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VR options 2021

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    #16
    Thanks guys. Seems like it’s the Oculus Quest then.

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      #17
      Originally posted by Dogg Thang View Post
      Thanks guys. Seems like it’s the Oculus Quest then.
      Yeah, honestly it's the best overall option. Have you ever used one before? I'm excited for you.

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        #18
        Beat Saber. It's an easy VR obsession

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          #19
          Oh also, if you get the Quest 2, I recommend getting Vader Immortal part 1 right away. It's a great experience and a really good demonstration of what it can do.

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            #20
            Originally posted by Asura View Post
            Yeah, honestly it's the best overall option. Have you ever used one before? I'm excited for you.
            I haven't tried the Oculus at all. The last headset I tried was a big wired one and the screen felt a bit low res. Not sure how much better they are now.

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              #21
              Short of a brief go of a DK1 unit years back the PSVR is about as low a resolution as I've experienced and though there are some focus issues it still looks decent I think mostly because so many VR games are quite clean visually to ensure the action remains clear. The Vive Cosmos is the highest spec VR unit I've used which was noticeably better than the PSVR, the Quest 2 is higher resolution than that and I think appears to be about as good as can be had at the moment. There's definitely no removing the very faint screen door or pixilation effects as the screens are just too close to the eye but I imagine the Quest 2 is a strong contender.

              Hell, when I'm done with the PSVR backlog I might upgrade after all

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                #22
                Originally posted by Asura View Post
                Oh also, if you get the Quest 2, I recommend getting Vader Immortal part 1 right away. It's a great experience and a really good demonstration of what it can do.
                Yeah, I was erring on that, but then Oculus added £8 to my account for some reason, so I got that. The only thing to bear in mind is that the true cost is £24 for the full experience as it comes in three parts.

                But if you're a Star Wars fan, you'll definitely enjoy the immersion of the experience.

                Along with Pistol Whip, Beat Saber, Superhot (and Half Life Alyx if you're going SteamVR) - are essential VR purchases. I very much enjoyed my play through co-op of Arizona Sunshine too.

                Originally posted by Dogg Thang View Post
                I haven't tried the Oculus at all. The last headset I tried was a big wired one and the screen felt a bit low res. Not sure how much better they are now.
                Compared to the early stuff, way better - my first experience was with an early Oculus dev kit headset and although the experience was still immersive, it wasn't something I wanted to use for longer than 20 minutes.

                Now the refresh rates and resolution make longer sessions more viable - but if you've not done a lot of VR, work up to the more intense comfort ratings. It doesn't take too long to get the VR legs, but I'd definitely avoid playing something like Skyrim VR until you've acclimatised to VR motion.
                Last edited by MartyG; 12-03-2021, 11:06.

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                  #23
                  Originally posted by Dogg Thang View Post
                  I haven't tried the Oculus at all. The last headset I tried was a big wired one and the screen felt a bit low res. Not sure how much better they are now.
                  Honestly, the wireless feature is an absolute game-changer. It's not like wireless joypads that are a minor convenience; it's genuinely transformative. I can't imagine playing on a VR headset with a cable ever again.

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                    #24
                    Easiest way to avoid issues with a wire is to stick to seated experiences


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                      #25
                      Originally posted by Neon Ignition View Post
                      Easiest way to avoid issues with a wire is to stick to seated experiences



                      Honestly, for me, one of the moments came with Vader Immortal:


                      The bit where you find the ancient lightsaber. I had the guardian arranged so when I arrived in the room, I moved over near it, and then I was able to actually walk the last few steps, crouch down and pick it up, all in roomscale.

                      Really was a fantastic moment.

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                        #26
                        Half Life Alyx was probably my closest experience to that. I played the entire thing standing for the immersion and made a reasonable amount of space free around me clear but because you're playing for extended amounts of time you slowly start to travel bit by bit and I'd occassionally clip myself on the playpen or other object.

                        No amount of playtime in VR can ever prepare or get you used to the shock factor though, and by that I mean the times you think you're on your own playing and unbeknownst to you someone has entered the room and tries to make you aware of their presence or get your attention. Clean underwear every single time

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                          #27
                          Does Alyx work on the Oculus? I have no idea how compatible things are across different systems. I lost track of VR years ago so sorry if I sound like a caveman asking obvious questions.

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                            #28
                            Originally posted by Dogg Thang View Post
                            Does Alyx work on the Oculus? I have no idea how compatible things are across different systems. I lost track of VR years ago so sorry if I sound like a caveman asking obvious questions.
                            Yes, it does - but via PC.

                            For PC, you should first try out Virtual Desktop. It's a community-made tool that allows you to control a computer remotely in VR, but as an additional benefit, it also allows you connect to a PC and use it as if you had your headset directly connected to it, to play games via things like Steam. However, it requires good network hardware and there is a bit of a delay; some people find it intolerable, in my case it was fine, again, it depends on your network hardware too. If it works fine for you, then you're good.

                            If not, you can connect your Quest 2 to the PC via a USB cable to use Oculus Link, which is Oculus's own solution. You don't have to buy the official cable, which is expensive, but you do need to buy a cable of above a certain class; I don't recall the specifics but you can find info online. Link can give you a higher quality image and lower lag, but, it's dependent on how good your USB hardware is (some motherboards handle it better than others), and also, if you move around, it can wobble or disconnect which is a bit frustrating when it happens. Personally I was always concerned about damaging the charging port using it, though you can minimise this risk by using velcro cable tie to stabilise the cable a bit.

                            In both cases, you can either buy and run games via Oculus's own software (which is like their version of Steam, which was primarily made to support headsets like the Rift) or via SteamVR. I recommend setting up SteamVR and primarily using that; in my experience, some of the games and apps I tried on the Oculus software were out of date or not as optimised as on Steam.

                            However, regardless of approach, you will need to install and run Oculus's software anyway - in order to use SteamVR - like you have to have both of them running. Steam won't "find" the Oculus headset unless you do.

                            Many of the games/experiences/apps which are available on all platforms; many of them have Quest-native versions as well as PC versions. You'll have to decide on a case-by-case basis which to buy. For instance, the Quest has its own version of VRChat, but it's much more limited than the PC version (literally you walk around seeing massive signs saying "PC ONLY" which bar you from going places), but of course, it works natively on the Quest which is cool.

                            Steam's good, because if you ever get another manufacturer's headset in the future, you'll still have your Steam games, but it's less likely you'll have Oculus access. I would generally suggest you not buy games on Oculus's desktop client, because Oculus have already said that they're no longer making dedicated PCVR headsets (the Rift-S is the last of the line) and just sticking with the Quest line. Many of the PCVR games on the Oculus store are also on Steam and that runs really well, so it kinda means they're in a bit of an uneasy space.

                            Basically, if you want to play PCVR, use Steam, or use Quest-native apps - and only go to the Oculus store if there's an exclusive you really want (I don't think there are many worthwhile at this point).

                            Be aware though; it has probably improved now as it's been ~6 months since I last used it, but VR on PC is not as polished as on the Quest or PSVR. You'll encounter a lot of weird rough edges; like games which, in the options, will show you the layout for the wrong controllers, or some that just don't work with the Quest properly at all (I spent ages trying to get BallisticNG to run) - but these things are getting patched all the time, so you can generally expect them to improve.
                            Last edited by Asura; 12-03-2021, 18:12.

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                              #29
                              If you're going to use USB, ideally you want it to be USB 3.2 which will give you 10Gbps transfer speeds. 3.0/3.1 will give you 5Gbps which will work okay, but the more data you can push the better. Make sure the cable also supports the 10Gbps speed.

                              You'll also want an usb-c female-to-male L piece and velcro to secure the cable to the strap, otherwise you're likely to tear the cable out of the headset. With the velcro and L-piece you can secure it in place and you won't get disconnects.



                              Last edited by MartyG; 12-03-2021, 19:05.

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                                #30
                                You make it sound very complex! For the most part, I’ll need to be removed from my PC so I’m guessing that greatly limits what I can play.

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