Virtual Reality

[Brad]

If you just accept that the experience is more important than the graphics(and
It is imo) then Facebook aside Quest 2 is the gaming bargain of the century.

I’ve played Alyx on a lo res Rift S and an HP Reverb (about 4K res) and I didn’t really even notice the improvements because they weren’t important.

[Asura]

How’s that even possible? It plays modern vr games at good enough frame rates? How do you get games onto it?

The Quest is effectively like a Game Boy Advance or a PSVita - i.e. it's a portable console in VR Headset form. Everything is packed into the headset and controllers.

Inside, it's essentially a high-spec mobile phone type-of-thing. Think of it as like a step further than things like the GearVR, where you literally slotted a phone into the headset, only this is entirely built-in and streamlined a bit to cater for the use-case. Kinda like the Nintendo Switch in that respect, how that's like a specialised nVidia Shield and can run modern games despite being comparably low-spec compared to the PS4.

The games are either made from the ground up for the Quest platform, or specialised ports which are reworked to operate on the significantly weaker hardware than a PC. It also uses a bunch of different tricks to maximise the rendering capability of the hardware.

That allows developers to build games that work; typically they have a more indie feel, like they're smaller, dense experiences in limited locations. This is one of the reasons I think many gamers of my generation (our generation, in the case of most of the people on this forum I think) get a lot of out of it. Kinda reminds me of old-school arcade gaming in a way. And it's exciting! Like back in the Saturn days, it feels like every few months we see a game which cracks something that hadn't been seen or didn't work so well before.

The games can look pretty good, but don't trust the screenshots online. Like Vader Immortal is usually shown like this:



When in practice it tends to look more like this:



Note the textures in many areas that are a bit N64; they're blurry and indistinct. But developers are clever; they maximise detail in the right areas so you get a good experience. Plus, everything is in high-framerate 3D, which makes everything feel much more solid than it appears in screenshots.

(the bullshot stuff is fairer with the Quest than other platforms; screenshots of VR games have to be tweaked because they're usually a weird aspect ratio and very dark/drab - they appear brighter in the headset, so they're trying to make the shots look how they "feel" for the actual user - sometimes they do push it, though, which is a bad practice)

Honestly I still feel this is the true next-gen for me. I just can't muster much interest in the PS5 or Xbox Series machines.

[Asura]

Just got a voucher through for 30% off something.

Thinking about After the Fall, though now the dust has cleared I'm seeing criticism that the game's really thin, like if it wasn't a VR game it wouldn't have really been notable.

[concretesnail]

I'd be looking to get re4 if it's quest based discount. If its pc based the there's a lot of choice.

[Neon Ignition]

the game's really thin, like if it wasn't a VR game it wouldn't have really been notable.

To be fair, that's almost any VR game Even Alyx, if it wasn't VR based then it'd be a terrible sequel. I guess that's what links in with VR being a hard product to market as the physical experience is nearly the entire selling point of it. I haven't gotten around to After the Fall yet but RE4 is a good call with the slight caveat of it might be over familiar a game for some now.

[Asura]

To be fair, that's almost any VR game Even Alyx, if it wasn't VR based then it'd be a terrible sequel. I guess that's what links in with VR being a hard product to market as the physical experience is nearly the entire selling point of it. I haven't gotten around to After the Fall yet but RE4 is a good call with the slight caveat of it might be over familiar a game for some now.

Fair. Alyx is quite long and challenging though, at least. Apparently After the Fall only has as much content as maybe one of the levels of Left4Dead (though it is expected that the developer will expand upon it, so maybe they've held stuff back to release bit-by-bit to spread out the sales).

[Neon Ignition]

Glad I've held off then, sounds like Pistol Whip where they've added several campaigns to the game over time so it's alright but also immediately apparent how short it would have been at launch

[Asura]

Decided to go for Battle Sister, which is a first-person shooter set within the Warhammer 40,000 universe, so that looks like it'll be fun.

The killer for After the Fall was I found out its matchmaking is quite bad. You go from a public lobby, hit to find a game, and it just drops you in one with no way to choose anything about what you're going to get.People are saying it's totally random, which is a problem as you grind the levels to earn money for upgrades, and you might end up in a lobby full of people who have been playing the game a couple of weeks who just want to steam-roller through the game.

The main thing I've read is that it's great if you have 3 friends with VR to play it with, but I only have one other coworker with a headset, so I thought I'd hold off for a bit. I realised that whilst I loved L4D, I only ever really played it with friends - not random people.

[Dogg Thang]

Decided to go for Battle Sister, which is a first-person shooter set within the Warhammer 40,000 universe, so that looks like it'll be fun.

I was pleasantly surprised by Battle Sister. Given it's a licensed game and one for VR, I didn't expect much but it's quite a bit of fun and generally works well. It's a pretty average shooter overall but add the 40k lick of paint and place it in VR and it elevates the experience. It's also a pretty meaty game.

[Asura]

I was pleasantly surprised by Battle Sister. Given it's a licensed game and one for VR, I didn't expect much but it's quite a bit of fun and generally works well. It's a pretty average shooter overall but add the 40k lick of paint and place it in VR and it elevates the experience. It's also a pretty meaty game.

Yeah, I watched a trailer and saw a point where you were going into battle with some Space Marines yelling FOR THE EMPEROR and revving up a Chainsword and I was pretty much sold. 12 year-old me would've been all over that ****.

[Asura]

So I've been playing Battle Sister.

I kinda like it. It's weird, because it has a lot of issues. There seem to be a fair few bugs and unusual design choices that I don't agree with, and the gunplay isn't the best (even though the weapons feel good to fire, they seem somewhat inaccurate, which is a bit frustrating). There's just basic jank; like the game has you get ammo out of lockers and boxes, but often you'll reach to open the locker and the character just grabs the item inside without opening the door. The enemies are idiots that remind me of something like Shogo: Mobile Armour Division or Quake 1. The cutscenes lack polish, sometimes dialogue fires off at weird times...

But - and this is the weird thing - it reminds me of one of those mid-tier PS2 games. Like, you had the Final Fantasy Xs and Metal Gear Solid 2s, but then in the mid-tier you had the likes of Dropship, or Project Zero, or Atelier Iris. Not top-tier, but patchy, unusual, and with something unique which just makes them fun in spite of the problems.

Being someone who liked Warhammer 40k as a kid definitely helps. The first time you meet an actual Space Marine and in a squad-of-three go into battle was surprisingly fun. Having the Sister joke about finding a Lasgun when you're short of weapons raised a chuckle ("well... Let the Emperor protect you - because that won't.") And the thud when you actually get a proper bolter and plenty of ammo is cool too.

In a way it's like the antithesis of Star Wars: Tales from Galaxy's Edge. That game is incredibly polished and very high-budget, but short and honestly, the combat in it is boring. Whereas Battle Sister is rough, sometimes really rough, but you have these moments where you cut down three enemies with one slice of an axe before unloading a volley of bolter fire into someone stood behind them and it just makes your heart race.

I think the 40k thing does a lot of heavy lifting (it's by far the best game I've played of making you feel like you're "inside" 40k) so if that doesn't interest you, I'd say hesitate, as there's no shortage of VR FPSs - but I'm happy with the purchase so far.

[concretesnail]

I've finishes alyx now and damn ts good. For me it was worth the entry price, every penny.
For me, who is in my 40s, and was falling out love with modern games and the cycle of yet more of the same with extra shiney bits, it's like faith renewed.

[Asura]

I've finishes alyx now and damn ts good. For me it was worth the entry price, every penny.
For me, who is in my 40s, and was falling out love with modern games and the cycle of yet more of the same with extra shiney bits, it's like faith renewed.

ALYX is just best-in-class for so many things at once.

I'm not even a fan of Half-Life but I loved it.

[Asura]

How’s that even possible? It plays modern vr games at good enough frame rates? How do you get games onto it?

Just wanted to come back here and post this, as this is about the new MMORPG for VR releasing in a few days, comparing it on Quest to PC:

[Neon Ignition]

More detail in the PC one but I... prefer... the Quest one? I think it's the popping colours