Indecisive Lurkers: Why you must get the rift

UPDATED

Stop being silly. If you have the money, even if it will mean you have to eat bread and salt for a month, these are the reasons why you should get the rift. I will resolve your minds once and for all.

"I don't want to splurge on the DK2 and then put it in the attic when the CV1 comes out"

Yes you do. Here're two infallible reasons why:
  1. The CV1 isn't going to be out for a LONG time. It is still 6 months away, perhaps more. You will have become bored of Elite by then. And even if you haven't, you will completely regret all the things you saw for the first time without it. Seeing those for the first time, but in the rift, is infinitely better. Sure you can go back to them, but it won't be the same. It will be more like collecting stamps than discovering a universe.
  2. The CV1 isn't that much better than the DK2! At least in raw specs. There are approximately 1.2x the number of pixels. That's barely anything. Seeing as the biggest problem with the rift is the resolution, it almost seems pointless. So far, the extra refresh rate and built in headphones which everyone will replace anyway seems almost pointless. Maybe it will be lighter, more comfortable...who knows. There is a very vague indication that the screen door effect is reduced in this review: http://www.vrcircle.com/post/oculus-rift-consumer-version-first-look-and-detailed-pictures. Doesn't really go into detail and says it is still there. He sounds a little too excited to be taken seriously anyway :)

    So why bother? I'm not even sure if I am going to get it. And, those 1.2x shaders at 90hz instead of 75hz will probably require upgrading your PC significantly anyway as the 980 already struggles to have the DK2 on max settings. So in terms of money, it almost seems much better value to get the DK2 now.

"I don't like the idea of the low resolution"

It doesn't matter. In the words of literally EVERYONE who has ED and the OR: the positives of the rift far far far FAR outweigh not having optimal resolution. It's like saying "I don't like the weightiness of gold, so I'll stick to lightweight copper". Sure it's lighter but man, what you can do with that gold! Go read anyone's heart-felt reviews in this sub-forum. Everyone is just blown away.

And anyway, the resolution isn't THAT bad. You can still see everything. There are plenty of methods of getting it up to scratch (see my sig). Park over a planet up close and you can still make out all the fine fine details. But now you are actually OVER the HUGE planet. It compensates and then-some. Your brain is tricked into thinking you're there. The low resolution doesn't spoil that at all.

Also, all the other effects shine through. The lighting, the effects, the sounds. It's just one aspect that's so-so.

Lastly, the CV1 isn't looking that much better at resolution. DK2 runs at 960x1080 per eye. The CV1 is going to be 1200 x 1080 per eye. I don't even think we will notice the difference to be honest. It remains to be seen! Either way, not a reason to wait 6 months, that's for sure. I will only concede waiting if you literally have one opportunity in life to get the money together, and if you get the DK2 now you will NEVER be able to afford the CV1. Get the DK2, enjoy it even after the CV1 comes out and when you can afford the CV1, even second hand, then you can upgrade.

If the purest experience could be measured out of 100, having 4k res on 3 screens is 20. Having the rift is 85. I challenge anyone to disagree.

"I can't afford it"

You really can't? You can't get a side-job? You can't find anything around the house to sell? You can't borrow from a friend and make a payment plan? Short of putting yourself in dire straits, which you should never never do, most people can find the money with enough determination. Get it second hand? Use your initiative.

It's the best gaming experience you'll have ever had, and will have for years. And not only is it the best. It's light-years better than your second best. It's worth every effort to get. For most people, it's not more than 2 weeks' pay. Get a side job for 2 weeks and you'll have it.

"My PC isn't up to spec"

Then let me simply refer you to the above. GET IT UP TO SPEC.

"I've heard about/experienced the screen door effect and I don't want that"

Doesn't happen in ED. Not sure why, probably because it's mostly dark, and you're constantly shifting your viewpoint. Just trust that it doesn't happen here. Plenty of discussion about it. Go fish.

"My wife would frown"

Until she tries it. No human being, no matter how "sensible" "grown up" "mature" will come away from sitting in an Eagle in an asteroid field around a gas giant with a blue sun bathing it's light on the cockpit and not be in utter awe. And she will see it's not just some silly violent pointless game. It's an experience. A mature, adult experience. All her misgivings will melt. And when she sees how happy it makes you, she will encourage it. It's just up to you to not neglect her as a result :p




Valid reasons to NOT get it:

"I have no self control, if an experience is too good, I will lose my life" - then this is a big red zone for you. It's the most addictive gaming experience in existence. Sort yourself out first.

"I am doing exams" - then wait until they are over. It's too big a risk.

"I have little kids that need constant attention" - a lot of people have kids and rift, but they also have lots of self control. If you don't then kids and family come first.

"I am having marital problems as it is, something that will take me away from my wife isn't a good thing" - DON'T get the rift. Fight for your marriage with everything you have!




What other reasons are preventing you? Let me shoot them down :)
 
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"I don't want to see screen door for hours after I take the damn thing off" pretty much decided it for me. Waiting for a unit with a better dot pitch, be it Rift or the HTC/Valve one. I did get sorely tempted though, as space is big, and should look that way...
 
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Ancipital said:
"I don't want to see screen door for hours after I take the damn thing off" pretty much decided it for me.

If this is the only thing keeping you from getting a Rift, you should seriously reconsider. Everyone is different, but for me the screen door after-image blends with my normal closed eye "noise" as to be indistinguishable and fades after mere minutes. Maybe my eyes just don't have a problem with it but I've never seen a screen door effect over my normal open eye vision even after immediately taking the Rift off. Besides, the $6 anti-glare screen protector mod completely solves the after-image "problem" - I haven't experienced it at all since applying the mod.

drkaii said:
"I don't want to splurge on the DK2 and then put it in the attic when the CV1 comes out"

Yes you do. Here're two infallible reasons why:
The CV1 isn't going to be out for a LONG time. 6 months is hugely optimistic. 12 is more reasonable. You will have got bored of Elite by then. And even if you haven't, you will completely regret all the things you saw for the first time without it. Seeing those for the first time, but in the rift, is infinitely better. Sure you can go back to them, but it won't be the same. It will be more like collecting stamps than discovering a universe.
The CV1 is going to cost you so much that $300 for the DK2 isn't going to be a fraction of it. Think about it. Right now a 980 struggles with the DK2. You can't max out everything, not completely. The CV1 will have at least double the resolution. Remember, the pixels are proportional to the square of the resolution. So it's going to take an exponentially more powerful rig to run it. This is why it's taking so bloody long. And when it does come out, you'll need to upgrade everything in your PC. So don't bother. Get the DK2. Trust me it's good enough

These points are the exact same rationale I went through when deciding to pick up a DK2 as opposed to waiting for CV1... and I'm glad I came to the same conclusion as you! The Rift is by far the most amazing gaming device I've ever purchased (even more than my coveted Steel Battalion controller :)). I'm still planning on getting a CV1 when it comes out - or a Vive - or both - but I already feel I've gotten my money's worth out of the DK2 and am looking forward to many more months of happy gaming with it!
 
"I don't want to see screen door for hours after I take the damn thing off" pretty much decided it for me. Waiting for a unit with a better dot pitch, be it Rift or the HTC/Valve one. I did get sorely tempted though, as space is big, and should look that way...

I have had it on for about 3 hours and don't get anything like what you describe. Who said this?

I don't even see screen door in the game let alone out of it.
 
You will see the screen door effect very clearly if you keep your help COMPLETELY still and stare at a single spot....

.....almost impossible when playing Elite Dangerous!

Nosh
 
I have had it on for about 3 hours and don't get anything like what you describe. Who said this?

I did, after using one with a panoramic video camera live feed system. Also, colleagues who develop experimental VR apps occasionally have made similar observations; I was glad that it wasn't just me.

I'd love to be convinced by you lot, oh how I'd like to be. It's a bit irritating that I'm not, had I not played with a DK2 already, I'd probably have gone ahead and ordered one, blithely unaware :)
 
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Just sell the wife, and you solve 2 of the problems right there. It's worth it.

"My graphics card isn't good enough"
Well... yea... that's an problem. That's just going to get worse, so suck it up.

R9 280x does pretty well, although I need all settings on off/low. That's probably the minimum on the AMD side.

But 100% totally agree that Rift on all-low settings is WAY more fun than high settings on 1 screen.
(I haven't tried triple screens.)
 
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I did, after using one with a panoramic video camera live feed system. Also, colleagues who develop experimental VR apps occasionally have made similar observations; I was glad that it wasn't just me.

I'd love to be convinced by you lot, oh how I'd like to be. It's a bit irritating that I'm not, had I not played with a DK2 already, I'd probably have gone ahead and ordered one, blithely unaware :)

You'll only be convinced by trying it on elite. We are not all pretending to ourselves it's not there. Come to my house and have a go ;)

Just sell the wife, and you solve 2 of the problems right there. It's worth it.

"My graphics card isn't good enough"
Well... yea... that's an problem. That's just going to get worse, so suck it up.

R9 280x does pretty well, although I need all settings on off/low. That's probably the minimum on the AMD side.

But 100% totally agree that Rift on all-low settings is WAY more fun than high settings on 1 screen.
(I haven't tried triple screens.)

That's a good one but then I just refer you back to the "I can't afford it" FAQ
 
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Ok, I'm sold. I've been on the fence ever since I started playing ED about a month ago, and have read just about everything I could find on the subject. Now the excruciating wait begins. At least I'm away from home for another 5 weeks...maybe it will be there by the time I get home.

Anyone know about how long it will take to ship to the United States?

Also, a huge Thank You to all the Forum contributors who have posted their setup guides and tips!
 
one question - is the OR focused to infinity? i'm an old fart and although i don't wear glasses, my closest focal distance is about 16 inches or so. am i going to be able to use the rift or will i just see fuzz?

---> just did a quick test, it's probably more like 10 maybe 12 inches, but still
 
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I sold my mother-in-law in to slavery to get the DK2. She doesn't even realise it yet; she thinks I've sent her on a Saga holiday. Win-win.

Biggest mistake I made was over clocking my card and performance dropped through the floor. My R9 280 doesn't OC at all well - but once I had corrected it, the rift worked well enough.

I'll say this. Scale is everything. It is 100% more important to immersion than resolution is. Also, turning settings down to low for your DK2 to keep framerate up is not a cop out. It's still miles better then looking at a flat panel on a desk in Ultra.

I have no screen door issues with the game but I don't think I'm sensitive to it.

When you look around you at the cockpit and see just how good it looks, how well head snap to the left and right menus work and the rest of the HUD, all the extra in cockpit elements - you'll realise just how much effort the team at Frontier have put in to this game. Elite Dangerous is rightly recognised as one of the best Rift experiences out there right now thanks to the hard work of the development team.

Now having said that, I have a long day at work ahead of me and I'll be thinking about the rift experience all day!
 
/Goes off to buy a DK2

Seriously though, will an MSI GTX 970 gaming 4g be good enough ? and I think one of the blockers for me (in addition to the ones you've already quashed) is that I perceive there's still a lot of tweaking to be done to get it to work properly - getting the right driver, settings and bugs fixed, etc
 
/Goes off to buy a DK2

Seriously though, will an MSI GTX 970 gaming 4g be good enough ? and I think one of the blockers for me (in addition to the ones you've already quashed) is that I perceive there's still a lot of tweaking to be done to get it to work properly - getting the right driver, settings and bugs fixed, etc


I'm playing with this:

AMD FX6350 (minor OC)
8 GB RAM
R9 280

I can play on low but will get some judder in detail rich environments - mainly docked on the pad (I swear the smoke effects kill my card). I'm guessing that the GTX 970 stomps all over the R9 280?
 
Having done some reading it looks like the Maxwell core in the 970 was built to work well with the Oculus - seems you can pick a DK2 up for ~£300 here in the UK and payday is just around the corner :)
 
Hmm, is the OP a salesman? ;)

The DK2 is a development model meant for developers, I am not a developer :(
 
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Once you enter this world you can never go back. The difference of playing the game and being in the game is just too much to give up.

I have been playing for months this way and every single time I start a game I have just say dam this is bad a**.
 
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