Which VR to go for?

[Scott]

As above, I'm really struggling to nail down which VR I should go for. 2 of the main 3 options are a LOT of money so it's not a decision I'm taking lightly. I have a PS4 and an Octane III to give me options across both platforms which is where the idea of price comes into it. Additionally, we're currently in a relatively small house at the moment hence why the Vive vs Rift debate is coming into it.

I'm looking for opinions on what you guys think of your setups along with the downfalls etc of each of the models. I've read reviews until they've came out of my ears but I keep going round in circles. My main queries are:

Would get away with a Vive in a small-ish living room to the point where I could enjoy it?
How crucial is it to use the floor space? Can it be used sitting for most/some games/activities?
How is the PSVR bang for buck?

I'm basically thinking that if I'm going to go for the smaller living area option then I would take the PS VR option as if I went with the big budget option I think it would have to be the Vive.

I'm still saving up at the moment so not in a hurry to buy just yet, just looking for opinions on what's out there

 

[SpyderTracks]

I've got the Vive in a small space where I can really only use it sitting down, but then most of the games I like are sitting down experiences anyway. The vive can be configured for a static space or for whatever room you have (minimum of 1.5 x 2 meters) for walking around.

Once you factor in the controllers and base stations (of which you need at least 2), the vive is actually cheaper than the rift.

If you look at all reviews, they pretty much unanimously put the vive above the rift. I've never tried the rift, but the vive is very very good.

Biggest let down is resolution. 1080 x 1200 per eye is just not enough when your eye is that close to the screen. It's the one area that desperately needs an upgrade. You do get used to it, and there's a hack for the Vive which basically over samples the image and much improves it, but it's still a big flaw.

I know nothing about the PSVR, but I've heard good things despite the resolution being less than the big 2.

All that said though, there are new contenders to be released this year:

Microsoft's Holographic platform is included in the creators update of windows 10 due to be released in April 2017 I believe. This is opening up the market to several OEM's like LG and others to release their own headsets for that platform. CES (consumer tradeshow) is this month and expect a lot of them to show off some upcoming headsets, plus rumours are prices are about half of the current VR market. One to watch! I'm personally very very excited about this!

Plus there's Razor's OSVR VR headset (open source) http://www.razerzone.com/vr/hdk2. It's currently still in the final development kit stage, but so far looks promising and again will be a fraction of the price of the current gens. It also natively connects to SteamVR which is nice.

I will say also that content wise, it's still very early days for VR, there really aren't that many release candidate programs or games out yet, they're all betas or very short showcase demo's rather than full games and applications. It's amazing, don't get me wrong, but they're still figuring out fundamentals like how to navigate in VR (currently sucks balls, a case of point over there and click to teleport to that spot. In reality it's cumbersome and very inaccurate and not a good experience, certainly not what you'd want in a FPS or open world game which limits development of some serious games a bit). For that reason alone, I'd say save your money for now and see what happens in the coming months.

 

[Scott]

Funnily enough I spent a couple of hours tonight just reading up on the new tech that's expected with the Holographic platform, it sounds amazing if it pans out. 1440x1440 per eye too. As you say, I think I'll just keep saving and holding off to see what happens.

Oh, regarding the PSVR, is the resolution not the same? Everything I've seen said it is but people try to manipulate it by stating "per eye" or something like that. I know the field of view isn't quite as big as the Vive but I believe the refresh rate is actually better, although good luck pushing that from a PS4

 

[SpyderTracks]

Funnily enough I spent a couple of hours tonight just reading up on the new tech that's expected with the Holographic platform, it sounds amazing if it pans out. 1440x1440 per eye too. As you say, I think I'll just keep saving and holding off to see what happens.

Oh, regarding the PSVR, is the resolution not the same? Everything I've seen said it is but people try to manipulate it by stating "per eye" or something like that. I know the field of view isn't quite as big as the Vive but I believe the refresh rate is actually better, although good luck pushing that from a PS4

PSVR is 960 x 1080 at either 90hz or 120hz whereas the vive is 90hz.

 

[Rakk]

If you look at all reviews, they pretty much unanimously put the vive above the rift. I've never tried the rift, but the vive is very very good.

I'll agree with that, also given the amount of Friday lunchtime conversations at the pub I've had involving VR, the consensus amongst my group of friends at work is that the Vive is better (though I can't remember the reasons why - helpful huh )

Noting that one of said friends has a Vive and on New Years Eve/Day I finally got to have a go, and it was awesome .
I had a go on 2 games (there was quite a few of us there so I couldn't hog it to myself) - Space Pirate Trainer and HoloPoint - I really enjoyed Holopoint (archery game) despite the fact I am obviously an awful shot - though admittedly on Monday my legs were not happy with me and it hurt if I tried to move after sitting down for more than an hour - I think I managed to use muscles that I'd never used before lol.

And I think I've got enough room to play - according to David (my friend with the Vive), if you have 1.5mx1.5m you can play where not much moving is involved (ie. it gives you room to stretch your arms out without hitting anything) - so obviously the first thing I did when I got home on New Years Day was find the tape measure - I have 1.65mx 2.2m free space in my main downstairs room (in a 2-bed terrace - so its not a big house), at some point my friend is going to bring said Vive over so I can test it and make sure it can work in there

Anyways my point was that I really enjoyed using the Vive and definitely want one, though David (the friend) reckons to wait til April as there will be new stuff then.

 

[jerpers]

With the Vive, you will always want more space. I play in 3m x 2.5m. It is great, but when U put my sofas in the garden over the Summer, I played in 4m x 4m. This did spark an argument when I suggested to the wife "do we really need a sofa?"

 

[Scott]

Thanks for the replies guys. What are the sensors like? Are they a PITA? Rakk, since your friend has suggested you give it a go...... are there going to be any logistical issues with the sensors etc? Ideally I would like to buy it, set it up and leave it but given the shear amount of cabling etc I don't think that'll fly with the Mrs to be honest. Our living room has a large enough area to play, 2m x 5m, but there's just no way I would get away with sensors and cables everywhere

PSVR is 960 x 1080 at either 90hz or 120hz whereas the vive is 90hz.

Yeah, that's per eye though which brings it up to 1920x1080 across both sides. It's always been put across that way and I'm not sure why.


Edit: here is a small blurb...

PlayStation VR features a 5.7-inch, 1920 x 1080, OLED display split vertically to deliver a resolution of 960 x 1080 to each eye.

 

[jerpers]

The Vive just needs the sensors in 2 corners of the room. You only need to connect them to a power supply. Other then that there will be no trailing cables apart from the one from the PC to the Vive. I have my PC in the corner so bought longer USB 3 and DP to mDP to have the link box a little more central for connecting the Vive to.

 

[Rakk]

The Vive just needs the sensors in 2 corners of the room. You only need to connect them to a power supply. Other then that there will be no trailing cables apart from the one from the PC to the Vive. I have my PC in the corner so bought longer USB 3 and DP to mDP to have the link box a little more central for connecting the Vive to.

Yeah, the sensors don't seem too much hassle, I only noticed even one of them on a tall tripod, it all seemed to pack away pretty quickly as well, though my friend who has it has had it for a good few months so may be well practiced at it since he still lives with his parents so probably has to pack it away often. The main wire was the one from the PC to the Vive as Jerpers said.

One thing you do have to be careful of is reflective surfaces as they can causes issues with the signals - so if you have a mirror is the same room you'll probably want to find something to cover it up when playing.

 

[SpyderTracks]

Worth mentioning there's a mod for the vive to turn the headset wireless and it's sponsored by HTC and sold on their chinese site, so not some dodgy mod, supposedly works amazingly and doesn't affect performance at all:

http://www.vive.com/cn/accessory/tpcast/

REVIEW: https://www.engadget.com/2016/11/10/220-htc-vive-wireless-add-on/

 

[jerpers]

Yeah I missed out on pre-orders for this, It was sold out in seconds apparently. Not sure when it will start being sold again.

 

[Rakk]

Yeah I missed out on pre-orders for this, It was sold out in seconds apparently. Not sure when it will start being sold again.

My friend (the one with the Vive) reckoned that its possible that wireless stuff will be included with the new upgrades and such in April, but I'm not sure where he got said info from, but he seems very trustworthy on tech info in general.

 

[Scott]

I had read somewhere that the reboot was going to come with a wireless option, I'm sure in the article it said it wasn't going to be the Vive 2... but just a bit of a refresh.

 

[Rakk]

I had read somewhere that the reboot was going to come with a wireless option, I'm sure in the article it said it wasn't going to be the Vive 2... but just a bit of a refresh.

Yeah, I'm not sure whether it was info my friend had, or just a vague hope, but I'll put off getting one til then anyways, I'm sure I can survive that long

 

[SpyderTracks]

Update on Windows Holographic headsets shown at CES so far, remember, these are DK builds so not ready for market until later this year, but shows you the kind of interest adopted by 3rd party manufacturers:

https://www.neowin.net/news/ces-201...eadsets-from-dell-lenovo-hp-acer-and-3glasses

https://www.onmsft.com/news/ces-2017-a-number-of-companies-show-off-windows-holographic-vr-headsets

Resolution seems to have been addressed on certainly some of them...

Also, most if not all, do not require base stations as the tracking is done by cameras within the headset itself. Brings cost and bulk down.