Oculus VR

castle96

sounds a good idea, but cant find a lot of info. What 'is' it? What does it connect to (PC?) What's it like. Are there a list of games/experiences? Ideally, I would like (possible) to play shooting/war games. Is it just for games, or can I 'travel' to eg the Grand Canyon?? ANY ino/links welcome. Latest version/cost no object (if worthwhile!). Doesnt seem to be a lot of info available. Can you go to eg Currys and try?

forgotmyname

My local computer shop will sell you a brilliant gaming setup with VR etc. Its £35,000 though...

I was put off Oculus after Facebook purchased them... You need to link it to your facebook account... errr  No Thanks...

Johnmcl7

Occulus sell different headsets but their main one at the moment is the Quest 2 headset which is a completely standalone headset and offers tracked motion controllers making it a popular choice since it doesn't need a PC.  Conveniently it can also be connected to a PC for a wider range of VR games but you need a decent PC to be able to run VR since it needs high resolution and high framerates.

You can browse the Occulus store to see what sort of games and applications are available, I use a different VR headset with Steam so I'm not familiar with the Occulus content but there is a mix of games and experiences.  

I've not seen any local stores that offer VR demos but there are a number of places that offer VR experiences so it's worth checking in your area.  I had no interest initially in VR until I spotted a VR place and gave it a go which absolutely amazed, the feeling of immersion is not something you can appreciate watching a video of it and you really need to try it out yourself.  After that I invested in my own setup opting for a PC based set up (I'm not keen on Occulus for the FB requirements and other reasons) which I still think is fantastic.  

The other option to consider if you have a PS4 or PS5 is that there's a decent Sony VR headset which offers solid VR gaming for a reasonable price although the future of the product isn't clear.  

flaneurs_lobster

Any truth in the anecdotal stories I've heard that the reason Currys et al don't have demos of VR in their stores is that it can induce nausea and the messy consequences thereof in a sizeable proportion of users.

Don't want their staff wasting their time mopping up when they should be doing their real job of flogging expensive extended warranties?

grumpycrab

castle96 said:

 I would like (possible) to play shooting games.

I had to get a VR head-set for Half Life Alyx.  Went for Oculus Rift so I could also play its killer app of a couple of years ago... Lone Echo.  Both were great (Lone Echo II not so) but I enjoyed my (expensive) dabble with VR.
If you're a PC gamer then you'll have a good rig - so I'd suggest link it up to Quest2.

Johnmcl7

flaneurs_lobster said:

Any truth in the anecdotal stories I've heard that the reason Currys et al don't have demos of VR in their stores is that it can induce nausea and the messy consequences thereof in a sizeable proportion of users.

Don't want their staff wasting their time mopping up when they should be doing their real job of flogging expensive extended warranties?

No, I wouldn't say there's any truth in that at all and that sounds entirely fabricated by people who have never used a modern VR system.  One of the main reasons VR has had such a revival is because improvements in technology have significantly reduced the nauseous feel of it, by having high framerates matched to a high tracking rate the body doesn't get that travel sickness sensation that plagued VR systems in the 90's.  People can still feel a bit queasy especially on some experiences which have a lot of movement but they can just stop and remove the headset, I've never seen or heard of anyone throwing up after using a modern VR headset even on very busy nights at public VR systems or having spoken to many in the VR community.  It's not impossible someone has been sick but it's extremely unlikely and it's absolutely not true this occurs with a 'sizeable portion of users'

There are far more obvious and simpler reasons why there's no demo units in the likes of Currys the main one being there's little benefit in doing so compared to the cost of operating them.  VR systems are labour intensive as they'd need an employee to step the user through getting into the VR system, ensuring they are happy with the setup, being available during the demo which could take some time on its own and cleaning the system ready for another user which is a concern even pre-covid given how tight the VR headset is against the face and it causes sweat.  It also needs a good amount of space as well to ensure the person using the system doesn't hit anyone or anything as well as the employee keeping the person within boundaries.  All that just to sell a relatively cheap and niche headset doesn't make any sense at all while there's a good number out there that charge for such experience to make it worthwhile.

Johnmcl7

grumpycrab said:

castle96 said:

 I would like (possible) to play shooting games.

I had to get a VR head-set for Half Life Alyx.  Went for Oculus Rift so I could also play its killer app of a couple of years ago... Lone Echo.  Both were great (Lone Echo II not so) but I enjoyed my (expensive) dabble with VR.
If you're a PC gamer then you'll have a good rig - so I'd suggest link it up to Quest2.

There's plenty of great VR experiences but HL:Alyx is on a different level, it's a superb game in its own right but the immersion VR offers takes it that much further and really makes you feel like part of the Half life universe.  I almost jumped through the ceiling on the section you first receive the torch and fighting the spider crabs when my dog brushed against me and when the power went out with 'Jeff' and I realised where I had to go to repair it, I decided I definitely needed a break.

jim8888

I bought one after my brother in law showed me his - it seemed like it would be great fun. If you're a gamer I think you'll enjoy VR - my son is - but I'm 58, newly retired, and I was looking for a new pastime. I thought Oculus would be part of the solution but, so far, it isn't. Initially it was fun, and there were some great games on offer but, fundamentally, I find gaming a bit of an empty challenge. I'd rather read a good book! Plus the headset does get a bit uncomfortable and you need a good spacious room to move around unfettered in, as some of the games will see you making unconsidered lunges, jumps and crouches, sometimes into nearby furniture. I'm hoping, as the winter nights are now here, that I'll go back to it, but the headset has been gathering dust for the last three months. Meanwhile my brother in law "hasn't played on it for ages" and my son, with a Sony VR, says the same, much preferring his standard Playstation console. So my Oculus is not on ebay yet, but that might be my next move with it. 

forgotmyname

I purchased the Samsung Gear VR headset as a tester to see if we would actually get on with it.  As above
it was a novelty at first using it every day for a few weeks then it got used less and less until it sat in the

box for the past year or so.

Luckily it was cheap so not losing a load of money.

Movaraks

It can be connected to both a PC and a ps4 or ps5. PC games will be cheaper.