Gaming VR questions

[Eisberg]

When using a VR setup, is the graphics quality generally lower than what you would see on a Monitor?

Are the edges generally blurry, like if there were words towards the edges it would be harder to read them compared to having them more towards the middle?

Does controlling stuff in the games, using Mouse/Keyboard generally feel more sensitive?

I am asking these questions cause I decided to try out Riftcat app, which basically tricks the computer into thinking I basically have an HTC Vive setup when I am actually using my Smartphone + VR Headset for the Smartphone.
What I noticed is the image quality was not as good as the monitor, but not horribly bad.
Anything towards the edges were more blurry.
When I played Overload, Descent spiritual success from the creators of Descent 1-3, the mouse felt a lot more sensitive and it was really hard to control in VR, I was not nearly as good as I am on the monitor.

[Nagorak]

Hmmm... The answer is sort of yes and no. The HMDs have lenses where the sweet spot is right in the center. Out of the sweet spot things will tend to be a bit more blurry, however in practice I don't really notice it that much in terms of left and right. Maybe I've just gotten used to turning my head?

I do tend to notice blurriness more toward the top or bottom of the screen because that area tends to be outside of the sweet spot. It's not generally an issue except with text though.

On top of that the HMD tends to be a bit blurry and aliased anyway just because the resolution is so low. For that reason if you try to look off into the very far distance you can't really see that well.

I understand that the lenses actually result in distortion, so that the image displayed on the display is actually provided with a negative skew to correct for the impact of the lenses. It could be that in converting to playing on a smart phone that doesn't work quite the same resulting in the blurriness?

[clerick]

Yea res sucks right now and is blurry, I would not advise getting a set till its 4k an eye or better unless you have money to burn.

[Dave]

Yea res sucks right now and is blurry, I would not advise getting a set till its 4k an eye or better unless you have money to burn.

4k an eye...better save up for that Titan V too

[Eisberg]

Someone who has a powerful enough phone and has VR should do a comparison between the 2 and give us an idea how much better proper VR is compared to using Riftcat.

It would be interesting to find out how different they are in picture quality.

I have my phone tethered to the computer, and latency has not been an issue at all.

I suggest using Riftcat 2.0, which is in beta, cause I noticed that the 2.0 version no longer has the occasional blockiness that the 1.xx version did sometimes.

[aviphysics]

The headsets do a lot more than just having more optimized screens and lenses.

• 6 DOF tracking makes a huge difference
• Motion controls make a huge difference
• Oculus's magic dust that dynamically distorts the rendered image between frames, so that dips in frame rate don't cause motion sickness, makes a huge difference. (you can read up on "Asynchronous Time Warp" here)

I haven't tried keyboard and mouse with VR. I always use the Rift Touch motion controllers.

[Eisberg]

The headsets do a lot more than just having more optimized screens and lenses.

• 6 DOF tracking makes a huge difference
• Motion controls make a huge difference
• Oculus's magic dust that dynamically distorts the rendered image between frames, so that dips in frame rate don't cause motion sickness, makes a huge difference. (you can read up on "Asynchronous Time Warp" here)

I haven't tried keyboard and mouse with VR. I always use the Rift Touch motion controllers.

With Riftcat, as long as your phone has a gyroscope you get 6DOF as well.
You can also get Motion controls while still using Riftcat.

I think Riftcat has a similar type system as ATW, they have a system to reduce jitter, they actually have several different options to play around with to make the experience as smooth as possible.


I really think this comes down to image quality difference between Occulus/Vive vs using Riftcat.

[aviphysics]

With Riftcat, as long as your phone has a gyroscope you get 6DOF as well.
You can also get Motion controls while still using Riftcat.

I think Riftcat has a similar type system as ATW, they have a system to reduce jitter, they actually have several different options to play around with to make the experience as smooth as possible.


I really think this comes down to image quality difference between Occulus/Vive vs using Riftcat.

I am pretty confident that the tracking quality of using an accelerator in your phone is not the same as the absolute position tracking of using cameras (either outside in or inside out) or lighthouses.

[kboye]

Well my S6 with GearVR 2017 overheats every 15-20min anyway, and Android crashes too, so not a good experience by that alone.

[Eisberg]

Well my S6 with GearVR 2017 overheats every 15-20min anyway, and Android crashes too, so not a good experience by that alone.

I have an LG G6+, I played for about 40 minutes last night playing overload, didn't have any crashes, and my phone didn't seem any hotter than when I am playing a game like War Robots (android game). I use the ETVR 3.0 headset

So for me, I am really trying to figure out if it is even worth it to save up for an Occulus/Vive, or just deal with a cheaper route if the price difference doesn't justify the experience difference. So far it really comes down to image quality, cause everything else seems to be on par.

[jjjayb]

I have an LG G6+, I played for about 40 minutes last night playing overload, didn't have any crashes, and my phone didn't seem any hotter than when I am playing a game like War Robots (android game). I use the ETVR 3.0 headset

So for me, I am really trying to figure out if it is even worth it to save up for an Occulus/Vive, or just deal with a cheaper route if the price difference doesn't justify the experience difference. So far it really comes down to image quality, cause everything else seems to be on par.

There is a HUGE difference between what you're getting on the riftcat compared to what you get with the Rift/Vive. Everything else is NOT on par. Using Riftcat with my GearVR I was not impressed at all. My wife bought me an Oculus rift with the touch sensors for my birthday/early Christmas present a couple weeks ago. The thing blows me away. It's nothing like using my GearVR and riftcat.

The motion tracking with the rift and the touch controllers is in a completely different league from what you get with your phone and riftcat. The sense of immersion is leaps and bounds better with the real vr setup. It's not even comparable.

The rift with touch controls is on sale on Amazon for $350. I highly recommend it. There are also sales on the Microsoft headsets with controllers right now as well. Some of them can be had for a couple hundred bucks. They are much better than a riftcat setup as well.

[delirium121]

I actually hate the whole your mobile can do VR
NO it can't! This is in John Carmack's words "poisoning the well".

There is a reason why your need a decent PC or PS4 to run a VR headset, etc.
VR requires some major horse power, hardware and significant programming prowess.

If anyone tells you different, they probably have a bridge to sell you as well.

[t0adp1p3]

I actually hate the whole your mobile can do VR
NO it can't! This is in John Carmack's words "poisoning the well".

There is a reason why your need a decent PC or PS4 to run a VR headset, etc.
VR requires some major horse power, hardware and significant programming prowess.

If anyone tells you different, they probably have a bridge to sell you as well.

Exactly right, and this is why the new Rift headset is going to do more harm to VR than good. It is essentially crap phone VR, and not the real deal. People are going to try it, hate it, and be like oh yeah VR that sucks I tried it,a nd it was awful. Fact of the matter even, decent VR right now kind of blows, and phone is exponentially worse.

[Argoon1981]

I actually hate the whole your mobile can do VR
NO it can't! This is in John Carmack's words "poisoning the well".

...

Exactly!

A friend of mine played first with VR on GearVR on his Samsung edge, got really sick and now hates VR with a passion, I on the other end tried the Rift first so i add the best experience at the time, later tried the GearVR, my friends cellphone was low on battery so fps's where very low, got motion sick has well, for more than a hour, that experience didn't made me hate VR one bit but made me realize, how bad VR can be on Cellphones even expensive ones.

[Eisberg]

Exactly!

A friend of mine played first with VR on GearVR on his Samsung edge, got really sick and now hates VR with a passion, I on the other end tried the Rift first so i add the best experience at the time, later tried the GearVR, my friends cellphone was low on battery so fps's where very low, got motion sick has well, for more than a hour, that experience didn't made me hate VR one bit but made me realize, how bad VR can be on Cellphones even expensive ones.

I USB tethered my phone to my PC when I was playing for that 40 minutes. My FPS stayed at 60 FPS and my phone never went below 100% (obviously taking a charge from my computer). That is probably why I never got sick, the FPS stayed high.

[Nagorak]

The rift with touch controls is on sale on Amazon for $350. I highly recommend it. There are also sales on the Microsoft headsets with controllers right now as well. Some of them can be had for a couple hundred bucks. They are much better than a riftcat setup as well.

I wouldn't recommend going with the MS headsets. They're not really comparable. If you're going to spend $250 anyway, you might as well just cough up the extra money for a Rift (only $100 more) or Vive. Rift is cheaper, but Vive is better for larger areas. For smaller areas it makes little difference so the Rift has the clear advantage on price. Either will be way better than anything a smart phone can do.

Exactly!

A friend of mine played first with VR on GearVR on his Samsung edge, got really sick and now hates VR with a passion, I on the other end tried the Rift first so i add the best experience at the time, later tried the GearVR, my friends cellphone was low on battery so fps's where very low, got motion sick has well, for more than a hour, that experience didn't made me hate VR one bit but made me realize, how bad VR can be on Cellphones even expensive ones.

How could VR on cellphones not be terrible? A cellphone is like half the size of a standalone mid range graphics card. The laws of physics alone should tell you that the quality of the experience is going to be very limited.

[Eisberg]

I wouldn't recommend going with the MS headsets. They're not really comparable. If you're going to spend $250 anyway, you might as well just cough up the extra money for a Rift (only $100 more) or Vive. Rift is cheaper, but Vive is better for larger areas. For smaller areas it makes little difference so the Rift has the clear advantage on price. Either will be way better than anything a smart phone can do.



How could VR on cellphones not be terrible? A cellphone is like half the size of a standalone mid range graphics card. The laws of physics alone should tell you that the quality of the experience is going to be very limited.

Riftcat doesn't use the graphics chip on the cellphone other than to display what it is streaming. The graphics card on the computer is still doing all the work.

[Nagorak]

Riftcat doesn't use the graphics chip on the cellphone other than to display what it is streaming. The graphics card on the computer is still doing all the work.

Ahh, well that's better at least, although tracking still probably won't be as good. Honestly the only way to really find out for yourself is to compare them. Maybe, you could buy a Rift from some place with a liberal return policy and then just send it back if you're not satisfied.

[Eisberg]

Ahh, well that's better at least, although tracking still probably won't be as good. Honestly the only way to really find out for yourself is to compare them. Maybe, you could buy a Rift from some place with a liberal return policy and then just send it back if you're not satisfied.

As far as tracking the 6DOF, in Overload it felt like real time. I think my phone being tethered to the computer is the biggest reason for such a low latency.

bestbuy has a demo setup for Occulus Rift, I might go check that out. Or I might wait till my Niece's husband bleeds enough to get one and try his out.

Yes, my niece's husband is literally going to bleed for the HTC Vive. He is donating Plasma in which they pay you for your plasma, and he is going to keep on doing this till he has enough saved up for the HTC Vive

[jjjayb]

As far as tracking the 6DOF, in Overload it felt like real time. I think my phone being tethered to the computer is the biggest reason for such a low latency.

bestbuy has a demo setup for Occulus Rift, I might go check that out. Or I might wait till my Niece's husband bleeds enough to get one and try his out.

Yes, my niece's husband is literally going to bleed for the HTC Vive. He is donating Plasma in which they pay you for your plasma, and he is going to keep on doing this till he has enough saved up for the HTC Vive

Yes. Go to best buy and try it out. That's why I ended up getting the Rift. I have a GearVr and it was neat but based on it, I didn't see the point in spending $300-400 for a real system. I went to best buy and their Rift demo wasn't working, but they had the microsoft mixed reality sets working so I got to try it. 2 minutes in and I was sold on real VR. Of course I didn't get the Microsoft mixed reality headset, I got the Rift, but it gave me enough of an idea of what it was like that I knew it was worth spending the money.

[delirium121]

I wouldn't recommend going with the MS headsets. They're not really comparable.

Actually from what i seen on various reviews they're not bad, just a shame about the controllers.

[delirium121]

Exactly right, and this is why the new Rift headset is going to do more harm to VR than good. It is essentially crap phone VR, and not the real deal. People are going to try it, hate it, and be like oh yeah VR that sucks I tried it,a nd it was awful. Fact of the matter even, decent VR right now kind of blows, and phone is exponentially worse.

yep I thought the same
Why Oculus haven't just released this a MR set i don't know.

Hopefully with this tech (e.g. the new internal lenses = no god rays, improved focus area (which Oculus is already way ahead on compare to it's competitors)) & the internal curved screens the CV2 will be something special (i'm guessing this will be a MR version).

I'm really hoping the CV2 will include QLED screens.

[Nagorak]

Just a heads up, the Vive is on sale for $500 right now at the Microsoft Store, and the TP Cast is $250.

[andino]

I have a HTC Vive. Had it for a few months now.

I love the hell out of the thing. It's made me interested in computer gaming again. It's about the only thing I game on now. I'd say I spend at least 80% of the time gaming in it.

As for the blurry stuff, I found it a little blurry at first. It took me a while to get the straps just right. I went ahead and got the Deluxe Audio Strap and it really did fix all my problems. I apparently didn't have the vive strapped in right. Once I got that audio strap it has a click adjustment in the back that tightens it down better and all my blurries went away.

As for the motion sickness, I had issues with that at first. Still do if I get movement that I am not controlling. I can't do anything that shakes the POV and I don't like that manual walking in games. It gives me vertigo a bit. I have to say, though, that I am doing MUCH better with it now.

I more than likely overkill that little thing with my 2 X 980ti SLI. I haven't had issue one with stutters. I even upped my Super-sampling in Steam VR Settings to 2.0 which is like 2138X2376. Still don't have any issues.

About the only complaint that I have is that it can get a little steamy in the headset if you are playing active games. Other than that it is a blast to play with.

I tried the Microsoft gear at a best buy this last weekend. I wasn't impressed at all. The whole thing felt flimsy. The tracking wasn't near as smooth as the Vive. The graphics wasn't nearly as neat either. I asked about the video card that was used to run it. They had a 1080 on it. It just didn't feel as fluid as the vive did. It is considerably cheaper than the Vive. But if I played on that for too long I think I would have gotten sick. It stuck from time to time with movement and then my eyes shifted too much. It was just out of sync or something just enough to make it almost unplayable for me. I asked the demo guy if that was as smooth as it got and he said that it was so I can only assume that it was performing at optimal levels. Donno. It was just clunky.

Honestly though, if you are looking into VR you might need to go to a mall or someplace that demos then and look for the system that feels most comfortable to you. I had bad experiences with VR before so I was hesitant. It was only after I stopped in a Microsoft store that was demoing the Vive that I got excited. I played on it for about 10~15 minutes and felt fine. I went home that day and ordered one online.