I've been flowing the oculus story for a few months now, waiting for info on the next devkit, and I couldn't wait any more. I've purchased a used DK1 off of ebay this week (also the price right) I'm a child of the 90's and grew up with all the crazy VR dreams around @ the time (along with mondo 2000, 2600, cyber punk etc) I've tried a bunch of those older VR systems that you used to see @' festivals , arcades, malls. They were cool @ the time but I never really felt "there" with the googles on. So I am really looking forward to jumping into the rift and trying this out.
Any one have any pointers on things to do to make this go smoothly? Will be using a windows 7 machine (is x64 ok?) Should I set up steam? Are any of these virtual drivers worth the $$ to get games like half life 2 working?
You've picked an excellent moment to join, Sir. 8-)
Windows 7 x64 is absolutely fine. One of the first choices you have to make is whether you will use an extended or cloned desktop. YMMV, but I'm firmly in the clone camp, for ease of use. Read up on it and decide. If you decide on cloning, a HDMI splitter-box is a good idea, there's a thread somewhere on here.
You don't need Steam for VR, specifically. And no, there's no initial need to spend any cash on any of the drivers. I've got both TriDef and VorpX, and they both offer a ton of advantages, but VireIO Perception 2.0 - http://vire.io/ - is free and offers great quality in the (relatively short list of) supported games. If there are specific games you want to try in VR, do check out if VorpX supports them - it's a bit flakey at times, but very configurable and high quality. TriDef is mostly a 'brute force' method, with many games offering gameplay more reminiscent of playing on a virtual 3D screen + headtracking then actually playing in VR, which is kinda hard to explain. Just start with VireIO and spend only if needed.
Lastly, a simple tip is to close one eye when switching from desktop to VR, and open it only after the stereoscopic display has popped up. You'll save on some headaches and nausea.
Definitely set up Steam. I also suggest you make a dedicated Oculus Rift folder for easy access for all of the demos you will be installing. Then go to Oculus Share and get all the demos there that you want. THEN go to http://www.virtualreality.io/ and download that program. There are more games and demos there that aren't on Share. Once you're done downloading all the demos you want, you need to be sure to set up your Rift IPD settings properly and make sure you have the right lenses installed. I suggest going with the biggest A cup lenses for the highest FOV. Start off with something simple that doesn't require you to move around. The RiftCoaster is the one I suggest. Then do Tuscany and use an xbox controller for moving around. Take it easy and if you get nauseous at anytime, take a break. Some people have to get used to it and get their "VR legs" first. Lastly, this next one is optional, but I highly suggest you use it to manage your demos easier: http://vrlaunchpad.com/
Thanks for the replys. I'm a little worried about my glasses. Not sure if the oculus lenses alone will work for me since I have issues with viewing things close and far and I don't have contacts. Guess there's nothing to do but try. Thoughts on demos I should try first?// just saw Kevin's post sounds like a good place to start thanks
"Peteo" wrote: I'm a little worried about my glasses. Not sure if the oculus lenses alone will work for me since I have issues with viewing things close and far and I don't have contacts. Guess there's nothing to do but try.
I am nearsighted and wear glasses. I dont wear glasses with the Rift DK1 though as it really works best with your eyes as close to the Rift lenses as you can comfortably get them.
My nearsightedness is moderate. Anything further than about 10 cm is a bit blurry, and it of course gets worse with distance. It is mostly a vertical blur. i.e. the side of a door frame will appear significantly sharper than the top of a door frame.
Anyway, when I first got the DK1, I tried the default A lenses. I was hoping that my nearsightedness would negate the effects of the low resolution, making the virtual world seem more "real" to me than to someone with perfect vision. On the contrary, I found the center of the lenses to be sharp, more or less, and it got blurry towards the edges.
The B lenses increased the size of the sharp area, but there was still blur around the edges.
The C lenses eliminate the blur. Lucky me. So the biggest issue for me is having to take glasses off to put the rift on and vice versa.
