The online racing simulator
Awesome..... $799 US ATM is $ 1193.86NZ. Yes, well, I probably shouldn't mention what my house cost 20 years ago, but I am really happy spending about 1/25 on that rather than a soon to be outdated gaming system.

So, good luck to first adopters, and a huge high 5 to people who sold .5 gear for more than they payed for it. Yes, Well done.......

I'm back to my garden and I wish you all good luck with this stuff......

In 2 years time as the cost comes closer to reality, I'll try it then. Till then, who wants organic homegrown fruit and veg, cus I do........ Uh-hu
I got the Vive Pre set up and running today.

After updating the Nvidia drivers, it was able to use Direct mode and then LFS ran well as expected, maintaining the required 90 fps.

Good news is the lighthouse is far quieter. The old one was very noisy and quite unbearable but the new one is not disturbing. It is an audible whirring with the volume something like a computer fan. I can even leave it running while I do something else.

The picture seems quite nice. I guess I'll do a comparison with the Rift DK2 at some point. Obviously as a "first generation" device, the resolution is still low when looking into the distance. But that doesn't really bother me. Actually it works quite well and I'd like to go and do some racing with it on.

I am interested in the camera, that supposedly allows you to see the world, temporarily, through the headset. That would be helpful to see the keyboard when online. Although there is only one camera so I expect the scale of things to look a bit funny. Trying to switch on the camera in the SteamVR software, it just told me nothing was working, but there was no explanation. Haven't looked further into this yet.

On the bad side, there was a lot of installing, waiting for drivers to install, error messages, switching off, switching on, updating firmware, more error messages, waiting, random success messages, more firmware, computer restart, etc... I have no idea why it's so hard. It seems to take hours. Anyway, after enough restarts and retries it eventually works (except for the camera, apparently). The SteamVR software is buggy and sometimes just crashes, sometimes the headset is detected then suddenly it claims the headset isn't there, then you can't exit the software because it is eternally "preparing to exit" or similar. Task manager is required at that point. After many attempts, I could run the room setup but that is quite buggy too. It's best to avoid running SteamVR at all. LFS, though OpenVR, can switch on the headset. But the settings are only available through SteamVR. Once I managed to run SteamVR long enough to be able to switch off the awful "chaperone" which is an annoying grid that just makes a mess of the picture. The idea is to stop you walking in to a wall, and I'm sure that's useful for room scale experiences but is totally pointless when you are seated in a racing game! There is no easy way to switch off the chaperone but eventually I set it to "developer mode" and now, as long as SteamVR is not running, I can run LFS and not see the chaperone. One other thing I don't like is it's quite hard to allow the speakers to work. By default, the Vive takes over the sound and it wants you to wear headphones. There is no option in SteamVR to switch off this behaviour and it must be done in the Windows audio settings which seem very confusing. Anyway after randomly switching things on and off for 20 minutes or so, I could hear sound again! At least that setting does stick!

The unit looks much nicer, smaller, and is a lot shorter from front to back. I found it more comfortable than the old Vive. The cardboard packaging was of a high quality and it seemed physically like a production unit instead of a prototype. Even all the plugs were UK style so no adapter was required.

Overall I'm quite pleased with it, because it is usable and seems to provides a good VR experience. I will look into the camera, to find out how it can be enabled and if this can be controlled by the software. Ideally I'd like to assign camera on/off to a wheel button.
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For those whose computer failed the Oculus Rift test, as mine did with i7-3770 CPU / 12 Gb memory / GTX 580 (due to poor processor and graphix card), my pc passed the ValveVR test as 'Ready' (with caveat).



In other words, with pc spec like mine, you may not be able to use the OR, but you may have chance with other VR headset.
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Lol, I just did the test, and with my R9 280 and i5 3570K @ 4 Ghz, I had worse result than you. Steam is asking me to upgrade my GPU... Uh-hu

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Quote from sinanju :For those whose computer failed the Oculus Rift test, as mine did with i7-3770 CPU / 12 Gb memory / GTX 580 (due to poor processor and graphix card), my pc passed the ValveVR test as 'Ready' (with caveat).

I was pretty sure my PC won't even run the demo Razz

According to Steam's own fps counter the demo ran at 45 fps (hey, I could render one eye at 90fps!) though the result says that it was at steady 90+.
At the moment this test doesnt have any informative value. I ran it with a R9 290 which is 2-2.5x faster than a GTX580 but I get lower results.
But looking at the details, nacim's and my card seem to run a different test.

I wonder why AMD cards seem to test more than twice frames than the nVidia cards :S
Quote from Scawen :Once I managed to run SteamVR long enough to be able to switch off the awful "chaperone" which is an annoying grid that just makes a mess of the picture.

As far as I know chaperone is supposted to show up only when you get close to the boundaries of your "play space", which you assign during the installation. So you may have to reconfigure that.

Quote from Scawen :By default, the Vive takes over the sound and it wants you to wear headphones.

That's kinda good since the speakers are not good for VR and the software is written with headphones in mind. Not sure if you noticed, but Vive Pre have a cable with audio connector somewhere near the back of the strap. Did you get earphones with your Pre? Some guy on Reddit claims that his Pre was bundled with some HTC in-ear earphones.

Quote from Scawen :I am interested in the camera, that supposedly allows you to see the world, temporarily, through the headset. That would be helpful to see the keyboard when online. Although there is only one camera so I expect the scale of things to look a bit funny.

Yes, many people who tried it, noticed that the image wasn't 1:1 and everthing apeared to be a couple inches further than it was in reality. That's probably because the camera is a few inches away from the possition of your eyes and it not real steroscopic image. Well but still should be good enough to locate your keyborard, phone or booze. Definitely something worth implementing. Rift DK2 had the nose gap for that Smile

Quote from Scawen :The unit looks much nicer, smaller, and is a lot shorter from front to back. I found it more comfortable than the old Vive.

Could you check how much it weights? Would apriciate it.

A bit off topic but - any news on your submission for the Rift CV1/SDK 1.0? I've seen that your thread on Reddit about patch 0.6M caught the attention of Philanthropi (Developer Relations, Oculus VR).
By the way you should request a developer flair.
Quote from Amynue :As far as I know chaperone is supposted to show up only when you get close to the boundaries of your "play space", which you assign during the installation. So you may have to reconfigure that.

No, I set it up for a seated experience. There are two options in the setup and I chose "seated". I am beside a wall in so I cannot set a large open room play area (because I can't push the headset through the wall). SteamVR is buggy about this. Sometimes it shows a ring on the floor, sometimes it shows a box around me, sometime it shows a box in front of me and to my left. LFS specifies a SEATED VR experience.

Just trust me, the behaviour in the SteamVR system is buggy, wrong, inconsistent and annoying. Also, just try to imagine how many times I've reconfigured and reconfigured the area setup, trying to fix this.

I'm the sort of person who tries many times over, before I state that some software is bugged.

Quote from Amynue :That's kinda good since the speakers are not good for VR and the software is written with headphones in mind. Not sure if you noticed, but Vive Pre have a cable with audio connector somewhere near the back of the strap. Did you get earphones with your Pre? Some guy on Reddit claims that his Pre was bundled with some HTC in-ear earphones.

There are some crappy little earphones, yes. But I am not interested for one second to stick them in my ears. I have headphones if I wanted to use them. But I am in a racing simulator and I have to put the headset on and take it off loads of times. Also I have to lift it frequently to see the keyboard. So actually it is not really good that it disables my speakers without asking me, and that there is no option to enable them. I am in a seated experience and have a warm box on my face. It's going to be more comfortable to not have headphones on if you are trying to race for an hour, unless you like being drenched with sweat and your VR headset to be fogged up.

Now I am just supposing here, but Valve don't seem to think about seated experiences a lot. As a Vive user, I can see that the seated experience support is very buggy and it's the same with the speakers, it's an oversight. They don't seem to really test seated things or think about them much.

Quote from Amynue :A bit off topic but - any news on your submission for the Rift CV1/SDK 1.0? I've seen that your thread on Reddit about patch 0.6M caught the attention of Philanthropi (Developer Relations, Oculus VR).

No, that was the last I heard.
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(Expless) DELETED by Scawen : spammer
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(k_badam) DELETED by Scawen : reply to spam that is now deleted
Quote from Scawen :No, I set it up for a seated experience.

In my opinion chaperone should be completely disabled in the "seated" mode. It's not like you are going to walk into a wall while seating.

Quote from Scawen :Just trust me, the behaviour in the SteamVR system is buggy, wrong, inconsistent and annoying. Also, just try to imagine how many times I've reconfigured and reconfigured the area setup, trying to fix this.

It's still in developement so let's hope it won't be as bad when Vive launches.

Quote from Scawen :There are some crappy little earphones, yes. But I am not interested for one second to stick them in my ears. I have headphones if I wanted to use them. But I am in a racing simulator and I have to put the headset on and take it off loads of times. Also I have to lift it frequently to see the keyboard. So actually it is not really good that it disables my speakers without asking me, and that there is no option to enable them. I am in a seated experience and have a warm box on my face. It's going to be more comfortable to not have headphones on if you are trying to race for an hour, unless you like being drenched with sweat and your VR headset to be fogged up.

Now I am just supposing here, but Valve don't seem to think about seated experiences a lot. As a Vive user, I can see that the seated experience support is very buggy and it's the same with the speakers, it's an oversight. They don't seem to really test seated things or think about them much.

I don't know why they didn't integrate the headphones into the headset - expecialy that they are required to use the headset after all. It's very inconvenient having to put the headset on and then, put the headphones on when you are blindfolded. The Rift have integrated headphones and you can put it on with only one hand thanks to the rigid strap. One of the reasons I went for the Rift over Vive.

Quote from Scawen :No, that was the last I heard.

You should shoot him an email. Launch is only a month away.


In case anyone have been wondering - weight of the headsets (without wires):
Rift DK1 - 380g
Rift DK2 - 440g
Rift CV1 - 470g (including headphones)
Vive Pre - 555g


Sources:
http://www.computerbase.de/forum/showthread.php?t=1563473&p=18524910#post18524910
http://riftinfo.com/oculus-rift-specs-dk1-vs-dk2-comparison
https://gfycat.com/BrilliantHotDamselfly

EDIT: Significant part of the Rift CV1 weight goes into the strap:
https://www.reddit.com/r/oculus/comments/47rb3m/the_rift_cv1_is_66_heavier_than_the_dk2_470g_vs/d0f5y8j
https://www.reddit.com/r/oculus/comments/47rb3m/the_rift_cv1_is_66_heavier_than_the_dk2_470g_vs/d0f4vzn?context=3
Quote from Amynue :You should shoot him an email. Launch is only a month away.

Yes, I sent Callum at Oculus an email yesterday evening.

At this point I don't have much hope of any result though.
Preorders will start in 7 hours.
http://www.htcvive.com/
Is anyone in here going to preorder the Vive? If so I wish you good luck and I hope you won't run into any problems like I did with PayPal while preordering the Rift.
Make sure to create a HTC account in advance, not sure if it will be possible to preorder as guest, so better be safe.
Can't afford both Vive and Rift, otherwise I would. Going to wait and see how they compare, and take it in to consideration after that.

Should be receiving an S7 Edge + Gear VR combo in a few days though, interested to see how mobile VR feels.
I thought 43€ shipping cost for the Rift was a bit high, but if I was to preorder the Vive I would have to pay 72.57€. It's even worse for other countries - 90€ for Sweden and Finland, 96€ for Iceland.

Quote :Includes the Vive headset, two wireless controllers, two base stations, link box, earbuds, Vive accessories, safety guide and warranty card.

Apparently it's bundled with the same HTC phone earbuds as Vive Pre. It was ok for a devkit but for a consumer version... not really. From what they were saying at CES not long ago it seemed like CV1 will have a integrated audio solution which Pre didn't have, meanwhile it's the same 'audio jack on the back + earbuds'.

Scawen, can you talk a bit more about the comfort in comparison to the Rift DK2?

To me DK2 was quite bad in terms of comfort, but it was a devkit so I was ok with that. If I tightened the strap too much it rested firmly on the face but it was uncomfortable because it was pushing too hard on the face. If I loosened the strap it would be more comfortable to wear, but during fast head movement it would move on my face and I had to often readjust it. Vive also uses elastic strap and it weights quite a bit more so I wonder how it compares.

What kind of material is the facial interface made of? Looks like a foam on the photos. Is it removable?

How thick and elastic the cables are comparing to DK2?
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Quote from cargame.nl :This isn't a product review thread, or is it? Shouldn't this be the task of other kids having this kind of stuff while not doing anything with it?

How did you manage to get third degree burns underwater?
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Quote from cargame.nl :No idea what you are talking about, why start to get personal, running out of normal arguments?

Thread title literally asks Scawen's opinion. Could you not being an ass and let people discuss about VR devices?
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Like it or not, VR has captured the imagination of a diverse group of people from all over the planet. It's normal that you would want to talk about if you are involved, and normal to feel excluded if you aren't.

But please - stop with the condescension and name calling? It really lowers the tone of the conversation.

This thread is all about Scawen's opinion on a subject he obviously has a great interest in - he will respond if he feels like it, and I'm very grateful for the time he does take to share his thoughts and knowledge.

I would take Scawen's opinion on VR over a faceless blogger because of the context, his undoubtable technical knowledge, and his ability to communicate the specific points that matter - few other commentators can tick all three boxes.
I've played ...project cars? with the occulus thingee. No. I didn't buy them. I'm not spending $600 to play a video game. It's all to do with my son and his job. I don't know the name of half the crap. Anyways, those goggles really change the way the game is played in many aspects. I could see it beneficial in racing games as you can look around and see the other drivers instead of fumbling for buttons.
What's really cool is roller coaster sims. Man that's a blast with those things. I figure with smart phones, the price for this gadget will fall.
I also see a whole lot of potential of this technology besides just fancier video games.
I wonder if I should put LFS on his computer. He lives in the same house, uses the same router, Has a G27 too.... Nah. His wife would kill me.
Quote from cargame.nl :Who is actually "the ass" here? Hhmm?

I don't know... maybe the guy who is not interested in VR, yet thinks it's a good idea to go into a thread about a VR headset and tell people they should stop talking about it.

Quote from cargame.nl :People delaying development with irrelevant questions while they can easily research it themselves on dedicated product review websites. Thanks, well done!

There is no real reviews yet because they haven't sent any units to the press. It's only available to selected developers and Scawen happens to be one of them.

If you think VR support is a waste of time and it's delaying LFS development, I'm afraid you are wrong. From my perspective VR is what brought Scawen back to active development of LFS. He seems genuinely excited about new possibilities VR brings to the world of simracing. It also an opportunity to make LFS shine again and gain new players.

FGED GREDG RDFGDR GSFDG