Pablo Gigante posted:

Evil Eagle posted:

Wii but with eyeballs dotting the two i's.

In Training posted:

If they ever do make VR goggles they should call them Virtual Boy EX or somethig

The Devil Tesla posted:

valve is piss

Black Baby Goku posted:

If you buy VR anything you should be permabanned

FactsAreUseless posted:

The HTC Vive is the latest in consumer VR technology. Released April 5th, 2016, the Vive as it is commonly referred to, is a huge step forward for VR technology at a semi-reasonable price. The Vive comes with a headset, motion controllers, lighthouse base stations, and all the odds and ends needed for a fully immersive VR experience.




Price: The Vive costs $799! Yes, it is a very expensive piece of hardware. Currently this is a niche market aimed towards the VR enthusiast, and hopefully in the coming years the price will drop. That being said, with everything that is packed into the Vive the price is not outrageous, and compared to other VR offerings on the market, the vive is still the overall best in terms of what it can do and the hardware that is included.



Lighthouses: The Vive comes with two lighthouses/base stations. What these devices do is they transmit IR lasers from them in a sweeping motion (Thus the name lighthouse, they act as rapidly moving IR lighthouses in effect). This enabled the headset to track its position in the world by receiving these lasers, using maths, and figuring out where it is in relation to these base stations.

The lighthouses can be a bit of work, and mounting these bad boys can take a bit of time and add some heft to initial setup. However its a one time cost (unless you are going to move where you use your vive a lot). However you have options. The lighthouses can be mounted using the included mounting kit by screwing it into the wall. You can also mount them on tripods though that can be a bit problematic as you do not ever want your base stations to move once placed. There are still many novel mounting solutions that people have utilized such as 3M strips, contractor poles and many others. Ultimately mounting is a pain but there are a number of ways to do it and it typically only takes a half hour or so. This is a pretty typical mounting solution using the included hardware



Motion Controllers: The Vive also comes with two motion controllers, this hardware sets it apart from the competition (which currently use xbox controllers for input), all hail the donut! The motion controller is exactly what it sounds like, it allows for 1:1 control of the virtual space by using your actual hands and arms to control your surroundings. This is not a wii-mote. Wii-motes suck, their tracking/simulation capabilities are terrible. This uses the same tracking method the headset uses to ensure an incredible level of tracking fidelity, sub-millimeter precision to be exact.

Each Motion controllers come with some standard app and home buttons, the former being uses by some games as a menu button, and the latter being a dedicated button to open the SteamVR interface. They also have an analog trigger (great for shooters), two grip buttons that act the same and can be used to simulate grabbing something, and a steam-controller-esque trackpad at your thumb. The trackpad is actually incredibly useful, and can be used for many applications including weapon wheels, mouse simulation, typing, or a plethora of other options. The track pad can also be clicked in as well as knowing when the user is simply touching it.

The motion controllers are incredibly important to VR immersion, and most people who use them will find themselves innately understanding them (as it just simulates our normal mode of interaction). Check this out!



The Headset: The life blood of the Vive. The headset comes with two lens that sit over a 2160 x 1200 screen. This screen has a refresh rate of 90Hz; yes that is more than your average monitor. This high resolution, high refresh rate means that the vive delivers a high-quality (though yes screen-door-effect is still present) smooth experience. It even has the biggest FOV of all the headsets on the market, leading to a better feeling of immersion and presence.

The pocketed appearance of the headset, straight out of a cyber-punk mock-up, shows off all of the IR sensors that sense the lasers emitted from the lighthouses. Using maths this helps the headset figure out where it is in space. Not only can the headset know where you are rotationally, it will also track you positionally within your defined playspace. You can not only look around your virtual environment, but you can walk and move within it as well. True VR presence is finally at hand!

Though a bit unwieldy at first, adjusting the straps to get a comfortable fit hugely improve the comfort of the headset, most users can use it indefinitely. The camera on the front allows you to, at a buttons press, view your surroundings so you can keep your headset on and still see/interact with the real world (not sure why you’d want to though).



SteamVR: SteamVR is what the Vive relies on. Through the push of a button either on the motion controllers or on the headset itself you can access the steam vr menus. From here you can launch games, chat with people on your friends list or view your desktop (though their built in desktop view needs some work currently). Normal games that don’t have proper VR support can even be played in a simulated theater.

From here you can also access and change the settings of your chaperone system. The chaperone system is a virtual wall that fades in as you approach your play boundaries. When you do the Vive’s initial set up you use your motion controllers to draw out your play area in real space. Then it takes this area to define the chaperone boundary. Now whenever you approach that limit the walls fade into existent alerting you that you are approaching real world obstacles. Though wandering around in a room in VR might seem dangerous, with chaperone it becomes simple, easy and completely safe. (though please wear your wristbands)


The HTC Vive is available now, you can order it and receive it within 1-3 weeks, and some stores are even beginning to get them in stock, though this is still quite limited. Overall it is the best VR option on the market and a fantastic VR device if you are interested in this emerging technology. It is something that needs to be experienced to understand so look around you for demos and opportunities to get your hands on this new VR HMD (head-mounted display).

This thread is mod sanctioned; intentional shittiness, or coming in here to wave your dick about your non-Vive HMD is probatable, if you wanna do that take it to the bad VR thread. Welcome to the vive hug box boyz

FactsAreUseless posted:

Bobnumerotres posted:

lol

Bobnumerotres posted:

lol

Tender Bender posted:

Most of my normie friends don't even know what the current consoles are much less that VR is trying to become a thing.

trying to jack off posted:

last week my girlfriend asked why the xbox one is still so expensive even though its been out for like 15 years

trying to jack off posted:

last week my girlfriend asked why the xbox one is still so expensive even though its been out for like 15 years

rediscover posted:

I would have had sex with her

rediscover posted:

I would have had sex with her

trying to jack off posted:

last week my girlfriend asked why the xbox one is still so expensive even though its been out for like 15 years

Black Baby Goku posted:

If you buy VR anything you should be permabanned

I.N.R.I posted:

disagree cos i love racing simulators

Black Baby Goku posted:

I imagine project cars looks sick but it's not worth 900 dollars + wheel

In Training posted:

#FE looks kinda sick...

In Training posted:

#FE looks kinda sick...

Boomstick Quaid posted:

A first person vr Mario platformer might work but only if the bottom half of Mario is a hovercraft

Bobnumerotres posted:

even valve could only come up with a slingshot game