Topic: VR Gaming Discussion (PSVR, Oculus, Vive, etc.)

@HexagonSun I only heard about it a few days back and at first got a little confused as I thought they had done this before - turns out that was the Oculus Go.

What games do you recommend getting for the Quest? I’m already going to buy the Star Wars one and Job Simulator.

@FragRed I have Star Wars. It's only the first episode, and at $10, it's a steal. It really felt like being in a Star Wars movie. It's not long, but really well done and has a light saber dojo mode, post main game.

I've been loving Ulta Wings, which is a Pilotwings sort of game for VR. The developers created it around the Oculus Touch controllers, so it feels really realistic while maintaining a cartoonish atmosphere.

Dead and Buried II is a 1st person shooter with an old west aesthetic. You have a revolver in each hand and compete in online death matches. It feels like Time Splitters to me

There's also ports of Beat Saber, Super Hot VR, Robo Recall, Space Pirate Trainer, Moss, Apex Construct, Creed: Rise to Glory, Journey of the Gods, Ocean Rift, and more. Most of these games I've played or played the demo and the Quest reviews are doing well. It's what's currently in my wish list.

So, I did wind up buying the Oculus Rift S, and spent quite a bit of time on it (more than I should, judging by how stiff my neck is today. I'll pace myself in the future).

So far, it's been one heck of a time. Getting it set up wasn't too hard (once it worked. I spent hours trying to solve an issue with the headset that ultimately solved itself), it's been surprisingly comfortable to wear and use, and the games I got for it have been very fun. Like, no really, I feel like a little kid again, exploring completely new worlds while grappling with the basics of movement, getting sheer joy out of every little triumph.

I've played Wanted Killer, Superhot VR, and a couple demoes that didn't work. I also spent quite a bit of time using VR Chat and several VR video platforms that...also didn't work.

Superhot VR in particular was incredible in spite of the fact that I've played the regular version before, it was honestly a whole different experience, and it was quite the adreniline rush! I swear I was seeing bullets flying at me whenever I closed my eyes the whole day yesterday after playing it!

Wanted Killer was also pretty exciting as a classic arcade-y FPS experience. It's taken a lot more getting used to, though, since it has a certain rhythm you need to adhere to, but I like that. It adds depth.

VR Chat has proven to be the killer app I was expecting. It's so much fun exploring the different rooms and seeing what people have made, as well as trying out different avatars and planning for what I could make (or at least download) in the future.

I still have a bunch of others I need to try, like Moss, Toran, a racing game called "Neon Seoul Outrun", Elite: Dangerous, and a mech game called Vox Machinae.

Honestly, I've even gotten a kick out of using the Oculus and SteamVR home areas. They're neat and homey, offering pleasant areas to just relax in. I always wanted to lounge on a balcony and look up at the third floor roof a building on the other side of an O'Niel cylinder. And now I can.

VR videos have been...okay, so far. Like I said earlier, none of the apps really worked great, so I can really say much about them, and they aren't the main appeal for me. I think I'll get the virtual Desktop app on the Oculus store, though, since the Youtube App sucks and there's a Gundam controls VR video that I've been wanting to experience since 2016...

@CanisWolfred, Moss is a pretty charming time. Not very long (kinda like a 3-4 hour long experience), but it kinda feels like a linear version of a tradtional Zelda game, with some light platforming. It nails the "looking into a diorama" vibe, especially when you're inside dusty old temples or other buildings. It has a free content update coming up this month too, at least on PSVR (but I see no reason to believe it wouldn't show up elsewhere).

I'll definitely be jumping into another VR game after I'm done with Tales of Zestria, but who knows how long that'll take me, lol. Need to get me a pair of those Move wands though, especially if I want to play Everybody's Golf VR or Blood & Truth.

Just tried Occulus Quest

This is it, ladies and gentlemen.

As a PSVR and Occulus Rift owner, I have to say I just never play VR anymore. Like, ever. It’s too cumbersome, too many wires, depends on turning on a base system or PC to power it, and a TV along with it, and the normal controller to navigate (and even then the PSVR move controllers are absolute garbage and kill the entire experience anyways).

So I’d pretty much written VR off. If I wasn’t so tired after work every day I’d box up my VR headsets and sell them on eBay, but instead I’ve just let them collect dust ever since the first few weeks after launch (cause they’re always impressive those first few weeks, then after the novelty wears off the cost benefit analysis of going through the hassle to set it up every time you want to use it just weighs out in favor of neglect).

But my brother just got the Occulus Quest. Now, at first, I just didn’t care. He’d shown me portable VR headset before, and I was not impressed. It couldn’t detect forward and backward movement for depth perception, the graphics sucked, as did the controller. So I expected more of the same.

But I was wrong. THIS IS THE FUTURE OF VR. Connecting to a console or PC is outdated. Nobody cares about VR when you have to do that, and that’s pretty much the reason it hasn’t caught on yet. Occulus Quest is the “Nintendo Switch” of VR. It truly does revolutionize the market. No wires. No sensors. No cameras. No powerful PC or console required to power it. None of that jazz. Just put on the headset and play, while still retaining a proper VR experience.

That’s not to say it comes without any cost. While the graphics are insanely good compared to previous portable headsets, they’re not on the level of what you’d get with a high end PC based VR setup. But they’re good enough (kinda like Switch, and how it’s not quite what you’d get with a power console, but still good enough). You can draw the boundary lines with ease anywhere you play, and the controllers are excellent. The cameras built into the headset detect your environment so it can track where you’re at without needing external sensors or cameras.

I’m not sure if I’m going to buy one just yet- I may wait for the inevitable successor in a year or two, just to iron out a few kinks I’d like to see addressed (like storage expansion via microSD support). But I am 100% confident this is the future of VR, and unless Sony makes a completely standalone headset, they may as well not even bother making a successor to the PSVR. Once you experience the freedom of a VR headset completely detached from cords or consoles/PC required to power it, there’s really no going back. Not unless you’re part of the niche diehard fanbase (which, if you are, more power to you).

Played around with the Smash Bros Ultimate VR content for awhile today.

On one hand you have to wonder why they picked some of the stages they did to translate over (stages like Mushroom Kingdom 64 & WarioWare give you no reason to look around, and only have a 180° view), but on the other hand stages that move around an environment a lot (Mario Circuit, Pilotwings, Wuhu Island, and Delfino Isle, from what I've tried) work suprisingly well and give a 360° view to boot. Pilotwings & Wuhu Island in particular move quick enough & with enough verticality that I even got a light roller coaster like butterfly sensation.

Not revolutionary by any means, but it's worth coming back to more than the Odyssey or BotW content due to the pick up & play nature of the title.

@JaxonH, yeah, sounds like I should have waited a bit before getting my PSVR earlier this year. Still, at least I can look forward to SONY's generally well made exclusives. Can't wait for Iron Man!

@RR529
Ya, PSVR bums me out because they refuse to replace the Move controllers. It’s like using Wiimotes for VR in 2019 (even worse, in fact- at least the nunchuck has an analog stick, with Move you don’t even get that, and the 4 buttons are smaller than joycon buttons and spread way too far apart). Basically just have to play with a DualShock, but that kills a lot of the games designed for motion.

And what sucks most is, it’s a pretty nice VR set otherwise. I mean, it’s still tethered with huge cables and depends on the PS4 (something the market will be moving away from into self contained VR devices), but as far as traditional gen one VR setups go, it’s top notch. Comfortable, minimized screen door effect, solid games... it’s just really great all around. At least, it would be if it had modern VR controllers. Why go through all that trouble making such a nice headset, only to kill it by chinsing out on the controller just to recycle the warehouses of unsold Move stock. Its crazy how integral the controller is to the core experience, and there’s just so many games where the enjoyment is hindered by the Move controller and diminished with a normal one.

The Rift controllers are where it’s at. If you ever get a chance to try them, don’t pass up the chance. They’re like, the apex of VR controller design.

And I’m sure you’ll still get plenty of enjoyment. All us early adopters bought headsets that, in hindsight, are rather lacking for a multitude of reasons. Comes with the territory of jumping into VR with gen one tech.

Tried out a few more stages in Smash Ultimate last night. Port Town Aero Dive & Big Blue are cool, but are hampered by the fact that certain parts of the environment vanish when the action gets too far away from them, Mute City is pointless (though it's neat to see that the character models are actually flat on this stage instead of 3D), but Prism Tower works wonderfully and has a real sense of scale.

Isle Delfino,Mario Circuit, Pilotwings, Prism Tower, and Wuhu Island are the standouts from what I've played so far.

@HexagonSun
I totally agree with the Quest being a great companion to the Switch. I haven't touched my One X since I got the Quest and I dont have much interest in the next gen Xbox/Sony consoles now as I think the Quest/Switch combo will be what I use for the next few years. Neither of them are the most powerful systems but they've really nailed it where it counts.

@FragRed
The best Quest games so far imo:
Robo Recall
Beat Saber
Vader Immortal
Space Pirate Trainer
Superhot VR
Moss

I haven't tried Job Simulator or Virtual Virtual Reality yet but people say good things about them.

@JaxonH I couldn't have said it better myself. The Quest is the Switch of VR. If any device can take VR beyond niche appeal, it's the Quest. I feel spoiled as a portable only gamer.

@CaPPa I don't see how I could ever go back to a stationary device for gaming. There's never been a better time for portable gaming. Console quality games that can be played on a Television when it's opportune and roomscale VR that I'm able to set up in any room within a minute. I feel like I'm living in the future and it's only going to get better.

After spending about 50 hours working through Tales of Zestiria, I decided to give my PSVR some love, so I downloaded Arca's Path this morning since I remember Push Square was really positive with their review of it.

Still need to get a pair of Move controllers, as I don't want to try Blood & Truth, Everybody's Golf, or Iron Man without them.

I've got the Vive (with the lens mod) and the Index controllers. VR with dual analog sticks & touch controls is a whole new level of immersion and I love it!

I've also got access to the new Steam Index headset and that's an amazing experience, but not quite worth the price to upgrade if you're an existing Vive owner in my opinion.

I haven't given my PSVR some love in awhile so I decided to buy the Last Labyrinth.

It didn't review too well over on Push Square, but I've interested in it ever since I first saw screenshots (and it apparently got better reviews elsewhere), so I decided to give it a shot.

Hopefully I should be able to give it a go by Thursday.

Here's the Half Life Alyx trailer. Looks fantastic but unfortunately not something I'll probably ever be able to play. Apparently it's a full on campaign and about 12 - 15 hours in length. Full price

@Galenmereth The Index takes a MASSIVE step forward for the issues that bring up, for sure, but it does come with a hefty price though. The headset is extremely light and basically sits balanced on your head, instead of feeling tightly strapped to your face like the Oculus and Vive do. VR is not something you do to relax, that's for sure.

@redd214 This looks absolutely amazing - I'll be buying it day one, that's for sure! Haha

I think I'm going to take a break from the Last Labyrinth.

The puzzles you're presented with after the first credits scene can get pretty tough, and my brain is pretty worn at this point, lol. Due to the horrorish nature of the game, each failure really gets to you as well (not so much your own death, but the death of the little girl. It's never gory, but certain scenes of her body just going limp are quite disturbing, particularly the scenes with the guillotine & noose), which has also contributed to me wanting to put it down a little early. Still, I think I've gotten a pretty decent grasp at what's going on (story wise), so I'm pretty satisfied.

@RR529 I haven't played that one, but I'm also not a fan of the horror genre in any aspect (film, games, etc.). The level of immersion that VR presents has kept from giving any of the games in that genre a go so far - I'm much more of the adrenaline junkie, I guess.

Audica landed it's 1.0 full release and oh my goodness has it went from already being my favourite VR game to simply just incredible with it's new gameplay styles and new songs added to the list (which includes the DLC). If you're on PC, the ever growing list of excellent community content provided through the developers Discord site provides WAY more content than my arms have the strength to try it all, and I'm a fit guy. I simply cannot recommend this game high enough.

Also, Boneworks is coming out 12/10/2019!

With the Oculus Quest's Link being in beta already I bought Elite Dangerous, Star Trek Bridge Crew and Batman Arkham VR in the Black Friday sales. I dont actually have a PC that can run them yet, but they'll be there ready for when I do. So a new PC, link cable and Virtual Desktop (for keeping it wireless) are all on my Christmas wishlist.

@CaPPa How do you like the Oculus Quest? I've heard really good things about it and with the Oculus Link being an actual thing, the Quest has some amazing appeal to reach out the high-end side of VR to the mainstream in my opinion.

@Slapshot
The Quest is awesome. I didnt like PSVR at all because of the cables setup and poor tracking; but the Quest is so much more easier to use. It's a bit like the Switch of VR as it's not as powerful as a PC headset but it makes up for it in other ways. It gets updates that rival the amount on the 3DS, except they usually add more than stability, like the recent PC Link beta. Theres a passthrough mode and full hand tracking coming next year.

My only negative would be that it can be uncomfortable for some people. I could only handle it for about 20 minutes at a time, but I invested in a better strap and put a battery pack on it as a counterweight and now I can play for up to 2 hours without a break (and have an extra 6 hours power).