Should I buy Oculus Rift or wait for the next generation of VR?

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by momoracer, Jan 4, 2018.

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  1. momoracer

    momoracer Registered

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    I keep hearing how insanely amazing and immersive sim racing is with the Rift but I also hear other people say the resolution is shit and they would rather stick to monitors for the time being.

    Should i buy it because the immersion will make me forget about the resolution or should I wait 2 years or so for the higher res VR headsets to show up?

    What scares me is that the resolution will be too bad to properly discern at a distance on the road.
     
  2. MaD_King

    MaD_King Registered

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    The best answer is, try it at the home of a simracer. Because it's not simple to answer, some accept the "low" quality because the immersion is great (like me), but some not, because the vision is not "clear" (and it's right).

    Do you have 3 monitors or only one ? If you are in 3 monitors, you can wait for better VR resolution screen generation.

    And in addition of the headset, you need the PC hardware to make it run well.
     
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  3. MarcG

    MarcG Registered

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    As above the only way to really see is to try yourself is possible, or buy with a refund period so you can send it back for a full refund (should such an option exist anywhere!)
     
  4. albert39

    albert39 Registered

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    I have 3 screens and VR, and I always drive in VR.
    The inmersion of VR is bigger than 3 screens but VR is less clear.
    VR for Rfactor2 and a good Super Sampling and good quality in game needs a GTX 1080 ti and a Core i7.
    I think than if you don't have this hardware you must not buy an Oculus.
    Better try Oculus with a simracing game because the sensations are a little special.
     
  5. momoracer

    momoracer Registered

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    Unfortunately, I don't know anyone with an Oculus and don't know any shop that will let me try it in a Sim racer at least that I know of.

    I only have 1 monitor.
     
  6. ucfquattroguy

    ucfquattroguy Registered

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    If rF2 is your primary sim, based on the posts here relating to performance you're probably better waiting for the next generation of CPUs and GPUs...nevermind next gen of VR headsets. I was getting ready to start piecing together a system until I realized it would be better long term waiting for the next crop of processing. The current sims that are "easier" on CPU/GPU will be better than currently are, and rF2 will be smooth with actual headroom.
     
  7. Seven Smiles

    Seven Smiles Registered

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    Having played with a single monitor forever, I got a Rift and new PC bits (Ryzen 5 / GTX 1080) for Christmas.

    WOW!

    WOW!

    WOW!


    er, WOW!

    The resolution is poor but the immersion... WOW! My big worry was motion sickness which I'm prone to - 1st person shooters have always been a definite no-no and even Need For Speed Shit set me off after a few minutes - but by following a few simple tips (start with a closed car, resist the temptation to look around at the scenery, close your eyes when you crash) after a few queasy moments I can now do a half hour race without thinking about it Have I mentioned the immersion? WOW! I did a Le Mans 24 Hour race, driving through dusk into the night under the moon and stars and later seeing the sun come up (I scaled time x24). Unfortunately, I miscalculated how far the fuel would take me in a stint and rolled to a halt early in the morning. A measure of the realism of VR is that having pulled over to the barrier I could look up out of my side window at the marshal waving a yellow flag, even more so is that I instinctively reached out to pull on the handbrake!

    There is the buzz of looking sideways at the driver you're overtaking and I've spent minutes lost just looking round the interior of the car. I was expecting the biggest thing for me to be being able to look to the apex but in fact the big difference is depth perception - no longer am I crashing into the back of AI who brake earlier than I expect, I can modulate the brake to keep inches from the rear of the car in front, braking points generally are less hit-and-miss - if I do brake too late I realise straight away and manage to recover. Suddenly all sorts of things I'd never noticed become really noticeable - the handling of the cars becomes real, slides seem easier to catch because I feel them earlier, I'm sure I'm braking later, small differences in differing versions of tracks are glaringly obvious. When I get in a new car/track it's actually frightening and so I have to build up speed as you would in real life. I have driven on track many times in my Caterham and this is the first time that any sim has given me anything like the same feeling.

    What scares me is that the resolution will be too bad to properly discern at a distance on the road. It's not that bad and having stereo vision means I can actually see distances better.

    Technicals: I have plenty of headroom with my PC, the limitation is the Rift and I read that it will be so for quite a while. I have fiddled with the set up quite a bit and see little difference in the resulting view (it's not like you can get amazing resolution at the cost of it being a slide show) so I wind it back a bit and run 90 fps easily.

    Caveat: I need +3.00 glasses to read with but a) they are difficult to fit under the headset b) don't seem to make much difference so I don't bother - so I'm far from the best person to comment on picture quality. But the immersion... WOW!
     
  8. JimmyT

    JimmyT Registered

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    I live near Newcastle NSW and there is a business nearby that is a VR arcade (you rent time on the VR) and they have 2 full motion simulators. There is another one opening soon. Maybe there is a business like this near you ??

    @MarcG What PC specs do you run?

    @Seven Smiles This has got to be the best post I've read on this forum. Very entertaining and informative.
     
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  9. MarcG

    MarcG Registered

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    i5-3570k (or is it 3750...I forget!) overclocked to 4.2ghz
    GTX970 stock clocks
    8GB RAM
    Win 10 64-Bit
     
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  10. Zeh Drei Peo

    Zeh Drei Peo Registered

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    i have lent a oculus from getgrover (just google it). and personally i am glad that i only pay about 50 bucks a month and i'm going to give it back this month. the first impressions literally made me melt away and... sick. the more i used it the more i lost my sickness but i also lost this "wow" effect and i started to see the downside of the rift. clearly the visibillity and the grid of the display are a no go for this amount of money.
     
  11. momoracer

    momoracer Registered

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    Im from spain (barcelona) and some places have the VR but i cant find one that will have it with a decent wheel and a sim, let alone rf2 and a motion sim.
     
  12. MaD_King

    MaD_King Registered

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    Same here, so it depends to the tolerance of each person to the "low resolution" of the current VR Headsets
     
  13. goose1

    goose1 Registered

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    I have a single monitor , raced 2 years on it , 4k Ultra HD 28" Samsung cost me $600.Purchased the Oculus Rift 6 months ago & have/will not race ever again on the monitor . It's not as simple for some people to try before you buy (i too did not have this option)so i just purchased it knowing that if i didn't like it i would re sell it at a discounted price . That did not & will not happen , also I paid $750 AUD with no oculus touch so now would be the time to buy as you get the whole package for $499 USD .Keep in mind though as already suggested you need the hardware to run it ,I had to do some upgrades to my hardware & that cost me around another $1000 .Good luck & enjoy if you decide to purchase VR .
     
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  14. momoracer

    momoracer Registered

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    What sort of specs would I need to run at maximun smooth FPS with full amount of cars including in rain etc at full graphics dx11 etc?
     
  15. Gijs van Elderen

    Gijs van Elderen Registered

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    IMO: resolution isn’t the biggest problem of VR at the moment.

    The rift-intro : “oculus first contact” looked good, resolution wasn’t a big issue.

    Problem:
    A VR head set has a fixed focal point of 2-3m.
    Incar: things can get a bit blurry: like text on the steering wheel.
    Objects at 50 meters or more gets a bit blurry too.

    After a bit of research: it’s called “vergence accommodation conflict”.

    VR games made for VR try to keep scenes within range to get the best experience.

    With racing specific: your focus switches fast from distant objects, incar display, mirrors etc...

    My father needs reading glasses, he doesn’t need reading glasses to read text on the knobs on the steeringwheel in the rift. :)

    If i force myself look/focus thru the steering wheel everything becomes sharp, but i see everything double.
     
    Last edited: Jan 5, 2018
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  16. stonec

    stonec Registered

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    You can't, there is no GPU to run rF2 at full settings in VR. If you can tolerate 45 FPS and ASW, then I think you can run reasonably high settings with a 1080 or 1080 Ti. But in no way can you run all settings maxed in rain with a full grid.
     
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  17. ECAR_Tracks

    ECAR_Tracks Registered

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    Buy a projector and a 120" curved screen. This will fill your field of view and, additionally you can see the environment around specially the beer can, the wheel buttons and other important details.
     
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  18. Jerry Schuryk

    Jerry Schuryk Registered

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    I’ve got 27” triples that have never been used for racing since the day I got my rift.

    There’s obviously a bit of personal preference as not everyone likes it, but I don’t have any problems discerning anything that matters at a distance.

    If you need glasses at others have mentioned, you can get prescription lenses for the rift so you don’t need your glasses when using it.

    You do need a good cpu and a good video card to get things looking great, and with current hardware, you’ll always be able to get better visuals with screens as you don’t need to render things twice, once for each eye.

    Jerry
     
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  19. davehenrie

    davehenrie Registered

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    +3???? surely you jest! I've been afflicted from near-sightedness since I was about 9 or 10. My last prescription was -7.75 and -8.25. I have glasses that resemble the Trailer Park boy from Canada!
     
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  20. MarcG

    MarcG Registered

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    BUBBLES :D
     

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