Oculus rift resolution

[MJC]

Hello Cmdrs.

Just got my new oculus rift bundle today. I have to say that I am a bit underwhelmed by the resolution and pixelation compared to normal monitor. So much so that I am considering returning the rift and going for a bigger monitor and head tracker.

I was barely able to make out the text and have since put up the supersampling up to 2 which improved things a bit.

I would appreciate any suggestion about settings and improving the resolution and picture quality.

On the positive note the feeling of spatial awareness and scale was amazing. Seeing my body and the inside of FDL was a truly great experience. Looking over my shoulder really revealed the huge size of the ship. Seeing my contrails while doing 360 degree turns in combat zone was great too. I really did feel that being able to look up and follow the npc enemy in 360 was an advantage. I mostly do PvP but I am curious if oculus would give an advantage here too. However the resolution is really bothering me and it is putting a dark cloud over all the above benefits.

Am I the only one to find the resolution so much of a problem ? What are your experiences?

Furthermore I felt a bit nauseated and light-headed while using the rift today. Is this something that a person can adapt to over the time ?

I look forward to your advice which will help me to decide if to persevere and give oculus a bit more time. o7

 

[parva]

Thats a decision you have to do for yourself. If the "immersion" aka depth feeling is enough for you to overcome the lower resolution,
then yes you will adapt over time (as well as the nausea I guess - don't know I had it just three weeks).
The pixel resolution is fixed you can just smoothen the image via supersampling which costs alot of ressources.

 

[CMDR Qboid]

Rift takes time and fiddling to get the best balance of framerate vs detail.
As ive just said in another thread, use the oculus debug tool, push up pixel density woth that, and turn down settings in the game to find the right balance.

https://www.roadtovr.com/improve-oculus-rift-game-image-quality-using-this-tool-oculus-debug-tool/

 

[Stewart_]

As well as changing the GPU options in Elite, I've also moved the HMD around my face. There's a small sweet spot of where the text becomes clearer.

Yes, the resolution is definitely lower, but the immersion factor totally outweighs the lower resolution. IMO, anyway.

 

[DaggerSnake]

What is your PC hardware?
I've never found the words difficult to read on any setting, using only default hud color.

In VR resolution is all about distance since now there is a depth that a monitor doesn't get. If you launch something like Lone Echo and hold your hand up to your face, it's a high def masterpiece with texture and mechanical bits. Just like he guns in Robo Recall. But yes as things fall into the distance they will start to become blobs.

If I can't really read something in VR, I just lean toward it. Just like real Actual Reality.

I do return to my crisp flat panel from time to time.

 

[thormadragon]

Do you run the standard orange GUI colors? If yes, change it to green, greatly improved everything!

 

[Alec Turner]

I was disappointed with the resolution at first too, but I think I've gotten used to it. The more I use the rift the less I notice it.

I think you should give it more time.

Also there is something called the Oculus Debug Tool which can be found in Program files > Oculus > Support > oculus-diagnostics. Change the Pixels Per Display Pixel Override option to something between 0 and 2, like 1.5 for example. It will make things clearer, its got something to do with the sub-pixels on your HMD but I don't know the ins and outs. Just that it improves clarity a bit.

Note that you have to open up the tool before opening the game and you must leave it running in the background. And it can be quite demanding for your PC.

No need to use the debug tool anymore, just use the in-game HMD Quality setting (it's the same thing). I'd suggest trying SS=1 and HMDQ=1.25 for starters.

 

[gary.brain]

That was my problem with the rift was the readable text; but I can't say its NOT readable.

Saying that, as other have said its the immersion of the feeling that I am in the ship and not just looking at a screen. Yes the text is not as clean, but you get use to it; and if its a long text just lean in slightly and it all becomes clear.

Even after coming from large screens with headtrackerIR to Oculus, I will never go back to a screen.

G.

 

[BigDuke6ixx]

The text is perfectly readable for me. Are you looking through the sweet spot of the lenses?

 

[Ashnak]

Resolution: if you can see the flyscreen, it won't get much better. But the sweet spot is pretty small. First of all, you'll need to set up the eye distance (green cross) for the left-right placement. Unfortunately, you can't move the lenses up or down, so for vertical placement, you'll have to find the place where it all clicks. For me, that took some time.

Dizzyness: also known as simulator sickness. Yes, you should get used to it. There was a good thread for that a few days agao. Basically, if you start to feel the symptoms, take a break. Most people manage, only very few can't.

Image quality:
- good GPU
- with a 1080, the product of SS and HMD quality can go around 1.5 for a decent frame rate (in my system, I still drop into +-45 fps ASW when e.g. battling in an asteroid belt), with lesser cards, lower. Where you want to put the emphasis is up to you, I use SS 1.0 and HMD 1.5
- try a different colour scheme (check this thread)

Also: keep the lenses clean. Use the microfiber cloth that came with the rift if you're not absolutuely sure that your other preferred method of lense cleaning is safe for the rift.

 

[Deleted member 115407]

I found it awful at first, and couldn't tweak the settings to make it better - like you, I couldn't read anything. It was all blur.

The key was HMD (HMD resolution or output or something, it's a decimal setting, just like SS) which, when jacked up to 1.25 made things much clearer. Unfortunately, though, it also made the game unplayably choppy (stuttering when I moved my head).

Now, I don't know about you, but I was running on Steam VR.

After mucking with things for a bit, I found that rather than running from the Steam VR, running the game from Oculus Home (or, alternatively, directly from the exe) reduced performance load a great deal. I was then able to run super sampling and HMD both at 1.25, and everything is very clear now.

Yes, you will lose that sharp, detailed rez you get from a monitor for distant objects, but in my opinion once you've flown around in VR a bit you won't be able to go back. And objects up close, like ships in a dogfight, are very clear and beautiful.

Also, the nausea goes away. After two weeks I barely feel it now.

In short, if you're running in Steam VR, don't. Set your graphics to VR Medium, SS at 1.0, HMD at 1.25, and tweak from there based on what your system can handle. The HMD part is what will take your HUD and external objects in and out of focus.

Sigh... to make it easier...

Run Directly, not from Steam
Graphics VR Medium
Blur Off
Bloom Off
SS 1.0
HMD 1.25

Try that.

*edit*

Oh, and from what I understand, 2.4 is going to improve things a bit, too.

 

[Cmdr Spencer]

just follow the sticky threads to get it running sharp and sweet. Sounds like you don't have it optimised and are just running it straight out of the box

 

[MJC]

Thanks for all the info Cmdrs. I have decided to return the rift. Despite the incredible immersion, I just can't get used to the low resolution. Even with oculus debug tool pixel per display at 1.5. I find it really irritating that I cannot clearly see which ship I am attacking. I often have to look at the hologram next to the radar to know the ship type. The planets edges look a bit "blocky" and the overall graphics experience is below what I expected. Having said that my GPU is 780Ti o/c which probably didn't help, but the framerate was not the main problem, it was really the sharpness of the images an this would not change even if I upgraded GPU. If I have to spend close to £1000 for a decent rig I would expect a crisp clear VR experience. Unfortunately Oculus is not there yet so I will just have to wait for the next generation of VR devices. I am glad that I have experienced this. I really enjoyed seeing the scale of the stars and planets close up, the inside of the ship. However the headache and eye strain was another factor and the possible side-effects of prolonged VR use on eye-sight etc...
So now I am looking into ultrawide 3440x1400 monitor and ED tracker pro. This will hopefully allow me to snipe modules at 3km with my railgun and to enjoy clear and sharp graphics.
Big thanks for all the advice. MJC o7

 

[jamieboo]

I know what you mean.
I too have been troubled by the blurriness of the display and been suffering from eyestrain and headaches as a result.
With me the problem was less pixellation and more a lack of focus - I suspected it was a problem with my lenses.
I ordered a replacement from Amazon, but the focus issue was exactly the same - but the replacement unit had the additional problem of that OLED mura thing (and I didn't want to fiddle with SPUD to improve that).
I sent the replacement headset back and kept my original.
I think having tried 2 headsets now has given me a slightly broader frame of reference for comparison - and now I think I was wrong in assuming a fault with the lenses. If anything the problem is with my eyes! (Gonna get them checked soon).
I'm putting up with the focus issues for now. And it is most noticeable in ED (probably due to the complex geometry). In RoboRecall for instance it is not so noticeable, but it is still there. eg the guns that DaggerSnake mentioned earlier, if I hold them up they look pretty good, but the edging of the black detailing is without doubt out of focus. But ilke I said, this might be something a trip to the optician might solve.
I would say that your 780ti was always going to be struggling a bit with VR. I have a 980ti and it can barely handle it.
But yeah, sorry it didn't work out for you - I feel your pain, and know what you're talking about. I reckon next generation will hit the mark!

 

[ZeroAi]

In case someone else who want's to keep their Rift finds this topic...

First try all the adjustment settings to get the picture just right - the Rift has so many! You really need to get the HMD positioned correctly with respect to your eyes.

No need to use the debug tool anymore, just use the in-game HMD Quality setting (it's the same thing). I'd suggest trying SS=1 and HMDQ=1.25 for starters.

The key was HMD (HMD resolution or output or something, it's a decimal setting, just like SS) which, when jacked up to 1.25 made things much clearer.

Agreed. I have also found adjusting HDM Quality to 1.25 or 1.5 worked best for me

The text is perfectly readable for me. Are you looking through the sweet spot of the lenses?

Agreed!

One thing about this gen (and likely the next gen) of HMD's is there is indeed a sweet spot front and center.

If you want VR today you need to point your head at things you want to look at, not swivel your eyes. This is huge when it comes to text.

Finally, don't forget to use the included lens wipe to clean your lenses occasionally as it's not easy to actually "see" if they need it or not

 

[SkyfallerDan]

I was also very disappointed by the lower resolution of the VR in the game compared to my monitor but VR is in its baby steps and no VR set right now can push the resolutions we are used to in a desktop. The best you will get is PS3 level graphic quality.

Text being blurry is a combination of the lower resolution and the VR environment. Here's what I did to fix that issue in my Oculus:

1- Changed HUD color to have the text and HUD icons be GREEN. Why? Oculus has more pixel strength in the green colors than any other color..this is documented by Oculus itself. This means that in default settings of the game, the green text has sharper quality than other colors hence less blurry.

2- Increased pixel density and supersampling via the oculus tools. This combined with #1 fixed all the blurriness in the text.

3- Use a hankerchief, folded into a thick rectangular strip and put it on the bridge of your nose before you wear the headset. This does two things: Absorbs any sweat (increasing your comfort level for long play times) and it raises the headset support point in your nose area by about half an inch.

This last bit makes a huge difference because Oculus messed up in the design of the headset.. they did not include a vertical focal alignment option like they did with the horizontal eye distance slider. That means that if your headset is even a little bit above where your eyes 'should be' according to Oculus, then everything will have loss of focus and text in particular looks blurry. The hankerchief will put and keep the headset where it will work for you.

 

[BaronVonDoon]

Do you run the standard orange GUI colors? If yes, change it to green, greatly improved everything!

This.. a green HUD makes everything crystal clear in the cockpit. SS and HMD quality I have set to 0.65 and 2.0 respectively, and it looks pretty sharp. As has been said, it takes a while to get used to the drop in resolution, and you will get used to it. Aside from distant objects, I barely notice at all anymore.

 

[Dibiase]

Sounds like you already made up your mind and sent the rift back so I won't comment on suggestions for settings. I will say that the your gpu really isn't anywhere near powerful enough to get a decent experience with the rift however. Personally when I first got my rift I noticed the pixels (aka screen door effect) and it bothered me a little at first. I never had any issues reading text or any of the other lack of resolution details you described. After about a month with the rift I don't notice the pixels anymore so you do adjust.

Since you are considering head tracking, before I bought the rift I used TrackIR which works really well. I'd say it is kind of in-between just a monitor and the rift. It added a lot to the game and is a pretty cool addition to just using the monitor. I find the scale and immersion of the rift far superior but head tracking is a nice solution if you can't get past the short comings of the rift. Good luck commander.

 

[Malic]

likely also have steam VR interfering so it lowered the apparent res in the game as well. Need to disable it, Elite runs Oculus native. Steam VR injecting itself is what made the ships look unidentifiable at distance.

 

[Mindphaser]

I just got a rift a few weeks ago. I spent a year and half using a 24" 144hz monitor with an EDTracker. The game (when it doesn't stutter, of all the games I've got E : D is the worst when it comes to stutter) was amazing, but the depth and scale of things inside the Rift just can't be matched. I won't play E without the Rift now, just no point. I knew about the SDE and resolution but for me the biggest drawback was the fov. It feels like I'm wearing scuba goggles.

That said yeah your 780Ti didn't help. Its a garbage GPU at this point, or close to it. Just doesn't cut it for VR like at all.