05-16-2016 04:50 AM
05-20-2016 12:57 AM
Zoomie said:
Quick question @FokkerFace, is your rig mounted on the ceiling?
05-20-2016 03:19 AM
05-20-2016 03:22 AM
Right, so for the past 2 days I've had the option to really put a Vive to the test.
One thing is clear, both parties rushed to release earlier (or at the very least around the same time) than the other.
For the Rift this results in having to wait for Touch and for Vive this results in a headset that in a lot of ways is a dev kit.
The Vive controllers are good, they track really well but ergonomically they leave some things to be desired in my opinion. As for the headset itself, I would say it has NO ergonomics.
Weight distribution is not quite right, the cable can tug quite a bit, no integrated sound is a mistake in my opinion and I find the image quality to be perceived as less than the Rift, I don't see much of an FOV increase (I wear glasses in both), Also it gets very sweaty, even compared to wearing the Rift and moving around
This is a system that is fun to use and works well, but could do with a bit more polish.
On the other hand you have the Rift, which is a very polished headset with excellent ergonomics but it launched without the Touch controllers and there are currently questions if it can do roomscale as well as the Vive does.
On top of that it seems Oculus is trying to steer dev attention away from 360 degree roomscale.
This is clearly also a mistake.
Obviously this is yet another opinion piece and your experience may be different but right now I feel I want the functionality of the Vive with the ergonomics and display of the Rift.
It makes you think that if Oculus and Valve had stuck together and created one system it would have been the best of both worlds.
Now for the obligatory: If I could only buy one headset? question.
I don't really want to answer this conclusively until after Touch launches but considering I spend a lot of time in simulators (flying and driving) right now I would still prefer a Rift for the above mentioned reasons.
They are both cool devices though, and both are short on killer apps.
It's going to be an interesting second half of the year for sure.
I'll give the Vive back to my mate and I may buy one eventually, but not until there are full-fledged games utilizing hand controllers and Roomscale, and if by that time the Rift turns out to have Touch and work just as well, I may not bother at all.
05-20-2016 07:30 AM
@CharlieHobbes I am wondering how the Rift will hold up in the more active room-scale titles though. It has a shorter HMD cable, no breakout box, less FOV, and there is material in between your face and the components. One Rift user has already reported damp hair caused condensation under the lenses, so the facemask cloth might be light, but might not stand up to the steam and sweat that will inevitably happen when playing the more active games.
05-20-2016 07:54 AM
ThreeDeeVision said:
@CharlieHobbes I am wondering how the Rift will hold up in the more active room-scale titles though. It has a shorter HMD cable, no breakout box, less FOV, and there is material in between your face and the components. One Rift user has already reported damp hair caused condensation under the lenses, so the facemask cloth might be light, but might not stand up to the steam and sweat that will inevitably happen when playing the more active games.
05-20-2016 08:13 AM
@ThreeDeeVision At the moment I'm mostly concerned with things that Oculus can't solve. They can cheaply and easily surprise everyone with extension cables and a breakout link (similar to a wired Xbox controller) packaged with Touch. It wouldn't have to be a full breakout box like Vive since the Rift only uses a single HDMI cable. The Rift does have a smaller FOV but I don't think this would prevent the Rift from playing room scale experiences. You're better positioned to answer this than I am, obviously.
Thinking about it, two cables bundled with Touch would solve most of these problems. An HDMI extension with a quick disconnect link will solve the length and break out (box) problems. A USB 3 active extension paired with the second camera will give users the option to place the camera in the optimal position for 360 tracking of the Touch controls. The headset will work regardless of where you put the second camera because of the rear LED's. I think Oculus should strongly consider the benefits of bundling $10 worth of cables with the Touch to support this. The only reason to not do this is if Constellation really can't handle tracking something like a 5m x 5m volume. This very well could be true, but most developer leaks and my own experiences with a single camera suggest it should work just fine.
Oculus has been silent about room-scale experiences lately but it does seem like they've asked developers to focus on front facing, based on the recommended two camera setup. Even if this trend continues, the Vive 360 experiences should work with the Rift as long as you're willing to use an extension for the rear camera. This would also mean that any Oculus titles would be playable on the Vive, but might not take advantage of full 360 facing.
I expect Oculus to make an announcement at E3 next month.
I can't see the Rift headset being any worse than the Vive in terms of sweat and condensation. The Rift has the nose gap and cloth covering that should permit more airflow. The faceplate with the Rift is harder sponge, and it doesn't seem to soak sweat even compared to my DK2. YMMV if you have a VR Cover or if we gain access to softer faceplates in the future.
05-20-2016 10:09 AM
CharlieHobbes said:
They are both cool devices though, and both are short on killer apps.
05-20-2016 01:04 PM
ThreeDeeVision said:
@CharlieHobbes I am wondering how the Rift will hold up in the more active room-scale titles though. It has a shorter HMD cable, no breakout box, less FOV, and there is material in between your face and the components. One Rift user has already reported damp hair caused condensation under the lenses, so the facemask cloth might be light, but might not stand up to the steam and sweat that will inevitably happen when playing the more active games.
05-20-2016 05:19 PM
05-20-2016 08:46 PM
darkcrayon said:
IMO having a camera on the HMD is pretty important for proper room scale unless you're in some kind of dedicated VR gaming facility. Not that someone couldn't make a little USB addon you attach to the CV1. But out of the box it's a major advantage in room scale (for me) in the Vive. And I think we have yet to see (in real home environments) how well room scale will work with a second camera that comes with Touch.