Oculus Rift the superior VR

According to many reviews i've seen, Oculus Rift seems to be the obvious choice, the big issue with it tho is that lack of touch controllers, but besides that its the superior VR set.

1. It's Lighter (easy to forget that its on your head, longer use..less strain, etc)

2. Sharper Screen (according to reviews its has a sharper display with less of a blur)

3. Easier to put on (the design of the straps are simpler)

4. It looks better (simple, sleek design)

If you want a good in depth review check this out:

Thoughts???

@soapandbubbles: I've heard those things, but have read that the Vive is actually the sharper one, doesn't suffer as bad from optical artifacts, and also has a better FOV. It also accommodates glasses better (if you have any). Yea it's heavier and more ungainly but if the experience pays off, those will be overlookable. But the real determining factor for me is room scale movement and 1:1 controllers, neither of which the Rift currently has. That's what defines true VR to me. From what I'm hearing from those who've tried both, it brings it another level above the Rift.

Little premature to proclaim a winner but I'll put my bets on the Vive as things stand.

Have you read anything about oculus having room scale movement?

I've read that it's possible in the future, but not sure how. It uses an IR camera for tracking doesn't it?

Been hearing great things about vive. Going to keep an eye on this.

Of course it is, it's headed by Jason Rubin (cofounder of Naughty Dog) and is being supported by Insomniac Games with 3 titles in its first year on the market.

Everything I've read with a "verdict" picks the Vive over Oculus. I'm still torn on which preorder I will keep. I'm leaning towards the Vive simply because I will get it next month as opposed to the Rift which got pushed to freakin July.

Vive looks better if you got the room for it and not afraid of moving.

Yea, keep the Vive. You'll be kicking yourself if you don't.

Oculous is $600.

Rift is $ 800.

PSVR is $400.

Yeah... I'll wait for PSVR to take a 50% price hit and then I'll find it potentially worth it. I'm definitely interested in VR, just not at the price of admission.

But the Vive is far more future proof in terms of technology (with the room sensors and controllers and such). It would be a better investment. The Rift seems like it's going to be like the iPhone, incremental releases that marginally improve it year after year.

I haven't tried the rift yet but I did get my Vive and all I can say is that, if you haven't tried roomscale before, then you're missing out.

I did buy Adventure Time: Magic Man's Head Games "a seated vr phone game" ported to steam and all I can say that is I wish they'd have made it specifically for the vive. The vr is great but not being able to reach out and interact with Finn etc makes it lacking a lot.

Roomscale VR really is a...can't explain it, you just have to experience it. I can rave all I want but you don't get it till you are really strapped into the headset and are able to move around in a virtual world.

The Vive issue for me is that everything MUST be loaded on the boot drive. The issue with that being a PC gamer is that we typically use a SSD which are usually under 500GB(mine is 120GB) with the secondary storage being the main place we keep our stuff. For that alone I would prefer the Rift.

What the heck are you talking about? You can put steam anywhere any drive, its RIFT that was having that issue, they may have remedy it now but it was having that issue. Here's the original guide to it for the RIFT https://forums.oculus.com/vip/discussion/32272/guide-installation-of-oculus-software-to-non-system-drives

Hell if you install steam on one drive you can install games on different drive, its independent of where you install steam. I don't know where you get your information from but its WRONG.

Depends where you look, iv seen more videos choose Vive over the Rift though you shouldnt beleive everything you see on the internet. Two of my friends both got a Rift and they both regret it after a day playing my Vive; Room scale VR experience is second to none. The Rift is more comfortable to wear though.

Rift games work on the Vive too now, also with Vive controller support.

Great to hear the good impressions about room scale. I've been hearing it's really what puts Vive above all else.

guess it depends on games/exclusives.....which i think Rift has an advantage from what i've read. Also, Rift is getting those room sensors and touch controllers down the line, hopefully it will work just as good as the vive. Why the rift didn't come with all the things vive has is beyond me. It's hard to overlook the better headset.

Rift vs Vive..just pick whichever suits you but keep in mind you'll probably end up upgrading for next gen VR once it's available so whichever you pick, the future VR's on the horizon will likely be quite a bit better and more polished development of games.

Rift Pros:

• Lighter.
• Side strap doesn't push on your ears
• Easier to take on and off due to stiffer straps, more polished physical design
• Exclusive titles (however there exists Rift SDK to Valve SDK call converter to play Rift games)
• Built in, (great sounding according to reviews) Headphones without sound staging for improved 3D audio. One less thing to take on and off.
• Easier setup
• Future Touch controllers will come with an additional camera for more room scale comparable to Vive's
• Prettier than the vive visually
• VorpX (currently no version for Vive but is reported to be in early development but no guarantee's) Allows you to VR with select older titles and growing but has some caveats compared to actual VR games.
• $200 cheaper than Vive

Rift Cons:

• No camera
• Not as good with larger glasses as the Vive
• Room scale currently limited to 11 ft wide vs Vive's 15' at least until the touch comes out.
• Proprietary platform
• Oculus Home (yet another client/store front you have to jack with as if PC's do not have enough as it is)
• Current titles are no guarantee that Touch will be supported once it's released.
• You get an Xbone controller which sucks if you already own one or prefer another controller.
• Slight optic glare (shine) from white text on black backgrounds but it is avoidable if devs keep that in mind.

Vive Pro's:

• Includes VR controllers
• Wider room scale atm
• More accurate tracking sensors
• Camera *chaperone system
• More comfortable for those with larger glasses
• Less optic glare (shine) due but the caveat is seeing rings on the outer perimeters of your vision.
• Titles support room scale and you can play seated with a controller reportedly.
• Open platform which means more hardware competition in the future which means it may eventually supersede Rift in terms of development for games.

Vive Cons:

• Ugly
• Heavier (slightly)
• Not as comfortable and a little more effort to put on
• Requires you to put on headphones after you put on the headset
• Wands don't offer much button functionality as the Touch does
• A lengthier and sometimes trickier setup process.
• Requires a certain amount of physical space to move around in for setup.
• Limited library of polished titles.
• Wands have some kind of visual cue which is always onscreen if you play with a controller? *
• No VorpX support just yet.
• $200 more expensive

So basically, either way you go, you'll likely be very impressed and have a great experience but as always it's best to wait until the Touch releases and more room scale capable games are available. If you think this will be your final VR purchase for the next several years, then you should wait until the next gen of VR devices come out. ( I suspect the Valve's open platform will eventually yield the highest compatible list of titles due to competition of various hardware makers such as StarVR..etc)

@pimphand_gamer: I don't think I will buy any at the moment, it seems that ar has a much better future. One of he reasons is this...

Sorry but that's just not done. These vr glasses aren't very good atm if you ever want to do anything socially after a long period of vr gaming.

Not having any clue what is happening around you is pretty dangerous as well, what if some software fails and you run with your head into the wall.

An omnidirectional threadmill can be a solution but that's very expensive too.

What's the difference between VorpX and SteamVR? Don't they both provide VR support for older titles? Is one better than the other?

SteamVR does not do that, SteamVR is just the software to run the Vive.

as for this.

• Wands don't offer much button functionality as the Touch does

it really doesn't need to anymore with room scale, things that are needed for seated experience like for example: press x to pick up and item or press y to punch etc are all done via motion. Left trigger to aim etc isn't needed because you just physically raise the controller to aim etc. The Thumbpads are already usable as 4 buttons or can be used as directions control. Selecting items no longer needs an inventory button etc when you can just reach to your side to grab ammo or pull out a sword etc and so on. Not to mention the trigger is 2 stage on the wand. So that's the trigger 2 stage, the side grip, the thumbpad that can be used as 4 separate button and the menu button. that's about 8 button total and depending on the game, the menu button can be use to switch/toggle different buttons on the thumbpad like as in the steam vr tutorial for different balloons.

the 2 buttons on the Touch basically can't be used while your thumb is on the thumb stick, so you'll have to remove it from the thumbstick to press them anyways which can be achieved with the same thing on the vive with the thumbpad

@commander said:

@pimphand_gamer: I don't think I will buy any at the moment, it seems that ar has a much better future. One of he reasons is this...

Sorry but that's just not done. These vr glasses aren't very good atm if you ever want to do anything socially after a long period of vr gaming.

Not having any clue what is happening around you is pretty dangerous as well, what if some software fails and you run with your head into the wall.

An omnidirectional threadmill can be a solution but that's very expensive too.

Do you have a headset?

No?

Then screw off.

Unlike you I have an HTC Vive and have played with it for 5 hours straight on the first day and a few hours a day most days after that.

I find that most people who complained about comfort on the Vive changed their opinion once they found out how to properly wear the headset.

Most people weren't pulling far enough back on the top strap.

The HTC Vive is the definite headset.

It comes with the full package from the get go and room scale games are a much better VR experience than sitting down with a controller.

I've never damaged an object or hurt myself while playing with the HTC Vive.

The HTC Vive comes with a chaperon program. You mark the dimension of your room by walking around the edges with your controller and it will create a grid wall for those boundaries.

If you get close to the boundaries the grid wall will pop up.

Also the Vive comes with a front facing camera that you can use to see what is going on in front of you with the press of a button. This is a big plus over the Rift as I don't need to take off my Vive headset when reaching for something like a drink.

Oculus Rift can't match Vive's room scale tracking even with a second camera. It lacks the chaperon system which is essential for room scale experiences.

Also the Rift screwed up on shipping and is pushing pre-orders back to August.

Judging by what people say with both headsets

the Rift has slightly less screen door effect but less vertical FoV.

The Vive has a brighter screen.

The Rift has a worse light rays from bright objects.

The Rift can be more comfortable but if you have glasses then the Vive is more comfortable.

I think Oculus/Vice etc is a necessary evil to get the buzz out there about VR. Eventually we will have 4K/8K and even higher res displays that will help with the immersion factor that today's VR lacks. Also, there needs to be a cohesive hand/finger tracking device to help make us feel like we're really in a real living world, rather than a virtual simulation. Baby steps are being taken, but I'm glad that VR is finally becoming somewhat mainstream. I just hope it doesn't end up like the motion control and 3D fads.

Why do I need a headset for to know this, software can fail, if that chaperon system fails you can be screwed severly. If I'm blocking out reality completely I want to be strapped to something like an omnidirection threadmill or sit in a chair.

Implementing the front facing camera can be a good idea to create a sort of ar, if you're not strapped to something.

But that still doesn't take away the fact that this headset will leave markings on your face, but you're right I have not tried it myself, I'll wait till I get more feedback from users. Not that I'm planning to buy it pretty soon, since it has no games that interest me atm. I also don't want to spend this much money because If i'm buying this I want an omnidirectional threadmill as well. I still have to upgrade my pc too, so I'm looking at 2000$ investment at least.

I don't care about the rift at all, since it is owned by facebook.

The only thing the Rift has going for it as far as everything I have read is the weight and level of comfort, aside from that the Vive is apparently the better device and experience overall.

People clamor on about $600 vs. $800, the fact of the matter is the Rift is going to end up costing just as much as the Vive when it gets its motion controllers so you might as well go for the Vive. On top of that the Vive is a SteamVR device, we all know what that means in terms of adoption rates, future software integration and so on, it's going to be much more in the limelight going forward than the Rift which has secured itself as an outlying device with its own platform.

You're right, but it's not only that now you have to strap a tv screen to your face, it can be a lot smaller, it has already been done by cinemizer, the hololens is a lot smaller as well.

If the software fails, your entire VR is going to go down. It's not like the Chaperone system is going to glitch and everything else keeps working. I doubt that's even possible. Even if it were, you're not going to be doing sprints into walls. The worst that will happen is you'll clumsy walk into furniture or into a wall, or swing and bust a controller. But again, doubtful this is even possible, I'm sure Valve has VR shut down completely if any part of the software fails, or they could be held liable.

@commander: True. But with VR tech I think square pixels are its worse enemy. There needs to be some breakthrough in image display to where hexagonal pixels are used, because there would be much less of an issue with aliasing there. Think about it: stair stepped jaggies are a product of square shapes. But the way that hexagons fit together would create a more "rounded" pixel, if you will. The very nature of aliasing as we know it would be forever changed, if such a display method could be used.

No, higher resolution displays are simply needed, once the pixel density hits a certain point aliasing won't even be visibly perceivable.

The Hololense actually looks like it'll be the biggest of the options, which is not surprising because it's also a full computer itself as opposed to a PC accessory.

There are apps that present non VR games in a virtual screen within VR, but VorpX takes existing non-VR/3D games and presents them as though they are VR games by using the Z render to mimic 3D support and taking head movement and using it to emulate mouse movement. It works, but the experience is never as good as proper native support. I spent some time playing Ethan Carter with it on the DK2 prior to official support. It was OK, but the proper support was much better.

@pimphand_gamer: I have some feedback for your pros/cons list:

"Current titles are no guarantee that Touch will be supported once it's released."

Technically true but it's a pretty safe bet. It's not a more fringe control option like the Leap Motion or the Sixense STEM.

"Proprietary platform/Oculus Home (yet another client/store front you have to jack with as if PC's do not have enough as it is)"

Well, yes but also runs games in Steam so technically you only need to deal with the Oculus store for exclusives and games that have an Oculus exclusive version that's only hosted on the Oculus store (like Adr1ft). You can buy an Oculus and use it for many games without buying anything on the Oculus store.

"More accurate tracking sensors"

I'm not sure about that. I actually get a lot more instances of tracking loss with the Vive than I do with the Oculus. Part of this is probably because the sensors are on the headset itself unlike the Oculus, so it's easier to accidentally block line of sight.

"No camera/Camera *chaperone system"

The camera isn't something that I find to be a big advantage, and the camera chaperon system is actually redundant with the room boundary system. Also, although the Oculus technically requires higher spec USB ports, using the camera on the Vive doesn't work with every USB bus.

"Slight optic glare (shine) from white text on black backgrounds but it is avoidable if devs keep that in mind."

Now that you mention it, I do see a difference here but that might also be because the games that are Vive exclusive tend to be brighter. Overall I find the visual difference between the two negligible, with a slight edge for image overall going to the Oculus.

"(assorted comments about weight and comfort)"

I find the Oculus to be -much- easier to wear for longer periods. Really light, better strap system, and more comfortable foam ring (the Vive one feels like cheap foam and gets itchy after a while, like the Oculus DK2 did). Also (and this might partially be because I have a big head) when looking straight down the Vive tends to slip a bit where the Oculus feels much more secure.

"Titles support room scale and you can play seated with a controller reportedly."

Room scale games tend to be VR exclusive and also Room Scale/Motion Controllers exclusive. In fact, some of the Room Scale games I have picked up actually have a size minimum to work properly, so even if you have a Room Scale setup, if you have anything less than the full 15x15ft you may not be able to play every game.

To everyone else, I have both and as VR headsets they are both very good. Oculus gets the edge for comfort and maybe a little bit better screen but they are both great and leaps and bounds over earlier models like the DK2. Oculus has no room space, and to be perfectly honest I have to admit that Room Space VR is like yet another level on top of standard VR. Here's the thing about that, though. So I've been saying since the beginning that VR won't probably succeed based on adding VR support into existing games but instead based on exclusive experiences made from the ground up for VR. The problem with that right now, though, is that with maybe one or two exceptions the best VR games aren't VR exclusive, they are AAA level or high quality indie games that added VR support or have a VR version. As for room space, while it's amazing very few of the room space games right now are really system sellers. Vanishing Realms is pretty cool, and the Adobe painting program is awesome (although it's not a game) but a lot of the room space stuff is basically a fancy demo at the moment. While room space experiences are truly awesome, the software support may not be there right now to justify the extra cost.

-Byshop

If the headset is leaving marks on your face then you have it on too tight and don't have it properly fitted.

The chaperon system is tied into the games so it won't fail.

If you want feedback from users then go to the vive section on reddit. Plenty of people there already have a Vive and have commented about it and the oculus rift.

Don't hold your breath on that happening any time soon.

From my experience with the Vive you need around 4k per eye before stuff like virtual desktop can be practical.

That is probably 4-5 years away from being viable in games with the hardware progression we are getting.

And even with 4k per eye you will still be able to count the pixels.

does is really matter. if u care about room scale get the vive if you think the brinking mechanics looks annoying and prefer using thumbsticks to move around get the oculus. it about how you want to play and what you want to play.

Lol, wow. Easy there biased bob, your skirt is showing. But obviously if you are not putting it on right then that's no better than Apple saying You're holding your iPhone 4 wrong back when they had antenna/reception trouble. It's a faulty design, as a company, you don't ever tell your customers that they are doing it wrong because it means you fucking designed it wrong, even Sony got it right and it's not even out yet. The rest is mostly negligible differences that may or may not appeal to certain people. Some will still prefer one over the other but even those that own both, can't honestly say one is superior because it really just depends on you.

However I think you can fanboy harder though next time. I know you can do it, the power of Jeebus is within you.

If you want the best VR experience then the HTC Vive (at the moment) is factually the best.

Room scale VR is a much more immersive experience compared to sitting down with an xbox controller and this is where Oculus fails. They should of waited to release their headset together with the tracked controllers instead of fracturing their consumer base.

Also saying you put something on wrong is not a design failure. It's not having common sense to loosen the top strap so it can fit over your head. Or to not over tighten the side straps.

The straps can be adjusted to how the person wants so if they want uncomfortably tight they can choose that but they can also choose to wear it more comfortably.

On the other side the Oculus Rift has been said to be uncomfortable with glasses.

I disagree why should they wait when not everyone wants room scale. it's not for everyone. plus the fact that oculus has full games out showed they made the right choice cause by going with the controller they can get more games up and running in vr. and when the touch comes out if someone who owns a rift wants room scale they can buy that while the ones who just want to play with a controller still has that option. I will agree that room scale is the best to show off what vr can do but it's not for me and so far the games on the vive doesn't interest me at all.

Just got an email from HTC saying they're preparing my Vive for shipment and my card's going to be charged soon. Then I remember the card I reserved it with got stolen so I had to cancel it and got a new #.

Sigh.

I've heard people that try to change payment info get their orders canned. I've emailed HTC telling them what happened but am expecting to have to order anew and wait all over again. ****.

It should be lol!!!

700€ as an entry point and a potent pc...You can't settle for less.

Facebook vs Steam... which would you choose?

I agree with that. Oculus is and will continue to be the defacto VR headset for PC. Vive will definitely have it's place but Oculus will thrive because of better support. For instance, they have their own worldwide studios being lead by Jason Rubin. The only thing holding it back is the lack of the motion controllers, which will be addressed soon.

Vive has the better controller for VR I think.

PS VR WON A LONG LONG TIME AGO

@mister_davis: how did it win?

Price!!! What's else???

If you think that a 700€ entry point plus a potent pc is going to be mainstream...Think again ;p

Vive cons.

Ugly.

I bout lost it there.

Oculus can't match the room scale the Vive has even with their touch controllers and the second camera.

They will be stuck with only 180 degree detection so if they turn around they won't be tracked.

Also the Vive has tons of support and is an open platform unlike Oculus which is locked down.

The Oculus Rift has lost this round because of inferior hardware and a shaky release with pre-orders getting pushed back to August.

Oculus fans are pissed at Palmer right now mainly because even the kickstarter backers pre-orders were pushed back further than the retail release.

They can still pick themselves back up with their Gen 2 release though.

Have you tried the Vive?

Just about anyone who has tried both the Vive and Rift will say the Vive is the way to go because of 1:1 tracking with room scale.

An Xbox controller with VR and no proper room scale has a much higher chance of giving motion sickness.

I am not just a Vive fanboy as I loved the DK2 but Oculus has screwed up with this Gen 1 launch.

They lied about pricing.

They lied about not releasing it with touch support.

They lied about pre-orders.

All this lying has affected how fans view them. Many have switched over to the Vive because of this.

Valve did the right thing in being quiet up to near release.

The second Rift tracking stand allows for regular room scale like the Vive. There is no 180 degree limitation. However, it does not offer as large a play area as the Vive. This isn't even a problem for most as most people don't even have the space for room scale anyway. Room scale experiences will be limited as neither VR setup gives you an infinite play space and you will be limited by the physical world around you. This is why we are mostly seeing gimmicky room scale experiences and this will continue going forward. The only way to get around it is to have teleporting mechanics. This is not ideal and breaks immersion. Omni treadmills are also very limiting.

Rift room scale demo

Oculus has first party exclusives but Rift is also open platform and works with Steam. Third party developers are free to release Rift supported games on whichever storefronts they choose.

The Oculus hardware is not inferior other than a smaller room scale play area and lack of camera. It is not the complete package at launch, but Rift owners who are patient will get the full experience once Touch releases. In the meantime, Rift has better games at launch and is not relying on gimmicky demos. Also, many people feel the Rift's actual headset is better than the Vive headset. Both VR solutions are very good and there is no need to shit on either.

The Rifts cables are too short and the tracking can't match Vives with their current tech.

Room scale is not just a gimmick. Have you tried it?

The teleporting mechanics are not really immersion breakers. I find it a rather smooth transition to get from one spot to another.

Out of most of the games I played the ones I like the most are room scale games over the seated experiences.

Space Pirate Trainer is a blast.

What great Rift games are out at this moment?

Also people have been able to get those same Rift games to work on the Vive now so there won't be any Rift Exclusives if they just hack Vive support in.

I was able to play Lucky's Tale on my HTC Vive.

Some people might find the Rift headset more comfortable but others will find the Vive headset more comfortable it depends on the user.

The Rift has failed for this round because of messing up pre-orders and not including the whole experience. This causes a split in support for the user base and games with and without touch support and room scale.

So you can buy the Rift but then you need to buy the touch controllers for support in a lot of games. And if you want room scale experience on top of that you will need to buy a bunch of long cables so you have enough length to move around.

The HTC Vive comes with a small box that you plug the cable into and then plug that into your computer.

You only need one USB port and one HDMI port for the Vive.

You need 3 USB 3.0 ports and 1 USB 2.0 port along with HDMI for the Rift when touch comes out.

By the time the Rift fully releases the Vive will have been out for about half a year.

And while the Rift has a lot of support backing it so does the Vive.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Vive/comments/4gj5v0/htc_major_announcements_full_article_translated/

Edit: Forgot to mention the Oculus Rift has some very scary Terms of Service compared to the HTC Vive.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ni3Mx1v5m50

I don't see why someone would support such a thing or the company trying to force a lock down on their software so it only supports the Rift.

Valve and HTC do have some sketchy stuff in their Terms of Service but nothing as bad as the Rift.

Also Valve and HTC don't try to lock down support and are more open to software support from the community.

@RyviusARC:

You can add cable extenders to the Rift if length is an issue for you.

The Rift exclusives do not have the best performance on Vive right now through the compatibility layer. So, they are still best played on the Rift. Some of those exclusives out right now are Chronos, EVE: Valkyrie, Most racing sims, Lucky's Tale, Adr1ft. Soon there will be The Climb, Edge of Nowhere and some other Insomniac exclusives. Those are the ones I can think of off the top of my head.

HTC also fucked up the pre-order shipments and payments. So, they are guilty as well.

In terms of seated experience vs. room scale... They are different experiences by design. So, this means that not including the Touch controllers at launch does not hurt. If users want the room scale experience after, they can buy the Touch controllers. The early adopters are aware of this and don't have a problem with it. By the time the Rift is readily available to your average consumer, the Touch controllers will most likely be out and Oculus can bundle them if they wish. This will not be an issue in the future.