Time to buy VR?

Sven Hassel · 13 Nov 2019 at 22:15

Reading a bit about the Valve Index...sounds like it might be time to go VR?

Ive been hovering for a few years watching, but non of the systems sounded a better experience than my ultra wide monitor

My PC should be up to it 2070S and 3700x

Would be an ace thing to put under the xmas tree...the wifes always complaining she doesn't know what to get me...£900 might be pushing my luck though

So is it the right system and time to buy in?

drakulton · 13 Nov 2019 at 22:25

VR is a completely different experience. Going back to pancake gaming does not compare. There are various headsets to suit all budgets. It would pay you to try a friends headset or buy some time in a VR experience to see the difference.

GBRusty · 14 Nov 2019 at 12:40

I've got the index and think it's the best thing since sliced bread but I'd hesitate to recommend someone buying it at full price if they've never tried Vr before.
I would probably go with the Oculus stand alone headset (can't remember the name...quest?) as it needs minimal setup and is less than half the price.

silvagti · 14 Nov 2019 at 13:38

There's supposedly an update coming out for the Oculus Quest this month which will allow you to connect it to a PC over USB as well as it being usable standalone. If that works as well as expected it'll be hard to justify spending more on any other headset when you can buy the Quest for £400 IMO.

Playstation VR is also really good with l with some fantastic Sony exclusive games like Wipeout and firewall. It's also pretty cheap especially if you already have a PS4.

G1tty · 14 Nov 2019 at 13:40

How do I post a thread? And Valve VR? I might have to look into that I bought a cheap one off amazon and its okay just incredibly pixelated.

VincentHanna · 14 Nov 2019 at 14:00

Valve Index.

It's £919.

Ravenger · 14 Nov 2019 at 14:29

Best all-rounder on a budget is currently the Rift S.
Best all-rounder if money is no object is the Valve Index.
Best for sims if you're not interested in roomscale is probably the HP Reverb. (Though it uses a mostly dead Microsoft software platform).
Best for portability, ease of use, and ability to use large roomscale areas is the Quest.

When Oculus Link comes out the Quest may become the best all-rounder on a budget, BUT the comfort is poor for many people so you may end up spending more money making it comfortable.

lokiss · 14 Nov 2019 at 15:20

Ravenger said:
Best all-rounder on a budget is currently the Rift S.
Best all-rounder if money is no object is the Valve Index.
Best for sims if you're not interested in roomscale is probably the HP Reverb. (Though it uses a mostly dead Microsoft software platform).
Best for portability, ease of use, and ability to use large roomscale areas is the Quest.

When Oculus Link comes out the Quest may become the best all-rounder on a budget, BUT the comfort is poor for many people so you may end up spending more money making it comfortable.

The perfect post.

Pottsey · 14 Nov 2019 at 16:21

Sven Hassel said:
“So is it the right system and time to buy in?”

While current VR headsets are better than last generation it’s still way to early. On the whole VR games have poor definition, poor graphics in comparison to top end monitors and setups. VR games are for the most part inferior to pancake gaming. On the whole Home VR games just don’t compare very well to triple AAA pancake gaming.

There are exceptions and there is fun to be had for VR games but you need to be aware of the limitations, lack of games and lack of in-depth gameplay. 100% try before you buy. I rarely touch my home VR headset as its not as good as desktop gaming. What I do instead is spend my time in VR arenas which for First person shooters is vastly superior to home headsets.

What I do like home VR headset for is cockpit style games but the screen definition while improved is still not good enough yet and there are a lack of good games. Its playable but I would wait a bit longer.

Nasher · 15 Nov 2019 at 12:40

Some of the VR games are pretty good but there arent many. Weirdly you dont notice the lower quality graphics much, the brain just seems to make it "real".

Its not a replacement for a good monitor. Not yet anyway. Long stints of gaming in VR is also quite tiring.

melmac · 15 Nov 2019 at 13:03

Sven Hassel said:
Reading a bit about the Valve Index...sounds like it might be time to go VR?

Ive been hovering for a few years watching, but non of the systems sounded a better experience than my ultra wide monitor

My PC should be up to it 2070S and 3700x

Would be an ace thing to put under the xmas tree...the wifes always complaining she doesn't know what to get me...£900 might be pushing my luck though

So is it the right system and time to buy in?

Great system, I have a 3600 and 2070S and it runs everything in VR perfectly.

You can't compare your normal gaming monitor with using a VR headset. They are so different.

My advice would be to see can you try a VR headset out first. But, if you have the money, the Index is the best of the bunch at the moment. The Rift S is good too because it's a brilliant platform and they have some good exclusives like Asgard's Wrath and Stormland. The Touch controllers are also very good.

Is it the right time? Yes, VR is amazing right now. So many great games out there. Sports Sims, Space Sims, Flight Sims, Shooting games, Rhythm games, Horror games, story driven games, the list goes on and on.

What type of games are you interested in?

Sven Hassel · 6 Dec 2019 at 21:21

Ive been and tried a rift basic at a gaming center..pretty unimpressed to be honest...some shooting game where the enemies were white polygon numbers, and a spiderman demo which was pretty cool, but it just felt a bit 1980's gimicy, id really like to know how close is the graphics on say asseto corsa competion vs my monitor

Ravenger · 6 Dec 2019 at 21:47

Sven Hassel said:
Ive been and tried a rift basic at a gaming center..pretty unimpressed to be honest...some shooting game where the enemies were white polygon numbers, and a spiderman demo which was pretty cool, but it just felt a bit 1980's gimicy, id really like to know how close is the graphics on say asseto corsa competion vs my monitor

The Rift CV1 has outdated visuals compared to modern headsets - much lower resolution and more visible screen door effect.

However even the latest headsets won't match a PC monitor for sharpness despite the higher resolution. Imagine blowing up your PC monitor to the size of an Imax cinema screen - that's what the lenses on a VR headset do.

However on the latest headsets like Rift S and Index the visuals are sharp enough and the sense of immersion is infinitely more than gaming on a monitor.

kevman · 6 Dec 2019 at 22:24

Sven Hassel said:
Ive been and tried a rift basic at a gaming center..pretty unimpressed to be honest...some shooting game where the enemies were white polygon numbers, and a spiderman demo which was pretty cool, but it just felt a bit 1980's gimicy, id really like to know how close is the graphics on say asseto corsa competion vs my monitor

I remember my first impression on og rift I was completely blown away by the tech, even the demos were great. Based on your message, vr probably isn't for you, i would save your pennies for something else

lokiss · 6 Dec 2019 at 23:51

Sven Hassel said:
id really like to know how close is the graphics on say asseto corsa competion vs my monitor

It won't look or run so well on your spec. I play a lot of it and have it looking as good as it gets to a point where it lacks for nothing on smooth frame rate. The caveat to that is that your system has to be up to it, if so then Dirt Rally 2.0 aside you've got the most intense racing experience in VR there is.

aoaaron · 7 Dec 2019 at 10:54

Save and go Index if you can afford it. I went for the Rift S and its a solid headset with 100 compromises which do influence the experience.

GBRusty · 7 Dec 2019 at 13:03

Sounds like something you think you should buy because everyone else is. It's definitely a purchase that has to be born of a need

It's a lot of money.

I fell in love with the google cardboard. Then the DK2. The the Vive. Now the Index. I'm in it for the long haul but not everyone is interested.

It's like PCs in general. Not everyone wants/needs one.

Sven Hassel · 7 Dec 2019 at 16:14

Im going to buy something....Im thinking the Index after aoaarons post
Can I get away with just the head set to start with?

Firestar_3x · 7 Dec 2019 at 17:22

You need the tracking base stations too so at that point you need to go for the full kit.

Got my Index today, massive upgrade from the original Vive tried them back to back and the difference in SDE and text quality is staggering.

The dedicated VR rig i'm running on is a 3600 and 1080ti, so the spec in your OP will play things fine.

aoaaron · 7 Dec 2019 at 23:54

Sven Hassel said:
Im going to buy something....Im thinking the Index after aoaarons post
Can I get away with just the head set to start with?

I'd say just go all in and get the controllers too.

I have played with the Vive, Rift, Rift S, Quest and Index.

The only one which has eluded me which I wish I'd played is the Vive Pro (which I hear has the same panel as the Quest).

The Rift S is a really good bang for buck purchase but its gimped by terrible audio, no physical IPD, cheap build quality, poor ergonomics etc. It's on steroids when it comes to inside out tracking, clean lenses, amazing software, excellent exclusives and ergonomic simple controllers which I feel go beyond best in class and venture into god-tier for the price:value performance.

The Index has best in class build quality, best in class refresh rate, best in class comfort, best in class glasses-friendliness, best in class tracking, best in class commercial fov, best in class built in audio, best in class next generation controllers but is gimped by QA of the controllers and ergonomics, glare of the panels, it's inferior software, lack of support in a lot of games for the actual finger tracking fidelity and it's price tag.

The Quest is another option which is AMAZING. I just installed Half Life 1 on the Quest is and its AMAZING. Its a choice of me playing Black Mesa of Half life 1 on the quest.. and man is it tough... and I'm edging towards the Quest. Its lack of tether is something else.

I think from an Index perspective, the controllers and headset are pretty much future proofed to satiate and last you at least 2-3 years.