Oculus Rift CV1 First Impressions

Discussion in 'Hardware Building/Buying/Usage Advice' started by MarcG, Nov 1, 2016.

  1. MarcG

    MarcG Registered

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    Just a note on the recent AC update, it adds G-Forces and Vibration effects to Rift users, whilst I've turned the latter down to a low setting the G-Force effects open up a whole new world of...well...Awesomeness!
    I've actually been scared twice this week because of it, once going into the GP section at Brands Hatch in the 917/30 Sypder - the sheer sensation of power and subsequent G-Force thrusting you back into the seat is just immense. The other in the 919 Hybrid going through Eau Rouge, you actually feel yourself sinking into the seat then feeling as light as a feather going over the top and out the other side all the while with a massive grin on your face as if to say "how the hell did I get through there alive!?", such a simple setting yet it makes a great deal of difference to VR.

    Aside from AC I took advantage of the Steam Sales and grabbed pCars for under a tenner, after a lot of faffing about I've finally got it looking and feeling pretty decent.
     
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  2. bwana

    bwana Registered

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    Lost me at 'low res and pixelation ' .. think l will leave it too the 3 younger generations of users . My failing eyesight produces enough low res and pixilation as it is
     
  3. MarcG

    MarcG Registered

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    yeah it's very noticeable, certainly worth waiting until they improve this area :)
     
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  4. Eddy

    Eddy Registered

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    I have tried oculus in a media markt in Germany. they hadn't running it on a pc but at least i could try it on and see if my glasses fitted. well they do as long as your glasses aren't to big (large). the prescription lenses are a better option i think but then again another 80 euro's have to be spent.
     
  5. RaceNut

    RaceNut Registered

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    Some people have taken to fitting an extra pair of glasses within the face-plate of the Rift after removing the arms from the frames (glasses). I don't recall how they attached them but, it sounds like an interesting option.:)
     
  6. Comante

    Comante Registered

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    Today I had the chance to try the rift on Pcars for a quickie, 5euro for something like 5 laps at Monza, but I think it was worth it, because I was too curious . Despite the short time, I think I have something to say about it. For starter, I liked the little breeze that I felt inside the rift, this help for sure to not sweat like a pig in summer use or fogging the lenses with body humidity. At first the vision was blurry, the operator suggested just to position up or down the rift until it was on focus, I did, but don't know if it could be better (probably you can do better when the rift is yours and you can set it properly). Well, once in cockpit... I was in cockpit, I won't judge how the guys there setted the hardware (ffb wheel and a cheap pedal set, or Pcars, that was the first time I saw it), but it was just AMAZING. I was there, I'm used to turn my head instead of my eyes in a PC environment as I use TrackIR, and it was amazing to naturally turn the head to find the mirrors and being able to use them to check my six, or looking on the side while overtaking someone. What I missed more was the sense of speed, probably because I'm used to virtual single seaters more than GT cars, and being lower on the track improve the impression. anyway at the beginning it was a bit unnatural to understand if I was braking or not. At the beginning of the race, I felt a bit dizzy, the sensation increased in the first turns, especially if I was oversteering, but before the end of lap one, I was starting to get used to the lack of accelerations through the ears, that sensation reappered only if I made big mistakes like a spin or an excessive oversteer. Despite the little nausea the driving is so natural, and after a while I was able to focus on driving instead of thinking how amazing is that technology. As many have pointed out, the downside is the resolution but more than that is the dark grid that apparently separate each pixel, I don't know if it was so apparent due bad tweaking , or just because it is how it is, or becaus my sight is still quite good, but the effect is there and reading the plate of the car in front of me, or the distance from the next turn showed clearly how resolution impact the output of the hardware. In the end I think the tech is ready, the next step should be good enough to see a wider acceptance from the audience, as the things you can do in gaming or simulation with a technology like that are all still to discover. The downside is that after several hours after just 10 minutes in the rift, I'm still a bit dizzy. I hope to be able to adapt to this techology, because in 2 or 3 years I see myself using is for many many PC activities.... I would hate to be one of those that can't use it.... The rift is still more expensive than a huge quantity of good beer :)... I prefer to be drunk with beer than with the rift.
     
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  7. MarcG

    MarcG Registered

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    Yeah it's better when you get time to set the headset to your own head, you can adjust the straps and vision slider until it's the best it can be but something like what you did was probably a bit rushed. As for the sense of speed I think that's something you get used too, for me the G-Force settings are vital in this area as you really feel the braking & acceleration forces at play, personally I have these at the highest in AC.
    They may not of tweaked the settings enough regarding the "dark grid" you speak of, even though that is always there with a change you can make them smaller but they're always noticeable with the current tech.
     
  8. RaceNut

    RaceNut Registered

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    @Comante
    It doesn't sound to me like you need to worry about VR-sickness; the fact that you could play (Racing) for a time without major side-effects suggests you would likely adapt to VR quickly. I've seen a few people know within seconds that it's not for them; they feel ill instantly and suffer side-effects for a day or so afterward.
     
  9. Tomasz Bartkiewicz

    Tomasz Bartkiewicz Registered

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    I wanna ask you. If someone have i5 core CPU and 8GB ram + SSD Disc, to play VR using Oculus Rift CV1 / DK2 is enaugh to buy AMD Radeon RX470 4GB ?, or maybe minimum be RX480 8GB / 6GB GTX1060 ?.

    Can someone give advice? [i prefer AMD cards but 4k 60fps and quiet is also important for my when i watching movies..].

    Thank you for letting me know how is look that in practice.
    Regards, Thomas.
     
  10. MarcG

    MarcG Registered

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    I'm on an i5 and it's fine with my nVidia card which is below the spec of an RX470 I think. You'll be fine
     
  11. theother5

    theother5 Registered

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    Great OP and the commentary to follow is a good read.

    I eventually managed to visit a friend and just tried out the Oc on his i5 GTX960 PC flying the new Spitfire in DCS.

    It ran smooth as you like. The OMG impression was palpable ... I instinctively reached out of the stick and throttle and well ...... amazing.

    The Pixel density .... very much first impressions .... mashed up against my expectations (expectation based on no experience prior to then of course). In fact given the PC in question, maybe there is more headroom with a better system.

    The other things I was most interested in was the ski mask view .... like anything, with more time I am sure my mind would being to ignore it ... but I had to explain it to myself ...that I was wearing a helmet and therefore, my FoV was somewhat curtailed. This proved to be less of a concern compared to my worry about it prior to trying.

    I had tried a DK1 about a year ago and though only for a short test, it was clear the CS1 was an altogether improved product.

    Overall, I am not immediately motivated to order a CS1 OC.
    Generation 2 may be where I will step on board ...(until I cannot resist any more that is) which will by them have given the developers more time to enhance the technology hopefully.

    TrackIR has been a awesome solution (and will likely remain so) and it'll keep me happy in the meantime I am sure.

    For racing, sometimes I wonder if any of the above is really needed ... but then I come to my senses and realise, that in order to develop this hobby fully, it has to be .

    S!
     
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  12. MarcG

    MarcG Registered

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    I've been away from the Rift due to personal reasons but managed a few hours yesterday & today, some of that time wasted trying to find the Thargoid Ship in Elite Dangerous but that's another story (...and still awesome in VR!)

    For racing I decided to have a go at Drifting, never really did this before in AC (if I did it was a long time ago) but it has to be said this is a blast in VR. Being able to see right out the side window and transition your eyes across smoothly as you flip the back end the other way, all seems so seamless as you do it and is quite cool even if you're not into actual Drifting like myself. It did take a fair few minutes to grasp the hang of it of course and I even caught myself waving to the crowd as I got caught in an unexpected donut session mid track :D

    Apologies if I've mentioned this but can't remember, I turned on PP Effects, the sunlight (God Rays) coming through the windows is very cool, slightly weird at certain angles but when racing and it suddenly comes through a tree or something it's decent enough. Brake Lights appear much better too, although there is a performance hit but with ASW on I've not felt any need to lower any settings which is great.

    I didn't get on with pCars, way too much faffing about that I don't have time for so uninstalled, AC is enough for me until the magical end of Q1 this year when RF2 (and some proper AI!) catches up...I'm counting the minutes!

    Edit: Oh and I forgot one thing, I'm seriously tempted to get a cheap 6-Point Harness for my Rig, purely to see if it adds to the immersion and the "being there" experience, on the lookout now.
     
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  13. MarcG

    MarcG Registered

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    RaceRoom added early VR support this week and I had a couple of hours the other night, for an early build it's very good with some obvious glitches and bugs but I'm very impressed overall. Having not spent any time with this Sim previously I can see myself playing it a lot purely because the AI is so much better than AC, but I will still jump into AC from time to time no doubt especially when they release VR related patch updates.

    With all that I fear the days of flat screen racing are now over because I have 2 great Sims to choose from, whereas I could happily load AMS/RF2 I always had a yearning to put the "helmet" on so to speak and ended up in AC before too long. What with RF2s VR just around the corner and the aforementioned AI in RaceRoom I just cannot see myself wanting to race AMS any more, a great shame as it's another great Sim but thats just what VR does to you...its changed the landscape of Racing Simulations forever more.

    I'll report back with RaceRoom thoughts soon :)
     
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  14. Adrianstealth

    Adrianstealth Registered

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    gamer muscle vid reviewing race room with VR on youtube
    ......I think I'll give it a miss due to the mentioned fps performance not being good even on low settings, dx9 maybe isn't helping them much here

    really hopeful for & looking forward to rfactor 2 VR ( & is dx11 too )

    ps I have zero interest in pointless graphical effects, just rock solid racing in VR with good fps pretty please ( of course rain/wet etc needed to visually indicate track conditions)
     
  15. Narrowbackwing

    Narrowbackwing Registered

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    You can try it , the game is free , limited cars and tracks but plenty to test VR .
     
  16. MarcG

    MarcG Registered

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    I'm getting very good FPS performance on my rig with RaceRoom, had a great race at Bathurst earlier. As above, always best to try it for yourself and not rely on review sites :)
     
  17. blagger

    blagger Registered

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    On my medium spec PC (i5 2500k, GTX 980) RRE runs very good with medium settings on my CV1.
    Thanks to asynchronos spacewarp only 45 fps are necessary to get a smooth picture.
     
  18. Eddy

    Eddy Registered

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    i read this as you have reached the point of no return :cool:
     
  19. MarcG

    MarcG Registered

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    I believe I have, it took a while but after more RaceRoom play today I simply can't see a way back to a single screen personally.
     
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  20. bluet

    bluet Registered

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    Hi MarkG and in a short time we will have rf2 so for me after we have rf2 will never go back...still waiting for AMS but still no idea when .. the 2 sims i play the most rf2 and AMS so 1 out of 2 aint bad just a short wait for rf2 cheers
     

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