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Virtual Reality Headsets

fordiebianco

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Dear All,

I'm an ancient gamer that started with his 1k ZX81 back in the early eighties, but still enjoy a few hours of gaming (mainly strategy or RPGs) every week (when my SO or my diary lets me). Over the years the monitors have become bigger and then multiplied, the gaming rigs fancier and the electricity more expensive, but it's still one of the most enjoyable activities I have left in my old age (and can't wait to turn it into a 4hour a day hobby after retirement).

I would nevertheless like to dabble in VR: playing Civ VI or The Elder Scrolls or Divinity Original Sin in VR intrigues me (and I would like to at least give it a go for day to day work). I had a look at the current offerings, and they mostly confuse me. I am not keen on standing in the middle of the room palying counterstrike and would like to continue keyboard and mouse (not really a FPS guy), so the headset would really be enough for me.

Any suggestions?

Any measurable/objective data I should be aware of?
 
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fordiebianco

fordiebianco

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Nobody? Really ?
 

Berwhale

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Hi, I guess i'm probably of a similar age, my first micro was a ZX Spectrum purchased in 1982 :) I have also been a keen gamer for my whole life.

Although I don't do much gaming on my PC these days, I do own an Acer Mixed Reality headset which is quite fun to play with and was relatively cheap when I bought it: https://www.acer.com/ac/en/GB/content/windows-mixed-reality-home

However, things have moved on a fair bit now and i'm not really sure what would be a good buy today. I do hear good things about the Oculus Quest 2, although the fact you have to sign into Facebook to use it puts me off it.
 

Raindog123

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Oculus Quest 2 (or Rift S, if you’re willing to go a secondary market route).

Valve Index is the best spec-wise, but also the most expensive.

(And what’s that keyboard in a VR set idea!? You can have full VR experience while comfortably sitting on a couch, most of the time! :) )
 
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JeffS7444

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I got Playstation VR but rarely use it, so I really ought to sell it. That's not a critique of the hardware or games, which can actually be compelling, I just seldom seem to make time for games, and when I do, I find VR can feel particularly isolated, more so than sitting in a room by myself.

Keyboard? Mouse? Maybe with AR, but not VR. You will need some sort of handheld controllers if you want your virtual self to have "hands", and your ability to manipulate objects that you encounter is mostly limited to picking up objects and holding weapons. Until such time as glove-type controllers become popular, you won't be doing much typing. Realize you were probably referring to real, not virtual keyboards, but even if you could, you'd be typing blind, and the VR + keyboard combo likely won't be well-supported.

Some newer headsets have front facing cameras which allow you to see the real world without removing the headset. This seems like a useful feature.

There's no need to stand up for most games, and in fact, it may be best if you remain seated (in a chair that doesn't roll around!), as you're less likely to crash into something.
 

Berwhale

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Personally, one the most interesting experiences I've had with the Mixed Reality headset was not a game, but an 'interactive story'...

 

Doodski

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What does a Dood need these days for good'n proper VR? How expensive of a video card and is it available? I have a RTX 3070Ti atm so no surprises.
 

Raindog123

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What does a Dood need these days for good'n proper VR? How expensive of a video card and is it available? I have a RTX 3070Ti atm so no surprises.

My rig with Oculus Rift S runs λ:Alyx, SuperHot and anything we throw at it just fine! So, your RTX3070Ti (and the rest of it) is an overkill! :)
 

Berwhale

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What does a Dood need these days for good'n proper VR? How expensive of a video card and is it available? I have a RTX 3070Ti atm so no surprises.

I think you'll be fine. I run the Acer 2,880 x 1,440 (i.e. 1,440 x 1,440 per eye) @ 90Hz off a 1060GTX just fine. Of course, more GPU and higher res and frame rate is always going to be better.
 

Doodski

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My rig with Oculus Rift S runs λ:Alyx, SuperHot and anything we throw at it just fine! So, your RTX3070Ti (and the rest of it) is an overkill! :)
So a RTX2070 is au plenty. I don't get how a 1440p/eyeball rez req'mts can be calc'd by a GTX1060
 

Raindog123

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I don't get how a 1440p/eyeball rez req'mts can be calc'd by a GTX1060

I think they play heavily on the fact that this is not two totally independent uncorrelated images, but rather a stereoscopic view of a single stage. With potentially a lot of shared processing (eg, texturing, shading)…

And a 1060 is not a totally terrible card. :) (I still remember my 570 -> 960 -> 1060 -> 2070 evolution… Pre-VR that is. )
 
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Doodski

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I think they play heavily on the fact that this is not two totally independent uncorrelated images, but rather a stereoscopic view of a single stage. With potentially a lot of shared processing (eg, texturing, shading)…

And a 1060 is not a totally terrible card. :) (I still remember my 570 -> 960 -> 1060 -> 2070 evolution… Pre-VR that is. )
I went from a 560Ti to a 70 series and never looked back. No pun intended ;) :D
 

Doodski

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How many top rated games are VR? I imagine it is easier to point out those that are rather than those that are not. :D
 

JeffS7444

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I find Playstation VR's 2K resolution has definite "screen door effect", will be curious to find out how far 4K goes in reducing it. But it's certainly enjoyable as-is. It can also be used as an enormous virtual screen for movie watching, though I didn't find that 3D movies looked particularly 3D - guess they're simply not optimized for VR headsets.

I thought "Moss" and "Astro Bot" looked pretty amazing. VR can do a convincing job of conveying a sense of scale, in this case, of assisting tiny mice and robots, or making you feel that you're standing in a vastly large space.
 

Raindog123

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How many top rated games are VR? I imagine it is easier to point out those that are rather than those that are not. :D

Here is a rather accurate list, IMHO. Plus, the modder communities became rather proficient, and generate a lot of decent new content based on many released games.

 

Doodski

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A quick googling of the topic resulted in Sniper Elite, Resident Evil, Half-Life: Alyx and Dr Beef’s Classic Ports stuff.
 

Doodski

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Sniper Elite 5 is a major game for me. Not sure if VR is for me though. :D
 
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