Why isn't anyone here talking about virtual reality?

[UsulofDoom]

I'm thinking of pulling the trigger on the Quest 3. It would be my 1st VR headset. I have used a cellphone with headset but did not like the POV angle.

Any opinions on ram size 128G $499 vs 512G $649.

I waiting to see if any deals come up for Christmas. All the store seem to be the same price. Did Meta have some contract that the stores have to be same price? Do we know when that ends?

[Blackhawk]

I'm thinking of pulling the trigger on the Quest 3. It would be my 1st VR headset. I have used a cellphone with headset but did not like the POV angle.

Any opinions on ram size 128G $499 vs 512G $649.

I waiting to see if any deals come up for Christmas. All the store seem to be the same price. Did Meta have some contract that the stores have to be same price? Do we know when that ends?

I haven't been able to afford the 3, but based on the Quest 2, I'd go for the larger model. My Quest 2 is 256, and the storage is well past the halfway point - and I barely play any games installed directly on the Quest 2. The 128 might work if you used it exclusively for running PCVR games (IE - running Steam/etc games via Virtual Desktop), but if you install much of anything on it directly, it will likely be a problem.

[Skinypupy]

I'm thinking of pulling the trigger on the Quest 3. It would be my 1st VR headset. I have used a cellphone with headset but did not like the POV angle.

Any opinions on ram size 128G $499 vs 512G $649.

I waiting to see if any deals come up for Christmas. All the store seem to be the same price. Did Meta have some contract that the stores have to be same price? Do we know when that ends?

I'm strongly considering this for the kids Christmas as well.

[coopasonic]

Usul, I'll sell you my Quest 2 cheap if you come to Dallas to get it.

[Blackhawk]

I'd also plan, regardless on model, and planning on ~$100 or so on accessories. At the very least you'll want controller straps, a battery pack, and some sort of quality headphones/earbuds, and probably a decent headstrap. As it is shipped, it has about two hours of play on the battery. With a battery pack, you can bump that up to 12+.

And for PCVR games, you'll probably want to buy Virtual Desktop (the version sold by Oculus, not the version on Steam.) It's basically a utility for connecting the headset wirelessly to a PC and letting the games play on it. The Quest 3 has a built-in wireless option for playing games, but it tends to be very... Meta (which means that they make it easy to use their products, but messy and inconistent to use their competitors.) Virtual Desktop is a more versatile tool (and isn't all that expensive.)

[Blackhawk]

Also, with a new system and the holidays coming up, I'll repost this. It is a couple of years old now, so I have no idea if there are any updates, but it's something to be aware of.

I came across some discussion of a recent study concerning the effects of VR on younger (under-13, but especially under-10) kids. It is just a single study, but it's potentially significant enough that I though it should be mentioned here.

tl;dw - Most VR systems suggest age 13+. Go with that. Younger kids don't have the neurological development to handle VR*, and doing so can potentially have a negative impact on their ability to develop coordination - possibly long term negative impacts.




*For those that haven't used VR, it gives your eyes and ears a different 'reality' from what your body is experiencing, such as suddenly accelerating without the physical g-forces occurring, or rotating without gravity rotating with you - like your eyes tell you that you're upside down while gravity tells your body you're right side up. For example, the first time I tried walking up a hill in VR I almost fell, as I automatically leaned forward to counter the slope - which wasn't really there - and almost fell over forwards. This is one cause of motion sickness in VR for adults, but their neurological development is established enough that it doesn't have long-term impacts. But when kids are using those sensory indicators to build their neural frameworks, distorting them can interfere.

[UsulofDoom]

Also, with a new system and the holidays coming up, I'll repost this. It is a couple of years old now, so I have no idea if there are any updates, but it's something to be aware of.

I wonder if they used diferent headsets for the under 13 years olds. I notice the quest 3 has a IDP ( distance between puples) range of 58 to 70. The average child 6 to 12 is 52 to 57. Plus weight percentage wise would be higher the smaller you are. Causing more strain on necks.

I would say they just are not built or tested on children.

[Punisher]

I just picked up a Quest 3 this weekend.
So far, I like it.
It looks better than the Q2 graphics wise and I like the mixed reality upgrade.
One thing is that other pics of MR looked much better than reality. It's full color, but not really sharp. Not sure if it's a setting I'm missing or just the way it is.
The new room scale scanning is cool, but limited in size.
I was able to do my living room and my kitchen/dining area and while doing that last part got a warning about running out of room. I REALLY wish the size was just limited by your storage space.
I waffled between the 2 sizes and settled on rhe larger one. As with a lot of things I prefer to have it and not need it then need it and not have it.
I played Ghostbusters in both VR and MR. MR was fun but since I scanned more than just one room. It had me walking around the house to play which meant that I could only play for a couple of minutes before having to sit.
I also didn't realize it was multiplayer until I finished the tutorial, got back to my base, and heard what sounded like a kid cursing up a storm.
I also played a painting game called Vermillion or something similar which was fun, but I have too much stuff too close to my couch that I kept hitting.
Finally I played a football throwing game that was free with meta+ it came with a 6 month subscription to thst so I will be getting other games. No idea if I keep them when I cancel.
My next step is to setup a driving game with the goggles and my wheel setup to start learning how to drive again. I tjink I have something called coty driving sim or something.
If anyone knows of any really good driving sims let me know. I'm not looking for racing games, just a literal sim to help me learn to drive again.

[Skinypupy]

Also, with a new system and the holidays coming up, I'll repost this. It is a couple of years old now, so I have no idea if there are any updates, but it's something to be aware of.

I came across some discussion of a recent study concerning the effects of VR on younger (under-13, but especially under-10) kids. It is just a single study, but it's potentially significant enough that I though it should be mentioned here.

tl;dw - Most VR systems suggest age 13+. Go with that. Younger kids don't have the neurological development to handle VR*, and doing so can potentially have a negative impact on their ability to develop coordination - possibly long term negative impacts.




*For those that haven't used VR, it gives your eyes and ears a different 'reality' from what your body is experiencing, such as suddenly accelerating without the physical g-forces occurring, or rotating without gravity rotating with you - like your eyes tell you that you're upside down while gravity tells your body you're right side up. For example, the first time I tried walking up a hill in VR I almost fell, as I automatically leaned forward to counter the slope - which wasn't really there - and almost fell over forwards. This is one cause of motion sickness in VR for adults, but their neurological development is established enough that it doesn't have long-term impacts. But when kids are using those sensory indicators to build their neural frameworks, distorting them can interfere.

Or maybe I won’t be getting a Quest 3 for the kids for z Christmas.

Some newer data here: https://www.zdnet.com/google-amp/articl ... perts-say/. TL:DR: Unsure of the long term effect, but limiting exposure (which I’d be doing to 1 hour/day max) is the best bet.

[YellowKing]

My son wants one to replace our aging Quest 1 (and let's be honest, I want one too!). However, he's super rough on his gaming stuff. I can't count the number of Xbox headphones and controllers he's broken just because he doesn't pay attention and accidentally slams them into things or drops them on the floor. He broke both Quest controllers which I refused to replace.

My gut feeling is that I'd be staring at a useless Quest 3 with two busted controllers within a month. I've done everything I can think of to get him to slow down and take care of his gear (and yes, I make him pay for replacements), and nothing seems to get through to him.

[Blackhawk]

My next step is to setup a driving game with the goggles and my wheel setup to start learning how to drive again. I tjink I have something called or something.
If anyone knows of any really good driving sims let me know. I'm not looking for racing games, just a literal sim to help me learn to drive again.
coty driving sim

City Car Driving? If it's that, I tried it a few years ago and it was horrendous. It was like VR Streets of Sim City - it felt like I was driving on ice all the time, and the control support was awful. I was looking at it as an option to make my oldest (who is scared to death of driving) more comfortable with the idea. It was not a good choice.

I'd honestly recommend American Truck Simulator. Yeah, it's trucks, but it actually feels like driving, it's very solid, has good peripheral support, and works great in VR. And you can always get a mod to add a regular car to the game. But for non-racing? It's honestly the best game that I know of.

[Blackhawk]

One more bit of advice. This post was from a couple of years ago, but it's important for anyone trying VR for the first time. If you just jam it on your head and start playing, you're much more likely to experience issues. You need to give your brain a little time to adjust to what is, from a sensory perspective, essentially a new reality with different physics than what it evolved to comprehend. If you don't give it that time, you're much more likely to experience issues - dizziness, nausea, possibly localized gravity storms.

Oh, and have fun with the whacky dreams you'll have for a few weeks.

Since this post is a little older, and I don't yet have a Q3, I can't be sure that the exact software I suggested is available, but if not, something similar is (the stuff that runs off of PC should still work, though.)

A bit of extra advice: Getting used to VR is like getting used to being at sea. You're in a situation where your brain has to learn a new reality. Your eyes are seeing depth in a new way. Positioning and sound are working differently. You're seeing motion - and your brain thinks you're moving - but there is no feedback from physics. So you accelerate, and you compensate by leaning forward, but your body wasn't really accelerating, so you're leaning into nothing (and hopefully don't end up face-down.) I almost did this the first time I tried walking in a VR game and started going up a hill - I leaned to compensate for the angle and almost fell. Flip upside down in a game, hang from the ceiling, and... gravity is still pulling toward your feet. Are you upside down? Is gravity upside down? You know, but your brain has no honking idea.

You really do want to get your VR legs the right way. Get yourself too disoriented or sick the first time, and your chances of having to deal with it repeatedly go up dramatically.

Do NOT start off with: Roller coasters, flight, driving, or even freely walking around.
Here are some starting places. Give this a day or two, that's all you need. And do the trick with the fan - put one 'in front' of you blowing on you to give you a real-world reference. A floor mat you can feel helps, too. And don't forget to take breaks while you're getting the hang of it.

1. The Quest 2 comes with a tutorial called 'First Steps.' Do that.
2. Go to the Quest 2 store and install 'First Contact.' It's free. Do that.
3. Have some seated or stationary standing experiences. Try An Introduction to Virtual Reality. It's free. It is on the Rift, so you'll need to run it with the Oculus app on your PC and plug in (or give AirLink/Virtual Desktop a try and see how it works for you - it's worth a shot.) Felix and Paul Studios is free (and Traveling While Black is a must!) Watch Invasion. You'll want to stand for this one, and it's free.

Seriously, you can do everything up there in an hour or so.

Game time!
1. Go get The Lab on Steam. It's (you guessed it) free. I has a variety of games, and it is, frankly, an amazing product. All are standing (not moving) games, so it's a great place to get used to your controllers and interacting with things.
2. Elixir is free, and it'll give you a chance to try out hand tracking.

Now you're on your own. Try some games where you're stationary and things come to you (Beat Saber and Audio Trip are in this category) Then try some games that allow free locomotion*, but I'd put off anything involving speed, spinning, parkour, flying, or similar for a week or two. When you take off the HMD and your arms seem normal instead of in the wrong place, and when your dreams return to normal you'll know your brain has adapted.

*There are a few things you'll find in VR games that are 'comfort' settings intended to keep people from getting sick. The first is locomotion (and the terms from game to game vary a little.) The 'comfort' option is teleportation. You point a controller, hit a button, and you're there. The non-comfort equivalent is free motion, where you push the stick and slide along like in any other game. The second is turning. The 'comfort' option is snap turning, where pushing the stick to turn snaps you in (usually) 45-degree increments. The non-comfort version is smooth turning, which just turns you. The "Not worried about wires" version is just ignoring the stick and turning your body. The other comfort setting is a mask, a kind of heavy vignette that shrinks your field of view down to a tiny are while you're moving. Most modern VR games let you adjust these individually, tweaking or disabling them depending on your needs.

I'm very lucky - I have zero motion sickness issues and can turn everything off and get flipped around with no issues, but a lot of people need some degree comfort settings. But going through the steps above is key to giving yourself the best experience in the long run.

[Punisher]

Yeah, I just checked and it's City Car Driving.
I played ot about a week ago without VR but with my steering wheel setup and it was fine for what I'm trying to do with the exception of trying to look around which I'm hoping will be fixed by VR.
However, I just started downloading American Truck Driver and will check that out in VR too.

Side note. I tried using the Q3 with SteamVR and it was laggy as hell. This was on my clean OS install. Didn't even try to play something just messed with the VR world and it kept lagging and jumping around. I don't remember my Q2 being anything like this.
Gonna mess around some more tomorrow or Wednesday and see if it's that way in an actual game.

[Blackhawk]

Yeah, I just checked and it's City Car Driving.
I played ot about a week ago without VR but with my steering wheel setup and it was fine for what I'm trying to do with the exception of trying to look around which I'm hoping will be fixed by VR.

I think part of my problem was with the absurd oversensitivity of the controls with no option to adjust them. It looked like driving a car, but it didn't feel at all like it.

Side note. I tried using the Q3 with SteamVR and it was laggy as hell. This was on my clean OS install. Didn't even try to play something just messed with the VR world and it kept lagging and jumping around. I don't remember my Q2 being anything like this.
Gonna mess around some more tomorrow or Wednesday and see if it's that way in an actual game.

How did you connect the headset to the PC? AirLink, Virtual Desktop, or with a cable (does Q3 even support a direct connection?)

And if AirLink or Virtual Desktop (I've found that Virtual Desktop is more reliable for Steam games), and what kind of local connection do you have? Connection speed to the internet doesn't matter, just between the device, the PC, and the router.

For VR, you really want a good 5GHz wireless signal to a router that is hard-wired directly to the PC with a good network cable. You also want to be within a reasonable range of that router (20-30 feet or so max without anything capable of blocking the signal between you and it), and nothing interfering with the signal (I used to get nasty lag anytime anyone turned the microwave on.) Anything else is likely to induce lag.

The reasoning: When you're playing PCVR (VR games where the game itself is running on a PC), you are, at a very basic level, streaming the gameplay and using the headset as your monitor. If you hit a button on the controller, the signal has to go to the headset, be processed, be sent to the router, be sent to the PC, be processed again, and the result sent back to the router, and back to the headset. If you have a weak connection, all that transmitting back and forth can add a significant delay, resulting in pulling the trigger and having the gun fire a third of a second later.

[Punisher]

I am currently using it on a laptop. The laptop is connected witelessly to the router. I think the laptop is using wifi6 or whatever it's called. The routeris definitely wifi6.
The Q3 is connected to the laptop via an official link cable. I had lots of problems with 3rd party ones and bought this ladt year to help with my Q2. I checked and that cable is fully compatible with my Q3

[Blackhawk]

I am currently using it on a laptop. The laptop is connected witelessly to the router. I think the laptop is using wifi6 or whatever it's called. The routeris definitely wifi6.
The Q3 is connected to the laptop via an official link cable. I had lots of problems with 3rd party ones and bought this ladt year to help with my Q2. I checked and that cable is fully compatible with my Q3

WiFi 6 can be both 2.4GHz and 5GHz (or 6 GHz, if it's supported.) But if you're using a link cable, it doesn't matter - it isn't going through your router. My suggestion would be to check the port, and check the laptop settings to make sure that it's not cutting power to the USB ports (and yeah, 3rd party cables can be fiddly if you don't get the right tech, or get one that's too long.) I'm not sure how to troubleshoot beyond that - I haven't played a game with a wire on my headset since the Rift-S. The only time I hook it up with the cable is to install/update stuff with SideQuest.

But at the same time, you just posted in General Computing that you were having performance issues with your laptop. VR games take a lot more oomph to run, because you essentially have to render the game twice simultaneously - once for each eye. And a Quest 3 has a per-eye resolution of 2064 x 2208, so you're really going to be giving your system a workout (although the way it renders is a little different from that, it's close enough.) A game that runs well in non-VR mode can be sluggish in VR because of that. And VR is very sensitive to low framerates, making low framerates feel like latency, creating an uncomfortable lag effect where, say, waving your hand back and forth in front of your face ends up with the virtual hand completely out of sync with your real hand - and therefore messes with your proprioception (your ability to sense where the parts of your body are suppose to be without seeing them.) When you feel like you're moving your hand...

Left - Right - Left

but you see

Right - Left - Right

...your brain doesn't like it.

In other words, there's a good chance that the problem is just your laptop's performance issues.

[em2nought]

There was a commercial model of the joyrider on facebook marketplace the other day. If I wasn't trying to seriously downsize I think I'd have bought it.

The only game I ever dreamed myself into was IL-2 Sturmovik.

[Skinypupy]

Decided to set up the Quest 3 early so the kids can play it right away on Christmas Day. So I just had my very first VR experience ever this morning.

Played the opening segment of Asgard's Wrath 2, Beat Saber, and some augmented reality game where little fuzzy aliens were breaking through the walls of my living room.

This is completely just...insane. I was very much a VR skeptic, but am absolutely floored by this.

I'm sure the novelty will wear off, but at the moment I feel very much the same way I did when I picked up Guitar Hero for the first time. A wholly transformative gaming experience.

[UsulofDoom]

Played the opening segment of Asgard's Wrath 2, Beat Saber, and some augmented reality game where little fuzzy aliens were breaking through the walls of my living room.

This is completely just...insane. I was very much a VR skeptic, but am absolutely floored by this.

I'm sure the novelty will wear off, but at the moment I feel very much the same way I did when I picked up Guitar Hero for the first time. A wholly transformative gaming experience.

Mine is comming in tomorow. Will be my 1st VR aswell.

I heard Asgard Wrath 2 has not been totaly optimised for the Q3 yet since it came out for the Q2 as well. They may have a update later.

Do you wear glasses with it ?

[Punisher]

Played the opening segment of Asgard's Wrath 2, Beat Saber, and some augmented reality game where little fuzzy aliens were breaking through the walls of my living room.

This is completely just...insane. I was very much a VR skeptic, but am absolutely floored by this.

I'm sure the novelty will wear off, but at the moment I feel very much the same way I did when I picked up Guitar Hero for the first time. A wholly transformative gaming experience.

Mine is comming in tomorow. Will be my 1st VR aswell.

I heard Asgard Wrath 2 has not been totaly optimised for the Q3 yet since it came out for the Q2 as well. They may have a update later.

Do you were glasses with it ?

Haven't tried AW2 yet, but I do wear glasses with my headsets. Usually not an issue unless it's hot and humid and then my glasses will fog up a bit.

[disarm]

I was very impressed the first time I loaded up my original Oculus Quest, and even that still seems cool now. Something about the VR experience makes it great even if the graphics aren't cutting edge.

That said, I can't imagine what the first time must be like with the latest tech (Quest 3). I guessing that it's so far beyond what I have that it's almost a different experience...and even more ridiculously impressive.

[Blackhawk]

Decided to set up the Quest 3 early so the kids can play it right away on Christmas Day. So I just had my very first VR experience ever this morning.

Played the opening segment of Asgard's Wrath 2, Beat Saber, and some augmented reality game where little fuzzy aliens were breaking through the walls of my living room.

This is completely just...insane. I was very much a VR skeptic, but am absolutely floored by this.

I'm sure the novelty will wear off, but at the moment I feel very much the same way I did when I picked up Guitar Hero for the first time. A wholly transformative gaming experience.

That's a lot like my first experience with my Rift-S a few years ago. I was expecting it to feel like some sort of 3d screen I was sitting right in front of, looking into. When I first put it on an I wasn't looking at a place, but actually standing in that place, it was almost a shock.

[Blackhawk]

Do you were glasses with it ?

For everyone:

I've read that the Quest 3 has a button in the interface that allows you to pull it outward from the lenses. It reduces your field of view a bit, but keeps your glasses away from the headset's lenses. And that is very, very important - scratching the lenses on your headset is like scratching your PC monitor or TV. There's no way to replace the lenses without replacing the entire headset.

You can also get snap-in prescription lenses from several places, including (finally), Zenni Optical, which is a AAA company. And it looks like prescription lenses are only $50, which is worth it. Not only do they fix your vision, they fit over the built-in lenses. That means that they maintain the full field of view, and it means that if something goes wrong and scratches the lenses, you're out a $50 set of lenses - not the headset worth ten times more. In fact, some people who don't wear glasses get non-prescription lenses for exactly that purpose.

Regarding prescriptions: It's counter-intuitive, but you want your single-vision distance prescription, not your reading prescription, and not the close-up portion of multi-focal lenses. Optometrists will normally provide a copy of your prescription for free for the asking. While you're there, make sure you ask them to measure your IPD. That's the distance between your pupils. It determines how far apart the 'center' of the lenses should be. Unlike the Quest 2 (which used a clunky IPD adjustment), the Quest 3 includes a way to adjust those to your exact IPD (it's a knob/wheel on the outside somewhere.)

[Blackhawk]

Re-quoting this from a couple of months ago, which quoted it from a couple of years ago:

One more bit of advice. This post was from a couple of years ago, but it's important for anyone trying VR for the first time. If you just jam it on your head and start playing, you're much more likely to experience issues. You need to give your brain a little time to adjust to what is, from a sensory perspective, essentially a new reality with different physics than what it evolved to comprehend. If you don't give it that time, you're much more likely to experience issues - dizziness, nausea, possibly localized gravity storms.

Oh, and have fun with the whacky dreams you'll have for a few weeks.

Since this post is a little older, and I don't yet have a Q3, I can't be sure that the exact software I suggested is available, but if not, something similar is (the stuff that runs off of PC should still work, though.)

A bit of extra advice: Getting used to VR is like getting used to being at sea. You're in a situation where your brain has to learn a new reality. Your eyes are seeing depth in a new way. Positioning and sound are working differently. You're seeing motion - and your brain thinks you're moving - but there is no feedback from physics. So you accelerate, and you compensate by leaning forward, but your body wasn't really accelerating, so you're leaning into nothing (and hopefully don't end up face-down.) I almost did this the first time I tried walking in a VR game and started going up a hill - I leaned to compensate for the angle and almost fell. Flip upside down in a game, hang from the ceiling, and... gravity is still pulling toward your feet. Are you upside down? Is gravity upside down? You know, but your brain has no honking idea.

You really do want to get your VR legs the right way. Get yourself too disoriented or sick the first time, and your chances of having to deal with it repeatedly go up dramatically.

Do NOT start off with: Roller coasters, flight, driving, or even freely walking around.
Here are some starting places. Give this a day or two, that's all you need. And do the trick with the fan - put one 'in front' of you blowing on you to give you a real-world reference. A floor mat you can feel helps, too. And don't forget to take breaks while you're getting the hang of it.

1. The Quest 2 comes with a tutorial called 'First Steps.' Do that.
2. Go to the Quest 2 store and install 'First Contact.' It's free. Do that.
3. Have some seated or stationary standing experiences. Try An Introduction to Virtual Reality. It's free. It is on the Rift, so you'll need to run it with the Oculus app on your PC and plug in (or give AirLink/Virtual Desktop a try and see how it works for you - it's worth a shot.) Felix and Paul Studios is free (and Traveling While Black is a must!) Watch Invasion. You'll want to stand for this one, and it's free.

Seriously, you can do everything up there in an hour or so.

Game time!
1. Go get The Lab on Steam. It's (you guessed it) free. I has a variety of games, and it is, frankly, an amazing product. All are standing (not moving) games, so it's a great place to get used to your controllers and interacting with things.
2. Elixir is free, and it'll give you a chance to try out hand tracking.

Now you're on your own. Try some games where you're stationary and things come to you (Beat Saber and Audio Trip are in this category) Then try some games that allow free locomotion*, but I'd put off anything involving speed, spinning, parkour, flying, or similar for a week or two. When you take off the HMD and your arms seem normal instead of in the wrong place, and when your dreams return to normal you'll know your brain has adapted.

*There are a few things you'll find in VR games that are 'comfort' settings intended to keep people from getting sick. The first is locomotion (and the terms from game to game vary a little.) The 'comfort' option is teleportation. You point a controller, hit a button, and you're there. The non-comfort equivalent is free motion, where you push the stick and slide along like in any other game. The second is turning. The 'comfort' option is snap turning, where pushing the stick to turn snaps you in (usually) 45-degree increments. The non-comfort version is smooth turning, which just turns you. The "Not worried about wires" version is just ignoring the stick and turning your body. The other comfort setting is a mask, a kind of heavy vignette that shrinks your field of view down to a tiny are while you're moving. Most modern VR games let you adjust these individually, tweaking or disabling them depending on your needs.

I'm very lucky - I have zero motion sickness issues and can turn everything off and get flipped around with no issues, but a lot of people need some degree comfort settings. But going through the steps above is key to giving yourself the best experience in the long run.

[UsulofDoom]

Played the opening segment of Asgard's Wrath 2, Beat Saber, and some augmented reality game where little fuzzy aliens were breaking through the walls of my living room.

This is completely just...insane. I was very much a VR skeptic, but am absolutely floored by this.

I'm sure the novelty will wear off, but at the moment I feel very much the same way I did when I picked up Guitar Hero for the first time. A wholly transformative gaming experience.

Mine is comming in tomorow. Will be my 1st VR aswell.

I heard Asgard Wrath 2 has not been totaly optimised for the Q3 yet since it came out for the Q2 as well. They may have a update later.

Do you wear glasses with it ?

[Skinypupy]

Decided to set up the Quest 3 early so the kids can play it right away on Christmas Day. So I just had my very first VR experience ever this morning.

Played the opening segment of Asgard's Wrath 2, Beat Saber, and some augmented reality game where little fuzzy aliens were breaking through the walls of my living room.

This is completely just...insane. I was very much a VR skeptic, but am absolutely floored by this.

I'm sure the novelty will wear off, but at the moment I feel very much the same way I did when I picked up Guitar Hero for the first time. A wholly transformative gaming experience.

That's a lot like my first experience with my Rift-S a few years ago. I was expecting it to feel like some sort of 3d screen I was sitting right in front of, looking into. When I first put it on an I wasn't looking at a place, but actually standing in that place, it was almost a shock.

The most amazing parts to me (so far) have been the AR apps. Watching a small rocket ship very convincingly land on me living room rug, watching aliens hide behind my table, or having a fully interactable computer console pop up out of my couch was truly mind boggling to me.

[UsulofDoom]

Do you were glasses with it ?

You can also get snap-in prescription lenses from several places, including (finally), Zenni Optical, which is a AAA company. And it looks like prescription lenses are only $50, which is worth it. Not only do they fix your vision, they fit over the built-in lenses. That means that they maintain the full field of view, and it means that if something goes wrong and scratches the lenses, you're out a $50 set of lenses - not the headset worth ten times more. In fact, some people who don't wear glasses get non-prescription lenses for exactly that purpose.

Regarding prescriptions: It's counter-intuitive, but you want your single-vision distance prescription, not your reading prescription, and not the close-up portion of multi-focal lenses. Optometrists will normally provide a copy of your prescription for free for the asking. While you're there, make sure you ask them to measure your IPD. That's the distance between your pupils. It determines how far apart the 'center' of the lenses should be. Unlike the Quest 2 (which used a clunky IPD adjustment), the Quest 3 includes a way to adjust those to your exact IPD (it's a knob/wheel on the outside somewhere.)

Wow thats cheaper then lenses for my glasses. Thanks for the info!

Non perscription are $30.

https://www.zennioptical.com/p/vr-inser ... =VR7000401

[Skinypupy]

I just ordered a pair as well. Might have the kids play on it without their glasses until those come in.

[Blackhawk]

Wow thats cheaper then lenses for my glasses. Thanks for the info!

Non perscription are $30.

https://www.zennioptical.com/p/vr-inser ... =VR7000401

I've used Zenni for all of my prescriptions for years. They're just as high quality as the places the optometrists send the lenses out to, but a tiny fraction of the price. While I forget the specifics, it turns out that most name-brand frames and several nationwide chains are all owned by the same company, and they're very strict about competition if you want to carry any of their frames. They keep the competition completely out of most stores, which allows them to charge crazy prices that people just accept as 'normal.' Zenni, on the other hand, sells their competition, which lets them set their prices at cost + profit instead of cost + profit + monopolistic markup. With no eye insurance, my prescription reading glasses cost about $60, and my progressive multi-focal 'everything else' glasses only cost $85, and that's with the 'extras.' When I go to my optometrist, I just ask for a hard copy of my prescription.

[Skinypupy]

Picked up Demeo (the tabletop RPG) and Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy's Edge. Both are absolutely mindblowing. My brain is just having a hell of a time wrapping itself around the fact I'm walking around a star cruiser or physically manipulating a virtual gaming table. I know I said it already, but I'm honestly just floored by all this. It is simply amazing.

One issue that I can already see is that many (most?) of these games seem to be designed for a single player on a single headset. Asgard's Wrath 2, for example, only has a single save slot and there's no way to go back and replay what you've done or restart missions. The only way to restart is to delete the save file and start all over again. That's...gonna be a problem with 4 people in the house using it. It's also a bummer as I wanted my brother to go through the intro sequence as his first time VR experience, but there's no good way to do that.

I'm already considering using some of my yearly bonus money to get another headset for the kids so I can have my own.

[UsulofDoom]

Wow thats cheaper then lenses for my glasses. Thanks for the info!

Non perscription are $30.

https://www.zennioptical.com/p/vr-inser ... =VR7000401

I've used Zenni for all of my prescriptions for years. They're just as high quality as the places the optometrists send the lenses out to, but a tiny fraction of the price. While I forget the specifics, it turns out that most name-brand frames and several nationwide chains are all owned by the same company, and they're very strict about competition if you want to carry any of their frames. They keep the competition completely out of most stores, which allows them to charge crazy prices that people just accept as 'normal.' Zenni, on the other hand, sells their competition, which lets them set their prices at cost + profit instead of cost + profit + monopolistic markup. With no eye insurance, my prescription reading glasses cost about $60, and my progressive multi-focal 'everything else' glasses only cost $85, and that's with the 'extras.' When I go to my optometrist, I just ask for a hard copy of my prescription.

Just ordered a perscription pair and a non perscription. That way other people can use it with out worring about the quest lens getting scraches from others. 7-14 days shipping was free. Just have to be careful.

[disarm]

One issue that I can already see is that many (most?) of these games seem to be designed for a single player on a single headset. Asgard's Wrath 2, for example, only has a single save slot and there's no way to go back and replay what you've done or restart missions. The only way to restart is to delete the save file and start all over again. That's...gonna be a problem with 4 people in the house using it. It's also a bummer as I wanted my brother to go through the intro sequence as his first time VR experience, but there's no good way to do that.

I'm already considering using some of my yearly bonus money to get another headset for the kids so I can have my own.

You can create multiple user accounts (up to four total) and link them all to the same device. Each user then signs in with their account when they're playing to have access to their own progress. They also allow app sharing from the main/admin account to other users so you only have to purchase apps once for everyone to play. I haven't personally messed with setting it up so I don't know all the details, but I do know it's possible.

Read more about it on Meta's support site

Or watch this video from CNet that shows how to set it up[/url]

[Punisher]

Interesting. I've had my Q2 for a couple of years now and didn't know about the sharing thing.
I knew you cpuld have multiple accoynts because I borrowed a q2 from my sons old girldfriend to try beat saber and thought i had to login to her account.

Now that i have a q3 as well, does anyone know if i could play a multiplayer game that i have with me on q3 and someone else on q2 with the same game under either my account or a separate account that can share my game?

[disarm]

Interesting. I've had my Q2 for a couple of years now and didn't know about the sharing thing...

Now that i have a q3 as well, does anyone know if i could play a multiplayer game that i have with me on q3 and someone else on q2 with the same game under either my account or a separate account that can share my game?

I don't know much about it either because it's not a feature I've ever needed...just know it's possible. Unfortunately, I did see in the limited reading that I just did that an admin account can only share apps with other accounts on a single Quest device. The main/admin account can sign in on multiple devices, but you can only enable app sharing on one device at a time. If you're sharing apps on your Q3 and want to let someone else use one of your purchased apps on the Q2, you have to disable sharing on the Q3 and activate it on the Q2.

What I didn't read enough to understand is if a secondary user can play a shared game on the main device where you have sharing enabled at the same time the admin/main account is playing on a different device. I have a feeling this would work, but I'm not positive...

[Blackhawk]

Picked up Demeo (the tabletop RPG) and Star Wars: Tales from the Galaxy's Edge. Both are absolutely mindblowing. My brain is just having a hell of a time wrapping itself around the fact I'm walking around a star cruiser or physically manipulating a virtual gaming table. I know I said it already, but I'm honestly just floored by all this. It is simply amazing.

One issue that I can already see is that many (most?) of these games seem to be designed for a single player on a single headset. Asgard's Wrath 2, for example, only has a single save slot and there's no way to go back and replay what you've done or restart missions. The only way to restart is to delete the save file and start all over again. That's...gonna be a problem with 4 people in the house using it. It's also a bummer as I wanted my brother to go through the intro sequence as his first time VR experience, but there's no good way to do that.

I'm already considering using some of my yearly bonus money to get another headset for the kids so I can have my own.

I can also give a rousing recommendation for Asgard's Wrath (1) via the Oculus Store to play via PCVR (I still strongly recommend Virtual Desktop for wireless PCVR gaming.) It was one of my favorites on the Rift-S, and looked much better than the sequel (not a criticism - AW 1 was made for PCVR, while AW 2 was made for headset standalone - which is essentially just a fancy Android device.)

[Punisher]

Which Virtual Desktop is the best in your opinion?

[Blackhawk]

Which Virtual Desktop is the best in your opinion?

The best virtual desktop is Virtual Desktop. You get the Meta version (not the Steam version) and install Virtual Desktop Streamer on your PC. After that, when you launch VD (unfortunate acronym...), you'll be able to connect to your PC. You'll see your PC desktop. Hitting the VD menu button opens the settings, plus it opens a list of all of your games. Launch it from there and it will stream it directly to your headset.

It has become the standard. It's paid, while Airlink and the new Steam Link are free, but it's a much more fleshed out utility, and gives you much better control than the first-party apps do.

Note: In a perfect world, you'll have the headset in the same room as your wireless modem/router, it'll be on a relatively clear 5GHz connection, and your PC will be hard-wired directly to the modem/router rather than connecting wirelessly.

It's not absolutely necessary to do all of that, but I'd recommend as much of it as you can manage, especially the hardwired connection from the PC to the modem/router. You're literally streaming the game from your PC to the headset, and that means that every input you make has to be transmitted from the controller to the headest, processed, sent to the router, sent to the PC, processed, sent to the router again, and sent to the headset. And input lag is very, very noticeable in VR.

Also: Your internet connection speed is irrelevant here. You're not playing over the internet, just over your local wireless network.

[Blackhawk]

Some other quick recommendations to check out:

Bigscreen for watching movies.
Skybox for watching local video files (seriously, try watching a video in your headset - it's like sitting in a theater, and it handles 3d movies perfectly.)
YouTube (free via the Meta store.) Search for whatever, then click the 'VR180' button at the top. Or just search for 'VR180.'
The Lab. Put out by Valve, it's a free set of small VR games, but some of them are incredible (there's even a Portal game in there...)
Felix and Paul Studios - Documentaries, free. There are some must-see ones in there. I highly recommend Traveling While Black.
Adam Savage's Tested VR - one of my favorites. It's Adam Savage (the guy from Mythbusters) giving tours, taking you to other workshops (like Weta), and is just a great experience.
SteamVR - this is free, and is the base utility for running games in VR, but comes with a 'home' environment. Check it out - there are some incredible user-made environments out there via the Steam Workshop. Some listed in the spoiler tags:

Spoiler:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/ ... htext=trek
https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/765 ... pid=250820
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/ ... htext=trek
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/ ... htext=trek
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/ ... htext=trek

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/ ... 1594890070
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/ ... =928179372
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/ ... 1927046134
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/ ... 1987345945
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/ ... 2430107937
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/ ... 2309021169
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/ ... 1449138879

And here are a few great YouTube VR experiences to check out. This is a sample, just to get you started. A few may be playlists rather than specific videos - they're creators I watch regularly. It'll probably embed them all, so I'll spoiler tag them:

Spoiler:

DO NOT watch this one (or any of his) until you're really comfortable and motion-sickness free in VR. Seriously.




https://www.youtube.com/live/9r6NI9m_Ix ... 7mGwTqx2WY

Baz Travels - videos from all over the world, some amazing stuff.
No idea what his name is - a series called "Walking Along the Riverbanks of Japan." It's exactly what it says, but is surprisingly enjoyable.
Some VR video game gameplay
More gameplay

[Blackhawk]

Since lots of people are coming into VR, I thought I'd offer some recommendations for games, too. Note that I'm only recommending games I've personally played. I'm sure others could give other suggestions (like Into the Radius.)

If you like music games, Beat Saber is good, but there are some that I like better. I'm linking to the PCVR versions, as those are what I know best, and because the PCVR versions have big, active communities who post literally hundreds of songs across all genres (the Quest versions can use custom songs, too, but they're a pain to install.) Note: The people who put these on YouTube are generally playing on Expert. Normal play is less hectic.

I give a big thumbs up to Synth Riders.





And a double big thumbs up to my favorite, Audio Trip





Short version: Audio Trip has more complex mechanics that keep it fresher. You have to avoid the barriers with your head and hands (Audio Trip just makes you avoid them with your head), and it has several types of blocks. That makes it more varied and entertaining. It also makes it a much better workout if that's something that matters to you. Synth Riders, on the other hand, gives you more freedom to move the way you want to - if you prefer to 'dance' while you play, it's actually the best.

Honorable music mentions:

Pistol Whip. Great game, but I have never been able to get the hang of it. That's on me, not the game.



AGAINST. Great game, varied, and with a 'narrative' element rather than just songs to flail your arms to.



Ragnarock - another one I could never quite nail (I seem to be rhythmically challenged), but it's a great game to play. It's sort of like Guitar Hero, except you're playing drums on a viking longship. Oh, and this game focuses on viking/power metal, which is a nice change.



For a few must-consider non-music VR titles:

Half-Life: Alyx because it is one of the best VR games.



I Expect You to Die. Great game. You play seated. You're a 60s spy, trying to work your way through various assignments. Think Austin Powers and No One Lives Forever for the tone. Oh, and the sequel just released.



Moss - what a beautiful game, especially if you're a fan of Mouseguard or Mice & Mystics.



Hot Dogs, Horseshoes, and Hand Grenades (H3VR) - this is not a story/campaign game. It's a simulator for every firearm under the sun, and they get every detail right.



Arizona Sunshine - an older VR shooter, back when some elements of the controls hadn't been nailed down, but still a classic and a lot of fun. More importantly, it can be had cheap, and the sequel was just released.



Blade & Sorcery - probably the best freeform sword fighting game in VR. A trained swordsman playing:



The Talos Principle VR - one of the best PC puzzle games. Now you can walk around on foot, and it's a great implementation. Aside: Croteam is a big supporter of VR, and most of the Serious Sam games also have VR versions.

1943 Berlin Blitz - great experience - it isn't really a game. It's a BBC recreation of a bombing raid over Berlin in a Lancaster bomber. You're riding along, and the audio is a recording of the actual flight you're experiencing. Oh, and it's free.

Aircar. Free. Fly a car around in a cyberpunk city.

Google Earth VR. It's free. It's Google Earth. In VR. Play it sitting down the first time.

If you like simulators, a huge number of driving and flight games support VR. Standouts to me are American Truck Simulator, Flight Simulator (the Microsoft one, pretty but a system hog), DCS World (huge and complex), XPlane 11 (a better general flight sim than MSFS), and even War Thunder.

Speaking of which, there are more games with VR support than most people realize. You may already own a bunch. Do yourself a favor: Go here, put in your Steam username, and then click the "VR" button. It will show you all the games you own with VR support.



And this is a YouTube presenter rather than a game, but Ben Plays VR has great, short videos that cover a lot of different games. Of particular interest to the 'just getting VR' crowd, he does regular lists of free games available:



Games to avoid, or play with caveats:

~Borderlands 2 VR: Does not work right in post-Rift headsets, completely breaking the HUD and the ability to aim.
~Everspace: Supports VR only in theory - doesn't work right on most modern headsets.
~Skyrim and Fallout 4 VR. These are the caveats I was talking about. Bethesda farmed out a half-assed VR port, then abandoned both games. They are really great VR games and can be had cheap - but only if you're willing to do some modding. Luckily, there are Wabbajack installers for each, which makes it relatively easy, but they're not very good out of the box.

[Blackhawk]

Since I mentioned working out, VR can give a fantastic workout, and it does it while you're playing a game. We have a thread dedicated to it. Quick overview: Beat Saber is good for your shoulders and arms, but doesn't really make you burn many calories or use much of your body. Synth Riders is better, Audio Trip is much better, especially since it makes you move your entire body. OhShape is... weird, but not a good workout. PowerBeatsVR is complete bullshit. The absolute best is Supernatural, which was actually designed by professionals and is a fantastic workout, but involves a subscription fee.

Warning: Under no circumstances should you ever, every use anything weighted on your hands or arms in VR. No weighted gloves, no wrist weights, no hand-held weights. You will do serious damage to your joints if you do.