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[Tain]

Is there any benefits to having both VR headsets? I'm gonna get the Vive but I currently have the rift now. Part of me wants to use both for two different experiences and since both have different controls I figured it made sense.

If you already own a Rift I'd at least wait and see how Touch pans out (price, quality control, etc). It'll let you play all the roomscale Vive software but with timewarp (which is great), assuming you're willing to grab a couple extension cables and deal with the annoyance of hooking up both trackers to your PC. You'll be able to play everything from Oculus without worrying about ReVive compatibility, too, of course.

I have both, and unless you're reaaaaaaaally into VR and developing software and shit you probably don't need two headsets. But maybe you have a ton of money to burn lol

 

[Paganmoon]

my HTC vive will arrive next week. (will get Rift and PSVR in thef uture) is there a VR game recommendation thread?

Welcome to the future I don't think there's a thread for recommendations (yet anyway?), but head on over to the HTC Vive thread and ask, I'm sure you'll get quite a few suggestions of both free and paid games and experiences.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1204264

 

[Domcorleone]

If you already own a Rift I'd at least wait and see how Touch pans out (price, quality control, etc). It'll let you play all the roomscale Vive software but with timewarp (which is great), assuming you're willing to grab a couple extension cables and deal with the annoyance of hooking up both trackers to your PC. You'll be able to play everything from Oculus without worrying about ReVive compatibility, too, of course.

I have both, and unless you're reaaaaaaaally into VR and developing software and shit you probably don't need two headsets. But maybe you have a ton of money to burn lol

You sound like your prefer the Rift, any particular reason why? I want to wait for touch but I just feel I haven't gotten to experience a true VR experience yet that I feel the Vive has. Maybe I will hold on to both until the touch comes out

 

[Tain]

You sound like your prefer the Rift, any particular reason why? I want to wait for touch but I just feel I haven't gotten to experience a true VR experience yet that I feel the Vive has. Maybe I will hold on to both until the touch comes out

Sure. For full disclosure, I've used Touch prototypes pretty extensively. From my experience, once you add Touch into the mix both VR packages are really similar and it comes down to fairly minor things:

Rift+Touch can play all roomscale software officially through SteamVR. This includes the same exact games, the same room setup process, the chaperone boundary system, all of it.
Vive can play some/most Rift software through third-party ReVive.

Rift is a little bit more comfortable.
Rift's headphones are very convenient.
Rift is better at hiding frame rate hiccups due to timewarp.
I prefer Touch to the Vive controllers (ergonomically and I prefer the analog sticks to the touch pads).
Vive has a better FOV.
Vive's trackers are more convenient (power outlet instead of USB, bundled mounting equipment).
Vive's trackers can cover a larger space.

Overall I probably prefer Rift+Touch, but haven't put as much time into it as Vive yet. I really want to stress that these differences aren't huge deals and I could see plenty reason to prefer either.

 

[GuitarAtomik]

Started a thread, but figured I'd post it here too:

Mythica VR Kickstarter
The idea is basically VR multiplayer DnD.

Goal: $80k
Platforms: Rift / Vive / Google Cardboard (uses two more phones as controllers)

For Players:

Create your character, then join with your friends, or get matched with other players at the same experience level as your character, and play a quest together. A quest may be a one-off or may be part of a larger campaign that you can work through, slowly leveling up your character so that you can take on harder and harder quests.

For Game Masters:

The map builder can be used in two ways, either as a traditional desktop top-down map editor, using the mouse to create rooms and place items and monsters, or you can build the quest around you in virtual reality, walking around the dungeon creating rooms, and placing items and monsters. A simple trigger system will allow you to add logic to your quests.

For those who like to create story-rich worlds, you can string quests together into campaigns, where players have to complete each quest to progress.

If you are joining the quests with your players you can control all aspects of your quests as they are playing, including spawning items and monsters. You can even control your NPCs and monsters in real-time, acting with your motion controllers and voicing your NPCs.

 

[Zalusithix]

Platforms: Rift / Vive / Google Cardboard (uses two more phones as controllers)

I don't see that working out well. At all. Without any form of absolute positional correction, those phone-controllers are going to drift like crazy.

 

[GuitarAtomik]

I don't see that working out well. At all. Without any form of absolute positional correction, those phone-controllers are going to drift like crazy.

Yeah, no clue if that's really feasible (both in execution and expecting people to have access to that many phones).

 

[aaaaa0]

I don't see that working out well. At all. Without any form of absolute positional correction, those phone-controllers are going to drift like crazy.

Positional correction via inside-out tracking using the phone's cameras?

 

[Zalusithix]

Positional correction via inside-out tracking using the phone's cameras?

If they had tech good enough for that, they wouldn't be kickstarting some game, but selling the tech. Accurate markerless inside out tracking is the end goal for VR and AR.

 

[Steel]

Started a thread, but figured I'd post it here too:

Mythica VR Kickstarter
The idea is basically VR multiplayer DnD.

Goal: $80k
Platforms: Rift / Vive / Google Cardboard (uses two more phones as controllers)

This sounds cool, but I'm the only one in my circle of friends to own a VR headset. I wonder if this would allow non VR users to join in, but the motion controls make that impossible huh?

 

[aaaaa0]

If they had tech good enough for that, they wouldn't be kickstarting some game, but selling the tech. Accurate markerless inside out tracking is the end goal for VR and AR.

Maybe it doesn't have to be as accurate for controllers as opposed to an actual headset?

Or maybe controlling your weapons is more like Wii-waggle than actual 1:1 motion controls.

Edit: Oh yeah it says on the kickstarter.

For headsets with no positional support, like Google Cardboard, you can use two other phones as your motion controllers, networked over wifi to give their orientation and acceleration, much like Wii Motion Plus controllers. With these you can wield your weapons and shield, and also point to a location to teleport.

Sounds more like Wii-waggle than actual 1:1 motion controls.

 

[Zalusithix]

Maybe it doesn't have to be as accurate for controllers as opposed to an actual headset?

Or maybe controlling your weapons is more like Wii-waggle than actual 1:1 motion controls.

Edit: Oh yeah it says on the kickstarter.



Sounds more like Wii-waggle than actual 1:1 motion controls.

Wii waggle and VR don't mix. Non 1:1 kills any sense of presence and feels broken. If you're not doing accurate, low latency, 1:1 tracked controls in VR, then you're better off not doing tracked controls at all.

 

[aaaaa0]

Wii waggle and VR don't mix. Non 1:1 kills any sense of presence and feels broken. If you're not doing accurate, low latency, 1:1 tracked controls in VR, then you're better off not doing tracked controls at all.

No disagreement from me. I'm just guessing how and what they can actually accomplish.

 

[GuitarAtomik]

This sounds cool, but I'm the only one in my circle of friends to own a VR headset. I wonder if this would allow non VR users to join in, but the motion controls make that impossible huh?

Maybe the Game Master could play without a headset. Kind of hard to say. At least one of the gifs suggest the Game Master could directly control enemies.

 

[Chairmanchuck]

Reading the Driveclub thread I wonder how many people will be disappointed when they notice that VR isnt crystal clear yet.

I also wonder whether I should open a thread to talk about the future negative impacts that VR could have. I mean watching some VR videos is really cool, but the better the image will become, the easier it will be for some people to really lose themselves in the worlds.

 

[Zalusithix]

Reading the Driveclub thread I wonder how many people will be disappointed when they notice that VR isnt crystal clear yet.

I also wonder whether I should open a thread to talk about the future negative impacts that VR could have. I mean watching some VR videos is really cool, but the better the image will become, the easier it will be for some people to really lose themselves in the worlds.

PSVR users in general will have to undergo the same sort of acceptance process that PCVR users have already gone through in regards to the limitations of the first gen headsets. Some will be disappointed and feel misled by videos that look perfectly clear. Some will think the trade-offs are worth it. It'll be what it'll be. Unlike the PCVR launch, there's been demo stations out there, and there's tons of real world impressions of VR's strengths and weaknesses at this point. If people set their expectations too high on PSVR, then they've got nobody to blame but themselves.

As for the theoretical future impacts, you can already lose yourself in something as ancient as a book. People can become addicted to anything. People can use almost anything as a means by which to retreat from reality. That's just human nature. Yet there's been fears of people becoming antisocial zombies every time new tech has been introduced. TV, videogames, the internet, cellphones, etc. Now it's VR's turn. Thinking that VR is intrinsically any different than the previous ones is silly. We're not at the Matrix level were we're capable of pulling away from reality completely.

 

[Chairmanchuck]

PSVR users in general will have to undergo the same sort of acceptance process that PCVR users have already gone through in regards to the limitations of the first gen headsets. Some will be disappointed and feel misled by videos that look perfectly clear. Some will think the trade-offs are worth it. It'll be what it'll be. Unlike the PCVR launch, there's been demo stations out there, and there's tons of real world impressions of VR's strengths and weaknesses at this point. If people set their expectations too high on PSVR, then they've got nobody to blame but themselves.

Sure. But it seems, at least compared to PCVR enthusiasts, they are not as informed as we were before VR came out. People tried out DK1, DK2 mostly, read about SDE, resolution etc.

But a lot of the people that are excited for PSVR seem to be totally new to VR and really, at least when I read the Driveclub VR thread, seem to think the game in VR will look like the screenshots. Crystal Clear.

 

[plagiarize]

I am loving the new Pinball FX tables and I wish Stern Pinball Arcade would hurry up and launch on PC. That is all.

 

[flipswitch]

My rift fogs up within a few minutes of use. Maybe it's the climate. Inside now it's 12.1c 72% humidity.

 

[Crispy75]

My rift fogs up within a few minutes of use. Maybe it's the climate. Inside now it's 12.1c 72% humidity.

Yeah that'd do it.
Heat your house!

 

[Steiner84]

So, im getting a PSVR first to test the waters and if VR is for me (which im very postivie that it will be) im thinking about going all in on VR.
I guess Vive is the best option?

I dont have a proper PC (in fact I only have a laptop, no gaming PC, so i would need to get everything new), nor do i have a Vive or anything else that I need (what do I need?).
The only thing I have is a 3.6 * 6 meter empty room that isnt used atm.
At what pricepoint am I looking? Im looking for the full experience, so this thing needs juice. I dont want to hassle with suboptimal resolutions of framerates.

What else should i get besides a pc and the vive? i would obviously also need a monitor to complement the PC for non Vive use. I only have an old 22" 1650*1080 TN panel monitor, but this might me enough for the start?

Can i make full use of the 3.6*6m with roomscale?
something else? Molton for the walls?
Tipps?

 

[the TMO]

So, im getting a PSVR first to test the waters and if VR is for me (which im very postivie that it will be) im thinking about going all in on VR.
I guess Vive is the best option? ?

It's not the same thing, platform are very different.

 

[Steiner84]

It's not the same thing, platform are very different.

not sure what your trying to tell me..

 

[iJudged]

LAST UPDATED: 4/13/2016 (Updated information on Oculus games working in the Vive) - 3/16/2016 (Updated Oculus launch Games and Must See Stuff section) - 3/15/2016 (Added PSVR information) - 3/13/2016 (Added FAQ question about glasses)

I wanted a thread to discuss the games, tech, and rapidly approaching release of consumer VR. This thread will be about high-end VR. Right now this means the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and PlayStation VR. There are important differences between these platforms, but let’s use these as the baseline for true modern consumer VR. Every industry is about to change and I don’t think people are prepared for how quickly it will happen. Cool stuff is happening every day right under people's noses. Note: I’m also not interesting in your definition of video game.

Virtual Reality - /vərCH(əw)əl rēˈalədē/ – In simple terms VR experiences use a headset and sometimes motion controllers to allow a user to feel like they are in another place. By combining high resolution displays for each eye, positional tracking via external sensors, and internal trackers VR gives the user the sense that they are actually looking at, moving through, and interacting with a different world. This isn’t “just a monitor”. VR is a new medium. Much of the conventional wisdom in game design, filmmaking, and general software development do not work in VR. Hybrid entertainment will be a common form VR software takes. Software is kind of the key word here too. Good VR experiences are going to most certainly require real-time computer generation. Game engines are in the perfect position for this, so naturally much of what we are seeing are games. From my experience VR is essentially all of the dreams we had with the Wii and Kinect actually coming true. Associating VR with those technologies is probably risky, but it was what immediately put a smile on my face when I started walking around a room with motion controllers perfectly tracked. I didn't think it would happen. I thought the industry had hit an evolutionary dead end. Little did we know strapping a heavy blindfold to your face would be the answer.

Presence - /prezəns/ - The subjective experience of being in another place to the degree that your mind and body are tricked. The simple example is someone asks you in VR to step off a ledge. You know in real life you are safe, but in the virtual world you still hesitate. Lots of things can break presence, and it's sort of the holy grail of VR experiences.

Occlusion - /əˈklo͞oZHən/ - Is the term for what happens when an object is interfering with tracking. Your body for example may occlude your motion controllers from being tracked if you face away from a tracking sensor. There are many possible scenarios where occlusion can come into play including improper sensor placement.

IPD (Interpupillary distance) - /in(t)ərpyo͞opəˌlerē distəns/ - The distance between the center of your two pupils. This measurement is important for the placement of the optics. If the headset doesn't match your IPD (through a software or hardware solution) the image can appear blurry.

HTC Vive

Who made it: The software and original R&D is by Valve. HTC is in charge of manufacturing a real consumer product.
What is it: The HTC Vive is a room scale virtual reality system created in partnership with HTC and Valve. The HTC Vive includes motion controllers that are tracked along with the headset using what is known as a Lighthouse system. These lighthouses are laser emitting base stations that send a wave of light all around the room at imperceptible wavelengths and frequencies. The Headset and controllers have photosensitive diodes that can detect these lasers. These two base stations can be positioned in any position though it is strongly recommended you place them in opposing corners of the play place so the user can move in full 360 degrees and not run into occlusion issues. The Vive uses what is known as the chaperone system. Chaperone displays virtual tron-like grid-lines and the real world beyond it when you start to walk out of the safe bounds of your play place.
Release Date: April 5th, 2016 (Shipping) - Preorders are backed up to May
Price: $799 USD + High-End Windows PC (~$900-$1500)
Specs:

• Vive Headset - 2160 x 1200 resolution (1080 x 1200 per eye), Two low persistence, global illumination, pentile?? AMOLED 90 Hz displays, 110 degree FOV.
• VR Headset includes a build-in mic, front facing camera, 3.5 mm headphone jack, and USB 2.0 port for expansion purposes (headphones,Leapmotion etc.). Accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer, and 360-degree positional tracking.
• Compatible with most standard glasses. Comes with two face cushion options and adjustable strap. Adjustable IPD and eye relief distances.
• Weight: 1.22 lbs.
• 2 wireless controllers (Built-in rechargeable 960mAh lithium-ion battery
• 2 base stations (Maximum tracking space up to a diagonal area of 5m. FOV is 120x120. Base stations only require standard power unless you have an object obstructing them from seeing each other. In that case they need to be connected with an included sync cable.
• Link box (Connects using HDMI or Mini-Displayport)
• Earbuds
• Vive Accessories - Adhesive mounts, link box mounting pad, alternate face cushion, cleaning cloth, micro-USB charging cables
• Safety guide and warranty card
• Phone Services – Answer incoming calls, check your text messages and view calendar event reminders as you play.
• For a limited time includes Tilt Brush, Fantastic Contraption, and Job Simulator
  Steam VR + Desktop Theater Mode - Can play any 2D Steam game or navigate Steam while in VR.

Hardware Requirements:

• GPU: NVIDIA GeForce® GTX 970, AMD Radeon™ R9 290 equivalent or better
• CPU: Intel® i5-4590, AMD FX 8350 equivalent or better
• RAM: 4 GB or more
• Video Output: HDMI 1.4, DisplayPort 1.2 or newer
• USB Port: 1x USB 2.0 or better port
• Operating System: Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8.1 or Windows 10
• Steam client and account.
• Most standing games require 1.5mx2m space. Some less, some more.

Must See Stuff:

• SteamVR Developer Roundtable Part 1, Part 2
• Early Chaperone and front facing camera demonstration
• Budget Cuts - Portal inspired spy game
• Mixed Reality streaming
• Steam VR interface
• Cool experiments
• Photogrammetry
• Maximum Room scale with Unseen Diplomacy
• Tested 6 game demonstration
• Tiltbrush drawing in 3D
• Fruit Ninja Clone
• Aperture Robot Repair
• Wave based shooter in Space Pirate Trainer
• Vision Summit Talk - Building Inside the Box Creating Complex Rooms and Covering a Lot of Ground in Room-Scale VR
• 30 Days with a Vive Pre impressions - Great honest video that mirrors my much briefer experience and thoughts
• Steam VR Theater Mode

Oculus Rift

Who made it: Oculus. The company that started this modern VR revolution. They were purchased by Facebook in 2014.
What is it: The Oculus Rift at launch is a stationary (seated or standing with minor movement) VR system. At launch most Oculus Rift games will use the included Xbox One controller. The Rift uses a front facing camera system for positional tracking. The headset has hidden IR markers arranged in specific positions (known as Constellation tracking) that the camera can pick up. Sometime this year Oculus will release their Touch controllers and second camera. This will allow for true VR interactivity with your hands and greater degree of movement. It is unknown what position Oculus will ultimately recommend for camera placement. This will determine the degree of freedom a user can have.
Release Date: March 28th, 2016 (Shipping+select retailers in April) - Preorders are backed up to July - Oculus Touch TBD 2016
Price: $599 USD + High-End Windows PC ($900-$1500)
Specs:

• Oculus Rift Headset - 2160 x 1200 resolution (1080 x 1200 per eye), Two low persistence OLED 90 Hz display, 110 degree FOV
• VR Headset includes a build-in mic and headphones, accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer, and 360-degree positional tracking.
• Adjustable IPD and ships with "Multiple Facial Interfaces" for glasses users
• Weight: 1.03 lbs.
• Constellation camera censor (100x70 FOV)
• Xbox One controller and wireless dongle
• Oculus Remote
• For a limited time includes EVE Valkyrie and Lucky’s Tale

Hardware Requirements:

• GPU: NVIDIA GTX 970 or AMD 290 equivalent or greater
• CPU: Intel i5-4590 equivalent or greater
• RAM: 8GB of RAM
• Video Output: HDMI 1.3 (or higher)
• USB Port: Two USB 3.0 ports. One USB 2.0 port for Xbox Controller
• Optional: Third UBS 3.0 port when Oculus Touch is released
• Operating System: Windows 7 SP1 64-bit or newer

Must See Stuff:
There isn't much footage of people using the final Rift at this point. There is probably an embargo right now, but expect loads of information very soon.

• Touch Toybox Demo
• Flying in a cockpit
• VR Wing Suit
• Tested Interviews and Impressions
• Cool 360 video showing Epic's Bullet Train with Oculus Touch
• Vision Summit Talk - Owlchemy Labs (Job Sim) on multi platform VR development
• Tested Oculus Rift launch lineup hands on
• Dead and Buried first person multiplayer shooter using Touch controllers

PlayStation VR

Who made it: Sony
What is it: Playstation VR is a sit-down and limited standing VR system developed by Sony for the PlayStation 4. It supports gameplay using the Dual Shock 4 and in many cases two PlayStation Move controllers. Tracking is performed using the PlayStation 4 camera. Gameplay will generally involve always facing the front if using Move controllers to avoid issues with occlusion. The headset however can rotate 360 degrees. As a result player mobility will be dependent on the game. Playstation VR has what is known as "social screen" support. This is where other people can see what the person in VR sees or an entirely different perspective altogether. This can allow multiplayer gameplay with other people using a Dual Shock 4 on the couch for example. This is possible with the PC headsets and is indeed happening right now, but asynchronous gameplay will probably occur more often with PSVR. At least at the start.
Release Date: October 2016
Price: $399 USD headset + $349 USD PS4 console + ~$40 Camera + ~$60 Two PS Move Controllers (Optional) - Note: Bundles that include everything will vary by location
Specs:

• PSVR Headset – 1920x1080 resolution (960x1080 per eye), low persistence, 5.7 inch custom OLED with RGB sub-pixel matrix 120 Hz display, 100 degree FOV
• VR Headset includes a built-in mic, 3.5 mm headphone jack, accelerometer, gyroscope, and 360-degree positional tracking
• Weight: 1.34 lbs.
• Processing Unit
• PlayStation 4 Camera (72x45 FOV) - NOT INCLUDED IN $399 SKU
• Dual Shock 4 and PlayStation Move controller support - NOT INCLUDED IN $399 SKU
• PlayRoom VR
• Earphones
• Cables, documentation etc.
• Cinematic Mode: Can play any 2D game and video, navigate PS4 interface in the headset

Hardware Requirements:

• PlayStation 4 Console
• PlayStation 4 Camera (Not included in $399 SKU)
• Optional: PlayStation Move controllers depending on the game

Must See Stuff:

• Summer Lesson - Namco
• Vision Summit Talk - Richard Marks PSVR talk
• Rez Infinite demonstration - Please sell the suit!
• Rigs live match
• Multiplayer on one console with Monster Escape gameplay
• Tested PSVR reveal impressions
• Thumper gameplay

The Future (or maybe right now)

• New SLI techniques
• Foveated rendering - New rendering technique using eye tracking
• Leap Motion: Orion - Finger tracking
• Google's Project Tango - This is specifically for mobile and AR but tech like this will play a large part going forward. Especially when these mediums begin to merge.
• Photogrammetry - Capturing an entire environment with photography and rendering the geometry
• Vice story and video following Tori Black body scan for porn - Similar to photogrammetry
• Like the Tori Black tech, but fully animated
• Game engine editor in VR
• Untethered multi user experiences

Misc. Links

• Measure your IPD
• Fantastic Contraption Twitch Mixed Reality Streams
• Node YouTube Channel and Tested (The only good VR coverage and videos right now. Other outlets should be ashamed)
• Oculus Share
• SteamVR Developer Hardware Forum
• Spectator views for streaming and non-VR viewers

Frequently Asked Questions

Valve and Oculus have released programs to determine if your PC can run VR. Try the SteamVR Performance Test or Oculus Rift Compatibility Check tools. Honestly though if you don't meet the recommended specs don't bother. You will only get sick and angry. Ars did a good write up of different VR PC builds. It's cheaper to build your own as always, but you can buy pre-built Oculus Ready PC's. They should be good for the Vive as well, but I can't vouch for them. Whatever you do if you are already spending so much I wouldn't recommend going lower than a 980Ti. The $1500 price point will probably save you headaches in the long run. I could be wrong. Maybe the final version of every game will be optimized entirely for a $900 PC. I doubt it though.

• HTC Vive - Yes. While the majority of games designed for HTC Vive will require a minimum of 1.5m x2m available space there may be some that have sit down modes (Fantastic Contraption has demonstrated this). Don't expect this at launch though. Additionally games that are designed as sit-down experiences primarily will naturally work (Elite: Dangerous for example). The Lighthouse system doesn’t care what position you are in. As long as one lighthouse can see a few trackers on your headset you are good to go. Just remember you will always want more space though, and if you expand your bounds all the way to your real walls you may accidentally hit them. The Vive's Chaperone system will tell you the walls are there, but if you swing your arms fast enough nothing is going to stop you from hitting that wall. The Hover Junkers folks put up a video talking about the spaces that work for their game at least. The short answer though is every game will be different. If you are above that 1.5mx2m minimum though most games will be fine.
• Oculus Rift - At launch the rift uses one camera that is intended for sit down or limited standing experiences. The Touch controllers which use two cameras and allow movement in a wider space are coming later this year. Every Touch demo so far has places these cameras in front of you which means when you turn around the controllers will no longer be tracked in space. Unless Oculus changes the placement of the cameras (which requires longer cables all going to your PC) to a similar setup as the Vive (one in each corner of your space) you won't see 360 degree room scale experiences.
• PSVR - Playstation is going for a very similar setup as Oculus, but more focused on a living room scenario. Like with the Rift the amount of space you have to move around in will depend on the distance you are from the camera. Sony has said that most games will target sit down and very limited standing however so you don't need much room.

Here is an image demonstrating the play space sizes.

Great question. We don’t entirely know all of the specifics of this yet, but there are some things we do know.

• HTC Vive: The way to do this is to bring the Vive’s breakout box (link box) to the room you want to play in and plug it into power there. You will then need a long HDMI and USB 2.0 ACTIVE cable to connect it the PC in the other room. If you want a "social screen" you need another HDMI cable to connect to your display. I'm curious to try a Steam Link with this though. It likely wouldn't work for various reasons. All this being said there are scattered reports of developers extending their cables, but I would not trust this without confirmation. The lighthouse base stations can be extended using a 2.1mm 12V power extension cable.
• Oculus Rift: An actual Oculus employee has confirmed that these HDMI and USB cables will work with the Rift. They confirmed passive Displayport and DVI adapters as well. Not sure about Active cables in all this. I'm trying all of this out myself so I will report back when I know.
• PSVR: Unknown

• HTC Vive: The HTC Vive base stations can be mounted using a standard ¼” screw mount. I purchased these joints to mount them to these floor to ceiling poles. You can get standard tripods as well if they work for your situation. Remember though that tripods take up space at the base. You don’t need any of this hardware, but in my situation it was great for portability. In my permanent room I will be mounting them to the ceiling using these. All that really matters is that you can get them up high (to avoid occlusion from other people) and on a stable surface. So a bookshelf will do as well. As demonstrated in this video however you can technically put them at most heights though if you have people around they may walk in front of the sensors more often at lower heights.
• Oculus Rift: For now since Oculus uses a front facing censor this will probably depend on your desktop setup. The sensor includes its own extendable mount which should be good enough for most situations. It can be attached to any standard ¼” tripod as well.
• PSVR: Sony is using the existing PS4 camera. Since this is a TV based VR solution it is likely you will have this set up on top of your television.

Fuck all this noise, which one should I buy, gaf?

 

[DSix]

Fuck all this noise, which one should I buy, gaf?

Vive.

 

[plagiarize]

Fuck all this noise, which one should I buy, gaf?

If you don't have a capable PC (or the budget for one) get PSVR.

If you do and can wait a couple of months, wait to see if Oculus Touch more than makes up the difference between the Rift and the Vive, then pick accordingly.

If you can't wait a couple of months, get the Vive.

 

[Wrestlemania]

If you don't have a capable PC (or the budget for one) get PSVR.

If you do and can wait a couple of months, wait to see if Oculus Touch more than makes up the difference between the Rift and the Vive, then pick accordingly.

If you can't wait a couple of months, get the Vive.

Yup. Vive is the best all rounder for now, but unless you desperately need one now - wait to see how things look once Touch is out.

 

[iJudged]

Thnx boys

 

[Wowfunhappy]

Sure. For full disclosure, I've used Touch prototypes pretty extensively. From my experience, once you add Touch into the mix both VR packages are really similar and it comes down to fairly minor things:

Rift+Touch can play all roomscale software officially through SteamVR. This includes the same exact games, the same room setup process, the chaperone boundary system, all of it.
Vive can play some/most Rift software through third-party ReVive.

How is tracking using rift+touch? Everyone on reddit seems convinced it won't be as good because of outside in tracking, but I'm sure at least some of that is ppl feeling compelled to justify their purchasing decisions. If mounted properly can they detect the full area of the room?

 

[Tain]

How is tracking using rift+touch? Everyone on reddit seems convinced it won't be as good because of outside in tracking, but I'm sure at least some of that is ppl feeling compelled to justify their purchasing decisions. If mounted properly can they detect the full area of the room?

Yup, the quality of tracking, when you have the trackers positioned in a way similar to Vive lighthouses, has been indistinguishable to me. Going by prior discussions here the Oculus trackers apparently have a lower FOV and max distance than the Lighthouse system does, but for the roomscale layouts that I've used them in the hardware differences haven't translated into any discernible in-headset differences.

 

[vermadas]

RoadToVR says Oculus is working on a chaperone-like system.

The article isn't sourced and vague about how they come to this conclusion though. The boundary they saw in Dead and Buried could have been a developer specific implementation.

 

[Zepp Twofist]

RoadToVR says Oculus is working on a chaperone-like system.

If Oculus doesn't make a chaperone-like system, they are essentially limiting the Oculus Store to only seated and standing experiences, or exposing themselves to a massive PR nightmare when people start crashing into stuff in their homes. But on the other hand, Oculus are pretty experienced with massive PR nightmares at this point.

 

[Zalusithix]

I'd have to question their sanity if they weren't working on a chaperone system. This isn't an optional thing once you're dealing with tracked controllers. Even with forward facing experiences, as long as you're allowing the person to move to some extent, it's needed.

 

[Wowfunhappy]

I'm surprised about the Chaperone rumors because I thought that roomscale-type experiences weren't going to be officially supported/encouraged by Oculus.

 

[Smidget]

How have the lines for PS VR been lately at Best Buys? Anyone know? Might wanna try to check it out this Sunday.

 

[Teknopathetic]

"I'm surprised about the Chaperone rumors because I thought that roomscale-type experiences weren't going to be officially supported/encouraged by Oculus."

I feel like Oculus was just using the line that painted the Rift in the best light at the time. Why would they hype up how awesome Room scale experiences are when they don't have anything on the market that supports it yet? "This Room Scale shit is awesome and we don't have all the necessary products out yet to support it, however you should totally NOT buy our competitor's product that does support it in the mean time."

 

[cleveridea]

RoadToVR says Oculus is working on a chaperone-like system.

The article isn't sourced and vague about how they come to this conclusion though. The boundary they saw in Dead and Buried could have been a developer specific implementation.

Makes total sense, the "dont run into things" functionality doesnt need a camera if you have defined a working area. Camera has other benefits of course like seeing things around you without taking the headset off but in terms of protection according to area would have the same effect.

 

[Wowfunhappy]

I feel like Oculus was just using the line that painted the Rift in the best light at the time. Why would they hype up how awesome Room scale experiences are when they don't have anything on the market that supports it yet? "This Room Scale shit is awesome and we don't have all the necessary products out yet to support it, however you should totally NOT buy our competitor's product that does support it in the mean time."

This is a valid point—of course Oculus is going to downplay the importance of a feature it doesn't have.

However, I also don't think that Roomscale aligns with Oculus's current strategy. Oculus seems to be attempting to make their headset accessible/palatable to a broader market, at least relative to the Vive. You can see this with the way they've designed their headset to be more comfortable and aesthetically pleasing, the way their software is designed, and the types of games they've been featuring in their store.

I love room-scale—I'd even go so far as to say that for me personally, VR without roomscale isn't worth doing—but it does require a lot of set up. You need to clear out a relatively large empty room and mount two plugged in trackers near the ceiling at opposite corners. Then you need to walk around with a large wire trailing behind you.

Is this level of effort compatible with the type of audience Oculus has been trying to cultivate? I don't think it is. And so if Oculus is creating a chaperone system, I think that's indicative of at least a subtile change in strategy.

 

[GuitarAtomik]

This is a valid point—of course Oculus is going to downplay the importance of a feature it doesn't have.

However, I also don't think that Roomscale aligns with Oculus's current strategy. Oculus seems to be attempting to make their headset accessible/palatable to a broader market, at least relative to the Vive. You can see this with the way they've designed their headset to be more comfortable and aesthetically pleasing, the way their software is designed, and the types of games they've been featuring in their store.

I love room-scale—I'd even go so far as to say that for me personally, VR without roomscale isn't worth doing—but it does require a lot of set up. You need to clear out a relatively large, empty room, and plug in and mount two trackers near the ceiling at opposite corners. Then you need to walk around with a large wire trailing behind you.

Is this level of effort compatible with the type of audience Oculus has been trying to cultivate? I don't think it is. And so if Oculus is creating a chaperone system, I think that's indicative of at least a subtile change in strategy.

I'd say it's definitely within the audience they want to cultivate since having room scale doesn't exclude their existing market, but not having it excludes a market that people are REALLY receptive to when they try it. I think the change in strategy was just that they didn't plan on having to move so fast in to the room scale space. Seems like they wanted to ease people in to VR with seated experiences with the intention of eventually going standing 180* with Touch's release. But the Vive forced them to accelerate plans and move even beyond that and support room scale as best as they could (which I'm sure they always planned to do eventually, but probably not full force until gen 2).

 

[vermadas]

I'd say it's definitely within the audience they want to cultivate since having room scale doesn't exclude their existing market, but not having it excludes a market that people are REALLY receptive to when they try it. I think the change in strategy was just that they didn't plan on having to move so fast in to the room scale space. Seems like they wanted to ease people in to VR with seated experiences with the intention of eventually going standing 180* with Touch's release. But the Vive forced them to accelerate plans and move even beyond that and support room scale as best as they could (which I'm sure they always planned to do eventually, but probably not full force until gen 2).

Agree with all of this except for the bold. I think Touch just wasn't ready and forced them to launch with the XB1 controller. Accepting that Touch needed more time, I think Oculus made the right call there. There were quite a bit of games in development that were focused on the seated experience, since that is what they were cultivating with the dev kits. To tell those devs that they had to wait even longer for Touch to launch before they could put their games for sale would have been the wrong move.

The issue with Rift roomscale is that the setup is going to be quite a bit more complicated than what they have right now. At least one sensor is going to require an extension cord, and the cone shaped tracking areas will require more thought into placement. The Vive has a big advantage here with the lighthouses only requiring power, and tracker line of sight is much simpler.

Hopefully the article is correct and they have a chaperone system in the works. The Vive's reception shows that having roomscale as a viable option is going to be required for them to be taken seriously, especially in the PC enthusiast space.

 

[cakefoo]

Crossposting

Live action volumetric VR video captured with fourteen 6K Red Dragons.

https://www.facebook.com/hypevr/videos/1097692456965324/

 

[Chairmanchuck]

I dont understand why some encode their VR videos in h265/HEVC when no VR video player can use the GPU to decode it, so you cant even play these videofiles in VD, Whirlgig etc.
Right now they are useless, even though the quality might be great and the filesize is smal.

Are they waiting for those videoplayers to be updated soon to enable GPU decoding?

 

[Mononoaware]

So I'm thinking about getting a VR headset...but I think the Vive probably has the better line up because of Steam, is that right? Problem is, if I get a VR unit, I don't think I'd be able to do room scale at all, and it seems like a lot of the Vive games use that. Is it still worth it without room scale? Or would Oculus be a better choice in that case?

 

[XiaNaphryz]

So I'm thinking about getting a VR headset...but I think the Vive probably has the better line up because of Steam, is that right? Problem is, if I get a VR unit, I don't think I'd be able to do room scale at all, and it seems like a lot of the Vive games use that. Is it still worth it without room scale? Or would Oculus be a better choice in that case?

The Rift can play games on Steam if you weren't aware.

 

[Wowfunhappy]

So I'm thinking about getting a VR headset...but I think the Vive probably has the better line up because of Steam, is that right? Problem is, if I get a VR unit, I don't think I'd be able to do room scale at all, and it seems like a lot of the Vive games use that. Is it still worth it without room scale? Or would Oculus be a better choice in that case?

If you don't have the space for Room Scale I wouldn't bother with VR tbh.

I hate to give that answer, but that's the state of things as I see it. I don't think the Oculus games are anywhere near worth the cost of entry. Room scale seems to be where everything is moving, and for good reason.

 

[Mononoaware]

The Rift can play games on Steam if you weren't aware.

Oh yeah? I must've been thinking about how there was some issues with vive playing oculus store games.

If you don't have the space for Room Scale I wouldn't bother with VR tbh.

I hate to give that answer, but that's the state of things as I see it. I don't think the Oculus games are anywhere near worth the cost of entry. Room scale seems to be where everything is moving, and for good reason.

That's kind of a bummer, but you might be right

I just really would like to play some VR now, because after finally playing a demo of PSVR a few times, I actually think it's cool, and would love to play some more games like that. I wasn't quite sold on VR until I experienced it myself.

 

[Wallach]

So I'm thinking about getting a VR headset...but I think the Vive probably has the better line up because of Steam, is that right? Problem is, if I get a VR unit, I don't think I'd be able to do room scale at all, and it seems like a lot of the Vive games use that. Is it still worth it without room scale? Or would Oculus be a better choice in that case?

When you say you don't have the room for "room scale", do you have the room to do standing stuff? Basically at least enough room to stand and not hit anything with your arms fully extended? I think it's likely that when Touch ships that Oculus is going to focus a little more on games that work in that amount of space rather than any kind of 360 degree walking about (whether it is able to support those or not), and I'd consider looking at the Rift over the Vive if only for that reason.

I own both of these devices and when it comes to which one I'd actually rather have on my head it feels like a relative wash to me. I like the display and FOV of the Vive a bit more, but I like the fit and built-in headphones of the Rift more than the additional bulk and necessary external headphones on the Vive. I don't think there's a clear winner in terms of hardware in the context of VR games I would play standing up if I didn't have the room to walk around, personally. In context of seated games, I think the fit and headphones wind up being a bit more important than the display advantages in the Vive as those games tend to be targeting longer play sessions where you are more likely to need to remove and replace the headset to do something outside of the game.

So really I think your main consideration should be in the games that you'll be able to actually play in your home; in that context, I can't really imagine the Vive getting any kind of exclusive that will not be playable on the Rift. The only reason that should really occur is if the game is using some element of the Vive hardware that the Rift can't accomplish, which it doesn't sound like you'd be able to take advantage of even if you had one. But there will likely be content on the Rift that doesn't make its way over to the Vive whether the Vive could play it or not.

All that said, if you are that space constrained I think you should also seriously consider going with the PSVR, as it will be in the same space I think as the Rift where there's going to be a number of games either developed or financed by Sony that don't make it over to the PCVR systems. In that regard I'd probably decide either based on the games we know about now, or based on their input devices. Personally I'd be hesitant to choose the PSVR over the Rift if only because the latter seems to be getting much better designed controllers in Touch than the repurposed Move controllers. But the games coming to PSVR are going to be made with Move in mind so I don't think the experience is likely to be bad there, and plenty of games will instead make use of the DS4 similar to the games on the Rift that just use the 360 pad (though the DS4 can actually be tracked in VR to some extent thanks to the lightbar).

I'd also consider that if you go with the Rift, you can choose to buy many of your VR games through Steam, giving you the best chance at future compatibility and choice when it comes to VR headsets beyond this generation. VR games in particular are going to benefit immensely from increasing PC hardware specs so there will likely be some really good value in terms of being able to go back to older VR titles down the road with much increased supersampling & graphics options even on the same devices, whereas that kind of proposition isn't guaranteed to exist in the PS4 v PS4 Neo context (and definitely not when looking any further beyond Neo).

Long-winded I guess, but the short version is that I probably wouldn't go with the Vive if you really don't think you'll have any opportunity to take advantage of being able to move around while you play. The tracking difference, at least from my experiences, would not be worth the tradeoff of convenience if you can't fully utilize the hardware. If I didn't even have the room to do standing stuff and was definitely going to be using it in a seated-only context, I'd probably have a tough time choosing between PSVR and the Rift, and that's with me owning a Rift and not having the opportunity to have used a PSVR. I expect there to be some significant content advantages on Sony's side of things in this first generation; developers are going to be eager to port as much of their PCVR projects to PSVR, but I suspect a lot of stuff is not going to go in the other direction as Sony will have a much easier time securing contracts for their platform. So... I guess I'd say if you have the room for standing VR with tracked controllers, I'd probably lean towards the Rift, and if you will only be able to use VR seated more seriously consider the PSVR - which means probably waiting until after the holiday season, both just to actually have PSVR availability and to actually wait until both that and the Touch controllers are out in peoples' hands and you have even more info to work with.

 

[StudioTan]

That's kind of a bummer, but you might be right

I just really would like to play some VR now, because after finally playing a demo of PSVR a few times, I actually think it's cool, and would love to play some more games like that. I wasn't quite sold on VR until I experienced it myself.

I have both the Vive and Oculus Rift and I disagree. Room-scale is great but it's not the end all be all of VR. Especially if you play any cockpit games like driving sims or Elite Dangerous etc.

Also, Oculus can do room-scale to a large degree already and certainly will be able to when touch releases giving you a second camera.

 

[GuitarAtomik]

Interesting video in defense of teleportation in VR. The more interesting part isn't so much the defense, but his breakdown of Doom VR and how it uses it and how that affects the gameplay compared to Doom 2D.

 

[JrBaconCheeseburger]

So i was at best buy tonight and the PSVR kiosk /Demo Was empty.

It was very underwhelming, I have this pre-ordered but will now cancel.

The display does not look good, That ruins the entire experience.

There is no way to adjust it? It looked very soft and just bad.

I know i cannot be the only who thinks this.