VR for dummies

[adolf hamster]

so i'm vaguely aware of the general idea of VR, toyed with google cardboard a few years back but never really got into it in any meaningful way. i know there's been a fair bit of development on it but i'm not really sure what VR offers outside of the likes of those setups that involve walking around a room with a couple of controllers in-hand that you wave about.

i'm curious what sort of uses VR might have outside of specific VR supporting games, for example use with desktop applications or non-VR titles, can these be used with the headset projecting a faux "screen", so it'd be like using a giant monitor?

i'm also wondering how well it'd work just for seated use, i presume it works well for flying/driving games but what about first person games (eg skyrim but anything in that general vein)? heard motion sickness is a bit of an issue with your eyes seeing movement but the rest of your body not experiencing it, is this one of those "it will happen, but you get used to it" things?

currently my setup precludes any standing/moving around/waving controllers, basically sitting and using conventional mouse+keyboard controls is all that'd be possible, so i'm not really sure if i'd see any benefit from putting money into a setup?

 

[adolf hamster]

I never tried VR until i got my Quest 2 and it was a whole new experience for me. It might less for you if you've tried other forms of VR before but for me it was truly mind blowing.

the google cardboard thing was an interesting taster, but i'm presuming not remotely the same level of immersion/quality you'd get from a proper setup.

I've used VR in desktop mode through the app Virtual Desktop and you can simulate looking at your actual desktop and perform actions like you would in real life. I've done the same with watching movies in VR on a big "faux" cinema screen but giving you the impression of actually being in the cinema and watching with mates sat virtually next to you lol.

that does sound handy, i presume you could simulate having a much larger (both in terms of percieved size but also screen space) desktop than you could with monitors, i currently run 3 (badly mismatched) screens for desktop work but shift to just the centre for gaming. i guess perhaps the tricky thing would be not being able to see your mouse/keyboard (and other desktop items) whilst working?

Ideally you want at least arms length plus a foot in a 360 degree rotation and be able to have clearance above you and not hit any lights. Having a circular play mat will at least help you keep centred in the room incase you drift off.

don't really have that kind of real-estate to work with, i'm very much limited to staying seated and don't have safe room to wave arms about without risking knocking things off desks etc, hence querying using vr with conventional mouse+keyboard (basically i'm thinking like playing with a big tiled ultrawide monitor set but without the space requirements of such a setup)

 

[adolf hamster]

Can you stand? If so, then minigolf is another sedantry experience that doesn't require waving around. VR fishing in Real VR fishing, is seated and nice. A group of us from the forum have been playing Demeo, which is like an role playing board game, again, definitely seated.

not really, at least not in a way i'd be happy to do blind with risks of tripping over the cat/bumping into things.

kinda suspected being limited to seated/not waving around would mean losing too much of the VR experience.

 

[adolf hamster]

When I say stand, I literally just mean stand, and shuffle a bit. No massive arm waving etc. Standing at the end of your bed is an option since you can safely wave your arms over the top of it. And on the assumption it's a regular length bed, then you've probably got as much room to play as I normally use for beat saber, golf, rec room etc.

i get what you're saying, but space really is at that much of a premium for the time being, hopefully not too long though.

However you can still get massively immersed even if you only have room for standing or seating. That's especially true for racing and flight sims where you would be seated anyway.

yeah, i do occasionally like the odd racing/driving game, only real "flying" game would be ksp, generally more the likes of rpg's, shooters etc would be the sort of thing i'd be into.

was kinda thinking it'd be more like playing normally, just on a really big screen that goes all round (so there'd be some element of being able to look away from where your mouse would be) although i presume that's exactly the kind of thing that gives you motion sickness.

 

[adolf hamster]

To put it into context, I stand with my back to my computer desk, can take about half a step backwards before hitting my desk. In front of me is a couch. Thankfully to the sides I've got space, but it's about 190cm I believe, so as I said, the length of a bed. When i say it's possible, it's because it's what I'm doing every day .

still can't say i'm sold, constantly imagining flailing and knocking into something.

in your scenario space wise replace your couch with a workbench, i transition between it and my pc desk by just swivelling the chair.

It's nothing like playing on a big screen, it's as if you're actually there, inside the game.

yeah for VR supported titles i'm imagining it'd be like that, a 3-d world and that. but non-vr titles i'm guessing the big screen analogy holds?

Playing shooting games in VR is also way more immersive as you're not just clicking a button, you are physicially aiming as if you were using a real gun, and many games also have realistic or semi-realistic loading mechanics. It's amazing when a zombie is shuffling towards you (and it feels like it's actually there in front of you), you run out of bullets and you're frantically fumbling the reload because you're actually panicking.

yeah i've seen some reviews of the likes of onward, although not sure i'd get on so well with aiming without the likes of a stock to line up my head with the sights.

tbh i'm still not sold on the whole notion of trying to introduce that kind of realism (ie crouching behind cover, manipulating weapons etc) in a scenario where physical movement is limited, can see me trying to duck into in-game cover only to crash into something.

 

[adolf hamster]

It sounds like you're trying to convince yourself it's not going to work. Which is fair enough, from the sounds of it you do have very limited space, but the advantage with the quest 2 is it can be played anywhere, you don't have to be next to your PC.

you are right i guess, it's a combination of limited space (or too much stuff lying around for the space i do have) and probably a fair amount trying to convince myself out of it for the sake of saving money on something i don't know if i'd get the use out of.

 

[adolf hamster]

i suppose i should do that and see, although will places let you return it after it's been hanging off your face?

*goes to look that up*