Oculus Rift

Thargor

Why does everyone in this thread sound like they're worried about the specs and everywhere else says that its not that bad, 970 recommended etc? Im sure they'll come up with a million various tricks and workarounds rather than expecting everyone to have a rig that can output 2 90 fps displays at once, it will be probably be Xbone compatible after all.

Taylor365

Thargor wrote: »

it will be probably be Xbone compatible after all.

Not a hope of running anything from Xbone in the rift.

Only a cinema to sit in and play by the looks of it. The xbone would need a major surgical transplant to play anything with head tracking.

jumbobreakfast

I don't think it will be xbone compatible since the sony morpheus requires special hardware in the screen to double the framerate (they call it reprojection). You are right about specs though, 970/290 is recommended so that's what you need to aim for (e.g. a 780ti might be sufficient). CPU requirements should be okay for most if you overclock

Anyway, I watched the Enter the rift talk yesterday and it was a mixed bag.

Good:
The rift is really light
supports glasses (traditional geeks rejoice!)
integrated audio shows how important audio is to them (for immersion) and they can be rotated out of the way of your own headphones
2 screens and fresnel lenses should mean better resolution, possibly better SLI support, better FOV
The Constellation tracking solution looks to be at least as good as Valve's lighthouse but easier to just stick it on your desk
Eve valkyrie looks good
The hand controls looked great and more comfortable than Valve's with some extra features like finger gesture tracking
Windows 10 will support the rift natively
Directx 12 will have rift features

Bad:
Besides Eve valkyrie and lucky's tale the games shown looked a bit weak - perhaps they will be mind blowing in the rift but from what I could see there was a lack of AAA titles and imagination - I could be very wrong.
The inclusion of an Xbone controller with the rift is nice but probably a stop-gap. Some may not like this
The streaming of xbone games to a virtual couch theatre looked comically poor. If they had multiple people online all on the same couch then it would make sense but why would someone decide to play an xbone game on a virtual couch on their own? (perhaps to avoid looking at their messy room?)

Rift versus Vive:
I still don't see a major reason to hold out for the rift instead of buying the Vive (Vive releasing in November/december)
Oculus looks like it will be better once they get the hand controllers released (Q1 2016 for Rift +xbone controller, Q2 for hand controllers)
Some leaked images from the Vive SDK showed more AAA titles but these could just have been placeholder images.
It's very close between the two companies but if Valve don't release before Oculus they don't have a shot.

imitation

Thargor wrote: »

Why does everyone in this thread sound like they're worried about the specs and everywhere else says that its not that bad, 970 recommended etc? Im sure they'll come up with a million various tricks and workarounds rather than expecting everyone to have a rig that can output 2 90 fps displays at once, it will be probably be Xbone compatible after all.

Well in fairness people with a 970 / 290 are in a minority in the PC gaming sphere, I see people now using intel hd graphics even for thing like league and WoW. If I was an investor it would be a big concern that the initial market is going to be desktop pcs with high end specs, it puts a hard cap on how many rifts and games that can be sold in the first year or two.

In some respects its a bit questionable considering gear vr is running on phone hardware, why not drop the specs a bit and tier the games based on the available hardware.

Taylor365

imitation wrote: »

In some respects its a bit questionable considering gear vr is running on phone hardware, why not drop the specs a bit and tier the games based on the available hardware.

I think that's the whole point why VR has taken so long to take off. No one will take it serious until they see something major (Elite/AI/Eve:V/Modded Skyrim). No one will buy it just for a few novelty demos. This is supposed to last a generation (2-3 years possibly) and we know how fast tech moves. HBM2 will see GPUS with 16GB VRAM, HBM3 - 256GBVRAM! It's my speculation but we'll see.

These specs are the bear minimum to run anything decent in VR. I was surprised they were so tame but it explains why the CV1 isn't a major step up from the DK2.

For anything decent to run on gear vr, you still require a beefy PC to stream it from, which slows the process down even more than just having the main headset.

Doge

Full press event here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yjp09GmH76w

TerrorFirmer

jumbobreakfast wrote: »

The streaming of xbone games to a virtual couch theatre looked comically poor. If they had multiple people online all on the same couch then it would make sense but why would someone decide to play an xbone game on a virtual couch on their own? (perhaps to avoid looking at their messy room?)

Yes, but some of us aren't lucky enough to have 200" screens in our bedrooms....:D

If you've ever tried the Cinema apps on the DK2 - being able to steam XB1 games in this manner is a massive, massive draw.

I will be getting the Rift personally, that only seals the deal!

HBM2 will see GPUS with 16GB VRAM, HBM3 - 256GBVRAM! It's my speculation but we'll see.

Not even close. The vast majority of todays games work fine with 3GB, even 2GB in most cases. 4GB is considered strong going forward and 8GB is overkill unless you're gaming at 4K with dual high end cards (like dual 290X 8GB's). Even the Titan X is only 6GB vram and it's the fastest card available. 16Gb would be ridiculous overkill for the next generation of single cards.

Cards have been slapping on ridiculous quantities of ram as selling points since the early 2000's, despite in 99% of cases the card being too slow to make use of a fraction of it. Sure even right now you could buy a GT730 with 4GB of ram despite that €60 card barely being able to play most new games at lowest settings and resolution.

It will be a considerable period before 6 and 8GB cards become the norm, let alone 16GB.

Thargor

Is there anything stopping you from streaming pc games to a big screen in one of those cinema apps the way they're talking about for Xbone?

TerrorFirmer

There's any way to do it now with DK2 if that's what you mean. You select your media from the app's built-in media player, which then plays it on the 'giant' screen. One of the best app's I used in the DK2 to be honest. Being able to wander around a virtual cinema walking in on other peoples movies, and other people joining your screen, was just....beyond description. That and the Arcade app which totally showcases the potential social multiplayer potential of VR.

Thargor

Yeah I knew about that but can you play a game on a massive screen in the Rift or is the resolution when gaming vs watching videos too much for it?

TerrorFirmer

No. There's no way at present to play games on the huge virtual screen as opposed to playing a game in native VR mode if that's what you meant, sorry.

The resolution isn't good enough for that with the DK2 in any case - it's an incredible experience and a great novelty but it wasn't really feasible to actually watch a full movie in VR, the resolution just wasn't high enough.

JohnK

Has there been any definitive note on the level of screen door effect in CV1?

jumbobreakfast

TerrorFirmer wrote: »

Yes, but some of us aren't lucky enough to have 200" screens in our bedrooms....

If you've ever tried the Cinema apps on the DK2 - being able to steam XB1 games in this manner is a massive, massive draw.

I will be getting the Rift personally, that only seals the deal!

I'm not sure that the resolution is high enough for me to accept that as good enough just yet. However, being able to play simple local multiplayer games on a virtual couch with my friends in different parts of the world would be great.

JohnK wrote: »

Has there been any definitive note on the level of screen door effect in CV1?

Apparently the screen door effect is gone since the pixels are smoothed out by the new lenses which are fresnel. (fresnel lenses are used in old lighthouses or transparency projectors).

People have said that it is more like a wood grain type effect but I'm not sure what they mean by that. Perhaps it's just less defined and more random which is probably better.

JohnK

jumbobreakfast wrote: »

Apparently the screen door effect is gone since the pixels are smoothed out by the new lenses which are fresnel. (fresnel lenses are used in old lighthouses or transparency projectors).

People have said that it is more like a wood grain type effect but I'm not sure what they mean by that. Perhaps it's just less defined and more random which is probably better.

Nice one, thats good to hear.

imitation

TerrorFirmer wrote: »

No. There's no way at present to play games on the huge virtual screen as opposed to playing a game in native VR mode if that's what you meant, sorry.

The resolution isn't good enough for that with the DK2 in any case - it's an incredible experience and a great novelty but it wasn't really feasible to actually watch a full movie in VR, the resolution just wasn't high enough.

Actually, Vorpx added a decent virtual cinema mode. It supports geometry 3d, so its in effect like a 3d movie at the cinema. I have used it and it is excellt for games like mass effect where full VR will never work. People have also said you can do similar things with Virtual desktop.

TerrorFirmer

Oh, I stand corrected, I didn't know VorpX had that feature.

I actually watched a few SBS files within the Cinema App for the DK2 and the 3D effect was actually really impressive. 3d within 3d!

I tried Virtual Desktop too but I found it quite buggy. Cool though all the same.

moesyzlak

Does anyone here think an intel core i7 will have much of an advantage over an i5 for VR?

drunkmonkey

Here some DK2 games in the steam sale, any must buys?

Alien Isolation (-50% / £15.99)
BlazeRush (-66% / £2.37) £7.81 for a 4 pack
Crashed Lander (-50% / £1.99)
Crystal Rift (-20 / £11.99)
Dirt Rally (-25% / 18.74)
Elite: Dangerous (-10% / £35.99)
Euro Truck Simulator 2 (-66% / £5.09)
GRID Autosport (-50% / £12.49 )
Hover : Revolt of Gamers (-25% / £11.24)
Legend of Dungeon (-70% / £2.09)
Lunar Flight (-50% / £3.49)
Meltdown (-50% / £1.74) £6.99 for a 4 pack
NoLimits 2 Roller Coaster Simulation (-15% / £23.79)
Qbeh-1: The Atlas Cube (-75% / £1.74)
Race the Sun (-80% / £1.39)
Shufflepuck Cantina Deluxe VR (-50% £3.49)
Subnautica (-10% / £13.49)
Time Rifters (-50% / £3.49)
Toybox Turbos (-75% / £2.99)

Doge

Even though its not finished yet, dirt rally is impressive.

drunkmonkey

Have you played it in the rift? Is it worth buying yet?

Doge

I've yet to even try a rift so im no help to you there unfortunately!
Would be worth investigating via youtube.

Where did you find the list btw?

drunkmonkey

Just ripped it from the Oculus forum on reddit. r/oculus

Taylor365

drunkmonkey wrote: »

Here some DK2 games in the steam sale, any must buys?

Alien Isolation (-50% / £15.99)
BlazeRush (-66% / £2.37) £7.81 for a 4 pack
Crashed Lander (-50% / £1.99)
Crystal Rift (-20 / £11.99)
Dirt Rally (-25% / 18.74)
Elite: Dangerous (-10% / £35.99)
Euro Truck Simulator 2 (-66% / £5.09)
GRID Autosport (-50% / £12.49 )
Hover : Revolt of Gamers (-25% / £11.24)
Legend of Dungeon (-70% / £2.09)
Lunar Flight (-50% / £3.49)
Meltdown (-50% / £1.74) £6.99 for a 4 pack
NoLimits 2 Roller Coaster Simulation (-15% / £23.79)
Qbeh-1: The Atlas Cube (-75% / £1.74)
Race the Sun (-80% / £1.39)
Shufflepuck Cantina Deluxe VR (-50% £3.49)
Subnautica (-10% / £13.49)
Time Rifters (-50% / £3.49)
Toybox Turbos (-75% / £2.99)

Elite: Dangerous
Euro truck Simulator
Alien Isolation

Those are a must for Rift owners (Yet to play AI but will pick it up when she goes 70-80% off ).

drunkmonkey

Taylor365 wrote: »

(Yet to play AI but will pick it up when she goes 70-80% off ).

She's gone 75%, off now €12.49 ; )

barry181091

The only time I have tried a Rift is with those Red Bull promo people; basically a cliff jumping demo. Was very very blurry and not really immersive at all. No idea what version they were using. Anywhere around Dublin people can try out DK2 demos? Would love to try one.

Doge

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhIGeh2jjhY

Doge

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asduqdRizqs

Doge

Oculus acquire Israeli company Pebbles Interfaces:

https://www.oculus.com/en-us/blog/pebbles-interfaces-joins-oculus/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkddF7F0zvs

Jk_Eire

Possibly the wrong forum...
I'm looking to rent/buy 2 - 3 DK1s for September if anybody has one in good condition they want rid or would be happy to rent out?

Cheers,
JK

smithy1981

Jk_Eire wrote: »

Possibly the wrong forum...
I'm looking to rent/buy 2 - 3 DK1s for September if anybody has one in good condition they want rid or would be happy to rent out?

Cheers,
JK

I have a dk1 you could borrow but I'm in clonmel, just seen one on adverts for 280......crazy. Are they likely to hold value?? And I'm just wondering why your using the dk1?