HTC Vive First Impressions

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Byshop

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Edited By Byshop  Moderator
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So I got my HTC Vive around midday yesterday. Sadly, having to be a responsible adult to do things like feed my family I had to resist the urge to just dive in and didn't really get to start even trying to set it up until around 8:30-9:00PM. First of all, the box is freakin' huge:

(Pardon the mess)

Granted, that's the shipping box but it's roughly the size of a full tower case box.

Setup

So to be clear, I don't have my Oculus yet for comparison. I only have my Dev Kit 2 (DK2), so my comparisons between the hardware will be between the DK2 and the consumer version of the Vive. That said, even though I don't have the final version of the Oculus (yet), I can already tell that the Oculus beats that crap out of the Vive in terms of ease of setup, hands down.

Let me explain: The Vive comes with a box full of parts:

  • One Head Mounted Display (HMD) with attached cables
  • Two Motion Controllers with Micro USB cables for charging and firmware updates and AC adapters for each.
  • Two room tracking cubes with power cables for each, and an optional sync cable connect them together if they have sync problems.
    • Mounting hardware for the tracking cubes.
  • One "Link Box" that sits between the HMD and the computer for the HDMI/USB connection, and an AC adapter for it.

No instructions are really provided in the box, so you have to go to HTC's site to download the setup suite. The suite will begin downloading the software necessary to run. It gives you the option of specifying your install directory (which normally isn't a big deal but in its current version Oculus Home does not, which is a source of pain for a lot of people because the install drive is also where Oculus Home downloads all of its games. Symlinks don't seem to work with either the Home software or the downloaded games, but they promised to fix this in a future version). After installing, you are guided through a series of manual setup steps to configure the room tracking, which includes placing (or more likely, mounting) the cubes so that they are sufficiently elevated and have a good visual range of the area. Then you have to run the "Room Setup", which crashed for me about a dozen times. I flipped back to Steam Tools and revalidated the files for Steam VR (Beta) and it re-downloaded 12 files. Ran again, it crashed. Then it claimed that a "controller" wasn't running that was necessary for VR to work. Then my motion controllers needed firmware updates. It was just one thing after another. Eventually, I got my Nvidia drivers updated to the version from last week (which fixed some of the issues even though no error ever told me a video driver was a problem), got the firmware updated on both of my controllers, figured out a good cable setup combination, changed the default audio device, and got all the software running.

By comparison, even though I don't have the Oculus Rift CV1, I have run through the setup for it with my DK2. Downloading Oculus Home, installing, configuring (even though I don't technically have supported hardware), and getting it going all took about 15 minutes before I was downloading my first game. I spent -hours- with the Vive tinkering, googling, etc.

The last part to actually -work- was getting the HMD to display an image. Now to be fair, because the Vive is room scale I was incentivized to run it in a room other than where my computer is located (my office). This added to some of my setup headache, as I had to get a good set of cables running as an extension and that can be tricky, especially with USB and HDMI. I already have this set up between rooms because my PC is set up to run my projector and stereo receiver in the other room, so I borrowed from those. However, the USB hub I was using wasn't sufficient so I had to take it out before I could get it to work, and I went through four sets of long HDMI cables, wall plates, and HDMI cable extenders before I found something that actually worked (25' shielded 24AWG). My wife gives me crap for keeping a computer store's worth of supplies that in her opinion I "don't need", but what I keep explaining to her about my pack-rat mentality is "there's no such thing as 'don't need', only 'don't need -yet-'". At times like this I'm glad parts of my basement look like they belong to some sort of crazy computer hoarder.

While this was a pain in the butt and the Vive seems to be a bit touchy about HDCP and signal quality, I can't blame the Vive for this over the Oculus because to be fair, I never tried to run the Oculus in another room so I don't know that I wouldn't experience the same problem had I tried.

So, two and a half hours later, I was ready to play.

Hardware:

The hardware is pretty decent. The difference between the HMDs (the consumer Vive and the DK2) is -significant-, as will (I imagine) the difference between the DK2 and the CV1 be. The FOV difference is noticeable, with the "view port" looking larger than the dev kit. Another big difference is the significantly less noticeable pixelization with the higher resolution screens (again, the CV1 will probably be comparable). Also, the lenses are much larger which seems to significantly decrease chromatic aberration around the edges. One of the problems with the earlier versions of VR headsets is that you basically had to look at everything with your head, which is somewhat unnatural. If your eyes drift away from the middle, objects become blurry, indistinct, and you experience what would have been called "color convergence problems" in the old CRT days. So look straight ahead or you don't see things clearly. Perhaps they were suspended in a xenon mist...

So yeah, much better visually. So much more clear than the previous versions. Can't wait to try out the Oculus CV1 to compare but the Vive is certainly a huge improvement over what I had.

The motion controllers work exactly as advertised. Crazy accurate tracking, decent controls. Need to try more games before I have a clear idea of their limitations but so far I've had no issues. I had a few problems with tracking when very close to the ground but that likely just means I need to adjust the room tracking cubes.

Audio is handled through ear buds and they are adequate, although I haven't found a way to adjust volume in-game yet or on the headset itself.

Room tracking seems to work perfectly. It always knew where I was and I never had any problems with jumping or teleporting.

Store:

The Steam VR experience is decent. Honestly, I prefer the Oculus Home store as being very clean and easy to use, while the Steam VR system is a bit cumbersome. This is partially because of the design of the storefront, and the fact that you are using the motion controllers like a Wii-Mote, and a few other factors. Otherwise, it's pretty good and you can get into and out of games from the Steam controllers, which you cannot do with the Oculus system (to my knowledge). The Steam overlay (or the VR version of it, rather) works from within the VR games and lets you change games which is pretty cool. Right now, the Oculus store has around 35-40 apps in it, while the VR section of Steam has over 100 listings (although many are early access or aren't even out yet, compared to the Oculus store that has about 5 early access titles and no listings for apps that are not available). The apps in the Oculus store can only be run on an Oculus (right now) but the same apps on Steam can be run on either (and are often subject to Steam sales). I was kicking myself a bit, because when I got Oculus Home I went on a crazy game buying spree and I deliberately got the Oculus Home versions because it was really easy to launch them into VR. Now, I feel a bit dumb because there were a couple of those games (Adr1ft, Windlands) that I would have liked to try on the Vive but can't unless I want to rebuy them on Steam. Some games offer codes between the two stores so if you buy one version you can get the other, but that's up to each individual developer.

Note that while Steam games are not technically "exclusive", there are a significant number of games on Steam VR that are only playable with room scale or with motion controls, so the current version of the Oculus will probably not work with a lot of these games without some 3rd party accessories (like the Sixense STEM, although to my knowledge that has yet to ship and has been plagued with production and FCC testing problems).

I'll pick up more games today and try them out. I had about $100 worth of stuff in my cart because the Steam cart crashed but I'll try again later today.

Experience:

This is exactly as advertised. Room tracking, touch controllers, and a great HMD. I doubt anyone will be unhappy with their purchase if they get this, but that doesn't mean the Oculus won't also be very good. This feels like a consumer ready product, for certain. The revised "stiff" headset straps make the headset sit on your face/head pretty comfortably. It even comes with a spare headset/face contact seal for people with "narrow faces" (which I do not have). The weight might get to some people after a while, but I had no issues with it playing standing over an hour. I only stopped because it was midnight and this was somewhat intense, and I decided that I needed to wind down so I went to my couch and fired up the Xbox. It's saying something when your relative "winding down" activity is playing Quantum Break on an 80" screen.

Conclusion (so far):

This is a great device. I need to try out more games to really get a feel for it, but I'm not disappointed at all. This is some solid hardware, and while the setup might be a bit of a pain it'll be worth it in the end. I did have to strap the headset to my head pretty tight so that I could look straight down without it starting to move around on my face (and the image to get blurry as a result). There's an IPD knob (interpupilary distance) which is basically like a manual focus, but the software didn't offer any tutorial on how to get the best result with it that I noticed. Room scale works great, and while my space is limited (working with about 12 feet by 8-9 feet) I had a decent degree of movement freedom, although I would have benefited from a larger area because I was close to a "boundary wall" within VR most of the places that I was standing and that was a little distracting at times.

This is actually going to come off like a crazy statement, but I'm actually -glad- that I got both the Oculus and the Vive because honestly, I think I'll be using them for different apps/experiences. Because of the room mounting, taking the Vive from place to place is very impractical. I have two main locations where I'd like to do VR, one is my office/cockpit and the other is a room space. There's no easy way to bring the Vive back and forth between those locations, so I had to choose and since the Vive's big advantage is room based VR, not confining it to my office/cockpit was an easy choice. However, having a second consumer-quality VR headset that I can use for flight/driving sims that doesn't rely on room trackers is ideal as well, just for different games.

More to come.

-Byshop

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indzman

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#1 indzman
Member since 2006 • 27736 Posts

Amazing :)

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DaVillain

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#2  Edited By DaVillain  Moderator
Member since 2014 • 55899 Posts

I enjoy reading this firs impression Byshop. Also I do have a question, which one is the better investment for a VR ready PC? Oculus Rift or HTC Vive? I'm leaning towards Rift cause it's more affordable then HTC.

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Byshop

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#3 Byshop  Moderator
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@davillain-: I just updated the post, but I'd say it's more about how much space you have. If you have a large area, or your desk/computer is near a large open area, then the Vive might be the better choice because in its current version you can do more with it. However, if you're primarily looking at stationary or sitting VR (like you might if you're most interested in space/flight/driving/sim games), then the Oculus will probably be the better experience. Also, check the software support. Oculus has a few nice exclusives right now like Eve Valkyrie. While Steam VR doesn't technically have "exclusives", there are a number of games that won't work with the current version of the Oculus because they motion controls and/or room scale.

-Byshop

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#4 Alucard_Prime
Member since 2008 • 10107 Posts

Cool....sorry but I kind of speed-read the OP, my main concern with VR is how do you feel after an extended play session? Any kind of discomfort, or do you foresee this as being just like gaming where as long as you take breaks every 1-2 hours you are ok? Thanks

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#5  Edited By DaVillain  Moderator
Member since 2014 • 55899 Posts

@Byshop said:

@davillain-: I just updated the post, but I'd say it's more about how much space you have. If you have a large area, or your desk/computer is near a large open area, then the Vive might be the better choice because in its current version you can do more with it. However, if you're primarily looking at stationary or sitting VR (like you might if you're most interested in space/flight/driving/sim games), then the Oculus will probably be the better experience. Also, check the software support. Oculus has a few nice exclusives right now like Eve Valkyrie. While Steam VR doesn't technically have "exclusives", there are a number of games that won't work with the current version of the Oculus because they motion controls and/or room scale.

-Byshop

I saw the updated thread just now. Thanks for the reply and yeah, I'm totally going for Rift cause my PC set is in my kitchen right next to the refrigerator (while all of my gaming consoles are in the masters bed room) and the Oculus Rift is perfect for that reason and it's more affordable for the most parts. Eve Valkyrie is gonna be my first VR game play and will get all of this next year when everything's been tested and ready to jump in.

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#6 Blabadon
Member since 2008 • 33030 Posts

Minus the obnoxious wires, the Vive is fucking awesome.

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Byshop

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#7  Edited By Byshop  Moderator
Member since 2002 • 20504 Posts

@Alucard_Prime said:

Cool....sorry but I kind of speed-read the OP, my main concern with VR is how do you feel after an extended play session? Any kind of discomfort, or do you foresee this as being just like gaming where as long as you take breaks every 1-2 hours you are ok? Thanks

I've had a DK2 for over a year and a half at this point and marathon stretches are no issue. It really depends on the game/experience. Looking around inside VR doesn't seem to cause anyone I know discomfort or nausea, but some apps might if they have you moving or spinning in VR. Adr1ft, Eve Valkyrie (if I have to spin a lot) and Windlands are games that can give me a bit of trouble, but not much, and even then that's not an issue with VR itself. It's an issue of VR doing too good a job of convincing you that you are floating through space or flying through the air while spinning to catch the next tree.

Marathon sessions have not been a problem for me, but with the DK2 it would get physically uncomfortable on my face sometimes. Like between rounds in Eve Valkyrie I'd remove the headset for a minute while waiting for the next round to start.

@davillain- said:
@Byshop said:

@davillain-: I just updated the post, but I'd say it's more about how much space you have. If you have a large area, or your desk/computer is near a large open area, then the Vive might be the better choice because in its current version you can do more with it. However, if you're primarily looking at stationary or sitting VR (like you might if you're most interested in space/flight/driving/sim games), then the Oculus will probably be the better experience. Also, check the software support. Oculus has a few nice exclusives right now like Eve Valkyrie. While Steam VR doesn't technically have "exclusives", there are a number of games that won't work with the current version of the Oculus because they motion controls and/or room scale.

-Byshop

I saw the updated thread just now. Thanks for the reply and yeah, I'm totally going for Rift cause my PC set is in my kitchen right next to the refrigerator (while all of my gaming consoles are in the masters bed room) and the Oculus Rift is perfect for that reason and it's more affordable for the most parts. Eve Valkyrie is gonna be my first VR game play and will get all of this next year when everything's been tested and ready to jump in.

Valkyrie is a blast, and it probably the most AAA game out that's exclusively for VR at the moment. I'm waiting for my Oculus proper to get my free Valkyrie code, otherwise I would have shelled out the $60 for it already. The alpha/beta didn't support HOTAS setups (was to be added in a future release) but I used xinput to make it work with my cockpit. The result was phenomenally fun. I can't wait to get back into that game. I know it's only 4-7-16 but it feels like I've been waiting for my Oculus forever since the initial shipment date.

-Byshop

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#8 Byshop  Moderator
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@Blabadon said:

Minus the obnoxious wires, the Vive is fucking awesome.

I'm working on that. I've seen some setups where the wires are ceiling or wall mounted with a light retraction spring or counterweight to keep them from getting underfoot. As it is, the one long, thin cable bundle isn't too bad, although I wouldn't recommend doing any Linda Carter Wonder Woman-style spins with the headset on.

-Byshop

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#9 Alucard_Prime
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@Byshop: Cool, thanks for detailed impressions

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#10 whalefish82
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Thanks, that was a really interesting read. I only just meet the minimum requirements and lack the USB 3 ports, so I'm not ready to take the plunge with VR right now, however it's a fascinating technology and something I'm definitely interested in, particularly having tried the DK2 a few times.

I want to upgrade my PC so it's VR ready but it's a silly time to do that right now, what with a new wave of CPU and GPUs just around the corner.

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#11 gamecubepad
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Sounds like it's worth it if you have the space to play. Vive seems like full-featured route while Oculus is aimed at the gaming experience, not so much the sim aspect.

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Byshop

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#12 Byshop  Moderator
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@whalefish82 said:

Thanks, that was a really interesting read. I only just meet the minimum requirements and lack the USB 3 ports, so I'm not ready to take the plunge with VR right now, however it's a fascinating technology and something I'm definitely interested in, particularly having tried the DK2 a few times.

I want to upgrade my PC so it's VR ready but it's a silly time to do that right now, what with a new wave of CPU and GPUs just around the corner.

It's interesting that you should mention that because number of required ports was one of my concerns as well. In order to run this device in a second room, I need to extend every connection that needs to go to the headset or its supporting hardware. This might be another area where the Vive has an advantage. The Vive uses only one HDMI connection and one USB 2 connection to the computer. This is something I was paying particular attention to, because the CAT5 USB extension I have is only for USB 2 and not USB 3.0. USB 3.0 extenders exist, but at the time it was a price difference of $25 versus $150 so I opted for the minimum that met my needs (which were just wireless Mouse/KB/360 controller).

The room cubes are part of the overall sensors system to track the HMD is 3D space. They themselves, however, have no direct wire connections. Only power through a typical barrel connector, micro USB (for firmware updates only) and a 1/8" headphone-style jack for an optional sync cable to run between them if you have sync problems. The controllers and the room cubes connect to the Link Box (I'm assuming) and they come pre-synced. There doesn't appear to be an option to manually sync devices, which might mean you can't use two Vives in the same area unless there's some not immediately solution.

The Oculus, by comparison, uses one HDMI and two USB 3.0 (plus one for the wired controller). I don't know for fact that the Oculus -needs- USB 3.0, but if it does then that's two to three USB 3.0 ports you need to accommodate. The DK2 only used one HDMI and two USB 2 (not counting power, of course).

-Byshop

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#13  Edited By BassMan
Member since 2002 • 17764 Posts

@Byshop: Thanks for the impressions. Some good points you mentioned. The setup and wiring situation should always be considered before jumping in with any VR setup.

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#14 MirkoS77
Member since 2011 • 17637 Posts

Just one question: where did you get that pink dinosaur?

Thanks for the impressions. That sucks to hear of setup difficulties, this is not the first place they've been noted. Many YTers have had similar issues. I hope I can get mine running.

How's Tilt Brush?

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Byshop

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#15  Edited By Byshop  Moderator
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@MirkoS77 said:

Just one question: where did you get that pink dinosaur?

Thanks for the impressions. That sucks to hear of setup difficulties, this is not the first place they've been noted. Many YTers have had similar issues. I hope I can get mine running.

How's Tilt Brush?

The nice thing about setup difficulties is they tend to be (by nature) a one time thing. So long as they -stay- setup problems I'm cool with it.

As for Tilt Brush, I only tried it for the first time today but it's trippy as all hell. Painting in 3D space in air is very cool. Unfortunately I'm not much of an artist but it's fun to play.

-Byshop

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#16 Byshop  Moderator
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Okay, so I've had a few days to play with everything and I have some observations. First, the "sync" issue I mentioned is a non-issue because it turns out the sensor boxes are just IR blasters. They bathe the play area in IR so that the headset can pick it up, not the other way around (like the Oculus that uses IR points on the headset that get picked up by a sensor). There are pros and cons to this approach. One of the pros is it means fewer wires that have to get back to your computer. Basically the headset does all the work regarding communications.

Second, I've tried out a bunch of different games. The Steam VR section doesn't seem to go through the same degree of rigorous quality control that the Oculus store goes through. That doesn't mean there isn't a lot of good stuff in there, but there's a lot of stuff that was more like what I used to find on the Oculus Developer Share rather than the proper store. Quantity over quality, like the iOS store.

Of the games I have tried, some of the most fun are the simplest. Space Pirate Trainer and Audioshield are both (mostly) stationary shooter and defense games and they are both a blast to play. Audioshield especially, as its a rhythm game that can use pre-designated online tracks or your MP3s. Here's a video of a recent round on hard. Youtube does't convey how chaotic this game is when the shields are blocking your view in a shower of sparks filling everything you can see.

Loading Video...

-Byshop

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#17 mems_1224
Member since 2004 • 56919 Posts

The games on vive look really cool and those are the ones I'd want to try first. If I were to buy a headset though I'd get an oculus. All the hoops required to run a vive are pretty impractical for me.

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#18 k--m--k
Member since 2007 • 2799 Posts

if you had to buy one only Headset, which one would it be?

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#19 ShadowDeathX
Member since 2006 • 11698 Posts

Bought the Vive, should come in next month. I was leaning towards the Oculus at first but switched sides after the Vive reviews started coming in.

I also thought about it. The price for the Touch controllers + an extra camera would pretty much bring the Rift much closer to the Vive's price, so there was no point in me saying that Rift was significantly cheaper. I have a decent enough space now that I use Room Scale but its nice to know that I can always expand.

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#20 dynamitecop
Member since 2004 • 6395 Posts

Put me in coach!

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#21 Byshop  Moderator
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@k--m--k:Hard to say at the moment. I'm reserving judgement until after I get my CV1, but assuming that the Oculus and HTC headsets themselves are pretty comparable, I'd probably still say it depends on your situation. I don't think you'll go wrong with either. The software edge for both balances out since while Oculus has exclusives, Steam has games that are not exclusive but may not work without motion controllers and/or room space so they may are functionally exclusive until Oculus catches up with the Touch at least.

Personally, I'd probably go with the Vive (although again I don't have the CV1 for a proper comparison so I'm guessing they are roughly the same in terms of general VR capability) just because it does have the additional features. However, if I didn't have enough room for room space then there'd be no reason to go with the more expensive Vive over the Oculus. I've always been of the opinion that VR will succeed on the strength of games made exclusively for VR, but if I'm playing Devil's Advocate I would point out that motion controls and room space do literally nothing for games that are not exclusively designed for VR, whereas just a VR headset can enhance a lot of games that are not VR exclusive like Elite Dangerous, Dirt Rally, or Project Cars. If that's what you plan on playing, why spend the extra 33% on top of the price of the Oculus?

But to be honest, you won't go wrong with either.

@mems_1224: It's a one-time setup, but yeah. Gamespot had issues, I had issues, and other people have had issues. Oculus is super easy to set up, and some of those (currently) exclusive games are games that I -really- want to play (like Eve Valkyrie).

@ShadowDeathX: I agree that Touch and room scale will likely bring the price of the Oculus up to at least that of the Vive, but the nice thing is that for people who don't necessary want (or who can't use) those features, the Oculus makes it optional.

@dynamitecop: Congrats! Nice to know that I'm not the only one here who's taking the plunge. I look forward to seeing some of you guys on the various game leaderboards (I have at least one global high score in Audioshield so far).

-Byshop

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#22 k--m--k
Member since 2007 • 2799 Posts

Thanks for your answer. I ordered the Vive.

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#23 cyanblues
Member since 2004 • 312 Posts

by the way what was your order time, mine was at :04 with confirmation email at :05 but haven't even gotten shipping details yet, used paypal also so money went through with no problem. It looks like they were sending out the Vive to reviewers and people in the west coast first instead of order time which sucks.

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#24  Edited By MirkoS77
Member since 2011 • 17637 Posts

@cyanblues said:

by the way what was your order time, mine was at :04 with confirmation email at :05 but haven't even gotten shipping details yet, used paypal also so money went through with no problem. It looks like they were sending out the Vive to reviewers and people in the west coast first instead of order time which sucks.

Living in Hawaii I'd like to believe that, but doubt I'll be getting mine until probably June or later.

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#25  Edited By RyviusARC
Member since 2011 • 5708 Posts

You are lucky.

I ordered my Vive within the first 10 minutes and my bank has not even been charged yet.

I think HTC is shipping out of order because I see people who live in the same area as me (California) who order a day or more later receive their's first.

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#26  Edited By cyanblues
Member since 2004 • 312 Posts

@RyviusARC: yeah looks like shipping is all over the place but most in cali seems to get it first according to the reddit maps/posts

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#27 dynamitecop
Member since 2004 • 6395 Posts

@cyanblues said:

@RyviusARC: yeah looks like shipping is all over the place but most in cali seems to get it first according to the reddit maps/posts

Link?

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#28  Edited By cyanblues
Member since 2004 • 312 Posts

https://www.zeemaps.com/map?group=1942739

this is from 4/7/2016

https://www.reddit.com/r/Vive/comments/4dqum5/vive_delivery_status_map_thursday_47_please_add/

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#29 ellos
Member since 2015 • 2532 Posts

Seems like this is the one to beat. Thanks for sharing your experience.

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#30  Edited By Legend002
Member since 2007 • 13405 Posts

It's going to be hard for publisher to *market* VR since it's something you really have to experience for yourself. VR obviously works well but the problem with be with getting it exposed to the public.

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#31 dynamitecop
Member since 2004 • 6395 Posts

@Legend002 said:

It's going to be hard for publisher to VR since it's something you really have to experience for yourself. VR obviously works well but the problem with be with getting it exposed to the public.

Yeah, like I don't mind that I just spent $907 but I'm worried about the adoption rates, not that it's not some form of amazing technology, just the fact that I don't know what we can expect from developers with such a small user base.

I mean look at Hover Junkers, it's got like 6,400 owners, that's $85,000 in total revenue for the developers after Valve takes their cut, what did they spend beyond that to actually make it? We need to start seeing real implementation in real games, that is what will grow the community, that is what will bring VR to the forefront and allow more content to be created.

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#32 mane_basic
Member since 2002 • 537 Posts

great read I ordered the oculus and the touch but my shipment isn't till june which is driving me crazy. but I am hoping they fix the install issue cause I don't have a lot for space on my c: drive

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#33 Byshop  Moderator
Member since 2002 • 20504 Posts

@k--m--k:I'm sure you'll love it, but that said I doubt anyone would be unhappy with either product.

@cyanblues:I got my confirmation email at 7:07 PST 2-29-16 so I ordered pretty quickly. My order number started with 94564XXXXX. The only modifier that might have occurred, though, was that I had to change my payment method prior to shipping. HTC doesn't have a way to let you do that, so an escalated support tech cancelled my order, gave me a new order with the new payment method, and overrode the shipping date. They told me that this would "keep" my place in line, but I have no idea. It might have actually even pushed me ahead. All both orders ever said was "April". I honestly was not expecting to get it as soon as I did.

@Legend002: You're not wrong, but I think we'll start seeing demo units popping up more and more. Gamespot is going to start carrying Vive demo units for display starting with 10 stores by around now with more to come.

@mane_basic: They've updated the Oculus software 4 or 5 times since launch day but it still has that limitation. Everybody runs SSD these days so nobody has a lot of C drive space. I've got a 256GB and I'm constantly moving/deleting things to make room for more Oculus games. At least SteamVR games can be installed on any volume.

-Byshop

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#34  Edited By Byshop  Moderator
Member since 2002 • 20504 Posts

So, quick update. I've encountered a few issues that people might want to be aware of. First, the Vive (or maybe it's Steam VR) flips out in certain hardware configurations. While SLI isn't officially supported to my knowledge, I was trying to use my second video card (dual 980s) for it's video ports with SLI disabled. However, whenever I use a port on my second card it basically breaks VR. I'm not even talking about the headset, I mean if -anything- is plugged into the secondary video card and enabled it breaks. Either Compositor fails to run (a necessary service for SteamVR) or even if I trick it into running, VR games fail to render. I don't have a fix for this right now except for swapping video cables manually so I'm always using the primary video card for all my monitors.

Second, I've run into a few games that use Room Space but required a certain amount of minimum space to work properly. A Chair in a Room: Greenwater claims that it requires a square 2.5m to play, which is bigger than my play area. I have since re-arranged quite a few things and fudged the size numbers a bit to squeak out 2.5m X 3m, but be aware that some Room Space games may not work in every sized room that Vive supports.

-Byshop

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#35 RyviusARC
Member since 2011 • 5708 Posts

@Byshop said:

@k--m--k:I'm sure you'll love it, but that said I doubt anyone would be unhappy with either product.

@cyanblues:I got my confirmation email at 7:07 PST 2-29-16 so I ordered pretty quickly. My order number started with 94564XXXXX. The only modifier that might have occurred, though, was that I had to change my payment method prior to shipping. HTC doesn't have a way to let you do that, so an escalated support tech cancelled my order, gave me a new order with the new payment method, and overrode the shipping date. They told me that this would "keep" my place in line, but I have no idea. It might have actually even pushed me ahead. All both orders ever said was "April". I honestly was not expecting to get it as soon as I did.

@Legend002: You're not wrong, but I think we'll start seeing demo units popping up more and more. Gamespot is going to start carrying Vive demo units for display starting with 10 stores by around now with more to come.

@mane_basic: They've updated the Oculus software 4 or 5 times since launch day but it still has that limitation. Everybody runs SSD these days so nobody has a lot of C drive space. I've got a 256GB and I'm constantly moving/deleting things to make room for more Oculus games. At least SteamVR games can be installed on any volume.

-Byshop

My order number started with 94563 and I still haven't been charged let alone shipped...

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#36  Edited By Byshop  Moderator
Member since 2002 • 20504 Posts

@RyviusARC said:
@Byshop said:

@k--m--k:I'm sure you'll love it, but that said I doubt anyone would be unhappy with either product.

@cyanblues:I got my confirmation email at 7:07 PST 2-29-16 so I ordered pretty quickly. My order number started with 94564XXXXX. The only modifier that might have occurred, though, was that I had to change my payment method prior to shipping. HTC doesn't have a way to let you do that, so an escalated support tech cancelled my order, gave me a new order with the new payment method, and overrode the shipping date. They told me that this would "keep" my place in line, but I have no idea. It might have actually even pushed me ahead. All both orders ever said was "April". I honestly was not expecting to get it as soon as I did.

@Legend002: You're not wrong, but I think we'll start seeing demo units popping up more and more. Gamespot is going to start carrying Vive demo units for display starting with 10 stores by around now with more to come.

@mane_basic: They've updated the Oculus software 4 or 5 times since launch day but it still has that limitation. Everybody runs SSD these days so nobody has a lot of C drive space. I've got a 256GB and I'm constantly moving/deleting things to make room for more Oculus games. At least SteamVR games can be installed on any volume.

-Byshop

My order number started with 94563 and I still haven't been charged let alone shipped...

That sucks. I doubt its malicious so much as a symptom of the problems they were having with their orders, but it still sucks to be waiting. Like I said, I was shocked that I got mine as quick as I did.

On a related note, I just today got another update from Oculus that they are preparing to ship my order (bringing this up to like the fifth or sixth email from Oculus telling me that I'm about to get an email telling me that my Oculus has shipped). At least my order status has finally changed, so that's progress. With any luck I'll have it later this week.

Edit: Oculus has charged my card. I expect a shipping update by tomorrow.

-Byshop

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#37  Edited By mane_basic
Member since 2002 • 537 Posts

@Byshop said:
@RyviusARC said:
@Byshop said:

@k--m--k:I'm sure you'll love it, but that said I doubt anyone would be unhappy with either product.

@cyanblues:I got my confirmation email at 7:07 PST 2-29-16 so I ordered pretty quickly. My order number started with 94564XXXXX. The only modifier that might have occurred, though, was that I had to change my payment method prior to shipping. HTC doesn't have a way to let you do that, so an escalated support tech cancelled my order, gave me a new order with the new payment method, and overrode the shipping date. They told me that this would "keep" my place in line, but I have no idea. It might have actually even pushed me ahead. All both orders ever said was "April". I honestly was not expecting to get it as soon as I did.

@Legend002: You're not wrong, but I think we'll start seeing demo units popping up more and more. Gamespot is going to start carrying Vive demo units for display starting with 10 stores by around now with more to come.

@mane_basic: They've updated the Oculus software 4 or 5 times since launch day but it still has that limitation. Everybody runs SSD these days so nobody has a lot of C drive space. I've got a 256GB and I'm constantly moving/deleting things to make room for more Oculus games. At least SteamVR games can be installed on any volume.

-Byshop

My order number started with 94563 and I still haven't been charged let alone shipped...

That sucks. I doubt its malicious so much as a symptom of the problems they were having with their orders, but it still sucks to be waiting. Like I said, I was shocked that I got mine as quick as I did.

On a related note, I just today got another update from Oculus that they are preparing to ship my order (bringing this up to like the fifth or sixth email from Oculus telling me that I'm about to get an email telling me that my Oculus has shipped). At least my order status has finally changed, so that's progress. With any luck I'll have it later this week.

Edit: Oculus has charged my card. I expect a shipping update by tomorrow.

-Byshop

lucky you I got got my shitment update not getting mine till JULY... :'-( fml

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#38  Edited By cyanblues
Member since 2004 • 312 Posts

the way they are shipping i wouldn't worry too much about it, you may get yours sooner, some people who had may shipping got theirs already which is a joke to anyone who preorder the first hour or so

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#39 BassMan
Member since 2002 • 17764 Posts

I got the email from Oculus. My Rift is set to ship late June - early July. :(

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#40 Byshop  Moderator
Member since 2002 • 20504 Posts

They just updated my order. They've charged me, but the updated order now says they'll ship sometime between 4-18 and 4-28.

-Byshop

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#41  Edited By Byshop  Moderator
Member since 2002 • 20504 Posts

New update. I just got my Eve Valkyrie code (FINALLY!) via email and they gave me a tracking number. The tracking number isn't working but that's not necessarily abnormal if it's too new. Looks like I will be getting it this week. More to come.

Edit: Not going to bump again but I just got a shipping confirmation. It arrives tomorrow.

-Byshop

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#42 MirkoS77
Member since 2011 • 17637 Posts

Byshop,

Have you tried Vanishing Realms? I'm hearing pretty good things about it.

Also, I have my Rift ordered on my cc, but am afraid my cc company will decline it (fraud protection). I've tried to alert them that a large charge will be incoming, but they can't guarantee me it won't be declined initially. I know this isn't really your area of expertise, but how did you pay? Do you think I'll lose my place in line if I am declined? I put in my order on March 29th for a due date in April, but am considering moving funds to Paypal, paying that way, and cancelling my cc order.

What do you think?

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#43 Byshop  Moderator
Member since 2002 • 20504 Posts

@MirkoS77 said:

Byshop,

Have you tried Vanishing Realms? I'm hearing pretty good things about it.

Also, I have my Rift ordered on my cc, but am afraid my cc company will decline it (fraud protection). I've tried to alert them that a large charge will be incoming, but they can't guarantee me it won't be declined initially. I know this isn't really your area of expertise, but how did you pay? Do you think I'll lose my place in line if I am declined? I put in my order on March 29th for a due date in April, but am considering moving funds to Paypal, paying that way, and cancelling my cc order.

What do you think?

Yeah, I'll post a review of it when I get some time. I started playing Vanishing Realms a few days ago and at first I was pretty "meh" on it. Dungeon exploration is cool, but the puzzles were basically as simple as "follow the rhyming instructions on the scroll to proceed". However, once you get your first weapon and you realize that you are the one who actually has to swing the sword, block, fire an arrow, cast a spell, and dodge a strike then it suddenly becomes -very- cool. I just beat the second chapter last night (which is the highest current chapter available in Early Access) and it was a blast as well as a bit of exercise. Outside the simple round based games like Space Pirate Trainer and AudioShield, this is my favorite room space VR game so far. At this point I've picked up about 50 VR games on Steam and about 26 on Oculus. Normally I don't do reviews, but since not a lot of people have access to I'll put up at least a few impressions.

As for the payment, Oculus (unlike HTC) lets you change the method in the order without involving support. Typically, if there's an issue with a payment method the company will allow you to update the payment method within a certain grace period to keep your original order intact (for Kickstarter it's one week). Otherwise, they cancel the order and you have to start over. Banks can have a hard time preventing fraud protection from tripping on transactions because those systems are completely automated and are based on learning patterns.

-Byshop

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#44 cyanblues
Member since 2004 • 312 Posts

just got my vive shipping, should be here Thursday

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#45 Byshop  Moderator
Member since 2002 • 20504 Posts

@cyanblues said:

just got my vive shipping, should be here Thursday

Nice! Let me know how it goes.

Side note: I just played my first "real" match of Eve Valkyrie. This game is a blast, and I had a chance to try out the single player content. Here's my first online match in the real game (although to be fair, I had some practice with the alpha).

Loading Video...

Eve is the most AAA game currently out for VR IMHO.

-Byshop

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#46 MirkoS77
Member since 2011 • 17637 Posts

@Byshop:

Ah, so incredibly jealous. I've never been more hyped for a piece of tech ever....I'm thinking about this damn thing every day. Keep the impressions coming though, I'm going to be using them as a general base for what I should be checking out when mine finally arrives. I've been hearing more games are arriving daily.

I wondering about the lighthouses....I've read they can't be more than 16 feet apart? My walls are exactly 15 feet apart straight across, and as they will be situated diagonally facing each other, it's going to amount to further than that. Will I have to use the sync cable in this case? Is this distance a strict rule restricted by the tech, or just a general suggestion to ensure accurate readings?

Sorry to keep asking questions.

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#47 cyanblues
Member since 2004 • 312 Posts

@MirkoS77: I would probably ask this on the vive reddit page instead, there's more people there and probably also have more information. https://www.reddit.com/r/Vive/

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#48 MirkoS77
Member since 2011 • 17637 Posts
@cyanblues said:

@MirkoS77: I would probably ask this on the vive reddit page instead, there's more people there and probably also have more information. https://www.reddit.com/r/Vive/

Nice, looks to be a great resource. Thanks.

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#49 Byshop  Moderator
Member since 2002 • 20504 Posts

@MirkoS77 said:

@Byshop:

Ah, so incredibly jealous. I've never been more hyped for a piece of tech ever....I'm thinking about this damn thing every day. Keep the impressions coming though, I'm going to be using them as a general base for what I should be checking out when mine finally arrives. I've been hearing more games are arriving daily.

I wondering about the lighthouses....I've read they can't be more than 16 feet apart? My walls are exactly 15 feet apart straight across, and as they will be situated diagonally facing each other, it's going to amount to further than that. Will I have to use the sync cable in this case? Is this distance a strict rule restricted by the tech, or just a general suggestion to ensure accurate readings?

Sorry to keep asking questions.

No worries. Questions are exactly why I started this thread.

Recommended distance between the lighthouses is 16 feet apart. I reconfigured my room setup twice before I settled on a "final" configuration. In my second config, I did have the base stations more than 15 feet apart. The SteamVR client gave me a warning that the distance was too far, but I didn't run into any difficulty at that distance except for a blind spot that was created by a corner so I brought them in a bit. The sync cable would theoretically help with this if you ran into trouble but I haven't had to use it yet (and I likely won't since the bases don't move). Based on what I've seen, it's a general suggestion and not a "hard rule", although your results are likely going to be better the closer you are to that 16 foot limit. Based on what you've described, though, I think you should be fine. Clear, unobstructed line of sight and angling the lightboxes so that they cover as much of the room as possible seem to be the most important things.

-Byshop

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#50 SecretPolice
Member since 2007 • 43933 Posts

Nice, I was hoping there was a thread on the first page about VR.

I was just shown this, although not 100% VG related it sure looks like VG players would eat this stuff up. Check it out. what ya think?

http://www.frequency.com/video/drone-racing-takes-off/252870545?cid=4-1816468