Rift Impressions from a GearVR Owner

[Hanover]

I received my Rift on April 25th.  So far I've had about six hours with it.  I've owned a GearVR since February and have been using it on my S7 Edge.

First thing's first.  I wasn't initially "wow'd".  I think the honeymoon period with VR ended during the time I used my GearVR.  In fact, I had to do an A/B test just to convince myself the Rift was better.  It indeed is, as the Rift's FOV is wider and taller and the SDE is less pronounced in the Rift.  There is definitely no judder problem that the S7Edge is having at the moment.  The problem is, being immersed in VR simply isn't novel for me anymore.

Fortunately I had already downloaded a few games to play in anticipation of getting my Rift.  I won't cover everything here because there are so many reviews out there that say the exact same things.  So I'll cover the highlights of what made Rift really stand out.

The Foo Show -

This is a beta "talk show" by Will Smith from tested.  Think of it as a talk-show in VR.  The host (Will Smith) and his two guests who were on the team that created Fire Watch take you to the inside of the Fire Watch cabin and talk about art direction, etc.   It uses teleport point for movement.  You can pick up almost every prop inside the camera.  but the thing that really made me go "Whoah!" was when I stood next to the door to the cabin and walked outside of it.  That's when I re-positioned my camera to point to the center of my basement and I was able to walk almost the entire space without teleporting.  The only thing I could think of was, "Vive, eat your heart out."   If I had two sensors, I could definitely make a nice big tracking area. 

Technolust -

I played this game standing and turned off comfort mode for turning.  I've found out that I can do the stick-turning without getting sick.  Not sure why, but it doesn't bother me.  Knowing what I knew about the Foo Show, I started this game in the center of my play area and could walk around a fair bit and man, it was immersive!  Just looking up into the sky and seeing the buildings tower above me as the craft floated by with it's animated billboards just floored me.  As I started playing through the game, I took in every detail and walked up to and studied every NPC.  I looked outside of every window I could to take in the views.  This was truly a magical moment.  I've been a cyberpunk fan since I read Neuromancer in Middleschool.  My cyberpunk dreams were being realized.  If only someone could update the old Interplay RPG game Neuromancer for VR.  That would be awesome.

Eve Valkyrie -

I clenched my fists and pushed my head into the headrest of my chair as I shot out of the launch bay.  I let out an involuntary, "WHOOOOAH!" as I did vertical loops while trying to lock onto an enemy.  It felt like I was on a ride.  It was my first cockpit experience on the Rift, and I now I understand why everyone says it does those so well.  I could look all around and track my enemies by site rather than just having to rely on the radar.  It was really cool, and I spent at least two hours playing it.  

Cons:

I've tried all the advice out there and can't seem to find the "magic floating in front of your eyes" spot.  I've loosened all the straps, pulled the triangle all the way back to the base of my skull and then tightened them, but the HMD always wants to fall forward, down my face.  This is extremely noticeable when I Iook down.  It's like the triangle snaps up and loses hold on the back of my skull. 

I keep feeling like the image is hazy.  It makes me want to keep checking to see if the lenses are dirty.  I'm not sure if that's just how it is, or if there is something wrong.  Even the Home environment feels a little washed out.  The GearVR never felt that hazy.  Maybe it's because I need to wear my glasses?

I am far-sided in that I need glasses to read anything that's close-up.  I think I should have just gotten some reading glasses, but I ended up with progressives that I swear have made my eyesight worse.  I've really never had to use glasses with my GearVR. I've tried using them in the Rift, and fortunately the lenses don't touch the VR lenses and they don't get pulled off when I take off the HMD.  It just seems to make everything more hazy though, but maybe slightly better focus?  It's hard to tell.  I've had a few hours without the glasses and things seem okay.  I guess I should do some more A/B testing.

I miss not having a wire.  I love playing Dark Net, and with my GearVR I could just swivel on my chair without the worry of getting twisted up in a cable.  The cable on the Rift definitely makes you feel a bit more confined so you end up having to use the "comfort turn" which really breaks the immersion.  I find it easier to stand-up for games that I want the 360 degree experience with.  So now I play Dark Net standing up with the remote.  It's still a lot of fun.

Notes about area tracking:

I think the Rift has it right.  It does small-area tracking very well up to about 6 feet from your PC with one sensor.  I was able to walk around small spaces without a problem.  If the space is bigger than your room, then you end up having to stand and teleport more...sometimes taking a few steps forward to investigate something in front of you.  But the whole teleportation/center yourself cha-cha gets a bit tedious after awhile.  But it's still cool to take a few steps and look outside a virtual window.

So that's it so far.  If anything, it's a lot easier to just put-on and get into a game than my Gear VR was.  It's always sitting next to me on my desk, ready to be put on.  Home instantly comes on, and there's no fussing with launching something outside of the HMD and then putting it on.  I still have tons more games to try too.  This is going to be a fun weekend coming up.  🙂

[Anonymous]

Hanover said:

I've loosened all the straps, pulled the triangle all the way back to the base of my skull and then tightened them, but the HMD always wants to fall forward, down my face.  This is extremely noticeable when I Iook down.  It's like the triangle snaps up and loses hold on the back of my skull.

Still seem to be having the same issue actually. I'll get it comfortable and stable, and it feels tight enough to stay in place without squeezing my head too much, but it always find a way to slide forward.

Also thanks for reminding me to download Technolust!

[Hanover]

Westane said:

Also thanks for reminding me to download Technolust!

I just finished Technolust.  Very atmospheric!  Kind of short, but it's still a cool experience.  I'd love to see an RPG made in that type of environment.

[CharlieHobbes]

Surely if the issue is the Rift sliding forward you need to adjust the top strap, especially if it happens when looking down?

Side straps prevent it moving when moving your head left/right
Top strap prevents it moving when moving your head down (or rather when you stop moving down, inertia and all that jazz)
Gravity (+ the rest of the fitting as above) prevents it moving when moving your head up

[Hanover]

CharlieHobbes said:

Surely if the issue is the Rift sliding forward you need to adjust the top strap, especially if it happens when looking down?

Side straps prevent it moving when moving your head left/right
Top strap prevents it moving when moving your head down (or rather when you stop moving down, inertia and all that jazz)
Gravity (+ the rest of the fitting as above) prevents it moving when moving your head up

I figured it out.  It has to do with my gaming chair.  I have an Iron Series DX Racer chair, and the back of the HMD is lightly rubbing against the back of the chair when I look up or down.  I put my lumbar pillow in my chair and it gives me enough distance from the back of the chair.  

I also think I was trying to push the triangle too far down, when it seems to need to sit right above the back of my neck.  Today I found a fit so good that I could get all the way through Technolust in one sitting.

Now, let's talk about the effect in being in a dreary VR environment for an extended period of time.   Seriously, it took me a couple of hours to "wake up" out of a weird mood that game put me in.  Great experience, but wow...VR has a lot more power than a traditional PC game.

[Shadowmask72]

Thanks for posting. Yeh the Gear VR fov is awful.

[crim3]

Hanover said:

Now, let's talk about the effect in being in a dreary VR environment for an extended period of time.   Seriously, it took me a couple of hours to "wake up" out of a weird mood that game put me in.  Great experience, but wow...VR has a lot more power than a traditional PC game.

I remember the day I went through all the ride in Titans of Space at my own pace with the DK1. When I took off the headset I had an unexpected deep feeling of solitude and isolation and left me thinking about how VR is capable of affecting people in a deep level. It takes lot of effort from the developers to achieve that, though.