Board 8 > Thinking of making the jump into VR.

(+) Yeah! (+)

I completely forgot Everybody's Golf VR was a thing that was on its way. I checked out some videos and it looks really fun. There's a new PSVR bundle that includes the camera, two Move controllers, that game and Blood & Truth, which I've read is phenomenal.

But that's $350. I could've sworn it was cheaper than that, and it sorta is, if you get it without the accessories. But from what I can tell, isn't the camera 100% necessary? Why would anyone ever just sell the headset and have that be the default listing for amazon to offer those looking for it?

So the idea of VR in general has me hooked now, after doing all this research on the alternatives, but there's just so many and I have no idea what I'm truly after here.

HTC Vive is $500, which is a bit out of range of what I wanna spend.

On the other hand, Oculus Go seems kinda cheap.

Oculus Quest seems good for a standalone thing, but I do have a dedicated gaming laptop, so I figure I should probably go for a PC-VR headset.

So the Oculus Rift S, then? It just came out and claims to be the most accessible VR equipment yet. I would much prefer the inside-out tracking this offers over the camera versions.

I do realize none of these would play Everybody's Golf, which is the reason I've gone into this whole escapade, and while it's the game I would most want to play in VR, it's also far from a must-have. However, I also read that Sony recently changed it so you have to pay for the service to play downloaded videos on PSVR and that would be a major strike against it for me.

I guess I'm leaning toward the Oculus Rift S, but the only thing I know about VR in general is what I've read about them the past 2 days. Any other input I can would be much appreciated.
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I played a game called Super Hot the other day and it was my first VR experience and 3 hours melted away like NOTHING coz I was having so much fun.
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If you're thinking about PC VR you should look into minimum specs because your laptop might not actually be good enough.

The PSVR has the added benefit of not having to upgrade your system but Oculus S and Vive offer room scale so you can walk around inside VR.

Vive is going to be slightly better than Oculus S but a little pricer, really just comes down to preference between those two.
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I have an i7 processor with 16GB RAM. I'd be amazed to find out there's some VR out there that this isn't enough to handle.

(Also I checked and the Rift S recommends at least an i3 with 8 GB of RAM)
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The bottleneck would be your graphics card. I have an i7 with 16GB RAM too but my graphics card is only a 960 so some games don't run great. With VR you need to maintain 90FPS in TWO screens so you don't get motion sickness, it's a lot more graphically intense than it might seem.
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Oh right, I have a 1060. Forgot about that part.
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Yeah you're probably good then. I would personally recommend the Vive and PC in general because certain games have mods that aren't available on PSVR. Beatsaber is a great game but the PSVR version only has like 15 songs or something and the PC version has a mod to allow custom songs.
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I think I've settled on getting a PC headset, but why the Vive over the Rift S? After reading a few comparisons from a few different websites, here are the main advantages I've gathered for each.

Vive:
Outer tracking leads to slightly more accurate tracking
More options to adjust the headset to fit your eyes
Brighter, truer colors
Higher refresh rate
Uses HDMI instead of DisplayPort (I would need to purchase an HDMI adapter if I got a Rift S)

Rift S:
Easier to set up and move around, due to the inner tracking, yet somehow still a bit lighter, too
Better resolution
Integrated audio (not the best integrated audio, but I've never been an audiophile, so I count it as a plus)
Oculus-exclusive games
$100 cheaper (~$80 cheaper after HDMI converter)

The inner-tracking is a huge selling point for me, because I would like to move it from room to room to show other people, and the less I have to do to set it up to begin, the better. I feel like if they were the same price, I'd have a much harder decision on my hands.
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The most important aspect of having a good VR experience is accurate tracking, and the Vive's laser-mounted tracking system is the best of all the options you listed. Your 1060 is going to be able to run all the games you want in the recommended quality, it probably can't do the highest quality on the newest games but that's fine, it's not going to make you sick. Here's what I do.

I have the wall mounts screwed into the walls of my house so there's zero wiggle on the boxes housing the lasers, it gives me perfect accuracy on my movement. Ideal situation, even for long 3-4 hour sessions.

When I want to show VR to people at a different house or venue, I use $20 camera tripods I got on amazon. The mounts can screw into the bases and I can get them high enough in the air for good tracking. There's going to be a little wiggle there since everything's not screwed down tight, but someone trying VR for the first time isn't going to notice so it's good for the purposes of a demo.

So if you want to stay in the price range you mentioned above I'd do the original Vive. However, just so you don't feel cheated if you buy it right now, you should know that the Valve Index comes out at the end of the month and it improves on the Vive (and these other options) in every way. More pixels, larger field of view, the same perfect tracking, built in headphones, and better controllers that are like gloves, so you get individual control of each finger.

...that being said, it's $1000 for the full package, so well beyond what you're looking to spend right now.

I vote to go with the Vive and if you love it, you can think about upgrading a year from now when there's even better options out there. The nice thing about the steam ecosystem for VR is that all the parts are interchangable. For instance right now I'm using my original Vive laser system for tracking with a Pimax 8k headset and I'm swapping in the Index glove-like controllers later this month.


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I have a spare psvr in my closet
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ninkendo posted...

I have a spare psvr in my closet

SHINE my best buddy
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Ngamer64 posted...

The most important aspect of having a good VR experience is accurate tracking, and the Vive's laser-mounted tracking system is the best of all the options you listed.

This makes a ton of sense to me and has me really conflicted now. I watched the official Vive setup video to get an idea of what I'd need to do to get everything running. I have a very small bedroom, which is where I'd install it. However, I feel like I'd play maybe 70% there and 30% in my living room, and it seems like it'd be a major hassle to move back and forth. Not to mention my bedroom's already an electrical hazard, since I have like 20 things ultimately powered through 4 surge protectors going to 2 outlets in here, and the Vive would add 3 more.

That said, I checked out the Rift S's Displayport connector options, and the official website says the only supported connections are through either displayport or mini displayport, and my laptop has neither, so I'd be going through a third party adapter that isn't guaranteed to work.

So I may just be going with the Vive by default.
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Just popping in to say PSVR has been fantastic so far. The fact that it'll work with PS5 is also a great perk, and with a little extra effort you can get it fully playable on PC from what I've read.
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PrinceReva posted...

with a little extra effort you can get it fully playable on PC from what I've read.

Well this got my attention.

Did some more research this morning on my three options, and apparently DisplayPort to HDMI converters don't work very well, if at all, with the Rift S. So while that was still probably the most attractive option for me, that one's apparently a no-go.

So it's down to the Vive and the PSVR. As I said before, my room's pretty small, so when I take out everything on the floor, I'm still only really left with about a 4-by-6 foot square to wander around in. Therefore, the room-tracking stuff probably isn't gonna work out so hot.

Are there any other major Beat Saber-like situations where PSVR's version is going to be severely limited? I enjoy a good mod or two, but it's not typically make-or-break for me if I'm not able to. But the Beat Saber thing basically means I won't be getting that at all if I were to get PSVR.

Final addendum:
MrSmartGuy posted...

Sony recently changed it so you have to pay for the service to play downloaded videos on PSVR and that would be a major strike against it for me.

I was hesitant to bring it up in words but for more accuracy, just go ahead and read this statement as VR porn sounds super fuckin' sweet to me and PSVR added a whole lot of loopholes to jump through to get that stuff working, and that's a major bummer. But now I just read something that most downloaded files can just play through the media player on PS4, so I don't really know what to believe now. If anyone has any details to share on that front, that'd be cool.
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Another thing I just thought of. My standing area is gonna end up being like a foot away from my entertainment center. Is the PlayStation camera going to have trouble tracking me off to the side from that close?
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I want to get Tokyo Chronos but don't have any VR anything or interest in shelling out for such. Any way to make that work? >_>
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Figured out that the recommended minimum distance is a little under 2 feet, but it also says put it a bit above eye level, and that would mean mounting it on the wall anyway, which gives me plenty of room. But I also lied down on my floor to check the tracking on where I would place my Vive mounts, and it would work perfectly.

Pretty sure I'm going with the Vive now, but I'm gonna wait to order it online for a few more hours, since I'll get it the same day regardless, in case anyone has any more input.
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You definitely won't be disappointed with the Vive, PSVR is a quality headset but just limited by the PS4.
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All I'll say is, if the thing you mentioned in spoiler tags is a key interest, you're definitely going to want the Vive. Definitely.


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To the other point, I've never experimented with getting the PSVR to work on a PC. You might to able to get it working perfectly.

...but even if you did it wouldn't be a great experience, because the PC games are going to except a level of precision in their movement that the PSVR isn't going to be able to deliver. I'm sure it would do fine for short demos, but probably wouldn't be so comfortable for long play sessions.


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Do not buy the Oculus Go.
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dilateDChemist posted...

Do not buy the Oculus Go.

I got one, it's OK, it sort of quenches my thirst for VR without taking up space or costing a lot. But I knew that going in - limited experience with limited investment, good for casuals.
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I have the Vive.

Get it. If you're using your laptop to play, then just set it up in your living room and only do VR there. Even though VR is a lot of fun, you won't play it THAT much.

Although, if you get it and get Pavlov (Counterstrike in VR), then I will play with you a lot.
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neonreaper posted...

dilateDChemist posted...

Do not buy the Oculus Go.

I got one, it's OK, it sort of quenches my thirst for VR without taking up space or costing a lot. But I knew that going in - limited experience with limited investment, good for casuals.

For me it was good for like a week and now its just collecting dust. I wish it had a better battery life but I'm expecting too much. I've been thinking about upgrading to the Oculus Quest but my PC is pretty beast I might as well go big if I wanna go VR.
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Mine collects dust too, but I think I just don't have a lot of interest in VR to be honest. It hangs out with my drone
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HTC Vive ordered.

I'm sure no matter which one I ordered, I'd have a similar amount of fun with, but I spend money so infrequently, I couldn't help but feel anxious about which one to get.

Thanks for all the input, y'all!
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Okay it sounds like it's time for game recommendations!

The Lab is free with the Vive and it has some great stuff, mainly the archery minigame. I would recommend doing the Robot Repair minigame ASAP when you get your headset.

Superhot VR is amazing
Tiltbrush is a fun little painting game that used to be free with the Vive, don't think it is anymore
Beat Saber is a must even if you aren't a huge fan of rhythm games. Swinging lightsabers is always fun!
Look up the Budget Cuts Demo and give that a shot, I think the full game has been released
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Tom Bombadil posted...

Tokyo Chronos

whoa, i'd never heard of this

this looks really cool. is it good?

also i got a vive sort of out of brand loyalty to steam but also just because i got the impression vive as a lot more free and open? like using a pc compared to a mac? also vive has a user-made app that lets you play most oculus-exlusive games

i'm very happy with it

my favourite VR game is Organ Quarter btw its a true survival horror game a la early resident evil and silent hill. it has such great atmosphere, no stupid jump scares, and is easy to learn.

also I like Audica more than Beat Saber but you should get both imo

Good decision!

I think best advice is to go through steam and select VR/Vive/best reviews and download the top 10 or so free entries, so you'll have them ready to go when the hardware arrives. So this list:

https://store.steampowered.com/search/?sort_by=Reviews_DESC&vrsupport=402%2C101

After you've gotten through that as a sample you can start moving on to the best of the paid games (which are largely the ones off that same list, in my experience).


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waltz of the wizard is a perfect first VR experience

Dels posted...

waltz of the wizard is a perfect first VR experience

This.

Superhot is a must get.

Oh, and DEFINITELY get and play Accounting as soon as possible. Accounting+ is pretty good, but I think Accounting is free so do that first.
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Went ahead and downloaded 9 freebies, Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes, since I already bought that as part of a Humble Bundle, then bought:
Beat Saber (easy)
Space Pirate Trainer (watched the Game Grumps play it at some point and it looked like dumb fun)
The Golf Club VR (to replace Everybody's Golf)
VR Furballs (cheap, cute demolition game that had really good reviews)

Stuck 4 or 5 more games on my wishlist in the hopes they go on sale at some point. I see regular Super Hot on sale all the time, so hopefully the VR version is the same.
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Big VR sale on GOG, if you want to save some on Superhot.

https://www.greenmangaming.com/vr-titles/


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Have you had the chance to set anything up? When is it scheduled to arrive for you?
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I got it this morning and spent about an hour setting it up. Went to play my first game on it about 2 hours ago, booted up Steam VR, and the visuals in the headset don't work. I check my graphics drivers, and both are outdated. I update those, and try again, get the same thing.

Nothing I do works. When the headset first boots up, the little grid area you can look around in works just fine. Then as soon as SteamVR Home opens, it starts flickering static everywhere and after a few seconds, everything goes black. I tried opening a game directly to see if maybe it was just a Home issue, but every game does the same thing. If I open up a window on my monitor to show what's supposed to be seen in the headset, that works perfectly fine. I can move the headset around and everything on the monitor reacts how it should. But then I look in the headset and it's just black.

I have no idea what to try now. =/
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Steam is saying it's an HDCP error, so I gather it must have something to do with my HDMI setup. I tried forgoing the link box, but that didn't work. I tried a different cable, still the same thing.
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How strange. Clearly the PC is rendering the visuals correctly, as you can see everything on your monitor, so it has to be something hardware-wise with the headset or cables or link box. But on the other hand if the headset was 100% bad, you wouldn't even see the grid area thingy when it first boots...

That's got me leaning toward the link box as the culprit. The good news is they're cheap, if you exhaust all other options and want to try swapping in a different one.

https://www.amazon.com/HTC-Vive-Link-Box-pc/dp/B01LXR6DKV/


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Well, like I said, I've completely skipped the link box in everything to where the only thing it's linking anymore is the power, which is working just fine.
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After troubleshooting with support, the only thing they can come up with is that I got a faulty headset, so I'm sending it in for free repairs.

Except that means I probably won't get it back for at least 2 weeks.
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Wow that's a bummer. Well uhh makes another topic whenever you get it back!
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Is it possible to return it and buy a new one? The turn around time on that seems like it would be a lot less than 2 weeks.
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Yeah, that's probably smarter. Just a pain in the ass to take everything down and try and compile it all back together, but definitely worth the 10 days or so I'll save later.
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that really sucks

Yes go with TRE's plan. Crappy to have this happen but I'm sure the new one will work great.


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My replacement is coming in on Monday, so we'll hope that one does better.
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New one doesn't work either, so something's borked with my computer. I'm guessing a barely faulty HDMI port? It works just fine if I plug it into a monitor, maybe this is just too much for it? Strange that that would be the case, but it's the only thing that makes sense.
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Do other things work in that port?
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