VR - Is it really going to be a success? Or, thanks Time for starting a discussion!

They’re setting up the ecosystem like a console because that’s where it eventually has to be to become generally viable. VR is going nowhere but enthusiasts until you can buy the headset, controller, any sensors, and the processing power to run the whole thing in a single box for $500 or less.

Except VR is far more than just a monitor, and almost all software works on both headsets… :P

The main problem seems to be supporting the different touch controllers. SteamVR has an update in the works that willl allow native remapping of controls - I’m guessing then the Vive/Oculus controllers will both be customizable kind of like Steam Controllers.

I got my Vive deluxe strap and really like it. The built-in headphones are a huge improvement, plus it feels more balanced and comfy on my noggin.

Any guesses on the price point for the new, higher-res Vive pro? I’ll probably bite no matter what because I love early adopting this tech but I’m hoping they surprise us with a number that’s lower than expected.

I would guess 450, bit that’s completely uninformed.

I’m interested. I’d like to hear what the pro does for detailed cockpit games like Elite. If I supersample at 1.5x, is the pro at 1.0 going to be that much of a jump? I feel like Elite needs just a bit more clarity to be really great in VR.

My gut says the new headset will be 600 by itself. I’m not basing that on anything other than looking at my feelings toward all previous price announcements and thinking “What price would make me feel that way again?”

I do have to wonder how much more taxing the increased resolution will be on hardware, and what the benefit will be. Elite Dangerous is my benchmark here. Currently, I have to be looking directly at text to read it, and I’m usually leaning in a little bit. Will the Pro reduce my need to turn my head to read text? If so, by how much? Will it reduce the need to lean closer to read text? If so, by how much?

Of course, the problem is that there’s probably no way for me to get answers to those questions without buying one!

I am guessing just by a tiny bit. The fresnel lenses seem to be staying the same so the sweet spot, which is already tiny compared to the rift, will still blur the higher resolution text outside of it.

If that turns out to not be the case I will be much more interested in the pro.

Found this -

True to HTC’s promises during the press event before the demo stations opened up, the Vive Pro makes virtual text and other fine details much clearer than the standard Vive. While reading text on the existing HMD often involves a bit of a struggle to get the text into the central “sweet spot” of the headset lenses to make it readable, all of the text in the Driftwood virtual environment I explored in my Vive Pro demo was instantly, perfectly clear. Whether signs that were close up or book titles on shelves that were a few virtual yards away, text was easy to make out regardless of the portion of the lenses in which it was displayed.

Here’s a question for you current VR users: Do you ever use the Store in VR? Or do you do all your purchasing/browsing from the desktop? I see Oculus, Viveport, etc. putting big efforts into virtual environments for their stores and launchers. But I have zero desire to do those operations in VR when it’s so much more efficient to do them on the desktop.

I can see where it’s a must for stand-alone headsets. But for a headset you’re connecting to a 2D screen device – Oculus, Vive, Windows MR, PSVR – I’m never going to browse a sale in my headset. Nor do I want to walk across a virtual living room in orbit of a nebula in order to launch a game.

These VR stores feel like gimmicks, and even if I had a stand-alone headset, I’d pretty much just prefer to browse the store on a virtual monitor.

I’m guessing around $600 as well. Under $500 would be awesome but I think that’s too good to be true.

I completely understand the hesitation to jump on-board the VR bandwagon yet but is there anyone here who regrets their purchase of a headset? If so, I think they’re a significant minority.

I don’t mind the shortcomings and quirks. I don’t even mind the expense (though it is too expensive.) I can even handle wumpus rooting hard against us as is his wont. I don’t mind any of this because I’m having a total blast watching this thing evolve. It’s the most satisfying early adoption experience I’ve had in ages.

I used to love watching console and PC games evolve but that stopped being astonishing a long while back. When you’ve lived through Wolfenstein to Doom to Quake or the jump to video cards with Tomb Raider, you start to miss those big leaps. All we get now are more particles or distant horizons or whatever. From high-res to really high-res. Incremental leaps that are neat but not AMAZING LEAPS. For me, VR is filled with amazing leaps.

So am I completely alone on this 2D gaming via Virtual Desktop or what? Nobody has said anything the past two times I’ve brought it up in this thread but imagine if somebody told you when you were 8 that someday you could play your games on a giant, floating screen anywhere around you that you want to put it. This tech alone is completely nuts and amazeballs. I think atmospheric games like Inside or stylish indies with hot art design like Hyper Light Drifter play just awesome like this. Sure, AAA games that are graphics hogs tend to choke and die, but there are plenty of indies that look cool and play spectacularly like this. Get away from that monitor and lie down in a beanbag chair and play horizontal! VR doesn’t always mean standing and moving! Perish the thought!!!

Either I’m crazy and alone on this (which is certainly possible) or not enough people have tried it out with the right game. I like to sit close at the movies so that the entire screen fills my field of vision… I guess this wouldn’t be of interest if you like sitting in the back row. But I’m going to keep preaching about this until someone. Acknowledges. Me. I exist. VALIDATE ME!!!

In other news, Arizona Sunshine is on sale for $25. I’m tempted as I’ve heard good things.

Nope. I don’t see the appeal.

VR environments in general are yet to prove their worth to me. All the swastikas I saw on my first outing were a significant deterrence. I did a downhill skiing environment last weekend that was kind of a fun novelty for 5 minutes.

I kind of regret mine (PSVR) because it’s a hassle to set up and switching between VR and regular gaming usually requires a reboot to make everything work properly. Software prices for the entertainment value weren’t where I’d have liked, and VR sickness got me the last couple times I played. As cool as it is, it’s hard to justify the set up time for ~30 minutes of play and then feeling terrible after.

I actually bought From Other Suns in the virtual store, using the new Oculus Dash 2 beta. Previously I’d just used the desktop app.

But I was in already in VR and I saw it there for sale, so it was much easier to just click buy rather than switch to the virtual desktop or take the headset off. :)

I wouldn’t put the headset on specifically to go shopping, unless they had the immersive VR previews like Vive is getting.

For me, if I’m playing in 2D I’d rather it be on on my high refresh gsync screen.

I just finished Arizona. Nice feel to the shooting. A bit over-long. Feels like a game from an earlier era, but well, with you in it. I actually think it was a little cheaper in the Winter sale.

In other news Ultrawings is 40% off at $15 in the Oculus Store.

Yup, crazy and alone. I hate sitting at the front, and I have no desire to play 2D games (or watch movies) in VR. Certainly not with the current resolution.

This is one of the main complaints I hear from people who don’t fully enjoy VR. It seems like if it’s not possible to have a setup that lets you get into VR quickly it’s much more likely that you’ll end up disappointed. Hell, I’ll watch a movie on my phone sometimes because turning my projector and receiver on would take me all of three minutes. People are lazy.

Still, I do think with the current game library, resolution issues, etc., that there’s a significant portion of people that aren’t going to love VR even after trying it, but I think the cynicism towards the tech in general is weirdly high and there’s a lot of people out there that think it’s a gimmick that would actually enjoy it. It’s definitely a very successful generation one product in my opinion. I’m still using it a ton after having it for 18 months and I’m glad I didn’t wait for gen 2.

The Oculus has zero prep time… you just slip it on. Any barrier at all would seriously irritate me.

I hear ya both. But what is sitting “at the front”? Did you mean “on the floor”? It’s true that my very-decent proposal requires a mega-comfy beanbag chair, couch, or a nice, tippy-backy gaming chair so you can kick back and put your feet up or swivel around to reposition yourself in some fashion while wearing the goggles. Hell, drag the doggy bed down to your game room if you gotta.

Profanicus is right about monitors… 4K, gsync, high refresh, I love it too. What I’m describing is far from a replacement for that… it’s just an alternative that can work when paired with the right game, mood, and relaxed position. Because sitting up and looking at a monitor in front of you is also quite limiting. Do I have to say it again?? Giant, floating screens anywhere you want!

Here’s the thing. With the right game, you can get more out of it than you give up. The atmosphere and depth of Inside was enhanced tremendously in VR… I played the whole game in Vive and it did wonders for the immersiveness and scale, two things we all know VR is so amazingly good at. Plus there’s something to be said for not being able to see your hands or the gamepad or any of the room around you. That’s neat. I agree that it wouldn’t add anything substantial to a TV show or movie, but it sure does add to these game worlds.

I guess one reason I’m trying to spread the gospel on this is that it adds significant value to this gizmo as an alternative monitor rather than just part of some bulky contraption we only use while standing up or in a cockpit. Heck, this doesn’t even need the controllers. Just your gamepad games. Like Alistair says, this is just ‘pull the goggles out, put them on, and start playing.’

Oh, one thing to remember if you want to try this… make sure to go to the properties of your Steam games and un-check the box that says use desktop gaming theater when game is launched in VR. We don’t want that crappy little room. We want GIANT, FLOATING SCREENS!

At movies.

Well, I don’t.

Oh, at the movies! Got it. Duh. It was right in the part you quoted.

Heavens’ sakes! I can’t conceive of anyone who wouldn’t want a giant, floating screen.

Last time I sat in the front row was at War of the Gargantuas in my local theater. I was 7 years old. My neck still hurts.

Oi, who said anything about the front row?? I sit near the front at the movies. Maybe a quarter to a third of the way back from the screen. I like the screen to look nice and big while also being comfortable to look at.

Virtual Desktop lets you adjust the size of the hypothetical giant, floating screen in VR. It can be a medium, hovering screen if you prefer.