Do you have any interest in VR?

[ddr4000]

With the quest 2 starting to take off, showing a clear path towards adoption with standalone VR devices, what's holding you back from getting into VR?

I have had an interest for just over a year, and bought and sold various headsets due to them not feeling quite right comfort or visuals wise. But with the Quest 2 I think this is a fantastic entry point for everyone interested in virtual reality. £299 and you're in. Sure, I bought an elite strap for another £50, and lens protectors for £7 since I wear glasses, but all in we're under £400 and you can play beat saber to its full potential, superhot, walkabout minigolf (amazingly relaxing), and if you're a hardcore gamer like I'm sure this forum will skew towards, with a pc you can get connected and play racing and flight sims the way they were always meant to be (with a racing wheel set up or HOTAS they're incredibly immersive). Skyrim VR with mods is simply breathtaking. First person shooters feel natural.

What is it; the comfort, visuals, games, anything else... that stops you from having an interest in VR?

[Richyhx1]

I got a rift 2 and I've been really happy with it. One thing I would warn is that the quest 2 graphics are a lot lower fidelity than the pc powered vr as should be expected I guess. Although there is less screen door for quest 2 than anything even near its price point.
The only other thing that would put me off a quest 2 is Facebook. You HAVE to use Facebook to log in, if your account is closed or suspended so is your access to any games you have purchased. The same will eventually be for the rift models but if I remember correctly we have 2 years, which I guess by that time they will be obselete anyway.

[Richyhx1]

To be fair though and I should have mentioned this previously:

The plus side to a quest 2 though I guess would be not having to connect. My rift 2 doesn't see nearly as much action as I'd like as moving my pc from the office to the lounge so I have enough playspace everytime I want to use it really puts me off bothering. So I guess take that into account too

[OwP]

Got several friends that play VR FPS games and have just been lured into getting a Quest 2 as an early Christmas present.
Short review
I love it. Flying games and space combat games like Elite and Star Wars Squadrons and excellent, but its the FPS games that have surprised me. Onwards is probably the most fun and exhausting thing I have played in about 20 years. Having to manipulate the controls on the guns is great fun and adds to the confusion. We did a team of 3 against 20+ botts with increasing difficulty, extremely manic, but incredible fun.

Downsides, well heat is one for me, so play with the window open or ceiling fan on. The only time I have issues with motion is (strangely) going up or down stairs. Rest of the time I am fine.

So yes loving it. Will look ay Skyrim and probably pickup Beat Saber at some point, have done the demo and liked it a lot.

[Saracen999]

....

What is it; the comfort, visuals, games, anything else... that stops you from having an interest in VR?

I like the concept, but what stops me has been two things :-

1) Until fairly recently, cost. Not that into it. And

2) I have yet to try one that didn't pretty quickly give me a splitting headache. And, sometimes, nausea.

I've no idea why they have that effect. And maybe newer stuff won't. But I've tried several times. It ain't worth it to me.

[Richyhx1]

Nausea is an issue on the games when your 'in' something. Elite dangerous I noped right out of in 30 seconds the first time I tried it. But little by little you get a tolerance for it. Now I can play war thunder for hours an be fine. You still get vertigo moments, but the nausea is gone.

Games were you are static like beatsaber is pretty ok straight away though.

[Saracen999]

It's not just the nausea. It's the migraine-like headaches.

To be fair, this may just be my physiology. I've had to be careful of headaches for about 40 years. A series of doctors can't track what it is, just what it isn't. For instance, it isn't food allergy ... or not to anything we've been able to identify, anyway. But when I get one comig on, it's time for a fairly heavy dose of codeine (prescription only strength) and a lay down. If I catch it quickly, an hour or two dozing and it's gone. If I don't nail it fast enough, it can be several days feeling like my head is going to explode, and then, several more feeling like a rung-out dish-rag.

And so far, every time I've tried VR, it has brought on those early trigger symptoms, in minutes.

Maybe, at some time, I'll try one more time but frankly, if it still happens with 'modern' VR gear, it'll be the last time I try. It's just not worth the pain and trouble. Which is a right damn nuisance, because if I could tolerate it, it'd be right up my street and I'd buy the best rig I could afford tomorrow.

[DanceswithUnix]

My rift 2 doesn't see nearly as much action as I'd like as moving my pc from the office to the lounge so I have enough playspace everytime I want to use it really puts me off bothering. So I guess take that into account too

For that reason I have a Quest 2 under the tree, so my Rift can just stay upstairs for me to play racing games and Elite.

I did consider a GPU upgrade, but frankly I think this will give me better flexibility for the money.

[Richyhx1]

It's not just the nausea. It's the migraine-like headaches.

To be fair, this may just be my physiology. I've had to be careful of headaches for about 40 years. A series of doctors can't track what it is, just what it isn't. For instance, it isn't food allergy ... or not to anything we've been able to identify, anyway. But when I get one comig on, it's time for a fairly heavy dose of codeine (prescription only strength) and a lay down. If I catch it quickly, an hour or two dozing and it's gone. If I don't nail it fast enough, it can be several days feeling like my head is going to explode, and then, several more feeling like a rung-out dish-rag.

And so far, every time I've tried VR, it has brought on those early trigger symptoms, in minutes.

Maybe, at some time, I'll try one more time but frankly, if it still happens with 'modern' VR gear, it'll be the last time I try. It's just not worth the pain and trouble. Which is a right damn nuisance, because if I could tolerate it, it'd be right up my street and I'd buy the best rig I could afford tomorrow.

Sad to hear it. I hope you get to the bottom of it. Vr is good fun occasionally but that said it's not life changing and not something I feel like I'd miss if I didn't have it. so don't feel like your missing out too much!

[ik9000]

It's not just the nausea. It's the migraine-like headaches.

To be fair, this may just be my physiology. I've had to be careful of headaches for about 40 years. A series of doctors can't track what it is, just what it isn't. For instance, it isn't food allergy ... or not to anything we've been able to identify, anyway. But when I get one comig on, it's time for a fairly heavy dose of codeine (prescription only strength) and a lay down. If I catch it quickly, an hour or two dozing and it's gone. If I don't nail it fast enough, it can be several days feeling like my head is going to explode, and then, several more feeling like a rung-out dish-rag.

And so far, every time I've tried VR, it has brought on those early trigger symptoms, in minutes.

Maybe, at some time, I'll try one more time but frankly, if it still happens with 'modern' VR gear, it'll be the last time I try. It's just not worth the pain and trouble. Which is a right damn nuisance, because if I could tolerate it, it'd be right up my street and I'd buy the best rig I could afford tomorrow.

that's not great. I get migraines occasionally and I know a lot of what you say but a multi-day hangover at the end is unusual. I've not really tried VR yet so I don't know if I'm the same. One to try at some point. It's not that I'm not open to the idea, just not had the funds or inclination to be bothered to try it for the time being.

[virtuo]

I'm very interested in the Quest 2, but I think there is a compromise using it as a PC headset, which I want to do. That compromise is that it's not being used as a display, but it's just showing a video stream. I'm concerned that will introduce lag, which really breaks the immersion for me. I've seen the Rift S drop to a similar price, but it seems like the rift S hardware is inferior in terms of refresh rate and resolution.

I'll probably pick up a quest 2, I may even have one sat under the xmas tree (that we haven't put up yet). I've seen demos of using it tethered to a PC wirelessly, which sounds like a fantastic option, shame the battery life is a little limited.

[Richyhx1]

This LTT video might help https://youtu.be/wpkKU7RJyLM

[DanceswithUnix]

I'm very interested in the Quest 2, but I think there is a compromise using it as a PC headset, which I want to do. That compromise is that it's not being used as a display, but it's just showing a video stream. I'm concerned that will introduce lag, which really breaks the immersion for me. I've seen the Rift S drop to a similar price, but it seems like the rift S hardware is inferior in terms of refresh rate and resolution.

I'll probably pick up a quest 2, I may even have one sat under the xmas tree (that we haven't put up yet). I've seen demos of using it tethered to a PC wirelessly, which sounds like a fantastic option, shame the battery life is a little limited.

I guess you can always use USB power banks to power it.

[virtuo]

I guess you can always use USB power banks to power it.

I guess a powerbank in the pocket could work, or spend £120 on an "elite" strap with built in battery.Oof

I did check a few vidoes on the video quality/latency off the back of this thread, and for anything but the most frantic games it seems acceptable (especially with Virtual Desktop and Sidequest). Fast titles like beat saber you can get natively anyway. Fingers crossed for xmas, then

[Kumagoro]

I have had a couple of hours at work where we have the original occulus and vive. While it was interesting and somewhat fun the experience didn't make me go out and what to buy either at home.

I found the headsets too heavy and cumbersome and I felt they were too low res as I could really see all the pixels. Now i am old I get dizzy easy and I found the sense of feeling confined also not comfortable.

Besides which I only have a core 2 machine at home so I can't drive them anyway.

I think I am more interested in AR and looking forward to when we have smaller headsets at higher resolution and free from external wires. I think I am going to be in for a long wait.

Migraine wise do people have the blue/purpleish filter on their glasses lenses which is supposed to help with that sort of thing. They maybe worth a try. Flickering LED or florescent lights is apparently a big thing. Many lights are not up to the job even if they say they are. I think you can use a phone app to work out the frequency. It should be above 30 kHz.

[DanceswithUnix]

While it was interesting and somewhat fun the experience didn't make me go out and what to buy either at home.

I think a lot depends on what you get to see.

I did a quick VR experience thing at the computing museum at Bletchley Park, and it was quite impressive but much like you I wasn't interested in buying one.

Then someone gave me a go in the Playstation VR mini X wing flying game that's in Battlefront, and I was hooked.

Note that the Quest 2 has a much higher resolution than the old Rift, and more processing power than your old Core 2 already built in