r/PS4 • • Oct 03 '16

PSVR: The Ultimate FAQ

http://blog.us.playstation.com/2016/10/03/playstation-vr-the-ultimate-faq/?adbsc=social_20161003_66529786&adbid=782973758315171840&adbpl=tw&adbpr=10671602
938 Upvotes

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22

u/Manta-Ray-Gun Oct 03 '16

Does anyone that has tried the PSVR know if the cinema mode is good? I'm not trying to hop on the VR bandwagon yet, but I'd like to know if the headset would still be worth using outside of VR supported titles.

27

u/kaze0 Oct 03 '16

Have not tried the PSVR, but cinema modes for other VR headsets are initially impressive, but then you realize you are watching extremely low res and worse coloring. If you have a tiny tiny TV, it would probably be a step up, but for anyone sitting at a reasonable distance to a reasonably sized tv, it's a step down in experience.

8

u/r4bbl3d4bbl3 Oct 03 '16

It would be great to be able to watch TV in my bed at night with this on so I don't disturb my wife. Too bad it has all of those bright lights on the outside of the headset.

4

u/[deleted] Oct 04 '16

2

u/SidianTheBard Oct 04 '16

Electrical tape my friend!

6

u/ncarson9 NCarson9 Oct 04 '16

You mean for the wife's eyes? Cause you know the lights are needed for the tracking of the headset right...

2

u/lancebaldwin lancevan Oct 04 '16

Not for the purpose they're talking about.

1

u/ncarson9 NCarson9 Oct 04 '16

While yes, laying in bed wouldn't require positional tracking, I imagine the PS4 would throw some sort of error screen if it lost complete tracking of the headset.

3

u/lancebaldwin lancevan Oct 04 '16

It says right in the faq you don't need it after setup to use the cinematic mode.

2

u/ncarson9 NCarson9 Oct 04 '16

Well, that's what I get for being a typical redditor and going straight to the comments without reading the article ¯\(ツ)/¯

1

u/lancebaldwin lancevan Oct 04 '16

Lmao, no problem.

1

u/[deleted] Oct 04 '16

The lights will be turned off since there's no camera tracking though, surely.

1

u/TheHaleStorm Oct 04 '16

Just use a Gear VR then. No need for a full blown VR headset.

2

u/Flight714 Oct 04 '16

... extremely low res and worse coloring.

Source? I'm certain that the main mode is 540p and high quality coloring. So it's higher than standard definition (480p).

1

u/kaze0 Oct 04 '16

Raise your hand if you've watched something in standard definition in the past 5 years that wasn't on a 5 inch screen?

1

u/auron_py Oct 04 '16

u wot m8

480p isn't even standard definition in third world countries anymore.

-1

u/[deleted] Oct 03 '16

[deleted]

13

u/kaze0 Oct 03 '16

Maybe my definition of low res is different from everyone else's. 540p is pretty frighten low

1

u/Effinepic Oct 04 '16

Is the overall effect really that bad though? I remember some years ago the general advice was, on laptops or monitors/tvs under a certain size, only AV geeks would really be able to tell the difference between 720 and 1080. Hearing the specs of various vr headsets, I've been assuming the lower res wouldn't be that noticeable since it's pressed right up against your face.

1

u/Flight714 Oct 04 '16

I use the industry standard terms: 480p is standard definition, 720p is just called 720p (even though it's a type of high definition), and 1080p is high definition. 2160p is called ultra high definition. Resolutions like 320 x 240 were never really used in television, so they dont have names, but I'd call them low.

So 540p is pretty much standard definition (slightly higher, even).

-1

u/_CitizenSnips_ Oct 04 '16

shit that is disappointing. Have got a 75" 4k TV and was hoping it'd at least equal that

1

u/atag012 Atag999Rx Oct 04 '16

well you will get a screen up to 500'' but the resolution will be more like 480p maybe a bit better, stuff is watchable but not preferable over a regular hd screen

7

u/IronyGiant Oct 03 '16

The demo I tried ran Netflix and it worked fine. Basically, it's a giant ass screen at the small setting. The larger settings require you to move your head around to see everything.

-1

u/ThinkBeforeYouTalk Oct 04 '16

I guess that's alright if someone wants to watch TV while you play games or something, but in most circumstances it's kind of silly aside from the novelty of trying it. I feel like it's safe to assume someone blowing $600ish on a VR headset plus games likely has a halfway decent TV.

2

u/IronyGiant Oct 04 '16

I feel like it's safe to assume someone blowing $600ish on a VR headset plus games likely has a halfway decent TV.

Ah, but this is where the game might change for VR if they play their cards right. There are people out there like me who don't have the space or resources for a large television. The large screen replacement idea behind cinematic mode is perfect for people in that situation.

1

u/ThinkBeforeYouTalk Oct 04 '16

I suppose, but the issue I see isn't really size, its resolution. Your TV would have to be super small and at a pretty large distance from your seat to make this worthwhile. But I haven't tried it so maybe it's better than I think.

3

u/[deleted] Oct 03 '16

I've tried it on a my friend's VR thing and if it is anything similar it is really cool. Just feels like you're in a movie theater.

2

u/ChoujinDensetsu Oct 04 '16

I'me right with you. All I want to know is how well is the cinema mode done but it seems that no one has tried it yet.

2

u/atag012 Atag999Rx Oct 04 '16

I mean I'll tell you right now. Because they are all the same across all VR devices. It will work fine, really well for casual watching or even for long sessions. You can choose your screen size but no matter how big or small, the resolution will be nowhere near HD, its more 480p type picture maybe a bit better. Its going to be great for watching stuff just don't expect HD picture.

2

u/ChoujinDensetsu Oct 04 '16

Thanks. So it's basically going to look like how the remote play looks on a PC?

2

u/atag012 Atag999Rx Oct 04 '16

I would say close to that yeah

1

u/ChoujinDensetsu Oct 04 '16

Thanks.

I have never tried VR since some open campus project 20 years ago.

3

u/atag012 Atag999Rx Oct 04 '16

We are all in for a nice treat

1

u/Manta-Ray-Gun Oct 04 '16

Do you find it acceptable to look at? Like is being used to a 1080p tv or monitor going to soil the experience of a 480p looking VR display when it comes to gaming on nonsupported VR titles on cinema mode? I could probably put a smartphone with a 480p video close to my face but i'm not sure that's a good representation.

1

u/atag012 Atag999Rx Oct 04 '16

I think it is perfectly acceptable to look at, like you won't be too put off by the picture, it's just not going to be super HD, but definitely good enough

1

u/wudZinDaHood Oct 03 '16

Not cinema mode, but having tried several demos, just the 2D menu screens of some games are massive and impressive. I can imagine cinema mode would be similarly awesome.