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PlayStation VR Launch Thread: Welcome to The Real World

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Krejlooc

Banned
That's crazy. Thanks for educating me guys. So I'll have an even blurrier experience with a several hundred dollar piece of equipment than a 100 dollar device that I plug my phone into?

"blurriness" is a factor of many things, not just the resolution of the screen. GearVR uses bog standard +30 dpt lenses, for instance, and the screen doesn't have a custom density for the optics.
 

muteki

Member
Is it possible to disable the motion tracking during cinematic mode? Having the screen constantly move kinda defeats the illusion of watching a giant screen.
If we are talking about the largest setting, you have to have head tracking as the screen is too big for your field of view.
 

Arlen777

Member
Vive owner here
Overall love the headset, would say overall its on par with vive

Only thing is i have so many tracking issues, with move controllers, dualshock, and headset itself. Yes my room is super bright as i have panoramic view, so there is a lot of light coming through, so will have try it again, when sun goes down again.

Btw is there a troubleshooting thread on gaf?
 

dochuge

Member
Resolution is just one of many factors that determines your VR experience. In terms of real-world tangible limits resolution imposes on VR development, you're looking at effective viewing distance. The higher the resolution of the screen inside the VR headset, the further into the distance you can resolve. This is because, at a certain distance, you become constrained by the physical size of the pixels on the screen. Higher resolution = smaller pixels = more resolvable detail further into the picture.

But there are other factors that affect the rest of the VR experience - field of view, for example -- how far to the left and right you can see. Also the subpixel spread - the pentile shape of the GearVR screen is to eliminate jailbarring, but it does so at a slightly lower green subpixel resolution (that is offset by the natural higher resolution of the screen in gearVR). You also have to consider the hardware rendering the scene -- lighting is the single most expensive component of a scene when working in VR. As such, GearVR games feature drastically reduced lighting models. While PSVR can't approach even low-end PC VR titles in terms of real-time lighting, it can still perform quite a bit better than a phone with no heatsink on the GPU core. The nature of GearVR's screen being primarily used for a phone also means that the screen doesn't have a custom pixel density tailored to the optics like PSVR does.

PSVR is in a lot of ways a far step beyond GearVR, just not in resolution. Think of it as sort of a midway point between mobile VR and high-end PC VR, edging closer to PCVR than mobile VR.


Thanks for the detailed explanation. So better lighting and overall gameplay experiences. I guess my expectations for psvr were a lot higher due to price point differences.
 
Headset is comfy, games are about as fun as most other early VR tech demos, IQ is precisely what I'd come to expect. I guess it's hard to give an impression, because I very much understood what the tech would be, and my expectations were always in check. I'll just say -- it's what I expected. It certainly isn't bad, not for first-gen console VR. But I don't see myself using it for much outside of exclusives. If the same game is available on the Vive, I'll obviously pick it up there instead.

Kind of feels like harping on a known point, but lighthouse tracking is so far superior to both Sony's and Oculus' outside-in tracking that it's incomparable on that front.

Thanks for that. Always interesting to hear impressions from people who have the more advanced VR solutions, especially Vive. If you say it is not bad and the games are fun I will take that as a big complement.
 

v0yce

Member
Finally got to play my PSVR at 11pm after a long day's work and stupid me decided to play the DriveClubVR demo on the Demo Disc. I couldn't even complete 2 laps before I felt like a was gonna throw up. My stomach was doing jumping jacks all night, even when I went to bed it felt like I was gonna be sick, I had a rough night. I was playing with a controller, does the game feel any different when using a wheel? Is it less disenorinating when using a wheel?

I was also experiencing controller drift in the Demo Disc menu screen.

So weird.

I played and had no problems and had my wife play and she was fine too.

Looking into turns is so cool.
 

Krejlooc

Banned
Thanks for the detailed explanation. So better lighting and overall gameplay experiences. I guess my expectations for psvr were a lot higher due to price point differences.

Step back and look at the total costs associated - factor in the phone hardware itself, and GearVR and PSVR are actually not that far apart in terms of price. By contrast, the Vive headset alone, without the hardware to run it, will cost as much as either a PSVR+PS4 or a GearVR + Phone put together.
 
Not sure it's really faulty, VR works flawlessly. I noticed drift with my phone,sixaxis and move controller.

Just think it's common for gyroscope only leveling. I don't understand why they don't use the light tracking for this mode as well.

I'de like to know how wide-spread it is. But I don't know anyone else with a ps VR.
Hmm, maybe some kind of magnetism affecting it then? I just find it odd since so many people have reported enjoying watching movies in cinematic mode, with no mention of drift.
 

Wallach

Member
It's not worth the full price, skip it IMO.

Seconded. They've actually updated it quite a bit and are expanding it beyond what it was at launch, but I'd still probably sit out at full price. If I hadn't gotten it with my Rift I wouldn't have it in my library yet. Still worth keeping an eye on though as they've been good about updates.
 
First VR experience ever here. Tried the deepsea adventure that came on VR Worlds. Holy shit.

The feeling of immersion is so awesome. Looking all the way around you, above and below, behind, jeebus.
 

KORNdoggy

Member
What is your camera placement, distance, and room configuration? Also are you standing or sitting?

It's helpful for everyone to hear these details from people who've had great experiences so we can hopefully resolve things for everyone.

Im about 5-6ft seated. Camera is on a glass cabinet where my TV stands (not above my TV) Blinds shut. Main lights off, Lamp behind me on. Its a pretty narrow space with a bed and table on either side. I even have a mirror right above and behind me. It doesn't seem to falter.

EDIT: as an addition, my controller light bar also has one of those stickers over the top with only a playstation logo displaying light...
 
after fooling around with it for a bit i still think that it's a weak device.

i will just play Thumper and REZ on it and then it will collect dust.
 

Haint

Member
Any Vive and Rift owners noticing the scale in PSVR is off and unconvincing by comparison? Lets say Vive and Rift look 100% to real life scale, PSVR looks more like 75%, slightly miniaturized. Measuring IPD in settings doesn't seem to change much, and I thought you were supposed to be able to exact IPD values in manually? Also it seems you can see the lenses warping the world like a wave near your periphery, especially noticeable looking at the ground in PSVR Worlds or the Heist. Chromatic aberrations are also much worse and the display quality/calibration (colors and white balance particularly) look pretty inaccurate and quite different from Vive/Rift.
 

NervousXtian

Thought Emoji Movie was good. Take that as you will.
Is the launch bundle going to be re-stocked at all? Are stuck ala carte it all?

I sold my move controllers back when I unloaded my PS3 years ago.
 

FirewalkR

Member
I had pre-ordered at a store here in Portugal but I'd have had no trouble at all just walking in and buying both headset and camera today without a pre-order. A few units for sale on most stores at least around Lisbon I'll bet.

About the VR experience, my eyes were a bit tired after an hour or so and I stopped but man... it's amazing, and I only tried out Playroom VR. I played the platformer mini-game for a bit and felt okay. The first few times the camera moved I wasn't expecting it and felt that "movement without movement" sensation, but got used after a while. I think it also has a bit to do with the fact that when the robot character is nearby your viewpoint doesn't move and eventually it does but you're not sure where the threshold is and you're not fully counting on it. I can see myself having to adapt to fast movement in other games, but we'll see.

I also managed to focus the picture quite well after a while, though I had to calibrate the interocular distance in the PSVR settings, but it was never perfect. There's always a certain blurriness, but that's a given because of the screen's resolution. Still, there's a bit of clarity missing that may be due to the adjustment not being perfect. I also didn't quite manage to fully adjust the headset in a way that would fully cover my field of vision at first, I could see a little (very) bit of light if I looked down but it was no big deal. Later I got it almost perfect and given the immersion inherent to the experience it didn't matter at all. It can't be absolutely perfect for everyone I guess, and even if I don't manage to fit it perfectly, turning lights off in the room does the trick.

All in all, I'm in. I think VR is really here to stay and I can't wait for the better headsets that will show up in the future. RPO-style to begin, and beyond. :)
 
Convince me that I don't need 2 of these things for multiplayer games....
I'd wait to see if it's a major success or not before buying another one. Beeing an early adopter is risky enough, don't get in too deep.

Also, you'd need two PS4's, and then maybe two PS4P's later down the road.
 

Krejlooc

Banned
Any Vive and Rift owners noticing the scale in PSVR is off and unconvincing by comparison? For example if Vive and Rift look 100% to real life scale, PSVR looks more like 75%, slightly miniaturized. Also it seems you can see the lenses warping the world like a wave near your periphery, especially noticeable looking at the ground in PSVR Worlds or the Heist.

Scale is determined by interpupillary distance. Unfortunately, the PSVR doesn't have a physical IPD slider, so it's going to just always seem slightly off for you. This will vary from person to person depending on their IPD. Sounds like you have an uncommonly wide IPD.
 

dochuge

Member
Step back and look at the total costs associated - factor in the phone hardware itself, and GearVR and PSVR are actually not that far apart in terms of price. By contrast, the Vive headset alone, without the hardware to run it, will cost as much as either a PSVR+PS4 or a GearVR + Phone put together.

Good point I never factored in the price of the s7 edge. I'm so conflicted right now. I have this 500 dollar unopened box just sitting on the dining room table. I just don't know if I want to pull the trigger.
 
So weird.

I played and had no problems and had my wife play and she was fine too.

Looking into turns is so cool.
I was trying to look into the corners, but I couldn't carry on, upon exiting the corner made the feeling worse as I corrected my head position. I MAY try to use a wheel, but I'm very reluctant to go back into DriveClub.
 
Scale is determined by interpupillary distance. Unfortunately, the PSVR doesn't have a physical IPD slider, so it's going to just always seem slightly off for you. This will vary from person to person depending on their IPD. Sounds like you have an uncommonly wide IPD.

p037p15v.jpg

shit..
 

Krejlooc

Banned
Good point I never factored in the price of the s7 edge. I'm so conflicted right now. I have this 500 dollar unopened box just sitting on the dining room table. I just don't know if I want to pull the trigger.

FWIW, in terms of bang for your buck, the PSVR is a much better proposition for VR than mobileVR. Part of the associated cost with mobileVR is miniaturization of the hardware. You are basically paying more for weaker hardware, just because it's portable. That means the same cost goes farther with PSVR, because they aren't trying to build portable tech.
 

Haint

Member
Scale is determined by interpupillary distance. Unfortunately, the PSVR doesn't have a physical IPD slider, so it's going to just always seem slightly off for you. This will vary from person to person depending on their IPD. Sounds like you have an uncommonly wide IPD.

Smaller actually, 59 according to my optometrist. There is a software IPD setting buried in menus (default is 63), but it doesn't seem to change much. The camera reads me as 60, I can't find a way to key it in manually. Can't really tell a difference between 63 and 60.
 
I went back and forth on this more than any gaming purchase I can think of, and Ive been gaming since Atari. However, despite that it used the Move controllers, which I dropped like a brick a lifetime ago, and was worried about the "gimmick" aspect, I took the plunge and purchased the launch bundle, Rigs, and Rush for Blood. Only got 2 hours with Rigs, but it's way better than I thought it'd be! Watching videoes on YouTube or Twitch does NOT do this thing justice and must be experienced. Although near the end I did get a little motion sickness, Rigs was a blast and genuinely an experience that felt newer than anything that I've played in quite some time. It's awesome! The graphics arent amazing, but it doesnt take long not to care as they are good enough, and it's such an unique experience.

Cant wait to dive in this weekend! Would love to try to squeeze BattleZone, Thumper, and Rez in, but man... all this is expensive! Lol

Quite the gaming weekend coming up!
 
Wow. I may not open this up then. I know I can have better gaming experiences on PS4 obviously but was expecting a higher resolution than a gear VR.

I have tried both and psvr is miles ahead of gear vr in terms of visual fidelity. It doesn't even compare. It's perhaps due to better optics? The pixelated experience of Gear VR ( with galaxy s7 edge ) was one of the reasons I was lukewarm and hesitant towards purchasing psvr. ( The other was giant bombs previous stream ). I am so glad that I ignored both and took the leap.


No tracking problems and no screen door effects. While the latter absolutely killed any sense of immersion I had in Gear VR.

Here in PSVR, the graphic details obviously do not reach that of a normal ps4 game; but what is there, coupled with the sense of presence, makes for a great experience. Maybe because I had realistic expextations but in some games, it looks much better than I expected. Specially London Heist, Batman and Playroom.
 
After a few hours with it, I am loving it. The tech may not be perfect, but it is a great introduction and demonstrates viability for the platform going forward.

There is so much to like from the demo I am going to have a hard time paring down to what I can reasonably purchase. Eve Valkyrie is intense and fun. Rigs was good. Thumper stole the show for me. It's a game that doesn't need VR, but makes it feel so much more epic because of it.
 

Hasney

Member
Wow. I may not open this up then. I know I can have better gaming experiences on PS4 obviously but was expecting a higher resolution than a gear VR.

Resolution isn't the be all and all. After using both Gear and PSVR, PSVR has better clarity for sure.
 

Krejlooc

Banned
Smaller actually, 59 according to my optometrist. There is an IPD setting buried in menus (default is 63), but it doesn't seem to change much. The camera reads me as 60, I can't find a way to key it in manually.

Most of the problems you speak of - the chromatic aberration especially - are a factor of the physical offset of the lenses. Software IPD sliders basically adjust the offset of the left and right images per screen, but the problems you are speaking about are because the actual lenses are in the wrong place. If the PSVR had a physical IPD slider, it would be moving those view ports in and out. The chromatic aberration is because your eyes are not falling dead center of the lenses, where they are corrected. Your eyes are basically seeing into the lenses at an angle.
 

FirewalkR

Member
Smaller actually, 59 according to my optometrist. There is a software IPD setting buried in menus (default is 63), but it doesn't seem to change much. The camera reads me as 60, I can't find a way to key it in manually.

Didn't the software ask you to indicate the center of your eyes in the pic for both cameras? You can probably adjust it by not pointing to the exact center. A bit of trial and error...
 

Wallach

Member
Smaller actually, 59 according to my optometrist. There is a software IPD setting buried in menus (default is 63), but it doesn't seem to change much. The camera reads me as 60, I can't find a way to key it in manually. Can't really tell a difference between 63 and 60.

I'm actually a bit smaller IPD than you (30/28) so I can try it out when my PSVR arrives and let you know what I experience. The mention of chromatic aberration does ring of IPD misalignment though. We are on the lower end of adult IPDs below 60, particularly for males, so with the correcting only in software it will struggle more with either end of that scale.
 

number11

Member
If we are talking about the largest setting, you have to have head tracking as the screen is too big for your field of view.

I was using the small setting. I just noticed the message that says the screen will always be in front of you if you choose the small setting.. which is annoying

Medium and large does what I was asking for... but that screen size is way too large for watching movies.
 

MrGerbils

Member
As a random aside, now that I have a camera and two move controllers, is there anything else fun / worth doing with them on the PS4 that's not VR?
 

Smidget

Member
Quick question: Just been hooking it up right now and it seems like I have some residue from the plastic protection on the lens itself. Use the microfiber to clean it off?
 

dochuge

Member
I have tried both and psvr is miles ahead of gear vr in terms of visual fidelity. It doesn't even compare. It's perhaps due to better optics? The pixelated experience of Gear VR ( with galaxy s7 edge ) was one of the reasons I was lukewarm and hesitant towards purchasing psvr. ( The other was giant bombs previous stream ). I am so glad that I ignored both and took the leap.


No tracking problems and no screen door effects. While the latter absolutely killed any sense of immersion I had in Gear VR.

Here in PSVR, the graphic details obviously do not reach that of a normal ps4 game; but what is there, coupled with the sense of presence, makes for a great experience. Maybe because I had realistic expextations but in some games, it looks much better than I expected. Specially London Heist, Batman and Playroom.


Maybe I'm confusing resolution and visual fidelity and I'm glad you gave it a shot. I like gear VR but the gameplay is lacking and things do appear pixelated. I watched a few movies with Samsung VR and the 360 degrees was great but it was overall a pretty blurry experience. I am well aware that the psvr resolution wouldn't be that of a 1080p tv. I'm also keeping my expectations in check. So it looks better with less resolution?
 

robot

Member
Everything I've tried so far has been amazing.

Playroom platformer (I would play an entire
game of this)
RIGS
Rez
Thumper Demo (bought immediately after)
 

KORNdoggy

Member
That playroom demo, the single player plaforming one.

Wow.

I know right. So gutted there wasn't more of it. That first step forward gave me that elevator stopping feeling, but after that i was fine and absolutely loved it. Someone needs to make a full platformer like that. I honestly never expected something non first person to work so well in VR.
 

Hasney

Member
Maybe I'm confusing resolution and visual fidelity and I'm glad you gave it a shot. I like gear VR but the gameplay is lacking and things do appear pixelated. I watched a few movies with Samsung VR and the 360 degrees was great but it was overall a pretty blurry experience. I am well aware that the psvr resolution wouldn't be that of a 1080p tv. I'm also keeping my expectations in check. So it looks better with less resolution?

Totally, there's.much less screen door and the pixels are closer together at the centre of your view, which mitigates the lack of overall pixels.
 
Thumper blew my mind. I went into it blind and didn't know anything about it. Wow.

Tumble VR was pretty nifty too! So much that I might actually pick it up eventually. Was relaxing and low pressure. I like that it's more than just stacking blocks. The puzzle variation was good.

So far my tracking with my headset, controller, and move wands has been SPOT ON. Hopefully everyone having issues gets it sorted out.
 

dochuge

Member
Totally, there's.much less screen door and the pixels are closer together at the centre of your view, which mitigates the lack of overall pixels.

Ok you guys convinced me. I'm ready to take the plunge. I'm getting a pro too which should help with picture quality as well.
 
Thanks for the detailed explanation. So better lighting and overall gameplay experiences. I guess my expectations for psvr were a lot higher due to price point differences.

Don't forget the biggest differences:

1. Positional tracking - try leaning in and looking at anything in your gear Vr. You can't.

2. Tracked controllers - even if Move controllers aren't as precise as Touch / Vive, having some kind of hand tracking in VR makes for worlds of difference.

So yeah, any non-mobile VR is a chunk-o-change right now, but if you don't want to jump into PC-based VR, PSVR is a great option and delivers experiences way beyond what a GearVR can.

Vive / Rift w Touch >> PSVR w Move >>>>>>>>>> Gear VR >>>> Cardboard
 
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