Skip to main content
dkonya
Participant
May 16, 2015

How to get started....

What is the best way to get into VR development? I have a strong programming background but have never programmed games or worked with VR.

I have been following Oculus forums for a while and I see that this technology is bound to take off. I got my DK2 few weeks ago and was blown away by potential but let down by the hardware itself. I am hoping they will make significant improvements for the 2016 CV1. I have seen specs of 2160/1200/90 which sounds promising over DK2's 960/1080/75, although it would be nice to actually see the difference first person. I am thinking it's a bit late for DK3 unless they release it early Summer.

I am using my Oculus on Dell Alpha with i7/8Gm/GF860/SSD. Resolution is very low, grainy, and pixalated. I get judder when moving head around.

So, how do I get started making cool VR stuff?

EDIT. Not to be a lazy donkey I have looked through forums for some mentions of books and other tutorial material. I will keep updating the list below.

BOOKS

Learning C# by Developing Games with Unity 3D Beginner's Guide
http://goo.gl/bfmQ1A

Introduction to Game Design, Prototyping, and Development: From Concept to Playable Game with Unity and C#
http://goo.gl/Fz73wv

VIDEO TUTORIALS

Unite 2013 - Step into the Game with Oculus Rift and Unity 4.2
https://goo.gl/7rAJIa

    4 replies

    cybereality
    Inspiring
    May 16, 2015
    Well the top choices are Unity or Unreal. Both are great products, and are free (or affordable).

    Unity uses C# and Javascript, while Unreal has C++ or a visual scripting called Blueprint.

    I'm not sure one is better than the other, it depends on your needs.
    AMD Ryzen 7 1800X | MSI X370 Titanium | G.Skill 16GB DDR4 3200 | EVGA SuperNOVA 1000 | Corsair Hydro H110i Gigabyte RX Vega 64 x2 | Samsung 960 Evo M.2 500GB | Seagate FireCuda SSHD 2TB | Phanteks ENTHOO EVOLV
    dkonyaAuthor
    Participant
    May 17, 2015
    Yep, I read that Unity and Unreal are great tools for game development. Are there any good tutorials on designing games specifically for VR?
    drash
    Inspiring
    May 17, 2015
    "dkonya" wrote:
    Yep, I read that Unity and Unreal are great tools for game development. Are there any good tutorials on designing games specifically for VR?

    There may be a few, but basically it boils down to becoming familiar firsthand with what makes VR different than the monitor, and absorbing some of the best practices published by Oculus and others as a starting point to knowing what you should be careful of. The best VR experiences will design around the limitations and build something compelling from there.

    Beyond that, simply imagine what you want in the virtual space around you and then just Google your heart out to find solutions to make that a reality. Go easy on the scope, and regularly check how your experience performs (using the Profiler if in Unity, not sure what the UE4 equivalent is). Framerate is king -- no matter how cool your experience is, if it's not performing well it's neither fun nor immersive.
    Titans of Space PLUS for Quest is now available on DrashVR.com
    MrsVR
    Up and Coming
    May 18, 2015
    "dkonya" wrote:
    Yep, I read that Unity and Unreal are great tools for game development. Are there any good tutorials on designing games specifically for VR?


    Not really, we have no idea what we're doing, but following the Best practice guide is a good start.

    PS. If you're not experienced in c++ I'd recommend away from Unreal. You can create simple game mechanics with blueprints, but if you require a more complex architecture you "need" to use c++. You don't have to, but it's easier (as long as you're comfortable with c++).
    Rendering/Game engineer
    Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement