Virtual Reality

[brat-sampson]

I understand, but it's a real shame to me that 2/3 of my most-wanted VR Games (Alyx, Astrobot and Beat Saber) are exclusive to separate platforms.

EDIT New page dimension in Play.

[Blue Jam]

Legend Gary buys a Quest 2:

https://www.inputmag.com/tech/this-bloke-recreated-his-local-pub-in-vr-so-he-can-drink-with-his-mates

Alright, I confess: I found this looking for a pub theme for my home environment on the Quest, trying to make me some Gary goggles.

Got the spaceship atm, seemed the obvious choice. I like the not-so-compact Swiss chalet you get with the Netflix app too, the idea of a fake home cinema seemed a bit gimmicky until I tried it, loving looking out at the snow-capped mountains from the comfort of my virtual sofa.

I'm beginning to understand why people build replicas of the Oval Office or the bridge of the Starship Enterprise in their homes, a room where they can go for some pure escapism. VR is like a cheaper and easier version of that. For me the only downside with VR over that is taking the headset off and suddenly being aware of how badly my non-VR home environment needs tidying and hoovering.

What happens if you play a game with a drunkenness mechanic in VR? Imagine the acid trip bit in Wolfenstein: The New Order (which I am reliably informed is quite a realistic simulation). Cor:

https://youtu.be/fLE8MXDQ_nI

[El Unicornio, mang]

Legend Gary buys a Quest 2:

https://www.inputmag.com/tech/this-bloke-recreated-his-local-pub-in-vr-so-he-can-drink-with-his-mates

Alright, I confess: I found this looking for a pub theme for my home environment on the Quest, trying to make me some Gary goggles.

Got the spaceship atm, seemed the obvious choice. I'm beginning to understand why people build replicas of the Oval Office or the bridge of the Starship Enterprise in their homes, a room where they can go for some pure escapism. VR is like a cheaper and easier version of that. For me the only downside with VR over that is taking the headset off and suddenly being aware of how badly my non-VR home environment needs tidying and hoovering.

What happens if you play a game with a drunkenness mechanic in VR? Imagine the acid trip bit in Wolfenstein: The New Order (which I am reliably informed is quite a realistic simulation). Cor:

https://youtu.be/fLE8MXDQ_nI

I tried something along similar lines, using Unreal Engine. Google street view works in VR, so you can actually just export the 3d photo data of your street from there into the Unreal editor VR template as the background, then put figures, models etc in the scene and export it to the headset as an APK file to play, and you can wander round and pick things up etc. I didn't spend as long as that person though, just did it as a test. Fun though, and it opens up a lot of possibilities.

On that subject, going to your address on Google Earth and flying over your neighbourhood then going down to street level and walking around is a lot of fun.

Red Dead Redemption 2 can be played in VR and has quite a long drunk scene, I'm tempted to try it although I get queasy just doing the driving games so I'd probably barf.

[Blue Jam]

Was a bit concerned that Beat Saber for the Quest might not be as fun without the hooky custom songs you can use with the PC version.

Now thinking I may be Camellia's new biggest fan. Gotta love a bit of brutal Japanese EDM:

https://youtu.be/ZH2fjP-MU_4

Seriously, this thing is genuinely taking me back to my days in Japan, and the arcades with proper advanced rhythm games which are generally much less bleak than the ones you find on our windswept shores.

[AsparagusTrevor]

Was a bit concerned that Beat Saber for the Quest might not be as fun without the hooky custom songs you can use with the PC version.

Fear not, you can actually do custom songs for Quest with a mod called BMBF, for when you get bored of the OST or DLC songs.

[Blue Jam]

Thanks for that Asparagus Trevor, I will look into that when I get bored of Camellia but I suspect that will take a while.

Red Dead Redemption 2 can be played in VR and has quite a long drunk scene

...where you not only get drunk and do the Hokey-Cokey, you also have a first-person piss. Might have to try that. As a woman it'd be like playing a Man Simulator.

[Blue Jam]

Just tried Echo VR and nearly fell over. Not quite ready for my spacewalk yet.

Loving Thrill Of The Fight. Just had a little go as I've just been for a run but that was knackering enough. Having a choice of virtual punchbags is good too.

Was eulogising about the Quest 2 to a friend just after my first go on it on Saturday afternoon. Sunday night and my headset pings- he's sending me a friend request from his brand new headset. Heheheh... hey, Mark Zuckerberg, gissa job as a sales rep.

[imitationleather]

How much space do you have to use it, Blue Jam?

I'm a bit concerned my flat is too small for it.

[Blue Jam]

Depends on the game. There are some you can play sitting down, some where you have to move around a little, and the roomscale ones which require, well, a big room. My flat's not huge either and I had been a bit concerned about The Thrill Of The Fight but on setting it up it told me my guardian boundary contained adequate space. Think it was 1.6m², which was a bit more than the minimum required. You play that in a little virtual boxing ring and don't have to stray very far at all, it's mainly about the arms. You can play Beat Saber with even less space than that.

Just make sure you're not going to be knocking over plant pots and glasses and things. It's the arm movements you've got to worry about. Also the controllers come with adjustable wrist straps to stop you accidentally hurling one through a window, bit like Wii controllers, so no worries there either.

I've felt pretty safe playing with it so far, apart from that experience with Echo VR. Think that one's for sitting down with, at least until I get the hang of moving in virtual zero gravity. The weightlessness mechanic in that is impressive alright.

[El Unicornio, mang]

Yeah, your boundary doesn't have to be a specific shape, you manually "spray" all the areas which don't contain furniture/walls etc so if you keep the doors open you can use your entire apartment floor area really, obviously with some spaces being narrower than others. If you can use a space in real life, you can use it in VR. I tend to just use my back room space but I did set it once so it was going into the kitchen, front room, hallway etc, quite fun. Going to try it and add the back garden when it gets nicer out. Although you have to be aware of doors being closed and forgetting, pets underfoot etc. Also a lot of games allow you to "teleport" using the thumbstick, and as has been mentioned there are some where you sit down to play anyway.

I played Lone Echo (similar game to Echo VR) sitting down, it's all moving yourself around using walls and stuff to propel yourself so works fine.

Glad you're enjoying Thrill of the Fight so far BJ, I got up to Endurance difficulty but the opponents are kicking my butt so I've been doing workouts on the heavy bag, four 2 min sessions, decent cardio workout.

[peanutbutter]

2m X 2m will be enough space for most games. I played Beat Saber for months with about that and it was rarely an issue.

I'll probably get Thrill of the fight soon, have about a dozen PC vr games to get to too but I'll need to sort out virtual desktop stuff cos the desktop is in a different room

[Blue Jam]

Yeah, your boundary doesn't have to be a specific shape, you manually "spray" all the areas which don't contain furniture/walls etc

And you get a spraycan sound effect!

And in The Thrill Of The Fight your hands turn into boxing gloves and you choose options by punching them!

And in Beat Saber if you touch the sabers you get sparks flying and the rumble motors in the controllers go off!

And in Echo Arena you have robot arms with jet thrusters on them!

The developers are clearly enjoying being playful with all these nice little touches, there's so much new scope for creativity with VR and developers seem to have been really inspired by it. I'm not usually an early adopter of new tech but I'm genuinely very excited to be watching this standalone VR taking off.

[AsparagusTrevor]

Speaking of furniture and the boundary, they're beta testing a feature where you can add your sofa into the VR world. I can't decide whether it's stupid or awesome.

[Blue Jam]

Netflix's sofa is much nicer than mine.

Can you get a little VR beacon you can attach to your pet's collar? Evidently that would be very handy. EDIT: already been done, damn:

https://vrscout.com/projects/real-time-vr-pet-tracker-cat/

[El Unicornio, mang]

Speaking of furniture and the boundary, they're beta testing a feature where you can add your sofa into the VR world. I can't decide whether it's stupid or awesome.

Yeah it works quite well. A feature to add open container drinks would have been useful for me when I first got the headset...

I tend to lie down on my sofa when I watch movies in the Virtual Desktop cinema auditorium environment, which gives the slightly weird sensation of having my feet up on the seat in front of me except my legs are invisible.

Netflix's sofa is much nicer than mine.

Can you get a little VR beacon you can attach to your pet's collar? Evidently that would be very handy. EDIT: already been done, damn:

https://vrscout.com/projects/real-time-vr-pet-tracker-cat/

This could be useful. I've nearly broken my neck tripping over my cat even without the VR headset on several times, it's only a matter of time...

[Blue Jam]

Anyone trying to put a little jacket on a cat is braver than I am.

I will be getting a doggo at some point, hopefully in the not too distant future, and it will almost certainly be some kind of Trip Hazard Terrier, so I hope VR collar tag technology is sufficiently advanced by then.

I wouldn't dare have a drink while immersed in VR. I still haven't got over trying to rub my eye because I've forgotten there's a headset in the way.

Just downloaded the free Unity VR software and will be having a go at making a little game in that. Probably something very stupid because I am a child but it's great to feel this inspired.

[buntyman]

Good to see some more enthusiasm for VR on here. I must admit I haven't used my Quest as much since lockdown ended in NZ as there's no getting around how unsociable it is when you have more limited hours at home with your partner in the evenings. I do still pick up the occasional new game in the sales though, the latest being The Room which is a great addition to the series. I do find though that the puzzle exploration-type games work the least well if you don't have much floor space. Even with the teleport system I find myself often having to step back and reset my view and the appearance of the grid takes you out of the moment a bit.
I see that Half Life Alyx is 40% off on Steam at the moment so if your PC is up to the job that seem pretty unanimously the best VR game going at the moment. Sadly my PC was slow and stuttery when I tried it so had to get my money back on it.
The games are quite expensive generally so it takes a while to accumulate the best ones but I think I've got quite a good range of about 10 now, a mixture of shooting, sports, exercise and puzzles. I wish there was a platformer game of the quality of Astrobot for the Quest. Would anyone recommend Moss? It looks okay but not sure it's worth the money.

[Ferris]

Unrelated, but buntyman have you found the good people at student loans have given it a rest?

I told them to fuck off about 18 months ago and not heard a peep since. Stopped paying them in October when I resigned from my old job and they're nowhere to be found. Probably because I've not given them my new address (or told them I moved 1,000 miles away) but still, my mail is being forwarded (for another few months anyway) and they've not sent me anything.

[buntyman]

The student loan creditors can't find me in my SUPERHOT virtual world and if they did, they'd get what's coming to them.

_{More boring answer: After a lot of effort back and forth I managed to finally work out some sort of regular repayment plan that wasn't the ludicrous amount they were initially asking for. I intend to go back to the UK at some point so don't want to be stung by some fines from them when I eventually do. That said, everyone else i've met here from the UK with a student loan has just told them to fuck off.}

[imitationleather]

How long do we think it will be until we can just plug ourselves in to VR 24/7 and forget about this terrible world?

I'd like it to be within five years please.

[Blue Jam]

How long do we think it will be until we can just plug ourselves in to VR 24/7 and forget about this terrible world?

This was kind of my motivation for getting the Quest 2 ngl

[El Unicornio, mang]

How long do we think it will be until we can just plug ourselves in to VR 24/7 and forget about this terrible world?

I'd like it to be within five years please.

It's already kind of there. You really do feel detached from the real world when you have the headset on, then you take it off and look around and are like "urgh, take me back". Although it's not comfortable enough for me to want to have it on 24/7. Two hours tops.

There's already VR technology with glasses that are pretty much just like regular glasses though, and the headsets will get smaller, lighter, more field of view, better quality, more interactive, etc.

[nugget]

I was on the fence about getting a Quest 2 for ages but Blue Jam's enthusiasm here has encouraged me to get one.

The only game I have so far is Tetris and it is amazing. I can literally sit down and play that for 1-2 hours and be completely absorbed by the simple mechanics of the game, as well as the gorgeous sounds and visuals, for the entire time. It's almost like a meditation. In the real world I can barely focus on anything long enough to make a cup of tea, so that's quite something.

Loads of good recommendations here, Beat Saber is definitely going to be my next purchase. Actually, I'm quite surprised at how expensive all the games and apps seem to be. I was expecting more free/cheap content, like you'd get on Android/IOS, for some reason.

[Blue Jam]

Yaaaaaaay! Think I'm about to persuade a third person to buy one too. C'mon Zuck, gissa job.

Can't get on with Echo Arena. Getting over the motion sickness now and the motionless feeling is impressive alright but I can't be doing with kids gliding past me and punching me in the head while I'm still struggling to fly in the right direction. It's like PE all over again.

Never been a huge fan of Tetris but could be tempted to give it a go on the Quest. Part of the reason why I got the Quest and have never been tempted by the Switch was that I'm not much of a casual gamer, my attention span is shot to fuck and games are the one thing that focus it somewhat. I like Beat Saber because if you lose focus for a second you fail and that's the kind of kick up the arse a scatterbrain like me needs. The idea of Tetris as a meditation is intriguing to me now.

[Blue Jam]

Anyone played Rez Infinite? The Oculus store now has that on offer with Tetris. Worth picking up both?

[El Unicornio, mang]

Haven't played that one, looks interesting.

Worth mentioning that https://sidequestvr.com/apps/staffpicks/1/rating has a lot of premium quality free games, including Pavlov: Shack which is considered the best first person shooter VR game on the market. It's also multiplayer.

[nugget]

Anyone played Rez Infinite? The Oculus store now has that on offer with Tetris. Worth picking up both?

I picked it up yesterday with a nice discount since I had purchased Tetris separately a few days ago. Probably would have been cheaper to buy the bundle, however I wasn't aware of it at the time so was really glad not to have to pay full price.

I've played through the first few stages and have enjoyed it a lot so far, although I'm not entirely sure yet what's going on in the game, apart from having to shoot down everything that moves. I absolutely love the aesthetics, and, like with Tetris, the game mechanics are very simple yet all-consuming. It seems like a pretty short game that you would play through multiple times to get 'better' at and just to enjoy the experience. I'm a total sucker for these types of games so getting both this and Tetris was a no-brainer.

Thanks to El Unicornio for the link, seems like a good resource for stuff to mess around with without having to spend a lot of money.

[Blue Jam]

Haven't played that one, looks interesting.

Worth mentioning that https://sidequestvr.com/apps/staffpicks/1/rating has a lot of premium quality free games, including Pavlov: Shack which is considered the best first person shooter VR game on the market. It's also multiplayer.

Yes, thanks for the link El Unicornio. Looks like a good little resource.

Pavlov: Shack looks right up my street but I doubt I've got the room in my flat to play it. Does it involve any walking around?

[El Unicornio, mang]

There's a lot of walking around but you can either do it for real, or you can use the thumbstick. I think pretty much everyone uses the latter anyway, the maps are too big to actually physically walk them (unless you play it in a big field or something). As long as you have room to stand up/turn around/crouch you're good to go. There's a tutorial level which shows you how to do all the things, loading your gun, movement, aim, etc. You might get a little bit of motion sickness at first, walking in game while standing still in real life can be a bit weird. But as with the driving games you get used to it eventually.

Here's a guy playing it (and instructions for setting up Sidequest/installing the game)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjlkFztwx-Q&ab_channel=VirtualRealityOasis

Although actually with the recent update to the Quest 2 which got rid of the need for sidequest faffing about, I think you can install it directly from the game page by clicking "install to headset"

[Non Stop Dancer]

You should 100% get Rez. It's great on a telly, incredible in VR.