Oculus Rift vs. HTC Vive - For a Layman, Pros and Cons?

[Ceodryn]

Hi,

I played ED when it came out, but had to fold after 1st baby. I want to come back, and now have also a better rig able to do VR. I am however a layman, and most articles I read in the press states the HTC Vive is better than the Oculus Rift overall as a VR setup.

Truly, beside ED, I dont think I will play other VR games (I am mostly a grand strategy player where VR is useless). So, for ED, could someone objectively lay out for me the pros and cons of each VR setup if it was bought by a layman who dont want to spend more than one afternoon setting up the system (2nd baby just came)?

Thanks
Ceodryn

 

[DaggerSnake]

I tried both before committing to Oculus.

Factors for me.

Oculus has a more polished form factor, lighter and more comfortable.

Upcoming Oculus Touch hands on reviews have clearly agreed it's the best VR hands solution.

Oculus was designed as sit down experience and works very well.

Vive has a good game line up, but the controllers and setup is a little clunky.

 

[Bannok]

I've only had minimal exposure to the Oculus headset, and own the Vive. Since you plan to to play ED only, the (included, excellent!) controllers and (currently) greater cross-section of games are not important (although, TBH, one session with Google Earth VR will probably change your mind). Vive's setup is - in my opinion - much easier than people purport it to be. Even my initial set-up took less than 15 minutes, but maybe I just got lucky. I regularly transfer the vive and lighthouses between my office and my studio (at week-ends when there are no clients and I can utilize the whole floor). This takes about 10 minutes (including unplugging and schlepping the PC and running the setup app which is indeed a bit clunky, but still well executed). What I really, really enjoy about the Vive is its superior tracking. I'm not convined the Oculus can compete here, but in ED this is seldom a concern as you'll be mostly facing the detector anyway (you can set up the Vive to face any direction, which gives you more space for rudder and HOTAS setup. My setup currently has my computer screen behind me. This is probably also possible with the Oculus). Software-wise, I've yet have to experience an issue with the headset, be it Elite or otherwise (and let me tell you, Elite's integration is exemplary. Elite with VR is so much better than without it's not even funny). For a good Vive experience you need some serious CPU lifting power in your rig. Luckily, you can test this for free: get the Steam app (if you haven't already) and run the free VR test. If you end up all in green you are golden (sorry, couldn't resist). Believe me, for a convincing, and fun, experience, head tracking (not necessarily image fidelity) tracking precision and responsiveness is the single most important aspect. This the Vive delivers in spades. Plus, walking around your Cockpit (once you get to a Vulture or larger vessel) is fun, but only the icing on the cake.

What annoys me most about the Vive is that I must use my own headset, while the Oculus has it's own built-in (the Vive comes with some flimsy earpods that you recycle immediately). Then again, when I bring out the big head set, the experience is superior (I'm sure you can use your own earphone with the Rift as well), but since you have two younglings at your hands, you'll probably stick with a lighter headphones setup so you can still hear them.

Initially, a much smaller annoyance is it's weight (it's slightly heavier than the Rift), and the foam seals. The former is something you have to live with, but after many multi-hour sessions with the vive I can attest that after a couple of minutes you completely forget it's there. The latter is easily remedied: I purchased something called VR Cover (or similar) to provide a nice cool cotton layer above the foam itself, and replaced the underlying foam with 'memory foam' that makes the mask feel as comfortable as a pillow.

I believe that both Vive and Oculus will serve you well. I know that the Vive will deliver a great experience. I'm now looking forward to an upcoming wireless add-on (not sure if they can pull it off). Cutting the cord for the Vive would make the ultimate VR experience (the cord does get in the way. I'm not sure how this is with the Rift - I assume it, too, is noticeable sometimes during gameplay). When I play Elite, I run the cable though a small loop at the back of my chair, which keeps it perfectly aligned most of the time. But now I'm rambling...

-BK

 

[JohnRoberts]

Vive or Oculus, I don't think you can go wrong with either choice. Better to pick one and go with it, and avoid analysis paralysis - Elite in VR is amazing.

I went with the Oculus Rift. I think the Oculus + Touch is (well be) a better overall package than Vive, albeit a tad more expense. I will get the Touch controllers when they ship - for now, Elite + HOTAS is were I send most of my time, or in VR Cinema that doesn't need much anyway.

(The Xbox 360 controller in the Rift (which I assumed I would never use), turns out to be quite useful for navigating the Galaxy Map in Elite, too).

 

[VR Mr Teatime]

For me the choice came down to use cases:

I only really play and intend to play Elite Dangerous or possibly some other sim/cockpit style games and therefore the Rift made sense, but for the longest time before I took the plunge (about a month ago) I had been looking at the Vive. I couldn't justify the additional cost for the controllers and room scale in the Vive when I would probably use them less than 1% of the time.

Of course now if that situation changes I can add the Rift Touch and additional sensors...

As for performance and fidelity of experience, I don't think either solution has a large enough advance over the other to warrant a decision based on these factors.

 

[midimaxi]

I ordered vive yesterday because of a terrible color banding in cv1. Maybe there will be fix available soon but this issue makes ED unplayable in rift for me.

 

[Logical Viking]

I ordered vive yesterday because of a terrible color banding in cv1. Maybe there will be fix available soon but this issue makes ED unplayable in rift for me.

What kind of card and connection are you using getting the banding in the CV1? I've never seen the problem myself. Now, god rays are another story..

 

[midimaxi]

980gtx. Tried dvi>hdmi dp>hdmi, monitor switcharoo, nothing...
Going to put in 1080 this weekend but doubt it's a performance issue. All gradients in space look like 256 colors.

 

[bitstorm]

Upcoming Oculus Touch hands on reviews have clearly agreed it's the best VR hands solution.

Got any links for reviews/comparisons?

Been waiting to see how Touch is, I can find nothing except old previews.

 

[Aio]

The Vive has great visuals with good contrast and little optical artefacts. I actually like to be able to choose my own headset and select a high quality over the ear set. It is undoubtedly more fuss to put on and take off but I think it is worth it.

I have serious doubt that the touch will be as good as the Vive tracking. The tracking technology of the Vive is really a good solution compared to others. But we will see when it comes out. The reviews of the hmd during the last year has been more of marketing material so the only way to find out what is good or bad is to try yourself.

 

[Globusdiablo]

Just bought a Vive today as part of the Black Friday sale. I love it to bits, and E: D looks outrageously good. You take a big hit in pixel count, but immersion is out of this world.

One thing I will say against my lovely Vive. It is definitely NOT plug and play. Prepare to spend some time getting it all working. Oh, and you need 5 power outlets...

 

[Chaz]

A mate of mine has the Vive and I have have the Rift, so I've given both a good go. Use my Rift pretty much every other day and mostly for Elite but other stuff too of course.

There's not really much to choose between them. They both have pros and cons, but it's little stuff, nothing that'd make me say definitely go for this one because...

I think the image is a bit crisper on the Rift as the screen door effect is definitely a bit more in your face on the Vive, but not to the point where you'd rule it out of the running.

Personally out of the two I actually find the Vive a bit more comfortable once it's on. The face foam is softer and rounded where as the foam on the Rift is harder and with a straight edge. The Rift is more convenient to put on and the built in headphones are actually quite good, with decent positional audio. I've got a pair of £150 Sennheisers and I'm still more than happy to stick with the Rift ones. The main problem I have is with the two arms at the side which allow the HMD to tilt. They are quite stiff and if one side gets titled more than the other it causes the verticals in VR to go a bit skew whiff when you look from side to side. It's a minor thing though and only takes a few seconds to adjust.

The Vive as you probably know is a little more involved to set up. Ideally you'll want to wall mount the 2 tracking lighthouse boxes or fit them to some sort of stands. It just means you've got to put a bit more thought into creating a space for VR. The Oculus sensors on the other hand just come on a little stand that you can put on a bookshelf or your desk or where ever. Both the Vive and Rift sensors can be fitted to standard tripod mounts. The tracking on the Vive is good but not perfect, it still looses tracking on occasion and you can still occlude the controllers, it's not fool proof but it is pretty good. The single Rift sensor obviously covers a much smaller area but the tracking still works very well, you'll not notice a difference between the 2 in that respect. An extra sensor comes with the Touch controllers and you can also add more for a total of 4, and the extra sensors just plug and play. No idea how the Touch controllers handle as I won't get them until next month.

Yes there are games that are timed exclusives or only have support for one headset or the other, but I'm sure that in the fullness of time that many will migrate both ways, some already have, and of course many have supported both from the get go.

What I'd say if you are still having trouble deciding, is that if your space is limited then go for the Rift and if it isn't then go for the Vive. Honestly though, I think you'd be happy with both in either case anyway.

 

[Moonax IRL]

Hi,

I played ED when it came out, but had to fold after 1st baby. I want to come back, and now have also a better rig able to do VR. I am however a layman, and most articles I read in the press states the HTC Vive is better than the Oculus Rift overall as a VR setup.

Truly, beside ED, I dont think I will play other VR games (I am mostly a grand strategy player where VR is useless). So, for ED, could someone objectively lay out for me the pros and cons of each VR setup if it was bought by a layman who dont want to spend more than one afternoon setting up the system (2nd baby just came)?

Thanks
Ceodryn

I`d hold off till the first quarter of next year as Microsoft are rumoured to be releasing a 2nd gen superior vr headset at less than half the price of the vive or rift.

 

[CATPAIN KIRK]

Hi,

I played ED when it came out, but had to fold after 1st baby. I want to come back, and now have also a better rig able to do VR. I am however a layman, and most articles I read in the press states the HTC Vive is better than the Oculus Rift overall as a VR setup.

Truly, beside ED, I dont think I will play other VR games (I am mostly a grand strategy player where VR is useless). So, for ED, could someone objectively lay out for me the pros and cons of each VR setup if it was bought by a layman who dont want to spend more than one afternoon setting up the system (2nd baby just came)?

Thanks
Ceodryn

Depends on personal preference, really.

Setting the Vive up is a matter of an hour and I'm a DiY illiterate. As long as you have 4 nails and a blunt object you'll be fine (I don't own a drill - not even a hammer). If you don't want to use nails, two long sticks and duct-tape will do.

I'm perfectly happy with it and it's a huge improvement over the DK2 which I've had since mid-2014. Only briefly tested the CV1, but wasn't convinced. No innovation, just a DK2 with higher res and having to use workarounds to not use the console controller.

The CV1's headphones are lacking in audio quality, but that's because I'm used to play ED using 5.1 speakers. With two little kids, you may even view them as beneficial. I'd still consider the Vive's earplugs or using third party high-end headphones the superior solution.

The Vives headstraps are worse than the CV1's, but both are inferior to the PSVRs.

I'm not into room-scale too much, but it's nice to have for short experiences. Might turn out great once Fallout 4 VR is out.

For ED, you'll enjoy both.

Just keep in mind that Valve actively tries to support other manufacturers headsets whilst Oculus does not only openly state they don't support third party headsets, but also repeatedly tried to intentionally disrupt user-made compatibility mods in the past.

With a new technology such as VR, you may want to opt for the more open platform, so regardless of what you choose, don't buy games in the Oculus store.

 

[Ceodryn]

Thanks all, I appreciate the responses. I am first to buy the graphic card then wait the 1st quarter to see how the VR battle shape up.

 

[Badben]

I chose the oculus firstly because I plan on primarily using it for ED, and therefore don't need hand motion controllers, I use a HOTAS. The oculus gives the option to buy it without the controllers and was therefore the cheaper option. Also, I'd heard the vive was having issues with ED, and since ED is my primary game, that was also a factor. Another big factor for me is ASW, a feature that drastically reduces the minimum PC requirements for the oculus. If it hadn't been for ASW, I would have had to upgrade my PC before buying any helmet.

From what I've read though, for a general VR experience, I think they're probably both fantastic. If you want the controllers, there's no price difference between rift and vive, at least where I live. I have read that the vive in general looks a little better than the rift, but I don't think the difference is too great. I'm super happy with my rift, it's beautiful, comfortable, and the experience is like nothing else. I think the vive is probably just as good, and if your PC is up to specs, there's no reason not to consider it.

Anyway, maybe this wasn't at all helpful, I can't really say which is better, just that the rift is really great, and I'm super happy with my purchase.

 

[BaronVonDoon]

I also opted for the Rift. Mainly due to it being lighter and more comfortable for long periods(according to reviews..I've not tried one). I also liked the option of buying into the hand controllers if you want them at a later date, I also think they look more intuitive. this made the point of entry considerably cheaper, even though it's still expensive.

Things I've noticed since having it that made me glad of my purchase, the built in headphones are surprisingly good, I also have Astro A50's, but rarely use them with the Rift, as its much easier to just use the ones already on there, and less stuff on my head. ASW is also another good one, I have a 980Ti, and VR is hungry on horsepower, this has let me crank up the graphics settings quite a lot, making games like Elite, Assetto Corsa, DCS world look amazing.

Having said all that, I've not read much in the way of an unhappy Vive owner either, and no doubt you'll be happy with either one, as surely I would have been if I opted for the Vive.

Both headsets have their issues in certain games, both take a lot of tweaking to get things looking sweet, but ultimately worth it, as VR is awesome

 

[Bannok]

I`d hold off till the first quarter of next year as Microsoft are rumoured to be releasing a 2nd gen superior vr headset at less than half the price of the vive or rift.

Whoa! Isn't that EXACTLY, verbatim Microsoft's old FUD campaign? "You may want to hold off, we'll be coming out with our own version soon, and it'll better yet cost less"... That was how they drove the competitor into ruin, then bought them out, and released a sub-par version of the original. Are they back to their old tricks?

-bk

 

[Alec Turner]

Whoa! Isn't that EXACTLY, verbatim Microsoft's old FUD campaign? "You may want to hold off, we'll be coming out with our own version soon, and it'll better yet cost less"... That was how they drove the competitor into ruin, then bought them out, and released a sub-par version of the original. Are they back to their old tricks?

-bk

Yeah, I'd take that Microsoft thing with a pinch of salt myself. They're not exactly known for their cutting edge ground breaking cheap hardware innovations.

 

[VR Cmdr Paine]

Well OP it boils down too..

RIFT the GOOD: better screen sharpness/SDE (at the cost of FOV), comfort, lightness, HMD design, built in audio, better mic and better seated software support ATW/ASW etc ATM.

Rift the BAD: Less FOV,Some people "see" the stereo overlap,Less bright LCD's & Red tint,Colour Banding,smaller IPD range with no on screen info, harsh god rays, Light leakage around nose area, no motion controllers (yet), Possibly inferior tracking @room scale with camera's (time will tell), Shorter flimsy looking cable/straps, a locked down HMD & store and more of the same kind of thing if you had a DK2 like me,


VIVE the GOOD: More FOV (especially with mod below) USB/Audio connectivity in HMD,Brighter screen's better colours,mod friendly, set and forget sub mm tracking of hmd/controllers, game changing room scale VR see Onward https://youtu.be/7ZEY_LwzS4M?t=196, built-in camera, Revive hack (play most of the rift's "exclusive" content ATM), plus the weight of steam behind it and it will get you fit!

VIVE the BAD: Not as sharp (slightly less pixel density but more FOV), no built in audio, less comfortable, heavier, front heavy (better with the sleep mask mod), god rays(less by all accounts), heavy cables, "poppy" mic, blurrier lenses at edges (subjective) again much better with sleep mask mod, sketchy software support but just got ATW. plus 3 hours of hover junkers is knackering [haha]


Conclusion... both HMD's have their strong/weak points so pick your poison... or get both and make your own mind up!


PS.. any Vive owners who don't wear glasses try this to increase your FOV and drastically reduce edge blur.


https://www.reddit.com/r/Vive/comments/4gezog/8_sleep_mask_mod_worked_better_than_expected_and/

I would estimate its added 10-20 degrees to mine, IMO its feels a lot like the DK1's FOV now and feels less weighty at the front too.

Also for the that integrated headphone feel.. Thread the head phones through the top of the headset like this https://www.reddit.com/r/Vive/commen..._wire_routing/ pretty much as good as integrated you forget about them tbh i put mine through the triangle near the front and through the side straps and they dangle just right.