VR: any good or wot?

[HappyTree]

I tried Kinect. Was 'kin shit. I tried 3D. Was shod-dee.

I've never tried VR. Is this the one?

Closest I've come is sitting right in front of the 55" telly when playing GTA. It's disorientating. When you play these types of game you're turning your view around very quickly. And my eyes can't follow the speed at which the scenery moves past. Does that mean I'll find VR similarly dizzying or do you turn more realistically slowly when using VR?

I infer from this that you can't bolt on VR to any game, it has to be designed for it in the first place. But who am I to say?

[Twed]

Yeah, it's affecting. I think the most important thing to try is being on a ledge that you have to step off. I've seen people unable to do it, finding it as emotionally difficult as a real ledge where you would die.

The whole deal is a stamina depleter though, and the returns are diminishing. For me, I'm a-steppin' off ledges and then putting the thing away.

[Rich Uncle Skeleton]

Jeez that sounds pretty grim when you put it like that.

Want to play GTA V with VR so badly but I don't play games often enough to justify the cost though and I'll probably get nightmares or simply freak out with that ledge business...

[hewantstolurkatad]

Pfft, can't be bothered. In about 5 years they'll have it all figured out and packed into phones.

[colacentral]

I get that ledge thing from games on the regular TV. The giant cliff you're goaded into jumping off in Breath of the Wild is a recent example that made me feel sick.

I do worry that I would have some sort of breakdown if seeing sufficiently horrid / scary stuff through VR. On the other hand, if the resolution and everything else got realistic enough it would be a great way to experience dangerous things in a risk free environment. I dread to think what kind of psychopaths will be produced from a generation of kids having access to realistic VR gore and porn though.

[Twed]

I get that ledge thing from games on the regular TV. The giant cliff you're goaded into jumping off in Breath of the Wild is a recent example that made me feel sick.

Imagine it essentially being real. Forget regular 3D crap where stuff comes out the screen/page about, but imagine you have the full sense of a 1000 metre drop. It is visually real. It's a trite phrase to use, but it's really like a religious experience to launch yourself off that ledge and fall. And then once you've done it, wanting to do it willingly, all fear of heights gone and a feeling of control and invincibility instilled in you.

Until you've really experienced it you just can't comment. It is as visually affecting as can possibly be. The only debate to be had is how fulfilling it is (or not) to hack your senses like that. I will always stick to small doses so that it's always special.

I do worry that I would have some sort of breakdown if seeing sufficiently horrid / scary stuff through VR.

Yeah. You might. I've seen people cower and be on the verge of tears. I think they were all glad they did it though.

[hewantstolurkatad]

I dread to think what kind of psychopaths will be produced from a generation of kids having access to realistic VR gore and porn though.

It could go the other way too though. I think it's fairly possible a lot of people who otherwise would've gone insane via sexual frustrations and repeated rejections will just retreat to wanking their lives away. I feel like there's gonna be at least a hell of a lot of men completely giving up on pursuing relationships once the VR experience reaches a certain level.

[Twed]

Yeah, that seems possible. Once consumer VR is here at a realistic price and in everybody's home, I think it's going to explode.

I think it has a lot of scope for positive good too, like exposure therapy. Fear of heights isn't a problem, but Oculus helped me out here. It would surely be excellent for driving lessons too.

[Beagle 2]

I had some fun messing about on my Samsung Gear VR but it's gathering dust in a corner now. I tried a couple of horror games, just simple stuff where you walk around a house and things are jumping around in your peripheral vision, and had to turn them off through being a scaredy poo pants. Other games seemed pretty shit. Videos were interesting but only in the highest resolution are they that impressive. But you do get a real sense of scale, for example the White House tour - I had no idea the place was that big.

[Ham Bap]

I got PSVR for Christmas and got rid of it a couple of weeks ago. Just not for me. I don't think the supporting technology is there yet. It was still a tad fuzzy on my big Ultra HD TV downstairs. So I'm guessing you need a better 4K Tv and a PSPro but even then I still don't know how better it is.

The PSVR also relies on the PS camera which is old technology. Honestly the hassle of setting it up, calibrating the headset in front of the camera, every side of the headset, making sure there were no light sources affecting the picture etc etc sucked the life out of me. The amount of extra cables and leads too, fuck me. I also wear glasses too and was terrified of scratching the VR lens. There's been cases of that happening.

If 3DTV collapsed because people couldn't be arsed to just put a pair of 3D glasses on then VR needs to step up its game a hell of a lot better for it to be in everybody's home because it was just hassle and stress.
I also couldn't imagine keeping the headset on for more than an hour at a time max.

Just my personal experiences of it. After all the talk about it after release I was just disappointed. When I traded it in to Game I had to leave it with them for an hour to test, I honestly didn't know if they were going to tell me that it was broke when they tested it.
If what is out today is just a prototype for what will come years done the line then fine otherwise I can't see it surviving.
I also had a look at the PSVR release schedule and couldn't see anything in the horizon I wanted to play at all.
Anyone thinking of picking one up I'd honestly say wait a few years to see what happens. It was a dust gatherer for me. I was never so relieved to finally get rid of the thing.

[AsparagusTrevor]

I've had a PSVR for about 5 months now, and still get decent use out of it. Last weekend I finished Resident Evil 7 which was such a brilliant experience and shows that full AAA games can work wonders on the medium if the developers are willing to put in the effort. I even managed a nearly-uninterrupted five-hour sitting at one point, without feeling uncomfortable from either the headset or VR-sickness. I'm glad I chose to play through first-time in VR.

Yeah it's early days for the tech, but I don't see that as a reason to be put off if you're interested in VR. Technology is always iterative, people didn't defer buying the PSone because there would be better quality hardware in a few years time. I think what they've managed to achieve on the PS4 is quite impressive. The low-resolution screen can be distracting at first but I find once I'm immersed in a landscape surrounding my vision the 3D and sense of scale trumps the pixel count.

[Sebastian Cobb]

And when he removed his VR wanking helmet, he discovered his mum had left him tea and biscuits on his bedside table!

[Squink]

I want to try the VR ledge thing. Where can I find that?

[swordfish_bhoona]

The problem atm is that for the ps4 for example a VR headset costs more than the console itself atm; and there are fuck all games available to make it worth the money. The future of entertainment is staring us in the face though and it is a bit scary. There's definitely different emerging technologies (vr, augmented reality games, snapchat filters/effects) that almost certainly going to be amalgamated so that you can walk around your hometown and be in a completely different world!

[Rolf Lundgren]

I've tried it a few times and each time had to stop because of VR sickness. I don't suffer from motion sickness or anything like that but after about 10 minutes I started to get a headache and feel disoriented. Playing a game for 40 hours like that would leave me an exhausted shell of a man.

What could help is being on your own in a room doing it. If I totally gave myself over to it and sat alone and did it then it would be easier to get immersed but with other people around making noise it kept taking me out of it.

[Dex Sawash]

I had some fun messing about on my Samsung Gear VR but it's gathering dust in a corner now.

Same.

Thought i might get the Samsung controller that just came out to jumpstart my use and add a bigger group of possible games but the controller is another $80.

[Barry Admin]

The problem atm is that for the ps4 for example a VR headset costs more than the console itself atm; and there are fuck all games available to make it worth the money. The future of entertainment is staring us in the face though and it is a bit scary. There's definitely different emerging technologies (vr, augmented reality games, snapchat filters/effects) that almost certainly going to be amalgamated so that you can walk around your hometown and be in a completely different world!

Yes, and I cannot fucking wait. I've been thinking the same, as I've only just recently been able to start playing Ingress and Pokemon Go, and absolutely love them.

Anyway, although most people on here always seem kind of negative about VR, I'd love to be able to get into it myself, and I will say that a lot of Elite Dangerous fans really seem to love it.

[Brundle-Fly]

I've tried it a few times and each time had to stop because of VR sickness. I don't suffer from motion sickness or anything like that but after about 10 minutes I started to get a headache and feel disoriented. Playing a game for 40 hours like that would leave me an exhausted shell of a man.

This is my main concern.  I always have this queasy feeling afterwards that I used to get in the summer as a kid reading comics in the back of the car on long journeys.

interesting Cracked article here
http://www.cracked.com/blog/5-mundane-things-virtual-reality-about-to-make-awesome/

[Lost Oliver]

From my experience, the nausea goes after a little while. It's usually when I'm moving in the game but not IRL (or is it the other way round lmao). I find that it goes after around two minutes of feeling vommy. After I've passed that stage I'm good to play for a while.

[Obel]

I only really want VR for Resi 7 and Thumper. Mainly Thumper, but I'm just not willing to dish out that amount for the PS4 Pro and Headset. It should be called the PS4 Pro-hibitively Expensive, rite?

[AsparagusTrevor]

I only really want VR for Resi 7 and Thumper. Mainly Thumper, but I'm just not willing to dish out that amount for the PS4 Pro and Headset. It should be called the PS4 Pro-hibitively Expensive, rite?

I reckon the PS4 Pro is pretty decently priced for what it is, especially if it's the first PS4 console you're buying.

[Obel]

Therein lies the issue, already have a PS4! If I want a VR headset I want it to be on the best powered console though.

To be fair, I used to have an Oculus Rift and sacked it off because it was gimmicky and there were no proper games for it. If they keep making games that really take advantage of VR like REVII then I'm sure I'll eventually give in.

[AsparagusTrevor]

Therein lies the issue, already have a PS4! If I want a VR headset I want it to be on the best powered console though.

I'm a sucker for wanting the best hardware too but I played through the entirety of RE7 on a regular PS4 and also most of Thumper. Thumper is a game I can't imagine is improved much on PSPro as it has simple, stylised visuals.

To be fair, I used to have an Oculus Rift and sacked it off because it was gimmicky and there were no proper games for it. If they keep making games that really take advantage of VR like REVII then I'm sure I'll eventually give in.

It's true, they need to keep pushing the full, proper games, we've had enough demos and 'experiences' now. RE7 is especially great as it allows regular and VR without a paid upgrade, and the full experience rather than a separate VR mode.

[Dex Sawash]

cba to find the gear vr thread but I just got the samsung gear controller.



The gear visor got used a lot for 2 weeks and then mostly ignored for the last year. In a last ditch effort to justify buying the S7 to get the "free" Gear VR visor, I bought the $40 controller. Works sort of like the wii nunchuk. In menus there is a laser pointer on your screen and you just pull the trigger to select an item, beats all that "look at it and swat at the buttons on your face" by a lot. There is an index finger trigger, palm side has a volume control, back button, home button and a joypad right on top.

Doesn't look like there are a lot of games specifically for the new Samsung controllers yet. Have only played a shooter with zombie cowboys. It is really great though, divorces head movement from target acquisition and ups the immersion quite a lot. "Your" hand is bottom center of screen (like early Doom) and fully articulates with the controller.

This seems like all the buttons an fumbling old klutz like me can use, no way could I use one of the console style controllers without being able to look at it. PS2 was a real stretch of my ability.

[Head Gardener]

[Beagle 2]

Can you use the new Samsung controller as a regular joypad with games that require one? I'm going to have to get one, but wondering whether to just get a cheap android controller for £18 instead of the sexy pointer.

I tried out Dreadhalls tonight with an old controller on which only the left stick works, and it really was shit-scary even just walking around. Want to play properly!

[Dex Sawash]

Can you use the new Samsung controller as a regular joypad with games that require one? I'm going to have to get one, but wondering whether to just get a cheap android controller for £18 instead of the sexy pointer.

I tried out Dreadhalls tonight with an old controller on which only the left stick works, and it really was shit-scary even just walking around. Want to play properly!

I think the Gear controller only pairs inside of the Oculus app. I dont have any normal games to try it with. Not sure how normal games handle the pairing. I know in the phone bluetooth menu it will see the Gear controller but will not connect.

[HappyTree]

And so it begins. At the local shopping centre there's now a unit with 4 booths of VR for rent. Can't remember the price but it'll be something feasible for parents to let their kids do for 15 minutes while they go off wanking shopping. There are screens above the booths so everyone can see what they see.

Looks well rubbish. There are different games and 2 can play at once but the one I saw was some supermarket simulator. In a shopping centre. Next to a real supermarket. Huh???? The kid was waving his hands around and some big glove thing was moving in a badly rendered supermarket. It looked like a bloody Dire Straits video. Thanks Mr Oc Ulose but give me a call in 5 years when it's actually good.

[Head Gardener]

[Brundle-Fly]

The bloke whacking some rope on the ground looks just as daft as the jumping girl. He didn't think it through.