Octopus Overlords

Now, this is going to be fun:

Half-Life VR on Oculus Quest!

I'm supposed to take seriously a guy who calls Vortigaunts "electric dudes"?

Oculus Link turns every Quest into a Rift this November

I already have the original Vive, but I would love to have something portable and the ability to experience the more powerful apps.

I had a chance to play Saints and Sinners the upcoming VR Walking Dead themed game while at NY Comic Con.
We only had a 15 minute window to play, but I really enjoyed what little I played. (If I had known I would have liked it that much, I would have tried it every single day I could. The lines were kind of long though and I got in on the last day with a 2 hour line wait).
There was just something very fun about grabbing a zombie in one hand and using it as a shield while I head shot more with my right hand. Run dry? Holster the pistol and move into stabby stabby mode.
I was able to try a few different versions of this including head shotting the held zombie, knocking the zombies away or down in some cases, etc.. It was just a fun experience.
I did find that the gun controls were very wonky. It was MUCH easier to shoot one handed than it was two handed. When shooting two handed the sights just would not line up no matter how I held it. The gun was constantly pointing up. One handed, the sights lined up just fine and I went one handed shooting for most of the game. It did cause problems when I found the rifle though as that couldn't shoot effectively one handed and two handed was a nightmare. I ended up just spraying into a small crowd of zombies as it was near the end of my time anyway. I only took down about 3-4 of them that way and then all the rest started coming at me. dropped the rifle, switched to pistol and cleared more until the mag went dry. dropped the pistol and switched to the knife and ended up getting overrun at that and then my time was up.
I didnt really dig into the story much as I was more concerned with gameplay/combat, but the intro story I did see seemed to be of the 2 warring bands variety and you can choose sides. based on the gameplay here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dm8kVkxznfE&t=87s it looks like you will be able to build and destroy relationships throughout the game so choose wisely I guess.
You move using the Oculus left thumbstick and can turn using the right thumbstick (I have a Vive and this was my first Oculus experience and it wasn't bad. Just had to get used to the controller.)
Some people are complaining about the graphics, but they seemed fine to me.
I already have it wishlisted on Steam and barring unforeseen financial or equipment circumstances, this will be a day one purchase for me.

I grabbed Beat Saber because I wanted to do some physically active. It has not disappointed me. With some quick mods there is a crap ton of free songs out there. I will always leave the No Fail option checked so I will not interrupt the song and because I suck tremendously.

Montag wrote: ↑Fri Nov 29, 2019 9:21 pmBeat Saber

Now owned by Facebook:

Facebook announced (11/26/19) that it will be buying Beat Games, the game studio behind Beat Saber, a rhythm game that’s equal parts Fruit Ninja and Guitar Hero — with light sabers of course.

Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed, but we’re sniffing around for a price tag. The studio will join Oculus Studios but will continue to operate independently at their HQ in Prague.

Never really had much interest in VR, but as we were walking thru Target today, my girlfriend asked what I wanted for Xmas. Just so happened to be standing by the video game section, so I wandered in there and looked around. I came down to PS VR or a Switch. The PS VR seemed to have a lot more games I wanted and since it was on sale for $250, we bit. Got home and started setting it up. She went to bed. When I was done and fired it up, I downloaded a free game, The Playroom. HOLY SHIT!!! It was freaky as heck. My expectations were somewhere between zero and low for how the VR experience would be, but this little game blew me away so much I woke the gf up to come and check it out. She's not a gamer at all, so it probably wasn't the best idea to wake her up and drag her groggy carcass out of bed, but she certainly enjoyed the few minutes she played.

I have a list of at least 6-7 games I cant wait to try out. I'm sold and this fills my needs just fine.

Now that I've dove more into this whole VR thing, I'm wondering if I should have spent the extra $100 and got the Oculus Rift S? The games seem to be much cheaper to buy on Steam or other stores than the Playstation Store. I know there are some exclusives to each system, but what's the overall consensus on game quality on one system vs the other. Everything I've read said PSVR has better overall games, but it seems like Oculus has a lot more. oI know quantity doesn't equal quality, but I'm curious as to what you guys think?

stimpy wrote: ↑Mon Dec 02, 2019 9:39 am Now that I've dove more into this whole VR thing, I'm wondering if I should have spent the extra $100 and got the Oculus Rift S? The games seem to be much cheaper to buy on Steam or other stores than the Playstation Store. I know there are some exclusives to each system, but what's the overall consensus on game quality on one system vs the other. Everything I've read said PSVR has better overall games, but it seems like Oculus has a lot more. oI know quantity doesn't equal quality, but I'm curious as to what you guys think?

From everything I know, the Oculus Rift S is a lot more sophisticated VR device with higher resolution and less screendoor issues. That said, I'm a surprise fan of the Oculus Quest. The graphics are great, and it works completely untethered. And now Oculus Link is in beta and you can use the quest with a cable to link to your PC and play those more sophisticated games. Win/Win in my book.

So how does VR work if you don't want to get up and roam around your room?

Jaymann wrote: ↑Mon Dec 02, 2019 5:19 pm So how does VR work if you don't want to get up and roam around your room?

There are quite a few games where you can just stay sitting in a chair, and even games where you stand up you usually don't really walk around at all.

I got the valve index last week and I am very impressed with it so far. The room scale was very easy to set up and I ran through a couple of games and was very impressed by some of the things that are possible such as adding in overlays. For example, it has made playing elite dangerous a very immersive and more expansive experience. Plus, I can have a movie playing and web pages on screen as I fly around. I've run into some oddities like the "center" resisting staying in place. Standing up while playing elite can have some very weird results for instance but all pretty manageable.

Hmm, according to the app you can download from the Valve Index page, my computer is OK in all respects except my GPU, which is a GTX 1060 6GB . Funny how my five year old processor is still good enough but the 18 months old video card isn't. I guess I'll be asking Santa for a new rig next year

I ordered an Oculus Quest for Christmas. My son really wanted a VR set but we deemed it too expensive for him - however, I want the thing too, so my wife and I agreed to get it and have it count as a present for both of us. The Oculus Link is really what pushed me over the edge, as the ability to potentially play Rift games as well provides an enormous value.

I was also pushed over the edge by a buddy of mine's glowing review after having played with it over Thanksgiving at his brother's house. He's done the Void VR experiences before, so I trust that I'm getting an accurate impression and not the "VR virgin" gushing.

YellowKing wrote: ↑Tue Dec 03, 2019 12:49 pm I ordered an Oculus Quest for Christmas. My son really wanted a VR set but we deemed it too expensive for him - however, I want the thing too, so my wife and I agreed to get it and have it count as a present for both of us. The Oculus Link is really what pushed me over the edge, as the ability to potentially play Rift games as well provides an enormous value.

I was also pushed over the edge by a buddy of mine's glowing review after having played with it over Thanksgiving at his brother's house. He's done the Void VR experiences before, so I trust that I'm getting an accurate impression and not the "VR virgin" gushing.

I was at my sister in laws house and they have the Quest. I was so impressed that I'm looking to get one for Christmas. I too was sold by the link portion as I know it will get a lot more use if it has a dual purpose. I really really want to try Dirt Rally with the headset running in Finland. I might piss my pants.

YellowKing wrote: ↑Tue Dec 03, 2019 12:49 pm I was also pushed over the edge by a buddy of mine's glowing review after having played with it over Thanksgiving at his brother's house. He's done the Void VR experiences before, so I trust that I'm getting an accurate impression and not the "VR virgin" gushing.

If anyone has a chance to do a void experience, I cant recommend it enough. SUPER immersive since it adds physical touch to VR. Also since you are walking 1:1 with the experience, people I've done it with that can't do normal VR didn't experience motion sickness.

malchior wrote: ↑Mon Dec 02, 2019 6:09 pm I got the valve index last week and I am very impressed with it so far. The room scale was very easy to set up and I ran through a couple of games and was very impressed by some of the things that are possible such as adding in overlays. For example, it has made playing elite dangerous a very immersive and more expansive experience. Plus, I can have a movie playing and web pages on screen as I fly around. I've run into some oddities like the "center" resisting staying in place. Standing up while playing elite can have some very weird results for instance but all pretty manageable.

Do you still use a gamepad/joystick with this or do you use a virtual one?

Anyone actually try out the Quest on the PC? I know it's in beta still, but it seems kind of silly to go with the rift if I can get the best of both worlds. I'm also not super picky about it. This is more of something I will use casually.

I just remembered. Boneworks co.es out tomorrow. It's a physics based game and all the game play videos have me super interested. Plus it's only 30 beans so om in day 1.

Octavious wrote: ↑Mon Dec 09, 2019 1:53 pm Anyone actually try out the Quest on the PC? I know it's in beta still, but it seems kind of silly to go with the rift if I can get the best of both worlds. I'm also not super picky about it. This is more of something I will use casually.

I haven't heard of any issues using the link. The only thing I don't like right now is the recommended cable (you can't just use any USB 3 cable) is only 10 ft. Based on where my PC sits that's not a very big play space compared to my Vive set. Oculus is suppose to release the official cable next year which is 5 meters, the same as the Rift. FYI, the Quest has an OLED 1,440 by 1,600 pixels per eye display @72Hz compared to the Rift using LCD 1,280 by 1,440 pixels per eye @80Hz. I'd definitely go with the Quest.

Punisher wrote:If anyone has a chance to do a void experience, I cant recommend it enough. SUPER immersive since it adds physical touch to VR. Also since you are walking 1:1 with the experience, people I've done it with that can't do normal VR didn't experience motion sickness.

I did the Ghostbusters one at Madame Tussaud's in NYC and holy crap was I blown away. It was my first VR anything and talk about getting thrown into the deep end.

I was a little hesitant since it was a $25 upcharge for an attraction only lasting a few minutes. I didn't regret a penny of it. It was THAT good.

Punisher wrote: ↑Mon Dec 09, 2019 1:17 pm

malchior wrote: ↑Mon Dec 02, 2019 6:09 pm I got the valve index last week and I am very impressed with it so far. The room scale was very easy to set up and I ran through a couple of games and was very impressed by some of the things that are possible such as adding in overlays. For example, it has made playing elite dangerous a very immersive and more expansive experience. Plus, I can have a movie playing and web pages on screen as I fly around. I've run into some oddities like the "center" resisting staying in place. Standing up while playing elite can have some very weird results for instance but all pretty manageable.

Do you still use a gamepad/joystick with this or do you use a virtual one?

The thrustmaster 1600m Hotas. Really fun way to get immersed. It is officially supported and I did a bit of remapping of buttons but many stick to the stock settings and like it.

I don't know if anyone has mentioned this, but I'm getting a kick out of watching Rip stream Elite in VR.

DOS=HIGH wrote: ↑Mon Dec 09, 2019 5:00 pm

Octavious wrote: ↑Mon Dec 09, 2019 1:53 pm Anyone actually try out the Quest on the PC? I know it's in beta still, but it seems kind of silly to go with the rift if I can get the best of both worlds. I'm also not super picky about it. This is more of something I will use casually.

I haven't heard of any issues using the link. The only thing I don't like right now is the recommended cable (you can't just use any USB 3 cable) is only 10 ft. Based on where my PC sits that's not a very big play space compared to my Vive set. Oculus is suppose to release the official cable next year which is 5 meters, the same as the Rift. FYI, the Quest has an OLED 1,440 by 1,600 pixels per eye display @72Hz compared to the Rift using LCD 1,280 by 1,440 pixels per eye @80Hz. I'd definitely go with the Quest.

I'm VERY picky about colors so after seeing some compares I don't think I have a choice but to go with the Quest. I just started playing Elite Dangerous (Using trackir which is awesome) and the black space not being black would drive me insane. And I like that I can drag it to random places and annoy people with it.

DOS=HIGH wrote: ↑Mon Dec 09, 2019 5:00 pm

Octavious wrote: ↑Mon Dec 09, 2019 1:53 pm Anyone actually try out the Quest on the PC? I know it's in beta still, but it seems kind of silly to go with the rift if I can get the best of both worlds. I'm also not super picky about it. This is more of something I will use casually.

I haven't heard of any issues using the link. The only thing I don't like right now is the recommended cable (you can't just use any USB 3 cable) is only 10 ft. Based on where my PC sits that's not a very big play space compared to my Vive set. Oculus is suppose to release the official cable next year which is 5 meters, the same as the Rift. FYI, the Quest has an OLED 1,440 by 1,600 pixels per eye display @72Hz compared to the Rift using LCD 1,280 by 1,440 pixels per eye @80Hz. I'd definitely go with the Quest.

While I'm not picky about all the tech, I am VERY picky about colors so after seeing some compares I don't think I have a choice but to go with the Quest. I just started playing Elite Dangerous (Using trackir which is awesome) and the black space not being black would drive me insane. And I like that I can drag it to random places and annoy people with it.

YellowKing wrote: ↑Mon Dec 09, 2019 8:27 pm

Punisher wrote:If anyone has a chance to do a void experience, I cant recommend it enough. SUPER immersive since it adds physical touch to VR. Also since you are walking 1:1 with the experience, people I've done it with that can't do normal VR didn't experience motion sickness.

I did the Ghostbusters one at Madame Tussaud's in NYC and holy crap was I blown away. It was my first VR anything and talk about getting thrown into the deep end.

I was a little hesitant since it was a $25 upcharge for an attraction only lasting a few minutes. I didn't regret a penny of it. It was THAT good.

Our 1st VOID experience was the Star Wars one at Disney Springs. Then when the Ghostbusters one popped up at Madame Tussaud's we took a day trip to the city to give it a whirl (for context, I absolutely hate going into the city. Taking the ferry over to Javitts is usually my limit, but based on the Star Wars Void experience, which was awesome, I sucked it up and went) My wife and I loved it. She almost freaked out at one point where a hole is blown in the wall and you have to go walk "outside" on scaffolding. The scaffolding moved and you had the wind in your face and it really felt like you were out there. I am very surprised that there aren't more Void centers around.
When they did the pop-up Star Wars one at the World Trade Center memorial location, I sucked it up again and took the Fam there. Everyone loved it. The only hiccup was that we had 5 people and they have a limit of 4 people so we had to go separately.
They are supposed to open one up at the Garden State Plaza in NJ which is only 2 towns over from me. I wrote to them trying to squeeze more info, but they would only say that it's planned for a 2020 opening... I NEED a date!! I dont want to just keep waiting!

malchior wrote: ↑Mon Dec 09, 2019 9:24 pm

Punisher wrote: ↑Mon Dec 09, 2019 1:17 pm

malchior wrote: ↑Mon Dec 02, 2019 6:09 pm I got the valve index last week and I am very impressed with it so far. The room scale was very easy to set up and I ran through a couple of games and was very impressed by some of the things that are possible such as adding in overlays. For example, it has made playing elite dangerous a very immersive and more expansive experience. Plus, I can have a movie playing and web pages on screen as I fly around. I've run into some oddities like the "center" resisting staying in place. Standing up while playing elite can have some very weird results for instance but all pretty manageable.

Do you still use a gamepad/joystick with this or do you use a virtual one?

The thrustmaster 1600m Hotas. Really fun way to get immersed. It is officially supported and I did a bit of remapping of buttons but many stick to the stock settings and like it.

I have a Saitek X52 and may have to try this, but how does that work? You have to have the VR controllers in your hand so how do you use that and the HOTAS at the sam,e time? I'm also not sure if I'd be able to use it without seeing the controller. I'll have to practice a lot. (Although I didn't do too bad on the Star Wars Battlefront VR mission on the PS4 with the HOTAS so maybe I'll get used to it.

My current VR kick is Boneworks. Having a lot of fun with that right now. I'm really just pushing along to the point where I can unlock the sandbox mode so that I can just mess around with their physics engine.

I dont use the VR controllers unless I need to adjust the VR overlay. It is 100% HOTAS in my setup. It did take some practice and I am pretty patient about dealing with wonkiness. I tried using the camera on the index but it was...weird at best.

Punisher wrote: ↑Mon Dec 16, 2019 4:01 pm Our 1st VOID experience was the Star Wars one at Disney Springs.

Cool, I live less than a hour from there. I've told my wife that's what I want for Christmas, although I'll wait till after the holidays to go there

Quick thoughts and impressions on the Oculus Quest after one day:

- Totally amazing. I was prepared to like it, I was not quite prepared for how much I would like it.
- Quest sacrificing a bit of graphic fidelity is noticeable, but not enough to ruin the experience. I've had a blast with just about everything. Is there some screendoor if you look hard enough? Yes. Has it distracted me from any game so far? Not at all.
- Games purchased so far:
- Vader: Immortal - Got this free with purchase but haven't had a chance to dive in yet. Did mess around with the lightsaber dojo which was fun.
- Climb - I played through half the tutorial and loved it. Very difficult but the controls are tight and any plummeting to your death will be your own fault and not the game's.
- Bait - This is a free fishing title and it's a ton of fun. Has a cartoony style but very immersive. I may still spring for the more realistic Real VR Fishing at some point, but for now this one satisfies the itch
- Job Simulator - This might be my favorite of the bunch. I watched YouTube videos of this one before I got the Quest and always thought it looked insanely dumb for a title so heavily hyped. Then I played it and realized the hype was real. Despite the cartoonish graphics, this might be the most immersive game on the list - the graphic style just works insanely well with the Quest, and performing menial tasks is WAY more fun than it has any right to be.
- I've also been messing around with 360 and VR 180 videos on YouTube, and there is some neat stuff out there. One particular highlight is the Elton John Goodbye Yellow Brick Road tour video which opens with you flying over various CGI-recreated Elton performances from the 60s and 70s. It is soooo cool. Video quality in general is usually more "miss" than hit since a lot of them were developed for mobile, but when you run across ones that take advantage of real VR gear you can get some incredible experiences.

At any rate, I'm a fan and a total VR convert. This despite the fact that so far my kids have spent about 90% of the total time with it compared to my 10%.

I'll be in the market this summer when I get a little windfall and will splurge on a high end rig + VR unit. Does anyone know what is on the horizon in regards to new versions/etc? I know they just came out with upgrades but I haven't been paying much attention to the tech except for the last week or so. In other words I may grow impatient and might not be able to wait so I am looking for reasons to wait and not anger the Wife.

YellowKing wrote: ↑Thu Dec 26, 2019 9:26 pm Quick thoughts and impressions on the Oculus Quest after one day:



At any rate, I'm a fan and a total VR convert. This despite the fact that so far my kids have spent about 90% of the total time with it compared to my 10%.

From what I hear if you get Beat Saber, you will loose that 10%.

I see a big difference on price.
This one is for $350.

Forget that site. Surprising it always comes up on bing shopping search.
headset-128gb

Then Amazon for $760

Any idea why the big difference?

UsulofDoom wrote: ↑Fri Dec 27, 2019 10:55 am

YellowKing wrote: ↑Thu Dec 26, 2019 9:26 pm Quick thoughts and impressions on the Oculus Quest after one day:



At any rate, I'm a fan and a total VR convert. This despite the fact that so far my kids have spent about 90% of the total time with it compared to my 10%.

From what I hear if you get Beat Saber, you will loose that 10%.

I see a big difference on price.
This one is for $350.

https://www.rentproductsonline.com/inde ... dset-128gb

Then Amazon for $760

Any idea why the big difference?

The Amazon listing you're seeing is from a 3rd party seller jacking up the price because it's in short supply. The 64GB Quest should be $400, and the 128GB Quest should be $500. The rentproductsonline price is low because that's a super sketchy looking website.

I played through Vader: Immortal Chapter 1 last night and HOLY CRAP.

Aside from the fact that you're not physically walking through the environments, it actually rivaled my VOID experience. Which is pretty incredible considering I'm sitting in the comfort of my own home.

The game does a fantastic job of exploiting all the little VR "tricks" to immerse you. Heights, an incredible sense of 3D, large in-your-face characters, etc. And let me tell you - fighting real duels with a lightsaber was the most giddy Star Wars moment I've had since I was a kid. I don't mean to brag, but I do seriously think I have some Jedi in me because I kick ass with that thing.

It's short - took me maybe an hour to get through. But every moment is so incredibly well done that I could see myself playing through it multiple times.

I will say that last night was the first time I wore the Quest for an extended period of time (roughly two hours), and I had a pretty bad headache by the end of it. The headset is fairly heavy, and that pressure tends to wear on you after awhile. I don't consider it a deal breaker because it kind of forces you to take a break every now and then which I consider a good thing.

Obviously I have played only a fraction of the games available, but Vader: Immortal is a showcase title without a doubt. This will be what I use to demo the quest for my friends.

The military use counterweights on the back of their helmets when wearing NODs.

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Fri Dec 27, 2019 3:18 pm The military use counterweights on the back of their helmets when wearing NODs.

To keep them from NODding off?

wonderpug wrote: ↑Fri Dec 27, 2019 12:00 pm

UsulofDoom wrote: ↑Fri Dec 27, 2019 10:55 am

YellowKing wrote: ↑Thu Dec 26, 2019 9:26 pm Quick thoughts and impressions on the Oculus Quest after one day:



At any rate, I'm a fan and a total VR convert. This despite the fact that so far my kids have spent about 90% of the total time with it compared to my 10%.

From what I hear if you get Beat Saber, you will loose that 10%.

I see a big difference on price.
This one is for $350.

https://www.rentproductsonline.com/inde ... dset-128gb

Then Amazon for $760

Any idea why the big difference?

The Amazon listing you're seeing is from a 3rd party seller jacking up the price because it's in short supply. The 64GB Quest should be $400, and the 128GB Quest should be $500. The rentproductsonline price is low because that's a super sketchy looking website.

here you go
https://www.scamadviser.com/check-websi ... online.com

jztemple2 wrote: ↑Fri Dec 27, 2019 6:08 pm

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Fri Dec 27, 2019 3:18 pm The military use counterweights on the back of their helmets when wearing NODs.

To keep them from NODding off?

I am seriously divided between praising your comment and banning you from my sight. Well done!

How is the Quest as far as freedom of movement? I am looking into one, just so that I can take it someplace bigger, like maybe my backyard or something or even a friend's house with more room than my current setup.
I've read about mixed experiences outside so I'm looking for some 1st hand view. Out of all the random strangers on the Internet, I trust the ones here the most...

I've read that the Guardian (the boundary you draw to tell the Quest your room size) goes up to 25' X 25' - so you won't have any problem with movement limitations.

I have not yet tried it outside, but there's a scary warning sticker that says DO NOT EXPOSE QUEST LENSES TO SUNLIGHT so I'm not likely to try it anytime soon.