Vive vs Rift: Help me decide what to buy!

[Lestenio]

I'm now a Vive convert.

Yes I'm aware of the differences with the lenses but both systems use Fresnel so both systems will have some lens reflections. It doesn't ruin gameplay on ED. Text is still markedly sharper with Vive than it was with ED on DK2.

Vive standing/room scale games are beyond belief. Absolutely stunning. The sense of being there is mind-blowing and way beyond any sense of presence I had on DK2.

Totally agree. I had ordered both but due to delays the Vive arrived first.
At first i was a bit meh... since it was the same as the DK2 with better resolution. I cleared a reasonable space this weekend and tried room scale properly for the first time.
Wow. and i mean wow. its amazing. I can't explain how amazing it is. I was playing the Budget Cuts trial and at some point found myself laying on the floor trying to shoot a robot though the ceiling. Room scale VR is totally mind blowing.

I am glad i cancelled my Rift.

 

[stripealipe]

Totally agree. I had ordered both but due to delays the Vive arrived first.
At first i was a bit meh... since it was the same as the DK2 with better resolution. I cleared a reasonable space this weekend and tried room scale properly for the first time.
Wow. and i mean wow. its amazing. I can't explain how amazing it is. I was playing the Budget Cuts trial and at some point found myself laying on the floor trying to shoot a robot though the ceiling. Room scale VR is totally mind blowing.

I am glad i cancelled my Rift.

Yep, gotta agree. As a long-time DK2 owner, my Vive experiences have taken it somewhere i never thought possible... i played the Budget Cuts demo and that really immerses you so well... i almost leant on a barrier in game and had a fall.. I also played the demo of Brookhaven Experiment and on the 3rd wave of Zombies things go a little too much culminating in me getting swamped... and i have to admit that i curled into a ball on the floor and averted my eyes and got out... scary as hell...

And Space Pirate Trainer... well, it's a fave.. it's just crazy that game... so simple and so so much fun... you end up all over the floor dodging and shooting and screaming out...!

 

[Cyda]

For this type of cockpit experience it's Rift all the way for me. If you read the comments from the guys at Tested they've said when playing seated games with the Vive they wished they were playing on a Rift instead.

[–]Relzu13 28 points 1 month ago
Have you tryed any sit-down games with the Vive? (Like Elite: Dangerous or driving games) If so, how is the experience?


[–]notdagreatbrain 150 points 1 month ago
very good, but ergonomic and headset comfort issues still persist. playing seated games with vive honestly makes me wish i were playing those same games with rift.

https://www.reddit.com/r/oculus/comments/4dgjqs/tested_htc_vive_review/d1qt1c2

I don't have room for 'room experience' and jumping round like a loon wii/kinect style doesn't do it for me, not after a days work, so the Rift is a better fit (for me at least). 6 weeks to go until my Rift arrives... hopefully!

 

[Caduceus]

I just got a Rift on Saturday. Perfect fit for me, since I'm mostly into sims, and not interested in playing hand movement games right now. My last experience in Elite was on DK2, which I sold in November. So I've waited about 6 months to get back into ED. And it looks even better than when I left lol. The screen crispness on the Rift CV1 compared to the DK2 is mind-boggling. The planets look eerily good, especially with orbit lines off.

 

[bitstorm]

if touch turns out to be rubbish i can live with it.... i will be replacing the headset as soon as the next gen come out anyway. untill then i will be limiting what i buy in the oculus store so i can keep my options open. I am not ready to get locked into either companies just yet.
The fantastic contraption guys however had rift touch set up doing full room and they said to all intents and purposes it was just as good as the vive, but in a limited room size, ie go above 4x4m i think it was and you have to go for the vive.... this is not an issue for me, with the best will in the world, outside of getting a gazebo and going in the garden i cant get bigger than 2.5 x 3m anyway.

screendoor effect.... ok i have not tried the production vive, however EVERY other post/review i have read state SDE is worse on the vive, but the Fresnel lens artifact issue - which can be negated by the devs - which is better in the vive did not get a mention.

Aye, I think most early adaopters will go gen 2, Rift or Vive it's all good.

After using the Vive, I have to say though, room scale is where it's at. I mean moving around and interacting, that whole thing to me is the real promise of VR.

Sure you can sit in a chair, like for ED but that so so limits the scope of VR's potential.

Vive may have its faults, but to be honest, the controllers make it totally mind-blowing.

I juggled with the two controllers while inside VR fer Christ's sake! (Not for long though, they're expensive!)

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I also played the demo of Brookhaven Experiment and on the 3rd wave of Zombies things go a little too much culminating in me getting swamped... and i have to admit that i curled into a ball on the floor and averted my eyes and got out... scary as hell...

Hah! Brookhaven yeah.

The sense of fear you feel, it's just a zombie game but the immersion through VR makes some part of your brain think its real, I literally wanted to turn off the game,

Completed it on 2nd go though. =p

First go I was awful.

The cool thing about this demo was the gun usage, I mean holding the gun out you adapt and end up supporting your gun hand with the other. It's is literally what you would do in real life. It's not press a button to shoot anymore.

 

[Slopey]

If you want, and have the space for room scale (which is more than you think you might, probably at least 2x2m to get something out of it), then the Vive is amazing. As others have already said, playing and demoing Space Pilot Trainer to your mates is amazing.

For seated experiences, and comfort, as you'll all already be aware, the Rift is miles ahead of the Vive. Another "lighthouse" for the Rift, and the touch controllers, and I'll never wear the Vive again presuming I can get the same experience with Steam games (i.e. SPT!).

One thing to note about room scale is that it is NOT a panacea of wonderfulness. By virtue of your house size, unless you have a warehouse free, you will be limited in your play area. This severely restricts your physical locomotion through any game space. In order to get around that, you need to have some sort of "gamepadesque" movement, which is nausea inducing, or be happy with the Vanishing Realms style teleport mechanic. So tbh you tend to end up with some largely static experiences where you warp, but then can move around a couple of feet.

I've found exactly that putting together my latest Unity VR game, and it means the difference between room scale and a more stationary game can be very very marginal, provided you're standing in one spot for stationary/seated rather than actually sitting down (which is by definition limiting).

Until something like the Virtuix Omni comes out (probably in about 1,000 years at this rate - I'm a <100 backer and that's 3 years and counting for a slippy dish and pair of shoes), even room scale will be limited to short movement distances, and re-orientating yourself to the room center - the more you play with the Vive, the more you notice you don't really move that much in physical space unless you have a large room, and even then, 6m is only 5 or six large steps before you're chaperoned (and with a larger room, it's an even bigger pest to get back to the center).

SPT works very very well however because you're on a fixed platform with a fixed play area. Vanishing Realms, not so much. And I can't possibly imagine how you could even do a room scale proper FPS with large levels without teleporting.

So, caveat emptor. Room scale is impressive as hell when you first play it, but after that it starts to show through how "not large" your room is.

 

[SpitTheDog]

If you want, and have the space for room scale (which is more than you think you might, probably at least 2x2m to get something out of it), then the Vive is amazing. As others have already said, playing and demoing Space Pilot Trainer to your mates is amazing.

For seated experiences, and comfort, as you'll all already be aware, the Rift is miles ahead of the Vive. Another "lighthouse" for the Rift, and the touch controllers, and I'll never wear the Vive again presuming I can get the same experience with Steam games (i.e. SPT!).

One thing to note about room scale is that it is NOT a panacea of wonderfulness. By virtue of your house size, unless you have a warehouse free, you will be limited in your play area. This severely restricts your physical locomotion through any game space. In order to get around that, you need to have some sort of "gamepadesque" movement, which is nausea inducing, or be happy with the Vanishing Realms style teleport mechanic. So tbh you tend to end up with some largely static experiences where you warp, but then can move around a couple of feet.

I've found exactly that putting together my latest Unity VR game, and it means the difference between room scale and a more stationary game can be very very marginal, provided you're standing in one spot for stationary/seated rather than actually sitting down (which is by definition limiting).

Until something like the Virtuix Omni comes out (probably in about 1,000 years at this rate - I'm a <100 backer and that's 3 years and counting for a slippy dish and pair of shoes), even room scale will be limited to short movement distances, and re-orientating yourself to the room center - the more you play with the Vive, the more you notice you don't really move that much in physical space unless you have a large room, and even then, 6m is only 5 or six large steps before you're chaperoned (and with a larger room, it's an even bigger pest to get back to the center).

SPT works very very well however because you're on a fixed platform with a fixed play area. Vanishing Realms, not so much. And I can't possibly imagine how you could even do a room scale proper FPS with large levels without teleporting.

So, caveat emptor. Room scale is impressive as hell when you first play it, but after that it starts to show through how "not large" your room is.

I can 'just' get room scale with a bit of arranging. I can get standing quite easily. With standing I can play Holopoint which is absolutely knackering! The extra potential that just standing holds made the decision for me and that is massively helped by the controllers for the Vive being here now.

 

[Hell Razor5543]

I use a Rift DK2 for ED, and I don't need to move much. However, my cousin said that he will get a VR system when he is happy with the resolution (he tried my DK2, and while he can see how much it adds to a game, he is "a resolution hog" (edited as a filter did not like his words)). He will also want a system whereby he can get up and move around. I then suggested that (when he gets a VR system) he marks the safe boundary with something like thick rope. That way, if he feels it with his toes (he goes barefoot in his home) he will know he has reached the edge of the safe zone, and may well encounter unseen obstacles (OK, the VR set may well have a camera built in, but why take the chance).

 

[SpitTheDog]

I use a Rift DK2 for ED, and I don't need to move much. However, my cousin said that he will get a VR system when he is happy with the resolution (he tried my DK2, and while he can see how much it adds to a game, he is "a resolution hog" (edited as a filter did not like his words). He will also want a system whereby he can get up and move around. I then suggested that (when he gets a VR system) he marks the safe boundary with something like thick rope. That way, if he feels it with his toes (he goes barefoot in his home) he will know he has reached the edge of the safe zone, and may well encounter unseen obstacles (OK, the VR set may well have a camera built in, but why take the chance).

The Vive boundary is pretty good. Gradually shows you a grid as you approach the edges or you can tell it to always show your floor area if you don't like the walls appearing. Doesn't always stop you wanting to stretch just outside and hoping that your Wife's head isn't in that exact spot.

 

[bitstorm]

Yeah, there's a wireframe that fades in showing the boundaries when you approach them, you can configure the wireframe brightness and colour.

You can also enable the camera view to turn itself on when you reach the boundary too if you want overkill, also set the camera view to a variable brightness level. So if you really want dial it right up, no way you're going to miss it then.

With a physical boundary, just stick down a rug or something.

 

[stripealipe]

No two ways about it, simply standing up and having that slight 'wobble' movement in your body has an amazing effect to create immersion and presence. That's why Dream Deck on Oculus works so well too.. Add in some perfectly tracked hand controllers and your brain starts getting fooled in entirely new ways.. gotta say i'm loving my Vive... and it's very very early days for this bit of kit...

 

[grammatonfeather]

Totally agree. I had ordered both but due to delays the Vive arrived first.
At first i was a bit meh... since it was the same as the DK2 with better resolution. I cleared a reasonable space this weekend and tried room scale properly for the first time.
Wow. and i mean wow. its amazing. I can't explain how amazing it is. I was playing the Budget Cuts trial and at some point found myself laying on the floor trying to shoot a robot though the ceiling. Room scale VR is totally mind blowing.

I am glad i cancelled my Rift.

That's it exactly. I wasn't prepared for how real the games feel with the addition of the controllers, standing/room-scale and increased resolution.

Check out the brookhaven experiment.

One thing I do need with Vive and ED is more GPU power now I'm running on steamvr. I have to set to VR low preset and even then it's not entirely smooth.

Is anyone using gtx 970 and getting smooth performance on ED with Vive?

Not sure if it's my imagination but the engineers beta does seem to be slightly smoother on my system.

 

[stripealipe]

That's it exactly. I wasn't prepared for how real the games feel with the addition of the controllers, standing/room-scale and increased resolution.

Check out the brookhaven experiment.

One thing I do need with Vive and ED is more GPU power now I'm running on steamvr. I have to set to VR low preset and even then it's not entirely smooth.

Is anyone using gtx 970 and getting smooth performance on ED with Vive?

Not sure if it's my imagination but the engineers beta does seem to be slightly smoother on my system.

Are you running it through Steam or desktop? There has been reports of problems when running through Steam and SteamVR running stuff in the background thinking it's a 2D game wanting to be run in the VR Theatre mode.

Here, go to the last post in this thread and check it out if you are running through Steam.. https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=247969

 

[[VR] Mad Mike]

Yeah, there's a wireframe that fades in showing the boundaries when you approach them, you can configure the wireframe brightness and colour.

You can also enable the camera view to turn itself on when you reach the boundary too if you want overkill, also set the camera view to a variable brightness level. So if you really want dial it right up, no way you're going to miss it then.

With a physical boundary, just stick down a rug or something.

https://m.imgur.com/umYTJP1

 

[Aio]

I'm a vive user and I'm amazed with that that piece of hardware. The presence in some VR stuff i have tried is scary. The software and firmware feels like still in beta. ED does not work well yet but that will be fixed to my understanding but the feeling when sitting in the cockpit is stunning even with the current gfx problems. I have no problems with weight or discomfort but I would pay extra for a wireless version

 

[bitstorm]

And Space Pirate Trainer... well

Just downloaded that.

Oh my God!!! I mean it's just a twin gun shooting game, but Christ!

It's just shooting things with laser pistols but it's so intense, I'm lying in the lounge floor laughing my head off after dying. This VR man, is just totally insane!

 

[Lestenio]

Just downloaded that.

Oh my God!!! I mean it's just a twin gun shooting game, but Christ!

It's just shooting things with laser pistols but it's so intense, I'm lying in the lounge floor laughing my head off after dying. This VR man, is just totally insane!

Feeling gutted now. I had a spending spree on Steam over the weekend and talked myself out of buying SPT

 

[bitstorm]

WEllif you;ve spent all that money on a Vive, SPT is only a tenner. =p

Like most of the stuff out there now, it's not got much in the way of depth. It's essentially just a wave shooter, the sort of thing you'll play for ~20 minutes each time you stick it on, but like now nearly a hour later I'm sat on the couch still feeling the after effects of it!

It's quick games but the intensity/adrenaline is such that that's fine, you're exhausted (and grinning like an idiot) afterwards anyway. Not a game to play before bed.

 

[CATPAIN KIRK]

Room scale is impressive as hell when you first play it, but after that it starts to show through how "not large" your room is.

I have to agree on this one. Freed up a 3.5 x 3m area and from the centre, it's only two steps max for me. Standing jumps are not even an option as I easily jump >2.5 meters from a standing position despite being old, unfit and slightly overweight.

Just wondering if multiplying the X and Y axes with x would work without inducing motion sickness. I actually perceive the 1:1 movement currently used in Room Scale as a tad too small.

 

[Slopey]

Just wondering if multiplying the X and Y axes with x would work without inducing motion sickness. I actually perceive the 1:1 movement currently used in Room Scale as a tad too small.

I agree with the above. In my Unity game, everything was too far away to actually walk to it, but some sort of movement scaling may solve that issue - but that may invite motion sickness. I guess I have a slightly unique opportunity of playing the same VR experience with a gamepad and alternately the teleport mechanism, and the gamepad is as mentioned, barf inducing due to the movement your brain is processing through your eyes, but with no vestibular feedback.

I'll try scaling the game world down by 50 or 25% and see how it feels, or I'll fiddle with the SteamVR character movement scripts to achieve the same result so you move on a 2 or 4:1 basis ('ll write a test scene in Unity to do so later this week).