Oculus Rift

Soldato
Joined
16 Jul 2010
Posts
5,897
Got myself a G29 in the sales the other day. Wow! PCARS2 VR is incredible, especially the open cockpit cars where your view is unobstructed. I just wish there was a decent realistic normal car simulator (closest is City Car driver, which doesn't have UK roads, and only has basic VR support), as I could easily see this as a way to help my daughter learn to drive.
 
Associate
Joined
21 Nov 2014
Posts
1,227
Location
South Wales
Got myself a G29 in the sales the other day. Wow! PCARS2 VR is incredible, especially the open cockpit cars where your view is unobstructed. I just wish there was a decent realistic normal car simulator (closest is City Car driver, which doesn't have UK roads, and only has basic VR support), as I could easily see this as a way to help my daughter learn to drive.

Really surprised that someone hasnt gone out and done that to be honest.....the learning to drive thing. Good use of a VR headset and would also be good if you could simulate tests in it too. As for Dirt Rally...haven't gone back yet since almost losing my lunch. :p
 
Soldato
Joined
16 Jul 2010
Posts
5,897
The only game that makes me feel slightly 'off' is Aircar. I did have some initial dizzyness when playing free-loco VR mods like Vivecraft and Doom 3 VR, but that's completely passed now. I find I can handle Dirt Rally just fine, but I'm really bad at driving in it.
 
Associate
Joined
25 Oct 2002
Posts
2,299
Location
Sarf Lahndahn
Having been an early DK2 user, Elite player and convinced that I was only interested in the sit-down VR experience, I pretty much stopped playing about a year ago.

Caved in and bought a CV1 in the Black Friday sales primarily for the slightly increased resolution. Installed and configured yesterday and have been completely blown away. The headset is great but nearly irrelevant in terms of the improvement- the real game changer is the controllers. Was completely hooked as soon as the little robot in the environment demo responded to my waving. Amazing stuff. Cleared all the furniture out of my study and am now intending to do roomscale gaming :D

Only problem is the wife wants an Oculus rig now...
 
Soldato
Joined
22 Jul 2012
Posts
15,885
Location
London
Count yourself lucky.
My mate just bought himself a Rift and his wife confiscated it until Christmas, claiming that she was going to get him one. This is the same wife that calls him sad for gaming and simracing...
 
Associate
Joined
10 Nov 2003
Posts
1,670
We've just bought a second Rift for my girlfriend, both PCs are side by side and have maybe 2m x 2m area for each. Decided to take advantage of the new price whilst it lasts, the second Rift arrived earlier in the week and we're just waiting for some new sensor mounts. Fun times.
 
Soldato
Joined
16 Jul 2010
Posts
5,897
VR with the touch controllers is literally a game changer. I've worked in games development since 1986, and it seems to me that gaming has got in a bit of a rut recently, with many games seeming very samey and using the same mechanics. VR basically resets the clock back to the time when everything in gaming was new and innovative, and we were discovering what works and what doesn't, leading to some truly unique experiences. It's a very exciting time, and I'm experiencing a sense of wonder when playing that I've not felt for years. (Almost) makes me feel young again. :D

Kudos for oculus with their touch controller design - it's way ahead of anything else in terms of ergonomics. Sometimes I forget I'm holding the controllers at all, it feels so natural in-game, and they work equally well as guns or hand substitutes. Also they seem to be made out of adamantium! - I've bashed them into walls a few times and they're still working thus far (touch wood!).
 
Soldato
Joined
1 May 2013
Posts
9,710
Location
M28
We've just bought a second Rift for my girlfriend, both PCs are side by side and have maybe 2m x 2m area for each. Decided to take advantage of the new price whilst it lasts, the second Rift arrived earlier in the week and we're just waiting for some new sensor mounts. Fun times.
will the Constellation system not get confused will all the LEDs from both HMDs?
 
Soldato
Joined
21 Apr 2003
Posts
3,330
Location
South North West
Caved in and bought a CV1 in the Black Friday sales primarily for the slightly increased resolution. Installed and configured yesterday and have been completely blown away.
I've been boring folk in the PC Games section with my enthusiasm, but I agree completely. I had no VR experience at all, so I got a bit emotional just during the initial setup... it was like entering Tron, and the sense of real space even with the just the guardian grid lines was mind-blowing. By the time I got to the little robot bit my jaw was slack. All my concerns about smearovision, wearing a silly hat, and throwing up were history.

I also agree about the controllers. As someone who's mainly interested in flight/racing sims I saw them as toys that would gather dust. But your virtual hands are so compelling... I now understand why Job Simulator has been talked about so much. I've got better things to do for now though, like tearing bits off robots in Robo Recall.

VR basically resets the clock back to the time when everything in gaming was new and innovative
Agree with everything you say. As an old cynic who started with Pong on a B&W TV I've been a bit embarrassed to find that VR really is everything the enthusiasts said it is. There are considerable challenges ahead, but in two days I've gone from someone who barely even bothered to turn his desktop machine on any more to someone who can't wait to see what the future holds. It's clear that mixed reality headsets could revolutionise (for better and worse!) workplaces as well as leisure activities.

It's nice to be enthusiastic again. I've missed it... one of the unfortunate hazards of getting old. :)
 
Associate
Joined
10 Nov 2003
Posts
1,670
will the Constellation system not get confused will all the LEDs from both HMDs?

I'm not sure. I searched online and general thoughts was no it shouldn't, I remember watching CES 2017 and they had 250+ Oculus Rifts in one big room, and I thought I saw 4 running side by side in an E3 video too.
 
Associate
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
980
Just tried mine for first time, first contact was very impressive, also tried a bit of robo recall seems good fun, feel a bit sick now tho.
 
Soldato
Joined
16 Jul 2010
Posts
5,897
Just tried mine for first time, first contact was very impressive, also tried a bit of robo recall seems good fun, feel a bit sick now tho.

If you feel ill then stop right away. Take a breather and come back to it later when you feel better. Pushing through it will just make you feel worse. After a while you'll get your VR legs and will be able to handle virtually anything (pun intended :D)
 
Soldato
Joined
19 Dec 2010
Posts
12,031
I've been boring folk in the PC Games section with my enthusiasm, but I agree completely. I had no VR experience at all, so I got a bit emotional just during the initial setup... it was like entering Tron, and the sense of real space even with the just the guardian grid lines was mind-blowing. By the time I got to the little robot bit my jaw was slack. All my concerns about smearovision, wearing a silly hat, and throwing up were history.

I also agree about the controllers. As someone who's mainly interested in flight/racing sims I saw them as toys that would gather dust. But your virtual hands are so compelling... I now understand why Job Simulator has been talked about so much. I've got better things to do for now though, like tearing bits off robots in Robo Recall.


Agree with everything you say. As an old cynic who started with Pong on a B&W TV I've been a bit embarrassed to find that VR really is everything the enthusiasts said it is. There are considerable challenges ahead, but in two days I've gone from someone who barely even bothered to turn his desktop machine on any more to someone who can't wait to see what the future holds. It's clear that mixed reality headsets could revolutionise (for better and worse!) workplaces as well as leisure activities.

It's nice to be enthusiastic again. I've missed it... one of the unfortunate hazards of getting old. :)

Try Eleven table tennis. It's a really amazing experience in VR.
 
Associate
Joined
25 Oct 2002
Posts
2,299
Location
Sarf Lahndahn
VR with the touch controllers is literally a game changer. I've worked in games development since 1986, and it seems to me that gaming has got in a bit of a rut recently, with many games seeming very samey and using the same mechanics. VR basically resets the clock back to the time when everything in gaming was new and innovative, and we were discovering what works and what doesn't, leading to some truly unique experiences.

Very well said. All the good VR experiences so far seem to have been where the devs have torn up the books about doing stuff the "old" FPS way and gone back to basics. The basic stuff is so compelling. Trying to rehash existing screen-based experiences just isn't going to work. Very exciting times ahead.

I've also been spouting about VR to friends and family since the DK2. They just seem to think "ah well it's just a game in 3d, right"? Not even close, it's about being somewhere else. With the controllers the sense of presence is just staggering. I had hints of it playing Elite with a Saitek HOTAS, where you move your hands and the in-game "hands" move in sync. To the extent that where the old in-game "fist stretch" animation plays out and it feels distinctly odd, because one's real-world hands aren't making that movement. The phantom arm illusion is strong....

I gave a mate my DK2 today and he's going to try setting it up tonight and wanted to VorpX some FPS shooters. I told him to stick to basics and VR tailored experiences first and then try some wrapped games. Just trying to explain that a crosshair won't work in a 3D space that you "exist" in was an uphill struggle :)

I've bashed them into walls a few times and they're still working thus far (touch wood!).

Haha, wife punched me in the face twice while using them in Toybox :D
 
Last edited:
Associate
Joined
23 Nov 2013
Posts
2,358
Location
Manchester
I love reading people’s 1st impression of VR! This tread and and the Oculus Reddit page make for great reading!

I bought mine in the summer, and I still get that ‘wow’ factor every time I play or watch something new, I played ‘Dead and Buried’ for the very 1st time the other day, despite downloading it months ago, one of the best VR experiences I have ever had! The intro left me gob smacked, and playing online was an absolute joy, though I was sweating, a lot, the most I have moved in a VR game by far!
 
Soldato
Joined
19 Dec 2010
Posts
12,031
Oh man, good call! Just bought it and spent an hour getting properly sweaty doing max-rate returns practice. Absolutely ridiculous fun.

:) Yeah, it's really good. Even if you don't play table tennis, it's still good. I love table tennis and the ability to play any time is amazing and without the trouble of chasing after the ball all the time. :p Mulitplayer is pretty good as well. Had a few great games against RockSteddie from these forums.
 
Back
Top Bottom