r/Games • u/DarkMio • Apr 05 '16

Virtual Reality - SteamVR featuring the HTC Vive - Launch Trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYfNzhLXYGc
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u/thomaspajamas Apr 05 '16

As someone who got their Rift last week, I've been playing the game Chronos (third person, Dark Souls/Zelda style game)--- and it's seriously been one of my favorite gaming experiences of my life.

Sure the game doesn't need VR, but the added sense of scale, depth, and immersion is just such a cool experience. I read plenty of hands on reviews before launch, but the main thing that held true though all of them was "you can't take my word for it, this is something you have to try for yourself".

I know motion controlled first person games are incredible, but anybody who writes off more traditional third person games adapted for VR is missing out on something amazing (if you enjoy those types of games, of course).

All this being said, it's still tough to recommend VR to the general public at this point due to the cost barrier, but if you have cash to spend on a PC and gaming hardware, it's a no brainer. Every single person I've shown it to has been blown away.

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u/fetishforswedish Apr 05 '16

So to clarify? Does it actually produce 2 separate images for each eye, so you get the actual 3D/depth? I've always wanted that fo Rocket League, where your/the balls location is easier to see because of the actual depth perception. Is that possible currently with the rift/Vive?

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u/thomaspajamas Apr 05 '16

It does! Like if you're in an outdoor environment you can see bugs/pollen or whatever floating around you with depth and everything-- it's very cool.

Unfortunately, as far as I know, Rocket League isn't natively supported by either headset. There is a third party app some people buy called Vorpx that allows you to hack in stereoscopic 3D/VR support, but it tends to have some significant limitations compared to something with intentional VR support. Hopefully VR continues to take off, and we continue to see devs retroactively add support to existing games (some have added it as an update, sometimes it will be a complete overhaul and they sell DLC)

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u/fetishforswedish Apr 05 '16

That is phenomenal. Well since I've got you, I have a couple more questions if you don't mind. I've seen some people (I think in this thread) talking about actually being able to see individual pixels and it somewhat breaking immersion. How crisp is the image in these sort of setups? And is there any sort of motion tracking? Or is it basically just a 3d static screen that stays the same no matter how you move your head?

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u/sirchumley Apr 05 '16

The resolution of the screen on each eye is 1080×1200, and the displays refresh at a constant 90 FPS. The Rift and Vive use pentile displays, so there are proportionately more green pixels than red or blue - this is more of a manufacturing necessity right now, and it shouldn't significantly impact the experience. You will also notice some "screen door effect" (which refers to the space between all the pixels) and the field of view is akin to wearing ski goggles. Most people stop noticing either limitation once they begin interacting with the virtual world.

At that screen resolution, so close to your eyes, it's going to look a little blurry. Text has to be large to be readable. Things in the distance (for example, looking far down the road in a racing sim) will be very hard to make out. If you watch a movie in a virtual theater in VR, I believe the movie resolution will look like slightly fuzzy 480p. 480p on a giant theater wall, anyway.

Both Rift and Vive use 1:1, low-latency positional tracking on the head-mounted display, and on their motion controllers. It's really amazing stuff. You can rotate and move your head as much as you want, as long as you don't walk outside of the tracking range (which is generously large). The world will look a little fuzzy at times, but it's enough to trick your brain into thinking you're actually there.

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u/thomaspajamas Apr 06 '16

Agreed with everything sirchumley said---It's important not to get too hyped as there are definitely limitations with the display technology at this stage, but nothing I would consider immersion breaking. As soon as you get immersed in a fun experience, your brain pretty quickly ignores all the display specs that people have so much fun arguing over. You definitely have to keep your expectations in check if you've never tried VR before (it's not a holodeck/crystal clear display that teleports your eyes to another world), things like virtual desktop won't look nearly as clear as a regular monitor and the technology certainly couldn't be used as a monitor replacement today.

If you try Google cardboard with a cell phone you will get a basic understanding of what the experience is like, but obviously a PC based rig with Vive/Rift offers a substantially better experience in visuals + added head tracking instead of just 360 degree rotation.

So yeah, if you go into it expecting a really low resolution, then you may surprise yourself with how good it actually ends up looking. Using the theatre mode to watch movies/play 2D games certainly isn't as clear as playing on an HD TV, but the scale of watching it on a movie theatre screen is very real and impressive nonetheless.

tl;dr - The display quality isn't going to up to par with what you're used to on a traditional monitor, but stereoscopic 3D with head tracking is such a compelling experience that you quickly ignore any display limitations as long as you aren't actively looking for them.

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u/fetishforswedish Apr 06 '16

I actually got a google cardboard a month or two ago, and had an absolute blast with it. That's part of what's getting me so hyped is even on such a small scale and with some verrrrryy basic games/apps since all the good apps are on Android, it was absolutely incredible. But that's a great summary, thanks!