Judging by high end phone prices (and the core hardware in this is the same as high end phones + a bunch more hardware) I would be shocked if Oculus wasn’t selling the Quest at a loss with the hope of getting it’s money back via software sales from the store. So it makes sense that they wouldn’t let an app in their own store allow easy playing of games not in their store.
But yeah at least you can side load too, and that reddit thread makes it seem like there will be a SteamVR version of it to side load in the future.
It is a lot of sound and fury over basically nothing. But realize it’s sound and fury trapped in a tin can. It’s basically the reddit sub, whose moods ebb and flow with the tide. Also, yes, the only thing Oculus has really done is make it harder to do.
Has anyone else had issues with the new Oculus desktop software? 1.38 is stuck in a weird loop where it tries to download, and update, but sits at update for hours before I kill it. From what I’ve managed to gather, it may be related to the new windows 1903 update. The Oculus Service Launcher “OVRServiceLauncher” will not load. Very frustrating because I can’t use SteamVR either.
It sounds like they were getting a lot of complaints probably due to latency issues with people with bad wifi and didn’t want the sub-par experience in the official store, but are willing to have it as a side load option.
I’ll really try not to flame Quest as I’m a huge believer in VR but Oculus is really flubbing this in more ways than one.
It looks like an amazing piece of hardware but the business end is back-asswards. It’s firmly in #whatweretheythinking territory for me right now. A walled-garden approach on a niche product begging to be open source? And who is the genius curating the list of titles who went with Orbus over Vendetta? Before anyone says “side loading” no, I did that song and dance with Quake on GVR; it’s no substitute for official support.
Anyway, I hope I’m not rabid but I’m content to sit on the sidelines for now and watch how this all shakes out.
For 99% of users, they have no knowledge or exposure to any of the “controversy” (which has now pretty much died down on reddit.) And the launch titles and drip of new and upcoming titles is also pretty sufficient and varied for non-ethusiasts, which is where this set is being marketed toward. Anyone who wants to “hack” it, which takes trivial effort, can do so. I’ve spent the morning traipsing around in Vivecraft, running from a Shadow PC over the internet. I’m pretty happy with the Quest; the total lack of wires is really a game changer.
Awesome: I’m looking forward to experiencing it, in concept at least, and hope I don’t sound too curmudgeonly. Just wondering if maybe someone will come along and do it better, with more titles I want to play.
Maybe the Vive Cosmos will be enough to entice you. I think they’re releasing full details next week. It’s Vive Pro+ res, has inside-out tracking, Oculus-style controllers, and connects to PC and possibly mobile devices for on-the-go play.
So I wrapped my batteries with band aids. Now the controllers never lock up. If I disappear it’s cause they caused my house to burn down. Let the fire marshall know.
I’m really curious to see what the main selling point for Cosmos is, besides the inside-out tracking. I’m not sold on the “it connects to mobile devices” bit, and definitely don’t think it will sell headsets. If it is just another high-end headset, it will have stiff competition.
IMO, they should just release an enhanced Focus Plus to compete with the Quest instead. Their subscription game service would help.
Yeah. I definitely have hope that Valve will treat Index like an ecosystem, and follow-up with enhancements such as wireless.
That said, my main reason for upgrading is to get just a bit more resolution for cockpit sims, where wireless is only a minor convenience. I can’t say that I would really appreciate the difference between Index and Vive when playing a more active game like Beat Saber. But maybe! We’ll see.
I’ve had this thing for a month, and I still pick it up every day. It’s just so easy to use. I can easily take it wherever I’m going, it takes 10 seconds to set it up in a new space, and being untethered is really what VR needs. There currently aren’t any 6DoF games that really take advantage of the untethered nature of the Quest (though Superhot is pretty close), but they’re coming. It’s the future of consumer VR and it may be the tipping point for mass acceptance.
Also, someone needs to figure out how to make an HMD you can sweat in comfortably. I could see a whole gym based around a VR workout routine. Imagine using a treadmill but running through a forest or on a mountain trail in VR.
I wonder how much bandwidth trying to stream 1440p per eye at 120Hz would require to make the Index wireless with minimal latency and minimal artifacting (e.g. thus the need for data loss correction).
I was able to sweat comfortably with VRCover’s leather face mask for the original Rift. DIdn’t feel disgusting and was easy to wipe off.
