Is VR even worth it?

[ibex333]

My B-Day is coming up and I want to make myself a present. Whatever in $500-700 range should be ok, IF it's actually worth it.

I did a quick Google search, and it doesn't look like theres very many "good" VR games out there.. i'm talking truly AAA titles like Fallout 4 or Resident Evil 7.

I experienced VR only once, back when the original Oculus rift came out. It was very cool, but not super useful. Very few games supported it, and mostly it was about demos and such.Also, there was this horrible side effect, when after using for 10 min, I had to take it off because it made my head spin/dizzy - very unpleasant.

How much have things improved since then? Does it really make a huge difference in games that support it?

What else can you do with it? Aside from gaming?

Thanks!

 

[Hagrid]

You can read the threads here and see that some people love it and some hate it.

There are quite a bit of games and more being made all the time. I still have the original Rift and I love playing it so much I can't play regular 2D games anymore.
The immersion factor is 99.9999% more! Some people experience vertigo/dizzy/whatever and your body either adapts or not. Hard to tell.
I did not play Fallout 4 VR, but Asgard's Wrath was awesome. You might look into the Rift S.

People have recommended lots of games. Other things to do with VR is lose weight! There are some games like The Thrill of the Fight, Box VR, and even Gorn that will give you a good workout. You can watch movies with it, browse the internet, etc. It has a desktop mode that lets you see your desktop. So I can pull up [H] and the keyboard and respond or write.

 

[RazorWind]

None of us can tell you whether it's "worth it" to you. I can tell you that it was worth the cost of entry to me, but that's obviously totally unrelated to whether it will be "worth it" to you. From the tone of your post, though, I'm inclined to think the answer to your question is probably no. Things have improved since 2016, but not dramatically.

First, if the hardware you're working with is what's shown in your sig, you'll likely need at least a graphics card upgrade. IMHO, my 2080 Ti is really only "enough" for VR. I can't even imagine trying to use a 570 (and you can't use crossfire).

Second, there isn't really anything like Fallout 4 that is exclusively a VR game. There are a few AAAish games available on the Oculus store now (Asgard's Wrath, Stormlands), but while I've heard they're good, I doubt they're quite up to the level you're expecting. There are many games that support it, though. I think the best ones are cockpit games like DCS World and Elite Dangerous that are simulations of sitting in a chair, but others exist too. Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice is a good example, but there are also versions of Skyrim and Fallout 4 that support it, too. I suspect others exist, but I've not made an exhaustive search.

The comfort issues you experienced probably have to do with adjustment of the interpupillary distance. When you get your own headset, you can adjust it to fit you, and that mostly fixes the issue, although my eyes are close enough together that some HMDs can't adjust to fit me. The Samsung Odyssey+ is one example.

As I said before, I think the best games for VR currently are the ones that simulate sitting in a chair, and are otherwise fully fleshed out games. Elite Dangerous and DCS World are two such examples, but it's obviously a matter of taste as to whether these are games you care to play. If you like these sorts of games, VR will add a lot to the experience. If you don't, then VR isn't likely to make them palatable to you.

 

[Hagrid]

There is also VorpX which allows you to play older games in VR. Bioshock was amazing!

 

[Youn]

I only just recently tried VR for the first time, got Quest for my dad on xmas and we all tried it during the holidays... the thing that surprised me most was how comfortable and easy on the eyes and stomach it was, especially considering I tend to get eye straing and car/flight sick easily. But no dizzy/sick feeling whatsoever in normal usage, only when I did things like side-load Quake and set joystick movement to max speed, but it wasn't too bad of a feeling really, just kinda strange.

For art production, industraial design, or other creative work, I can't see it being super useful at the moment. Seems like it'd not be worth the extra time. I do some arch viz work and one architect I know uses unreal for their projects and VR is starting to gain traction there:
https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/...-twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter

I'd like to believe if you are in the medical imaging, therapy, or related field there might be important use cases there - I've no first-hand knowledge of that though except my sister-in-law who is struggling with depression/ptsd seemed really interested and relaxed in it.

For game design or film work, probably more useful in those industries.

So, for sure there's uses beyond gaming, and it'll look good on a resume even if it's not obvious at the moment how it might help your line of work. I think I read somewhere walmart is using it so it's not like VR is exclusive to super exclusive high-tech scenarios

 

[kdh]

Personal preference and you'll get a bunch responses. I jumped head first into it in the fall of 2016 getting a Vive and a 1080 at the same time. I was all about it for about 3 months, after about 6, it basically sat on the shelve. I took it out when friends came over. What killed it for me at the time was screen door effect and almost all the games were glorified demos. A lot of the games for me were split into 3 camps. Tower Defense type games, story psychological horror games with jump scare tactics and social interaction vr chat apps. As for outside of gaming? I've personally used a depth sensing camera, and FFMPEG to create live 3d videos that could be viewed in my Vive in 3d with no issues. I actually did that a little over 2 years ago. Not 360 videos. They came out like being in a movie thereafter watching a 3d movie. I have friends that have used laser scanners to 3d scan things, or export cad drawings into a format that can be viewed in Vive for functional review. Build it in cad, export it to a 3D file, import into vive and then verify the thing in a 3d space to see if it will actually do what was designed or things fit the way they are supposed to. I legit tried to use my Vive for my day job and I do IT work. Epic fail. Putty was basically unreadable, and forget trying to use outlook or excel.

Last time i used it was about 5 or 6 months ago. I will say the potential is absolutely there, but most of the games, and the hardware today just isnt there at the moment. But it absolutely will be in a the next few years.

Do I regret the money and time I invested in it? No. Not at all. I'll get back into it once SDE is a non-issue, its 4k resolution in each eye, the graphics cards can run it and the game library mature. Best of luck, hope that helps.

 

[Geforcepat]

I'd say get VR to play Alex.(half life side adventure) And then get rid of it.

 

[MaZa]

About vertigo, the worst thing that causes it is turning with a controller. You do get used to front and back movement quite quickly (start seated and eventually stand up when you can take it) but turning with a stick is going to cause hell on your sense of stability and stomach. Thankfully most non-simulation games come with Snap turning where you turn something like 20 degrees in an instant and that is great. Thanks to it I can play Skyrim VR for hours straight.

Which leads me to games. There will be quite a few proper VR games next year. From current catalogue Boneworks just got released and I heard it is great, but it is only for those who already have good "VR legs". Asgards Wrath was great. And Skyrim VR and Fallout 4 feel like new games again. Their controls and UI suck but the feeling of immersion is amazing, people around you feel like people and not just NPCs and you can feel the scale around you, how big the trees, ruins and mountains really are around you. Games that you play slowly and soak in the atmosphere really benefit from VR. And horror games of course.

Couple of years ago VR was a niche but things are changing now. Valve Index and Quest is sold out all the time and there are more and more games are slowly coming up. Now is a good time to get into VR, or at least I think so personally.

*Edit* Oh, and how can I forget movies. With Bigscreen (which is free) you can have your own personal movie theater and if you have friends who also have VR devices you can invite them over, watch the movies and chat. My Oculus Rift CV1 has too low resolution and too much SDE to make enjoyable use of it but Bigscreen is one of the reasons why I want a better VR headset and soon.

 

[deaedius]

Playing Skyrim and Fallout 4 in VR is great experience. VR is not for everyone but you have to be open to the idea behind it. If you know of a friend who has it with many games to sample you can get a good field of whether or not you'll like it. That is what I did and ours is used weekly for the last 2+ years.

If I do not play often I do get motion sickness pretty quick but once I'm used to it I am pretty good. Dramamine is a staple and always near the VR set.

 

[SuperSubZero]

I think VR is getting there, but it's still kinda "version 1.3" in implementation. I got in at the $129 HP refurbished Windows Mixed Reality headset price point, and for that, it's fun enough that the shortcomings are not so much to get around. Just a few days of playing Star Trek: Bridge Crew made it all worth the price. Unfortunately I don't use it much these days, and I probably need batteries for it by now. (the WMR headsets eat batteries and don't like rechargables reliably)

I'd drop some serious money on a fancier setup, but I need more space. I also want to see some VirtualLink (or whatever) thin+long cable standard.

 

[kirbyrj]

Playing Skyrim and Fallout 4 in VR is great experience. VR is not for everyone but you have to be open to the idea behind it. If you know of a friend who has it with many games to sample you can get a good field of whether or not you'll like it. That is what I did and ours is used weekly for the last 2+ years.

If I do not play often I do get motion sickness pretty quick but once I'm used to it I am pretty good. Dramamine is a staple and always near the VR set.

I don't know...I feel like I shouldn't have to take pills to be able to play games...

 

[bobzdar]

Depends on the type of games you like. If you like flying or driving, yes, absolutely VR is worth it and you'll never go back. If you like FPS's, there are a few good ones like Onward, Pavlov and a few others, including Doom VFR. If you're after AAA story type games, there are less. Lone Echo is really good and there are a few others. HL: Alyx will probably be amazing. But if your main jam is AAA games, they generally come to VR after regular release, if at all, and VR exclusive AAA's only come out a couple of times a year. Where it really shines for me is in multiplayer, be it driving, flying, or FPS's. Nothing like ditching AI altogether and competing with other humans while fully immersed and a VR world.

 

[ThatITGuy]

How uncomfortable is VR for those with glasses?

 

[Hagrid]

How uncomfortable is VR for those with glasses?

They make prescription inserts, so no need to wear the glasses. They are cheap as well.

 

[MaZa]

How uncomfortable is VR for those with glasses?

It depends on glasses. Forget about big framed "hipster" ones, get prescription lenses if you have them. But smaller framed fit just fine, just be careful that you do noy scrath the lenses, either glasses or VR device.

 

[kdh]

Re glasses.. Friend came over and his glasses scratched one of my lenses. =\

 

[MaZa]

Re glasses.. Friend came over and his glasses scratched one of my lenses. =\

Damn. I wear (small framed) glasses myself but I try to be careful with mine, push them as close to my facr as possible etc.

 

[Johnx64]

Re glasses.. Friend came over and his glasses scratched one of my lenses. =\

Scratched my glasses and the lens on the odyssey+ the first week I had. It's not that bad on the odyssey but noticeable at times. I had to get a new pair of glasses though but I needed them anyway.

 

[deaedius]

I don't know...I feel like I shouldn't have to take pills to be able to play games...

It is the abnormality of visual movement with no body movement. Out of the 4 of us in my family I am the only one impacted.

 

[Skarth]

Find a VR arcade and try out a VR set first before buying.

 

[Youn]

I don't know...I feel like I shouldn't have to take pills to be able to play games...

it really seems like a small minority of people get sick, and they are probably doing something crazy like low framerate and joystick control and crazy game... if you are getting good frames and start out playing the games rated "comfortable" you'll most likely be totally fine. Of course, playing for 5 hours straight might make you tired, it's an intense experience, playing The Climb, which is a pretty relaxing game, m arms were tired and I felt like sitting down from the adreneline, my brother playing Vader Immortal was shaking from excitement/fear... my dad who is like nearly 70 was totally fine though, which surprised us all because he has one bad eye and we all expected him to have troubles.

 

[/dev/null]

Has anyone tried No Man's Sky in VR? Not to derail but that is kind of an "AA" title & wonder if anyone has tried it.

 

[captainyarr]

Has anyone tried No Man's Sky in VR? Not to derail but that is kind of an "AA" title & wonder if anyone has tried it.

I'm playing it now for the first time & in VR. I'm about 2 hours in and I'm really liking it.

Flying using the vive wands is a bit wonky and the lack of precision there makes space combat difficult. But it's nice to have a real VR game to play instead of a glorified demo.

 

[Stryker7314]

If your into flight simulators like DCS or X-Plane it is absolutely worth it.

Nothing like flying in the cockpit of a fighter jet or genav aircraft and being able to look around naturally at targets, airports, terrain, sky or your own instruments.
With a proper hotas or yoke and pedals you'll have the time of your life.

I use it for approach practice and it is excellent. Set the weather to the approach minimums and enjoy a challenging approach to weather minimums without the danger lol.

 

[elvn]

Got an accessorized Oculus Quest for the house for xmas and still delving into it but I'm definitely a convert. The price point was right for dipping feet in. The fact that it is both stand alone completely untethered and portable - yet can connect to my pc for better graphics games and games not available on the quest standalone made it a much better purchase. If you like boxing games against boxers and/or boxing exercise games like box VR, music/dance games like beat saber and dance central (gf loves DC) and actually exercising with it - it's worth it for that alone at the price I paid which is similar to a loaded console and peripherals. I do heavy cardio every week and these games will take whatever level of fitness you throw at them since they scale in difficulty. If you want even more challenge you can add a weighted vest and some fingerless weighted "mma" gloves and even weighted wrist straps and maybe even ankle straps if you want to go all out.

The adventure games are great too. I started playing Vader Immortal since it came free with the unit and though they are smaller sets in scenes so far, the characters are "actually there" talking to you face to face. It's eerie at first, breaking an alien out of a cell and having him look into your eyes imploring you to continue on the quest to stop vader. The simple climbing of pipes and strutures outside of the building in the early game was enough to make me look up "The Climb" VR game videos online afterward. I think that will be my next purchase.

I've played "BoxVR" which is quite a workout and a lot of fun, played "Thrill of the Fight" though it is quite particular about hitting tiny "sweet spots" on the opponents so has a learning curve, the "Creed" demo which I really liked, Vader Immortal and a few sidequest games and VR-experiences with shooting ranges and trippy stuff. I grabbed skyrimVR and fallout4 VR on xmas sale ahead of time but have yet to dig into them. I want to mod up skyrimVR first so I just started doing some research on that. The "Red Matter" exploration, puzzle game seems pretty cool too, which I've played a little of so far. I plan on hooking up my steering wheel to play Dirt Rally 1 and Dirt Rally 2 in VR (Dirt Rally 2 is on humble bundle this month btw). I'd really love to get asgard's wrath and boneworks, and of course later half-life:alyx but I have a handful of games already not to mention stuff I bought for regular "pancake" pc gaming and some ps4 titles I still flirt with so I'm trying not to buy the whole VR store all at once.

Yes admittedly there are a lot of garbage "tech demo" type VR "games" out there but there are a growing core of very good ones, as well as what is probably thousands of hours worth of adapted titles like skyrimVR(which can be modded so much that it stands up very well on a good pc, plus VR enhancing mods), Fallout4, dirt rally 1 and 2 , Doom , and I think alien isolation, etc.

It's hard to explain to someone who hasn't used VR before. I think a lot of people think of it as if it's going to be like a 180deg flat movie on a concave screen. It's not. It's fully 3d (think more like "holographic") due to the separately rendered images and lenses and so is very immersive even with simpler textured "halflife" looking games. You feel like you are "in" the rooms you are in.


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I also bought something called the 3D rudder, which is a round bottomed disc plate with a usb cable that acts as a foot controller for VR when I'm linked to the PC. I've only just started messing with the quest linked PC games so I haven't messed with it much other than the product's setup demo app but it seemed to work great. It is a lot more solid state than I expected too which is good. You basically hold your feet on little brackets on the disc, spinning it to turn and tilting it forward or back to move fwd/back, tilt side to side to strafe. Slight learning curve and sensitivity adjustment to dial in but it is meant for people with space concerns who don't want to have to worry about hitting a wall with their hands or smacking a ceiling fan lamp, and supposedly works a lot better for people who are susceptible to motion sickness. There are a few other products in development in this segment. One is a VR seat that you put on a spinnable chair/stool of your own which tilts forward back and side to side similar to the 3d rudder foot pedal. It also senses the motion of you spinning the chair around to control turning in games. The other kickstarter one is rolling shoes that also require a rotating chair/stool and an anti-static carpet ring to tread on, which you sort of run in place with while seated like roller skating in a way and spinning in the chair. I'm sure more things like this will come out or be more perfected. Devices like these don't need the large space and extreme cost of some kind of big permanent VR treadmill.
Some strong points about using these kind of solutions are
- space concerns, running into things and smacking walls, ceiling lamps/fans, damaging controllers
-less VR fatigue or motion sickness for people prone to it in games were you are moving around a lot, and more chill factor when done playing "stand up" or "exercise" games
-You can be moving in one direction and shooting in another, free movement of hands even a gun in each hand firing in completely different directions in games that allow it.
-still much more immersive than "teleporting" and 90deg blink turning type movement options or "console stick movement" in some VR games
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I'm really impressed with VR and at the price point of a PS4 over xmas sales the Quest was like $350. For the best experience I'd recommend about $100 more in quality of life accessories though (not including the 3d rudder) but that's still a very fair price for what you are getting.

In the future I'm already planning on converting my garage into a VR arena and exercise room, with my real heavy bag in the corner (can drag it and it's stand out or put it back away from main floor). I'll put my table saws and tools on the back wall , unplugged and covered of course.... otherwise what could go wrong lol. I'm also going to put plywood flooring on the rafters overhead so I can shuffle the building supplies/materials I have in garage out of the way overhead like a crawlspace loft. That would be for the standalone quest processor, at least at first since I don't plan on hauling my giant pc case back and forth. I could run remote desktop games from steam on my pc but that would depend on how fast the gameplay type was since even 5ghz wifi would have some lag obviously.


Breakdown of some mods/quality of life improvements I bought for the Oculus Quest
(Warning: long quote full of items):

From what I've read I guess the problem is more that it's imbalanced. It wouldn't work well in trying to keep to the best/lowest balance budget wise for a VR kit but you can get get replacement headstraps and better face pads for any of the headsets from 3rd party vendors. Some people even strap a travel phone pack battery to the back of the headstrap to both balance the weight of the unit onto the top of the head reather than the face as well as providing a much longer playtime and running charge.

This is why I keep saying no matter what kit I'd get I know I'd spend another few hundred dollars on making it better with some sort of accessories. So a $400 quest + some type of link cable ($) + optionally 3rd party headstrap (~ $20 vrcover.com)) and face pad ($20), the 3drudder controller that I like $100 though not critical, a travel charger (though I already own one for our phones so that one's not necessary to buy again really). velrcro strap roll (already owned for cable management). An index I'd prob end up buying similar headset modifications and eventually up to 3 mocap straps and maybe another lighthouse/motion sensor unit so that would add up to be well over $1000 especially with tax. So the quest is still the budget buy for me.

Quest $400 + tax
USB-C cable and active usb 3.0 ext cable of some sort ~ $25 (or whatever the Quest Link cable cost turns out to be)
3rd party Quest face pad replacement $20
3rd party Quest Headstrap replacement $20
Travel battery pack $16 - $30
Velcro Roll if you don't already own one: $16.50 ( 1/2" x 25 yard roll)
-----------> ~ $500 + tax

Optional separate can input headphones ~ $40
Short coiled 3.5mm wires ~$10 for two
Optional infra red emitter ~ $20
-------------> ~ another $70 + tax

3d rudder controller if you are into that sort of thing ~ $100 + tax

======================================================================================


FACE
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Vrcover Headstrap for oculus quest (~ $20)

View attachment 202297

VR Cover "VR Cover" (face pad) for oculus quest ( ~ $20)

View attachment 202298

BATTERY and COUNTERBALANCE
----------------------------------------------------

You can use a power pack on the back strap which not only extends the battery life of the Quest but also importantly makes the headset more weight balanced so that the top headstrap supports it more than being top heavy ("face heavy") by default.

There are 3rd party battery packs
https://vrnrgy.com/ the vrnrgy one is currently $40. Note that the VNRGY battery kit comes with a neoprene comfort strap that wraps over the default one.

The VRNRGY Power Pack is comfortably but firmly held in place by a breathable neoprene strap custom-made for the Quest.

View attachment 202299

VRGE Power Bank Organizer Kit for Oculus Quest $19.99
https://www.vrgevr.com/products/usb-power-bank-organizer-kit-for-oculus-quest#

View attachment 202307

Or you can DiY any pack, here are some recommended ones from androidcentral:
https://www.androidcentral.com/best-oculus-quest-battery-pack



A 3D print file of a battery bracket for it:
https://downloadfree3d.com/3d-printing-models/gadgets/oculus-quest-external-battery-mount/

View attachment 202300

Another 3D print file of a battery bracket for the quest:
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3749115

View attachment 202306

Or you could use a smartphone clip case like this one for ~ $11. I think the 3rd party headstrap and some velcro or clips on the wire would make this look a lot better
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07N2PZ4ZP/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=AY8YB5QS6H63&psc=1
https://360rumors.com/oculus-quest-battery-pack-extends-battery-life-improves-comfort/

View attachment 202301

A few 90deg usb C adapters ($7 two pack):
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B...RKTKM&linkId=d404078a4a44dc20c8adc645707b4c43

AUDIO-and-Backstrap
-----------------------------------

Some people swap a whole vive sound backstrap to the quest or oculus S but those kits seem to be bought up by resellers for a massive price hike and are either always out of stock or not made anymore for the default $100 price. Personally I'm not interested in using someone else's used headphones so the used route is out for me. I'd also rather use my own headphones.
https://forums.oculusvr.com/community/discussion/78586/finally-comfort-on-the-quest

AKA FRankenQuest:

View attachment 202302

Otherwise for sound , a pair of these might work which notably have a separate audio input for each ear can (~ $40)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07WT15ZQF/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

View attachment 202303

A few very short small coiled cable 3.5mm connector cables ~ $9. The headphones come with one 3.5mm to 6.35mm cable but two of these black 3.5mm ones for $9 isn't bad.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0742CWDN8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1
If you want to use the black cable on the 6.35mm side you'll have to use a 3.5mm to 6.35mm adapter if you have one laying around from receivers, headphones etc of the past. Otherwise they are around $4 - $5 on amazon.

A roll of velcro strap if you don't already have some would probably come in very handy too, and some small zip ties or black clips.

INFRARED for better motion sensing in SUB-OPTIMAL LIGHTING ENVIRONMENTS
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something like these for $20 or $30 though there are a lot of other infrared illuminators on the market
Indirect light is best in any case , lightbulb or IR so diffused (lamps with shades) or bounced off a wall or ceiling, etc.
Note that steam VR lighthouses use lasers strobing not IR.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075ZYG89D/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

View attachment 202308

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0771GQMPT/

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Incidentally, this guy's channel has a bunch of funny videos covering different games in VR, including being honest about bugs and shortfalls.:

https://www.youtube.com/user/hamlin351/videos

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Some 3DRudder gameplay videos:

Doom using 3dRudder foot controller

Wizards adventure game with 3dRudder. Skyrim VR with the spellcasting via motion mods should be somewhat similar in effect.

 

[CyberJunk]

Has anyone tried No Man's Sky in VR? Not to derail but that is kind of an "AA" title & wonder if anyone has tried it.

I have No Man Sky VR on Steam playing it witth RiFT S and it is very fun and enjoyable. I like flying the ship in VR and going to different planets.

 

[GreenOrbs]

...Unfortunately I don't use it much these days, and I probably need batteries for it by now. (the WMR headsets eat batteries and don't like rechargables reliably).

I use rechargable lithiums that I bought on sale for like $11ish for 4 if I remember correctly. Normal rechargables drop to a voltage that is too low for the controllers but the lithiums are higher.

Glasses scratching can be prevented with watch screen protectors.

 

[elvn]

quotes about glasses for the oculus quest. There are probably similar solutions for other headsets:

From what I've read I'd be very careful of wearing glasses since I've read reports of glasses scratching the quest's lenses accidentally when donning or doffing the headset since people tend to smear the headset down or up over their forehead and face, and glasses can tumble or fall at angles accidentally if pulled off of your ears in the process. There are a lot of different shapes and sizes of glass frames too.


I'm farsighted and wear glasses or bifocals for reading and haven't needed to wear them for VR since the focal point of the VR headset's lenses is different (farther away) than holding a phone in front of your face.

I've seen that there are corrective lens inserts with rubber rim "caps" that can be fitted over the headset's own lenses. That sounds like a much safer and ergonomic bet. At a glance, they sell for $30 or $70 depending what manufacturer. Below are two links I just looked up on the fly. I haven't done any research on them yet:

https://vroptician.com/prescription-lens-inserts/oculus-quest/


https://widmovr.com/product/oculus-quest-prescription-lens-adapters/


The VR cover face pad seems to actually add a little more space between your face and the headset. I'm not sure about the glasses fitting but it seems pretty similar inside overall. If you checked my full gallery you'd see that the VR cover comes with it's own rigid face plate frame that you insert as well as adding the extra padding and that I also have a red silicone cover that goes over the stock quest face plate. I put an ear strap "wide rectangular donut" shaped throw away face shield on then swap to the red silicone face plate if I'm playing boxVR, thrill of the fight, or other demanding games that make me get sweaty.

-------------------------

This link might give you more insight into the vrcover with glasses and more ideas (like buying a spare set of glasses with very small rounded frames just for VR). The little corrective lens caps made for the oculus quest seem like the best solution to me personally though...

/r/oculus/comments/5ku3ar/my_glasses_were_a_tight_fit_so_i_got_the_vr_cover/

I've picked up the same one - when you attach the padding to the plastic interface, don't line it up exactly. On the left and right, I've let the padding go slightly wide so it doesn't attach at the extreme left and right.

The thing is that the plastic part itself does maybe seem slightly wider than the normal Rift interface (including foam), but if you put the padding on exactly, it is a snug fit.

For me though, the overall comfort level is way higher than before. The Rift seems to stay in place without pushing my glasses uncomfortably into my nose. If they offered pads with narrow edges, that would really help, or maybe a three part pad that left a gap to the left and right for glasses.

The fantastic thing for me though is the nose gap - it's larger (some people won't like that) but it means there's enough ventilation that I can actually use my Rift without a fan (so that it doesn't fog up).

 

[SuperSubZero]

Has anyone tried No Man's Sky in VR? Not to derail but that is kind of an "AA" title & wonder if anyone has tried it.

The VR stuff is cute, but I found it clumsy to play. It's a lot of the issues VR games in general have, like my vehement dislike of teleportation movement (on WMR I can't find any way to NOT have to teleport to move), and flying ships; I really can't comfortably "grab" a flight stick that's just floating in the air. NMS VR also requires a move that is a weakness for WMR, reaching behind the shoulder to equip the multi-tool. Since WMR can't track outside of the cameras, it has trouble with this motion.

 

[elvn]

I can' speak for the windows headset "WMR". I own an oculus quest.

I've been playing a climbing game demo called "climby" and I'll prob get "The Climb" which is a much more polished full game title. I've watched a few video reviews of it. I really like the climbing locomotion and sense of heights combined with the almost like "portal" puzzle aspect of working your way through the level. I got a 3dRudder foot controller made for playing VR seated which I cam use when I'm tethered to PC near my desk. I plan on using it for heavily modded skyrim VR (including some really good enhancments to VR mods), and fallout 4 VR, and whenever I get asgard's wrath and later halflife: alyx.

I agree the teleport or flip turning in many games isn't optimal, and that kind of movement doesn't work well with the 3dRudder besides. I find it usable in some titles with the sticks, for example the puzzle exploration game "Red Matter" though it has ground movement also allows you to use your space suit to rocket boost from A to B when you want to. The "teleportation" is more of a burst then gliding flight and makes good sense in that game. Some that have teleportation and flick turning movement types by default also allow you to switch it to smooth turning and glide movement in the options menus if you dig into them. There are great titles with free movement. Asgard's wrath has no teleportation and I think boneworks is free movement also. Halflife: Alyx allows to you choose either method. I've seen vids of people playing apex with an oculus quest untethered in a giant soccer field outside running around and doing somersaults virtually shooting AI. opponents. I've also seen vids of gameplay with 3drudder on doom VFR, skyrim, wizards, etc. - so I know there are other games with free movement that doesn't teleport or flick-turn. With my 3dRudder I can tilt the foot disc and turn/spin it to move around and it can map to the hand controller functions or to any keyboard functions, leaving my hands free to shoot or manipulate things. If I'm playing VR boxing or BoxVR for a workout I am standing up and working with my legs and turning my body though. Those kind of games alone are worth the price of an oculus quest in my opinion.

The behind the shoulder on your back sheathed weapon or tool thing can be an issue with some games when using headsets like the oculus quest since you aren't setting up a room with lighthouses/external sensors. They should make a an option in the menus for a weapon wheel popup when you press a button or hold the stick down as a button click or something if they know people are having issues with it. They could also make the hitbox for the item farther ahead, like the butt end of the tool or a strap off the tool on the front of your shoulder and chest - or mount it as if on a bicep, forearm, belt/thigh strap on the character instead of on his (your) back. Vader immortal has a tool on the left outer thigh/belt and the lightsaber on the right.

That behind the back scenario is one of the limitations of a standalone headset without multiple lighthouses (and even mocap emitters for knees, feet, elbows, waist) for better motion capture (mocap) - but that also helps make it more affordable. Personally I have had zero problem grabbing weapons and then grabbing a clip and slapping it into the gun in VR shooting gallery games, or grabbing a bunch of "hack the star wars door" panels and ship levers in "vader immortal". I also have no problem grabbing ladder rungs and pipes for climbing. I find that a lot of fun and am just talking myself into buy "The Climb" the more I talk about it. As for holding a virtual flight stick - personally I plan on using a logitech steering wheel + foot pedals and shifter for dirt rally and dirt rally2. I wouldn't use a virtual steering wheel and if I was playing a flight sim I'd start looking for a flight stick. VR is really "Ghost" objects when it comes down to it so you can't really expect to hold onto a virtual stick and get resistance, let alone a feeling of torque <insert porn jokes here> . In the future there will be haptic gloves that allow you to hold things better, and haptic vests and suits but again that is a lot more money. A game dev could however lock your hand on the stick when you grab it and then let you use the controller stick with your thumb as your flight stick.

 

[4saken]

not worth it unless you have disposable income. I have a rift, psvr, quest, all fun for a bit, then end up sitting on whatever shelf they are relegated to. It's 1% of my gaming time over the last 6 months.

 

[t1k]

I enjoy vr for experiences like Google Earth, BigScreen Beta, simulation games, social apps, and rhythm/fitness games. I find VR FPS's in particular to be very uncomfortable, though I enjoy pretty much everything else that vr has to offer. It makes me claustrophobic and uncomfortable to be physically confined to a flat, boxed space when my senses perceive that there is more around me and more I should be physically doing. I want to be able to actually run and walk and climb and swim in FPS games like I can and do in real life. At first I found roomspace tech very intriguing, but after a while of messing with it I've decided it's just not enjoyable to me for a more traditional FPS gaming experience. Standing around in a room makes me feel sick after a while unless the experience is really physically engaging like something like Holopoint/Beat Saber. I remember John Carmack mentioning something like there is no clear, near solution he sees for adding advanced haptics to vr that will really make things physically realistic.

Anyway, I just thought I'd share my thoughts about the current state of vr. I love the tech, but I don't think the traditional fps is going to be replaced anytime soon. I give it at least two decades tbh. I think we're in the stone ages of that future of gaming. Personally, I'm more excited about the things A.I. is going to do for gaming in the shorter term.

 

[elvn]

I have a rift, psvr, quest, all fun for a bit, then end up sitting on whatever shelf they are relegated to. It's 1% of my gaming time over the last 6 months.

You can say the same of workout equipment... some people love it and use it regularly, other's make them into coat racks. I've had console gaming systems I'd left to dust in some generations. It's all what you are into and really what kind of games and experiences you enjoy. That said, with the quest being as low as $350 over the holidays it's not a crazy purchase imo compared to buying a console system and some peripherals for the same price, or compared to $1000 + expensive extras for a valve index... $1200 - $1500 for a pimax 8k x. Plus the quest having untethered "switch of VR" usage is a big bonus. I get a lot more use out of it since I can bring it anywhere. I workout regularly so I especially enjoy some of the boxing workout games a lot, and soon the better climbing game.

- If you like boxing exercise games (boxVR) and boxing games that give you a lot of exercise (Thrill of the Fight, Creed, etc). .... especially if you use weighted fingerless mma gloves and/or weighted wrist straps, weighted vest, etc
- Other sport-fun/exercise games like Sports Scramble (tennis, baseball, bowling). Disc Golf, etc.
- Music/Dancing games that you have to actually perform for, getting exercise (beat saber, dance central , etc)
- Puzzle movement~exercise games (The Climb, especially if you use weighted fingerless mma gloves and/or weighted wrist straps, weighted vest, etc)
- Fantasy/Adventure games (asgard's wrath, half-life:alyx, wizards, skyrimVR(modded), fallout4VR version, serious sam, etc.
- Horror/Adventure/Story games where you are "inside" the world
- single player progression through map level shooters/adventure shooters (boneworks, half-life:alyx, Doom VFR, some other games adapted to VR.)
- some shooting gallery "house of the dead" type games,
- racing games with a pc steering wheel (dirt rally 1 , dirt rally 2, and a few others)
- flight sims

- and a number of other categories..

There is a growing library for the Quest https://www.androidcentral.com/every-game-confirmed-oculus-quest

plus you can use Quest Link to tether to your pc and play steam VR games or other oculus store games made for the oculus wired headsets so there are a decent amount of games even if they aren't all winners. Besides, I'm not buying the whole library.

You can also watch 3d movies and 180deg VR documentaries and indie clips online which are neat though there is some screen door effect on the quest more evident in those than games. The pimax 8k supposedly makes screen door less evident to the point where it isn't really visible in normal viewing. The panasonic "steampunk" looking VR glasses shown at CES look like they would be a lot more comfortable for movie viewing however since they are very lightweight. They only have a 70deg FoV so would be better for media consumption and desktop/app type stuff than gaming.

My Oculus Quest Gear and Mods

Smaller "VR" glasses in 2020

 

[TED]

I bought the OG Vive when it came out... Probably my biggest "wish I didnt buy this thing" purchase. It was fun but not $800 fun. Coulda used the cash elsewhere in hindsight.

 

[GreenOrbs]

I bought the OG Vive when it came out... Probably my biggest "wish I didnt buy this thing" purchase. It was fun but not $800 fun. Coulda used the cash elsewhere in hindsight.

And that's probably the biggest question when you are considering whether VR is "worth it" or not-- how much did you have to pay to experience it? In my opinion if you can get a good PC VR headset for <$250 its definitely worth it. Samsung Odyssey+ has a great OLED screen with a similar resolution to a Vive Pro. It could be had for as low as $195.5 after cashback portals (or $230 without) during black friday season like I posted. I paid $250 for mine in 2018 during Black Friday and feel like I've gotten my money's worth. If I had paid $800-1000, I might have a different perspective.

 

[elvn]

I consider myself an early adopter right now even though I just got an oculus quest xmas 2019, because VR is still young in development compared to what it can be in the future. From what I've seen VR is finally getting some decent games and affordable tech as well as a standalone functionality option all for a fair entry price of $400 or less (~ $500 with quality of life improvements) - however it's still early in it's progress and there are advancements being made and planned.

I hear a number of people who got into VR several years ago who seem to have burned out. It sounds like they dropped some decent money and had hoped for a lot more, sooner. I go back to my workout equipment analogy... for some people a workout machine turns into a coat rack, others love using it regularly and don't tire of it. To be fair, up until recently there weren't quite as many good games and games in development being roadmapped though.

Other people seem to want a holodeck system with very high rez VR headset and a full suit of haptic feedback gear for the price of a console gaming system. Of course you shouldn't have to shell out $3000 for some haptic gloves or a $5000 haptic vest. There should be a more moderate ground and I'm guessing there will be eventually. Like TVs, consoles, and PC gaming parts newer models come out that out date the older ones so it is hard to recommend dumping a lot of money into an expensive VR kit and accessories in this and the last generation if you are on the fence and not a real enthusiast in my opinion. A more expensive kit with peripherals will likely continue to be a better experience though - just like having a 9.2 atmos surround system and a big OLED hdr tv with a full sized couch is better than a cheap 1080p smaller tv with integrated speakers sitting on a lawn chair. Like tv technology, there should be some trickle down and price moderation of the higher end stuff over time but I'm guessing a PC Master Race version of a full VR kit in the future will probably continue to be $1000 and up to a few thousand dollars if a high end headset and peripherals, more if buying full haptics (and that's not counting the PC), while there will be oculus quest type VR kits that are more like a console gaming system price range.

As AR glasses and smaller form factors advance, AR and VR will definitely overtake regular screen use for most people, especially mobile device users. Why would you stare at a brick in your hand when you can eventually have very high resolution virtual screens, notifications, information "mouseover" popups, virtual assistants, remote virtual people, enhanced reality (dark vision enhancement, highlighted pedestrians and road lines, buildings, gps directions, personal details on highlighted contact person, identified objects and models and their details, etc) in midair. It is just a matter of time. VR and AR will both have a gaming segment that progresses too.

Is VR worth it *right now* ? That is a question you have to answer for yourself. Among other things I'd consider your enjoyment of physical activity and the type of games you like. I'd also consider how much space you have to play since it is a big factor for room scale game play though you can play sitting down in some games, especially with some foot hardware controller options. I'd get a lot more out of my VR kit if I had a larger room to play in, so I'm aiming to remodel my garage into a workout and VR room sometime this year.

 

[4saken]

You can say the same of workout equipment... some people love it and use it regularly, other's make them into coat racks. I've had console gaming systems I'd left to dust in some generations. It's all what you are into and really what kind of games and experiences you enjoy. That said, with the quest being as low as $350 over the holidays it's not a crazy purchase imo compared to buying a console system and some peripherals for the same price, or compared to $1000 + expensive extras for a valve index... $1200 - $1500 for a pimax 8k x. Plus the quest having untethered "switch of VR" usage is a big bonus. I get a lot more use out of it since I can bring it anywhere. I workout regularly so I especially enjoy some of the boxing workout games a lot, and soon the better climbing game.

- If you like boxing exercise games (boxVR) and boxing games that give you a lot of exercise (Thrill of the Fight, Creed, etc). .... especially if you use weighted fingerless mma gloves and/or weighted wrist straps, weighted vest, etc
- Other sport-fun/exercise games like Sports Scramble (tennis, baseball, bowling). Disc Golf, etc.
- Music/Dancing games that you have to actually perform for, getting exercise (beat saber, dance central , etc)
- Puzzle movement~exercise games (The Climb, especially if you use weighted fingerless mma gloves and/or weighted wrist straps, weighted vest, etc)
- Fantasy/Adventure games (asgard's wrath, half-life:alyx, wizards, skyrimVR(modded), fallout4VR version, serious sam, etc.
- Horror/Adventure/Story games where you are "inside" the world
- single player progression through map level shooters/adventure shooters (boneworks, half-life:alyx, Doom VFR, some other games adapted to VR.)
- some shooting gallery "house of the dead" type games,
- racing games with a pc steering wheel (dirt rally 1 , dirt rally 2, and a few others)
- flight sims

- and a number of other categories..

There is a growing library for the Quest https://www.androidcentral.com/every-game-confirmed-oculus-quest

plus you can use Quest Link to tether to your pc and play steam VR games or other oculus store games made for the oculus wired headsets so there are a decent amount of games even if they aren't all winners. Besides, I'm not buying the whole library.

You can also watch 3d movies and 180deg VR documentaries and indie clips online which are neat though there is some screen door effect on the quest more evident in those than games. The pimax 8k supposedly makes screen door less evident to the point where it isn't really visible in normal viewing. The panasonic "steampunk" looking VR glasses shown at CES look like they would be a lot more comfortable for movie viewing however since they are very lightweight. They only have a 70deg FoV so would be better for media consumption and desktop/app type stuff than gaming.

My Oculus Quest Gear and Mods

Smaller "VR" glasses in 2020

I don't disagree one bit with that. It's great, but as an individual making the decision you really need to validate that is what you intend to use it for and are you going to get your money out of it. For me, it's just not there yet. I do enjoy VR, but for every day use, gaming, videos, workouts, etc, it's just not there yet. I personally feel it is still in the gimmicky phase. It's a step to a whole new evolution of entertainment imo, and it's not quite there yet for a day to day staple.

 

[Hagrid]

I don't disagree one bit with that. It's great, but as an individual making the decision you really need to validate that is what you intend to use it for and are you going to get your money out of it. For me, it's just not there yet. I do enjoy VR, but for every day use, gaming, videos, workouts, etc, it's just not there yet. I personally feel it is still in the gimmicky phase. It's a step to a whole new evolution of entertainment imo, and it's not quite there yet for a day to day staple.

How many games have you tried? It will be different with each person like you said.
I tried to play the new Hitman but only got 20 minutes into it before I stopped. Looking at a 2D screen is super boring now. There is 0 immersion and it makes game play
just.........not in the same league as VR. VR is also a good tool for losing weight/burning extra calories in a fun way.
Like others have said, go for a cheap one like the Rift S and see if you like it.

 

[4saken]

How many games have you tried? It will be different with each person like you said.
I tried to play the new Hitman but only got 20 minutes into it before I stopped. Looking at a 2D screen is super boring now. There is 0 immersion and it makes game play
just.........not in the same league as VR. VR is also a good tool for losing weight/burning extra calories in a fun way.
Like others have said, go for a cheap one like the Rift S and see if you like it.

Tons. Like i said, I own 3 different VR setups/platforms. I have a massive VR library across them as well. I enjoy it, but just can't say its worth it as a day to day platform as of yet. I'm just being realistic when people ask the question. For the $$ I don't think they are worth it unless you have the disposable income. I'm an avid Sim Racer, but I still prefer to race with a 3x ultra ws setup vs VR. There is a convenience aspect to that as well. I am absolutely not trying to dissuade someone from getting VR, just offering my personal opinion of where I believe it's at.

 

[Youn]

compare it to things like going out to see movies, sports bar, arcade, frickin theme parks... $400 + a few games is pretty cheap all things considered. Just showed Quest to my cousin the other night, watching my dad goof around on beat saber... seems everyone that tries it has a blast. Bring some face condoms, take it to your grandparents and film them flailing around... doesn't really get old IME and I'm surprised everyone likes it more than I do (then again I'm a bit jaded on life)

if you are just solo in mom's basement or something I can totally see it getting old quick, unless you are really into things like rec room or some other online stuff, the sp content doesn't have much replay value