Does anyone have any recommendations for VR sets?
by dallas_subway (2022-11-29 07:49:22)

Considering buying a VR but I know very little about them. Would prefer to not have anything to do with Meta.

Any help is appreciated.


I have the Oculus Quest 2. It's fun, but I forget about it.
by anthro_domer  (2022-11-29 12:04:34)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

I think fitness can be a killer app for it, so having an all in one unit vs one you have to connect to a PC with a cable, is the way to go. I've played beat saber while in a stationary bike and I know there's various other fitness games. It's nice when the weather outside is crappy.

That said, I kind of forget I have it at times. It takes more work to play it than my ps4. But I did get to wield a lightsaber at one point, which is kind of a life goal. So that was cool.


I confess, I love my Quest 2. Hear me out!
by ravenium  (2022-11-29 12:01:38)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

Stay with me here; I dislike Facebook for oh so many reasons, the founder of Oculus was a supreme weirdo with MUTED FOR PBR and humor effect

For the casual gamer who doesn't want to fire up a PC, tweak 5 settings, and stay tethered to a desk, it (and I can't believe I'm using this phrase) "just works".

Pop it on, play a game. Take it off, done.

Sit at your desk and play I Expect You to Die. Take it into the basement and play some game where you have to move, like Population One. No moving light poles, no turning on PC.

Who cares if it's sold at a hardware loss? That's not your problem, and by golly Oculus has the dominant market share and the most games. Sure, there are some games (half-life: Alyx) only made for desktops, but guess what? You can connect to your desktop and play those too!

Until someone gets critical momentum in the app space for a portable VR headset, Oculus ain't going anywhere soon. 2 Years later and they still sell it. $350 is a hell of a better value proposition than $1000, especially if you're like me and maybe VR game an hour or two a week.

Don't get me wrong, I'd love it if Apple or Valve or whoever would make a wireless VR headset that would challenge them, but it's just not there yet.

Bottom line: if you're a casual gamer and want to dip your toes into the VR space without breaking the bank, the Quest 2 ain't a bad idea, as much as I dislike its maker.

Edit: yeah yeah, it's now "Meta" Quest. I'll say that right as soon as I say "Willis Tower".


and walkabout mini-golf is great *
by jreednd  (2022-11-29 14:51:07)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post


I love walkabout!
by ravenium  (2022-11-29 14:52:49)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

I feel like I should have friended you by now - I have so few VR people for some reason.


absolutely....shoot me an email sometime! *
by jreednd (click here to email the poster)  (2022-11-30 10:37:13)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post


Valve Index or HTC Vive
by GoldCoastIrish  (2022-11-29 08:04:49)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

What is your use case? VR Gaming?

Both are supported by the Steam Store (Gamestop for digitally distributed PC games) in terms of buying VR games.

The Vive can work in the Metaverse if you so choose it.

There's a lighter weight HTC option as well, that lacks the bells and whistles.

Know that you're going to be shelling out north of $700 just for the VR portion, and you'll still need a top-notch gaming PC to run the framerates you want. GPU cards have come down in price lately as crypto has imploded and CoVid bottlenecks ease up, but it's still <$300 for the nVidia card you'll need to run this.

In contrast, the Oculus is going for $350 right now, and I don't think requires the horsepower the first two do. But it's known that Facebook is taking a big loss on the hardware side to gain market share and expand the Metaverse...which is being panned as a massive failure.

Note: I'd have bought an Oculus till they got bought by Zuck a few years back, now I won't touch one if offered.

Also, make sure the games you want to enjoy are available. See link for what's being offered in VR on the Steam store, you can choose which system you want compatibility for with radio buttons on the right hand side.


HTC also makes an untethered device
by xChicagoIrish  (2022-11-29 11:58:59)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

The HTC Focus 3 is untethered (no need for a gaming PC), but it's also not cheap at $1,300. As much as I distrust Meta, the Meta Quest really is the best consumer device. They're subsidizing the cost to get adoption and they have more content than anyone else right now.

I have 3 headsets. The Meta is the easiest to use and I don't notice a difference in quality at all between it at $399 and the $1,300 HTC.

I work in VR, but I'm not a gamer. Someone into high end gaming may have a different take.


Your world frightens me.......
by Bill Melton  (2022-11-29 11:20:43)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post



The genius of Jack Handey
by Twinkie the Kid  (2022-11-29 12:58:30)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

When Handey wrote for SNL, he rarely wrote topical/pop culture humor. Instead, he wrote things like Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer, Old Glory Insurance (with robots eating old people's medicine for fuel), and Toonces the Driving Cat. A lot of his stuff never made its way into an SNL skit because it was so off-the-wall (or it was buried towards the end of the show).

Great stuff.


It never occurred to me that Jack Handey might be real
by Radi-skull  (2022-11-30 11:06:23)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

I always thought it was just a funny name to go with "Deep Thoughts"


Wish he was still writing for SNL
by Bill Melton  (2022-11-29 14:51:24)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

The show could use him and a few other good writers.


Thank you! Lots of info here.
by dallas_subway  (2022-11-29 08:34:20)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

Considering the investment in a gaming PC; I might consider a lower end one through a PS5. I'm sure it limits us some but the versatility perhaps would be a plus in our particular case.