Virtual Reality |OT| Follow the white rabbit

[Pr0cs]

As a gamer that has less and less time to enjoy my hobby I have zero interest getting into VR no matter how cool it seems to be.
I refuse to have another platform to game with when I look into my current backlog .

Oh I know about backlogs, esp with things like Gamepass which has a seemingly endless parade of new things to try. Thing is now, software is so damn cheap (or effectively free if we're talking about sub type gaming) that if a game doesn't hook me in an hour I drop it. It's not like the old days where after spending +50$ on a title I felt I *had* to finish the game because I spent so much on it. I don't recall the last time I spent more than $30 so I don't have any remorse if I start a game and don't feel like I'm being entertained.

Tbh the comfort level would need to dramatically improve for that to work for me - plus you get issues of bandwidth getting everyone's screens to use as textures in the 3D environment. It's a nice idea but there are practicaliies to consider. Also the video makes a point about multiple monitors - I can assure you that 3 is the practical maximum and that's stretching it at times as it involves more head turning than I'd like.

The stock Q2 isn't very comfortable, I ponied up for a halo strap and mini battery pack which I attached at the back of the halo balancing the headset. I can wear mine all day with no fatigue issues.
I agree with > 3 monitors, the 'free' version of Immersed is more than enough for me and my biggest complaints are that the resolution is just not high enough. I don't think I'd have any bandwidth issues, rarely would I need to have a meeting with hundreds of people but being able to collaborate with my team (~5 people) would be nice. Or at least to have an off the cuff social gathering since closing our offices means people are pretty isolated now, and building a good rapport with your coworkers is still important to building a cohesive team.
Either way, I think this is a good direction for working in the future.

 

[XOR]

I can totally see Oculus vision of people working and collaborating in this way, the Q2 still doesn't have `quite` the resolution I'd need to forgo my monitors just yet but it's damn close.

HTC Reverb G2 owns the quest 2 in terms of image quality, it is the first headset said to have monitor replacing potential. The new htc vive headsets are said to probably have even better specs.




I think I'll wait for reviews on new vives, as the reverb g2 even beat far more expensive higher spec 8k headsets from other companies. Given both vive and reverb are from same company one'd hope newer vive does have superior image given higher specs, but there is always the possibility it doesn't if different engineering teams involved.

 

[Pr0cs]

HTC Reverb G2 owns the quest 2 in terms of image quality,

yep, I thought about the G2 before I bought the Q2 but the controllers and WMR in general sucks for tracking. Certainly if you wanted a VR office and didn't mind cables and didn't need tracking (maybe you just wanted VR for flight/driving sims for example) the G2 would be a good choice, but at this point I don't think I could go back to wired VR.

 

[ProgenitorCastle]

I recently setup the HTC Vive again for some pre pandemic 2019 nostalgia, and I fell in love again with old classics on SteamVR like Jet Island and new stuff like Propagation VR, a freebie stationary horror shooter that gives RE2 2019 and such a run for their money graphics wise which is impressive for a freebie...I made it past the waves of zombies and literally said NOPE and took the headset off when spiders entered the picture lol, my arachnophobia kicked in hard at that point of the game

 

[XOR]

yep, I thought about the G2 before I bought the Q2 but the controllers and WMR in general sucks for tracking. Certainly if you wanted a VR office and didn't mind cables and didn't need tracking (maybe you just wanted VR for flight/driving sims for example) the G2 would be a good choice, but at this point I don't think I could go back to wired VR.

yeah I too want wireless. The new htc vive focus 3, iirc, is wireless and has higher specs than reverb g2. It is also magnesium alloy rather than plastic so notably lighter.

I want wireless too, but I would prefer the battery to be removable, because batteries can become unusable if you leave it without charge and forget to charge them for several months.

The HTC Vive Focus 3 will have a very sharp display and a removable battery.-androidheadlines

Sounds quite good, now need to wait for the review to ensure it is indeed superior to g2, also would be good to see comparisons of 90Hz vs 120Hz, I think the difference should be barely perceptible but not sure need to check reviewers comment on that to see if people notice it.

 

[HariSeldon]

I mean I run an OG Rift at 90Hz and honestly it's absolutely brilliant, I've not felt any nausea issues apart from a tiny number of games that were just poorly designed.

 

[Allnamestakenlol]

Sounds quite good, now need to wait for the review to ensure it is indeed superior to g2, also would be good to see comparisons of 90Hz vs 120Hz, I think the difference should be barely perceptible but not sure need to check reviewers comment on that to see if people notice it.

Looks amazing. That price tag, tho... whoof.

 

[Allnamestakenlol]

Shoot, the Vive Pro 2 is out. Anyone get one? Goddamn is it expensive. Headset alone is $800?

Edit: And Vive Focus 3 in a couple weeks. Jeebus.

 

[Pr0cs]

Tried Venues last night on my Quest 2, pretty cool.
I'm a pretty big MMA mark and checked out the OneFC pre-recorded event and I was impressed.
I heard other people say the video quality sucks but I thought it was fantastic and my only complaint was not having control which camera angle you wanted to view (and the occasional noise from kids fucking around at the event making noise)

 

[Tyguy]

It's certainly a different experience compared to normal porn.

I owned an Oculus Rift for two years. Fucking loved it. Played the shit out of it. Many amazing games. Even simple stuff like Eleven Table Tennis was so much fun. I worked out with BoxVR and Beat Saber. I had a whole room dedicated to it. I own a ridiculously huge game library.

Aaaaaand then my twin daughters were born and I sold it because I just can't totally zone out anymore. When they're a bit older and stop waking up at night, i'll buy a new headset.

How old are your daughters? We sleep trained our boy at 7 months. He's 14 months now and sleeps 12-13 hours uninterrupted now. I just played the rat king expansion last night for Demeo with a buddy of mine after my little one went to sleep. It's much harder than the original campaign. Anybody else playing Demeo here? I played a round with @CitizenSnips once. The game is outstanding.

 

[CloudNull]

I had no idea this OT existed and was going to make one. Thanks for the tag @Tyguy.

I second Demeo. Still my second favorite VR game after Half Life Alyx. Game is so much fun.

 

[regawdless]

How old are your daughters? We sleep trained our boy at 7 months. He's 14 months now and sleeps 12-13 hours uninterrupted now.

They are 1 year and 7 months now. Not genetically identical twins though, so their sleeping habits did differ a lot. One slept without interruptions after 6 months, the other one continued to wake up every 3 hours. No matter what I did or didn't, kept her rhythm. And boom, like eight weeks ago, she suddenly slept through the whole night and does it since.

Now during our vacation, we put them into one room together again to sleep, and it worked out just fine. So my entertainment room will be free of kids again. Now I wait for the next gen VR headsets to jump in again.

 

[Tyguy]

I'm really annoyed by the fact that they censored some resident evil 4 dialogue. However, I'm just not principled enough to have it keep me from buying it. You just get such few big time releases in vr.

I took out both of my cars in the garage to play and it was awesome. I use smooth locomotion for longer treks, but when I'm in a room I move myself. If I run into a virtual wall I spin myself around and then do a 180 degree turn with the right joystick and keep moving.

This is what I always imagined when I was a little kid watching that lame show nick arcade. They had that segment where kids would be "in the game" and I always wanted an experience like that. When VR is at its best it's more next gen than ps5/series x/ pc in my opinion.

 

[Grinchy]

When VR is at its best it's more next gen than ps5/series x/ pc in my opinion.

Yep, the best VR experiences are a new generation of gaming. It's way more of a leap than, "oh cool the textures and lighting are better now."

And using the whole garage as your VR play space sounds amazing. I hate Facebook and censorship, but the Quest has the right idea with wireless inside-out VR. I'm hoping PSVR2 does a lot of things right. It sounds like it'll have one thin wire and will also use inside-out tracking so it at least has a chance of giving more of a room scale experience than PSVR.

 

[regawdless]

Lone Echo 2 makes me want to buy a VR headset again. The first one was amazing and this one seems to be great as well.

 

[Damage inc]

Played like 6 hours of Demeo today with my buddy and my Son. Totally blown away. Stupid hard but addictive. I do wish there was some sort of permanent leveling of characters but I guess it's supposed to be just cosmetics.

Also played a bit of RE4 VR. Translates perfectly. I'm using the controller to move around instead of teleporting and doing drive by shooting on their knees is amazing

 

[regawdless]

Played like 6 hours of Demeo today with my buddy and my Son. Totally blown away. Stupid hard but addictive. I do wish there was some sort of permanent leveling of characters but I guess it's supposed to be just cosmetics.

Demeo looks interesting! I really enjoyed VR games where you look from the outside and control units like strategy games or tower defense.

Also pretty cool in VR: Pinball FX, when all the shit from the table extends to the room and is around you. So good.

 

[XOR]

An even better vr headset has come to market surpassing even the glorious htc reverb 2 supposedly.



But it is very expensive around $2000 without controllers or headphones.

 

[XOR]

A new through the lens video of the varjo aero

 

[Grinchy]

God damn, I finally tried out Polybius for the first time. This is exactly the kind of game that looks like a completely different experience in a video than it is when you are actually playing it in VR. This game probably fucks people up. It has multiple warnings before you can even start playing it and I kinda understand why. I only played like 4 levels and was like alright, I gotta get out of here for now haha.

Cool shit, though.

 

[regawdless]

God damn, I finally tried out Polybius for the first time. This is exactly the kind of game that looks like a completely different experience in a video than it is when you are actually playing it in VR. This game probably fucks people up. It has multiple warnings before you can even start playing it and I kinda understand why. I only played like 4 levels and was like alright, I gotta get out of here for now haha.

Cool shit, though.

It's such a crazy game. It's definitely a gaming "experience".

 

[HariSeldon]

Jeff Minter is a mad brilliant genius. An absolute magician. I love the fact that he's taken VR and run with it, after decades in the business, and that he just keeps doing his thing his way.

 

[CloudNull]

MMO in VR that I have been following the development on. The game looks better each time they show it.

 

[Grinchy]

MMO in VR that I have been following the development on. The game looks better each time they show it.

A good VR MMO with awesome motion-based gameplay mechanics would be dangerously addictive for me.

 

[Grinchy]

I just started playing XING: The Land Beyond and I'm pretty happy with it so far. The puzzles actually seem like they'll be logical and not too easy, but I've only finished the first level. The levels seem like they will be quite long, too. That's very nice. I am one of those who can't progress until I figure out the side shit, which is very satisfying so far in this one.

My one gripe is the controls. It doesn't have a full smooth locomotion option. You can walk and strafe smoothly, but the turns are snap based. You can set it to 0 degrees and just tell it to snap exactly where you want instead of using degree increments, but damn why not just give me the option to do full smooth turning? I HATE snap turning. It's supposed to be a comfort setting that always feels uncomfortable to me.

 

[Grisham]

Acclaimed city builder Cities: Skylines getting the virtual reality treatment in Cities: VR

Developer Colossal Order's acclaimed city builder Cities: Skylines is being reimagined for virtual reality devices, and…

www.eurogamer.net

Developer Colossal Order's acclaimed city builder Cities: Skylines is being reimagined for virtual reality devices, and will be coming to Oculus Quest 2 (or Meta Quest 2 as it'll soon be renamed) as Cities: VR in "spring" next year.

 

[prag16]

I finally took the plunge and grabbed a Quest 2 and aftermarket $17 link cable (they want $79 for the official one???? holy fuckballs).

I tried Myst (new UE4 version) first after the setup and holy shit. I enabled the free movement and was nauseous within 10 seconds. I was afraid of this because I'm prone to motion sickness, but after turning the comfort options on it was *almost* fine, I could make it 1/2 hour at least before feeling out of sorts at all. People talk about having to get your "VR legs". I will holdoff on trying Squadrons for now.

Started the first chapter of Vader Immortal (master race PC link version) and it's cool so far. Made it 1/2 hour with no discomfort. Everything does look just a hair muddy/off for things way off center but it sounds like that's expected, even with the higher end headsets at this point. And the resolution per eye sounds high until the screen is a couple inches from your face lol.

I hear Beat Saber is good and has a demo. Also the Jurassic Park game looks cool; anybody played that?

Anything else "must play" for someone who will have to avoid "more intense" stuff due to motion sickness?

Half debating sending it back due to the motion sickness issue, but under Amazon's extended holiday return policy I've got several weeks to decide.

 

[FactsAreDead]

I will say this: When I first got my PSVR, I felt sick for the rest of the day after playing for 1-2 hours. Next day I felt sick for like 10 minutes. Third day I had no issues. In other words: Give it a try and see if your body adjusts to it.

VR is an amazing experience.

 

[HariSeldon]

I finally took the plunge and grabbed a Quest 2 and aftermarket $17 link cable (they want $79 for the official one???? holy fuckballs).

I tried Myst (new UE4 version) first after the setup and holy shit. I enabled the free movement and was nauseous within 10 seconds. I was afraid of this because I'm prone to motion sickness, but after turning the comfort options on it was *almost* fine, I could make it 1/2 hour at least before feeling out of sorts at all. People talk about having to get your "VR legs". I will holdoff on trying Squadrons for now.

Started the first chapter of Vader Immortal (master race PC link version) and it's cool so far. Made it 1/2 hour with no discomfort. Everything does look just a hair muddy/off for things way off center but it sounds like that's expected, even with the higher end headsets at this point. And the resolution per eye sounds high until the screen is a couple inches from your face lol.

I hear Beat Saber is good and has a demo. Also the Jurassic Park game looks cool; anybody played that?

Anything else "must play" for someone who will have to avoid "more intense" stuff due to motion sickness?

Half debating sending it back due to the motion sickness issue, but under Amazon's extended holiday return policy I've got several weeks to decide.

Beat Sabre is awesome. Superhot is also incredible, no motion sickness issues since movement is in small spaces with comfort options for locomotion. Seated experiences like racing games and flight sims and the likes of Elite are good too - just don't reverse as that'll get the chunder up.

 

[prag16]

Beat Sabre is awesome. Superhot is also incredible, no motion sickness issues since movement is in small spaces with comfort options for locomotion. Seated experiences like racing games and flight sims and the likes of Elite are good too - just don't reverse as that'll get the chunder up.

Tried the Beat Saber demo and it seems cool. Might buy it. Downloaded the Superhot demo, will try it tonight. (Have not played the non-VR version of the game.)

I already own SW Squadrons and MS Flight Simulator. Might wait a little before trying those after cutting my teeth more with the more stationary games. I Expect You To Die looks like something I would enjoy too. I don't have any PC driving games that support VR at this point, but will keep that in mind.

 

[HariSeldon]

Tried the Beat Saber demo and it seems cool. Might buy it. Downloaded the Superhot demo, will try it tonight. (Have not played the non-VR version of the game.)

I already own SW Squadrons and MS Flight Simulator. Might wait a little before trying those after cutting my teeth more with the more stationary games. I Expect You To Die looks like something I would enjoy too. I don't have any PC driving games that support VR at this point, but will keep that in mind.

I love the aesthetic and the idea of I Expect You To Die, it's very very cool, but can be a bit finnicky and unforgiving about doing exactly what it expects of you. Oh another good one, though it requires a friend not in VR, Keep Talking And Nobody Explodes. The VR makes it MUCH more stressful. Don't play it with anyone you wish to remain friends with.

 

[Pr0cs]

Picked up Phantom :Covert OPS.
Not sure if it's cross buy. Hopefully because I just can't used to the limited geometry on the Q2 native app.
Gameplay has been really good but hoping it's cross buy so I don't have to tolerate 2005 mode graphics

https://www.oculus.com/experiences/app/2302118823192509/?utm_source=oculus&utm_medium=share

 

[prag16]

Picked up Phantom :Covert OPS.
Not sure if it's cross buy. Hopefully because I just can't used to the limited geometry on the Q2 native app.
Gameplay has been really good but hoping it's cross buy so I don't have to tolerate 2005 mode graphics

https://www.oculus.com/experiences/app/2302118823192509/?utm_source=oculus&utm_medium=share

It's shitty that Oculus seems to be moving away from Link (PC) games, and toward self contained games. The latter is fine for some things like Beat Saber but for example the visuals in Tales from the Galaxy's Edge are an obvious big step down from Vader Immortal (PC link version) and it's unfortunate.

 

[Pr0cs]

It's shitty that Oculus seems to be moving away from Link (PC) games, and toward self contained games. The latter is fine for some things like Beat Saber but for example the visuals in Tales from the Galaxy's Edge are an obvious big step down from Vader Immortal (PC link version) and it's unfortunate.

They're hedging their bets on mobile filling in the gap. I totally understand the annoyance especially if you have a competitive pc but also see their business case too.
I'm just happy that they still offer the ability to stream and enable 3rd party tools like virt desktop.

 

[Stifler's Mom]

Haven't followed VR for the last year. Is there anything on the horizon in regards to focusing near and far off objects?
Having only that sweet spot range where objects look sharp is the one thing I really hated about the Quest.

 

[Grinchy]

Well that XING game kinda lost me. The controls are so shitty, but I was pushing through because the level design and puzzles were keeping me going. But by later in the game some of the puzzles are just trial-and-error (the game even tells you this explicitly for a fireworks puzzle in one of these little in-game tips) or are so obscure that they're not even fun to figure out. So you have shitty puzzles combined with shitty controls.

And it'll have you doing things like changing the landscape to snowy, running across (slowly, because everyone dies if they move more than 1mph in VR apparently) to another node that turns on rain, then running back to turn off the snow so the water can rise, then waiting to turn the snow back on again to ice it over just to set the puzzle back up to default to start over after a single misclick sent a block one space over. Hey, now run back over again to turn the rain back off so you can light the pineapple on fire to light the sconces to get the gong that breaks the icicle barriers that lets you....oh whoops you misclicked again. Start it over! Fucking annoying. Do not recommend.

 

[HariSeldon]

On the fast movement thing - I've played quake 1 and 2 in vr and movement is quick. Tbh it needs a bit of getting used to but it's manageable, I didn't need a chunder bucket, but perhaps more sensitive souls can't cope. I guess it's part of the problem of accessibility. Designing games so that the impaired can play them isn't a neutral act as it does actually shit games up for the rest of us.

 

[prag16]

On the fast movement thing - I've played quake 1 and 2 in vr and movement is quick. Tbh it needs a bit of getting used to but it's manageable, I didn't need a chunder bucket, but perhaps more sensitive souls can't cope. I guess it's part of the problem of accessibility. Designing games so that the impaired can play them isn't a neutral act as it does actually shit games up for the rest of us.

The issue with VR is that it's not comparable to like an epilepsy concern in a 'normal' game. The vast majority of people have some level of discomfort playing VR games at least initially. And many won't be willing to push through to 'build up their tolerance'. It seems that many games do a good job providing options for the 'hardcore' while keeping comfort features for those that battle motion sickness etc.

 

[Allnamestakenlol]

I've packed up my VR kit for now, but I'm suuuuper tempted to bust it back out to play Time Crisis, Virtua Cop, and House of the dead via EmuVR (which I only just heard about the other day). I've wanted a good, arcade light-gun game (like the aforementioned) in VR for as long as I've owned my headset.

EmuVR

Virtual Emulation

www.emuvr.net

 

[Grinchy]

Got my Quest 2 all set up and played about an hour of Resident Evil 4 VR. Shit is very cool so far. I've played enough VR that it felt instantly intuitive and having joysticks on the motion controllers is such a step up from the PSVR. And damn it's so crisp!

I think the PSVR headset itself is more comfortable to wear, but you can't take away every other advantage the Quest 2 has. As much as I don't like the idea of having yet another device I have to keep charged up, wireless VR is quite the upgrade. Even just drawing out the playspace and having it show barriers and how you can stick your head through the virtual wall and be seeing the camera feed of your real reality space is so fucking cool.