All you VR people out there. Which in your experience is the better option? I am seriously thinking about getting one for the game, but wanted the best experience possible. I have a brand new rig that will do VR without breaking a sweat, but wanted to know, which gives the best visual, which is easiest to use, which has the better support and so on. Basically what has been your experience and which would you recommend over the other or are they pretty much the same?
VR - Oculus or Vive?
- Thread starter Cmdr Aeries Hunter
- Start date
If you are purely going to play ED, I'd probably, at this point, lean towards the Rift, if you play other stuff, though, all bets are off, and it'll depend on the types of games you enjoy.
I'd have gone for the Vive if not for the fact that ALL my game time is split between ED and DCS, which means everything is done in a cockpit, and zero need for room scale. I think the Vive is probably better tech in terms of tracking, though, and both have their pros and cons.
There is actually a thread on this very topic that was posted a few days ago in the VR section, worth a read.
Also, if you have the cash, you'll love VR - yes, the screen res kinda sucks, but yes, the scale of the ships, planets, stars etc being truly obvious is just epic.
I've been known to reach for the in game keyboard that sits to the left of the throttle on some ships once or twice. Also, docking, and combat in Res sites - heck, even mining, takes on a whole new level of awesome.
Then there is zooming through canyons in hotted up Eagles/iCouriers, or ship launched fighters - real Top Gun stuff!
Argh, I miss my Rift (sitting in my bedroom in Sydney, whilst I cut holes in the ceiling and drag data cables in our new place in a different country altogether...).
If you know anyone with either, I'd suggest giving it a try. I know that in Sydney, there are people renting time with a Vive, probably worth the $40 for the hour or two, to see how you gel with it.
One warning, if you wear glasses, and have a high script - get yourself some contacts. They steam up, get in the way, and are generally a pain in the proverbial...
Z...
I'd have gone for the Vive if not for the fact that ALL my game time is split between ED and DCS, which means everything is done in a cockpit, and zero need for room scale. I think the Vive is probably better tech in terms of tracking, though, and both have their pros and cons.
There is actually a thread on this very topic that was posted a few days ago in the VR section, worth a read.
Also, if you have the cash, you'll love VR - yes, the screen res kinda sucks, but yes, the scale of the ships, planets, stars etc being truly obvious is just epic.
I've been known to reach for the in game keyboard that sits to the left of the throttle on some ships once or twice. Also, docking, and combat in Res sites - heck, even mining, takes on a whole new level of awesome.
Then there is zooming through canyons in hotted up Eagles/iCouriers, or ship launched fighters - real Top Gun stuff!
Argh, I miss my Rift (sitting in my bedroom in Sydney, whilst I cut holes in the ceiling and drag data cables in our new place in a different country altogether...).
If you know anyone with either, I'd suggest giving it a try. I know that in Sydney, there are people renting time with a Vive, probably worth the $40 for the hour or two, to see how you gel with it.
One warning, if you wear glasses, and have a high script - get yourself some contacts. They steam up, get in the way, and are generally a pain in the proverbial...
Z...
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Used a DK2 since mid-2014, exlusively played ED in VR since then and switched to Vive in Feb 2016. Tried a CV1 Oculus for several hours.
The difference in graphical quality is negligible.
- The Vive is the more complete system and offers wider options in regards to experimenting.
- Occulus comes bundled with an Xbox controller which is the most terrible option you could possibly think of when it comes to VR. Unfortunateley they base their games around using it, resulting in terrible Oculus exclusive Console games not making proper use of VR.
- Using Oculus forces you into installing facebook software.
I personally consider facebook the HIV of the internet, but if you already suffer from AIDS (=use facebook), that won't matter.
Definitely get a Rift CV1 for ED, as it's pretty much faultless for this game. As for anything else, the Rift is still your best bet. Especially with the new Touch controllers, which outclass the Vive wands thanks to finger tracking and a much better shape. Also, and this is mainly a personal nitpick, but the Vive pretty much requires you to provide your own headphones, whereas the Rift has them built-in. Seems kinda cheap to not have headphones built into the headset, if you ask me.
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Lies, my friend. I don't use facebook and the Rift installs no such software. Facebook merely owns Oculus, like how Audi owns Lamborghini. No one would call an Aventador German.
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Lies, my friend. I don't use facebook and the Rift installs no such software. Facebook merely owns Oculus, like how Audi owns Lamborghini. No one would call an Aventador German.
Thanks for all the info and thanks Zeeman for the link to the other thread. There is a lot to read, but some great info. Most of the use will be Elite, but look forward to Fallout 4 coming in VR. A lot to digest. I will have to track a demo one down If i can. They both seem to be similar by most accounts, which makes deciding all the more harder.
I decided to wait for the next generation, specifically waiting for higher resolution. Lenovo’s new VR headset (not shipping for a while) looks particularly interesting with 1440 x 1440 res, but I'll wait for reviews before buying any VR system. I couldn't care less about the controller, since I don't plan to use it for anything besides ED and maybe 3D/VR movies.
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2017...0-vr-headset-thats-windows-holographic-ready/
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2017...0-vr-headset-thats-windows-holographic-ready/
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Thanks for reminding me on this one. The Vive comes with very decent earplugs whilst the Rift comes with eighties-style-itchy-foam on-ear headphones I regularly junked 35 years ago with every walkman I bought.
Admittedly most Vive games aren't much better, but at least ED offers a VR speakers option.
Oculus home sends all data to facebook servers. I suggest getting your facts straight.
Not a big deal - if you're fine with being Zuck's cattle, that's your decision.
I personally prefer to not use Oculus anymore.
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Please post a video on how touch controllers outclass the vive wands using ED.
Genuinely interested.
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Personally, I have tried the Oculus (at work) but have bought a VIVE.
In both cases though, it is a big investment and you should expect a relative drop in perceived game resolution versus what you see on a full HD monitor (lower pixel counts per degree of FOV). In addition, I would not expect a wide degree of support for it in other games.
The caveat with the VIVE is that you have to set up a room for it by mounting two special units on the wall. I do not believe the Oculus has this concern.
You may also want to check out the Elite Dangerous Virtual Reality forum section.
In both cases though, it is a big investment and you should expect a relative drop in perceived game resolution versus what you see on a full HD monitor (lower pixel counts per degree of FOV). In addition, I would not expect a wide degree of support for it in other games.
The caveat with the VIVE is that you have to set up a room for it by mounting two special units on the wall. I do not believe the Oculus has this concern.
You may also want to check out the Elite Dangerous Virtual Reality forum section.
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This here is the real thing you need to check for I think. Rift is more portable so to speak you can use it in your dorm room, living room etc You can basicly move it around far easier.
The Vive you need to set up a dedicated game room with the vive sensors in mind which means no moving from one room to another without some planning ahead etc.
Fortunately, being in the AV industry, I have allowed for such things with our new apartment, and if there right cable is not int he right place, I have made sure there are clear routes for me to get them there. Not an option for a lot of folk, though. I see houses full of cords in the near future...
Having said that, I'd love some in-wall light house/camera sensor things, that look like a wall plate so I can more easily make them fit in with the place, rather than yet another box, or tube on a pole...
Now, for the record, whilst this *may* sound like fanboy ranting, these are all quite valid points to consider.
Personally, my gamer PC does only that - game. Nothing else. It has no social media associations, and Zuckerboy can sniff around all he likes, there is not much to glean.
Z...
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The Rift is not necessarily a better solution though, both have their pros and cons. The Rift seems to be a more closed solution (software wise) while with the VIVE they seem to have adopted a more open approach (potentially wider game support and more future proof).
The fundamental difference between the two is (apparently) that the Rift is pure head tracking VR while the VIVE supports full Room Scale VR (hence the need for the area boxes). Portability between rooms is not normally a major issue for people with desktop gaming PCs (which are normally recommended for VR due to performance limitations of the more mobile PC solutions) as they tend to be set up in a fixed location anyway (everyone I know does). Apparently there is also a cordless kit either in development or available for the VIVE that can help with getting rid of the headset cable loom - I do have my concerns about this though since wireless technology is not known for consistent latency in comparable applications.
@OP: In either case, personally unless you are hell bent on getting a VR solution I would probably hold off for now - while it can trade off perceived resolution for immersion, there are still issues such as keyboard input for the Galaxy/System maps that may mean disrupting immersion unless you can touch type and physically set up your environment in such a way as to easily find your keyboard and other controls.
From personal experience with the VIVE, I can recommend it for Elite but you may find the Rift just as effective (can't comment on that). Where the VIVE is concerned I have been able to move around the cockpit, lean towards control screens to better read text, and even lean forward and look up through the slopped windscreens of the Corvette and Anaconda. Not sure how the Rift compares on that score.
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The VIVE comes with a set of ear bud headphones and has a microphone built-in to the headset - both are of fairly decent quality.
As for the VIVE Wands, they are perfectly effective. They are not perhaps the best control system on the planet but they do work very well. The wands as a pair essentially are an equivalent of the Steam Controller with the main difference being they track the position of your hands. For ED though, IMO you are better off using a decent HOTAS solution rather than trying to use VR hand controllers - the latter do not have any real integration with the game currently.
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The VIVE room sensor boxes are intended to be Wall mounted but can work from elevated surfaces/shelves. They are two cubes about 3.5 inches in all dimensions and require both power and a connecting cable to be routed. Setup can be a bit painful but IMO it is probably worth it.
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I've been lucky... I actually find the CV1 headphone completely not scratchy, but indeed very comfortable and it makes it easy to put the headset on. Maybe the sound quality is not top-notch for an audiophile, but it's definitely better than those itchy headphones I fished out of your bins a few decades ago. I guess this is a moot point though seeing as there is a VIVE upgrade to integrated headphones.
I'm not sure what you mean by "using ED" seeing as ED (Elite Dangerous?) doesn't use either motion controller. In fact the Oculus scores over the VIVE in the fact that if you are only interested in Elite, you don't have to pay for a motion controller.
[video=youtube;scLVZafPFQo]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scLVZafPFQo[/video]
The Oculus hardware really is very comfortable and ergonomic. I guess his is because it is more of a second iteration of the headset. DK2 may not have been a commercial release, but there were enough of them in circulation for Oculus to learn lessons from.
As for the software side of things. Apart from the fact that John Carmack is on board, and the actual driver for the headset is very good, your worst fears about FaceBook's involvement are founded. They have produced a very locked-down experience which feels very Apple-y in that don't-you-worry-about-all-of-that-stuff-we'll-do-that-for-you kind of way.
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FTR I have found the VIVE controllers not too bad, and the Headset is comfortable in the main (despite being slightly heavier than the Rift). There is another point, the VIVE does have a camera that could lend the solution towards Augmented VR.
I tried to get the camera to work when I first got it and had little success (did not try particularly hard) but have just set it up and it seems to work ok. It can provide a monochrome edge detection overlay view of the real world effectively allowing you to identify where things are in the real world (e.g. locating the keyboard/mouse). You probably would not want the overlay on all the time but it can be a useful feature.
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Another vote for the Oculus here. I bought it to play Elite and it's been absolutely superb. Easy to set up (I have limited space and didn't want to run wires all over it so being able to just put a sensor on my desk, put on the headset and go was a priority). It's really comfortable, very lightweight and the graphics quality (aside from the basic step down in resolution from the monitor) have all been brilliant. Subsequently I picked up the Touch controllers and I have to say they're a masterpiece of design, really really beautiful to use. I think there's actually far too much of this "Oculus doesn't do roomscale" thing going around. Actually it does it really well. You've got the same kind of guardian system you have in Vive that maps out your space and warns you when you're walking close to the edges and I've been happily trying out SteamVR games like "The Lab" with no problem at all (note: with Oculus you can also play most SteamVR games but I'm not sure if it's true the other way around).
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That is a good point. Lighter doesn't necessarily mean more comfortable. It does come down to personal preference.
The cameras are a great idea, but I thought for this generation, I'd go for the headset which is easier to lift up and see with my naked eyeballs where things are. But it is something I'd consider for the next headset I buy when, hopefully the cameras will be of a higher quality.
Good to know wrt the Room Scale VR aspect - the perception predominantly has come from the official comparative VR reviews. There is still the quite point that the Rift does not support any form of Augmented VR due to the lack of a camera in the headset. Not a big concern perhaps, but it is still a valid point.
There are games/applications that are exclusive to both the VIVE and the Rift. "The Lab" is officially compatible with both VR solutions.
The point is that it doesn't do room scale as well as the Vive, and it never will because of the tracking system. We can all have our own opinions, but not our own facts.
With a wireless Vive you can run around in your garden if you like. Try that with the Rift.
Imho people should try them both if they can and go with the one they like best. However, I feel the Vive represents better value for money, and offers greater flexibility.
Edit: I had both for the last couple of months, and recently sold the rift.
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![[VR] Mad Mike](https://forums-cdn.zaonce.net/data/avatars/m/27/27910.jpg?1553527108){kind=avatar}
I cant say i agree with catpain kirk on this. I would put them dead even now with each having advantages. Sure to get full room vr working ideally it costs a little more than vive but you get more games, an xbox pad with wirless adapter and imo the ocukus touch are far nicer motion controller. The rift is lighter and better ergonomics too.
Its not all rift tho, imo the lighthouse tracking is a nicer solution without usb cables all over the place.
Vive has a slightly better fov but slightky worse screendoor effect (negligabke either way)
Rift has over all better image quality imo but vive better contrast
Why ultimately i wnt with the rift
At the moment the software is better for the rift imo, ASW and ATW works better than steams asynchronous reprojection and imo elites rift support beats vives support.
Guardian is better than vives equivalent, vives has to be a box, rifts its far more flexible
Of course that is sodtware and coukd change at any time
The vivw has an outward facing camera which is nice and i wish rift had one but the rifts headphones are fab
The ocukus store is so mu h better than steam imo. Valve need to get their house in order imo and get some quality confrol on there. Oculus has funded some fine titles many free with rift (cant wait for robo recall)
So over all imo there is no clear winner but for my needs rift edges it
The "facebook" software is no difference to instakling steam and steam vr so that is totally unfair imo. I hate facebook and never use it btw and kirks comment makes it sound like you are forced to use facebook account which is not true
Other comments
The rift being dead because oculus not bringing out new stuff..... So the new headband and speakers for vive is htc playing catchup imo. They headphones detach from the rift so you can still use your own.
The new motion crontrols in development for vive look like touch rip offs to me.
The wireless adapter looks cool if it works well but its pricey. If it works well personally imam happy , i am sure oculus will include in cv2
The most interesting thing coming from htc is the adapter to use any item as a controller. This is ace if it works and you have space for it, sadly i dont but still its cool.
I was surpeised ocukus had no real presence at ces but
Oculus are still innovating, thier internal prototype has ditched cameras for inside out tracking which is better than both constellation and lihthouse.
Combine this with vives wireless and that will be great . We really shoukd not be wishing for the failure of either hmd, monopolies never help the consumer
Pls excuse phone typing
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