For those still confussed on which VR headset to get for flight sims

[dburne]

And when id finished my sortie for the evening i could quckly grab 15 minutes of Robo Recall mayhem to round off the evening If you have youngish kids its worth buying the Rift just to p*ss yourself laughing at the reactions of your kids when they first try robo recall

LOL, I do the same. I love that game for fun breaks in between my combat flight simming in VR, it is an absolute hoot!

[ATAG_Dave]

I just bought a gtx1080 because I believe that VR are the future of our flight sims and I plan to own a VR set within the next 6-12 months. But...I am very much in doubt of which VR to choose even after listening to those of my Sqd mate who fly with VR

I would appriciate some of you sharing your insight an thoughts on the Pros and cons of what on the marked right now as well as the rumors of whats to come within the next 12 months?
(please dont get into a flamewar)

Currently I fly BoX, Clod and DCS Normandy and I expect to continue this the next 12-24 months.

Seeing as my last post didnt really adress the vive v Rift question below are some quotes from the iracing forum from a thread entitled 'Rift v Vive - which is better'


"also the rift comes with its own headphones which IMO have a very impressive sound about them"

"I like the Oculus software, especially ATW and ASW, for making things a bit smoother than OpenVR currently has (but may be closing the gap in the future). With the Vive headphone strap, that's no longer a differentiator. Comfort can be, if you can try the two out. I think the Vive works a bit better with glasses, but both can get lens inserts."

"Another consideration is that the Rift can be bought without the touch controllers so it's cheaper to get started (and you can upgrade later). The Vive Lighthouse system for tracking can be simpler as it doesn't require a USB3.0 port, and can just be mounted on the wall. "

"The Rift is more comfortable to wear for long periods of time - it's a bit lighter and more balanced on your head. I also hear it's a bit more breathable, but having used both I didn't feel like there was a noticeable difference there."

"On the other hand, the Vive does roomscale tracking a bit better than the Rift. The lighthouse system is more consistent and doesn't lose tracking as easily. But if you're planning on mostly sim racing and only using a bit of roomscale or standing VR, the Rift will perform admirably."

"The big difference for me (I race just as much as I play roomscale VR games) was the controllers for each. The Vive's controllers are fine, but the Rift's are SO much better, and way more immersive."

"Oh, and lastly, the Vive is a bit brighter, which is nice because...well...it's brighter, but also lends itself to a more noticeable screen door effect. "

"Rift at home Vive at work." - what job must this guy do? Ill get fired if my boss found me at my desk wearing a VR HMD

"For me the Rift offered a couple benefits over the Vive. One, it was cheaper as I only use it for seated VR and not roomscale stuff. It also offered nicer headphones for the asking price. For my head, the Rift was also more comfortable and I found it easier to mov my head around with as it is lighter and had only a single cord. The Vive picture was brighter overall, but for some reason I feel text is easier to read text in the Rift. Overall image quality is basically the same between both sets I felt. "

Hope thats useful

S!

[ATAG_Highseas]

Im actually genuinely tempted.... but. .. Basically my rig is pretty much centred on cliffs of Dover. I'm actually a bit scared if I'm honest that rift might have the potential to drag me away.

Sounds dumb on one level.... if something else is better do that.... but on another....

Cliffs is home. id hate to suddenly play it and feel it was somehow.... substandard.

Fear of that is what is stopping me.

Also.... I want my mummy.

[Robusti]

I did a lot of reading and watching reviews before buying VR. I own the Vive, and I've had a chance to try the Rift. I find there is very little difference between the two. Most of the reviews I've read or comparison videos I've watched are full of hot air. A lot of the points they make are false or way overblown. I think they just exaggerate points to make their videos longer or add more words to their articles.

Some of the common points I see a lot of reviews state:

1. The Vive is heavy and uncomfortable
- I expected to pick up a brick after reading all the reviews on how heavy the Vive is. The Vive is not heavy at all. In fact, the first impression my girlfriend made about the headset when I was unboxing it was her being impressed at how light the HMD is. It looks like it should be a heavy brick, but it is impressively light. Granted... it's heavier than the rift, but unless you have a baby's neck, I think you'll be fine.
- I feel that the Vive is (slightly?) more noticeable on your face a little more than the Rift. I find myself having to reach up and hold the headset to keep it from slipping out of focus at times when I'm quickly checking six. I've heard friends using the Rift have to do the same thing with violent head movement.
- The funny thing I noticed in the Vive is that I can push it out of focus if I smile too much (due to the way it sits on my cheeks).
-In the end, the VR headsets aren't heavier than night vision goggles.


2. The Vive is complicated to set up.
- I found the Vive very simple and easy to set up it took about 20 minutes to get the hardware and software set-up. One thing I like about the Vive over the Rift is that The Vive only uses 1 USB and 1 HDMI port. The "cameras" on the Vive only have to be hooked up to a power source, so you can put them wherever you like, and you don't have to worry about running cables all over your room.

3. The Vive and Rift must run at 90FPS for a comfortable game experience
- Both the Vive and Rift use software tricks to keep you from getting motion sick. It's called Asynchronous Timewarp in the Rift and Reprojection in the Vive. I had some first hand experience while playing Elite Dangerous in the Vive. My game dropped to 10FPS due to a memory leak in the game. Looking around my cockpit was still smooth, but I noticed ships were lagging around me. I chalked it up to netcode originally. I didn't notice it was the FPS until I took off my headset to see the FPS was nearly 10.

4. Image Quality Vive vs Rift
- There is very little difference in image quality between the two. I feel the screen door effect (the visible dark space between pixels) is a little more evident in the Vive... but that might be because I've been playing flight sims on the Vive. I was able to see the screen door effect on the Rift, but I don't remember it being as pronounced.
- There is definitely a difference in the lenses. The image on the Vive is more clear in the center of your view than the edges. I don't remember this effect on the Rift. If it was there, it wasn't as significant.
- "God rays" are slightly more pronounced on the Rift, which is basically light reflecting off of the lenses creating glare, but they both have this effect. It mostly occurs when you have very bright images on dark backgrounds (white text on black background)
- I've read the FoV on the Vive is slightly wider than the Rift.. but you're splitting hairs to notice the difference.


5. Headphone quality
- Who gives a crap?! What PC gamer doesn't have headphones already?


6. Vive is more expensive
- The Vive was priced the same as the Rift + touch + extra camera for roomscale. Considering the Vive comes with touch and roomscale, it seems fairly comparable. If you never plan to use roomscale, you might as well just go with a Rift. Roomscale is neat but it is still a bit of a novelty as there aren't many quality roomscale games.


Overall... I think they are both great headsets. I like the Vive because of the tracking system, and because it doesn't require as many cables to hook up. (I have enough cables to get tangled with flight sim and racing gear). The resolution of both headsets still isn't comparable to a monitor at 1920x1080 or 4k (So don't get ready to throw your monitor in the garbage yet. Unless the sim has some sort of LOD scaling, you're at a disadvantage with an HMD vs a monitor. It is also much more work to look around and check your six with an HMD on than with TrackIR, but the immersion makes it worth it. The 1:1 3d effect is very impressive in VR. In the end, you'll be happy with whichever headset you decide to buy.

+1

[DoubleStandards]

I really think most of the "one is better than the other" crowd are merely people trying to convince themselves and the world that the HMD they bought was the better option. You get a new bike as a kid and its the best bike in the world as far as your concerned. I have had the opportunity to experience both the 'big' name units and a couple lesser known HMDs and have to say, the experience is pretty damn similar. Now that Oculus room scale is out of beta we can check that off the "I'm better than you" list as well.

I personally own Oculus so that is what I suggest to friends when they ask, but I bet if I owned a Vive instead that would be my suggestion.


DS

[EAF331 Starfire]

I really think most of the "one is better than the other" crowd are merely people trying to convince themselves and the world that the HMD they bought was the better option. You get a new bike as a kid and its the best bike in the world as far as your concerned. I have had the opportunity to experience both the 'big' name units and a couple lesser known HMDs and have to say, the experience is pretty damn similar. Now that Oculus room scale is out of beta we can check that off the "I'm better than you" list as well.

I personally own Oculus so that is what I suggest to friends when they ask, but I bet if I owned a Vive instead that would be my suggestion.


DS

You are off topic, DS!
Please refrain from judging the guys trying to help me when I asked for pros and cons from people with sim experience. I need those opinions in order for me to get a base of which to form my own and I am quite capable of sifting though what is what.
Objectivity is by nature impossible and we all know it. But we try anyway.

Thanks to all your guys who have taken the time to write your thoughs in order to help me.
My decision on what to buy wont be made before I have the money available. But you though have given me an idea of what to look for.

Cheers

[Robusti]

Oculus Rift Price Slashed Amid Sales Concerns
http://news.sky.com/story/oculus-rif...sales-10943409

$399 USD
https://www.theverge.com/2017/7/10/1...-cut-vr-bundle

If you want one get one while you still can. If Oculus loses its current court case they will be shut down from selling any permanently.

ZeniMax, the holding company behind popular games like "Doom" and "Fallout," is seeking a permanent injunction against sales of the Oculus Rift headset
Federal judge will soon rule if FB can continue to sell Oculus Rift headsets, after jury ruled company stole computer code used for their development.

All this as Facebook shifts focus to Unveil cheaper Wireless VR Headset for the Masses

[J2_SteveF]

You are off topic, DS!
Please refrain from judging the guys trying to help me when I asked for pros and cons from people with sim experience. I need those opinions in order for me to get a base of which to form my own and I am quite capable of sifting though what is what.
Objectivity is by nature impossible and we all know it. But we try anyway.

Thanks to all your guys who have taken the time to write your thoughs in order to help me.
My decision on what to buy wont be made before I have the money available. But you though have given me an idea of what to look for.

Cheers

He's not off topic at all.

I've tried both and found them both to be fairly equal in the image and experience or at least neither stood out from the other.
Think the Vive sort of had an edge with the room scale thing, but as all I need is a headset to use in flight sims, room scale meant nothing to me.

I have now bought a Rift, but only because Oculus have slashed prices and the CV1 is nearly half the cost.
If the Vive had done the same I'd have bought the Vive.

[Blitzen]

Im actually genuinely tempted.... but. .. Basically my rig is pretty much centred on cliffs of Dover. I'm actually a bit scared if I'm honest that rift might have the potential to drag me away.

Sounds dumb on one level.... if something else is better do that.... but on another....

Cliffs is home. id hate to suddenly play it and feel it was somehow.... substandard.

Fear of that is what is stopping me.

Also.... I want my mummy.

I have played both CloD & BoS since the beginning of both& am more or less addicted to them both.Obviously they have their differences but I try not to get involved in that sort of discussion.Two weeks ago I bought Oculus Rift along with a 1080 graphics card & all else that goes into supporting Rift.Originally I had a 1070 card but opted to pay for a 1080 installed iinstead at an extra cost & honestly I can't tell much difference) With HUD on ( an FPS killer BTW ) I get an average of 45-50 with Rift in BoX ( of course much higher in Clod using Track IR)
In" Discussions" section I gave a brief review, but to sum up Rift is simply the most immersive utility I have ever seen in game play- the cliche 'game-changer' has it just about right! 3D effect on eyes 7 brain simply has to be seen to be believed. In things like landing & takeoff,formation flying its effect really puts you there with a much better sensation of depth.It is not without faults: I find detail in middle to far away is pretty blurry compared with Track IR and without HUD I'd say identification of any aircraft beyond 1.0 nearly impossible.We're told changes are on the way & within 2 years these clarity problems will be a long ways to be being solve...but i simply couldn't wait & you know I'm glad I didn't because even with its flaws it is mind bending-ly worth itfor the experience. I hope at some stage CloD makes it possible to use this technology, but I can wait...after all 5.0 is comong & I simply can't wait for that!
( BTW I sort of pity the guys who duplicated a WW2 cockpit in their game space because with VR its all there & better that any of us could duplicate!}
Also anybody want to buy a 1070 card at discount just PM me if interested.?

[ATAG_Highseas]

( BTW I sort of pity the guys who duplicated a WW2 cockpit in their game space because with VR its all there & better that any of us could duplicate!}

That has also occurred to me many times.

that said.... You still meed to get your control roughly in the right place.... which isn't always the same right place!

[EAF331 Starfire]

He's not off topic at all.

I've tried both and found them both to be fairly equal in the image and experience or at least neither stood out from the other.
Think the Vive sort of had an edge with the room scale thing, but as all I need is a headset to use in flight sims, room scale meant nothing to me.

I disagree.
The man is criticizing other peoples experience, not relaying his own opinion on the products.

[EAF331 Starfire]

Does anyone have any experiance with the FOVE?
(https://www.getfove.com/)
I know that it is still in development, but it seems that we will see a non-developer version in 2017.

2560x1440 display compared to 2160x1200, eyetracking and a resolution which adapt to where your eyes are focused (I wonder how that will work or not with our peripheral vision???)

[ATAG_Highseas]

I see the rift is at £399 now including the touch controllers. Wonder when they will offer just the headset at say.... £225

[ATAG_NakedSquirrel]

I don't quite understand eye tracking. They want to to take a fixed image in front of your face and move it based on your eye movement? It seems like it would be very disorienting.

The only disadvantage with looking around in vr at the moment is that looking at the edge of the screen can cause some blur because of the distortion of the lenses. Otherwise its like wearing goggles.

With eye tracking your eye movement when looking around would be greater than 1:1, and your eyes wouldn't be focused on the center of the lense. it seems like an odd solution.

[J2_SteveF]

I disagree.
The man is criticizing other peoples experience, not relaying his own opinion on the products.

You've read it wrong, he doesn't say that at all. He just says that once the user has bought one or the other they may end up having a bias.
There have been many arguements going on here and on the BoS forum around what is the better headset.
He goes on to say that the 2 headsets are not too disimilar and that he recommends the CV1 because that is the one he owns, but also says he might recommend the Vive if he owned that.

After owning the DK2 and trying the Vive, I ended up buying the CV1. But only because it costs £399 nearly half of what a Vive costs. Not because I think either outshines the other.