Got my Rift ... comparison with my Vive.

[Gray Lensman]

I received my Rift today which was surprising because I'd been told that my May delivery was delayed until August. QED I got free shipping on my (near) original delivery date!

I also own a Vive and I'll compare the two.

The Vive is heavier than the rift and less comfortable, the Rift is easier to adjust for comfort and put on/off.

The Vive tracking is much more capable than that of the Rift.

The Vive display is better (caveats later) and has greater depth and better colour pop.

The Vive field of view is slightly larger.

The Vive black levels are better (odd as they're both oled).

God Rays seem worse on the Rift but NEITHER are bad and I hardly noticed the issue.

The Rift's display is less intense (colour/dynamic contrast) but it's more stable. DCS (flight sim) works well on both devices and allowed me a direct comparison. The Vive is more 'interesting' but the Rift is solid and non-flickering.

Rift setup is easier because it has one desktop sensor and that and the headset are powered via USB not additional transformers. For seated use the Rift scores points for this.

The Vive controllers blow the Rift's X-Box controller and Oculus pointer thing into the distant horizon. The Vive controllers make Oculus look silly and they add SO much to the VR experience.

Vive roomscale is what VR is all about.

Elite: the Vive is dire rubbish (so far, I hope it changes) and the Rift works very well. The difference between the two was very obvious. I didn't want to use the Vive for Elite but I WILL be using the Rift. I wish that I could crank up the Rift's colour just a bit though, it does lack dynamism.

Eve Valkyrie on the Rift is ... meh.

Summary:
For everything but Elite the Vive has the edge for the wow factor with its graphics and it's room scale tracking and suitable applications are tremendous. However, it's a pig to set up, has too many cables, is uncomfortable to wear and is rubbish for Elite (thus far). The Rift is lighter, more comfortable, simpler to install and runs Elite 10x better (so far).
As a VR experience the Vive wins it easily because of roomscale and the associated tracking and controllers, zero contest. The Rift wins for Elite and similar simulators in a fixed position at a desk using hotas (etc) controllers over a long period of time.

If the Elite experience is not properly fixed in the Vive then the Rift is the obvious choice for Elite. If the Vive IS fixed and you can only afford one device then get the VIVE. Roomscale is truly a game changer, pun intended.

 

[slartybartfast]

interesting lil review.
one thing Rift may not be as good as the Vive for tracking but it think that will change once it gets another tracker when the touch is released, roomscale will come at that point, then its just a matter of personal choice.
For me the IPD is way to huge for me on the Vive 60mm i think (i have a pea-head of 55mm ipd) and this is something that people should take into consideration as its very important if you want to get in the "sweet-spot" on the lenses. Other than that its the touch vs the Vive controllers for me i don't like the Wii remote feel of the Vive , it's very unergonomic like trying to use a tv remote to play a game, where as the touch ones are gun grip type of thing much more suited for how we use or hands.

This time round i went with the Rift but i like you was given a delayed August date, mine still august and yet people in America ( not American are you? ) have theirs and ordered after me so next time probably not. i will take the touch when it comes out and that's the last time i will be dealing with Facebook no matter how good their product gets.


Ah Lensman must read that lot again it's been 20 years or so, think ive forgotten most of it.

 

[Filmgeek47]

I received my Rift today which was surprising because I'd been told that my May delivery was delayed until August. QED I got free shipping on my (near) original delivery date!

I also own a Vive and I'll compare the two.

The Vive is heavier than the rift and less comfortable, the Rift is easier to adjust for comfort and put on/off.

The Vive tracking is much more capable than that of the Rift.

The Vive display is better (caveats later) and has greater depth and better colour pop.

The Vive field of view is slightly larger.

The Vive black levels are better (odd as they're both oled).

God Rays seem worse on the Rift but NEITHER are bad and I hardly noticed the issue.

The Rift's display is less intense (colour/dynamic contrast) but it's more stable. DCS (flight sim) works well on both devices and allowed me a direct comparison. The Vive is more 'interesting' but the Rift is solid and non-flickering.

Rift setup is easier because it has one desktop sensor and that and the headset are powered via USB not additional transformers. For seated use the Rift scores points for this.

The Vive controllers blow the Rift's X-Box controller and Oculus pointer thing into the distant horizon. The Vive controllers make Oculus look silly and they add SO much to the VR experience.

Vive roomscale is what VR is all about.

Elite: the Vive is dire rubbish (so far, I hope it changes) and the Rift works very well. The difference between the two was very obvious. I didn't want to use the Vive for Elite but I WILL be using the Rift. I wish that I could crank up the Rift's colour just a bit though, it does lack dynamism.

Eve Valkyrie on the Rift is ... meh.

Summary:
For everything but Elite the Vive has the edge for the wow factor with its graphics and it's room scale tracking and suitable applications are tremendous. However, it's a pig to set up, has too many cables, is uncomfortable to wear and is rubbish for Elite (thus far). The Rift is lighter, more comfortable, simpler to install and runs Elite 10x better (so far).
As a VR experience the Vive wins it easily because of roomscale and the associated tracking and controllers, zero contest. The Rift wins for Elite and similar simulators in a fixed position at a desk using hotas (etc) controllers over a long period of time.

If the Elite experience is not properly fixed in the Vive then the Rift is the obvious choice for Elite. If the Vive IS fixed and you can only afford one device then get the VIVE. Roomscale is truly a game changer, pun intended.

Could you you offer a comparison of the resolution on each? I've heard mixed reports that the rift looks sharper because the pixels are concentrated into a narrower field of view; I'm starting to get concerned that the elite Vive issues are hardware related (i.e. Pixels spread further apart than the rift).

 

[[HJ]-RedRaven]

Thanks for your thoughts Gray Lensman, repped.

I ordered a Rift based on its weight, industrial design/ergonomics, and of course support for ED. Still waiting on a delivery (July/August, gah.), but at least that gives tiome to get the 1080 into the machine too.

When Touch controllers come out, I'm fairly certain that the Rift will have very similar capabilities to the Vive with respect to room-scale experiences. Agree that the Vive is ahead of the Rift for now given its controllers ship with the Vive HMD.

Could you you offer a comparison of the resolution on each? I've heard mixed reports that the rift looks sharper because the pixels are concentrated into a narrower field of view; I'm starting to get concerned that the elite Vive issues are hardware related (i.e. Pixels spread further apart than the rift).

The OLED screens are the same... so the pixel spread on the OLED displays will be the same for the Rift and for the Vive.

Any difference in apparent/percieved resolution would come down to the lenses, or the distortion applied to the final rendered image (applied to pre-correct for the action of the lenses).
Given the Vive has a slightly wider/taller field of view, it may be that pixels appear or are distorted to be slightly further apart in the centre of vision; the same number of pixels have to cover a bit more area on the Vive.

Speculative given I don't have a HMD yet.

 

[jojon]

...
Any difference in apparent/percieved resolution would come down to the lenses...

The Vive lenses magnify the image more, which accounts for the lower pixel density per degree of view angle (...and accompanying more prominent screen door effect).

What the Rift trades away for that (EDIT: ...quite significantly..) better image clarity, is a slightly lower field of view, and a bit less stereo overlap.

 

[Warlock Handlebars]

All is not lost on the Vive in ED... Indeed, I'd go as far as to say that it's now *excellent* (with my setup at least).

2.1B6 (so hopefully no regression with 2.1 when it's released - in a few hours?),
current NVidia WHQL drivers,
Steam VR beta (only because I could!),
2x Asus GTX970 Mini CU in SLI (overclocked to within a gnat's crotchet of crashing)

In ED everything cranked up to Ultra (not VR High), except for:

Blur (off),
AA (MSAA),
Oversampling (x1.0),
Field of View (absolute minimum to condense the head up display, making the default orange more readable)

I'll have to check out planets and close binary stars in a bit more detail to see if those kill the frame rate, but the only times I've so far noticed dropped frames is because I've configured Steam VR to tell me.

Previously, it was literally like trying to use a pair of binoculars whilst unicycling over cobblestones after a visit to the proctologist. Note: I've only ever done one of those things ;-)

OP, consider yourself repped

Oh, and another thing. The Vive will just about accept my relatively thick rimmed glasses (with 50mm diameter lenses). That's a massive bonus for me.

 

[Kremator]

Rift tracking is pin sharp, so I don't know what the OP is talking about!

 

[Gray Lensman]

Rift tracking is pin sharp, so I don't know what the OP is talking about!

No, you don't, because you've not compared the two (I presume). Rift tracking is very good but not as perfect as VIVE tracking and particularly so if one turns one's head 180 degrees or moves above the sensor much. There's no way the Rift's single desk based sensor can match the top of the room dual base stations of the VIVE. The VIVE is manifestly superior in that regard primarily because it has to be to accomplish room scale. For a front view seated experience there's not much in it but start moving around or just spinning and you'll rapidly want a VIVE.

 

[[VR] Mad Mike]

nice thoughts OP. it is interesting you prefer the image quality in the vive even discounting god rays... Does the SDE not bother you at all? or the lack of ATW?.

I chose the rift this generation, basically because my DK2 has done me well for 18 months and I like the runtime of the rift, it just works so well mostly due to ATW I think but have no loyalty so may well end up with a vive 2 in the future..... Touch with its 2nd camera should hopefully close the gap in terms of tracking and room scale etc as right now vive is a 2 tracking system with motion controls competing against a 1 tracking system without.

Of course Oculus are under pressure to get the oculus touch out at on or under £200 otherwise the rift complete package is more expensive than HTCs offering.

exciting times for VR...

 

[grodenglaive]

Thanks for your thoughts Gray Lensman, repped.

The OLED screens are the same... so the pixel spread on the OLED displays will be the same for the Rift and for the Vive.

Any difference in apparent/perceived resolution would come down to the lenses, or the distortion applied to the final rendered image (applied to pre-correct for the action of the lenses).
Given the Vive has a slightly wider/taller field of view, it may be that pixels appear or are distorted to be slightly further apart in the centre of vision; the same number of pixels have to cover a bit more area on the Vive.

Speculative given I don't have a HMD yet.

This was widely believed, but it turns out they do not have the same screens. They are the same resolution and both made by Samsung, but different screens. iFixit did a teardown.

 

[Kremator]

No, you don't, because you've not compared the two (I presume). Rift tracking is very good but not as perfect as VIVE tracking and particularly so if one turns one's head 180 degrees or moves above the sensor much. There's no way the Rift's single desk based sensor can match the top of the room dual base stations of the VIVE. The VIVE is manifestly superior in that regard primarily because it has to be to accomplish room scale. For a front view seated experience there's not much in it but start moving around or just spinning and you'll rapidly want a VIVE.

Yes I have compared the two. The Rift CAN do 180 degrees easily (there ARE LEDs on the back of the headstrap you know). This is NOT a reddit forum and I'm letting people know about how ED is with a VR rig - so no need to get antsy! If you want to play roomscale then yes, Vive is better (for the moment - just wait until Touch ), however we are a seated community. Please don't spread crap around here ... too much on /r/oculus!

 

[Gray Lensman]

nice thoughts OP. it is interesting you prefer the image quality in the vive even discounting god rays... Does the SDE not bother you at all? or the lack of ATW?.

I said that the VIVE display has more 'pop' (a usage of the word that irritates me but never mind). The extra colour and contrast of the VIVE offsets the issues that you mention and sometimes offers greater immersion. I also said that the Rift has a more stable display in most cases because of the issues you highlight. The god rays are virtually the same on both during my usage. It's compromise on both sides: give my Elite on the Rift and The-Blu (etc) on the VIVE.

 

[shadragon]

Disagree with the Vive being a pig to set up. It was step-by-step dirt simple and took me less than 5 minutes to define a 12 x 12 foot area.

 

[Skaldy]

I too disagree with the Vive being awkward to set up. You just follow the instructions and it's pretty easy. Just get the lighthouse units installed first and it is very straight forward after that.

 

[Kremator]

I too disagree with the Vive being awkward to set up. You just follow the instructions and it's pretty easy. Just get the lighthouse units installed first and it is very straight forward after that.

Unforunately the general public will find installing the Vive quite hard (general IQ isn't what it used to be!) and this really needs to be changed for ViveII. As it stands the Rift is much, much simpler to setup.

 

[vic]

Also, not everyone wants to drill holes on thier walls!...I know I don't!

 

[[HJ]-RedRaven]

This was widely believed, but it turns out they do not have the same screens. They are the same resolution and both made by Samsung, but different screens. iFixit did a teardown.

Cool, thanks for the correction

Also, not everyone wants to drill holes on thier walls!...I know I don't!

You don't have to - some Vive owners have used tripod stands for cameras/lights, fairly cheaply and to good effect.

 

[Skaldy]

Also, not everyone wants to drill holes on thier walls!...I know I don't!

What is wrong with drilling a hole in a wall? Just mind the electrics and water pipes

 

[Mark D]

..... so no need to get antsy! If you want to play roomscale then yes, Vive is better (for the moment - just wait until Touch ), however we are a seated community. Please don't spread crap around here ...

Lol easy tiger. When most were repping the OP you posted a comment which could be read as 'ansty'. When he picked you up on it - you called him 'ansty' and then also accused him of spreading crap for good measure. This followed on from your comment yesterday

He's living up to his 'dumbo' handle.

We are all entitled to different opinions - but let's keep it civil please.

 

[Heavenly-Hammer]

Nice OP. These thoughts are the general consensus. I really hope FDev has an aliasing fix in the works for us Vive owners soon.