Thinking of jumping into VR

Scotiauk

Scotiauk
Hello everyone.

I'm hoping someone could give me some advice please? I've recently came upon some Amazon vouchers (£450 worth of vouchers to be precise) and I'm seriously considering purchasing the Oculus Rift with touch controllers here.

2 months ago I purchased this laptop which I think will run Elite Dangerous okay in VR but I would like a second opinion from a 'VR Expert'. Would my new laptop be able to run ED at half decent settings? Also would you recommend purchasing an extra Rift Sensor?

I'm also apprehensive to spend £400 on a piece of technology which may be nothing other than a 'gimmick'! Basically, is VR technology now at a stage where it's not considered a gimmick and is actually value for money?

I understand that there are some changes I'll have to make in playing ED on VR (using a voicepack, typing issues, Galaxy Map may not be as user friendly) but I think I'd enjoy it :) I should also note that I already own a HOTAS so that's one less thing I would need to purchase.

Thank you for your time.

Scotia-UK
 
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[VR] Mad Mike

[VR] Mad Mike
I cant comment on the laptop however i do know some laptops do not work well with the oculus rift depending on how the gpu works.

VR imo is here to stay and is far beyond gimmick status.
If you have a decent play space the 3rd sensor is definitely worth it imo, if however you want it mostly for cockput games like elite or other racing games / flight sims as well as seated games the 2 sensors are fine.
voice attack is great but far from essential. i use a full featured but totally free voicepack (i think it is called HCS)
there is a tiny gap under the nose piece so it is possible to see when you type if you need that. its not perfect but suffices.

do adjust expectations on image quality. VR is not up to the level of a 1080p screen yet but what you gain in immersion makes that a non issue. I use a gtx 980 for my rift which i think is just a little faster than a desktop 1060. its fine ..... but i would be looking for something a little stronger if i were you.

I am a complete VR fanboy, have been since virtuality in the 90s so i am very biased ;)

do get more info on that laptop. some on oculus forums have bought a laptop only to learn it is not supported. massive waste of cash. (i belive the vive is more flexible with laptops but again do not quote me on that.)

if you go to the oculus page there is a link to download an app which runs a series of tests on your pc to tell you if it is up to speed and where improvements are needed.
 
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Arioch

Arioch
Your laptop specs are very similar to my desktop (i7 8700, 16gb DDR4, GTX 1060 6gb) and I run ED at fairly high settings without any hitches, though I keep Supersampling & HMD quality to their default x1 values.

I got an Oculus last year when the price dropped and it's been one of the paradigm shift moments in my gaming life :) Well worth the money in my view.

I bought an extra sensor for other VR games that need a lot of twisting about and decent room-scale tracking, but with ED and other cockpit games 2 sensors are fine.

Go for it - it was a complete game-changer for me with Elite!
 

Scotiauk

Scotiauk
Mad Mike & Arioch - Thank you very much for the advice.

I was completely unaware that the Rift had compatibility issues with some laptops so that is excellent to know about. I'll do a little bit more research before I splash out £400!! :)

I've just downloaded the Oculus compatibility checker tool and it says my laptop passes all the checks so hopefully everything will be okay.

Thanks again for the advice.

Scotia-UK
 

Arioch

Arioch
Just do a double check on what ports the laptop has - the specs bit on Amazon only lists 2x USB 2.0 ports. You’ll need at least 2x USB 3.0 and a HDMI - I can see the HDMI and 1x USB 3.0 in one photo but can’t see what’s on the other side or rear of the laptop very clearly.
 

Jon flint

Jon flint
Mad Mike said:
do adjust expectations on image quality. VR is not up to the level of a 1080p screen yet but what you gain in immersion makes that a non issue.
Click to expand...

Tempering your expectations is very sound advice...

As the complete polar opposite of Mad Mike, I'm the resident VR naysayer. Having splashed out for a monster pc and vr headset I was kind of disillusioned when vr didn't come close to the clarity of a 1080p screen, let alone the 4k I was used to. The rift was relegated to a novelty that occasionally gets dusted off for VR Google earth.

I fell for the hype and expected more than was possible with current tech. Just be realistic in what you expect and hopefully you won't ruin your experience like I did.

Oh, and make sure your laptop has enough usb 3.0 ports. You'll require 2 for the sensors (1 per sensor) and one for the headset, + a hdmi 2.0 output.

Either way, just give it a go, try it out, if it doesn't click for you (or doesn't work) just get a refund :)
 
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zarrazee

zarrazee
OP.
Elite in VR is amazing. As others have said, it's not as clear/crisp as a 1080p monitor, but the immersion, depth of perception and the feeling of "being there" far exceeds a few extra pixels. When I occasionally go back to playing Elite on a monitor, it feels dull, "flat" and lifeless.

I run a Rift on a i7-8700k @4.7ghz and GTX 1070 and it runs great. I don't think there will be a significant difference on your laptop.

I wouldn't bother with an extra sensor, the 2 that come in the box work just fine.
 
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Flimley

Flimley
Hello scotiatuk. You will never regret purchasing an Oculus rift. And I cannot stress how Elite will become a whole new game for you! ....it’s brilliant and adds something no monitor can!

Regarding the compatibility issue and your laptop... Do not put too much faith into the software that detects this. Apart from checking the basics such as GPU and CPU power and available ports; The USB ports in particular must be able to transfer big data quickly, otherwise there could (will) be side affects. If so then it’s impossible to resolve as no hardware can be added to the laptop easily.

Apologies as im not trying to create fear, and please feel free to ignore me if you wish, as I could be wrong!. Have a root around the forums for other opinions or wait for some more additions to this thread. ...hopefully from laptop users.

Actually, what are your laptop specs?

Flimley
 
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Scotiauk

Scotiauk
Hi Flimley.

The specs for my laptop are: Acer Predator Helios 300 Gaming Laptop, Intel Core i7-7700HQ Processor (Up to 3.8GHz), GeForce GTX 1060 with 6 GB of dedicated GDDR5 VRAM, 16GB DDR4, 256GB SSD, 1TB Hard Drive, 1 USB Type C and 1 USB 3.0, 2 USB 2.0 and 1 HDMI port. I have an adapter to convert the USB Type C into an USB 3.0 so essentially I have 2 x 3.0 and 2 x 2.0.

It seems like a pretty powerful laptop and the reviews on Amazon suggest that people are using it for VR.

Thanks for taking the time to respond earlier.

Scotia-UK
 

cmdrrdmc

C
You need two USB3 ports for two sensors, and another USB2 if you want to add a third, so you should be set there. Your other specs seem fine too.
 

loribee

loribee
Scotiauk said:
Thanks for all the advice everyone.......................I'm going for it :D [up]
Click to expand...

good luck .. enjoy -- it's an awesome experience playing the game in VR. Might not be up to the fidelity of running it on a 4k monitor, but it's a million times more immersive that's for sure!

And if you ever want to try other stuff, then you can play things like Skyrim, Heart of the Emberstone and waste hours in Google Earth
 

Scotiauk

Scotiauk
Thanks everyone. That's the Rift ordered from Amazon and should arrive sometime on Friday. I'll let you all know how I get on with setting it up etc.

.....................now I'm all nervous and excited. Like a kid before Christmas :)

A question for the Mods or experienced Forum Users - If I have problems getting ED set-up on the Rift would it be best to ask advice in this Thread or create a new one?

Scotia-UK
 

Alec Turner

Alec Turner
Scotiauk said:
Thanks for all the advice everyone.......................I'm going for it :D [up]
Click to expand...

Super excited for you ... I think it'll blow your mind!

Elite is fantastic and reason enough for VR but it really is worth trying some other things too in your downtime (at the very least, ED is not a simple game to give friends and relatives a go at, and you'll definitely want to do that).

Recommendations ...

Google Earth VR (free)
Robo Recall
Lone Echo

errr, there are more free things I've forgotten and I'll post again, and my current favourite ..

Beat Saber

[video=youtube_share;RzVMKIHQht0]https://youtu.be/RzVMKIHQht0[/video]
 
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Scotiauk

Scotiauk
Flimley said:
For help setting up have a read through the virtual reality section here... https://forums.frontier.co.uk/forumdisplay.php/69-Virtual-Reality
if no luck ping your question in this thread you have created as everyone here will probably want to know how you get on :)
Have fun...

Flimley
Click to expand...

Cheers Flimley [up] I'll definitely let everyone know how I get on.

Alec Turner said:
Super excited for you ... I think it'll blow your mind!

Elite is fantastic and reason enough for VR but it really is worth trying some other things too in your downtime (at the very least, ED is not a simple game to give friends and relatives a go at, and you'll definitely want to do that).

Recommendations ...

Google Earth VR (free)
Robo Recall
Lone Echo

errr, there are more free things I've forgotten and I'll post again, and my current favourite ..

Beat Saber
Click to expand...

Thanks Alec. Beat Saber looks really good. I think my kids will like it as well :)

I've also got Subnautica (I think I'm about 1/3 of the way through it). I hear it's quite good in VR, but can also be a bit scary!!!! I fancy having a look at Google Earth VR as well.

Scotia-UK
 

Arioch

Arioch
Hope you enjoy it!

Beware nausea though! I recommend the “maintain horizon” setting when gadding about in the SRV.

There’re plenty of good suggestions for other VR titles here, Skyrim is my current fave. A fan VR mod for Doom 3 is well worth playing and a freebie experience called Aircar is worth trying just to see what an atmospheric planet in Elite Dangerous might look like.
 

Alec Turner

Alec Turner
Alec Turner said:
Super excited for you ... I think it'll blow your mind!

Elite is fantastic and reason enough for VR but it really is worth trying some other things too in your downtime (at the very least, ED is not a simple game to give friends and relatives a go at, and you'll definitely want to do that).

Recommendations ...

Google Earth VR (free)
Robo Recall
Lone Echo

errr, there are more free things I've forgotten and I'll post again, and my current favourite ..

Beat Saber
Click to expand...

Now I remember ... also:

Aircar (free - just a tech demo of flying a taxi around a blade-runner-esque city in the rain but very cool)

Bullet train (free - good intro to teleport movement and shooting stuff)

Showdown (free - non interactive Unreal engine tech demo but brilliant just to give people a quick look)

Tilt Brush - superb VR painting app

The Lab (Valve demo in SteamVR just packed full of wonderful treats - archery is my favourite)
 
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Frank

Frank
zarrazee said:
Nice one! Post back and let us know if you need any advice on gfx setup, control, VA or HUD colours.
Click to expand...

Also post back with your first impressions. They are always nice to hear. My 2nd favourite game at the moment is Solitaire. I'm playing with a virtual pack of cards on a virtual desk and I'm thinking to myself "why don't I just play with real cards?"

The game was free, so I guess it's cheaper than a pack of cards.
 
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