Oculus DK2 + Virtual Desktop + Aero Blasters

[sn0zc0r3]

I've had a DK2 for about as long as they've been available. I've played some demos, grabbed a few games that make great use of it (Elite: Dangerous is incredible with it, even when I spent my time just doing single player tutorials), and fiddled around with various sdk's.

However, it always felt like a pain in the ass to get it set up correctly, both hardware wise and in-game/app settings, and even after I had it configured, there was always another issue. It was the closest I've been to legit VR that wasn't vomit-inducing (Dactyl Nightmare *urk*) and I can see the immense potential behind it, but the general usability behind getting it up and working reliably frustrated me.

When CV1 preorders opened, I didn't give it a second thought and positioned myself comfortably on to the hype train. It struck me later though - "Hey, didn't they update the runtime semi-recently? I wonder how much the DK2 experience improved with it..."

Holy. Shit. Night and day. Everything is so much smoother and easier to set up. I updated an app I had downloaded in the past that lets you navigate the windows desktop in a virtual environment and had my mind blown. Doing shit with windows inside of a giant, 150" curved screen floating in a giant space nebula is seriously cool, but then I wondered how well emulators would work.

So I loaded up Aero Blasters and had an amazing amount of fun, but the part that completely sold me in regards to VR was changing the background of the virtual desktop from the space nebula to the "home theater" layout. When I switched to it, I found myself sitting in home theater-like seating and a giant 180"-ish movie screen in front of me.

If you can get a chance to try the rift any time soon or after the CV1 is launched, I strongly suggest you give it a try with virtual desktop and some retro emulation. I absolutely cannot wait until I have my CV1 in hand.

[tbone3969]

Wow sounds legit.  I am skeptical because I have been hearing about VR coming out soon for over 20 years now but it seems we may be on the verge of it actually happening.  So cool.

[sn0zc0r3]

Wow sounds legit.  I am skeptical because I have been hearing about VR coming out soon for over 20 years now but it seems we may be on the verge of it actually happening.  So cool.

Totally hear you, and I completely agree. I remember back in the NES days,  some company released an HMD and was absolutely terrible. 2 extremely low quality screens in front of each eye, and it weighed a ton. Years later, I remember going to North Pier in downtown Chicago to the VR space next to the arcade that was located there (across from Battletech) and played Dactyl Nightmare. It was really cool, but again it wasn't the highest quality and made me nauseous as f*ck.

2016 is the year that VR is for real.

[Anthony1]

Do you guys remember when a game would come out of nowhere and just blow everybody the F away ?

Like in 1993 when Doom came out. Or in late 2001 when GTA 3 came out on PS2.

To me, it's been a very, very, very long time since I've had any really amazing experience with a game. Like, being totally blown away by a game, thinking the gaming landscape is forever changed. Sure, there are plenty of great games that have come along in the last 10 years (Bioshock, Fallout 3, Crackdown).  But nothing that has totally blown me away like Doom did in 1993 or Super Mario 64 did in 1996. Hell, even Starfox in early 1993 or Donkey Kong Country when it came out.

My hope is that finally something will actually blow me the F away, and hoping that VR is it. Of course, having said all of that, I haven't tried any VR yet. None of them. So, I have no idea if I'm actually going to really like it, or be one of the few people that just don't like it.

I just want a Tron game in VR. It's all I ask for....

[Dicer]

I've only dipped my toes into ghetto VR (Google Cardboard) but even with that limitation it's still pretty mind blowing, I cant wait for the day to slip on a real headset and get the full monty...

Gaming is going to be amazing, as long as people make the right experiences...




















oh and VR porn, damn... 

[xelement5x]

Lol, I have Google Cardboard too, by numbers alone is it the most widely adopted VR headset out there.  It is also pretty cheap or free too

[martinine]

Do you guys remember when a game would come out of nowhere and just blow everybody the F away ?

Like in 1993 when Doom came out. Or in late 2001 when GTA 3 came out on PS2.

To me, it's been a very, very, very long time since I've had any really amazing experience with a game. Like, being totally blown away by a game, thinking the gaming landscape is forever changed. Sure, there are plenty of great games that have come along in the last 10 years (Bioshock, Fallout 3, Crackdown).  But nothing that has totally blown me away like Doom did in 1993 or Super Mario 64 did in 1996. Hell, even Starfox in early 1993 or Donkey Kong Country when it came out. 

My hope is that finally something will actually blow me the F away, and hoping that VR is it. Of course, having said all of that, I haven't tried any VR yet. None of them. So, I have no idea if I'm actually going to really like it, or be one of the few people that just don't like it.

I just want a Tron game in VR. It's all I ask for....

This. So much! I completely agree with all of those except I had a face melt moment with Morrowind and Oblivion.

[ParanoiaDragon]

What's funny is, I recall BITD, the Jag was supposed to have VR.  At the time, I thought it sounded neat.  Nothing ever came of it ofcoarse.  Now that I'm older, I have zero interest in VR.  I tried it at a friends house(he's somehow involved in the field, though I've never understood to what degree).  It was neat & realistic, but, for some reason, it just doesn't interest me, & I don't know why.  Same goes for 3D in general.  I'd actually rather see a movie or game in 2D than in 3D.

[Groover]

I can see myself getting lost in the VR arcade. I'm excited for this VR future. I hope it hangs in there long enough to stay. I can see it is good now but in 5-10 years of maturity it could be very accessible. These next couple of years are going to be interesting.