Rift vs Vive - my perspective

[Slopey]

Hi All,

My Rift and Vive arrived while I was on holiday for the last couple of weeks so only got the chance to try them out for an extended period today. I'll post a longer review of each if anyone's interested, but here's my pros/cons for now - I've tried to be unbiased in my view of each unit.

Rift - Pros

Great unboxing/setup experience
Feels quality
Much better visuals than DK2
Built in headphones and a single cable are great
Comfortable and easy to wear/adjust
Great FOV

Rift - Cons

Smearing. Watching anything light in a dark Cinema for example highlights it. Also, it's like you're looking through a sheet of thin cloth sometimes - there's a pattern to the blacks/dark colours which wasn't present on the DK1/2 and is due to the freznels - will take some getting used to for light sources in dark environments - for light environments it's not noticable


Vive - Pros

The paddles are cool
Visuals just as good as the Rift above
Far less smearing

Vive - Cons

Smaller visual field - looks like a porthole rather than the Oval on the Rift imho
Too many cables. Linkbox/paddle charges/lightboxes/lightbox cables - it goes on and on. Feels like a Dev Kit compared to the simplicity of the Rift. There are 16 items in the Vive box, 5 of which are power adapters, compared to the Rift which has the HMD, sensor, Xbone controller and remote, and that's it (aside from 2x AA batteries).
The 3 cable ribbon on the headset is heavy (very) and makes adjusting the top straps pretty much impossible while wearing the HMD
The lack of built in headphones means the same problems as the DK2 - faffing around with yet another cable, earbuds, etc it's a pain
The lighthouses are a pain if you want a seated experience - they have around 15 little red/IR dots, a green power light, and a naff LCD channel indicator - they also whirr
SteamVR insists on playing sound out of speakers not headphones, which doesn't happen with the Rift
Tracking of the paddles goes pearshaped if the lighthouses can't see them, and occasionally the paddles get stuck vibrating for no reason
Menu/"Home" experience not as rounded as the Rift (as they focus on Steam)
Soooo uncomfortable compared with the Rift
Not figured out how to get the front camera to work yet...


TL: DR?

The smearing on the Rift seems bad. The move to Freznels is likely the cause. However it is easy to setup, has a great interface, built in headphones, and is very comfy.

The Vive has better visuals due to far far less smearing, although there's not the same range of content for it with a dark/light or video player solution so it may just be lighter scenarios masking it as with the Rift - the resolution/screen door is identical to the Rift pretty much, but the FOV seems smaller and circular. But it's very very uncomfy, the cable is heavy, and the earbuds a pain - I can't wear it for long before I have to take it off.


I guess I'll persevere with the Rift as my main device as I could wear it all day. The Vive is ergonomically a DK2 with the cables of a DK1 and visuals of the Rift - less smearing but too uncomfortable, and too much of a hassle compared to the Rift. And the lighthouses whirring away are driving me bonkers!

I've not tried ED with them yet - that's for tomorrow, but I'm picking up that the Vive isn't quite there yet due to a rendering bug? I'll find out soon enough!

 

[Gunner Deckard]

I would be really interested to hear your comparison of Vive VS Rift on ED.

 

[Heavenly-Hammer]

So most of the Vive complaints are things you set up once and forget?

Your comfort issues sound like a matter of putting the thing on right (there are numerous Reddit threads on the subject because people weren't doing it right and subsequently impacting their comfort experience). "Soooo uncomfortable compared with the Rift" just screams, "I'm not adjusting these straps correctly".

Adjust your audio settings in SteamVR. Cables when seated shouldn't be giving you trouble. Give yourself some cable slack.

In fact, it just reads like you haven't spent nearly enough time getting your Vive set up right and straps adjusted properly. If you're trying to position straps like they are positioned on the Rift, you're doing it wrong. I'll let you figure out the rest from there. Consult Youtube or Reddit for video of how your straps *should* be sitting on your head. Fly safe, CMDR.

I would be really interested to hear your comparison of Vive VS Rift on ED.

There is no comparison. It's FAR better on the Rift. The Vive implementation has image quality problems and is a work in progress and until FDev updates the game with proper Vive support the Rift will be the better ED experience.

 

[CptSiddy]

Rift has bigger FOV?

What?


What is your eye relief distance? Rift has on average smaller, rectangular FoV, while Vive has wider, round FoV. Especially vertical FoV is considerably bigger in Vive, which is important for standing room scale experience because you can see floor while looking forward, something oculus don't do so well. This, of corse means that Vive has less pixel fill per FoV degree because same OLED panels.

You should try readjust your eye distance from lenses because it seems you are doing something wrong.

The comfort issue is mainly how you adjust the straps, and i got no sound from my lighthouses so i don't know what you are talking ablaut... maybe i am unable to hear the dog whistle sounds that the lighthouses emanate.

And yes, this game has zero optimization for Vive, so don't expect much. Every game that is made for VR, or for Vive in particular look and play grate in general, then you sit in ED and just see how important it is to optimize for VR for good experience is.

 

[[HJ]-RedRaven]

Interesting read slopey - thanks for taking the time!

Hopefully with a bit more time you'll get the Vive adjusted better and get a sense of the best-possible ergonomics from both units.

Same for the IPD/eye relief to see what the real differences are in FOV and useability (if the differences are anything more than academic).

Get into ED my man!

 

[Frank]

Hopefully the developers had started working on a solution before the CV1 was available. There was a week after Frontier had released the 1.3 patch where DK2 owners were forced to use the SteamVR wrapper while waiting for the launch of the 1.3 drivers.

I just put down the poor performance of the DK2 down to having another layer of abstraction. But a lot of other users had noticed that there was something up with the Elite's supersampling option. If Frontier did listen to them then they would've had a head start on the problem.

 

[Slopey]

So most of the Vive complaints are things you set up once and forget?

Some of them are, but setting the Vive up is way more complicated than the Rift.

Your comfort issues sound like a matter of putting the thing on right (there are numerous Reddit threads on the subject because people weren't doing it right and subsequently impacting their comfort experience). "Soooo uncomfortable compared with the Rift" just screams, "I'm not adjusting these straps correctly".


In fact, it just reads like you haven't spent nearly enough time getting your Vive set up right and straps adjusted properly. If you're trying to position straps like they are positioned on the Rift, you're doing it wrong.

I spent 2+ hours yesterday trying to get the straps adjusted properly. I know how to put it on, thanks very much. The fact is that for me, I'm having a great deal of trouble getting it to sit comfortably on my head. The cable over the top seems to pull it down backwards. The straps sit higher than a DK2 does (and the Rift), but for me that makes the display unit sit on my cheeks which feels heavy and uncomfortable.

Remember this is just my opinion - if you don't agree, that's fine, but it doesn't mean I'm either a) doing it wrong, or b) don't know what I'm doing, thanks.

I have both devices, so there's no need for me to get all fanboi over one vs the other - I'll be keeping both either way.

 

[Slopey]

Rift has bigger FOV?

What?


What is your eye relief distance? Rift has on average smaller, rectangular FoV, while Vive has wider, round FoV. Especially vertical FoV is considerably bigger in Vive, which is important for standing room scale experience because you can see floor while looking forward, something oculus don't do so well. This, of corse means that Vive has less pixel fill per FoV degree because same OLED panels.

You should try readjust your eye distance from lenses because it seems you are doing something wrong.

I'm not doing anything wrong, and I have adjusted it appropriately. I just prefer the Rift "view" to the Vive at the present time. With the Vive, it feels like I'm looking out of a porthole as to get it focused it does seem like a circular viewport. The Rift has more of an oval (snorkel mask), which I prefer, although having owned a DK1 & 2, there's likely a bias there.

I do however prefer the Vive visuals at the moment, due to the godrays/smearing on the Rift - if only I could get the damn thing to sit comfy (although no integrated headphones are a pain and are one of the best features of the CV1 over the DK2).

 

[[HJ]-RedRaven]

I'm having a great deal of trouble getting it to sit comfortably on my head.

I'm not surprised, with that hat! *runs*

j/k, good to see some more real life use, especially as you have both units

 

[Spam]

Cheers Slopey.

I'm hoping the Rift delays are due to them trying to sort out the lens/godrays type issue as it's got some fairly high visibility.

Nice write up.

 

[Bran Tse Mallory]

Both of them are unusable for me. My eyesight is not the best and despite both companies attempting to cater for both long and short sighted people they have both failed in a massive way. You may be OK if your eye's are not that bad.

Thank-fully I was able to try both in work and didn't have to spend any money.

 

[Slopey]

Both of them are unusable for me. My eyesight is not the best and despite both companies attempting to cater for both long and short sighted people they have both failed in a massive way. You may be OK if your eye's are not that bad.

Thank-fully I was able to try both in work and didn't have to spend any money.

I can't get the Rift or Vive on over my glasses (Oakely Toast, which are pretty thin frames). Thankfully I'm only -1.25 dioptre in both eyes, so I can sort of manage without them, or I just pop a pair of daily contacts in if I'm going to make a night of it. But yeah, if you need glasses, you're sort of stuffed unless you have a low prescription and will get away with it.

I could get my glasses in under the DK1/2, but the Rift is far smaller inside.

 

[CptSiddy]

I'm not doing anything wrong, and I have adjusted it appropriately. I just prefer the Rift "view" to the Vive at the present time. With the Vive, it feels like I'm looking out of a porthole as to get it focused it does seem like a circular viewport. The Rift has more of an oval (snorkel mask), which I prefer, although having owned a DK1 & 2, there's likely a bias there.

I do however prefer the Vive visuals at the moment, due to the godrays/smearing on the Rift - if only I could get the damn thing to sit comfy (although no integrated headphones are a pain and are one of the best features of the CV1 over the DK2).

So what you are saying is that you prefer the view port of rift over vive. That has nothing to do with FoV.
Please clarify that, i spat my coffee all over the screen, because the Vive has almost 20 degree more vertical FoV than rift.

 

[VR Dextrovix]

I can't get the Rift or Vive on over my glasses (Oakely Toast, which are pretty thin frames). Thankfully I'm only -1.25 dioptre in both eyes, so I can sort of manage without them, or I just pop a pair of daily contacts in if I'm going to make a night of it. But yeah, if you need glasses, you're sort of stuffed unless you have a low prescription and will get away with it.

I could get my glasses in under the DK1/2, but the Rift is far smaller inside.

Thanks for your views Slopey- I'll be getting Vive this week but the Rift is not coming until late May (thanks Oculus!). I've just sold my DK2 so I'm interested in what everyone else thinks- I guess I'll make up my own mind.

And as you've mentioned glasses and wearing contacts, I've just joined "VR Lens Lab" on Kickstarter, which has reached it's funding target for custom prescription lenses for both HMDs- so there's no need for us to wear glasses for either headset!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/451454651/vr-lens-lab-glasses-for-virtual-reality-headsets

 

[Karnath]

Cheers for the write up, always good to get a review from somebody that has both units to compare directly against

 

[bitstorm]

I haven't got either so may be talking rubbish but...

Smaller visual field - looks like a porthole rather than the Oval on the Rift imho

I thought the Vive had the larger FOV?

The lighthouses are a pain if you want a seated experience

I've read people saying you can literally place them on your desk and they work fine if just using seated with say ED?

SteamVR insists on playing sound out of speakers not headphones, which doesn't happen with the Rift

From what I've read SteamVR audio allows this to be customised, isn't this just configurable in the settings?

 

[Slopey]

So what you are saying is that you prefer the view port of rift over vive. That has nothing to do with FoV.
Please clarify that, i spat my coffee all over the screen, because the Vive has almost 20 degree more vertical FoV than rift.

Ok then, I prefer the "viewport" on the Rift, better than the Vive. As I've said, for me (an ymmv), the Rift "viewport" is oblong like a scuba mask. The Vive is pretty much circular, like a porthole. The 20 degree vertical difference is unnoticeable on the Vive compared with the Rift - I don't perceive any real difference between them to be honest.

 

[Slopey]

I've read people saying you can literally place them on your desk and they work fine if just using seated with say ED?

Unless you put them a long way back, that didn't work for me. I managed to mount them (sort of) at each end of my triplehead monitor setup, which works ok. I'll need to get tripods for them though as I don't have walls to mount on (due to eaves in my office).

From what I've read SteamVR audio allows this to be customised, isn't this just configurable in the settings?

I can probably change it in SteamVR somewhere but I wasn't having much success. Both the Vive and a "USB Sound Device" show in the Windows sound options - the only way I could get it to work was by disabling my normal speakers first and making the Vive the primary device - I've seen a few similar reports on Reddit. I'll have another go - all I was pointing out was that by comparison, the Rift just worked out of the box.

 

[bullet_beard]

Thanks for the review Slopey - any chance you can have a look at the various power adapters for Vive and let me know if they support both 110v and 240v? Or are they just 240v? Can't seem to find this info anywhere...

 

[benipk]

Unless you put them a long way back, that didn't work for me. I managed to mount them (sort of) at each end of my triplehead monitor setup, which works ok. I'll need to get tripods for them though as I don't have walls to mount on (due to eaves in my office).



I can probably change it in SteamVR somewhere but I wasn't having much success. Both the Vive and a "USB Sound Device" show in the Windows sound options - the only way I could get it to work was by disabling my normal speakers first and making the Vive the primary device - I've seen a few similar reports on Reddit. I'll have another go - all I was pointing out was that by comparison, the Rift just worked out of the box.

SteamVR, audio settings. You can select which device you want to be default output, and default input when the HMD is activated. So set these to the USB heaphones and Mic that the Vive uses. There's also an option to mirror the audio output to another device of your choosing, which is good for spectators, or pushing audio to a transducer setup. Beneath that are the input/outputs you want SteamVR to set back to default when you turn off the headset. Honestly, I find it's nice and streamlined.