Oh, no! Sorry you have to wait, Kevin, but I think you’re gonna be really happy come Monday.
I spent some more time with it last night and my love affair only deepened. Lazy f*ck that I am, I stuck with seated experiences like Trover Saves the Universe, Project Cars 2, and Virtual Desktop.
The widened-out view of everything I do now in VR is a constant marvel and pleasure. I’m in complete agreement with the PC World reviewer who sold me on this thing when he wrote, “But I’d almost recommend an Index for the FOV alone. It’s that impressive.”
I also agree with reviewers who’ve said you can comfortably wear it longer. The microfiber lining is a big part of that, plus the improved weight and balance. I’m realizing how much the additional hardware and extra effort required to use the wireless adapter just wasn’t for me. Less friction = more inviting! Strap on and go.
As I’ve said before, I’m a huge fan of using Virtual Desktop to play traditional, non-VR games on my own, personal, giant, floating IMAX screen. It doesn’t work for every game but I love experimenting with screen size, distance, and curvature to see which games play well in that environment at a decent frame rate. Plenty of them do! And even though I feel like the only one around here who uses a VR headset like that, I’m going to continue shouting from the rooftops and proselytizing about how amazing it is.
Well, turns out the Index is really great for it. Being less uncomfortable for extended play goes a long way towards justifying non-VR uses. The back of this headset doesn’t mind if you want to rest your head against your chair-back or a pillow. The knobby Vive Pro wouldn’t allow it but reclining with your feet up and the IMAX screen floating overhead is a treat. I just need to rig some kind of voice-activated bon-bon dispenser to my awaiting, open mouth and I’ll be golden.
I spent a long time playing Sunless Skies with Kieran Hebden’s effing amazing Spotify playlist for a soundtrack and it was kind of a feast for the senses. Well, two of them, anyway. It’s a gorgeous game and all the more so when its vastness surrounds you. A game to get lost in and VR is how you do that. Plus listening to my own music just underscored how great the headset speakers are in both sound and design.
So far the only downside is what Tech Radar mentioned in their review: “The biggest fault we found with the headset after using it for more than a month is that SteamVR can be capricious… and, occasionally, a malicious, dastardly platform.”
I had a number of App is Already Running errors where SteamVR wouldn’t start because it was already running invisibly in the background. It wasn’t as simple to end the process as I would have thought so I had to reboot. I’ll have to read up on that issue to find a solution or hope it gets fixed in time.
This issue is dampening my enthusiasm not one iota. I like this thing!
