Decisions Decisions.. Rift vs Vive

[africanos23]

So after getting Project Cars and be amazed at the reality of the game, I'm convinced I need (want ) to get into the VR scene.

I've read up and watched videos about the Pros and Cons of both the Rift and Vive and here is what I a have gathered.

Vive:
Better for room scale VR
Heavy especially on the front of your head, uncomfartable for long sessions
Longer wires
Less USB hubs needed
Native Steam support
Bad image quality but god rays aren't as bad as the Vibe
Less immersion
Can use prescription glasses
Controllers included
Hassle to setup
Need extra headset
Takes more time to wear

Oculus Rift:
Chair VR
Light and comfortable
Short wires
Tons of USB hubs needed
Specific storefront (Project Cars does have Rift support in Steam though)
Sharp image but god rays are bad/annoying
Good immersion (no bezel/monitor type effect)
Can't use prescription glasses easily (I do wear glasses but I don't when gaming)
Need to buy controllers separetely (rumour has it they are more "real" than the Vives)
Easy to setup
Includes headset sound
Easy to wear

My Hardware:

i7 3930K / 16GB RAM / 1TB+0.5TB SSDs / 2x Titan X Sli clocked at 1367Mhz 4K monitor

I like my eyecandy but of what I heard you can't run SLI currently on either setups, will it be possible in the future ?

Will a single 1367Mhz Titan X (Maxwell) be able to run 90FPS with supersampling/anti-aliasing?

Is there anything I can do to get my current games to work (other than the VR titles)?
....not sure how good VorpX is

Is the Rift or Vive better for unsupported games ?

Do I need to repurchase games I already have for VR ?

Other than maybe 3-4 titles most of the games are very VR orientated/short and somewhat showcases.

Any opinions/observations/additions are welcome

 

[Rilot]

Having owned both, I'll comment on your points.

Vive:
Better for room scale VR - Yes, agreed.
Heavy especially on the front of your head, uncomfartable for long sessions - Not really, if you fit it correctly.
Longer wires - Yes
Less USB hubs needed - Neither needs any USB hubs. The Vive needs a ton of plugs though (1 for each base station, 2 for the hand controller chargers, 1 for the headset).
Native Steam support - So does the Rift
Bad image quality but god rays aren't as bad as the Vibe - Image quality is very, very similar between the two. I really had to swap back and forth to notice any difference at all.
Less immersion - No, more immersive when doing room scale. The same when seated.
Can use prescription glasses - Can with the Rift too. I do.
Controllers included - Yes and more expensive because of it. Price in comparable if you include the Rift's touch though.
Hassle to setup - Takes longer to set up yes. Needs a lot of sockets and placing the base units can be a pain.
Need extra headset - Why?
Takes more time to wear - Not really. THe only thing that makes the Vive slower to put on is locating the earbuds.

Oculus Rift:
Chair VR - Also standing and semi-room-scale with Touch
Light and comfortable - Yes, slightly more comfortable.
Short wires - Shorter yes
Tons of USB hubs needed - No USB hubs needed at all. 2 USB ports needed for the headset (1 for the headset, one for the camera), 1 for the xbox controller. If you have Touch too then you need another for the second camera. Hubs will not work by the way. Needs to be proper ports.
Specific storefront (Project Cars does have Rift support in Steam though) - Yes, and both Steam and Oculus Home work equally well.
Sharp image but god rays are bad/annoying - Debateable.
Good immersion (no bezel/monitor type effect) - Not sure what you mean by this. The image is very similar between the two.
Can't use prescription glasses easily (I do wear glasses but I don't when gaming) - Yes you can
Need to buy controllers separetely (rumour has it they are more "real" than the Vives) - Yes, which brings the price up to Vive levels. I've not got them yet but they look better designed and smaller.
Easy to setup - Easier and faster yes
Includes headset sound - As does the Vive but the Rifts speakers are better and are just there rather than having to faff with earbuds.
Easy to wear - Same as the Vive

i7 3930K / 16GB RAM / 1TB+0.5TB SSDs / 2x Titan X Sli clocked at 1367Mhz 4K monitor
Spec is fine

I like my eyecandy but of what I heard you can't run SLI currently on either setups, will it be possible in the future ?
Maybe. At the moment it adds too much latency.

Will a single 1367Mhz Titan X (Maxwell) be able to run 90FPS with supersampling/anti-aliasing?
Yes you will. I use a 980ti and can. Most titles target a 970.

Is there anything I can do to get my current games to work (other than the VR titles)?
....not sure how good VorpX is
Vorpx is crap. Yes, it get so sort of VR with some unsupported titles but it's a right faff to get working and there's frequently issues, lag or stuttering. Waste of time if you ask me.

Is the Rift or Vive better for unsupported games ?
I wouldn't bother with either for unsupported games. VR designed titles are best

Do I need to repurchase games I already have for VR ?
Not usually. Elite, Dirt Rally, and Cars for example just work in VR if you have the headset. Same for DCS world etc.

Other than maybe 3-4 titles most of the games are very VR orientated/short and somewhat showcases.
Content is a bot lacking yes

Any opinions/observations/additions are welcome
Try VR somewhere before you buy. See if it's for you. You may just go "meh" and not bother but on the other hand you may be blown away (as I was)

You really need to ask yourself one question to decide between the two. Do you have the space for and intend to use room-scale VR? If the answer is yes, get the Vive. If the answer is no, get the Rift.

 

[africanos23]

Thanks for taking the time to answer all the questions.

"Try VR somewhere before you buy. See if it's for you. You may just go "meh" and not bother but on the other hand you may be blown away (as I was)"

There's probably like 5 people in my country that have a 4K PC monitor maybe less , stores/distributors don't have anything over 1080p lol. 4K TVs are a thing now though. I was (I think anyway) the only person that ran 3 monitors (Nvidia surround) ROFL.

No store has any VR not even the Gear

 

[Teknobry]

back to the main question...do you have the space for roomscale?

if yes, i don't think you can get a more immersive VR experience than with the vive.

 

[africanos23]

back to the main question...do you have the space for roomscale?

if yes, i don't think you can get a more immersive VR experience than with the vive.

My office space at home if I pull away chairs is roughly 2.5mx3m. Not sure if that's big enough.

 

[melmac]

Wait a couple of weeks until the Touch controllers for the Rift are released. Then you shall have more info to base your decision on.

 

[africanos23]

Caved in and bought the Rift with the Touch controllers. Looked around for the Vive but OCUK has it sold out and delivery in 2 days, other places have it for over 1100 Euros.

 

[Rilot]

You won't be disappointed I'm sure. Of the two, I ended up selling the Vive and keeping the Rift.
For me, room-scale wasn't really working due to the relatively small (2M x 3M) play space I had. It really needs more. Because of this, the Rift ended up being the one I would put on for seated and standing games due to the slightly better comfort. Plus I tend to play driving and flying games more than anything else and so the Vive was kind of wasted on me once I'd played a few hours of Space Pirate Trainer.

 

[Asa]

I'm absolutely loving the Rift.

Unlike Rilot I immediately feel the urge to walk around VR right from the opening Dreamscape demo (I actually hit my face on the desk trying to look behind the alien). Can't wait for the touch controllers and sensor to arrive next week so I can do that properly, they're a fairly essential part of the experience imo.

Word of advice- Don't go into it trying to assess the screen quality or anything like that. Forget screen door and resolution, it works best when you don't artificially adjust your focus to within an inch of your face. Just relax and look at the objects and worlds in front of you. Or behind you, and all around you.

Enjoy!

 

[Cool Breeze]

2nd'd on the Rift, had mine a couple of days and well Mine=Blown! I'm sure the Vive is top notch but I don't have the space for it. Pre ordered touch controls for more immersion.

VR=expensive but once you've tried it my god does money not matter!

 

[Surfer]

back to the main question...do you have the space for roomscale?

if yes, i don't think you can get a more immersive VR experience than with the vive.

This gets pushed all the time as the big positive point for the vive.

But i havent actually seen ANY vr games which utilize large room scale. A small space certainly...which the Oculus can easily do..certainly the wire to the headset is long enough (dno why ppl say it is short as well).

Also the oculus touch controllers look far far better and more immersive-tech than the Vive controllers to be honest.

Thirdly - i disagree with those who say glasses are equally comfortable in both headsets. How can that be if in one headset (the Vive) it lets you adjust the distance between your glasses and the screen. Whereas the Oculus does not let you do this. (did in the dk2). Further, if your glasses are quite large framed then you will have real difficulty fitting them into the headset as it is a very tight fit. That also makes putting on and taking off the headset rather cumbersome. Guess you just have to hope your glasses do not scratch the vr lenses ehh...

And i didnt mention that for the Oculus you can no longer set IPD manually. If your IPD is outside the range set by oculus (slider button on headset) then you are scuppered! You could set IPD manually in the DK2 but just yet another thing they left out of the CV1....

 

[lovelyhead]

This gets pushed all the time as the big positive point for the vive.

But i havent actually seen ANY vr games which utilize large room scale. A small space certainly...which the Oculus can easily do..certainly the wire to the headset is long enough (dno why ppl say it is short as well).

Also the oculus touch controllers look far far better and more immersive-tech than the Vive controllers to be honest.

Thirdly - i disagree with those who say glasses are equally comfortable in both headsets. How can that be if in one headset (the Vive) it lets you adjust the distance between your glasses and the screen. Whereas the Oculus does not let you do this. (did in the dk2). Further, if your glasses are quite large framed then you will have real difficulty fitting them into the headset as it is a very tight fit. That also makes putting on and taking off the headset rather cumbersome. Guess you just have to hope your glasses do not scratch the vr lenses ehh...

And i didnt mention that for the Oculus you can no longer set IPD manually. If your IPD is outside the range set by oculus (slider button on headset) then you are scuppered! You could set IPD manually in the DK2 but just yet another thing they left out of the CV1....

The use of glasses in the Rift is not a problem so long as you are willing to spend a few more pounds.

I use this 3D printed lens adapter with the lenses from a pair of glasses from Zenni Optical:

http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1602460

Actually wearing glasses in the Rift is a no go in my opinion. Way to uncomfortable. But with this adapter you can see perfectly and it is extremely comfortable. Also protects your Rift lenses from getting scratched.

 

[ArmitageShanks]

This gets pushed all the time as the big positive point for the vive.

But i havent actually seen ANY vr games which utilize large room scale. A small space certainly...which the Oculus can easily do..certainly the wire to the headset is long enough (dno why ppl say it is short as well).

Er...most Vive games use room-scale. In fact, anything with a teleport mechanic makes use of it. Sure, you could stand in one spot and just beam everywhere, but there's nothing quite like stepping a few meters to hide behind or interact with something, or simply avoiding being hit by an opponent. What I haven't seen is any Touch-specific game make use of room-scale - it's all prancing-in-front-of-your-monitor stuff.

The Rift cable is certainly shorter than the Vive. Worse, unless you've somehow fitted some ports to the front of your PC or turned it around, a few feet are wasted with the cable reaching around the back. It was originally designed for seated experiences so Oculus weren't thinking you'd want to go much further than your chair.

The Vive has its link box which you can attach to the edge of your desk or play area, meaning you can have the full length of the tether at your disposal (and no risk of toppling your PC).

 

[Surfer]

Er...most Vive games use room-scale. In fact, anything with a teleport mechanic makes use of it. Sure, you could stand in one spot and just beam everywhere, but there's nothing quite like stepping a few meters to hide behind or interact with something, or simply avoiding being hit by an opponent. What I haven't seen is any Touch-specific game make use of room-scale - it's all prancing-in-front-of-your-monitor stuff.

The Rift cable is certainly shorter than the Vive. Worse, unless you've somehow fitted some ports to the front of your PC or turned it around, a few feet are wasted with the cable reaching around the back. It was originally designed for seated experiences so Oculus weren't thinking you'd want to go much further than your chair.

The Vive has its link box which you can attach to the edge of your desk or play area, meaning you can have the full length of the tether at your disposal (and no risk of toppling your PC).

Can you point me in the direction of those room-scale games then? When i say room scale i mean room and not just a few feet. The Oculus can do a few feet no problem. All i see are wave shooters and games which use teleport instead of actually have you moving.

Reason why i ask is because my nephew is getting a Vive for Christmas and he has a pretty large bedroom. So actual room scale games would be great.

 

[n3vrmind]

I would say perhaps the choices should be

PSVR vs Vive

The major deterrent for the Vive was the cost and availability of space for roomscale, but if both of those are factors for you then perhaps just go PSVR, it sounds like its titles are much better polished anyway

Comfort of the PSVR is a huge +, and yeah resolution is low and so is graphical fidelity but dont expect Crysis level detail and texturing in any VR yet and the best VR experiences like Rec Room haven't wasted their time on trying to look mega pretty (to a point VR doesnt need complex textures and bumpmaps to add realism) they have focused on actually giving you something to do and good mechanics.

The thing for me with Rift and PSVR is they are very similar devices at different price points, If I couldn't do roomscale then id struggle to justify the price point of the Rift, The PSVR is likely going to be better supported as its customer base is already larger than the other two.

 

[n3vrmind]

On the point about USB ports

Both have had their issues, in my machine I have 4 root USB hubs for some reason and the vive doesnt like to be plugged into one of them (manifests in being unable to use front camera, which i dont tend to use anyway). There is a tool called USBTreeView that proved very helpful in figuring out which physical ports were linked to which hub

Turns out the Rift cameras use a fair bit of bandwidth to be able to deliver 60fps for solid tracking, there are reports that a 3rd camera is recommended if you are going to do roomscale and they have advised that the 3rd camera needs to go into a different USB root hub to avoid contending for PCI bandwidth with the other 2 sensors

Additionally due to the rift sensor FOV you dont get to use all of the space between your sensors,
https://uploadvr.com/oculus-guides-show-smaller-multi-sensor-tracked-spaces-htc-vive/

 

[Surfer]

Er...most Vive games use room-scale.

Ok still waiting on you showing me the games.

In fact, anything with a teleport mechanic makes use of it. Sure, you could stand in one spot and just beam everywhere, but there's nothing quite like stepping a few meters to hide behind or interact with something, or simply avoiding being hit by an opponent.

What I haven't seen is any Touch-specific game make use of room-scale - it's all prancing-in-front-of-your-monitor stuff.

Wow - you realize that all the things you say positive about the Vive in the first sentence are exactly the same for the Oculus lol.

 

[millermilla]

Can you point me in the direction of those room-scale games then? When i say room scale i mean room and not just a few feet. The Oculus can do a few feet no problem. All i see are wave shooters and games which use teleport instead of actually have you moving.

Reason why i ask is because my nephew is getting a Vive for Christmas and he has a pretty large bedroom. So actual room scale games would be great.

Just because a game has teleport doesn't mean it cant do big room scale, teleport just makes the game playable in smaller spaces or in the example of Onward where the game area might be miles wide and not practical to do full scale but once you are in a building the limit is determined by your own room.

If you had a big enough room you can walk around to the limit of the Vive maximum play space (15ft x 15ft?) in most games.

Just a few examples from my library are Onward, Quanero, Rec room, Raw data.

Games like Elite, Project cars you can still get up out of your seat and walk around the cockpit or outside the car if you wanted.

 

[Surfer]

in the example of Onward where the game area might be miles wide and not practical to do full scale but once you are in a building the limit is determined by your own room.

If you had a big enough room you can walk around to the limit of the Vive maximum play space (15ft x 15ft?) in most games.

Just a few examples from my library are Onward, Quanero, Rec room, Raw data.

Thanks i will check them out. Thats all i wanted lol. I do know that Raw data you hardly move at all...its a wave shooter (a very good one yea) but you certainly do not walk all around the entire environment. At least i didnt see this in any YT videos i saw.

From the VR stuff i have seen - i have not seen a game on the Vive which the Oculus cannot easily do with 2 sensors. (probably even just need 1)

If the Vive did have a plethora of such room scale games which took real advantage of the Vive's tech here then yea people would have a point.....but ive yet to see the games...so no how is it winning that one?

 

[n3vrmind]

If its not winning, why do you seem so bitter?