VR kits, are they worth buying?

Serious Q:

I have a fantastic PC rig and I am always looking for that extra tweak to enhance my ED game experience.

Is a VR rig worth it?

I will avoid asking which one, LOL.

CMIV
 
I have just picked up a new, unopened Oculus DK2 complete for £109.

I can not praise it enough for the price. My rig is okay, but not massively top end, AMD 8 core processor and 970GTX graphics, 16gb ram etc.

The DK2 adds a massive amount of enjoyment and "WOW" to the game in a way than nothing else can.
If I find that I can tolerate the motion and VR agrees with me in the long term I will probably upgrade to the next gen (CV1 etc) in the next 12 months.

For just over £100 its worth a punt to try

Hope this helps
CMDR Flaxton
 

rootsrat

Volunteer Moderator
If you have spare cash and nothing to do with - it's 100% worth it. If it's just for ED and nothing else, and you don't have spare cash... Not sure really.

Elite is the best experience is I've had in VR so far - tried many different games (HTC Vive), but ED really stands out. Whether it's worth spending £700-£900 (depending on what you go for and what configuration) - you need to decide for yourself.
 
The first time I got into sidewinder's cockpit in VR, I felt claustrophobic. And that's the best thing about VR: it gives you the proper sense of scale.
 
I got my Rift 98% for Elite, but we've had just as much fun with the free stuff that came with it.i got the touch controllers and they really complete it. Robo Recall has an intro cutscene that literally made me cower and almost trip over the couch.
for a group, Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes, also Mass Exodusare great fun.
But you asked about Elite: you get in the ship and look around, the side panels appear and you want to reach out and touch them. I've jumped a little when exiting hyperspace into a particularly large star or a neutron star. Combat is more intense but also more natural; you follow your target with your head without thinking. The rift has a built in microphone (not sure about Vive) so I started using Voiceattackand expanded my hotas to other functions so I really only need the keyboard if I have to search for a system name.
 
Once experienced there is no going back. Worth every cent. I am using an HMD for a year now and it is mindblowing each and every time.

The only thing i recommend is, to test all HMDs that are on your list as possible candidates. While some parameters are measurable (weight, pixels per inch, space for glasses etc.) there are some differences that fall into the categorie of personal preference.
Most shops will not use optimized settings though, so image sharpness, texture and shadow quality and frames per second may differ by a large degree in comparison to an optimized gaming rig with optimized graphic settings, so first impressions might be a bit underwhelming. Once you turn up the pixel per display settings things look a whole lot different.

If you decide to buy, be assured, that your monitor setup has seen its final days...
 
Serious Q:

I have a fantastic PC rig and I am always looking for that extra tweak to enhance my ED game experience.

Is a VR rig worth it?

I will avoid asking which one, LOL.

CMIV

They are awesome! (I have the Rift) But they could also be better.

I suggest waiting until fall 2017 since a lot of new models are launching then... from big companies like Acer, HP, etc.
 
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I'll echo the others:

Compared with 4K and a triple screen setup, the Rift makes both experiences feel like a yesteryear's 2D affair.

My body is ready for the next gen/level in specs though...

If you have the funds, get VR.
 
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I'll just echo everyone else and say that Elite is amazing with VR. I thought Elite was fun before I got my Vive but now I can't seem to get enough of it. Flying different ships now actually "feels" different. When the cockpit is big or small it "feels" big or small. When I'm bouncing too much in the SRV, I get a little woozy. And for me, just flying around and "looking" around in a natural way is fantastic. One of the coolest feelings for me was the first time I flew through an asteroid field in VR.
 
I picked up the Oculus Rift + Touch Controllers when the price dropped back in February, mostly on a whim. I was blown away by it. Now that I have it, I'll never go back!
 
Serious Q:

I have a fantastic PC rig and I am always looking for that extra tweak to enhance my ED game experience.

Is a VR rig worth it?

I will avoid asking which one, LOL.

CMIV

YES!

next question ;)

(seriously tho if you manage expectation slightly on the image quality, everything else is amazing. i cant play ED out of VR... and whilst i would not play favourites for a HMD in general, for ED in particular I do not think it is contraversial to say oculus rift.

if you dont want it for anything outside of a cockput, you do not need touch either,

(oh and amazon were - dunno if still are - giving £100 oculus store credit awaay with every purchase).

edit.. 1 exception. if you wear glasses, and cant use contact lenses you may need to try the rift 1st. the VIVE is muc hbetter for glasses users unless you buy custom inserts.
 
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Serious Q:

I have a fantastic PC rig and I am always looking for that extra tweak to enhance my ED game experience.

Is a VR rig worth it?

I will avoid asking which one, LOL.

CMIV

I equate it to this. When you play on a monitor you are playing a game about spaceships at your desk (or couch on a laptop). When you play in VR YOU are FLYING YOUR SHIP. It's no longer a game about ships. The experience is completely different and almost religious when you realize how different it can be. I refuse to play the game in anything but VR now.

In terms of specs/fidelity both the Vive and Rift are identical however the Rift is now quite a bit cheaper and can still access both Viveport and Oculus Home but it boils down to personal preference. Roomscale isn't quite as important when your but is in a seat flying a ship :p

Happy hunting! o7
 
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