Kayak VR: Mirage - never has VR kayaking looked so good! Native Oculus drivers are supported!
Might be more of a kayaking simulator and looks jaw-droppingly good:
This looks like one of my favorite kind of apps - where you try to recreate the real thing as good as you can with current gpus in VR. The app/game/sim isn't out before March 2022, and you can expect system requirements to be extremely high - right now devs expect:
RECOMMENDED:
OS: Windows 10
Processor: Ryzen 3600 / Intel i7 9600K
Memory: 16 GB RAM
Graphics: Nvidia Geforce 2080
DirectX: Version 11
Storage: 10 GB available space
DLSS will be supported for RTX gpus, thus this is truly high-end PCVR. More info here:
Note that The Grand Canyon VR Experience has gotten mixed ratings, but I'm quite fond of that app. It looks great - and at least for the CV1 ss 2.0 using Ultra settings, you may need at least a 2080 (Ti) for solid 90 fps in the Grand Canyon app. Some shots:
We're glad to see that you're enjoying the new VR experiences that are coming, and we love to push the boundaries of innovation. So we hope that you stick with us into the future and experience the immersive world of VR. Thank you!
Just got off a cruise ship and have been without internet for days (or close) - and of course one of the most impressive VR games/apps launches a few days after I've left my VR man cave, lol - the launch trailer:
Right now, 95% of 225 user ratings are positive - that's extremely high ratings. The recommended and now official system requirements are still quite high:
RECOMMENDED:
OS:Windows 10
Processor:Ryzen 3600 / Intel i5 9600K
Memory:16 GB RAM
Graphics:Nvidia GeForce 2080
DirectX:Version 11
Storage:16 GB available space
Note that I have bought and just installed the game, but have not had time to try it - so I'll get back to the performance etc. later.
Finally got to try the game, and I was blown away - that does not happen often. Graphics are Alyx class, and that says a lot. It's not strictly a game, but more a kayak sim. Feels like using a real kayak - or "better than life" as the devs call their company.
Using RTX 3090 I could do res 230% with all settings maxed out, but using highest quality of DLSS. Using lcd, DLSS creates a blurry image, but it's fine in res 230% in 90 fps. Disabling DLSS and using MSAA provided non-blurry image quality, but jaggies appeared. I ended up liking DLSS the most. I took a few shots:
Water and cliffs look beyond amazing - and all in solid 90 fps
Looks like tessellation, but I don't think it is
Tons of polygons make this game/sim look real
The are about 5 different locations - this is Antarctica
Found a turtle on the beach - note the nice textures and dynamic shadows
See the small ripples/waves in the water - it looks amazing
Kayak VR is a 15/10 - it transcends the normal scale like Alyx and Lone Echo 1-2. For those caring about VR, Kayak VR should be in the collection.
Btw, kayaking on the Puerto Rico level was kinda unpleasant, lol. Suddenly I got out into deeper water, and a special tune from Spielberg's Jaws started playing in my head. To avoid panic attacks I may need to ask the devs what's in the water - did see a sting ray, turtle and plenty of different fish.
Yes, maybe some of you are laughing - but this could have been me!
That's the problem when VR start to look real - it fools the mind - but also starts emotions and feelings which simply aren't there with lesser degrees of immersion. Same with Jeff in Alyx.
The problem with pc games with many settings is that it's very time consuming finding optimal settings.
Turns out using res 230% - with DLSS and MSAA, and all in-game settings maxed - was slightly too demanding in some locations. Also MSAA adds little compated to leaving antialiasing just to "On", but MSAA on top of highest quality DLSS and res 230% was very demanding.
In short, found out that changing MSAA to "AA=On" improved performance so much that I could use res 250% and now get solid 90 fps also in very demanding locations (=jungle, many trees with leaves). I think the end result was slightly better image quality and better performance.
There are killer whales and dolphins - and other whales - in the Kayak VR waters. Now whales aren't as scary as a great white, but see this awesome vid - a whale emerges from the deep and swallows two women in a kayak:
With that knowledge, now the maps with whales in Norway and Antarctica surely will cause a much more profound adrenaline rush, lol!
Some dude wrote that there are sharks in the Norway location, so far I've seen none in Puerto Rico - but there should be dolphins, haven't found them yet. But I keep to the shallows, I'm not stupid and I don't take risks, lol 😉
Finally got to test the game with my Rift CV1 - and to my great amazement, the game supports native Oculus drivers!
That means my 10 year old son can play the game, as I do not allow him to use his glasses inside the Index - also Index is nearly twice the weight of the CV1.
Interestingly, some night levels (Australia) looked way too bright using oled, so these may have been designed for lcd. Some other night levels like Antarctica did look better with oled.
As sites like RoadToVR and UpLoadVR seem to focus more and more on lowest-end VR, none of these sites have reviewed Kayak VR - which is a great shame. Kayak VR may be the most impressive VR experience this year. Fortunately, other sites have reviewed the game:
THE VR GRID: 9/10
Quote: "I think just about any VR enthusiast will easily lose more than a few hours just checking out each setting and trying to master the art of VR Kayaking. What makes this so great is that it’s also an easy title to show off as there is minimal VR experience needed to hop in and start paddling wherever you want to go. Kayak Vr: Mirage nails what it feels like to kayak on a river or ocean and the fact it’s the most realistic looking game I have ever seen across any VR platform has me recommending this to anyone interested in seeing what modern day VR is capable of."
Quote: "Overall, Kayak VR: Mirageis a beautiful game that manages to create a kayaking simulator that feels like you’re actually paddling through scenic locations. Not only is it a peaceful way to relax, but your arms will certainly get a workout the longer you play. While the game might be a little light on content at the moment, that is sure to improve as the devs continue to support it post-launch."
Quote: "Kayak VR: Mirage delivers one of the most realistic VR experiences I’ve seen, setting a new benchmark for visual fidelity and water physics. The four environments in the game feel like real places, and the control over your vessel is perhaps the best simulation I’ve experienced. While racing is available (and will appeal to many), simply exploring the environments is amazingly rewarding. Some technical issues mar the experience somewhat, but this is still a game that every person with the tech to run it should buy immediately. "
Btw, the game has nice ultramersion textures - and to show the extreme quality put into this game/sim, you many have to look at the little things. Like leaves:
Some levels may have millions of leaves which may go unnoticed, but see the awesome details when getting close!
More leaves with nice details
The Kayak - note the details in the leather, looks like 4k ultramersion textures to me. The Kayak has many tiny surface scratches and imperfections making it look real
See the reflections in the water - in full color. Green trees and blue sky being correctly reflected
There are also some hidden missions/quests inside the game - like this turtle wanting to get back to open waters - you can push it with the kayak or the paddle:
The animal life is a great touch, there are fish in the water and here are some birds flying high in the sky:
This image is not taken by me, but it looked great - the tip of the iceberg, lol:
I'll let me son try it later today and see if he likes it.
RuneSR2 Ya, Kayak VR is a fun little Kayak sim. Looks and works great with my Q2/rtx3090 wireless with Air Link. Best thing for me is that it's now on VivePort Infinity. Saved me another aud$30, lol! Looks a little better with my OG Vive Pro (Etsy lens mod and Index controllers) thanks to their AMOLED screens and my rtx3090's ability to get +200% SteamVR % visuals but not significant enough for me to want to lose the freedom of wireless. Cheers.
I'm probably wasting tons of money by not getting Viveport Infinity, lol. I still think the Vive Pro with Index controllers may be the best options for many games. Oled really makes a difference in the dark games. For now I prefer only to switch between 2 PCVR hmds, 3 would be crowded, lol.
Still love when devs support native Oculus drivers ensuring optimal performance for most users.
I thoroughly tested the game with the CV1, ss 2.0 being the sweet spot with maxed out in-game settings (no MSAA, but AA = On). And yes, Index does look significantly better in the day maps due to higher res, more subpixels and the fov, but users of CV1 still get an absolutely awesome experience, also the bass and music is great with the CV1 speakers. I had no problems enjoying the game with the CV1 - some colors still look more deep with oled.
Maybe I could do ss 2.2 or 2.3, but 2.0 looks great due to the image sharpening, and ss 2.5 seemed to provide slightly too much shimmering due to the sharpening, this is a rare limitation with ss 2.5, I've only seen it in very few games.
Fun still to use the old CV1, and it still provides mind-blowingly great experiences.
If you're into Lost Ember VR, that game is extremely blurry using Index, but looks great using CV1, would be interesting to hear how that game works with Vive Pro and Quest 2. Lost Ember VR also supports native Oculus drivers for optimal performance - it's more like a walking simulator, not more stressful than kayaking 😉
Btw, if Kayak VR is in VivePort Store, then I do not understand why this game is not in the Rift Store. Lost Ember VR should be in the Rift Store too, it's totally an Oculus game. Unless Meta has stopped updating the Rift Store - it's now 26 days since new content arrived in the Rift Store, in the meantime tons of new Rift-supported games and apps have arrived on Steam.
Today I no longer felt alone 😬 There was something in the water...
Fortunately, it was just my old friend Willy 🤗
- tried to put my head under the water better to see him:
Fun to follow Willy for a while - but going into deeper waters I could no longer follow him (got the message to turn back as I was "out of boundaries").
Some scenic views from my recent Antarctica vacation:
Today I also went into some ice caves:
See how detailed the ice/snow is on the above image. Further on, some glacier collapsed (see the red circle) revealing a new passage:
Did not feel comfortable paddling under this block of ice, lol:
Some rock formations and cliffs looked great, also when struck by sunlight:
Hard to show on stills, but there are several layers to this icy rock:
Animal life is great too - here are me, myself & my penguins:
Dynamic shadows are quite detailed, here's my paddle casting a shadow on some ice:
The maps are big, and occasionally special features are triggered - like seeing Willy jumping out of the water. You may have to spend much time on each map to reveal all of its secrets.
Ya, I've seen Willy jump out of the water a couple of times but in each case the water around him looked very pixelated even with my VP1, and not much difference with my Q2. Not sure why?
BTW, VivePort is very good, unlike what a few Reddit kiddies have to say about it. The same little kiddies say the same about everything. Probably from the safety of their mother's basement, lol! Best to buy (or extend) annual infinity subs during sales (like Nov black Friday). I started out with a free annual sub that came with my OG Vive Cosmos and this was its only thing of value imho, lol! My OG Cosmos is still back in it's box, under my pool table. At least its cable is compatible with my VP1.
Sounds strange with the pixelated image of Willy - I've only seen Willy jump from afar, but I don't recall him looking pixelated. I recall thinking the animation could be better, didn't look that natural, but it's probably difficult making it look right 🙂 Going forward, I'll be keeping an eye out for pixelated Willys 😉
I'm using SteamVR res 250% with the game - and best quality DLSS and max sharpening, antialising set to "on", but not MSAA (I think MSAA with DLSS created some visual artifacts, could cause image pixelation?). All other settings maxed (=cinematic), in-game res set to its default as I'm using SteamVR res to set super sampling (or OTT for the CV1).
Btw, did see something that looked like Willy on Bjørnøya, but getting closer it really looked like a great white shark 😬 Saw it using CV1, maybe my vision through the water is better using oled...
