General VR discussion thread

[rstrohkirch]

Played for about 1.5 hours last night with the new lenses and overall I'm very happy with them. Everything was sharper overall and the sweet spot was larger. It also reduced the glare I was getting considerably with just a little bit still there on the new lenses.

 

[Aikouka]

One nice thing to note... I read the other day that Facebook/Oculus finally allowed the Virtual Desktop developer to add wireless streaming to the main release (i.e. the one in the store) of Virtual Desktop. Previously, you had to buy Virtual Desktop, and then replace it with a version in SideQuest. So, this certainly makes things easier for those wanting to do some PC-based streaming without the wires!

I have tried out setting up and starting the software (including the stream), but I haven't started any games while streaming. However, it seems to work quite well. You just download the streaming software on your computer, put your Oculus username in the streaming software (to serve as authentication), and that's about it.

Played for about 1.5 hours last night with the new lenses and overall I'm very happy with them. Everything was sharper overall and the sweet spot was larger. It also reduced the glare I was getting considerably with just a little bit still there on the new lenses.

Yeah, like I mentioned before, I was hesitant due to not noticing much difference when I did VR Lens Lab with my Vive and Vive Pro (they used the same adapters). However, it was a night and day difference with the Widmo lenses on the Quest. I can certainly understand how someone may be hesitant to try it given its cost (nearly $100) compared to the cost of the device itself ($300+).

Although, there have been some rumors floating around that Facebook/Oculus is looking to release a Quest 3 within the next year. There have even been some more rumors about whether they'll release a normal and pro model, but they're very weak rumors at this point. Although, I wouldn't mind if Oculus would offer two models where both have the same processing power, but the fancier one might have better panels and a real IPD slider (similar to the original). Oh, and a strap that isn't completely awful would be wonderful!

 

[CP5670]

You may be able to get the lenses covered by vision insurance. Mine paid for them, which was about $160 with the shipping.

 

[sze5003]

You may be able to get the lenses covered by vision insurance. Mine paid for them, which was about $160 with the shipping.

I guess it depends on your coverage. If you wear contacts and glasses at home, for example you only have a certain amount for each. I have $200 available or a little more per year for contacts and like $200 for glasses. So I suppose if you don't normally wear contacts this would count as something the insurance will cover.

 

[sze5003]

You don't really have to do too much. If you know the dimensions and weight of your package, eBay will give you a range of cost depending on buyer location. For example, it may list that the package will cost between $14-50 to ship. With that, I'd estimate an average cost of $20-25 where the higher ones are likely significantly further away. If getting package weight is a hang-up, I use a kitchen scale for smaller packages or a bathroom scale for larger ones. If a package may be larger but not weigh more than 10 pounds, I'll use the kitchen scale with an item to prop it up so I can still read the readout.

One thing that I kept running into a problem with -- and I think some sellers missed this based upon their shipping costs -- is that eBay doesn't always handle parted out items very well. A great example of this is when I was selling my Vive in pieces. The Vive was never really sold in a piecemeal fashion outside of replacement parts. (You could buy official lighthouses, but that's it.) So, when I'd try to sell something like the headset itself, eBay's suggested package size and weight was based upon the size and weight of people selling the entire Vive kit. I mean... I don't think the controllers weigh 18 pounds.

As a side note, packaging is also an important aspect. If you can, try to get your packaging to be as close to the size of the item being shipped. This can be kind of hard depending on the item. I'll be selling my PlayStation VR soon, and it hasn't been easy finding a box that nicely matches the tall, rectangular shape of the product box. Oh, and one thing I do is use grocery bags as packaging support. It sounds weird, but they're lightweight and allow for very little to no movement if packaged properly.

Well it's funny you mention all this because I ended up selling my HP Reverb G1 on ebay. I put a flat rate shipping cost of $50 which I think is fair considering I'm shipping the headset and controllers in the original HP box. I bought a 20x20x12 box from FedEx and that's how I'll ship it.

Looking at the rates on fedex if I don't use ebay to print the label, I would pay $80. The original HP box with everything in it is like 7lbs. So I'm going to overestimate the weight when I print the label through eBay. It's much closer to my flat rate of $50 if I print through eBay.

Then again I have read horror stories of ebayers printing fedex labels through eBay and then fedex charging them way more money because fedex weighed the package en route to it's destination and the lasers/scales they used recorded the wrong weight or dimensions. Which then leaves then screwed because they will charge you the difference and to get the money back it's a huge ordeal since you aren't technically the account owner, ebay is.

Regardless I'm gonna give it a shot. I plan on ordering a Reverb G2 soon now to continue my flight training.

 

[Aikouka]

You may be able to get the lenses covered by vision insurance. Mine paid for them, which was about $160 with the shipping.

That’s an interesting way to go, but I’d probably rather use that for my glasses. Although, I usually have my glasses for quite a few years before finally getting me ones. Well... unless I accidentally break them and have to buy the same frame off eBay. As a side note, semi-rimless are a pain to put the lenses in!

Well it's funny you mention all this because I ended up selling my HP Reverb G1 on ebay. I put a flat rate shipping cost of $50 which I think is fair considering I'm shipping the headset and controllers in the original HP box. I bought a 20x20x12 box from FedEx and that's how I'll ship it.

Looking at the rates on fedex if I don't use ebay to print the label, I would pay $80. The original HP box with everything in it is like 7lbs. So I'm going to overestimate the weight when I print the label through eBay. It's much closer to my flat rate of $50 if I print through eBay.

Then again I have read horror stories of ebayers printing fedex labels through eBay and then fedex charging them way more money because fedex weighed the package en route to it's destination and the lasers/scales they used recorded the wrong weight or dimensions. Which then leaves then screwed because they will charge you the difference and to get the money back it's a huge ordeal since you aren't technically the account owner, ebay is.

Regardless I'm gonna give it a shot. I plan on ordering a Reverb G2 soon now to continue my flight training.

Do you have any sort of scale? I use two different scales for weighing my packages. I have a kitchen scale, which is mostly used for smaller and/or lighter packages. (I think it only supports up to 10 pounds.). For larger and/or heavier packages, I use my bathroom scale. I’ve been doing this for years, and I’ve never had an issue with weight. Honestly, I figured if I’d get yelled at for anything, it would be because I intentionally fib the dimension slightly. Frankly, I can’t stand how you have to round up all the time as sometimes, you’re paying for far, far more volume than your box actually takes up. So, at times, I’ll round up and down to get closer to the actual volume.

Anyway, there’s nothing wrong with using the original box, but one thing I do — especially if the original box makes it larger to ship and potentially more expensive — is emphasize that I’m selling something complete. I also make sure to list out everything clearly in the description in a nice list. On that note, make sure to note that any demonstration-only items used in photos (e.g. TVs for showing off video games) are only for demonstration purposes only. I try to remove liabilities by being specific.

 

[sze5003]

That’s an interesting way to go, but I’d probably rather use that for my glasses. Although, I usually have my glasses for quite a few years before finally getting me ones. Well... unless I accidentally break them and have to buy the same frame off eBay. As a side note, semi-rimless are a pain to put the lenses in!



Do you have any sort of scale? I use two different scales for weighing my packages. I have a kitchen scale, which is mostly used for smaller and/or lighter packages. (I think it only supports up to 10 pounds.). For larger and/or heavier packages, I use my bathroom scale. I’ve been doing this for years, and I’ve never had an issue with weight. Honestly, I figured if I’d get yelled at for anything, it would be because I intentionally fib the dimension slightly. Frankly, I can’t stand how you have to round up all the time as sometimes, you’re paying for far, far more volume than your box actually takes up. So, at times, I’ll round up and down to get closer to the actual volume.

Anyway, there’s nothing wrong with using the original box, but one thing I do — especially if the original box makes it larger to ship and potentially more expensive — is emphasize that I’m selling something complete. I also make sure to list out everything clearly in the description in a nice list. On that note, make sure to note that any demonstration-only items used in photos (e.g. TVs for showing off video games) are only for demonstration purposes only. I try to remove liabilities by being specific.

Yea I used a kitchen scale with stuff under the box to see the weight. It turned out to be quite over 9lbs so I put 10lb in the ebay label. The difference between 9 and 10lb on the calculator didn't change the ebay or the retail price.

I also took pictures of the final product before I dropped it off as the fedex receipt they gave me didn't have the weight on it.

Hopefully they don't overcharge me but we shall see.

 

[sze5003]

Has anyone used this on the G2?

HP Reverb G2 Counter Balance Comfort Kit 200 Gram 7 Oz headset Not Included - Etsy

This Video Games item by StudioformCreative has 87 favorites from Etsy shoppers. Ships from New Zealand. Listed on Mar 17, 2024

www.etsy.com

My headset arrived and since it's been a while wearing a vr headset, finding the sweet spot in the G2 is much more difficult than the G1. I find that I need to tighten the headset a lot to get it to stay in place where the sweet spot is perfect. Took some attempts but I did get it.

The physical ipd dial also helps but not by much. My eyes are still getting adjusted to the new lenses anyway.

Also if anyone has the vr face cover for this headset does that help with the sweet spot at all?

 

[CP5670]

Looks interesting, I haven't tried it out. The headset is generally very comfortable though, and lighter than others I've tried. The face cover is supposed to improve the FOV and sweet spot by bringing the lenses closer to your eyes, but it may not work if you use glasses or add-in lenses.

 

[sze5003]

I'm probably going to order the strap kit and try it out. One thing it does is, after you set it on your face and tighten all the HP straps, this kit basically makes it so that the straps stay in place and shifts the weight from the front to the top or back of your head.

This is important if you find out that you need to get the headset so tight on your face to get the sweet spot to stay each time you put on the headset. For me I find I need to have the front of the headset higher or tilt it downward and the only way to get it to stay when moving my head is to tighten everything really freaking tight.

I also will order the lense adapters since I don't want to wear my contacts every time I plan on using the headset.

 

[Aikouka]

I've heard plenty of people putting things like batteries on the back of their Quest 1/2 units, but I think that's partly because the Quest weighs a bit more. I haven't had too much of an issue with that though. Although, the Quest 2 is already pretty tight on my face with the Vive Deluxe Audio Strap. I'm tempted to remix the 3d-printed adapter or try to rework it to give a bit more room for those of us with huge noggins.

 

[lakedude]

Started reading a dozen pages back, before the Quest came out. Great thread, although the last few pages seemed to be more about straps, glasses and eBay than VR...

Cool to see the history of how thing have unfolded.

My VR history:

Tried Google Cardboard at a friends then later a 1st gen Vive, which was a surprise because the friend had been talking Oculus but when the time came he got a Vive. There was all this talk about "roomscale" and tracking stations I did not understand at the time.

My first impression of the Vive was shock and horror over the low res /screen door. After the initial shock I loved "The Lab" and vowed to get my own VR room someday. Loved the experience but hated the low res and big thick cable.

I got a Gear VR for and later a Go. I generally prefered the fuller subpixels on the Go's LCD to the diamond pattern OLED of the S8 powered Gear VR. Tracking on both is terrible.

Before I could set up a dedicated VR room some boomarang kids came home and currently live in my VR room. The living room is where VR happens, for now.

More recently I got a Q1 while they were still a little hard to find and then shortly after that the Q2 came out so now we have a Q1 and a Q2.

Once again I tend to prefer the fuller LCD sub pixels on the Q2 to the diamond pentile OLED on the Q1. Although I prefer the Q1 in the darker "flashlight" areas of Alyx because black is black on the Q1 while black is grey on the Q2.

I'm very excited to have recently taken the plunge and purchased Virtual Desktop and got the whole sideload wireless thing going. This is the way.

I first played Alyx with that $80 "fiber" (is it really?) USB-C cable and it was awesome. The cable was so small and light compared to the Vive and the resolution is high enough that screen door is not much of a thing anymore. I was pretty happy the the Quest could work independantly and wirelessly with native Quest games and also play PC games with the wire.

Then I tried Virtual Desktop and I'll never go back to using that silly $80 cable. My kid likes to spin around while using Google Earth which is nerve-racking with the cable and worry free with Virtual Desktop.

I might have some setup or USB driver issue but Virtual Dub actually works better for me than the wire, especially during level loads. With the wired USB cable, level loads on Alyx (where they show an amber map of the city) are a vomit inducing jittery mess. Wirelessly with Virtual Dub the level loads are nearly seamless with perhaps a small 500ms period of jerkeyness just as the level starts.

Virtual Dub has been more reliable as well. The cable only worked about half the time requiring reboots and resets to get it going. Meanwhile Virtual Dub just works most every time.

 

[Aikouka]

Started reading a dozen pages back, before the Quest came out. Great thread, although the last few pages seemed to be more about straps, glasses and eBay than VR...

You say that like things such as comfortable straps and proper vision aren't quite important to a good VR experience? Back when HTC stopped making the DAS, people were paying up to twice its original MSRP for even a used one on eBay... that's how much better comfort mattered to people. (Plus, they had to buy or print the adapters.)

Also, keep in mind that the prescription lenses aren't particularly cheap. The Quest 2 is only $300, and tossing in another $100 on prescription lenses (when including shipping) is something that may make people balk a bit... especially when it's just some foreign company that you've never heard of. So, it's kind of nice to get some feedback on how good the products are. It was that feedback that pushed me toward using WidmoVR, which I've been rather happy with.

I think one thing is that we just haven't had a lot of news about the PC VR space. Most of the news lately in regard to VR -- apart from vague rumors -- are with the upcoming next-gen PlayStation VR. There has been some talk about 120Hz coming to the Quest 2, but even that's a bit vague at the moment.

I'm very excited to have recently taken the plunge and purchased Virtual Desktop and got the whole sideload wireless thing going. This is the way.

Virtual Desktop no longer requires side-loading the wireless update as its now part of the main release.

I first played Alyx with that $80 "fiber" (is it really?) USB-C cable and it was awesome.

I can't speak much to how Facebook built the cable as I haven't torn my apart nor looked at any teardowns, but to avoid potential misspeaks, you could just refer to it as an active USB-C cable. Regardless of whether it's fiber or compression over copper, "active" applies. (The latter is pretty much what HDMI 2.1 does to achieve 8K.)

 

[sze5003]

I had HP send me a new cable for the G2. The first cable, the way it was routed along the back of the headset, caused strain in the cable near the connection point. I would get blackouts everytime I would lift the rear headstrap to take the headset off.

The second cable seems to be doing ok. This time I routed it out beyond the left ear piece and made a U shape with it, then I have it held to the back plastic strap using my studioformcreative weight balance kit. So far so good, knock on wood.

I also received my Widmovr lenses. Much better as they are thick and actually bring the screen closer to your eyes, making the sweet spot and clarity better for me compared to wearing my contacts while using the headset.

I feel like the cable design in the G2 is it's downfall. If you don't route it like I did, you're gonna get issues, just a matter of when.

For reference this is what I'm taking about.

 

[lakedude]

Alyx is said to be on sale for 40% off!

Alyx is IMHO the pinnacle of modern gaming and this comes from someone who liked but did not love the Half Life games.

 

[CP5670]

Yes, Alyx is one of the best VR games, and surpasses anything I've seen in flatscreen games lately. The last third of the game (from Jeff onward) is top notch. The other game I really liked was Star Wars Squadrons. As a big Freespace fan from back in the day, it feels like that taken to the next level.

 

[lakedude]

4 new "official" Beat Saber songs just dropped. They are wild! There is a new rotary background and black cubes that change the experience quite a bit. The background is a little distracting but I like it.

 

[lakedude]

ALYX is great in so many ways. Unfortunately not all games are as polished.

For example ALYX comes with the controls perfectly mapped for touch controllers. The learning curve was about zero. Movements are completely natural. Yes I did forget to pull the slide back after loading a new clip hundreds of times but that is my own fault.

MOSS came setup horribly with important things like the MENU function not mapped to a button at all. EDIT: I have the Steam version because it was said to look a lot better being computer powered. The menu button brings up the SteamVR menu instead of the MOSS game menu. I'm sure the native Quest version of MOSS has the mapping all worked out.

VR REGATTA is a fun little game but they shouldn't sell it to people with inside out tracking. This is one game that only works properly if you have external tracking because you need to look forward in the direction you are going but you also need to have a hand directly behind you to run the tiller. There are work arounds for this but they are jankey and not natural. Sitting sidways helps but the tiller hand still loses tracking too often. You can rig a long tiller extention and keep both hands in front of you but then it isn't like sailing a real boat anymore. The game would be great with external tracking.

SECRET SHOP in THE LAB is not mapped properly for touch controllers. As of yet I've not been able to get it to work even though it was one of the first VR games I tried. My recent experience with MOSS might have given me the knowledge so I'll try again soon. I don't love spending hours trying to get these things to work. Did I mention how great ALYX is yet?

 

[lakedude]

Virtual Desktop no longer requires side-loading the wireless update as its now part of the main release.

I used these instructions:

How to use your Oculus Quest 2 to play any PC VR game wirelessly

Play Half-Life: Alyx and many more games without being tethered.

www.theverge.com

So no more developer mode/sideload required anymore?

What do you do now, just buy Virtual Desktop and go?

I mean mine is working fine but for others that might happen along what are the current instructions? Got a link?

I did not fully understand what I was doing so those instructions at The Verge were a godsend but maybe they are outdated now.

 

[lakedude]

You say that like things such as comfortable straps and proper vision aren't quite important to a good VR experience

Sorry, no offense intended. I too would like a better strap and/or a more balanced package and I wear a pretty hefty set of glasses so these things are of interest to me as well.

Right now I've got the kid on the Q1 which seems to get uncomfortable the soonest. They say the strap is better on the Q1 than the Q2 but the Q1 gives us all a headache sooner. I'm not inclined to fix the strap on the Q1 because it makes VR time self limiting. I don't need to fight with the kid to get him to stop playing.

 

[Aikouka]

So no more developer mode/sideload required anymore?

What do you do now, just buy Virtual Desktop and go?

I mean mine is working fine but for others that might happen along what are the current instructions? Got a link?

That's correct. Just buy it off the store and install.

Virtual Desktop PC VR Streaming Now On The Official Oculus Quest Store

You can now wirelessly stream Half-Life: Alyx, Boneworks, H3VR and other PC VR-only games to Oculus Quest and Quest 2 in Virtual Desktop without sideloading. Developer Guy Godin won full Oculus Quest store approval for the much-loved Virtual Desktop wireless feature for streaming PC-based...

uploadvr.com

Sorry, no offense intended. I too would like a better strap and/or a more balanced package and I wear a pretty hefty set of glasses so these things are of interest to me as well.

Nah, no offense was taken. I know that it's easy to focus on the visual element, but visuals are only as good as you can stand to keep the blasted thing on your head.

Right now I've got the kid on the Q1 which seems to get uncomfortable the soonest. They say the strap is better on the Q1 than the Q2 but the Q1 gives us all a headache sooner. I'm not inclined to fix the strap on the Q1 because it makes VR time self limiting. I don't need to fight with the kid to get him to stop playing.

Speaking of kids and VR, ugh... I sometimes get asked if one of them can play VR. Of course, they would get relegated to my Quest 1 not the Quest 2, but I don't think kids realize how fragile those devices are. I see things like glasses left in the headset when it's removed or just leaving the lenses all smudged. Don't even get me into the inability to put on the HMD without help.

 

[lakedude]

I don't think kids realize how fragile those devices are

My son's best friend got a Q2 for Christmas. The kids like to play BOGO. There is this part where they need to get an apple down from a tree and the lil ones are not tall enough. My son asks for me to lift him up so he can grab the apple. The friend did not wait to be picked up and instead she tried to jump up and grab the apple herself. This was one day after Christmas. They have lovely ceramic tile flooring with no carpet or rugs. The jumping caused the Q2 to fly off and it landed right on one of the cameras.

Evidently no parts are available for these things. I bought the broken Q2 with the idea of maybe selling parts on eBay or maybe just as a science project for the kid. I've not had good luck selling in the past so I don't know what I was thinking. Maybe cameras will become available and I'll fix the one I've got.

 

[CP5670]

SECRET SHOP in THE LAB is not mapped properly for touch controllers. As of yet I've not been able to get it to work even though it was one of the first VR games I tried. My recent experience with MOSS might have given me the knowledge so I'll try again soon. I don't love spending hours trying to get these things to work. Did I mention how great ALYX is yet?

There is a fun easter egg in this where you can go into the Valve offices. But yeah, some of the rooms don't have the standard movement controls you expect from other games.

I'm also liking Boneworks a lot. Not quite as polished as Alyx and there isn't much of a story, but the gameplay and physics are actually more advanced than Alyx in some ways.

 

[lakedude]

I'm also liking Boneworks a lot.

I'd love to try Boneworks but I suspect the comfort/seasick level would be too much for me. Ars Technica says there is no teleport option and that the game is uncomfortable.

That is another great thing about ALYX. Adjustable comfort levels! I expected for example a barnacle to drag me up but it didn't because I had the game set to be comfortable.

 

[lakedude]

I went Easter Egg hunting! That was so cool, thanks CP5670!

Never did figure out SECRET SHOP mapping. It does not seem to have settings independent of THE LAB. When you hit the menu key you get an option to change either STEAM VR or THE LAB settings but nothing SECRET SHOP specific. Every once in a while I'd hit enough buttons to pop up a submenu that had seperate settings for LONGBOW, SLINGSHOT and a few others but nothing for SS.