Questions about VR and performance

[Mortuest]

Hello and thanks for joining my first post. I have many questions regarding VR and hope to find answers to them here.

First of all, I love the Elite Dangerous game and the graphics therein, the complexity of controls and the freedom of professions.
The second piece is where my first question comes into play: Does VR improve the controls of your ship? I have some serious issues with control even with a Logitech Extreme 3D Pro. Landing/Takeoff is fine (that was simple even with Keyboard/Mouse) but I can not get the hang of dogfighting or ship combat. Do the VR sets (either Vive or Rift) make this easier, or is the VR simply a visual experience only in this game?

Second: I'm running an Alienware17 R3 with a GeForce 980M (4GB of RAM), i7-6820HK (4x2.7Ghz), and 32 GB of RAM; is this sufficiently powerful to run either VR suites without a problem?

Finally: Is there any major difference in features between the Vive and Rift? I understand the cost difference, the Rift's access to the Oculus games, and the new Touch controllers for the Rift. I'm leaning towards the Vive due to comments on how well they fit with glasses vs. the Rift, but am I cutting myself off from any major features the Rift has to offer vs. the Vive?

Additional: Are there any other PC-based VR solutions that work with Steam or E that you would recommend as an alternate (aside from being cheaper), and for what reasons?

Thanks in advance for everyone's time reading this (and hopefully responding),


Mortuest

*That guy constantly running into asteroids while attempting to evade getting a missile up his afterburner*

 

[Gortron]

Hello and thanks for joining my first post. I have many questions regarding VR and hope to find answers to them here.

First of all, I love the Elite Dangerous game and the graphics therein, the complexity of controls and the freedom of professions.
The second piece is where my first question comes into play: Does VR improve the controls of your ship? I have some serious issues with control even with a Logitech Extreme 3D Pro. Landing/Takeoff is fine (that was simple even with Keyboard/Mouse) but I can not get the hang of dogfighting or ship combat. Do the VR sets (either Vive or Rift) make this easier, or is the VR simply a visual experience only in this game?

Second: I'm running an Alienware17 R3 with a GeForce 980M (4GB of RAM), i7-6820HK (4x2.7Ghz), and 32 GB of RAM; is this sufficiently powerful to run either VR suites without a problem?

Finally: Is there any major difference in features between the Vive and Rift? I understand the cost difference, the Rift's access to the Oculus games, and the new Touch controllers for the Rift. I'm leaning towards the Vive due to comments on how well they fit with glasses vs. the Rift, but am I cutting myself off from any major features the Rift has to offer vs. the Vive?

Additional: Are there any other PC-based VR solutions that work with Steam or E that you would recommend as an alternate (aside from being cheaper), and for what reasons?

Thanks in advance for everyone's time reading this (and hopefully responding),


Mortuest

*That guy constantly running into asteroids while attempting to evade getting a missile up his afterburner*

Hello and welcome!

ED in VR is extremely demanding. A GeForce 980M will be sufficient to run ED in VR but you will have to make sacrifices in your graphics settings. At a guess you will need to use the VR LOW or VR Medium default setting and will not be able to use super sampling or HMD quality to reduce blur.

The spatial awareness VR brings is incredible. Your dog fighting ability will be vastly better immediately because you are in the game. For a reverse comparison, it is like difference between playing a driving game and driving a real car.

For Rift vs Vive: with the money you will save buy a Rift and get contact lenses if you have to. I've not tried a Vive but if ED is your primary game the consensus is the Rift is better and cheaper.

At present I don't think there is anything better than the Rift or Vive. However, the Pixmax 8K is being developed (many people here have pre-orders - your 980m will not run that) and the HTC Vive Pro should be out soon - your 980m won't run that either).

VR is fantastic and you will almost certainly love it if you can get past the reduction in resolution. It is so good that you will likely want to blow loads more money making it better (you have been warned)

 

[Mortuest]

Hello and welcome!

ED in VR is extremely demanding. A GeForce 980M will be sufficient to run ED in VR but you will have to make sacrifices in your graphics settings. At a guess you will need to use the VR LOW or VR Medium default setting and will not be able to use super sampling or HMD quality to reduce blur.

The spatial awareness VR brings is incredible. Your dog fighting ability will be vastly better immediately because you are in the game. For a reverse comparison, it is like difference between playing a driving game and driving a real car.

For Rift vs Vive: with the money you will save buy a Rift and get contact lenses if you have to. I've not tried a Vive but if ED is your primary game the consensus is the Rift is better and cheaper.

At present I don't think there is anything better than the Rift or Vive. However, the Pixmax 8K is being developed (many people here have pre-orders - your 980m will not run that) and the HTC Vive Pro should be out soon - your 980m won't run that either).

VR is fantastic and you will almost certainly love it if you can get past the reduction in resolution. It is so good that you will likely want to blow loads more money making it better (you have been warned)

Thank you very much for that response. It basically sets me where I thought I'd be. I was hoping the VR would be more than simply visual benefit, though.

I'm not too worried about the cost difference between the two, and I like the idea of touch sensors on the Vive vs. the thumbsticks on the Rift.

Does anyone have experience with both? How about with Fallout 4 VR? Is there a big difference between the two VR solutions?

 

[The Gael]

If you're a sim gamer, then the RIFT hands down. It's lighter, more comfortable, and does great roomscale VR with just 2 sensors.
If you're looking to explore and trade, which can be quite the grind after a while, this is where the RIFT really comes in handy. With the new oculus software you can watch movies or tv shows while playing in VR.
There's a virtual monitor that appears in-game that looks like your ship has an inbuilt tv. And you can watch whatever you want.
I'm currently on my way to the other side of the galaxy on a passenger mission, which will net be over 100million. And doing it watching the Alien movies, all in glorious VR.

As for combat, the situational awareness will already give you an advantage over other players.

And that price point of oculus is just so beautiful.

But if you absolutely cant wear contacts, then Vive might be the way to go.

 

[mossfoot]

The Windows Mixed Reality headsets out there will work with Steam and ED, and are definitely a cheaper option.

Positives: Good quality resolution, lower hardware specs to run well. A good option for those on a budget or can't afford to upgrade their computer right now.

Downsides: Cheaper models don't have adjustable lenses, so if your Inter Pupillary Distance strays too far from 63, you'll want to avoid it. But if it's within 3 or so mm of 63, it's worth it. There are slightly more expensive models that have adjustable lenses.
Regarding hand controllers - tracking works well, but only work with hands in front of you. This isn't generally a problem for most games, though.