The Index thread (please keep to subject)

To my great surprise Wilson's Heart, one of my favorite games, did not just work in solid 90 fps using Index res 300% (with maxed out in-game graphics settings), but also gave me solid 90 fps using res 400% 😮 This was really unbelievable 😮 - and it's now a superior VR experience to almost any other VR game. It's of course another testament to the incredible force of the RTX 3090. 

That said, the first hour I played the game starting from my latest save game somewhat far into the game, I got solid 90 fps with res 400%. But starting a new game, much is going on and the rooms are really huge, and there res 400% will cause some motion smoothing to kick in. But in a few minutes you reach smaller locations and fps turn to solid 90. Using res 300% you will get solid 90 fps also in the start of the game. 

But I prefer res 400% to res 300%. Res 400% is not wasted at all, because using lcd hmds this game has tons of jaggies. But not using res 400% - now the game looks mindblowingly awesome. 

For those not having played Wilson's Heart - now may be the perfect time! But you'll need at least a RTX 3080, similar or close for 90 fps with res 300%. All shots are taken using Index res 400% - that's 4032x4480x2 = 36 million pixels per frame (both eyes included):

Click to enlarge!

Looking in the mirror never looked so good 😉

Awesome high-res dynamic shadows - see both hands and head/hair

Yes, gotta just looove those shadows!

Res 400% just looks real - great fun to read the comic books in the game

Immersion has never been better for me - but maybe G2 and Vive Pro 2 users don't agree, lol

These look like real lamps to me - check the textures and high-poly models (=lamps look perfectly round) 

Wilson's Heart uses black & white graphics also to reduce texture storage sizes, and to be able to provide higher textures res than usually seen in VR games before Alyx and Boneworks arrived

Your heart - looks like metal 

Strange choice in hospital art, but if it keeps the kids happy ...

Awesome mirror reflections

Alyx-class textures

Close-up on a bad day

Example of high-poly environments with impressive high-res textures

Ultramersion textures on common objects

Looks like a real drawing when you're inside the game

Shadows and lights                     

Handwritings maybe not that far from being photo-realistic thanks to res 400%...  

My plan last evening was to play some Brass Tactics - that game did work too with res 400%, but did get some reprojections, might have to go for res 300& in that game... Might take some shots, one day... But got caught up in Wilson's Heart. 

Btw, Wilson's Heart is playable in res 500% too - but then it's mostly 45 fps - not bad though, but I prefer res 400% and 90 fps. 

Greatly enjoyed Brass Tactics, once more thanks to the totally amazing brute force of the RTX 3090. Not only can I play the game in solid 90 fps using Ultra settings and ss 2.0 (or SteamVR res 200%) - but I can even up the res to Index res 300% and it's still smooth as butter. Res 400% did somewhat burn my Icarus wings, lol. Res 400% is playable, but I get some reprojections, so Index Res 300% it is. 

I've actually saved this game as I did not like the performance with the GTX 1080 CV1 ss 2.0. Now, after all those years, I can finally play this awesome game. The game is from the makers of Age of Empires 2, and thanks to VR I can't think of any better strategy game than Brass Tactics. Knuckles work perfectly as Touch. 

Just took a few shots - Index res 300% with Ultra settings. 

Click to enlarge

Everything is sharp using res 300% - also check out the buildings in the background, outside the play area

Textures aren't ultramersion quality, but still look great - see the detail on the dome

More buildings - nice details, poly levels are fine

Your hands look awesome - much better inside the game

Awesome ground textures

A battle is ongoing - but check out the great dynamic shadows - also from the arrows when you're ordering soldiers to move

Just some random gold and jewels

A tower - just to show some details that many may easily overlook - devs gave much attention to details

Maybe a boring image - but check out the distant objects, these look very sharp due to res 300%

Just to show close and distant perspecitives

Some levels are quite large - still not problems getting solid 90 fps 

Just to show some details from units - made of brass 😉

Some fun enemies - without spoiling much 😉

More close-up textures

Just to show roof tile textures - nice quality               

Quite a fun use of the frunk:

Still haven't used mine for anything, maybe I should. If anyone has used it, do make a post about it!

Chronos works close to perfectly using Index res 400% and highest in-game graphics settings 😮 

I really don't think Chronos can get much better - of course you could get more real res with G2 or Vive Pro 2, but G2 has less fov and bad controllers. Maybe Vive Pro 2 is the winner with Knuckles - but the Index sound is awesome. 

Well - I'm more than happy for the Index res 400% - no more jaggies (or close) - mostly solid 90 fps, only saw very few dips below 90 fps, but even with an oc'ed RTX 3090 res 400% isn't exactly free, lol. Or maybe explained in another way: the game using Index res 400% performs about twice as good as when I used CV1 ss 2.0 (which was 45 fps ASW 2.0) with the GTX 1080 - and that says almost everything 🤓

Click to enlarge (all shots = Index res 400%):

Index res 400% - also see the dynamic light from the torch (and the shadow from the torch)

Nice dynamic shadows again - textures aren't that good in Chronos, thus getting more res might not be that important, especially when the view distance is low. Note how sharp/clear objects are in the background.

Awesome environments - clear and without jaggies. Maybe more physical res would be nice here, still the game looks beyond amazing with the big Index fov

Game is quite a lot like Dark Souls... 

Another nice room - with no jaggies

I never get tired of those great dynamic shadows

Chronos with Index res 400% is one of the most impressive VR games I can think of, combining great graphics with an amazing story and gameplay. 

I'm not that fond of all these rumors - I'll believe it when or if Valve announces it:

"Valve reportedly developing standalone VR headset codenamed ‘Deckard’"

https://www.theverge.com/2021/9/29/22699914/valve-deckard-standalone-vr-headset-prototype-development

Further Deckard rumors, was just thinking how much I miss oled last night, well, we'll see - but if PSVR2 is oled, surely others might follow:

This sounds like it will be a defining standalone VR headset - as we see many Quest2 users moving to a tethered/wireless PC solution, rather than just the mobileVR offering.

With this latest news, a Standalone Index PC VR solution would be a serious opportunity in the market:

https://uploadvr.com/valve-index-second-most-used-headset-on-steam/

After 2 years, my left controller started drifting, and I'm all out of warranty 😢 But Valve was beyond awesome. Not only do they send me a new controller completely free of charge (they pay all shipping) - but see what they just offered me 😮 

So won't have to wait 5 weeks for a replacement this time.

Fun thing, maybe, but I was so sure I had to wait 5 weeks again, so I just bought a new pair of Index controllers - before reading it's an advanced replacement. Now I hope they can refund that order - but maybe not a bad idea with a backup pair, even if Index controllers cost same as a new Quest 2 128GB kit... 

Not really happy with the quality of the shots from Defector yet, might take some more later and make a proper thread for the game - but this is Index res 350 - 400% (graphics are kinda cell-shaded, so it's supposed to look somewhat cartoon-ish): 

Click to enlarge

Uh-oh - he blinked 😬 - but you do get an idea of npc model details

Btw, Valve did manage to cancel my purchase of new Index controllers - and the advanced replacement has already shipped:

Would really dislike being without a controller when trying to Revive Lone Echo 2 and Song in the Smoke, so really thankful for the help.

My current controller is working fine - I just have to use a dead zone of 15% for the thumbstick, but really can't feel that anywhere. But in the beginning it was just 5%, thus the deterioration slowly progresses, and I thought it better to contact Valve before anything serious happened.

Note that getting free replacements after the warranty has expired - and getting an advanced replacement - is not something Valve does every time. I posted my happy thoughts in the Index Subreddit, and many wrote back they got no help from Valve after the warranty had expired. Or were denied advanced replacements. Thus maybe I was just lucky - also I did not ask for advanced replacement, it was offered spontaneously by Valve.