About to take the Oculus plunge...

TomT · Nov 20, 2016

For some time now, I’ve had it in the back of my mind to get the Oculus Rift, it really appeals to me for enhancing the sense of immersion in Elite.

I recently watched a video on YouTube by Mr Foster, who recorded his experience looking around the cockpits of a number of the new ships (since 2.2), and that really got me motivated to go for it. His reactions in particular conveyed a sense of the actual experience of VR in Elite, which I realize can only really come from experiencing it yourself.

Anyway, I have done a bit of research and want to get a bit more information/feedback before finally taking the plunge.
For starters, here are the specs of my system (which I recently built):

Intel i7-6700K
32 GB ram
512 GB Samsung SSD 850 Pro
EVGA Geforce 1070 FTW
3 x 1080p Asus displays
CH Pro Throttle
Thrustmaster T-16000M
Logitech G930 Gaming Headset

I am currently running ED on three monitors, with FOV set at 60, use VA, and really enjoy the immersion the triple monitors provide.
So, I have some questions:

From what I have seen in the forums and elsewhere, it’s gotten easier to set up and tweak the Oculus CV1 since the recent 2.2 patch. I’m hoping that I won’t have to spend a lot of extra time configuring the Rift to look good, am I being unrealistic?
From what I saw in the video, the text looks fine, though I’ve heard that in the past this was not necessarily the case. How does text look now?
Is there noticeable screen door effect?
One of my 3 monitors is currently using the only HDMI port on the GPU, the other two are connected via Display port to HDMI adapters (all my monitors are HDMI, GPU has 3 display port and 1 HDMI connections). I assume I can use another Display port > HDMI adapter for the Rift?
What happens with running 3 monitors plus the Rift when playing ED? Should I turn off 2 (or all) of the monitors to lessen the load on the GPU?
Are there any issues with the Galaxy Map?
I saw one YouTube video that mentioned glare, particularly coming from light sources against a dark background. Is this still present after the 2.2 patch? If so, is there anything that can be done to reduce this?
I am assuming the immersion of the Rift vs 3 monitors will be quite different (better); anything I'll miss moving away from triple monitors?

Since this a fairly large investment for me, I want to try (as much as possible) to set my expectations realistically, so any comments/suggestions would be greatly appreciated. BTW, I've been playing and really enjoying ED since the premium beta...

I have spent some time going thru various threads in this forum, but I’d be grateful for any tips, settings etc. anyone could provide in response to this post, as well as anything else I haven't thought to ask...[noob]

Thanks for your assistance and input on this.

[VR] Merkir · Nov 20, 2016

TomT said:
I am currently running ED on three monitors, with FOV set at 60, use VA, and really enjoy the immersion the triple monitors provide.
So, I have some questions:

My system is the same as yours except I only run one monitor. I've been playing ED on the CV1 for about 2 months.

1. From what I have seen in the forums and elsewhere, it’s gotten easier to set up and tweak the Oculus CV1 since the recent 2.2 patch. I’m hoping that I won’t have to spend a lot of extra time configuring the Rift to look good, am I being unrealistic?

Expect a few hours, at least 1-2. You should read through the relevant threads here first. I see you're very familiar with the forums so I won't list them here. With your setup (same as mine), I recommend leaving Super Sampling at 1.0 and HMD Image Quality at 1.25, but you will want to experiment going to 1.5 and perhaps even higher. Maintaining 90 fps is important, but at stations and res sites it will drop to 45 fps where hopefully ASW cuts in and does a reasonable job to mimic 90 fps.

Look at installing EDProfiler. It's excellent to swap between Monitor and VR graphics options prior to starting the game.
http://www.drkaii.com/tools/edprofiler/

2. From what I saw in the video, the text looks fine, though I’ve heard that in the past this was not necessarily the case. How does text look now?

What you see in the video is actually what's displayed on the regular monitor in parallel to the VR headset, so it's not how it looks in VR.

But, in the VR headset it's not too bad. There is no problem reading any of the text at all after you change to a suitable oculus rift HUD colour scheme, which is predominantly green. It's obviously far more pixelated than a much higher res monitor, but legibility is just fine. EDProfiler provides the oculus DK2 friendly HUD colour scheme to make it easy for you to set HUD graphics options.

3. Is there noticeable screen door effect?

Yes, it's very noticeable. Moreso in ED than other games due to the amount of text, fine detail and sharp contrast in the scenes. That's not ED's fault.

4. One of my 3 monitors is currently using the only HDMI port on the GPU, the other two are connected via Display port to HDMI adapters (all my monitors are HDMI, GPU has 3 display port and 1 HDMI connections). I assume I can use another Display port > HDMI adapter for the Rift?

Yes, in fact there are some threads saying that doing that improves the dynamic contrast, fixing or improving banding issues considerably. I haven't tried it.

5. What happens with running 3 monitors plus the Rift when playing ED? Should I turn off 2 (or all) of the monitors to lessen the load on the GPU?

When using VR, set ED graphics options to set your regular display to a low res mode.

EDProfiler is great for this because when using the VR config you will set your regular monitor to a very low res mode so that the graphics card is mostly being used to power the VR headset, not your monitor(s).

6. Are there any issues with the Galaxy Map?

With a HOTAS it works quite well. With keyboard and mouse I'm not sure, but I suspect not nearly as well judging by what I've read on these forums. Hopefully others will step in to answer here.

7. I saw one YouTube video that mentioned glare, particularly coming from light sources against a dark background. Is this still present after the 2.2 patch? If so, is there anything that can be done to reduce this?

The so called "God rays". Yes they are a thing, and the opening logo screens show it very obviously. Anywhere where there's a bright source/image next to a dark background, you'll see god rays due to the Fresnel lenses. I tend not to notice while in game, at least not much any more, but always notice it during the opening.

8. I am assuming the immersion of the Rift vs 3 monitors will be quite different (better); anything I'll miss moving away from triple monitors?

I'll be as accurate and objective as I can. The resolution is obviously low. The screen door effect is also obvious. Note also it's like wearing goggles, so your vision reduces from ~180 degrees to ~100 degrees in the rift. In short, the overall graphics quality is very obviously inferior.

But, the immersion. Oh the immersion is so amazing. ED is most definitely one of the best VR games to demo the technology.

I find it hard to play on a monitor these days. Every time I play ED in VR, the first 20 seconds still has wow factor. And even now I'll take an "in-game break" and walk around the cockpit (or flight deck, damn some of these are huge!), just because I can

. Note that the rift cable is 4m long, so that's the limit of your walk. The Vive is a little longer I believe. Of course it's normally limited by your room size anyway.

Since this a fairly large investment for me, I want to try (as much as possible) to set my expectations realistically, so any comments/suggestions would be greatly appreciated. BTW, I've been playing and really enjoying ED since the premium beta...

I have spent some time going thru various threads in this forum, but I’d be grateful for any tips, settings etc. anyone could provide in response to this post, as well as anything else I haven't thought to ask...[noob]

Set your expectations low. The first time I fired up ED in the CV1 I was disappointed. BUT, after a bit of tweaking, changing the HUD colours and especially setting the HMD Image Quality to 1.25 or 1.5, it's now really nice. You're lucky in that the latest update has moved the HMD quality into the ED graphicas options itself, so you don't have to install the Oculus dev kit to tweak... much easier now.

I also play with the rift's Virtual Desktop running, so that I can instantly switch between ED and Windows to check ED websites etc. Bigscreen I'm told is good too, and free.

Just remember VR in its current form is a trade-off between overall graphics quality and immersion. For me personally, the immersion greatly outweighs the lower graphics quality. Hopefully others will respond with their experiences.

Good luck, Cmdr

IMPORTANT Edit: I forgot to talk about motion sickness. Chances are you will get it. I had it very badly. The first week I could only play for short periods, 30 mins max. The second week I could play longer. After about 3 weeks it's completely gone, which was a pleasant surprise. Others did advise that it gradually goes away, and they were right. Oh, except the SRV. I still get it a bit in the SRV, and there are ED options to try to make the experience better in the SRV, like LOS horizon camera. I think because I use the SRV far less often, I'm just not used to it yet.

TomT · Nov 20, 2016

Thanks very much for your quick response. You mentioned that it's "far more pixelated than a much higher res monitor". As my monitors are 1080p, isn't that around the same resolution as the Rift?

[VR] Merkir · Nov 20, 2016

TomT said:
Thanks very much for your quick response. You mentioned that it's "far more pixelated than a much higher res monitor". As my monitors are 1080p, isn't that around the same resolution as the Rift?

The CV1's resolution of 2160 x 1200 across both eyes is the equivalent of 1080 x 1200. Add the screen door effect and the pentile display technology, and the pixelation IMO seems more apparent than setting a regular monitor to something close to 1080 x 1200.

[VR] Merkir · Nov 20, 2016

Actually I just tried to find some "screenshots" of the CV1 output but as expected it's very difficult to actually do that since you'd need some sort of special camera to take a 2D snapshot of the 3D (2 eyes) view. here's a thread...

https://www.reddit.com/r/Vive/comments/4e7nd2/how_elite_dangerous_looks_on_vive_cv1/

But the actual CV1 view is better than those pics. In fact I concur with one of the comments that:

"I'm going to have to show people how to take a picture of these things in game aren't I.... The more I look at these the more I can see how bad a comparison set it is. None are the right iso and half aren't even focused properly. And the comparison gif was made from two completely different angles from two completely separate angles on the lenses and had to be warped and scaled to overlay. (I was watching the original thread)."

Mesolithic · Nov 20, 2016

I used triple monitors, thought it was the bee's knees and then bought the CV1 about two weeks ago and haven't looked back.

If you can afford it, go VR. Yes, image quality is less than on a good monitor, but you likely won't care.

I'm running it on a GTX970 with a overclocked sub-spec CPU and it is fine. You should be fine with your spec.

Regards

Meso

dape · Nov 20, 2016

Merkir summed it up very good.

I didn't do that much research before I got a CV1 and tbh I was a bit disappointed when I fired ED up the first time in VR. i5 6600K and 980GTX OC.
But after working through all the tweaks I got used to the inferior Graphics very quickly.

The immersion is something you just have to experience yourself. Last night I was playing for too long. I thought to take a little break and play 2D for a little bit. I quit after 5 minutes. It just was soooo flat

I am 99% sure will not regret it. Please let us know how your first impression is, if you go for it.

Alec Turner · Nov 20, 2016

Some great answers here already and as Mekir says you've probably found some of the best forum threads already, but just in case here's a bunch from my subscriptions list, beginning with my own thoughts on ED in the Oculus ...

https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php/295207-Oculus-Elite-The-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly

https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php/274325-How-to-get-Elite-in-VR-looking-CRYSTAL-CLEAR-D

https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php/241558-The-Oculus-Rift-CV1-General-Discussion-Thread

https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showt...ral-Discussion-and-OR-Games-to-try-out-Thread

https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showt...t-DK2-CV1-Vive-VR-Experience-Guide-Compendium

https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showt...k-levels-finally-fixed-for-me!-Weird-solution

https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php/278996-Rift-hdmi-port-users

Cliché · Nov 20, 2016

I'd have to say that the SDE is really overrated. If there is one thing I almost never notice, it's the SDE. Even god rays are only slightly worse and easily ignored in game.

One thing I do notice a lot more, but again can ignore when my mind is on other things, is the "dust layer". This is apparently there so they can keep the displays on for faster response times and to reduce black smear, or some such. This is something I hope they keep working on, like the banding issue.

I don't recall if anyone mentioned blur, but it is quite blurry around the edges. It's pretty sharp in the center, so you need to look directly at what you want to focus on, not just move your eyes around the display.

And a note on resolution. Imagine your current displays were enlarged to fill your entire FOV. Right now they are probably only covering 20% or so of your FOV. Yeah, the Rift may have a higher resolution, but it is spread out over a much larger area so it looks like a lower resolution.

But PRESENCE & SCALE trumps it all. I can fee immersion on a monitor, or even reading a book. But when it comes to VR, I feel that I'm there in real life. Even after just a few days in VR, going back to a monitor is like looking at miniature toys through a little window. I don't understand how people can go back just because it's a sharper image.

Still - eagerly awaiting Gen II.

TomT · Nov 20, 2016

Thanks for all the great information. I guess I'm a bit concerned about the graphics quality and the amount of time and effort to get things tweaked, but it does seem the only way to really know is to dive in and see for myself. Wish it was a bit of a smaller investment though...

Souta · Nov 20, 2016

To answer 2 of your questions:

6. The Galaxy map is not easy to use in VR, but it gets better with practice. I find myself usually typing in the name of my destination
8. You will probably not miss your monitors, in VR, just turn your head to see what you need to see, with a field of view larger then you are used to.

I did some extra tweaking. I decided also to use voice attack.
I can do without, finding keys with muscle memory works, but nevertheless it helps!

Cliché · Nov 20, 2016

TomT said:
Thanks for all the great information. I guess I'm a bit concerned about the graphics quality and the amount of time and effort to get things tweaked, but it does seem the only way to really know is to dive in and see for myself. Wish it was a bit of a smaller investment though...

I'm coming from 1440p, and had a SLI setup for higher super-sampling, and was thinking of going to 4k, but I'm satisfied with my decision to go VR instead. There is not much to tweak. You just set up the Rift, set the IPD adjustment, and get if fitting comfortably on your head. Then just select VR Ultra from the ED graphics menu and you're set. If your FPS seems too low, then try VR High instead. You can always try more tweaking later, but it is not necessary. I suppose HUD color does make a difference, but I've stayed with orange. I'd prefer something else, but I'm not willing to mix up the other colors. Maybe one day FD will let you pick or customize your HUD colors, and I'd even be willing to pay for it.

As for the cost, I saw a news story today about a restaurant, in Norway or Sweden - not sure, where the average check was $400 per setting. So the cost is what it is, relative, and a personal decision. I think you could still get a decent return selling it used if you really don't like it.

TomT · Nov 21, 2016

Alec Turner said:
Some great answers here already and as Mekir says you've probably found some of the best forum threads already, but just in case here's a bunch from my subscriptions list, beginning with my own thoughts on ED in the Oculus ...

https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php/295207-Oculus-Elite-The-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly

https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php/274325-How-to-get-Elite-in-VR-looking-CRYSTAL-CLEAR-D

https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php/241558-The-Oculus-Rift-CV1-General-Discussion-Thread

https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showt...ral-Discussion-and-OR-Games-to-try-out-Thread

https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showt...t-DK2-CV1-Vive-VR-Experience-Guide-Compendium

https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showt...k-levels-finally-fixed-for-me!-Weird-solution

https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php/278996-Rift-hdmi-port-users

Thanks Alec!

- - - Updated - - -

Mesolithic said:
I used triple monitors, thought it was the bee's knees and then bought the CV1 about two weeks ago and haven't looked back.

If you can afford it, go VR. Yes, image quality is less than on a good monitor, but you likely won't care.

I'm running it on a GTX970 with a overclocked sub-spec CPU and it is fine. You should be fine with your spec.

Regards

Meso

Thanks Meso. Do you leave your monitors on when using VR?

[HJ]-RedRaven · Nov 21, 2016

TomT said:
Do you leave your monitors on when using VR?

I normally leave my monitor on. Once ED is running I hit Ctrl-F and keep an eye on the fps counter (which doesn't show in VR) if the frame rate get choppy.

Sometimes I'll have Inara.cz up on an engineer bluepriont etc, or keep WinAMP running where I can peer at it from under the Rift nose.

TomT · Nov 21, 2016

Merkir said:
My system is the same as yours except I only run one monitor. I've been playing ED on the CV1 for about 2 months.

With a HOTAS it works quite well. With keyboard and mouse I'm not sure, but I suspect not nearly as well judging by what I've read on these forums. Hopefully others will step in to answer here.

Would you mind sharing your bindings for HOTAS for Galaxy Map?

TomT · Nov 21, 2016

I've been using a Logitech G930 gaming headset, and was planning to use it with the cv1, however, I just discovered there's a mic in the headset! And from what I've read, people are recommending using the built in head phones also since they handle the sound really well.

Anyone else switched from a gaming headset to the cv1's?

[VR] Merkir · Nov 21, 2016

TomT said:
Would you mind sharing your bindings for HOTAS for Galaxy Map?

Gladly, except that I've never changed the bindings for the galaxy map section. I was very happy with the defaults, but what it's done is got me thinking about the way I use it. Turns out I use the mouse and hotas, but mainly the mouse. They actually perform mostly the same functions but the mouse is faster. I also just read a few other threads on precisely this topic. Many of the threads say do not use the mouse. Some are very insistent about this. I'm not sure why. Mouse is faster.

The important part of the process is that to select a system you do not select the star itself. You select the projection of that star onto the 2D selection plane. It appears most of the frustration players have in VR is that they don't realise this, then wonder why they can't select anything.

To select, just move the circular selection reticule onto the vertical projection of the system on the 2D selection plane, using the mouse or hotas. If using the mouse, you need to also jiggle the joystick a little so that it registers the selection and the menu appears on top of the system.

I also use the mouse for all menus in the galaxy map, but you can use the hotas.

I suggest you should experiment with all of the various methods. Everyone will have their favourite way. For the mouse, hold down left button to tilt, both buttons for horizontal translation, wheel for zoom, etc. Experiment with hotas the same way.

Cliché · Nov 21, 2016

TomT said:
Anyone else switched from a gaming headset to the cv1's?

I bought a Sennheiser PC 363D about a year ago. I've been very satisfied with the Rift's phones and mic and I haven't gone back to the headset. If I ever play a non-VR game again, and that's a big IF, then I may - if I have to use TrackIR, or I'll just use speakers.

BigDuke6ixx · Nov 21, 2016

TomT said:
I've been using a Logitech G930 gaming headset, and was planning to use it with the cv1, however, I just discovered there's a mic in the headset! And from what I've read, people are recommending using the built in head phones also since they handle the sound really well.

Anyone else switched from a gaming headset to the cv1's?

I kept my G933's as the sound is better and I like cans over the CV1's sound leaking pads.

Soda Popinski · Nov 21, 2016

TomT said:
I've been using a Logitech G930 gaming headset, and was planning to use it with the cv1, however, I just discovered there's a mic in the headset! And from what I've read, people are recommending using the built in head phones also since they handle the sound really well.

Anyone else switched from a gaming headset to the cv1's?

Went from the G930 to the Rift audio just fine.