VR vs a good 2d projector?

[Mr_sukebe]

I'm guessing that someone on here can comment.
I'm looking at trying Elite with my projector at home, which is a JVC DILA unit throwing a 125" screen. That's also linked to a pretty reasonable audio system.

So, for you guys with VR, which of you has also tried Elite on a good size projector? If so, any thoughts and comments on the differences?

I'm conscious of several things:
- Firstly, that I already own the project and other bits, meaning that it's a zero cost option to use it. The only issue is needing to turf out the missus and our little one
- Clearly the new VR kit is still in it's infancy and it looks like it wouldn't be a cheap entry as I'd probably also need to upgrade my 280x based PC. So I'm probably looking at a good £1k
- I'm still reading of drawbacks like being able to see the pixels. Not something I can say about my projector
- No idea how well the VR works with glasses, which I wear
- Cautious about the use of a VR headset for projected periods of time, e.g. a 3 hour session

Thoughts, comments?

 

[Beavis Tingleball]

i​ve had 16 hr runs in ed vr with no ill effects. ive also had a 1080 3d projector for gaming and the oculius wins the awesomeness award. the only thing i cant speak on is the wearing of glasses. contacts are no problem.

 

[VonWulff]

I do use OR with glasses and for several hours. I've played it in a 52 inches lcd tv, and besides the screen door effect, i wouldn't go back to 2d.

 

[Tepescovir]

I have 3 42inch screens @5860 by 1080 in nvidia surround, I also have a 105 inch fullhd3d projector, and i have a dk2 VR helmut.

I've played for mabey 20 mins on the triple screen, mabey an hour on the projector and a few hundred hours on VR. That says it all for me

 

[Tony Spaniels]

It doesnt matter if you have a high end projector or triple monitor set up OP, as the feeling of being in your cockpit and how it affects your gaming experience is completely different to what any 2D screen has to offer. This is why imo you get so many people reacting positively to vr and whom feel they wont go back to gaming in 2D, myself included.

For me, the question would be more about how it will work with your family running about you and if you'll get much gaming time, as it is quite an insular experience as it is right now. Personally I can get about a couple of hours a night myself balancing gaming vr and RL commitments.

 

[Karnath]

Immersion over quality, once you have tried VR even with it's pixels, even with it's screen door there is no returning to a flat screen again.

A truly game changing experience which will only be improved upon when the Vive & CV1 are released

 

[jxl98c]

Hi,

I have a top of the range Epson projector, It's high Lumen, it runs at 400hz, and Elite looks absolutely spectacular on it - it really is an absolutely mind blowing projector (I think you can see a bit of it in action with Elite on the go in my chair build at http://elite-gaming-seat.azurewebsites.net/). However, I also purchased an Oculus DK2 and I have to say there is just no comparison... Even with the screen door effect and the terrible resolution of the DK2, it is simply miles ahead in terms of immersion and experience.

I would never chose the projector over a VR headset and my cinema room has probably had over £10k worth of investment.

I'll be queueing up to get a Vive or CV1 on launch day and keeping my projector for Alien: Paradise Lost!

Kind Regards,
James

 

[Mr_sukebe]

Great feedback, very much appreciated, thanks.

That was pretty unanimous. Just warmed up my better half to the fact that the next "boys toy" will be a VR headset. Makes change from spending it on the stereo.

 

[777Driver]

I would never chose the projector over a VR headset and my cinema room has probably had over £10k worth of investment.

This really sum it up, before I discovered VR I would spend huge amounts of money on projectors/triple screens, networked machines etc etc... One simple cheap headset wiped the floor with all that expensive kit in an instant.

 

[VR Cmdr Paine]

This really sum it up, before I discovered VR I would spend huge amounts of money on projectors/triple screens, networked machines etc etc... One simple cheap headset wiped the floor with all that expensive kit in an instant.

Quoted for Truth.

The 2D screen could be a 1000 Inches and it would still be inferior to VR IMO.

 

[coolb2]

Adding my 2 cents, i had the Dk2 and decided to sell because of the CV1 or the Vive coming out in 3-4 months and would become obsolite for me since i`m planning on getting the retail version. let me tell you.

I REGRET IT, i can`t play ED on a monitor anymore, it just seems so lacking, and all these amazine demo`s i cant try. So be patient and buy the CV1 or Vive when they come out and be flabergasted.

you won`t regret it, trust me and the rest of the community.

 

[Commander Slick]

okay, i'll be the ONE guy who says this

I was sure Oculus was for me. I wanted it to work like nobody else, but I ended up selling it.

in European Trucker, I could not read the road signs - necessary for the way I drive. my eyes would fog up the lenses, no matter how I would set it. I had problems with the apparent display field versus real life. I could not get past the 'pixels' problem - everything seemed so lo-res, and I could not suspend my disbelief as almost everyone here can.

the weight always made me aware of its presence, and I was naturally blind to the keyboard ahead of me. I'm a touch typist BTW.

the reviews for Steam's new product seem to not have cured the 'pixels' problem - it's just higher-res - which will make many folks very happy I'm sure.

maybe in a few years, but I just couldn't cut it.

I _am_ very happy in my home-built cockpit, and am looking into 3 large 4K screens with the hope of running 3D on them. I have a feeling i'll be happy with that arrangement, until that magic day I can join the rest of the folks who just natively use the 'Rift (and upcoming bretheren) with no problems.

Cheers,

 

[Yololo69]

I had my voice, nothing special : I played ED on several configurations too: my FullHD 2D projector 108" in my theater room, on my 55" TV using 2D and also 3D (SBS from game options), 2D on my monitor 27", and DK2.

I'm stuck on ED in DK2, and happy.

 

[xondk]

Personally I just want Over-Under 3d support for us passive 3D tv users, I know we aren't that many, but it should be VERY easy to implement since Side by side already exists.

 

[Deimos-GOW]

I can't bring myself to play with anything but the DK2.

I could play ED while watching TV shows during long boring exploration expeditions if I played on a monitor. I don't.
I could play with ED spanned across three 24" screens. I don't.
I could play on my 65" TV and $10,000 speaker setup, including a gut shaking 15" 600W Jamo subwoofer. I don't.

None of these things entice me away from the DK2.

 

[r00x]

So OP has two potential methods for playing Elite....

One is an intense experience that can provide hours of enjoyment and thrills.

The other is being SAT INSIDE A STARSHIP.

Guess which one is VR?

This really sum it up, before I discovered VR I would spend huge amounts of money on projectors/triple screens, networked machines etc etc... One simple cheap headset wiped the floor with all that expensive kit in an instant.

Basically this. There just isn't a comparison to make.

I will also add that VR has ruined pretty much all sim experiences for me. Non-VR just feels so flat and lifeless and restrictive.

 

[Desert63]

I will also add that VR has ruined pretty much all sim experiences for me. Non-VR just feels so flat and lifeless and restrictive.

Above yes, very true.

But perhaps a different angle on this question. As amazing as the DK2 is in my ED journey, something is missing. It feels somewhat lonely to me. My gaming time is very limited and when I am gaming it is usually sitting beside my son with two laptops playing Borderlands together. We have a big bag of chips in between us and its very social, loud and fun. No possible way to compare it to the DK2 as those experiences are on different planets. I had a problem with my X52Pro and returned it and have yet to buy another HOTAS and am hesitating if I will continue. Sitting alone in the DK2 and trying to learn to land at stations in OPEN wondering if every contact will be someone who attacks me is amazing and has a slice or reality to it like no "game" I have ever played. Moving the stick, and my head to look around the blindspots in my canopy is just "so real". But my ideal is flying in the same ship with somebody, where they can see my virtual hand point out the cockpit at some object. We know that is coming but its a LONG ways away. Yes, I can join a wing and do voicecoms, months from now when I no longer suck and perhaps that will help make the game more social.

Once you have a DK2 you will see an amazing shift in the experience of people you show it to. So do a test, show them ED on the big screen, and then have them put the RIFT on with ED. You will see a difference in thier experience. The first will be a respectful and at times excited interest in what they see on the big screen - the second will be awe. I have now show ED to at least 10 people in the RIFT and some say nothing, they just look around and make exclaimed noises, and ask ME - if I have seen this

Again, from my standpoint on a crazy limit of freetime and no lack of hobbies its hard for me to go sit in the basement with a Headset on (alone), no matter how amazing the experience may be. So a very mixed bag with extremes on both ends. For $350 I will keep my rift, even if I dont use it that much its worth it just to demo it. That alone is how good it is. But trying to find more time to game in ED so I can come out and be fodder for the rest of you

 

[BigDuke6ixx]

VR all the way.

 

[Oculus]

ditto, got a full cinema room etc with all the gubins. Play on a dk2 in my office but do have good headphones. Running balanced hd800's through a fully balanced dac/amp. The sound superb, the immersion superb. resolution out of the cockpit a bit but with in game supersample the cockpit is fine!!! To be fair probably a setup of half decent iems would be better and a hell of a lot cheaper but I need to be able to hear the wife calling... so open backed headphones for me

 

[777Driver]

Above yes, very true.

But perhaps a different angle on this question. As amazing as the DK2 is in my ED journey, something is missing. It feels somewhat lonely to me. My gaming time is very limited and when I am gaming it is usually sitting beside my son with two laptops playing Borderlands together. We have a big bag of chips in between us and its very social, loud and fun. No possible way to compare it to the DK2 as those experiences are on different planets. I had a problem with my X52Pro and returned it and have yet to buy another HOTAS and am hesitating if I will continue. Sitting alone in the DK2 and trying to learn to land at stations in OPEN wondering if every contact will be someone who attacks me is amazing and has a slice or reality to it like no "game" I have ever played. Moving the stick, and my head to look around the blindspots in my canopy is just "so real". But my ideal is flying in the same ship with somebody, where they can see my virtual hand point out the cockpit at some object. We know that is coming but its a LONG ways away. Yes, I can join a wing and do voicecoms, months from now when I no longer suck and perhaps that will help make the game more social.

Once you have a DK2 you will see an amazing shift in the experience of people you show it to. So do a test, show them ED on the big screen, and then have them put the RIFT on with ED. You will see a difference in thier experience. The first will be a respectful and at times excited interest in what they see on the big screen - the second will be awe. I have now show ED to at least 10 people in the RIFT and some say nothing, they just look around and make exclaimed noises, and ask ME - if I have seen this

Again, from my standpoint on a crazy limit of freetime and no lack of hobbies its hard for me to go sit in the basement with a Headset on (alone), no matter how amazing the experience may be. So a very mixed bag with extremes on both ends. For $350 I will keep my rift, even if I dont use it that much its worth it just to demo it. That alone is how good it is. But trying to find more time to game in ED so I can come out and be fodder for the rest of you

Am happy FD are releasing multi crew as part of horizons. My plan is to build an identical VR rig and have it networked to my main system, that way I can finally have friends & the girlfriend fly with me. It's great watching their reactions while they fly around a station in an Eagle, it will be even more epic when they can finally ride onboard and see what we get up to playing the game properly.