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Kotaku: The Oculus Quest is how VR should work
- Thread starter Arthands
- Start date
Are the graphics a significant step back from PS4? They must be, right?
I'm really interested in this self-contained approach, but low res graphics are a barrier to immersion/enjoyment. I don't think we're going to see rapid generational advancements in mobile chipsets.
So probably the real viable solution will be a compute box about the size of an Intel NUC rendering wirelessly to the headset. That way developers can still target a fixed architecture, but it's not limited by the size, weight, and heat requirements of onboard chips.
I'm really interested in this self-contained approach, but low res graphics are a barrier to immersion/enjoyment. I don't think we're going to see rapid generational advancements in mobile chipsets.
So probably the real viable solution will be a compute box about the size of an Intel NUC rendering wirelessly to the headset. That way developers can still target a fixed architecture, but it's not limited by the size, weight, and heat requirements of onboard chips.
That's great to hear. I'm kinda bummed Valve isn't more aggressively building a mass market VR solution. Somebody chastised me that Oculus already works with SteamVR so I shouldn't complain, but there's a lot to be said for an end-to-end system that is fully supported by one company.
It's much higher resolution than the PSVR, but the graphics are worse, this is true. Technology hasn't advanced yet to where you can strap a PS4 to your face :) It's not as significant a quality drop as you might think though - for example, Moss still looks great, it's just missing character shadows and some effects. SuperHot VR looks almost the same, Beat Saber is missing reflections and particle effects. And as I said, the higher resolution makes a big difference as well.
For me, the Quest tracking and controls (virtual hands) are SO much more advanced than PSVR I could never go back to that, even with the better graphics. PC VR, that's different, but of course far more expensive.
Really? I think their launch library is exceptionally robust and well-rounded. Certainly better than any other console launch that comes to mind. And as far as killer-apps go in the VR space, Beat Saber and SuperHot are exactly that. They're system-sellers for sure.
The convenience can't be overstated. It's very much a sweet spot that was missing for a lot of people when it comes to VR.
It has a strong launch lineup relative to modern console launches.
It has a strong launch lineup relative to modern console launches.
Same. I haven't found a single person who wasn't at least interested in one of those that I have shown my Rift to.
That's a nice advancement in convenience, much needed for mainstream penetration. For now though, I'm still willing to pay for higher fidelity visuals on a tethered headset.
Word. It's certainly cool. I already kinda want it so if developers really dig in and target the Quest's strengths with good software, I'll definitely cave. But already owning a GearVR (meh), Daydream (meh+), and PSVR (✔️), I don't really want to spend hundreds of dollars on a visual downgrade.
For me, the Quest tracking and controls (virtual hands) are SO much more advanced than PSVR I could never go back to that, even with the better graphics. I don't mean just being wireless either, I mean how limited the tracking area of the PSVR camera is, and how limited the PS Move controllers are for VR. PC VR, that's different, but of course far more expensive.
Slightly off topic but has anything even happened with Daydream since the HTC headset was changed into the Vive Focus? I feel like I've heard nothing about it for a while.
In my case, I'm happy to get both and it wouldn't surprise me if that was common among PC VR enthusiasts. Similar to how many PC gamers also own a Switch.
I have a Vive and a Quest and I can't agree more with the article. It's an exceptional product and at the price it's at it's very good value. When we eventually see the tpcast air or even more optimized versions of ALVR for streaming Steam VR this will be the best headset around, it kind of already is imo.
Yeah, the Move controllers are wack. But I already assume I'm gonna get whatever the next PSVR iteration is, and they'd be fools not to have advanced hand tracking in the revision, if not before. So if I buy Quest now, I might be done with it in 1-2 years.
Now that I'm thinking of it, that could be a welcome surprise announcement from Sony. Since Gen-1 PSVR is gonna work with PS5, maybe an updated controller can't wait.
As the owner of a rift Kickstarter edition, consumer version, Oculus go, and PSVR, my new quest is definitely my currently preferred way of playing VR games. The added freedom is a huge deal for every single game.
I really want a device like this, but imo the additional cost of an onboard chipset isn't gonna make sense for Sony. Maybe Gen-2 Oculus Quest will have onboard wireless communication for PC.
I need more room for Blade and Sorcery so I can stop hitting my hands though, but yeah Quest is my #1 right now after owning DK2 and Rift
Wonky controls and having to stay in view of the cameras is more immersion breaking than downgraded graphics. For example in Superhot you can get down on the floor, turn in any direction without worrying about your controllers losing tracking for being out of camera view, not having to worry about cables etc.
I can't overstate enough how freeing being completely wireless is and how much immersion is enhanced by free movement. I've seen videos of people taking the Quest to a field and doing gigantic roomscale.
Having said that streaming from SteamVR using ALVR or VRidge works pretty well so you can still get to play stuff like Skyrim VR using the Quest and remain wireless. There are still bugs to fix with those but even what we have is very encouraging.
If they update the Move controller, I made a mistake selling my Psvr, lol. Although a single camera based tracking would still give poor results. Reaching for my weapons on my back in Blood and Truth did not work well at all.
I've owned a Rift, PSVR twice (v1 and v2 for Astrobot), and now a Quest. The Quest finally feels like VR done right to me with no cords and how quick it is to start playing. I've even been streaming Trover Saves the Universe from my pc which works well for the most part, although some games won't stream well with the slight input lag.
I have been watching the VR scene since I got my hands on dev kit stuff back when I used to go to PAX. When the launch of Vive and Oculus came, I decided to wait on things even though I had a good PC that could run whatever. The Quest came out and I finally pulled the trigger due to the price, the camera tracking of the system (no need for sensors), the wireless setup, and the ease of just putting it on and going. People who bought it had very good impressions of it and so bought the last 128G unit they had in the area and have really been enjoying it. I'm not much of a graphics snob, so I don't care that they aren't as good as I can produce on the PC. Everything outweighs that aspect of it for me. Will be cool to see this evolve as they put better GPUs in it in newer models.
You can walk out into a field and play with endless space in VR
Yea, I'm sold on the transformative potential of inside-out tracking, and good hand tracking in a self-contained, reasonably priced unit. It's awesome. As mostly a Valve fanboy, I'm a little nervous that Facebook just won the war with this one. But I still want to see where Oculus first party is going with Quest-exclusive games, and honestly probably some big marketing pushes too. The trade-off for taking a graphical hit needs to be a massively successful device with a huge library of great games. It's not enough to just have some B+ quality games in the Oculus store. They should be doing big commercial buys and stuff around games they're really confident in. Similar to what we expect from AAA console games.
They are - and resolution is still relatively low. That said for current cross-platform VR killer app (Beat Saber) it's next to impossible to beat the proposition of wireless, at any fidelity.
I still feel the ergonomics are all wrong - but that's as a glasses user.
As I've said repeatedly, the headset should offer tether options for high-fidelity content - I expect the only reason it doesn't is because they can charge people multiple times instead, and VR market being enthusiast core with too much money is ripe for this.
Picked up the Rift S and it's been awesome. Still has the wire but I plug in and I'm ready to go in 5 seconds. Before this room scale really wasn't feasible in my place but inside out tracking has made it super easy. Extremely impressed so far coming from only a little time spent with PSVR.
It's kind of like a yeah no shit thing
Of course VR needed to get rid of wires and be as convenient as possible. Once the mobile and battery tech catches up it'll finally be huge but this was always going to be the route.
Of course VR needed to get rid of wires and be as convenient as possible. Once the mobile and battery tech catches up it'll finally be huge but this was always going to be the route.
Totally agree there should've been some tethering option. I'm holding out hope there's a streaming solution over wifi, but i'm not optimistic.
The device already has a huge library of great games. There are only a couple clunkers in the 50 launch titles, the rest are amazing. Say what you will about the way they are handling the walled garden, the Quest has a launch lineup of amazing quality.
There is a streaming solution over wifi. Two of them in fact. People have been using it to pay PC VR games wirelessly, and as long as you have a good enough router, and the game can handle an amount of extra latency, it works pretty well.
"It needs killer apps" I think is a reasonable request if you're someone who's been super into VR and has already played much of the Quest's library on other devices. Like, I think that Superhot VR's best version is the Quest one just due to the degree of mobility you have versus a tethered solution, but that doesn't necessarily mean I'd tell you to rebuy it for Quest if you'd already played it on another headset. And hey, maybe you have your cable suspended from the ceiling and a pretty big play space, in which case the difference between your setup and Quest is smaller.
But if the Quest is your first headset, or even if you already own a VR headset but haven't gotten a lot of use out of it because the area in front of your PC/PS4 isn't that large, or because you're worried about cables, or whatever, then I'd say there are already at least two obvious killer apps (Superhot VR and Beat Saber), and arguably more based on taste.
But if the Quest is your first headset, or even if you already own a VR headset but haven't gotten a lot of use out of it because the area in front of your PC/PS4 isn't that large, or because you're worried about cables, or whatever, then I'd say there are already at least two obvious killer apps (Superhot VR and Beat Saber), and arguably more based on taste.
For anyone who loved Wii Sports, don't sleep on Sports Scramble. I think it's significantly better than Wii Sports and is my personal killer app for the Quest. I'll strap the Quest on thinking I'll play a game or two, and it's 45 minutes later and I need to force myself to quit. Tennis, baseball, and bowling are all super fun to play. And if by some chance you actually have the space, tennis basically scales to full court size that makes you run all over the place (haven't had the chance to try it this way).
See my post directly above. Tennis (Tennis Scramble) literally scales your play area to your play size. So if you have a huge open area, it lets you play full court.
See my post directly above. Tennis (Tennis Scramble) literally scales your play area to your play size. So if you have a huge open area, it lets you play full court.
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That does sound pretty cool. I've done a few of those indoor free-roam VR games (using backpack PC's) and it's very liberating to be able to move freely in a VR game compared with PSVR (even just being able to turn 360 in my old Gear VR is something I miss with PSVR). There's a huge open space near my house that would be perfect for it too!
On the other hand, I'm not sure I'd want to be that guy who wanders around with goggles over my face and waving my hands around in public, not to mention being effectively blind to the outside world.
Are there any Quest games in particular that you'd recommend that take advantage of having a large space in which to play? Is it something you've tried and do you think it's safe to do it?
Yes. It's awesome. And skybox is really a full fledged cinema theater experience
Damn. I have to lok for that but i was kinda waiting (i sold my psvr) for ps5 and psvr2. But of course it's going to be probably 900€ to get both lol.
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Being wireless with no satellite sensors makes this the closest I've come to seriously considering diving into VR.
For me the convenience far outweighs graphic fidelity at this point. Higher resolution (no screen door) helps too.
If this thing takes off I think I might wait for one more pass to see if the headset can be lighter and more streamlined in the next iteration.
Pretty excited to see Quest doing well.
For me the convenience far outweighs graphic fidelity at this point. Higher resolution (no screen door) helps too.
If this thing takes off I think I might wait for one more pass to see if the headset can be lighter and more streamlined in the next iteration.
Pretty excited to see Quest doing well.
That's where I'm at, I just got my own PSVR recently so it's hard to justify buying this now though it's definitely on my interest list with how more freeing the movement is
Why would you wait two to three years to play great VR games just for a what, 40%-45% increase in graphical fidelity? When that comes out, there'll be even more powerful hardware just about to come out on the market, so you'll wait another 2-3 years. And another. And lose out on playing great games.
This isn't a cell phone, they aren't releasing them yearly. Oculus (kinda sorta somewhat) upgraded the Rift after 3 years, which was what they had originally hinted at as a time frame (they said they wanted their generations longer than smartphone generations, but shorter than game console generations).
Do we have any sales numbers yet? Or do you just mean sales are good anecdotally?
Quest seems to be great news for the VR platform as a whole.
What's most impressive is the foveated rendering that allows it to look as good as it does and punch above its weight. I love the Quest and it's definitely worth the $400 price tag for the incredible tracking & portability alone.