Community The MetaVerse VR thread (hardware/software/etc, all platforms)

EdwardTivrusky

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Dec 8, 2018
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I never played Audio Surf, although i have them so i couldn't compare them. I haven't felt disconnected from the impacts AudioShield thankfully as that would be much less exciting and fun.
 
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Durante

Durante

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edit: after looking and trying out some mod tools... the user generated content is reeeaaally not very good. Songs are either just very, very hard and made for the lols, or just not good. Plus not really a fan of the stock Songs so I will be sticking to Soundboxing for my YouTube beat/workout thing.
IMHO there are quite a few really good user-made beatmaps, but there are also a lot of not-so-great (or expert+-only, which I can't do) maps as well. The problem is that the search/ordering tools aren't particularly good.
 
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fantomena

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So I started using OpenVR Advanced Settings change the direction Im facing. It works well.

What I was referring to is hardware-locking their store, and having anti-competitive (in my opinion) clauses in the agreements to their developer materials. Nothing that would affect you as a user, especially if you don't use their platform.

The technical quality of their software is good.
I don't see the problem. Oculus exclusives like Lone Eho, Asgards Wrath, Dance Central etc. are just like PS4s Spider-Man. Oculus funding the development. They want people to buy their hardware.
 

Alextended

Segata's Disciple
Jan 28, 2019
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Hm, I didn't know HTC/Vive fund games too. But their store is platform agnostic like Steam iirc. I've heard it's awful software that breaks your PC. I can't confirm.
 
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Durante

Durante

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I don't see the problem. Oculus exclusives like Lone Eho, Asgards Wrath, Dance Central etc. are just like PS4s Spider-Man. Oculus funding the development. They want people to buy their hardware.
The problem is fundamentally in it being software exclusive to a particular brand of PC peripheral. If they just made their own funded exclusives for their software platform -- but did not also restrict their hardware compatibility -- I still wouldn't actively support it, but I'd be less opposed.
If you don't see an issue with that then you look at these things differently from me, and that's fine. But to me, one of the best things about PC gaming in general is having an eternal, forward-compatible library, and going back to it when I get better hardware (e.g. GPUs, or now also VR devices).

Even some people who were saying that it's stupid to get too worked up about this 2 years ago are now (that Oculus isn't really releasing an upgrade to their HW) miffed that they bought games in an ecosystem which doesn't easily enable them to switch hardware suppliers.
 
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Alextended

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With VR still being so niche and games seemingly being very low budget for sales to be enough to sustain the studios, I wonder if they should start kickstarting VR games so that enthusiasts can fork the bill to get some better production values and stuff, whether in polish or amount of depth and content etc. Maybe not everyone could do that successfully but it'd be cool to see some industry veterans with a cool pitch pimping it in all the right ways to get it funded and done.
 

derFeef

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Apr 17, 2019
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Anyone tried Prey: Typhon Hunter? Never knew this came out as an update to Mooncrash - will give it a shot tomorrow.
 

Alextended

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I saw Shadow Point PC was added to the Oculus Store and tried to make it my first purchase on there, alongside Drop Dead which is said to be a good lightgun style game, but my Master Card wasn't being accepted. It's debit but has worked anywhere I've used it, from Amazon USA to Euro Amazon to local stores. Meh.
 

low-G

old school cool
Nov 1, 2018
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Hm, I didn't know HTC/Vive fund games too. But their store is platform agnostic like Steam iirc. I've heard it's awful software that breaks your PC. I can't confirm.
I've had a bad time with Viveport, often (always?) their very few exclusive games eventually show up on Steam.


If you get Shadow Point please tell me if it's any good.
 

DollEyes

Out of Mana
Apr 17, 2019
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So I want to get into VR... what's the best headset right now? I want the Index but they don't sell it in Canada so if I import it then I think I won't get any warranty? Maybe it's worth it anyway :cautious:
 
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Alextended

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Yeah get the Index for overall best PC VR with the least compromises (and a high price). You'll have to wait of course, it's back-ordered for months or something. Otherwise if you want more cost effective for like half price with compromises (tracking blindspots with the inside out tracking) get a Rift S. I think it's best to choose between the two now. Pimax is expensive and high end and mostly for the high field of view, but doesn't yet have great motion controllers n stuff either. It will but also it all uses Valve's tracking tech anyway, so why not just go Valve? Vive has kind of been superseded by Index as well except for the Eye Tracking model which is expensive and they still use meh wand controllers. WMR is just worse Rift S (even if some are higher res the controllers are inferior). Etc.
 
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Arulan

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Dec 7, 2018
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I've gone back to Space Pirate Trainer recently, and it's still a wonderful time. I can't help but dance a little to the music while I'm blasting away.
 

DollEyes

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Price didn't bother me I was mostly concerned about importing it, if it even matters at all. That, and having to wait for the ship date, but I'll just take the gamble on it.
 

Alextended

Segata's Disciple
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I bought Drop Dead since I heard it's one of the better rail shooters in VR. I guess it's one that does kind of resemble the feel of a lightgun shooter, but it's not as good as something like House of the Dead 2 & 3 or Ghost Squad. Maybe as good as Overkill sans the grindhouse style. I guess I'd say it's worth the 15 eurobucks though I've yet to finish it and some of the gameplay systems are hardly well thought out, like how the melee weapons fit in and maybe the scoring multipliers.

The trailer alone goes for the grindhouse style, none of those effects/va are in the actual game :p

Another game I played that kind of gets this type of gameplay is Crisis VRigade but it's still early access.

It's not quite as tight in gameplay and you need to take cover a LOT or die quite fast. It's not quite Time Crisis-like, it has its own promising feel.
 
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low-G

old school cool
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I've gone back to Space Pirate Trainer recently, and it's still a wonderful time. I can't help but dance a little to the music while I'm blasting away.
It has been one of the most consistent titles for me, for years now I guess? Easy to learn, hard to master. I really think this will stand the test of time like Robotron 2084 and Geometry Wars.
 

Alextended

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SweViver put out a video showcasing a less known/popular app than RiftCat to stream PCVR games to the Oculus Quest and it seems like it works quite well.

As long as you have a good router and stuff I guess and it's not exactly flawless either, but still, that greatly expands the functionality of the device for sure.
 
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derFeef

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It has been one of the most consistent titles for me, for years now I guess? Easy to learn, hard to master. I really think this will stand the test of time like Robotron 2084 and Geometry Wars.
Man, and I still do not own it :D

I bought Drop Dead since I heard it's one of the better rail shooters in VR. I guess it's one that does kind of resemble the feel of a lightgun shooter, but it's not as good as something like House of the Dead 2 & 3 or Ghost Squad. Maybe as good as Overkill sans the grindhouse style. I guess I'd say it's worth the 15 eurobucks though I've yet to finish it and some of the gameplay systems are hardly well thought out, like how the melee weapons fit in and maybe the scoring multipliers.

The trailer alone goes for the grindhouse style, none of those effects/va are in the actual game :p
I am craving for a lightgun zombie shooter, why there is no House of the Dead VR is beyong me.
Horde-Z is not bad in that regard but it lacks polish/budget. Fun tho!

 
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Alextended

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Yeah, maybe some day M2 will do a SEGA Ages VR range and have recreations of the arcade cabinets and lightguns in VR to scale, maybe even let you choose between the cheaper or the fancier premium deluxe whatever versions of the cabinets! That'd be sweet (if SEGA remains unwilling to make actual VR sequels).

You can supposedly set up New Retro Arcade: Neon to have a lightgun cabinet in this manner but I can't wrap my head around that shit.

Maybe someone will make an easy to use VR emulator with this functionality some day.

I tried to use emulators that use the mouse to emulate a lightgun and then have VR emulate the mouse functionality but I can't find a VR desktop application (bigscreen, virtual desktop, oculus home, whatever) that lets the desktop work in full framerate and also lets you click super fast with the Touch trigger, they all seem to have lower framerate and also not let trigger presses work like mouse clicks exactly so every other click or worse isn't recognized. The pointing seems spot-on besides that (I'd need to replace the controller with a gun model for effect) but it's not playable because of those issues. So close yet so far.
 
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fantomena

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Ive decided that, if Valve doesn't ship the Index to Norway either by themself or partners up with a shop here by the end of 2019, Im just gonna buy a VIVE.
 
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Alextended

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How about a Pimax if money is no object? Seems like it'd be the non-Valve Index in terms of features once they release their own motion controllers.

As long as they review well of course.

Budget Cuts dev's next game:
 

Alextended

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I guess but I don't see it affecting gameplay in any way, maybe they should work on a sequel instead where the interaction will matter :d
 

derFeef

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I can see them adding grab/pull mechanics but nothing more, yeah.

edit:
How is Lethal VR? I gues it looks just like another shooting gallery but if it feels good and is fun then the current price would be okay I guess?

 
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fantomena

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So Blood & Truth VR seems good, but Im worried that it might to OMGSHOOTINGHOLLYWOODBLUCKBUSTER for me.
 
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Durante

Durante

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I'll enjoy hand presence in Arizona Sunshine even if it's just for gesturing in coop. (Actually, that's one of the primary use cases I see in almost any game with an online component)
 
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Durante

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Index impressions from Tested:

It seems like the 144 Hz mode is completely usable.
They also talk a lot about how much of a difference the refresh rate makes.
 

derFeef

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The god ray and sweetspot complaints from Tested are certainly a bummer. I thought Valve would make a bigger upgrade there with the lenses.
 
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Durante

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Here's a great Index video by someone who uses a VR HMD for hours daily:

A few points I noted:
  • Regarding comfort, he specifically states that "it makes [the Valve Index] the most comfortable HMD I've ever worn. It's not even close."
  • He also raves about the build quality -- "it feels like something built with vision and without compromise". And more.
  • Interestingly, his opinion on the optics is very different from Tested. He talks about the optics sweet spot and focal range being massively larger than on 1st-gen headsets.
  • He also mentions that while the basic hardware pixel count is more or less the same as a Vive Pro, it's far sharper than that in practice. (Probably a combination of better display utilization, better pixel fill rate, and more subpixels)
  • He adds another "fantastic" vote regarding audio quality, but that's unsurprising.
  • He didn't even use the >90 Hz modes much yet, because they aren't viable for his primary (in-editor testing) use case.
 
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derFeef

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Posted over at Era too, but I really know where the difference in optical impression (or perception) comes from.

edit: also yay for long hair comfort :so-good-blob:
 
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SRossi

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Posted over at Era too, but I really know where the difference in optical impression (or perception) comes from.

edit: also yay for long hair comfort :so-good-blob:
Check out the oculus and valveindex Reddit threads about it. Norm posts there and clarified that what usually is called the sweet spot is not what he meant. I would quote the clarifications but I'm on mobile.
 
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Durante

Durante

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The Climbey dev also mentions that the sweet spot is a massive improvement.
Personally, I think that the people who spend literally 1000s of hours in VR are particularly trustworthy in their reporting.

Unlike Anton he also tested 120 and 144 Hz, and mentions something which I expected and hoped for: even when you drop frames, higher Hz rates are actually beneficial, and you will not perceive those frame drops as much as you would on 90 Hz (or lower) HMDs.

He also says "I love this headset" what seems like a dozen times in that video ;)
 
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SRossi

regretten? rien!
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ok so here a quote from norm about the sweetspot:

i think we're talking about two different kinds of sweet spots. when your eyes are centered in the lensese, the viewable eyebox clarity is pretty good--i can indeed glance around and see clear details for most of my FOV. we were talking about the sweet spot of getting your eyes centered in the first place, which i think is still small (esp compared to rift s optics). if you don't have a good headset fit or if the headset jostles, you lose clarity pretty quickly.
so, if the headset is on your head correctly, there are no problems. if you just slammed it sloppily on your head, it will be bad (who would have thought?!)
 
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Durante

Durante

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This makes sense.
I mean, everything in optics is tradeoffs, and e.g. the Rift S has to make allowances for sloppy placement since everyone who doesn't have a perfect IPD will inherently be "sloppy".

The whole design of the Index in all aspects is clearly optmized specifically for people who are willing to invest the time (just a few minutes really) to get the best possible experience.
 

Alextended

Segata's Disciple
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Woot, my Rift 3rd sensor arrived and after a quick set up I seem to finally have good 360 degree VR :D

I loaded up the Contractors VR lobby and tried to aim a two handed rifle all around me to see if the gun sights jump or drift at any point as the controllers shift to different sensor pairings views but it seemed all good! I'll need to adjust angles and stuff again as I only wall mounted the new sensor, but I'm really happy with the results already. My hands seemed fine in Oculus Home as well as I waved all over the place trying to identify blindspots and stuff.

I hope I can get the ceiling pulleys for the HMD cable on tonight after work to get even more freedom but probably not. That said, I don't get why games like Virtual Virtual reality and others that are Vive-first (or whatever reason) don't actually have any artificial-turning options since the HMD cable does seem like a hassle to work around with 360 VR, much more than it was in largely front-facing VR. It seems like a no brainer, at least snap turning if they can't bother with smooth. Don't people ask for the feature? I was pretty sure I'd need it even with 360 VR before my sensor arrived and I feel I was right but maybe you learn to just do acrobatics so you don't tangle up and naturally rewind yourself when you've turned around too much in one direction even without pulleys? I dunno.

Anyway it was cool to have good tracking all around to the degree I had no idea what my room orientation was (I do have the boundaries shape set up in a manner that tells me my real orientation with the overall shape and a market corner but don't always pay attention to that when just playing some game).

Edit: looks like Quest is working out for VR game profitability already (and I'm sure most will want to be available on all VR platforms for maximum effect) :)

And this game looks promisingly Ico-like (also like it has no reason to be exclusively for VR like early Oculus funded games before they launched Touch).

It's beautiful though, despite the low-fi art style.
 
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Durante

Durante

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I got Rift S data for my FoV spreadsheet now:
It has a huge increase in stereo overlap compared to the Rift CV1, probably as a result of only using a single display. Horizontal FoV is very similar to Rift CV1 (and thus towards the lower end of the spectrum of PC VR HMDs), vertical FoV is slightly larger than CV1 but still a bit smaller than most other HMDs.
 
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SRossi

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as a long time cv1 user I am so sick of the oculus fov. can't wait for the index to arrive.
 

Alextended

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Looks like a pretty good and much needed update, bringing it on par with fancier VR shooters, maybe, but it's sad to see nothing about mission objectives or AI.
 

Alextended

Segata's Disciple
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It does, more devs should try their hand at low-fi but meaty VR games with cool systems.

Also like this game which is another with lightgun-style elements (very Gunblade N.Y. style).

Though it might be too hectic for me having to control and dodge with the cycle bullet hell style as well as aim and shoot with my arms, maybe I just suck.
 
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Durante

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It seems like VRChat is adding full Index controller support.

Also, I've added the Vive Pro to my table since I got data for it from a friend. As expected, it's extremely close to the Vive in all FoV-related aspects.

Now I just need the Index! (HP Reverb would be nice too)
 
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Alextended

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I set up my vr cable pulleys, it was pretty simple for my set up (I guess it's mostly standing VR rather than full room scale for me, I don't have much room here, less than 2m for each side in my play square), I only needed 2 of the 6 pack even (well, I used 3, but I see now one doesn't really do much, haha, I set it way too close to the other). I didn't even secure the cable on each hook thing so it can basically freely pass through in theory but it didn't seem to during my testing, I didn't reel too much or have it become loose and fall in front of my face/arms or anything so I'll leave it like that. It seems pretty great, I could turn around and aim every which way and crouch without the cable pulling on the HMD noticeably. I feel like I'll need to watch my movements when playing something like Blade & Sorcery and doing chaotic overhead melee weapon swings but other than that it's basically allowing for full freedom. I'm happy with that ~20 paid.

Edit: I tested some Onward with completely disabled artificial turning methods. No handicap to fall back to. Damn that's intense and it's so different to play like that. It also feels very active even for such a simple to play, not so demanding game (usually, since you still move around with the stick and only need to duck and cover and aim and shoot physically). It will take me a lot of getting used to for turning to become natural to me. It's also easy to get out of my play area even while just trying to turn around on the spot so I enabled the boundaries walls again, before I used to only play with just the floor boundaries showing up. I'll have to see if the Oculus boundaries can be modded to be a little more subtle though, thinner lines or something, they can obstruct my view, or crosshair, or whatever, it's just distracting rather than simply warning me, especially if I get too close. Players would get the point even if they were a bit less in your face.
 
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fantomena

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Blood & Truth (PSVR) is prett great, but the bad tracking limits the game from achieving greatness.
 
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C-Dub

Makoto Niijima Fan Club President
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Blood & Truth (PSVR) is prett great, but the bad tracking limits the game from achieving greatness.
It's a shame the Move controllers are so terrible. I could probably put up with them if they allowed for decent locomotion, so long as the games were designed around their limited tracking, but they are just truly terrible.

The best PSVR game is still Astro Bot, and in general I think DS4 VR games work best. But there's also some good games making use of the Aim controller, which is sadly underutilised.
 

fantomena

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I got PSVR for christmas and then bought myself a Rift and a 3rd sensors a few weeks later. Going from PSVR to Rift is like a generational leap. Way better controllers, better graphics/performance, roomscale and way way better tracking.

PSVR will only be used for exclusives like Blood & Truth, Astrobot, RE7 and so on. Still sad there's no sign of RE7 and Borderlands 2 VR on PCVR.
 
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