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View Full Version : CV1, Initial Impressions



♣_Spiritus_♣
May-13-2016, 02:08
Wow.

I only spent about 20 minutes in the rift and haven't really optimized it yet, I know there are a few things I need to do to get my GPU working at 100% rather than 66% but that will come later.

The demo's were really cool, just the since of presence is pretty unreal. After setting all that up I ran DCS and took a P-51 from McCarran.

Mother of God that presence and scale you feel is pretty insane. Too cool. Taxing out was a breeze, everything was easier and passing next to the static aircraft at McCarran was awesome, again the scale and presence is something that can only be experienced. Had my first queasy moment when I turned and stopped at the hold short line. Went away quick enough. Took off and actually felt like I lifted off. I broke my rules of just flying straight and easy until I got used to it because it was just too cool. I broke into a steep right turn low into the strip, flew between the first few hotels and screamed like a little girl, probably in awe, nerves, and excitement. I came out of the hotels and immediately dropped the gear and flaps and landed to take a break.

Took about 10 minutes to feel normal and went back in.

Somethings I noticed rather quickly:

Things are actually easier to read and see even though the resolution is lower. Some text you can't read but in general I felt like things were much easier to read and see. The HUD on the A-10C is about 60% easier to read because it is right there.

SDE is there, I noticed it more in the F-15 but you really don't notice it unless you are looking for it or during certain lighting conditions. You adjust quickly though.

3D cockpits are amazing. More than once I had to stop because I thought I was about to smack my head.

So the first 20 minutes were pretty insane, landings are much easier, and flying in the valley around Las Vegas on a monitor is cool, but in OR you actually do feel like you are in the valley, and notice all the different elevation differences.

Much harder to check six and look around because of the 1:1, and I actually feel a little tired only after 20 minutes.

Anyways, just a quick initial review before I turn in, plus I still need to settle myself. A little uneasy still. My wife tried it and loved it, also got uneasy but compared it to how you feel after getting off a roller coaster.

:thumbsup:

Tinkicker
May-14-2016, 03:51
Nice. I am glad the HUD is easy to read, it's odd re the resolution.

You can't fathom the image quality as the new owner can't describe it accurately to someone who has not tried it is a common theme. There are just no benchmarks.

I have to zoom in on the HUD to read the waypoint info, even on my 32", 1080p monitor on my A10c and fov set at my usual place ( view centered and can just see the EGI button in its entirety at bottom of screen), as it is not clearly readable. So to read it with rift is a bonus.

How big is the apparent size of the panel in front of you? On my monitor the panel image size would maybe be around 18" with my normal fov set, also how much of the cockpit can you see all at once, can you see the top mirror and still see the top of the stick for example?

Got so many questions, I got another 6 weeks to wait due to the shipping problems, but I had the anger and despair and have emerged from the other side with a zen like attitude of patience over the whole thing.

Just dont go attacking targets in the valleys with low clouds over the mountain tops for awhile, all that in cloud manoeuvring and pulling down partially inverted, right on the stall warning while on instruments gets me feeling disoriented every time with a monitor, I think I'd likely puke if I tried without getting my VR legs first.


Really pleased for you SM. I figure you being in the US, your order went in around the 20 minute mark? I faltered at the revealed cost and took almost a week to get my order in, so it's my fault I have to wait.
For those thinking of ordering now, todays orders will arrive sometime August or early September. Expect delays to lengthen as those thinking of ordering for xmas delivery kick in by late summer.
Mind, Amazon may have stock by then.

A thought, maybe looking round to check six will give my neck a good workout, got a bit of a bullfrog thing going on under my chin since I stopped riding motorcycles, maybe that will become a thing of the past.

Addendum.... pleased for you SM; but absolutely livid green with envy. :D

♣_Spiritus_♣
May-14-2016, 08:16
Didn't puke but if I'd have kept going my first flight I would have, my wife was watching and laughing at my reactions and actually ran and grabbed a couple bags for me just in case.

Flew a second time last night, much better feelings and after 25 mins or so I was finished again but I recovered much faster. I ordered pretty quick, probably within the first 5 mins. I figured the high price point was worth it just to try it out and in 20 years when god knows what we will have it will be a collectable as long as you save all the original packaging, which is overtly nice.

Yes, the resolution is a hard one. Much lower than I was expecting but you get over it while doing most things. Hard to compare, I'd say it is kinda like wearing slightly dirty glasses. Oh, and glasses, they are a pain to have and I have to wear them. They fit as long as they are small, they do get stuck sometimes and if you are like me I get really hot when I start to get a little nauseated so they fog up.

I really only notice the SDE when I'm focusing on the HUD or when landing and looking through the HUD. About the HUD... um yeah I want to actually zoom out on the HUD only, it is beyond easy to read, it actually looks like you are fully zoomed in on the HUD but you are sitting back, it is that easy to read. It was basically impossible on my 1080p monitor to read without zooming in but in the rift it is the easiest thing to read. Centering your view is interesting, you default pretty close to the dash so I actually lean forward a lot, hit num5 key and then sit back.

The dash is big, it really is like you are in the real thing. I have a major gripe about the lack of mouse control in DCS. You must look at what you want to click on with the floating laser thing, then use the mouse click. Not only does the laser thing stay and really gets annoying floating in front of your face, but you nearly break your neck to change the ILS settings or turning on all the radios. I know ED will change this and make an option to go back to using the mouse, there has been way too many complaints.

Looking back is a pain but awesome, much better views. You can see most of your hardpoints which in trackIR was impossible for me. I dropped a LGB and watched it fall of station 4, so cool. Ejecting is jarring to say the least, wow. And your head tracking doesn't go away with the rift as the pilot which is sweet.

My only complaints with a few flights in is the resolution, if you are coming from a 4k screen you will notice it to the point of it being really jarring. I never have seen a 4k screen and have always used a 1080p TV or screen so it isn't terrible. The SDE when noticed is annoying but again, you don't notice it all the time. FPS in DCS NTTR is still way too low. I fluctuate an insane amount constantly. Averaging 45 regardless of settings so I just kept things basically the same as I had them and deal with the little sickness or jutters that occur occasionally, again I don't really notice it being jarring at 45.

I'm going to try EV soon, it is a huge DL but I'd like to see what a game designed around VR is like.

Ask away, I'll answer them honestly.

I've heard people say they'll never go back to flying without a monitor. On day two I can't say the same, yet. Once I get a couple weeks under my belt I feel like I could say that, but time will tell. Right now it is a matter of getting used to it still, because it is quite different.

Oh, the only other thing is the FOV. I seem to be a little more aware of the "I have a screen on my head" when I'm not in combat or flying around turning and burning. So if I'm just flying straight looking around, or landings... especially landings, I notice the black oval around all my peripheral sight.

So, FOV, SDE, and resolution are really the only slight negatives, but for the most part you get over those quickly just with the sense of presence. I was looking around at the A-10C left wing and smacked the shit out of my head on my wall that was there. You do forget you are actually in the real world when you are in the VR world... time to adjust where my cockpit is in the basement I think.

Tinkicker
May-14-2016, 10:06
I too have to wear (wire frame) glasses. As to looking through dirty specs lenses.... well I'm a specialist diesel engine remanufacturing engineer, constantly upside down in some engine bay or other and with oily fingerprints smeared all over them as I shove them back up onto my nose......Maybe SDE and god rays won't be the issue for me that it is for others.

Some nifty frames out there in development for the rift such as VRlabs as I'm sure you know, but a bit pricey when looking at having custom lenses made up; so when my rift arrives, I'm thinking of taking the arms off a spare pair of glasses and maybe the bridge pieces, then fastening them into the headset with closed cell foam. I have some fairly rigid foam in the box my 980ti came in, so I'll use that.
Lots of posts about increasing FOV by reducing thickness of foam on faceplate to bring the eyes closer to the lenses but the risk is glasses scratching the rift lenses, however this is negated if the specs are already fitted in the rift and are physically prevented from touching those precious rift optics.

Something to think about, dunno what happened to the promised selection of faceplates supplied with rift.

Tip on Reddit is to do as you are doing, re nausea. Never try to bludgeon your way through as it could cause a permanent condition as your brain will relate the rift with feeling sick. As soon as it starts, stop what you are doing and recover fully before trying again. I'm told within a few days your VR legs will develop in the same way as my sea legs do at the start of the new boating season. This tip is for those who are reading this post, not you SM, you have obviously read the same articles I have.

EDIT: Eve is supposed to be merely OK as far as gameplay, but the scenery is pretty; and you got it free which is good. General consensus is that it is not worth the $60 that they expect Vive owners to pay though. Bit disappointed by this revelation, although I will wait and see, some people have way too high expectations. If paying for VR games, Elite Dangerous is supposed to be the way to go. I like star citizen, but it is far too buggy and expensive.
Apollo 11, don't forget Apollo 11, repeat don't forget Apollo 11. Supposed to be really moving.

As before, don't be shy about posting your experiences. Must be amazing to see everything in real life sizes and with correct depth perception. Can't wait, need patience; must go light some incense sticks and do a little chanting.... ommm ommmm.

ATAG_Colander
May-14-2016, 10:16
One thing I like about the DK2 is the ability to replace the lenses so I don't need to wear glasses.
Having the lenses closer to you, increases the FOV (although it also decreases the perceived resolution).

Buchon
May-14-2016, 21:51
hahaha, I love to read this VR noobs :devilish:


Being enjoing my VR "early access" since last summer so let me throw a few advices:

1- Its all right:

You should have everythig right, any minimal thing like the HMD is loose, bad IPD, or your eyes are not in the sweet spot in front of the lents will make you unconfortable, driven you to the motion sickness.

2- Dont rush:

Let me introduce a new term wich all of you need to be familiar: VR legs

Jump straight to a cockpit plane and start to do loops all over the place is not the best thing to do when you are doing your first steps in VR, in fact fly a plane in VR is a pretty hardcore experience only for the most iron stomachs.

You should start in VR slowly with those demos out there and raise the bar slowly, stop playing when you starts to fell sick and try again later, dont continue playing if you fell it or it´ll be worse, by slowly tasting VR you are training your brain and learning to move in VR worlds, you should build your VR legs.

In my case the game that make me motion sickness inmune was HL2, an already well know and played game but now with VR support.

The game have VR support but the player movement in general is very "old school" so it will make sick even to god Gaben in person, but being inside of HL2 is so awesome that binds you, you cant escape, it will make you sick but you will try it again and again and... then again.

3- From the ground to the sky:

In VR everything is more intense, you are not looking a game through a screen, you are in it, so a good next step after those demos and games its a car game, cockpits ... velocity ... corners ...

Try the free demo of LFS or Project Cars, it have CV1 support, move your person in VR doing crazy jumps and shoting can be challenging but drive a race car will test your heart rate, I sure you, but you will gain cockpit awareness.