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Long time CV1 owner, spent one complete day with the VIVE.
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06-05-2016 04:44 PM
Alright guys, today I got the chance to try the VIVE for the whole day, my friend got his VIVE last week and today was the days I going over to do some testing.
Initial thought:
I went through the process like it was mine:
The box is really neat, superb packaging.
When I first saw the HMD, I said wow this is big, much bigger then the CV1, but still lighter then expected when seeing this beast.
Controllers:
The controllers have a nice feel, the only buttons that felt un-natural were the grab button then you pushed with your palm. I have small hands and maybe that was why, but every time a game used these it felt a bit awkward (Budget Cuts comes to mind)
Screen:
Then I put on the headset and went on to adjust everything, it might be just me but the IPD adjustment seems like a dud, I would go all the way up or all the way down the adjustment and I couldn't see a difference in the screen...
I did put my eyes as close as possible to the screen for a wider FOV, but in real life the VIVE doesn't have a much bigger FOV then the CV1, none that is apparent at least. And like a lot of reviews said, once you have the headset on, all the technical stuff kind of disappear, the only place where I did notice a difference, is the sweetspot, in my CV1 I can look around with just my eyes looking sideways, up or down. On the VIVE if you use your eyes just to look around things get blurry, you have to move your whole head due to the sweetspot being smaller, minor annoyance that you get use to real fast.
I did notice a difference in clarity as well in Virtual Desktop. I could spend a whole night browsing the web on Virtual Desktop with my CV1 but in the VIVE it might be a bit more difficult, the text isn't as clear as with the Rift.
Comfort:
Alright sure it's not the CV1, my CV1 barely touches my face and is the most comfortable thing ever, but the VIVE while being heavier isn't uncomfortable, the only thing is that it doesn't breath at all...I would get sweaty in the matter of minutes, sure I was moving, but the VIVE has no ventilation, I recommend to get one of those VR covers if you intend on letting friends play with it.
I spent the whole day in it (7hours) and have no neck strain or anything like it.
My friends also have some big over-the-ear headphones, that would add a cable dangling in my back as well,
I didn't notice anything wrong with the straps or the weight of the HMD, there is still a small nose gap but really smaller then the one on the CV1.
Tracking:
Flawless except on one occasion where I was kneeling on the floor for some reason, I lost track of one controller...no explanation, but after a minute, it came back.
God-Rays:
Saw them once in a menu in Brookhaven experiment (you see the fresnel rings) but a non-issue, as it is a non-issue for me in the CV1.
Chaperone:
It works and it's really effective.
Cable management:
A non-issue, I would naturally just step over the cable, and so on, without even thinking about it.
Ease-of-use:
Ok we had a few problems sometimes launching games, sometimes it wouldn't start from the headset, had to start from the PC, it's clearly a less polish experience then Oculus Home, but minor annoyances. If you are used to the Big Picture mode on steam, it's the same thing. On-screen keyboard is a hit-and-miss too, it would sometime pop up sometime it wouldn't...weird behavior on that one.
As for getting in and out of the HMD physically, you kind of feel like an Astronaut, especially getting out of it. My friend would come to me to grab the controller, then removed the headphones, then the HMD...big win for CV1 on that front...
Fun-factor:
Ok I had a blast, a lot of the games that I will list below, don't have much replay value, but boy are they fun to try. Content is thin, that's the VIVE main problem, but when it gets something right, it's stellar. When I came back home, only thing I can think of now is Touch can't come soon enough, with the comfort of CV1 and Touch controllers, we have a home run brewing. The simplest things can entertain the heck out of someone in VR.
Ok here is a quick rundown of what I played in order that I played it:
The Lab:
Cool little tech demo, with one big highlight the Archery game...one of the best thing I did today, responds like a charm. The rest, maybe because we saw much of it online, it didn't impress me much. But VR virgins would get a kick out of all these little demos
Titlbrush:
Does absolutely nothing for me, I don't have much of a creative mind, but I could tell controls were responsive.
The Blu:
Cool but nothing special for VR veterans, something to show to the noobs.
Fantastic contraption:
I can say this is the only game where I felt that the REAL roomscale was used, not just standing up which most games use. In FC you move around your machine go on the floor, check angles, measure lengths, played 6 levels of it, really fun. I kind of wish there were more parts to use (wheels and 2 types of bars are available, that's it). It might get a bit repetitive in the long run, but I had to take myself out of this one, was really fun.
Job Simulator:
Really cool too, messing around is fun, did the Mechanic and the Clerk, but when I say games don't have much replay value, this is one of them...It was fun to goof around in 1h but I don't see people coming back to this. It's more of a showcase games when your friends come over
Brookhaven Experiment (Demo)
Now that was fun, but it's the only time everything felt kind of blurry, the graphics have something wrong...maybe because zombie come from far out and it's dark, I don't know it was super blurry but I still had a blast one of my top game of the day...You really feel like a badass headshoting zombies....This I would comeback to it (Full 360 game)
Waltz of the Wizard:
Kind of boring honestly, I saw the guys from tested playing around with it and it looked fun, but after messing around in the previous game, I was bored in it....the novelty of throwing stuff around was long gone when I tried this demo, so it was like I said really boring.
Space Pirate trainer:
Really cool, but repetitive.At first I thought I was a super badass and I didn't use the shield but I couldn't get really far. With the shield and a bit of movement (1 or 2 steps) it was much better. BTW this a 180 degree game, nothing is behind you. I prefered Brookhaven because of the subject matter...Robots are not as inspiring as zombies.
Jeebooman:
Boring, enemies coming from everywhere, bad physics, don't bother
Holoballs:
Only time I did put the controller straps on. It's kind of like Arkanoid in 3D. I did stop playing this one because I was afraid that at one point I would dive to get the ball (which I have been know to do at Ping Pong and tennis) And I didn't want to break 1300$cad worth of equipment.
Audioshield:
Super Awesome, one of the best game of the day. Look I am not a dancer, I have no rythym, but in audioshield you just get into it, this one of the few games I could see myself playing more then once, especially with the amount of songs on the library...Really intense games
Budget Cuts:
Alright I was super hyped for this one, after seeing videos of it. But I was kind of bored in it. Teleporting my way around, throwing knife at super weak robots, I don't know I was kinda disappointed with it, a lot of time I wouldn't be able to teleport, can't remember the exact messages it gave me. And using the grab buttons is really un-natural to me, weird control scheme.
Cloudlands Minigolf:
Not worth it, no force feeback on the hits, weird force
The Gallery:
Ok this one was my most anticipated game. 2 hours and it is over (I didn't finish it, my friend did). It's a really slow pace game, lots of stuff to pickup and easy puzzles. I kind of felt in these old 2D adventure game, because you have to teleport everywhere, everything looks like a still frame, and teleportation is really slow (unlike Budget Cuts where you zap around). This is the game where teleportation annoyed me the most....teleporting like 3 times just to get up a stair is really annoying, it showed me the limitation of such a system. But still the most beautiful game on the VIVE, but no replay value and super short.
Virtual Desktop:
More blurry then on my CV1 and performance seems to take a hit, my friend has a better system then I (6700k vs 4770k and 290x vs 290) and we couldn't play Minecraft on VD without judder and on my CV1 it works flawlessly. ATW maybe???
Conclusion:
Sorry this is a long review lol. But I got the confirmation that both systems are great, I would still choose the CV1 because of the content library and ease of use. Also it doesn't get as hot.
Of all the games I tried today, maybe 2 or 3 (Audioshield, Brookhaven, FC?) had some replay value. My friends didn't own any sims so I couldn't try those. Original content is thin. But the VIVE is an awesome device to try...is it worth 1300$ (cad) with the content that it has now, maybe not, does it have potential? Hell yes, but HTC and Valve needs to pump some cash into the dev if they want things to pick up.
Initial thought:
I went through the process like it was mine:
The box is really neat, superb packaging.
When I first saw the HMD, I said wow this is big, much bigger then the CV1, but still lighter then expected when seeing this beast.
Controllers:
The controllers have a nice feel, the only buttons that felt un-natural were the grab button then you pushed with your palm. I have small hands and maybe that was why, but every time a game used these it felt a bit awkward (Budget Cuts comes to mind)
Screen:
Then I put on the headset and went on to adjust everything, it might be just me but the IPD adjustment seems like a dud, I would go all the way up or all the way down the adjustment and I couldn't see a difference in the screen...
I did put my eyes as close as possible to the screen for a wider FOV, but in real life the VIVE doesn't have a much bigger FOV then the CV1, none that is apparent at least. And like a lot of reviews said, once you have the headset on, all the technical stuff kind of disappear, the only place where I did notice a difference, is the sweetspot, in my CV1 I can look around with just my eyes looking sideways, up or down. On the VIVE if you use your eyes just to look around things get blurry, you have to move your whole head due to the sweetspot being smaller, minor annoyance that you get use to real fast.
I did notice a difference in clarity as well in Virtual Desktop. I could spend a whole night browsing the web on Virtual Desktop with my CV1 but in the VIVE it might be a bit more difficult, the text isn't as clear as with the Rift.
Comfort:
Alright sure it's not the CV1, my CV1 barely touches my face and is the most comfortable thing ever, but the VIVE while being heavier isn't uncomfortable, the only thing is that it doesn't breath at all...I would get sweaty in the matter of minutes, sure I was moving, but the VIVE has no ventilation, I recommend to get one of those VR covers if you intend on letting friends play with it.
I spent the whole day in it (7hours) and have no neck strain or anything like it.
My friends also have some big over-the-ear headphones, that would add a cable dangling in my back as well,
I didn't notice anything wrong with the straps or the weight of the HMD, there is still a small nose gap but really smaller then the one on the CV1.
Tracking:
Flawless except on one occasion where I was kneeling on the floor for some reason, I lost track of one controller...no explanation, but after a minute, it came back.
God-Rays:
Saw them once in a menu in Brookhaven experiment (you see the fresnel rings) but a non-issue, as it is a non-issue for me in the CV1.
Chaperone:
It works and it's really effective.
Cable management:
A non-issue, I would naturally just step over the cable, and so on, without even thinking about it.
Ease-of-use:
Ok we had a few problems sometimes launching games, sometimes it wouldn't start from the headset, had to start from the PC, it's clearly a less polish experience then Oculus Home, but minor annoyances. If you are used to the Big Picture mode on steam, it's the same thing. On-screen keyboard is a hit-and-miss too, it would sometime pop up sometime it wouldn't...weird behavior on that one.
As for getting in and out of the HMD physically, you kind of feel like an Astronaut, especially getting out of it. My friend would come to me to grab the controller, then removed the headphones, then the HMD...big win for CV1 on that front...
Fun-factor:
Ok I had a blast, a lot of the games that I will list below, don't have much replay value, but boy are they fun to try. Content is thin, that's the VIVE main problem, but when it gets something right, it's stellar. When I came back home, only thing I can think of now is Touch can't come soon enough, with the comfort of CV1 and Touch controllers, we have a home run brewing. The simplest things can entertain the heck out of someone in VR.
Ok here is a quick rundown of what I played in order that I played it:
The Lab:
Cool little tech demo, with one big highlight the Archery game...one of the best thing I did today, responds like a charm. The rest, maybe because we saw much of it online, it didn't impress me much. But VR virgins would get a kick out of all these little demos
Titlbrush:
Does absolutely nothing for me, I don't have much of a creative mind, but I could tell controls were responsive.
The Blu:
Cool but nothing special for VR veterans, something to show to the noobs.
Fantastic contraption:
I can say this is the only game where I felt that the REAL roomscale was used, not just standing up which most games use. In FC you move around your machine go on the floor, check angles, measure lengths, played 6 levels of it, really fun. I kind of wish there were more parts to use (wheels and 2 types of bars are available, that's it). It might get a bit repetitive in the long run, but I had to take myself out of this one, was really fun.
Job Simulator:
Really cool too, messing around is fun, did the Mechanic and the Clerk, but when I say games don't have much replay value, this is one of them...It was fun to goof around in 1h but I don't see people coming back to this. It's more of a showcase games when your friends come over
Brookhaven Experiment (Demo)
Now that was fun, but it's the only time everything felt kind of blurry, the graphics have something wrong...maybe because zombie come from far out and it's dark, I don't know it was super blurry but I still had a blast one of my top game of the day...You really feel like a badass headshoting zombies....This I would comeback to it (Full 360 game)
Waltz of the Wizard:
Kind of boring honestly, I saw the guys from tested playing around with it and it looked fun, but after messing around in the previous game, I was bored in it....the novelty of throwing stuff around was long gone when I tried this demo, so it was like I said really boring.
Space Pirate trainer:
Really cool, but repetitive.At first I thought I was a super badass and I didn't use the shield but I couldn't get really far. With the shield and a bit of movement (1 or 2 steps) it was much better. BTW this a 180 degree game, nothing is behind you. I prefered Brookhaven because of the subject matter...Robots are not as inspiring as zombies.
Jeebooman:
Boring, enemies coming from everywhere, bad physics, don't bother
Holoballs:
Only time I did put the controller straps on. It's kind of like Arkanoid in 3D. I did stop playing this one because I was afraid that at one point I would dive to get the ball (which I have been know to do at Ping Pong and tennis) And I didn't want to break 1300$cad worth of equipment.
Audioshield:
Super Awesome, one of the best game of the day. Look I am not a dancer, I have no rythym, but in audioshield you just get into it, this one of the few games I could see myself playing more then once, especially with the amount of songs on the library...Really intense games
Budget Cuts:
Alright I was super hyped for this one, after seeing videos of it. But I was kind of bored in it. Teleporting my way around, throwing knife at super weak robots, I don't know I was kinda disappointed with it, a lot of time I wouldn't be able to teleport, can't remember the exact messages it gave me. And using the grab buttons is really un-natural to me, weird control scheme.
Cloudlands Minigolf:
Not worth it, no force feeback on the hits, weird force
The Gallery:
Ok this one was my most anticipated game. 2 hours and it is over (I didn't finish it, my friend did). It's a really slow pace game, lots of stuff to pickup and easy puzzles. I kind of felt in these old 2D adventure game, because you have to teleport everywhere, everything looks like a still frame, and teleportation is really slow (unlike Budget Cuts where you zap around). This is the game where teleportation annoyed me the most....teleporting like 3 times just to get up a stair is really annoying, it showed me the limitation of such a system. But still the most beautiful game on the VIVE, but no replay value and super short.
Virtual Desktop:
More blurry then on my CV1 and performance seems to take a hit, my friend has a better system then I (6700k vs 4770k and 290x vs 290) and we couldn't play Minecraft on VD without judder and on my CV1 it works flawlessly. ATW maybe???
Conclusion:
Sorry this is a long review lol. But I got the confirmation that both systems are great, I would still choose the CV1 because of the content library and ease of use. Also it doesn't get as hot.
Of all the games I tried today, maybe 2 or 3 (Audioshield, Brookhaven, FC?) had some replay value. My friends didn't own any sims so I couldn't try those. Original content is thin. But the VIVE is an awesome device to try...is it worth 1300$ (cad) with the content that it has now, maybe not, does it have potential? Hell yes, but HTC and Valve needs to pump some cash into the dev if they want things to pick up.
I am a spacesim/flightsim/racesim enthusiast first 🙂 I9 9900k@5.0, 32gb RAM/ 2080ti Former DK2, Gear VR,CV1 and Rift S owner
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06-05-2016 05:28 PM
I'm in the same position, have had a chance to try both, just some counterpoints (and agreements).
Controllers: You get used to the grip buttons. I had the exact same problem the first time playing Budget Cuts, but the second time I was teleporting around like champ. Point, shoot, and squeeze ;).
Screen: Noticed the same thing on the vive, the IPD number changes but I don't see any difference. On the rift those green crosshairs definitely get more defined as you dial in the IPD.
Comfort: No question, when the Rift is dialed in it doesn't put any pressure on your nose. And the Vive DEFINITELY is more prone to causing persperation. A friend demoed Brookhaven for 10 minutes and the Vive face 'interface' was a soaked sponge..
Also, the headphone issue at least for me is reason enough to dismiss the Vive. The combination of the thick 3 line umbilical cord, ski goggle straps, and any type of overear headphones are just a huge hassle.
Tracking is fine with both.
God Rays are evident in certain situation on both headsets, but they don't bother me when playing games.
Chaperone: Great idea, but CAN YOU TURN IT OFF?
After gaming with the Vive I went to sit down on my couch to watch a movie. The couch is outside of my 'playspace' chaperoned area, but it is still within the space that can be tracked by the lighthouses.
The problem is, that the if you're near the edge of your playsapce the chaperone grid will show up, and there doesn't seem to be any way to completely disable it'?
So I could watch a movie on the Vive, but I had to move my chair to the center of the 'playspace' just so that the chaperone grid would disssapear..
Cable Mangement: Spend more time with the Vive and the thick 3 segment cord just gets in the way, and get's stuck under chairs, and generally sucks.
I won't bother discussing the games, they'll all be playable on all the VR systems eventually 😉
Controllers: You get used to the grip buttons. I had the exact same problem the first time playing Budget Cuts, but the second time I was teleporting around like champ. Point, shoot, and squeeze ;).
Screen: Noticed the same thing on the vive, the IPD number changes but I don't see any difference. On the rift those green crosshairs definitely get more defined as you dial in the IPD.
Comfort: No question, when the Rift is dialed in it doesn't put any pressure on your nose. And the Vive DEFINITELY is more prone to causing persperation. A friend demoed Brookhaven for 10 minutes and the Vive face 'interface' was a soaked sponge..
Also, the headphone issue at least for me is reason enough to dismiss the Vive. The combination of the thick 3 line umbilical cord, ski goggle straps, and any type of overear headphones are just a huge hassle.
Tracking is fine with both.
God Rays are evident in certain situation on both headsets, but they don't bother me when playing games.
Chaperone: Great idea, but CAN YOU TURN IT OFF?
After gaming with the Vive I went to sit down on my couch to watch a movie. The couch is outside of my 'playspace' chaperoned area, but it is still within the space that can be tracked by the lighthouses.
The problem is, that the if you're near the edge of your playsapce the chaperone grid will show up, and there doesn't seem to be any way to completely disable it'?
So I could watch a movie on the Vive, but I had to move my chair to the center of the 'playspace' just so that the chaperone grid would disssapear..
Cable Mangement: Spend more time with the Vive and the thick 3 segment cord just gets in the way, and get's stuck under chairs, and generally sucks.
I won't bother discussing the games, they'll all be playable on all the VR systems eventually 😉
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06-05-2016 05:41 PM
I know there is a way to set it to seated but we didn't get around to that, maybe it removes chaperone then???
I am a spacesim/flightsim/racesim enthusiast first 🙂 I9 9900k@5.0, 32gb RAM/ 2080ti Former DK2, Gear VR,CV1 and Rift S owner
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06-05-2016 05:53 PM
Hmm, so I guess you'd have to run the Room Setup again then? I wonder if you can save seated and room scale environment settings?
Maybe something for Oculus to consider before the Touch comes out 😉
Maybe something for Oculus to consider before the Touch comes out 😉
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06-05-2016 06:24 PM
You just chose the Rift over the Vive, publicly, based on first-hand experience. And you stated it on the Oculus Forums....
maxpare79 said:
Virtual Desktop:
More blurry then on my CV1 and performance seems to take a hit, my friend has a better system then I (6700k vs 4770k and 290x vs 290) and we couldn't play Minecraft on VD without judder and on my CV1 it works flawlessly. ATW maybe???
Conclusion:
Sorry this is a long review lol. But I got the confirmation that both systems are great, I would still choose the CV1 because of the content library and ease of use. Also it doesn't get as hot.
Run for your life! :#
Device rivalries aside, that was a fantastic analysis. And it sounds like you've been having some mighty serious VR fun. Bravo!
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06-05-2016 06:26 PM
Great post Max - especially with the dearth of new threads on the board right now. I found myself excited to see what you had written. A friend has ordered the Vive and I'm hoping it arrives soon so I can try it out. He has my DK2 while he waits so he owes me.
I'm glad to see your review echoes most nearly everyone else who has tried both units. I'm a bit worried about trying the Vive wands because I'm already anxious to get my hands on Touch (pun intended) and trying Vive will just make the wait even harder to bear.
It seems like your opinions of the games also falls in line with what many others have said. Just like the Rift, it appears there's a divide between excellent demo apps and long-term full games. I spend the majority of my time in PC and ED, where I notice Steam telling me 3dV logging into Audioshield about 400 times a day. I don't use either of those games to demo first-timers until they've done all the standard demo apps first.
I'm glad to see your review echoes most nearly everyone else who has tried both units. I'm a bit worried about trying the Vive wands because I'm already anxious to get my hands on Touch (pun intended) and trying Vive will just make the wait even harder to bear.
It seems like your opinions of the games also falls in line with what many others have said. Just like the Rift, it appears there's a divide between excellent demo apps and long-term full games. I spend the majority of my time in PC and ED, where I notice Steam telling me 3dV logging into Audioshield about 400 times a day. I don't use either of those games to demo first-timers until they've done all the standard demo apps first.
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.
- Arthur C Clarke
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06-05-2016 06:30 PM
maxpare79 said:
I know there is a way to set it to seated but we didn't get around to that, maybe it removes chaperone then???
I have my chaperone displayed just on the floor since I'm past my bounds when I'm sitting at my desk. It's been working well that way, and for me it's less distracting since my play area isn't very large, and I get to enjoy more of the scene this way.
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06-05-2016 06:45 PM
Great review man, I too would like to try out the vive,but in the end I went with the rift because of the games
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06-05-2016 07:30 PM
For watching a movie outside the play area, or sitting too close to your desk, I believe there is a quick temporary way to calibrate for a seated position while in the Vive.
I don't have my Vive setup to quickly give precise instructions, but hopefully I can point you in the right direction.
Try bringing up the steam menu in the Vive, then somewhere under the settings area, the last option I think was calibration for sitting. This should remove the chaperone. Though, if you get up and move some distance, it will come back on its own, ready for room scale again
I don't have my Vive setup to quickly give precise instructions, but hopefully I can point you in the right direction.
Try bringing up the steam menu in the Vive, then somewhere under the settings area, the last option I think was calibration for sitting. This should remove the chaperone. Though, if you get up and move some distance, it will come back on its own, ready for room scale again
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06-06-2016 10:07 AM
I still have a couple of months to wait for my Rift, but here are my thoughts on my Vive after a month:
The strap design is an abomination. Every time I put it on, I have to pull the cable up the strap so it doesn't prevent the strap from reaching down the back of my head to make the Vive fit as comfortably to my face as it can get. Which isn't very. Since it's so tight on my face, it does get sweaty fast if I'm doing something at all energetic.
Fresnel rings are common, and starting to annoy me. God rays aren't that uncommon, but only really appear in a few of the games I own.
Having to use separate headphones gets old real fast. It's yet one more cable to add to the existing bundle and keeping untangling.
SteamVR is, frankly, a buggy PoS. It routinely crashes on exit, or just randomly while I'm using it, often taking down the whole of Steam. It gets stuck when switching between Steam and virtual desktop mode, requiring me to take off the headset and quit from the monitor screen. It sometimes manages to lock up the entire PC, requiring a hard reboot. It keeps telling me I have firmware updates to do even after I do them. Games often don't start, or don't exit, requiring me to run the task manager to kill them. Some games lock up until I realize there's another damn Windows Firewall popup on the desktop waiting for me to press a button before it will continue. Last week it wiped all my VR settings, so I had to do the whole roomscale setup again. Which is a real pain because I'm barely over the minimum size, so one error in controller position when moving it around the room is enough to force me to have to go back and start over. Many of the VR settings are only configurable on the desktop, and not in VR.
I'm sure the experience will improve, but the bugs are getting annoying.
Chaperone is useful while standing, but a pain when sitting. If I lean too far in my chair while watching a movie in VorpX, the chaperone shows up.
As mentioned above, the IPD configuration is a pain, and doesn't actually seem to do anything. I measured mine as best I could and set it in the headset, but I honestly don't see any difference.
The grip button on the controllers is pretty much useless. I hate any game that forces me to use it. But the actual controller interface is pretty good otherwise, particularly they way they appear in VR showing you what the current configuration is (e.g. the touchpad as a scroll wheel or multiple buttons).
The front camera isn't particularly useful, but is kind of neat. In
the SteamVR dashboard, it's attached to one of the controllers, so you
can lift the controller up and see what's happening in the other world.
Tracking works most of the time, but I still see my controllers fly off into the sunset now and again, even when the Lighthouse has a clear view of them.
I'm not going to say I regret buying it, but it's clearly a dev kit they pushed out the door, not a polished consumer product.
The strap design is an abomination. Every time I put it on, I have to pull the cable up the strap so it doesn't prevent the strap from reaching down the back of my head to make the Vive fit as comfortably to my face as it can get. Which isn't very. Since it's so tight on my face, it does get sweaty fast if I'm doing something at all energetic.
Fresnel rings are common, and starting to annoy me. God rays aren't that uncommon, but only really appear in a few of the games I own.
Having to use separate headphones gets old real fast. It's yet one more cable to add to the existing bundle and keeping untangling.
SteamVR is, frankly, a buggy PoS. It routinely crashes on exit, or just randomly while I'm using it, often taking down the whole of Steam. It gets stuck when switching between Steam and virtual desktop mode, requiring me to take off the headset and quit from the monitor screen. It sometimes manages to lock up the entire PC, requiring a hard reboot. It keeps telling me I have firmware updates to do even after I do them. Games often don't start, or don't exit, requiring me to run the task manager to kill them. Some games lock up until I realize there's another damn Windows Firewall popup on the desktop waiting for me to press a button before it will continue. Last week it wiped all my VR settings, so I had to do the whole roomscale setup again. Which is a real pain because I'm barely over the minimum size, so one error in controller position when moving it around the room is enough to force me to have to go back and start over. Many of the VR settings are only configurable on the desktop, and not in VR.
I'm sure the experience will improve, but the bugs are getting annoying.
Chaperone is useful while standing, but a pain when sitting. If I lean too far in my chair while watching a movie in VorpX, the chaperone shows up.
As mentioned above, the IPD configuration is a pain, and doesn't actually seem to do anything. I measured mine as best I could and set it in the headset, but I honestly don't see any difference.
The grip button on the controllers is pretty much useless. I hate any game that forces me to use it. But the actual controller interface is pretty good otherwise, particularly they way they appear in VR showing you what the current configuration is (e.g. the touchpad as a scroll wheel or multiple buttons).
The front camera isn't particularly useful, but is kind of neat. In
the SteamVR dashboard, it's attached to one of the controllers, so you
can lift the controller up and see what's happening in the other world.
Tracking works most of the time, but I still see my controllers fly off into the sunset now and again, even when the Lighthouse has a clear view of them.
I'm not going to say I regret buying it, but it's clearly a dev kit they pushed out the door, not a polished consumer product.
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