General VR discussion thread

[Kaido]

anyone get VR blindness after using the HMD for a while?

LOL. when I first started I played for like 3-4 hours straight, when i took the HMD off and blinked, I saw a ghosting like effect from the HMD screen during each blink.

Is there a negative effect on the eyes from using VR?

3-4 hours straight, you're an animal! Most I've done is 2 hours. Only thing I've had happen tho is orientation being a bit off because you're suddenly stepping out of a very real virtual world into a small room.

 

[Mutilator]

Onward will be my next VR game. 1 more week.

 

[Kaido]

Onward will be my next VR game. 1 more week.

Ooh nice! How are they handling locomotion without getting you sick? Minecraft VR for the GearVR with a gamepad is one of the few games that has given me sim-sickness when running around with VR controls turned off (i.e. no snap-turns).

 

[Mutilator]

So far none of the testers have reported any motion sickness using the touchpad for movement. Next week will be the real test. Hopefully I'm not the first. I've waited a long time for a game like this to come along.

 

[Linux23]

Onward will be my next VR game. 1 more week.

i think that game would get me sick. i can see quick movements causing brain confusion in some people.

 

[Aikouka]

anyone get VR blindness after using the HMD for a while?

I know that the VR lenses have an option for a blue light guard. Maybe the issue relates to that since blue light supposedly causes fatigue?

 

[Kaido]

i think that game would get me sick. i can see quick movements causing brain confusion in some people.

Minecraft for the GearVR made me super sick with VR motion controls turned off, but it's the only game to have done it that severely, and only when I was booking it through the forest, turning, running, etc. I've read that you get used to it after a few weeks because your brain adjusts, but that's an awful long time to feel crummy after playing a video game. Very few other games have given me sim-sickness tho. There's a fun jetpack game for the GearVR called Omega Agent where if you do turbo-boost while spinning right & looking down to the left, it will make me queasy, and doing sideways somersaults in ADR1FT kicked that feeling in, but that's mostly been it so far.

 

[John Connor]

Why don't you play FSX? Just curious about that.

Could have sworn I mentioned that my FS2004 install was 55GB, thus is my main Sim and why I mentioned it so that this question would not be asked.

The thing is, I have damn near every single aircraft known fly around me on schedules landing and taking off. Everything from FedEx, UPS, Airborne Express, United, Delta, Great Lakes, Frontier, Hawaiian Airlines, EVERYTHING! And I LOVE my RealityXP gauges that look and function like the real-life counter parts. I have them all, I'm a gaugeoholic. I would have to buy them for FSX and some don't exist in FSX as they do in FS2004. Love my gauges's. I do fly using SID and STARS, the whole damn nine yards. Even played in VATSIM.

Would you believe I picked up a yoke and pedals for a grand total of $20 bucks at a yard sale? HAHAHA When I payed, the guy said, "glad that's gone." I was like, 'your very welcome dude.' They only go for a couple hundred on ebay.

Anyway, I do want to buy the PMDG 737NGX for FSX as it has more bells and whistles than the PMDG 737NG in FS2004. I guess I could convert my current crop of AI aircraft so that they could fly in FSX. Turbo props are iffy though. But I did make Area-51 in FS2004 which was a few years long project for me and I'm still not done with it. It uses real Sat imagery and the buildings are placed to look as close to the real KXTA as possible. I even made ground call themselves Kelly Johnson ground when communicating with aircraft. I just wish I could program the game so that the F-16's parked there would take off and intercept trespassers. LOL!

 

[Kaido]

4 more apps tonight:

1. GPU Cubes VR: (free, note this runs standalone, outside of Steam) A seemingly basic particle manipulation system using gravity, but it's surprisingly fun to play in. Has roughly a million particles. Color changes as you manipulate. Trigger sucks them in, trigger + grip creates a repulsion bubble, and flinging them adds some physics to the mix. You'd think you'd be done playing with it after a minute or two, but I sat there for a good half hour just mesmerized...this may be Demo #1 from here on out when showing off my Vive to people who are new to VR. Definitely a must-get app for anyone with a Vive!

http://www.omnipudding.com/downloads/

2. PolyDome: (free, early access) Super fun concept of taking shapes, connecting them with string, and creating music. Very kid-friendly. It's pretty basic right now, but definitely worth a free download & spending five or ten minutes goofing off with.

http://store.steampowered.com/app/483680/

3. SoundStage: ($10, early access) This is basically MIDI & synth equipment meets TiltBrush (although, no actual MIDI support...yet!). You can hook up "tapes", speakers, drums (with drumsticks!), keyboards, etc. & wire everything together to make music with sequencers & other fun stuff. Really amazing in 360. I'm no musician, but I'm definitely looking forward to playing with the full version of this! It could turn out to be one of the most powerful music creation tools ever created in history if they add MIDI support (among other cool things).

http://store.steampowered.com/app/485780/

4. The Brookhaven Experiment: ($20) Zombie horror shooting game. Probably the most full-featured shooting game I've played on the Vive in terms of playability, levels, etc. Definitely gives you the chills playing it! If you can handle the game, I would recommend it, definitely worth the money. I just played to Wave 2, shot a zombie, turned around, shot another zombie, only to look down & realize the previously-shot zombie was crawling towards my legs. Sawed that sucker in half with my knife at light-speed & took off my headset for the night

 

[Kaido]

Okay ended up doing one more tonight:

Firebird - La Peri: ($10) This is another VR experience, a ballet actually. This is actually the first VR play I've ever seen. I'll start out by talking about the cost. For starters, the narration is by John Rhys-Davies (excellent) & they've obviously got some kind of motion capture going on for the ballet dancer, so I'd imagine this wasn't a cheap VR game to make. Is it worth $10? If you like new VR experiences & are OK spending ten bucks on a very short - but very good - one, then yes. It has beautiful music, great visuals, and a nice little story, but it goes by way too quick for me. 10 or 15 minutes & you're done. If you are not dazzled by neat VR effects & want a lot of replayability for your money, then $10 is probably going to feel like a lot & would probably be better at say $2 for you.

The basic idea is that you're on the stage of a playhall. The audience seating is empty, but there is a book in front of you that Rhys-Davies narrates. Set pieces come down from the ceiling with each part of the story as if you were in an actual play, but then the auditorium disappears to make way for the story. It almost had the cusp of a horror feel to it (well, this is after playing Brookhaven, lol), but they didn't go anywhere with that (whew!). But it's basically a 360-degree VR-animated story, which is a really cool concept.

I think this is a good starter piece for interactive VR stories. My primary complaint is that it was too short & my second complaint is that it is not interactive enough. This would have been awesome as a 30-minute story with a lot more interaction. There is a point where it's choose-your-own-adventure for a couple different outcomes; I'd love to see that concept expanded upon in the future. One complaint I read was that it wasn't height-interactive, so kids will have a hard time reaching certain elements. That's actually a feature I'd like to see in more games: (1) have the graphics adjust to your room size, (2) have the action & interactivity adjust to your height, and (3) be disabled-person friendly so if you have limited mobility, you could perhaps have some tools to still allow you to play.

One that that was very interesting is how cold it was, in terms of feeling disconnected from the live recorded audio & motion-capture performances. So, I'm not normally like a play guy or anything, but I'll go with my wife, and remarkably I've enjoyed every single one that I've been too. There's something about live performance that injects a certain energy into how you perceive it, versus when you watch something on TV, which requires entirely different delivery tools to suck you into the story. It's the same with music...listening to a song is like eating an entirely different food when compared to a live musical performance of the same number...it's got a completely different feel or "taste" to how you interpret it. This was completely lacking that live-performance feel. And it wasn't because the story was bad or the mo-cap dancing was bad or the narration was bad because all of those were very good, but just that live energy just doesn't translate over through VR very well. What made up for it was the interactivity, but where it fell short was how little interactivity there actually was. Spoilers in layman's terms:

Spoiler: Story spoilers

You're a dude who wants to live forever. You can live forever by getting these crystals. The crystals are on the chest of a woman that you end up falling in love with, which you reach for but then split into 4 pieces & fly away, so you have to go hunt them down in difference scenes At the end, you have to make the decision if you give her back the crystals & she lives, or if you let her die so you can live forever. I really would have like to have seen this jump from 10 minutes to 30 minutes with a more fleshed-out story, and then have more interesting interactive modes. Mainly your job, aside from turning pages & using a flashlight, is to capture one of the four bits of crystals as they fly around, which you can also doodle with in the air. I would have liked to have seen maybe a quick sword fight, and a scramble to grab her hand as she falls, and perhaps some interaction with the dance sequence where she alters her dance pattern or puts her hands on yours as you grip. Maybe defend her from some flying evil bats or something like that. Basically do more to suck you in more & make you feel more immersed.

I think there's a level of story action through VR that could be used to get you past the coldness of the performance & make you feel like you're a part of the story, and a large part of that is through interaction with the elements inside the experience. Half-Life 1 was the first thing that got me thinking about this...I had never played a game that made me feel so drawn-in cinematically as I embodied Gordon Freeman. VR storytelling with CGI is going to be a very, very cool way to tell stories in the future as this concept develops; this short experience has definitely rekindled that interest in good-quality storytelling using video games. If you find quality VR experiences fulfilling, then $10 won't really seem like a waste.

http://store.steampowered.com/app/436490/

Nice article & trailer here:

http://www.vrandfun.com/vr-reviews/firebird-la-peri-is-like-nothing-weve-ever-seen-before-in-vr/

Making-of video:

 

[Linux23]

Could have sworn I mentioned that my FS2004 install was 55GB, thus is my main Sim and why I mentioned it so that this question would not be asked.

The thing is, I have damn near every single aircraft known fly around me on schedules landing and taking off. Everything from FedEx, UPS, Airborne Express, United, Delta, Great Lakes, Frontier, Hawaiian Airlines, EVERYTHING! And I LOVE my RealityXP gauges that look and function like the real-life counter parts. I have them all, I'm a gaugeoholic. I would have to buy them for FSX and some don't exist in FSX as they do in FS2004. Love my gauges's. I do fly using SID and STARS, the whole damn nine yards. Even played in VATSIM.

Would you believe I picked up a yoke and pedals for a grand total of $20 bucks at a yard sale? HAHAHA When I payed, the guy said, "glad that's gone." I was like, 'your very welcome dude.' They only go for a couple hundred on ebay.

Anyway, I do want to buy the PMDG 737NGX for FSX as it has more bells and whistles than the PMDG 737NG in FS2004. I guess I could convert my current crop of AI aircraft so that they could fly in FSX. Turbo props are iffy though. But I did make Area-51 in FS2004 which was a few years long project for me and I'm still not done with it. It uses real Sat imagery and the buildings are placed to look as close to the real KXTA as possible. I even made ground call themselves Kelly Johnson ground when communicating with aircraft. I just wish I could program the game so that the F-16's parked there would take off and intercept trespassers. LOL!

yep, i see why you haven't upgraded to X. Keep on Flying my friend. I honestly think there were more mods for FS2004 than X if I remember correctly.

Any suggested Flight Sim sites you visit regularly? I haven't flow in at least a year and a half, but may install X and 2004 this weekend if I have time.

 

[Kaido]

Got my waterproof VR cover installed. Thoughts:

1. Shipping took forever (from Thailand iirc)
2. It was pricey ($30 for a pair, plus a large microfiber cleaning cloth, which has been handy)
3. Installation is a bit of a pain
4. The stock cover is simply velcro'd on, didn't know that
5. The VR Cover logo should be facing you, not tucked on the inside
6. Your job is to tuck the velcro straps behind the stock cover & then press the stock cover back on the HMD to secure it
7. For convenience, the stretchy headset bands also pop off if you rotate them up & out (like all the way vertical)
8. It does do a good job sweat-proofing the facemask
9. However, it turns up the temperature inside of the mask (didn't fog up tho)
10. I was dripping inside of the mask, but not outside...like tears of sweat rolling down my face from the heat

I'm not sure if I'll use it or not for myself. I try to spend at least an hour a day in VR (partly for cardio exercise & partly for fun), so I work up a pretty good sweat, to the point where my hair is entirely soaked. However, it makes the inside of the mask a complete sauna. I may pick up a second stock foam pad & the $19 VR cloth cover for me & then just switch it out to the waterproof one when I let other people play it so I'm not wearing their sweat.

 

[John Connor]

yep, i see why you haven't upgraded to X. Keep on Flying my friend. I honestly think there were more mods for FS2004 than X if I remember correctly.

Any suggested Flight Sim sites you visit regularly? I haven't flow in at least a year and a half, but may install X and 2004 this weekend if I have time.

I just vist Flightsim.com.

 

[Linux23]

I just vist Flightsim.com.

oh ok. thought there were new sites out there. i'm definitely familiar with that site.

@Kaido. do you have any fans in your VR play space? That's the only way to keep me from being really uncomfortable while wearing this mask.

I honestly think the should include a small quiet fan to circulate air inside of the mask. Either that or run an air hose from the link box to the mask and pump in some fresh air. LOL.

 

[Kaido]

oh ok. thought there were new sites out there. i'm definitely familiar with that site.

@Kaido. do you have any fans in your VR play space? That's the only way to keep me from being really uncomfortable while wearing this mask.

I honestly think the should include a small quiet fan to circulate air inside of the mask. Either that or run an air hose from the link box to the mask and pump in some fresh air. LOL.

Yes, I have an adjustable floor fan in front of me. Especially when I'm on the VR bike because you tend to work up a sweat pretty quickly.

I was just thinking about a small fan inside the HMD's mask area last night as I was dripping beads of sweat inside that area after installing the waterproof VR cover (I think it's leather?). Fortunately it didn't fog up (that was an occasional issue I had on the GearVR, along with occasional phone overheating), but they're going to have to figure out some kind of ventilation system, whether it's active with a fan or passive with some sort of light-blocking but air-flowing structural material.

 

[Sabrewings]

With all this talk about sweating into it, some of you should look at this:

https://as.reddit.com/r/Vive/commen...nd_sweat_damage_is_a/?st=isaizbya&sh=74397d46

My take on it: I sweat a lot from my forehead, but not so much my face itself. I haven't ever had fogging issues or noticed moisture inside the HMD after a session. I have a couple of recommendations. First, leave the HMD/linkbox plugged in. That little bit of energy it uses keeps it warm and condensation less likely to happen. This could even be by design. Second, if you use a cover, don't use a waterproof one. This only exacerbates the ventilation issue and any humidity becomes trapped in there. I feel like with my cotton VR covers it breathes pretty well.

 

[Kaido]

With all this talk about sweating into it, some of you should look at this:

https://as.reddit.com/r/Vive/commen...nd_sweat_damage_is_a/?st=isaizbya&sh=74397d46

My take on it: I sweat a lot from my forehead, but not so much my face itself. I haven't ever had fogging issues or noticed moisture inside the HMD after a session. I have a couple of recommendations. First, leave the HMD/linkbox plugged in. That little bit of energy it uses keeps it warm and condensation less likely to happen. This could even be by design. Second, if you use a cover, don't use a waterproof one. This only exacerbates the ventilation issue and any humidity becomes trapped in there. I feel like with my cotton VR covers it breathes pretty well.

The leather VR cover makes me sweat on my facial area inside of the mask. Literally tears of sweat dripping inside that area that weren't before.

 

[Linux23]

The Rift had a big gap between the bridge of my nose and the HMD. On the Vive it's much smaller so lets airflow comes in, even with fans blowing.

And people are paying hundreds of dollars for a new HMD after sweat/water damage.

 

[Linux23]

http://geekandsundry.com/can-you-lose-weight-playing-the-htc-vive-this-gamer-is-about-to-find-out/

@Kaido is that you?

 

[Kaido]

http://geekandsundry.com/can-you-lose-weight-playing-the-htc-vive-this-gamer-is-about-to-find-out/

@Kaido is that you?

No, but I've posted in his Reddit threads He's doing a cool project, I really like it!

A few points, just because I'm an IIFYM evangelist at the moment:

• I really like the idea of using VR for exercise (distraction from the mundane FTW!)
• I'm currently using AudioShield, HoloPoint, and VirZoom Arcade for my morning cardio sessions
• Also using 3-pound wrist/ankle weights, a 5-pound Subpac, and a Training Mask to make it more challenging
• Everyone has 10 pounds of "water weight", so losing 8 pounds right off the bat makes sense
• Food is the most effective way to lose fat; IIFYM is the best system I've found for being able to have a life AND meet your goals (it's just macro-based dieting with a new spin on it, but I like the marketing!)
• However, not changing your diet, but adding more exercise, will obviously bring a positive improvement

The 80/20 rule applies here (your body is 80% food, 20% exercise). If all you want to do is be skinny, just manage your macros. You can still eat fast food for every meal if you want to, you're simply adding tracking into the mix & making sure you hit your numbers for the day. It's a big change for most people, but the concept is really pretty simple. I really wish that I had dug into macro-based eating when I first joined H&F 8 years ago because there are so many donuts that I missed out on, haha. And yes, exercise can help you lose weight, but it also makes your muscles pop, and having muscles that pop doesn't look as impressive if you're not skinny enough for them to be seen. There are plenty of chubby guys with muscles out there because they exercise a lot but don't manage their food numbers. Blah blah blah food tangent as per usual, lol. Speaking of which, tonight is bone broth night in my IP, bbl!

 

[Kaido]

QuiVR has been my favorite game as of late. If any of you do multi-player, I'm under Mister Iceland. Saw some new baddies tonight, including scorpions & a new boss to me, a giant rock monster. The sense of scale was awesome when he got close to the gate!

 

[Linux23]

QuiVR has been my favorite game as of late. If any of you do multi-player, I'm under Mister Iceland. Saw some new baddies tonight, including scorpions & a new boss to me, a giant rock monster. The sense of scale was awesome when he got close to the gate!

i'm under LinuxVR2000 so you can add me. not sure how to do the multiplayer thing yet, but yes this game is awesome and my shots are getting much more accurate now.

Also, thanks for the tips on Holopoint. That game had me sweating and provided a really good workout so will definitely try to get this in every few days.

 

[Linux23]

Oh, and Zombie Training Simulator is a simple, yet fun game to blow off some steam or waste time.

 

[Linux23]

Got 50,000 kills in Zombie Simulator. Unlocked ALL of the guns. OMFG this game is so fun. When you get to Wave 20 and there are 1000 zombies to take out, you better think fast because these mofo's will be on your ass quick.

No matter how the movies make it seem, shooting with two guns is NOT easy. Actually it is harder to take out a mass of zombies with two guns but i'm learning to look at several targets at once using my peripheral vision.

The 50K dual handgun unlock is sweeeeeeet.

 

[Sabrewings]

shooting with two guns is NOT easy.

I honed that skill with Space Pirate Trainer. Now I can track and shoot at two targets at once with pretty good accuracy, even over 90* apart.