This looks really good, but what do you guys think, does one game warrant picking up a VR headset? The asking price is very high, especially in Europe, Valve index is more than 1000eu. I'd also...
This looks really good, but what do you guys think, does one game warrant picking up a VR headset? The asking price is very high, especially in Europe, Valve index is more than 1000eu. I'd also play Beat Saber and Superhot, but that pretty much covers it. Everything else that I've tried in VR seemed like a tech demo to me.
I really hope that Alyx grows the VR install base so more AAA developers get on the bandwagon.
If it's only the one game you are interested in, I would say absolutely not. Especially since there still really isn't much competition in the VR game space, and since it's already an...
does one game warrant picking up a VR headset?
If it's only the one game you are interested in, I would say absolutely not. Especially since there still really isn't much competition in the VR game space, and since it's already an expensive/niche product, game prices are still remarkably high even for super casual games. E.g. A lot of VR games that are basically just tech demoes are still in the $20-40 price range, and the few VR conversions of already existing older AAA games out there, like Skyrim, are $60-80. So if you're worried about the cost of the headset, I suspect the prices of the games are also going to irk you quite a bit.
So unless there are quite a few games you are interested in, and you don't mind paying the currently inflated prices for them, I would recommend waiting until the next gen (or two) of VR headsets before you jump on board.
If you gotta play it, I'd recommend maybe a refurbished Windows Mixed Reality setup or an Oculus Quest if you want to future proof a little. Index is the bleeding edge of VR, and while it's...
If you gotta play it, I'd recommend maybe a refurbished Windows Mixed Reality setup or an Oculus Quest if you want to future proof a little. Index is the bleeding edge of VR, and while it's probably the recommended way to play, you can get the idea on a cheaper model. May want to skip altogether until it becomes less necessary to sell a kidney to try it out.
The thing is, if VR truly felt like "the future of gaming", the way it's been advertised for 5 years now (or 30 years, if considering the 90s VR hype wave), it wouldn't matter to me if I'd pay...
The thing is, if VR truly felt like "the future of gaming", the way it's been advertised for 5 years now (or 30 years, if considering the 90s VR hype wave), it wouldn't matter to me if I'd pay $399 or go commit to a full $1000+ setup. I'd totally get an Index. But HL Alyx is kinda the only game that interests me in that space. I'm not paying $1000 for Beatsaber, sorry. Or $200, for that matter. And my excitement for pretty much all the other hit VR games combined doesn't even come close to this new HL game. I'd need at least 5 or 6 HL Alyx tier games to consider buying a VR set, which shouldn't be that much to ask for after 5+ years of relentless hype and industry commitment.
I'm hyped as all hell for a new Half-Life game and VR but I'll be waiting before I buy a full kit. If anything, I'll get by on second-hand or sitting out until I can justify getting better...
I'm hyped as all hell for a new Half-Life game and VR but I'll be waiting before I buy a full kit. If anything, I'll get by on second-hand or sitting out until I can justify getting better equipment. I did it for HL2 back in 2004, I did it for Witcher 3, and I'll do it again here. There's no value in being an early adopter unless you have an inconvenient amount of disposable income.
HL:A is poised to be the first true AAA VR game, not just another experimental tech demo or small indie game. It's likely going to be a runaway success and we'll be reading thinkpieces and counterthinkpieces about it for years. But I'm going to wait likely two to three years because my expectation is that the tech will improve drastically once investment and interest starts coming in from major players on both the development and consumer side of things.
In five years, I expect I'll have a graphics card that could push out 4K 144Hz with maximum graphics on contemporary games, which will mean I can run HL:A very easily and well in full VR mode with a bunch of post-launch patches and improvements and perhaps a graphics mod or two, with newer and better VR hardware (hopefully wireless!) than the current Valve Index.
I played HL2 a year or two after launch and I don't remember the wait at all, only the love I have for the game. Same with the Witcher 3, I don't recall what it was like to wait two years until I could play it in the fidelity I wanted, I only remember the joy of playing through it for 120+ hours when I eventually did.
I'll follow HL:A very closely, and I'll feel the urge to play it for a while, but I know that eventually I will and that will be the only thing I'll remember about this whole experience.
The Valve Index is probably the best VR headset you can get today, and is priced accordingly. WMR headsets regularly sell for under $200 USD, and the Oculus Rift S is $350 USD. I wouldn't...
The Valve Index is probably the best VR headset you can get today, and is priced accordingly. WMR headsets regularly sell for under $200 USD, and the Oculus Rift S is $350 USD. I wouldn't recommend the Valve Index over the Rift S for most people; sure, it's inarguably better, but not 2x better.
I get a slight bit of nausea at the video too, but I've played with VR a few times without issue. I think it's because there are a lot of view movements happening that you are not controlling....
I get a slight bit of nausea at the video too, but I've played with VR a few times without issue. I think it's because there are a lot of view movements happening that you are not controlling. When you can guide a view yourself, it goes away. The only time I get nausea in VR is when something else takes control of my view moment.
There's also a known phenomenon of needing to get used to continuous movement with analogue sticks, as in the second half of this video as well.
Do you have problems with motion sickness or sea sickness? I think VR nausea is related to the same thing based on my own experiences, because neither seem to affect me, whereas both affect my SO.
Do you have problems with motion sickness or sea sickness? I think VR nausea is related to the same thing based on my own experiences, because neither seem to affect me, whereas both affect my SO.
I get motion sickness very easily from first-person games on screens, but I don't have difficulty with VR. The linked video has a much narrower field-of-view than you would be getting inside a...
I get motion sickness very easily from first-person games on screens, but I don't have difficulty with VR.
The linked video has a much narrower field-of-view than you would be getting inside a headset, and the headset is immediately and intuitively responsive to your movements, whereas on a screen it feels more like a character moving independently from you. I, too, find the video almost unwatchable, but I suspect I would be fine to play it directly.
I do have difficulty with locomotion in VR (rather than the teleporting shown in the video), as there's a mismatch between the visual experience of moving and my body being stationary. It doesn't induce nausea but instead is just odd in a really indescribable way. The first couple of times I tried it, it was a rush; almost like the feeling when you know you're about to fall. Now it's just sort of a low-burn "something's off" sensation that I feel in my body. I can't really pinpoint it or even put a name to it, but it's not bad enough that it inhibits play.
For comparison, I played Half-Life 2 on a screen, and it made me outright ill multiple times. Its default FOV is unplayably low, and in order to get through the game I had to use console commands to raise it to something acceptable for me. Unfortunately, certain scripted sequences and scene changes reset the FOV, and I often didn't realize it had happened until it was too late. In any first-person game, by the time I feel the nausea set in, there's nothing I can do. I'm past the point of no return and my only move is to go lie down and wait out the illness. I remain unbearably dizzy, with a head and stomach ache, for about an hour. My Half-Life 2 playthrough was punctuated by these spells.
I thought VR was going to be a complete non-starter for me based on my sensitivity to first-person screen games, but they're different enough experiences that I'm able to enjoy VR just fine.
That video made me nauseous, and I've had no problems even with smooth locomotion from day one. VR recordings always look like that; the video looks super shaky because the tracking captures every...
That video made me nauseous, and I've had no problems even with smooth locomotion from day one. VR recordings always look like that; the video looks super shaky because the tracking captures every movement of your head. Being in a VR game looks nothing like the screen recordings.
Interesting take on the game : Why HL:Alyx is Half-Life 3.
This looks really good, but what do you guys think, does one game warrant picking up a VR headset? The asking price is very high, especially in Europe, Valve index is more than 1000eu. I'd also play Beat Saber and Superhot, but that pretty much covers it. Everything else that I've tried in VR seemed like a tech demo to me.
I really hope that Alyx grows the VR install base so more AAA developers get on the bandwagon.
If it's only the one game you are interested in, I would say absolutely not. Especially since there still really isn't much competition in the VR game space, and since it's already an expensive/niche product, game prices are still remarkably high even for super casual games. E.g. A lot of VR games that are basically just tech demoes are still in the $20-40 price range, and the few VR conversions of already existing older AAA games out there, like Skyrim, are $60-80. So if you're worried about the cost of the headset, I suspect the prices of the games are also going to irk you quite a bit.
So unless there are quite a few games you are interested in, and you don't mind paying the currently inflated prices for them, I would recommend waiting until the next gen (or two) of VR headsets before you jump on board.
If you gotta play it, I'd recommend maybe a refurbished Windows Mixed Reality setup or an Oculus Quest if you want to future proof a little. Index is the bleeding edge of VR, and while it's probably the recommended way to play, you can get the idea on a cheaper model. May want to skip altogether until it becomes less necessary to sell a kidney to try it out.
The thing is, if VR truly felt like "the future of gaming", the way it's been advertised for 5 years now (or 30 years, if considering the 90s VR hype wave), it wouldn't matter to me if I'd pay $399 or go commit to a full $1000+ setup. I'd totally get an Index. But HL Alyx is kinda the only game that interests me in that space. I'm not paying $1000 for Beatsaber, sorry. Or $200, for that matter. And my excitement for pretty much all the other hit VR games combined doesn't even come close to this new HL game. I'd need at least 5 or 6 HL Alyx tier games to consider buying a VR set, which shouldn't be that much to ask for after 5+ years of relentless hype and industry commitment.
I'm hyped as all hell for a new Half-Life game and VR but I'll be waiting before I buy a full kit. If anything, I'll get by on second-hand or sitting out until I can justify getting better equipment. I did it for HL2 back in 2004, I did it for Witcher 3, and I'll do it again here. There's no value in being an early adopter unless you have an inconvenient amount of disposable income.
HL:A is poised to be the first true AAA VR game, not just another experimental tech demo or small indie game. It's likely going to be a runaway success and we'll be reading thinkpieces and counterthinkpieces about it for years. But I'm going to wait likely two to three years because my expectation is that the tech will improve drastically once investment and interest starts coming in from major players on both the development and consumer side of things.
In five years, I expect I'll have a graphics card that could push out 4K 144Hz with maximum graphics on contemporary games, which will mean I can run HL:A very easily and well in full VR mode with a bunch of post-launch patches and improvements and perhaps a graphics mod or two, with newer and better VR hardware (hopefully wireless!) than the current Valve Index.
I played HL2 a year or two after launch and I don't remember the wait at all, only the love I have for the game. Same with the Witcher 3, I don't recall what it was like to wait two years until I could play it in the fidelity I wanted, I only remember the joy of playing through it for 120+ hours when I eventually did.
I'll follow HL:A very closely, and I'll feel the urge to play it for a while, but I know that eventually I will and that will be the only thing I'll remember about this whole experience.
The Valve Index is probably the best VR headset you can get today, and is priced accordingly. WMR headsets regularly sell for under $200 USD, and the Oculus Rift S is $350 USD. I wouldn't recommend the Valve Index over the Rift S for most people; sure, it's inarguably better, but not 2x better.
I haven't used VR before but that video made me nauseous. Wonder if I can ever play this without throwing up.
I get a slight bit of nausea at the video too, but I've played with VR a few times without issue. I think it's because there are a lot of view movements happening that you are not controlling. When you can guide a view yourself, it goes away. The only time I get nausea in VR is when something else takes control of my view moment.
There's also a known phenomenon of needing to get used to continuous movement with analogue sticks, as in the second half of this video as well.
Do you have problems with motion sickness or sea sickness? I think VR nausea is related to the same thing based on my own experiences, because neither seem to affect me, whereas both affect my SO.
I get motion sickness very easily from first-person games on screens, but I don't have difficulty with VR.
The linked video has a much narrower field-of-view than you would be getting inside a headset, and the headset is immediately and intuitively responsive to your movements, whereas on a screen it feels more like a character moving independently from you. I, too, find the video almost unwatchable, but I suspect I would be fine to play it directly.
I do have difficulty with locomotion in VR (rather than the teleporting shown in the video), as there's a mismatch between the visual experience of moving and my body being stationary. It doesn't induce nausea but instead is just odd in a really indescribable way. The first couple of times I tried it, it was a rush; almost like the feeling when you know you're about to fall. Now it's just sort of a low-burn "something's off" sensation that I feel in my body. I can't really pinpoint it or even put a name to it, but it's not bad enough that it inhibits play.
For comparison, I played Half-Life 2 on a screen, and it made me outright ill multiple times. Its default FOV is unplayably low, and in order to get through the game I had to use console commands to raise it to something acceptable for me. Unfortunately, certain scripted sequences and scene changes reset the FOV, and I often didn't realize it had happened until it was too late. In any first-person game, by the time I feel the nausea set in, there's nothing I can do. I'm past the point of no return and my only move is to go lie down and wait out the illness. I remain unbearably dizzy, with a head and stomach ache, for about an hour. My Half-Life 2 playthrough was punctuated by these spells.
I thought VR was going to be a complete non-starter for me based on my sensitivity to first-person screen games, but they're different enough experiences that I'm able to enjoy VR just fine.
That video made me nauseous, and I've had no problems even with smooth locomotion from day one. VR recordings always look like that; the video looks super shaky because the tracking captures every movement of your head. Being in a VR game looks nothing like the screen recordings.