doomed".

I mean, doomed to what exactly? Not selling tens of millions? Sure. But so what?

 

[FlyinJ]

The mains charging units for the controllers seems very odd to me.

The what?

 

[mrklaw]

You have a couple of base stations that you have to plug in once and then you can forget about them.
Then a cable to a breakout box and plug it in, which you can also leave connected all the time. Then just one cable to the headset.

The controllers just use micro USB so leave the chargers in the box and use one you already have plugged in somewhere. I would like someone to make a charging station though.

Is it really so terrible? I guess we are spoiled these days, but you used to have wired controllers and have to run your TV RF through your console before going to the TV. Heck, Xbox one can have Kinect + hdmi in + hdmi out + Ethernet + power + IR blaster

 

[Durante]

The what?

I can only assume he's talking about the USB charging adapters.

A metric ton of consumer electronics products sold these days (including almost all cell phones) charge off USB though, so I also don't really understand. If anything, that's one of the most mainstream things technologically about the Vive!

 

[FlyinJ]

I can only assume he's talking about the USB charging adapters.

A metric ton of consumer electronics products sold these days (including almost all cell phones) charge off USB though, so I also don't really understand. If anything, that's one of the most mainstream things technologically about the Vive!

Seriously? What is the alternative? Solar charging?

Every console uses USB to charge their controllers.