Rift or VIVE Which has the better game platform?

famas

famas

famas

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Hey all,
Around 4 years ago me and a friend where luckily enough to have a 30 min demo on the HTC Vive.
It was my first experience of VR and I loved it. Ever since I've wanted to get a VR headset and recently been getting back into gaming.

Unfortunately Since the demo I've not kept up with VR at all. So I'm totally out of the loop for whats what.

My friend put his name down to get a pre order on the vive which was quite a bit of money and I couldn't justify the cost at the time. Roll on to now and he's hardy used it, he's moved house a couple of times and been busy with work and the opportunity has come up for me to buy it.
Also i see that the Rift has come down in price so it seems now might be a good time to buy.

I'm just not sure what platform to go with.
Might be a stupid question but are all VR games available on both? I'm guessing not.

I'm mostly into FPS type games so DOOM vr is appealing to me and similar titles.
I'm not to interested in the younger generation stuff, no kids to worry about keeping entertained.

Most of my game playing and buying is through Steam and i see they are teamed with the Vive so I'm edging towards that, plus I might be able to get a good deal off my friend for his one.

At the moment I'm open to all suggestions and input for a total novice.

cheers.
 
I would wait personally, the rift has dropped in price so is much cheaper than the vive, but revive works well for most games that are coded for the rift so you can have access to both sides. But, there are several newer headsets due for release over the next few months so both rift and vive could be effectively obsolete soon.

Getting something like this when its released is the best way to ensure you get the most out of it.
 
Cheers for the reply. Just read the PC gamer review that slates the Vive quite a bit.

I'm in no real rush to get a set yet as I've still got to build a new pc first.

It's more the games side of things I'm confused by, what titles are available for which unit and if big AA titles will be available for both etc?
 
Both platforms are great, but if it's games then Rift currently has more AAA games, due to Oculus putting some serious money into games development, though these are mostly playable on Vive with ReVive.

There are a few high profile games coming supposedly exclusive to Vive, e.g. Fallout4 and Doom VR, but it's not known yet if these will be playable on Oculus. (They should be but Bethesda may lock the Rift out due to their dispute with Oculus).

The new 'Mixed Reality' headsets from Microsoft (which is a weird name, because the one thing they can't do is Augmented Reality (AR), they're VR headsets) will be opening up the market quite a bit. They're simpler to setup as they have no need for external cameras/lighthouses, but the tracking will be not as good as Oculus or Vive. How good it is in practice will be interesting. One minus for the microsoft VR system is the controllers are huge - way bigger than Oculus touch and quite a bit bigger than the Vive wands. The main thing I love about the rift is the touch controllers, as they're so small and light, feel so comfortable, and are really intuitive to use.
 
You can play all the Steam games on the Rift as Steam uses its own open API, SteamVR. Some games do have issues with the controllers but the devs (at least those that want your money) are getting smarter by supporting Touch which is still relatively new. You need a hack to play Oculus Home games on the Vive though and still have controller issues. I'd recommend if you go for a Rift that you buy most of your games through Steam as you may change to a different hardware vendor in the future with no guarantee that it will work with Oculus Home.

I think Oculus had the greater market share until Facebook took over. The Vive then took the lead which it is now losing due to both the release of Touch and the price drop. It would be madness to develop a AAA title and not fully support both systems as you would be turning down 50% of your possible market. Oculus do fund Oculus only games while also not blocking the Vive hack.

The Vive is still a great system as it offers a slightly larger play area for room scale. The Rift starts to wobble at around 3m while the Vive around 4. You can make do with just the 2 sensors that the Rift comes with but many including myself go for a 3rd costing £59. You may also need to purchase an additional USB card for the Rift at around £20 depending on your PC.
 
Thanks for all the input guys, answering a lot of questions here.

Now the Rift is starting to sound like the better choice. How does the room scale work on the rift compared to the Vive? It was one of the things that immediately jumped out at me when I used the Vive of just how good it was.

Like I say I can hold off for a while and wait to see what the new releases bring but the current price of the rift is appealing.
 
The Rift uses what it calls a constellation system. It is just a series of infrared LEDs placed on the controllers and headset which the sensors (USB webcams that have an infrared filter) pickup. The sensors need line of sight to the headset and controllers to track them properly. The Rift supports 1 or 2 VR objects or trackers that can be attached to physical items.

The Vive uses the Lighthouse system. The Lighthouse emits infrared light which sensors in both the headset and controllers pickup. Again line of sight is required for proper tracking. Technically, the Lighthouse system is superior and provides the possibility for up to ~16 VR Objects.

The Rift is good for up to ~3m square play area where the Vive reaches up to ~4m. I use the Rift with 3 sensors in a 3m square area, ~2.5m play area without tracking issues. I have a round piece of carpet placed in the center which keeps me centered, bones heal while controllers don't!
 
famas said:
Thanks for all the input guys, answering a lot of questions here.

Now the Rift is starting to sound like the better choice. How does the room scale work on the rift compared to the Vive? It was one of the things that immediately jumped out at me when I used the Vive of just how good it was.

Like I say I can hold off for a while and wait to see what the new releases bring but the current price of the rift is appealing.
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If your friend is selling the Vive for less than £399 you should buy it. If it's more than £399 then the Rift is the better choice right now. The Touch controllers and the 6 free games makes the Rift more appealing. Depending on the size of your play space, you might need an extra sensor for the Rift. Room scale is about the same on both headsets.

There are new headsets coming out soon. The Samsung Odyssey seems like the pick of the bunch. The headset has a better resolution than the Rift or Vive and uses inside out tracking. We have yet to see how good this will be in the real world.

Just to add that it really depends on what games you enjoy. Some people prefer the sitting down simulation games like, flight simulators, driving games, space flight games. While others prefer roomscale games like Robo Recall, Echo arena, eleven table tennis. For the first group resolution is more important for the second group tracking is Vital. Then there are people like me, who knows that the resolution isn't there yet, but, the immersion factor is so amazing that the resolution just doesn't bother me at all, and for others, just can't see past the low resolution.
 
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My play area is quite limited unfortunately unless I start moving furniture around which wont please the wife.
If the rift work just as well as the Vive in smaller areas i'd be happy with that.

The new controller for the Vive looks a lot better.
I'm seeing my friend tonight and chances are he might give me a very good deal on the Vive just not sure If i should hold off, my current pc will struggle to run it any ways.
 
Wrinkly said:
I think Oculus had the greater market share until Facebook took over. The Vive then took the lead
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The Vive didn't actually exist when Facebook acquired Oculus (March 2014), and wasn't unveiled until a year later in March 2015. The Facebook acquisition killed what had a been a free exchange of ideas and collaboration between Oculus and Valve until that point. Valve suddenly realised that Oculus was going to be its own platform, where previously they (and pretty much everyone) thought that Oculus would make the hardware, and Valve would be the storefront for the software.
 
FlukeRogi said:
The Vive didn't actually exist when Facebook acquired Oculus (March 2014), and wasn't unveiled until a year later in March 2015. The Facebook acquisition killed what had a been a free exchange of ideas and collaboration between Oculus and Valve until that point. Valve suddenly realised that Oculus was going to be its own platform, where previously they (and pretty much everyone) thought that Oculus would make the hardware, and Valve would be the storefront for the software.
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That's what age does to you, I imagined Facebook was far more recent.
 
Wrinkly said:
That's what age does to you, I imagined Facebook was far more recent.
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The whole VR resurgence has happened so quickly, it's hard to keep track of what happened when and where. 5 years ago, we didn't even have any headsets. I've never known anything like VR where it feels like everything happened both yesterday and years ago at the same time.
 
Right now as it stands, I honestly done see any reason to get a Vive over a Rift, yes out of the box it does room scalling better than the Rift, but it’s £200 more expensive! You can then order 1 or 2 extra Oculus cameras at £59 each for absolutely perfect 360 room scalling, or stick with the two in either corners of a room for a decent experience.
The Rift has Touch controllers that are (IMO) better than the HTC wands, though the vive is getting new controllers soon, but that only adds to the overall cost of the Vive.
Sadly there is an issue with ‘exclusivity’, in order to play Oculus games on the Vive you need to download Revive, i don’t have experience with it so I couldn’t possibly comment. And while SteamVR games not listed to work with the Rift games can work with without hiccups there are the exceptions, some issues being the controls are mapped out for the Vive wands NOT for the oculus Touch, If I im interested in a SteamVR game and it not listed for Rift compatibly I check the steam comment section, you can guarantee it’s already been asked.
That said, I prefer to use Oculus Home over SteamVR, I do have a few VR games on steam as there just not available on Oculus Home, just my own personal preference, that’s now been especially enhanced with the footage of the new user interface coming soon.
I’m not knocking the Vive, I have used it for many hours (and loved it!) before purchasing the Rift during the ‘summer of rift’ Sale, but I prefer the Rift, lighter and cheaper make it in my mind the better option.

Which ever headset you go for out of the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive your in for a great experience.
 
So I spoke to my friend and he said I can have the Vive for £280. Only thing is it's missing the wall brackets for the sensors as they are at his ex's and no chance of him retrieving them ;)

Did that sound like a good deal?

Also has how many versions of the Vive has there been? This would be an early one just want to make sure it's not been superseded?
 
I love the rift, the touch controllers are what made me choose the rift as I hate the HTC controllers. I like to use the analog stick to walk around in games.

I have to say I think HTC is far superior with steam, most games are made for the HTC controllers and they want you to teleport everywhere. I find it so hard to find games on steam that are made with the touch controllers in mind, steam does not have a filter for this on the search.

Rift wins for full locomotive movement and hand movements.

I have had no problems with my sensors, I have 3 sensors but normally just use 2.

I love the oculus store, I like how games are rated on comfort for nausea. However I feel the free games are a bit rubbish, with only robot recall being any use. Most multiplayer games are dead. Oculus store I still don't feel has much choice, but the games available are far more refined compared to all the junk coming out on steam at the moment.
 
famas said:
So I spoke to my friend and he said I can have the Vive for £280. Only thing is it's missing the wall brackets for the sensors as they are at his ex's and no chance of him retrieving them ;)

Did that sound like a good deal?

Also has how many versions of the Vive has there been? This would be an early one just want to make sure it's not been superseded?
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That's a pretty good deal. I would take that if I were you. Just make sure it's in good condition.

The Vive has had improvements, the headset is now lighter and the 3 in 1 cable is also lighter. But, you can buy the lighter 3 in 1 cable if you find the one that comes with the headset annoying. Also, while you are buying stuff, you might want to buy the deluxe head strap. It makes the Vive more comfortable and comes with integrated headphones.
 
So it's only cosmetic updates? No hardware updates.

It should be in good condition as he's only used it a handful of times. Like I say it is missing the wall brackets but he said he picked up cheap ones from the rain forest that worked.

It sounds like a good deal so I think I'll go for it. hopefully it won't all go pop if HTC do pull out.
Also hope the new controllers are not far off as I do prefer the look of the rift units.

Is there any thing else I should be looking out for?
 
Knuckles are still in Development, probably next year before the final consumer versions make an appearance.

It's the only thing that would stop me getting the Vive even at your price. The Touch controllers are just amazing, streets ahead of the Vive wands. They really add to the immersion level. I notice it every time I switch from the Rift to the Vive.

Now, for you it will be different because you haven't used the Touch controllers or you could try both and prefer the Wands, some people do.

For your own comfort I would really consider getting the lighter cable and the Deluxe Audio Strap. They really do make using the headset a much better experience. Integrated headphones are a godsend, especially after faffing about with the earbuds for a few weeks.

But, if you can ask your friend to hold off for a few weeks it might be worth waiting. The Samsung Odyssey will be out on the 6th of November or thereabouts. IF the reviews of it are good, it might be worth getting over the either the Vive or the Rift especially if you have a small play space. Personally I don't think it will offer as good as experience as either the Vive or the Rift, at least not in the beginning, but it would be great if it was better than both of the older headsets.
 
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