Starting again (again), to Rift or not to Rift...

Im one of those who been starting and quitting ED several time over the years, from release until I think last winter I had my latest episode.

Getting the itch again im thinking of starting it up, though Im thinking if this time I wont hook up the rift to the PC (its resting unused currently in its box in the cupboard). The Rift is an amazing experience with ED but it also stops me from easily moving from the PC for whatever reason, watching hockey or a stream at a second monitor, and aside from being extremely immersive its kind of a chore to use.

I also wonder if I should get in on it now or wait until the next update drops, which isnt dated yet if I got it correctly but sometime soon-ish.


So...Thoughts...
 
To Rift. I can't even imagine Elite without VR anymore. I watch YouTube videos etc by lifting headset slightly, works for me. And get on it now to remember how to fit in a mail slot. :)
 
VR gives me double vision, and makes me feel unwell. I guess what's best for you.
My triple monitor/dual stick setup is awesome for me, and I recommend this for the best "real" experience.

It's probably worth waiting for another 6 months and the usual patches to fix the beyond release chaos.
 
I’m not a VR user yet so forgive my ignorance on the subject.

Does the Rift not have any compatibility with any in-HMD software that allows a mini screen for watching YouTube etc. I thought I’d read of being able to use such things, perhaps it’s only available with certain HMD makers?
 
You can, but the reso is imho not good enough to enjoy a mini-youtube in a rift.

I hestitate to say this as a non VR user but I’d hope that the VR experience would be enough to keep me entertained and involved without the need to watch videos. Without ever having had the pleasure of experiencing VR though I know my comments hold little weight.
 
I hestitate to say this as a non VR user but I’d hope that the VR experience would be enough to keep me entertained and involved without the need to watch videos. Without ever having had the pleasure of experiencing VR though I know my comments hold little weight.


There are ways to "pic-on-pic" stuff on VR but its not without issues.
And trust me, the awestriking experience of ED in VR is amazing! When I sit down to have a "dedicated" gaming session Im all for blocking out everything but the game (whatever game im playing) to enjoy it to its maximum.
But not everytime I game I can, or even want, to do it fully dedicated. Many times I have a hockeygame or a stream on at a second screen while im doing som casual non-intensive gaming on my main monitor.
 
It's amazing that it's just become acceptable to have some form of additional entertainment running on another monitor in order for elite to become a bearable experience.
 
It's amazing that it's just become acceptable to have some form of additional entertainment running on another monitor in order for elite to become a bearable experience.

"just become"?
Ive been having something on by the side for much longer then ED has been out.
 
To Rift. I can't even imagine Elite without VR anymore. I watch YouTube videos etc by lifting headset slightly, works for me. And get on it now to remember how to fit in a mail slot. :)

I'd second this. ED in VR is an amazing experience which takes the game to a whole new level. You won't regret it.

If I fancy something less immersive for a bit I often go 2D whilst mats collecting in the SRV or during one of my periodic outfitting clearouts.

In the 2D days I always had a favourite movie on in the background and that hasn't changed I just enjoy listening instead. You mentioned hockey... you mean Ice Hockey?! I often listen to NHL games recorded on my Sky box and take a quick break to watch goals or good plays.

It's amazing that it's just become acceptable to have some form of additional entertainment running on another monitor in order for elite to become a bearable experience.

It's funny this "thing" about having other media on in the background whilst playing ED. I really enjoy driving. But I enjoy driving a lot more listening to my favourite music. In fact taking the car out on a sunny day and listening to good music or even better, Cricket on the radio is like heaven.

Ditto ED.
 
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...I also wonder if I should get in on it now or wait until the next update drops, which isnt dated yet if I got it correctly but sometime soon-ish.

I'm also getting the "itch" to go wander off somewhere but I'm going to hold off until the update drops. Since it's a Q4 update it'll probably happen prior to the Christmas holidays (I'm guessing no later than Dec 18 which would give them the chance to "hotfix" any unexpected glitches prior to Christmas, which falls on a Tuesday this year).

I'd say wait until the update, experiment with it a bit locally to get the hang of it (I'm not doing the beta so that'll be me), then head off and get lost.
 
I'd second this. ED in VR is an amazing experience which takes the game to a whole new level. You won't regret it.

If I fancy something less immersive for a bit I often go 2D whilst mats collecting in the SRV or during one of my periodic outfitting clearouts.

In the 2D days I always had a favourite movie on in the background and that hasn't changed I just enjoy listening instead. You mentioned hockey... you mean Ice Hockey?! I often listen to NHL games recorded on my Sky box and take a quick break to watch goals or good plays.

Yes, icehockey, i forget there is actual "regular" hockey since we only refer to icehockey as "hockey" :)
I like to watch the local teams games but you are right, I can listen in on it or an audio book or podcast!

I have played a good bit of ED with my rift previously and loved it, completely blown away! But even VR becomes "everyday" when youve used it for a while, and I enjoy the freedom I get with triple monitors and my desktop. Snacks, coffee, multitasking all becomes a breeze if I go 2D, but at the expense of the immersion and ingame freedom of VR.

Thinking about it some more though, I realise how VR really makes using all the various panels intuitive and second-nature. I would have to map buttons for accessing them, something VR doesnt require. So VR it most likely is.

I'm also getting the "itch" to go wander off somewhere but I'm going to hold off until the update drops. Since it's a Q4 update it'll probably happen prior to the Christmas holidays (I'm guessing no later than Dec 18 which would give them the chance to "hotfix" any unexpected glitches prior to Christmas, which falls on a Tuesday this year).

I'd say wait until the update, experiment with it a bit locally to get the hang of it (I'm not doing the beta so that'll be me), then head off and get lost.

Yeah I think I might load it up and start playing a little, access my situation and where I was when I last stopped playing. Maybe sell everything and start fresh with a single ship for a dedicated purpose. I only have roughly 30mil iirc but its a good start for a single goal :)
With all the changes having been made, and coming with the new update, it feels like whatever I do will be a new experience!
 
I have just finished my second VR session fully geared (finally connected and binded my X52Pro that was collecting dust while I was torturing myself with VR/Mouse+KB combination).

This is something wonderfull, totally worth every penny spent.

I've also tried Asseto Corsa and Project Cars 2 with Wheel attached, but personally have found ED's VR one step above regarding feeling and immersion.

The only negative thing I can tell from my experience in VR is Galaxy map and SRV driving.
 
I have just finished my second VR session fully geared (finally connected and binded my X52Pro that was collecting dust while I was torturing myself with VR/Mouse+KB combination).

This is something wonderfull, totally worth every penny spent.

I've also tried Asseto Corsa and Project Cars 2 with Wheel attached, but personally have found ED's VR one step above regarding feeling and immersion.

The only negative thing I can tell from my experience in VR is Galaxy map and SRV driving.

Project Cars 2 is a really great experience too, but for racing I think Dirt Rally has the best VR of them all! Its on par, if not even more immersive, then ED!
 
I have just finished my second VR session fully geared (finally connected and binded my X52Pro that was collecting dust while I was torturing myself with VR/Mouse+KB combination).

This is something wonderfull, totally worth every penny spent.

I've also tried Asseto Corsa and Project Cars 2 with Wheel attached, but personally have found ED's VR one step above regarding feeling and immersion.

The only negative thing I can tell from my experience in VR is Galaxy map and SRV driving.

The SRV is fine. If you get motion sickness, you can lock the horizon. You'll find it in the main Options-Controls settings.

For what it's worth, I bought the Rift solely to play ED and, whatever other disappointments Frontier may have delivered, VR is not one of them.

The VR experience in ED is truly awe-inspiring to the extent that if I could not play ED in VR, I wouldn't bother playing it at all even though imo it is the best game of its genre currently.

If you want a truly realistic racing experience by the way, look at RaceFactor 2. It uses similar software to that used by the main racing teams and in VR it is very realistic (though therefore not easy like Project Cars), apart from getting thrown around at 200 MPH of course.

XPlane is also very good in VR, and I say that as a real world pilot.

Enjoy your Rift :)
 
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Im one of those who been starting and quitting ED several time over the years, from release until I think last winter I had my latest episode.

Getting the itch again im thinking of starting it up, though Im thinking if this time I wont hook up the rift to the PC (its resting unused currently in its box in the cupboard). The Rift is an amazing experience with ED but it also stops me from easily moving from the PC for whatever reason, watching hockey or a stream at a second monitor, and aside from being extremely immersive its kind of a chore to use.

I also wonder if I should get in on it now or wait until the next update drops, which isnt dated yet if I got it correctly but sometime soon-ish.


So...Thoughts...

Through the Oculus Dash feature, you can take one of your monitors(or 2, if you have a 3-screen setup), resize it and "pin" it to your cockpit in Elite Dangerous.

I've been using it for the past year or so in my T10, I'll take my second screen and open up YouTube or Twitch or a movie, and pin it up above my head. Because the cockpit of the T10 is so massive, it's like having a 75" flatscreen in your cockpit with you, and I find having it above my head at about a 45degree angle above the dashboard ensures I can still see what I'm doing in combat or mining without it being too in the way, all I have to do is lean back and it's in a comfortable spot.

Makes 8 hours of mining the old way MUCH more enjoyable. The Dash system isn't without it's bugs, but once I've got it dialed in, it works great. Worst bug I've dealt with on the regular is when I remove the headset for a bio break, I come back and the pinned screen has disappeared, but I just reopen or re-pin it and I'm good to go.

Before Dash, there was a bit of software I used that did the same thing, called "Hello V", worked like a charm.
 
Due to a baby, I went VR'less and bought a laptop (so I could be... in the same... place as them) and now I have a MR headset (fewer cables, no sensors). Because VR. Elite with no VR... is not Elite for me. That said, I also get on fine in the Galmap and I LOVE the SRV in VR; especially doing Guardian ruins taking on sentinels! So much fun.

YMMV of course.
 
I hestitate to say this as a non VR user but I’d hope that the VR experience would be enough to keep me entertained and involved without the need to watch videos. Without ever having had the pleasure of experiencing VR though I know my comments hold little weight.

Elite is amazing in VR, period, but there are some activities that traditionally, were slow enough to warrant in-flight entertainment(mining, exploration, and SRV material harvesting to name a couple). As for the resolution issues, I fly a T10 with a MASSIVE open cockpit, so being able to create a giant pinned YouTube or Twitch stream hasn't been an issue, but in the smaller cockpits, I could see it. In the SRV, the "entertainment panel" can only be about a 27" monitor size in VR, so you're not going to be seeing the minute details, but if you're just watching a stream or something, it's not bad. Conversely, in the T10, you can have what's basically a 75" flatscreen in your cockpit without blocking your field of view.
 
I wouldn't play Elite anymore if it wasn't for VR. It's just a whole new experience, and it's worth every penny. No 3-monitor setup can come anywhere close to it. Dropping from your giant ship in the SRV never gets old, it's always awe-inpiring.

Just make sure you've got the SRV view locked to horizon while driving.
 


It's funny this "thing" about having other media on in the background whilst playing ED. I really enjoy driving. But I enjoy driving a lot more listening to my favourite music. In fact taking the car out on a sunny day and listening to good music or even better, Cricket on the radio is like heaven.

We should have something like "don't forums and fly"
 
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