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VR overhyped?

Anonymous
Not applicable
I am a huge fan and have been following and spreading the word of vr and oculus obsessively since John Carmack showed off the duct tape prototype at quakecon.

I whole heartedly believe vr to be part of gaming's future.

I have had my rift 2 weeks now, being on holiday I have been able to invest a lot of time into gaming, testing and building things in unreal engine 4 for the rift.

I have been lucky to be immune to all forms of sim sickess, but I have also never experienced presence or even deep immersion on the dk2.
my previous experience with vr before the dk2 was with dactyl nightmare as a young boy.

so here's my problem... I know the current rift is a developer hardware platform and people will say not to judge it because of that, and while I agree I am not judging it against a consumer platform but rather the hype from all sources about it.
Also bear in mind dev kit or not its still the most sophisticated and affordable vr experience consumers have been able to get their hands on.

so why does it just feel like a low resolution 3d monitor strapped to my face?
I cant begin to recount the years of reading about "users feeling like they were transported to another place" with the dk1 let alone dk2... the youtube videos and reaction compilations...

why don't I get any of that? I have an open mind, a powerful computer and not unrealistic expectations from the hardware... but not once has it even fooled an iota of my brain... which is likely why I get no sim sickness.

the resolution is way too low for me perhaps? I don't even think 1440p will cut it.
the fov is much lower than people would have you believe... it's less "a window to another world" and more like looking at something through a toilet paper tube covered in fine mesh.

is it fun to use regardless? absolutely for the 3d and head tracking alone yes.
It does not induce presence for me however,the immersion is increased but the trade off in resolution and visibility aren't really worth it.

Tldr: do you think people in the media and industry hyped the rift? or are you blown away and its simply me who is not affected by it?
110 REPLIES 110

Sharpfish
Heroic Explorer
"RorschachPhoenix" wrote:
"Itsinthemind" wrote:
Yes, you have listed good points why VR is not yet ready, but Cresent Bay already addresses many of these issues.


I watched the livestream. Amazing anouncement! But I have to keep my expectations low this time.

"Itsinthemind" wrote:
I am not yet convinced by the gaming aspect, but that will probably change once we are getting more used to this new medium and big AAA developers with the million dollar budgets will join in.


I agree. I tested 12 demos or something, but there was no "real" game. It felt like nice experiments but nothing tangible.

Funny thing: I tested the DK2 on gamescom. On the same day I tested Alien: Isolation (without OR) and felt way more immersed. Because the game builds great immersion. Graphics, Sound, Design... only the controller bothers me (PC player - keyboard and mouse is everything to me).



Seriously this is mostly a software issue. You mentioned exactly the problem. You played some trivial, cartoony demos and then played alien isolation (Non rift version) and felt it was way better. The latter is of course made to immerse and is inline with the kind of experience most of us VR nuts have dreamed of. DK2 certainly has flaws that don't help immersion BUT in my time with my DK2 I've found that it's software more than hardware letting it down, and when the software is good everything feels good.

Sadly all the software currently available is only a hint at what's to come so people are forming opinions based on NON addictive 'experiences' that are designed to impress for a minute or two and then leave you feeling unimpressed. Take when the PS4 came out for example, a decent upgrade to the PS3 yet there wasn't really anything to show it off so many buyers probably felt unimpressed (and may remain so until UC4 or a proper Last of us Sequel... the next GT etc).

The hardware definitely has to improve and Crescent bay appears to be a stepping stone towards 'bare minimum' hardware to do VR justice. I agree the FOV could and should be better in the future if we want better immersion, and certainly the resolution needs to be. However even in DK2 when you actually own one and use it, you recalibrate to the pixel density and ignore it automatically *IF* the software is done well. In my own software I'm working on I design so as not to highlight the low res/aliasing etc, and things feel super solid and immersive because the DK2's flaws are not being amplified. Many if not most of the available 'demos' currently for VR simply don't follow great design rules for VR, most are just cool ideas slapped into a HMD and hoping for the best (not ALL, there are a couple of standouts that really took time to try to do VR well given current constraints).

It is still being worked on, the hardware and the software and once all the kinks are worked out things are going to be great. It's a bit like the dawn of videogames all over again, seriously, so much old thinking has to go, so many new solutions need to be found but it's exciting because it's a challenge and an opportunity. Within a couple of years we'll have amazing HMDs, proper VR controls and AAA built for VR games. THAT is when VR should be judged, not now based on essentially prototypes and works in progress.

Some of us when we don a DK2 can see the possibilities of VR and what it's hinting at, as I guess Luckey himself did when he made his first successful prototype a couple of years back. THAT is what is exciting about VR as it stands today, the fact we are finally on the right track and the ball is rolling. I see the flaws of the DK2 but I see the exciting future it also hints at even more. It invokes my imagination even with the simplest of scenes about 'what if?' which traditional gaming had not done in a few years. And to know it's just going to get better and better means we shouldn't worry so much right now about the technicalities and focus on being creative and looking to the (near) future.

DK2 is no consumer product, nor is Crescent bay. CV1 will be a much different experience all round from software to hardware to ergonomics.
EX DK2/VIVE/PSVR/CV1/Q2/PSVR2 | Currently Quest Pro (PCVR) | VR developer
RTX 3080 FE / 12900k / Windows 11 Pro

RorschachPhoeni
Trustee
"Sharpfish" wrote:
Walloftext


Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I agree on all points. 🙂
Excuse my bad english. I speak to you through the google translator. 😛

Sharpfish
Heroic Explorer
"RorschachPhoenix" wrote:
"Sharpfish" wrote:
Walloftext


Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I agree on all points. 🙂


Hey I'm passionate about VR so I have a lot of thoughts. 🙂 better than having none.
EX DK2/VIVE/PSVR/CV1/Q2/PSVR2 | Currently Quest Pro (PCVR) | VR developer
RTX 3080 FE / 12900k / Windows 11 Pro

RorschachPhoeni
Trustee
"Sharpfish" wrote:
"RorschachPhoenix" wrote:
"Sharpfish" wrote:
Walloftext


Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I agree on all points. 🙂


Hey I'm passionate about VR so I have a lot of thoughts. 🙂 better than having none.


For me it takes forever to write a text in english. So, I couldn't share all my thoughts, even if I wanted to.
I try to write only if I can contribute to something. Or I write nothing. Sometimes it's not the badest choise. 😉
Excuse my bad english. I speak to you through the google translator. 😛

Vercci
Honored Guest
It is completely overhyped.

It doesn't mean that it's not going to be good.
NZ DK2 Order: May 26, 2014 06:00 PM PDT Status:Delivery Complete

GoldenRetroGames
Heroic Explorer
I don't believe VR is overhyped. I think a major problem is that some people have unrealistic expectations.

RorschachPhoeni
Trustee
"goldenegg" wrote:
I don't believe VR is overhyped. I think a major problem is that some people have unrealistic expectations.


And that is (in my opinion) caused by all the youtube videos with the screaming people.
Excuse my bad english. I speak to you through the google translator. 😛

Mikey_fresh
Explorer
Affordable vr is in it's infancy it will push technology
To new heights I have felt immersion personally but
This is just the beginning trust me you should see
The reaction of people I've shown it too mostly the
Words that come out of their mouths is oh WOW

VizionVR
Rising Star
My two cents:
A lot of the hype comes not from what we currently have to work with, but from the potential of VR. It's the stuff we don't yet have that keeps a lot of us excited about VR. There are current games and apps that are overhyped (I wont name names), but VR, by itself, has been a dream for decades.
Not a Rift fanboi. Not a Vive fanboi. I'm a VR fanboi. Get it straight.

vrcover
Explorer
Its the next medium that will replace TV so of course it is overhyped. Just with the invention of cars it will take a few years until the industry has found their baseline. Just look at AntVR or 3D Head... lots of people want to ride the hype wave.