ASW worked really nicely on the Rift, better than SteamVR motion reprojection and the WMR stuff.
Having said that, AWS 2 needs the app to provide a depth buffer for it, which might mean DCS needs to support and possible be coded for that. It also means that a lot of SteamVR titles won’t support it (IL-2). I’m sure Facebook are pretty upset with that omission, whoops!
With all these things, the best thing is that the underlying game provides better framerates. These in-between frame things are essentially tricks, and sort of crutches that have hidden poor render times.
It’s a sort of cutting edge tax though Paul. People don’t have $600 to spend every year or so, and the threshold of usable resolution in VR is just starting to come into the realms of being more usable. Being able to see stuff is important for people used to desktop sims. It’s analogous to buying a 1080 on launch day as well as buying the 2080 again when that came out. The Rift cost me $700, the Odyssey Plus with the far better screen/resolution $300.
I would advise from getting locked into a single store/vendor when making purchases though. If you purchased stuff from the Oculus store then you’ll pretty much stuck to the Rift S for the next 3 years or so.
Very true, although the price of the Rift fell sharply quite some time ago. I also paid $700 for my Rift, but I got a full three years of using it before a new version hits the streets. I feel I more than got my money’s worth.
Regarding being locked in with the Oculus store, no argument there, but I still feel that the Oculus platform is superior to Steam VR/WMR. The perfect solution would be for Oculus to open up the platform to other headsets.
I’d suggest that another solution would be for the other platforms to get better!
Facebook doesn’t make money on the PC devices, so they need the store exclusivity if PC VR was going to be interesting to them. Once the Quest is out I think all attention will be on that for them - it is a good fit for their platform. They nailed the usability on the Rift, and Valve and Microsoft did their typical ‘engineers mindset’ thing that is/was pretty ugly to use. The majority of Facebook users are on mobile phones now, so the ‘console’ model will still push VR forward as a medium for sure.
I just want to be able to read that Tomcat analog airspeed gauge clearly in VR, so I will concede I’m not mainstream. I also don’t regret a single VR hardware purchase - this stuff is has made sims so fantastic it is hard to even convey the ‘why’.
""Also, I’m sure you’re asking: where is the VR performance boost!? It’s coming. The VR optimization of the Caucasus map is done, and now the team is optimizing the other maps for improved VR performance. Once done and tested, we’ll release this in a future Open Beta.
"
Interesting to read about his experience with the Rift S…
Oculus was kind enough to send us a couple Rift S kits to ensure best performance in DCS World. Based on the previews I’ve been reading from GDC, I was expecting more of a lateral quality move, with added inside-out tracking. However, compared to the Rift, I’m seeing a significantly higher resolution in DCS World where instrumentation is much easier to read, as well as spotting units outside the cockpit. Looking around the Hornet cockpit, I can read EVERYTHING. I’m very impressed with the DCS World experience in the Rift S. Inside-out tracking has been flawless for me, and Rift S setup could not be easier. If you are a Rift owner, I’d certainly suggest taking a very hard look at the Rift S; I find the experience considerably better.
I’m sure there will be no shortage of comparisons between the new headsets in DCS once they arrive. I know I’m interested in a new set if it can provide a significant visual upgrade from the Rift for sure.
As I am on the fence about VR (once I have my new PC) I will follow this closely.
Right now I am most intrigued by the new Valve headset and its controllers, but that might still change.
With optimizations incoming I’m taking a real close look at the incoming HP headset. Oculus ergonomics with a significant bump in resolution. Yes please!
…and perhaps just a driver and not a marketplace that insists on popping up any time you so much as look at the headset. F oculus and I will keep posting this until they decouple their driver from their Ffing marketplace.
I now want to see comparisons between the HP Reverb, the Valve Index and the Rift S for DCS. Oh, and I want a pony too!
As an aside to all this, it’s really good that Oculus reached out with preview units to Eagle. That shows a good thing for flight sims in general I think.
As of today, my thinking on each of the sets is (I’ll be mocked in the future for this post I think, but such is life):
Odyssey Plus: Good value at $300 for the panels and anti-SDE. Bad comfort and awkward sweet spot. Mediocre controllers and WMR software.
Rift S: Would be better at $300 rather than $400. Worse headphones, no manual IPD shifter. Good optics, good tracking with more cameras and controllers, smooth software (using Oculus SDK).
HP Reverb. A not cheap $700, but great resolution. How’s the sweet spot though? Mediocre controllers and WMR software, so maybe just purely for driving / flying sims? Will it kill framerates because of the high pixel density? No manual IPD adjuster. Comfort modeled on the Rift rather than O+.
Valve Index. Price is key, especially if you have no lighthouse stuff already. Screen better or worse than Rift S? Knuckles controller look neat but who cares for sims? Manual IPD adjuster.
Pimax 5k+. With controllers $1000. Wide FOV but similar pixel density to existing O+ etc. Small company, non US support. Still coming out of kickstarter orders.
Good pro/con list, but I’d like to add: No European distribution or support for the Odyssey +
Can you tell I’m a bit miffed Samsung doesn’t sell it here?
I guess one upside of the Odyssey+ not being offered in Europe is that the stage is set where you’ll get a complete free run at the RiftS / Reverb / Index choice, without having to wonder if it’s worth it? (trying to see the upside here )
The best time to buy consumer electronics is in 6 months time…
Yeah, I would probably have jumped on the O+ ship by now, and so wouldn’t be able to afford one of the incoming headsets, so I guess there really is an upside to it
Exiting times ahead, really looking forward to the first reviews of the new sets. Wags little preview sure makes the DCS vr future seem bright!
Since I got the Oculus and the O+, I’m going to have to be blown away by OPTIMIZATION to consider another HMD. Sadly I was not blown away by the O+. Its an incremental step up from the Rift but WMR IS a pain on my backside. That said, i have now almost completely stopped playing DCS. IL2 GB looks so much better and performance is excellent. The shadows and reflections really put me in the mood to fly. FC planes with their simplicity are easy on the hardware too. I was a few meters above a beautiful mountain range and thought it was amazing. In not trying to put down DCS. IT has its moments of beauty too. I’m just waiting on the “VR patch”. In the meantime with the O+ and my 2080ti I will be content and keep my hands off my wallet. ED… your move.
It sounds like your experience is pretty much the same as mine. I have become so accustomed to the Oculus platform. It is simple to use, provides smoother reprojection (ASW) and it just works. No muss, no fuss. There is so much more involved with providing a great VR experience than just the specs of the headset.
