How to access VR for reasonable cost?
Discussion
Assuming you need a headset too, then a Metaquest is the best bang-for-buck you can get, then get the cable to connect to the PC. The previous Quest2 you may be able to get 2nd hand for £150.
In terms of beefy PC's, yes, if you want a good experience. Minimum for the game is a GTX 1060 or RX 580, but the higher the better as FPS is critical for VR. I'd suggest more like a RTX 20 series really, with a reasonable CPU to back it up.
You won't regret it though, HL:Alyx is *incredible*
I picked up a cheap used Quest 3 to try VR. For me 'true' VR games/experiences makes me feel sick within about a minute, and I play games for fun not to make me feel sick. I've got a refund from every VR app/game I've tried on the Meta store.
I do use the Quest 3 quite alot as a portable 120inch display though for GeForce Now. It work great, but the true resolution is more like XVGA rather than HD and no where near 4k, something to do with viewing angles etc. On paper the Quest 3 is 4k, in reality it's no where near.
I might pick up an 8k per eye OLED headset when they become affordable, not for VR though, purely as another display technology. Luckily with more and more stuff all going over streaming computing hardware limitations become less of an issue.
https://xinreality.com/wiki/Resolution
I do use the Quest 3 quite alot as a portable 120inch display though for GeForce Now. It work great, but the true resolution is more like XVGA rather than HD and no where near 4k, something to do with viewing angles etc. On paper the Quest 3 is 4k, in reality it's no where near.
I might pick up an 8k per eye OLED headset when they become affordable, not for VR though, purely as another display technology. Luckily with more and more stuff all going over streaming computing hardware limitations become less of an issue.
https://xinreality.com/wiki/Resolution
Have a look at the Pico range too. https://www.picoxr.com/uk
I've got a Pico 4. I haven't used it for ages but I remember being suitably impressed when I got it. I spent a couple of hours on HL:Alyx too and it was amazing (4070-based PC).
I've got a Pico 4. I haven't used it for ages but I remember being suitably impressed when I got it. I spent a couple of hours on HL:Alyx too and it was amazing (4070-based PC).
Pick up a cheap Quest 2 off of eBay ... if you find you are really into VR then you can think about upgrading later on and either way you haven't spent much money on testing the water.
Actually, the Quest 2 is pretty capable. The biggest drawback is the Fresnel lenses IMO which mean you have to be careful to make sure you are in the 'sweet spot' when you adjust the headset. Makes a good PCVR headset as you don't need to worry about support for new games on the internal hardware.
Actually, the Quest 2 is pretty capable. The biggest drawback is the Fresnel lenses IMO which mean you have to be careful to make sure you are in the 'sweet spot' when you adjust the headset. Makes a good PCVR headset as you don't need to worry about support for new games on the internal hardware.
I have a Quest 3 and the kids each have a Rift S. Girl's left hand controller failed so I picked up a complete (working) Rift S for spares for £70 on eBay. The older stuff is pretty much worthless now, but still great fun. Cheaper than a half-decent monitor
PC wise, it depends on what sort of VR experience you are looking for. High-end flight simulation will require more GPU power than less graphically intensive games. I don't think Alyx is particularly taxing on systems. You could probably pick up a entry to mid-level gaming PC for comfortably under £1k which would do what you want, second hand even cheaper. Depends on what your definition of 'reasonable cost' is. You certainly don't need to be spending £4-5k on the latest hardware.
PC wise, it depends on what sort of VR experience you are looking for. High-end flight simulation will require more GPU power than less graphically intensive games. I don't think Alyx is particularly taxing on systems. You could probably pick up a entry to mid-level gaming PC for comfortably under £1k which would do what you want, second hand even cheaper. Depends on what your definition of 'reasonable cost' is. You certainly don't need to be spending £4-5k on the latest hardware.
Lucas Ayde said:
Pick up a cheap Quest 2 off of eBay
Quest 2 was unusable for me due to my eyes not fitting in the three preset width positions. Unbelievable that they couldn't be arsed to fit a lens slider that was properly adjustable.
The Quest 1 is very out of date and low res but was a far better experience because it has that.
I'd be interested to know how many people laid out big bucks intending to become VR denizens only to use it a handful of times. It's probably awful high.
I had a Reverb G2 that was such an unbelievable faff that I only used it twice.
bloomen said:
I'd be interested to know how many people laid out big bucks intending to become VR denizens only to use it a handful of times. It's probably awful high.
It's often the case. People want the tech first, and assume they'll figure out a use case later, and then don't. See also drones, etc. If you have a genuine use case before you buy then it will see plenty of use.Chimune said:
I aquired a half decent pc with mid range gpu, found an HP Vive pro setup on ebay for 300 and bought Alyx for 25 on offer.
Not cutting edge but smooth and aces without Meta account.
If i had to pay for the pc, it would have been too much $$$ to get started.
Probably safe enough to assume that most people interested in VR gaming on the PC will likely already have a decent PC gaming setup .. which pretty much overlaps 1:1 with the spec you need for VR. I first used PCVR with a GTX 1060 and even that was pretty usable so any reasonably modern gaming card will be fine.Not cutting edge but smooth and aces without Meta account.
If i had to pay for the pc, it would have been too much $$$ to get started.
If not, the Quest 2 is still fun with stand-alone VR games and the Quest 3 even more capable.
Quests no longer need a Facebook account - they introduced a 'Meta Account' a while back which is a separate thing. I'm sure that Meta know exactly what FB account you are using too for their data collection but a FB ban should no longer equate to your headset and stand-alone games library becoming unusable.
bloomen said:
Quest 2 was unusable for me due to my eyes not fitting in the three preset width positions.
Unbelievable that they couldn't be arsed to fit a lens slider that was properly adjustable.
The optical system was probably the biggest drawback of the Quest 2 - it's much better on the main Quest 3 with the 'pancake lenses' and a variable slider for the IPD but just the same Fresnel Lenses and 3-position setup on the Quest 3s unfortunately. That's the price of keeping the retail price down.Unbelievable that they couldn't be arsed to fit a lens slider that was properly adjustable.
FWIW I didn't have a problem with IPD on the Quest 2 but having to jiggle the headset around on my face to get the sweet spot of the Fresnel lenses every time I put it on was a real pain. But in terms of price and specs it was a winner.
Lucas Ayde said:
FWIW I didn't have a problem with IPD on the Quest 2 but having to jiggle the headset around on my face to get the sweet spot of the Fresnel lenses every time I put it on was a real pain. But in terms of price and specs it was a winner.
I could tell the screen was very good for what I paid for it. It would've done me over a Quest 3. Except I was seeing double.
I really can't see where the expense is in removing some notches in the lens slider. They must've lost a decent percentage of sales.
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