VR newbie - advice required please

Hey CMDR's.

I am thinking of getting into VR with the new VIVE Pro, however, I am not sure what I need for playing ED.

My current rig runs an i7:4790, 16GB RAM and an Nvidia GTX 1070Ti so I assume it is capable of handling VR.

As a spectacle wearer I am leaning towards the VIVE as everything I have read says it's much more comfortable for us '4-eyes' than the Rift.

On the actual VR side of things though the whole VIVE Pro setup is a penny shy of £1300 (ouch) unless of course you already have the original VIVE in which case you would just need to buy the Pro headset at £799.

So my question is - do I just need the headset to play ED in VR or do I need the full kit?

Thanks
 
I *think* you need the full kit.

if all you want it for is Elite, you could consider one of the windows hmds as well? cheaper than the vive pro that is for certain.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asC-Axnjk9Q
again, like the rift its not ideal for glasses users but this seems to get around the issues
https://www.reddit.com/r/WindowsMR/comments/7ml8hr/protip_for_samsung_odyssey_owners_with_glasses/

I am a rifter and it is true, my glasses wont quite fit inside (I do have a big head tho). I use contact lenses however as for me over all the rift is the better hmd for what i consider important. (it is subjective however)

VIVE pro is pretty expensive.... if you get one i look forward to your feedback, i have never tried one.
 
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The Vive will NOT work at all without base stations or controllers.
The most you would see is solid grey screen since it has no tracking data.

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Since the vive pro is higher resolution i wouldn't recommend it with anything less than a 1080 or 1080ti.
The pro isa so ridiculously overpriced and not worth half of what it's worth.

I own both the vive and a rift since pre order, and the vive has been boxed most of that time.
I just prefer the rift and I am -5 myopic, nearsighted, and depend on glasses constantly.
And the difference between rift and vive is small, slightly roomier so what it really comes down to is the suxe of your frames.


The real solution for either is to get contacts or buy the prescription inserts that work perfectly for either.

I would recommend either the samsung odyssey or the rift.
Personally I would recommend rift, as the most streamlined package for rift.
And even if you spend $120 on lens inserts you are spending way less than on vive pro without the bases.
Which I mention wouldn't work at all.
 
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...The pro isa so ridiculously overpriced and not worth half of what it's worth...

You mean retail price, right?... ;)

@OP:
Apart from that, I agree completely with TT. Oculus Rift is the goto VR device for E: D for now. And your setup should be fine to run it.

Other, tastier things are lurking in the wings, but the Pimax 8k is still a way off and will probably require latest and greatest hardware. Price unconfirmed.

The Vive Pro is taking a beating in the reviews. Try Googling "Vive Pro Review". Way too expensive and arguably only vaguely better than the standard Vive, if at all.

Oculus Rift for E: D now, or hold your breath 6 more months. Interesting things in the horizon. :)
 
You mean retail price, right?... ;)

Well I think the retail price for the pro should be $400, $550 for a full kit.
But that's ok HTC is about to go bankrupt any time now.

And pardon my typos.
I'm on the phone and fighting both tiny touch keyboard and dictionaries ;)

As for the pro.
HTC just grabbed the new panels off of Samsung's product line and plugged them in.
Then they fixed all the ergonomics problems that never should have existed on the first one.
That first vive was barely at dev kit level of finish, heavy and a terrible strap and it would wobble around on your face.

My main problem with the vive though is how poorly the lenses to us outside of center.
And they did not change those.
 
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Thanks guys - I completely agree about the price of the Vive-Pro - its eye-watering. I would go with the Rift but for all the comments about comfort. Unfortunately having worn contact lenses for over 30 years they are not an option for me now as I suffer from corneal ulcers and am about to move onto varifocals for my specs which will mean a deeper frame.

Do any of you wear glasses with the Rift and if so how do you find the comfort?

If I did decide on a Rift, again what would I need? - as I say in the title I am a complete newbie at VR so rather ignorant of what is required.



The real solution for either is to get contacts or buy the prescription inserts that work perfectly for either.

I would recommend either the samsung odyssey or the rift.
Personally I would recommend rift, as the most streamlined package for rift.
And even if you spend $120 on lens inserts you are spending way less than on vive pro without the bases.
Which I mention wouldn't work at all.

I read something on the inserts the other year but they looked a bit ropey (produced by a guy in a garage using a 3d printer) and there was something about having to reverse the lenses giving a fish-eye experience. Is that still the case or have the makers of the Rift actually done something professional to cater for the majority of us that wear glasses?

I always found it very odd that given over 60% of the UK and US populations wear glasses the makers of VR headsets didn't really think that was something worth catering for - at least at the outset.
 
Can't comment on the inserts but I think by the comments here they have gotten a lot better as well.

Personally I just use my every day glasses in the rift, my specs are wide and thin. not the big frame hipster type.

As for in the vr it only focuses to a distance. Some solve this by getting a second cheaper pair with no vari focus that do fit.
 
...Do any of you wear glasses with the Rift and if so how do you find the comfort?

Can't help you there. 20/20... ;)

...If I did decide on a Rift, again what would I need? - as I say in the title I am a complete newbie at VR so rather ignorant of what is required...
All you need is in the box if you buy a Rift. Your present hardware should be fine. A HOTAS is also considered a must have for VR (hope you touch type). Here's a cheap starter (got one myself, so recommended):

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Thrustmast...1530794541&sr=8-2&keywords=thrustmaster+hotas

But fair warning!: You're in for a bit of a learning curve if you're new to Elite: Dangerous/VR/touch typing/configuring HOTAS setups.

I can be done, but you need to want it! :)
 
Can't help you there. 20/20... ;)


All you need is in the box if you buy a Rift. Your present hardware should be fine. A HOTAS is also considered a must have for VR (hope you touch type). Here's a cheap starter (got one myself, so recommended):

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Thrustmast...1530794541&sr=8-2&keywords=thrustmaster+hotas

But fair warning!: You're in for a bit of a learning curve if you're new to Elite: Dangerous/VR/touch typing/configuring HOTAS setups.

I can be done, but you need to want it! :)

Nah, been playing since August 2014 so the game isn't an issue although feeling round my X56 Rhino might be a challenge to start with [smile] plus I will need to re-assign a whole bunch of stuff I have assigned to my Cougar MFD unless I can feel my way around that too.

I will do a bit more research but as your no doubt aware there's a lot of info out there and not all trustworthy - at least I know the ED community has plenty of VR experience.

Unfortunately because this is something you essentially wear rather than manipulate it's a bit more personal so getting that comfort issue is key. Its not going to be any fun if the HMD is mashing my glasses into my face and causing me pain [where is it]
 
I got glasses from Zenni with small frames. I measured the inside width of the Rift, and got slightly less wide wire type frames. The glasses are light and fit perfectly inside the headset. Plus, inexpensive...
 
Again it depends with the frames.

Mine are actually held in place by the rift, not that the glasses are heavy or anything but the rift actually takes some of the pressure off.
 
So what new HMD's are on the horizon and am I better waiting for another 6 -12 months? My current setup is pretty sweet, I have an ultra-wide Predator monitor and a TrackIR/Trackclip Pro but as good as it is it's not going to beat the full immersion of VR. I just got back from Florence in Italy celebrating my 50th and had a VR experience there in the DaVinci museum - it was pretty cool (if a little grainy) so I can only imagine what you guys get to see playing ED in VR :)
 
So what new HMD's are on the horizon and am I better waiting for another 6 -12 months? My current setup is pretty sweet, I have an ultra-wide Predator monitor and a TrackIR/Trackclip Pro but as good as it is it's not going to beat the full immersion of VR. I just got back from Florence in Italy celebrating my 50th and had a VR experience there in the DaVinci museum - it was pretty cool (if a little grainy) so I can only imagine what you guys get to see playing ED in VR :)

Same here. I was planning to get VR'd in Q4, I also need a new GPU as I'm running a 1060 6gb that was intended to be a stop-gap measure from my 960 4gb anyway.
Now I could theoretically wait, but should I?
 
Unfortunately because this is something you essentially wear rather than manipulate it's a bit more personal so getting that comfort issue is key. Its not going to be any fun if the HMD is mashing my glasses into my face and causing me pain [where is it]

I copied this from my response to this issue in a thread last week:

I bought a pair of these at Walmart. https://www.coolframes.ca/glasses/as...yeglasses.html
for my distance only prescription. I took the Rift in to the optometrist and fitted the frames. The ones I bought were deliberately under size for my face as they are for VR only and taking off the Rift without my glasses being stuck inside was the point. The metal under the arm covering at the ears is more moldable than the rest of the arm so they can be curled more than average to better hook behind the ear. The work for the purpose so well that I stopped bothering with contact lenses. I can wear contacts just fine but they are not as clear as glasses and the difference for me was quite noticeable.
Although solutions lke Widmo and VRLens labs are an option they do add a little weight to the Rift and when you take it off, you find yourself reaching for a pair of glasses.

If your head isn't really large this should work fine in the Rift. I spend hours in the Rift with no discomfort. I also apply a bit of anti-fog wax to the glasses and the Rift lenses which help a lot. gl
 
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I copied this from my response to this issue in a thread last week:

I bought a pair of these at Walmart. https://www.coolframes.ca/glasses/as...yeglasses.html
for my distance only prescription. I took the Rift in to the optometrist and fitted the frames. The ones I bought were deliberately under size for my face as they are for VR only and taking off the Rift without my glasses being stuck inside was the point. The metal under the arm covering at the ears is more moldable than the rest of the arm so they can be curled more than average to better hook behind the ear. The work for the purpose so well that I stopped bothering with contact lenses. I can wear contacts just fine but they are not as clear as glasses and the difference for me was quite noticeable.
Although solutions lke Widmo and VRLens labs are an option they do add a little weight to the Rift and when you take it off, you find yourself reaching for a pair of glasses.

If your head isn't really large this should work fine in the Rift. I spend hours in the Rift with no discomfort. I also apply a bit of anti-fog wax to the glasses and the Rift lenses which help a lot. gl

I wear contacts. They should be as clear as glasses with the correct prescription.
 
I wear contacts. They should be as clear as glasses with the correct prescription.

Not necessarily. Everybody has different eyes and vision issues. An example of why I prefer glasses is that heat from the Rift panels has a tendency to dry out the contact lenses. Also depending on the type of lenses daily, weekly, monthly or such the shape of the lenses change over time as they are of various thicknesses. Your eye moisture can also affect things like fogging. Many factors can affect this so I am inclined not to offer up a blanket conclusion. YMMV is always a good disclaimer.
 
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Yeah after wearing contacts in my teenage years I started to find them uncomfortable and my eyes would dry out, that seems to have gone cause the last contacts I tried seemed fine.

I also have an astigmatism in my left eye and none of the contacts I have tried recently seems to actually fix it.

It's fine in vr, for a couple of hours but using $100 per month for dailies, simply to play vr when my glasses work comfortably in the rift, and I outside of vr they simply weren't up to snuff.
Was a not a sane solution.

I could probably just get those widmo's or something.
 
I 3D printed lens inserts for my rift for $20, ordered a pair of glasses from zenni.com for $40 and voila, I’ve got a rift with built in prescription lenses.

Iribibu.jpg
 
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