Yet Another Post-Rift Opinion

[Octomelon]

I decided to phrase my views in questions that I researched while waiting for my Rift. I'm sure there will be others wanting these answers too.

Some background about me: I've always liked sandbox and sim games because I like the idea of having a free virtual world to play in. Although I wasn't around in the 80s, I have grown up with a desire to experience VR and I've often watched tech news hoping one day I'd see some tangible development appear.

I spent many years practicing lucid dreaming as it was as close as I could get. Having vivid dreams where I could go anywhere and do anything never grew old. At my peak I was able to lucid dream four to seven times a week.

I ordered the Rift out of excitement, impatience, an interest in moving towards 3D game development (I build 2D games for a little money currently) and the influence of the VrBrotherhood channel which made me hungry to try it myself.

My main concerns were the screendoor and resolution.


How long does ordering really take?

I live in New Zealand.

I ordered on the 15th November 2013 NZDT, got a processing email on the 27th, and got a shipping email on the 30th. The device had been shipped on the 28th according to tracking. It arrived on the morning of the 2nd of December by NZ Post.

Ordering started taking two to four weeks by October 2013 onwards. Prior purchases took one to two months. During the early days, I've heard people claim they waited several months.



What is the FOV actually like?

Before buying the Rift, I did some research and to my understanding the Rift had better vertical FOV than horizontal FOV. In other words, you shouldn't move your eyes to the left and right too much.

After using the Rift myself, I felt the vertical FOV was pretty good but the horizontal FOV was not great. My peripherial vision is greatly taken up by the black surround of the device, creating a "goggle effect".

Despite this, your main area of vision is taken up by the screen so it isn't a massive deal. You can notice it if you want to.



How bad is the screendoor really?

I didn't know about the screendoor when I bought my Rift. Somehow that "little" detail escaped my research. I was quite concerned because some people were saying this ruined the immersion.

Thankfully, the screendoor isn't that bad. Gamers have a very high expectation. The screendoor isn't perfect, so the best analogy I have is that its like playing a game at 30FPS; some people will say its terrible, but others won't care, because it doesn't ruin your experience unless your expectations are massive.



What is the 3D and sense of depth like compared to real life?

Before my Rift arrived, I found myself looking at those "cross eye" images online to get a sense for the stereoscopic 3D. I wondered if it was like real life or not, in terms of depth.

What blows my mind about the Rift is the 3D. Nobody is bullshitting you when they say there truly is a sense of scale and depth. In my opinion, it is very, very similar to real life in terms of objects near you. Because of the low resolution of the Rift, it isn't possible to say if objects wayyyy off into the distance look like they are miles away. But I imagine with the right resolution, it will be just like in reality.



Is the resolution really that bad?

In short, yes. But also no. I feel 1080p is the minimum the device should have, and apparently Oculus think the same anyway. Games where you can see into the far distance are blurry and confusing and the screendoor is at its worst in these instances. Games where you are in an enclosed space are very nice.

This isn't to say you can't enjoy games with vast spaces like Minecraft. It all depends what the game is like. I tried Euro Truck Simulator 2 and I was almost blind when it turned night and started
raining. Needless to say my truck never survived lol.


Did it make you sick / hurt your eyes / make you dizzy?

My eyes have felt a little achey and off to be honest, and movement has made me feel extremely dizzy. I don't experience vertigo in games, despite getting dizzy when I walk a few steps up a ladder IRL.

I get a sickening pulling feeling when you move about. I've also developed a light headache which is unusual for me. I've been toying with the Rift for a couple of hours on and off though, so I could do with some mediation.



Are you disappointed?

No, but I am not as excited as I thought I'd be. The FOV is a little bit of a killer and I find light easily gets into the underside of the headset where the nose gap is. I have to play in a dark room.

The experience is very unique and I found myself gasping and swearing when trying it in the RiftMax cinema for the first time. I couldn't believe the sense of depth and scale, it truly is realistic to me.

I also find the truck in Euro Truck Simulator 2 ridiculously realistic as you sit in the drivers seat. Aweesomeee.

The Tuscany demo was nice but not as exciting to me as it has been to other people. I tried the hacking game Ciess and found that totally unimmersive and better to play without the headset.

[morenosuba]

great review.
Again this is a dev kit, a very early stage prototype not a finished product, and as such it's just amazing. There is nothing else out there that gives you the same feeling, and it's impossible to explain just how immersive the 3d effects are. the consumer product will be nothing short of incredible.

Just FIY, ease yourself into this. don't over do it the first week. you do get your "VR legs" after a few weeks and it gets much easier to extend your time with the OR. Also try a variety of different games. some are much more nausea prone than others. Start with games where you are sitting down (like car racing, or piloting a mech, etc) then progress to those where you are standing up. Keep in mind that the faster you move in game the more prone to nausea you'll be.

[boris]

Have you tried Half Life 2 yet?
I love heli-hell too, it is just a demo but flying around the battleship is great. even better if you have a Hydra, you can lean out the helicopter and see the tail rotor while flying. very cool and a taste of things to come.

[raidho36]

Welcome to the Matrix, bro. 🙂

[Edudjr]

"Octomelon" wrote:

What is the 3D and sense of depth like compared to real life?

Before my Rift arrived, I found myself looking at those "cross eye" images online to get a sense for the stereoscopic 3D. I wondered if it was like real life or not, in terms of depth.

I don't know if anyone here has watched any movie on IMAX, people say it is the best, but I find it a little "messy" when there is action on the screen, and my eyes kind of hurts after a while. This may sound strange, but I think that cross eyed videos are better (despite the 3 screens and the size).

Do you guys think that the oculus is somehow similar to IMAX or is it much better?

[raidho36]

It's different.

As for "lots of action", it gets pretty messy IRL as well when there's a lot of action in front of your face.

[Octomelon]

"morenosuba" wrote:
great review.
Again this is a dev kit, a very early stage prototype not a finished product, and as such it's just amazing..

Yeah. I can't wait to see what things are like in another year, hopefully by which time a consumer Rift will be out and there will be a catalogue of native games.

My skeptical parents both tried the RiftMax cinema and they enjoyed it and found it "so weird" haha.

My nine year old sister, who recently adopted Minecraft as her favourite computer game, laughed and gasped as she walked around zombies and creepers in a city someone had built. I think that is my favourite moment so far. 😄

If people get that much out of a dev kit, I wonder how the final consumer product will influence people.

"boris" wrote:
Have you tried Half Life 2 yet?
I love heli-hell too, it is just a demo but flying around the battleship is great. even better if you have a Hydra, you can lean out the helicopter and see the tail rotor while flying. very cool and a taste of things to come.

I don't have any controllers sadly, not even an Xbox one. 😧

Planning to try Half Life 2, but maybe tomorrow. I wanted to get Garrys Mod working, but Vireio Perception causes all sorts of graphical glitches and I haven't looked into Tridef or VorpX yet.

Gonna try Blue Marble.

"raidho36" wrote:
Welcome to the Matrix, bro. 🙂

Ehehe thanks. :3

[Roaster]

I'd love to see some of that NZ scenery in 3D. If you view some 10mp images with the rift, set to 1920 x 1200 at the viewer, you really don't see the screen door at all. Do try the stills viewer to see what else the rift is good for, and use the zoom function to move yourself into the scene.This is a link to some stereo pairs I put up, from some caverns in Virginia, USA, but download at full resolution to get the best effect.
http://s763.photobucket.com/user/Roaster-x/library/Luray%20Caverns%203D-2
Post some 3D pics of your beautiful country is you can.