Valve Index or Rift S + Elite Dangerous

bilbosmeggins

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Genuine question to those with experience of both headsets...... After a long hiatus due to life, I’m back to the gaming. More specifically, I’m back to Elite Dangerous. I’m currently using the Rift S, but feel the experience could be better. How does the Index perform vs the Rift S for this specific game?

Will the higher refresh rate come into play, or will the demands of Elite force me to dumb down the graphics to cope at a higher speed (i7, GTX 1080TI)? How will the blacks of space be? Will the FOV be noticeably better? I already know that the sound will be a massive upgrade. Not arsed about the virtues of Knuckles though, lol.

I’m actually in a position whereby I could put in an order atm. Just want to be sure it will be beneficial.
 
TBH I don't think you notice that much of a difference in a game like Elite.
 
An HMD with OLEDs will be better for blacks. Both the Index and the Rift S have LCD. You want to look to the Vive Pro.

The higher resolution of the Index will make reading the details of the console and menus of Elite easier but will be much more demanding on your hardware. 120 Hz of the Index will feel nicer but, again, will be much more demanding on your hardware. Index most impressive increase in FOV is vertical and that will absolutely have an impact on how you view the Elite universe.

If blacks are important to you, get the Vive Pro, its a significant bump in resolution over the Rift S (1400 x 1600 per eye of the Index / Vive Pro vs 1280 vs 1440 per eye of the Rift S) and is sporting OLEDs. If blacks not so important and you think you can drive the resolution and high refresh rate then get an Index, though I don't think a 1080 ti will be enough to get Elite at Index resolution at 120 fps.

The Rift S is the lesser of the three options for Elite. Either the Vive Pro or the Index will be an improvement but in different ways.
 
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Thanks for the in-depth answer. Blacks aren’t the be all and end all, and I could maybe push that criteria aside.

Regarding FOV, I think I would have been happier with a boost in the horizontal, as the Rift feels quite claustrophobic in that department.

I think maybe I should wait for the next generation of gfx cards to land, and see if the 2080 range become a bit more sensible in price. Currently selling between £1100-1400 is taking the piss a bit I feel. If I could then bag a 2080ti I could probably utilise the 120hz of the Index.

Feel a bit deflated now, as this lockdown has got me feeling all “retail therapy “. Was all set to pounce on the Index to cheer myself up a bit 😄
 
One important thing to remember if you switch from an Oculus headset to a headset made by another company is that you'll lose ASW 2.0.

Personally I'd say get yourself a Yaw VR Motion Simulator, they're £1490 plus shipping (£100 I THINK, but not certain).

Then you can be a guinea pig for me before I get mine at the end of the year and let me know if it's worth getting one or not lmfao 😂😂😂😂😝

Or I suppose you could spend that money saved on a 30xx card later this year instead, but I think you should go for a Yaw just to let me know if they're worth buying lol. 😁
 
As much as I love the Oculus universe, the whole thing drove me mad yesterday. I was trying to play IL2, which is not part of the Oculus library. I had an absolute nightmare getting it to run, as the Oculus Home insisted on being in charge of proceedings. Steam, Oculus, and the IL2 title were not on talking terms. Probably took about 30 minutes of faffing about just to be able to launch it.

Given that I err towards simulators, I am quite prepared to step away from Oculus if necessary. And, regarding that YAW motion pod, you are on your own with that one. I have neither the space, nor the faith for that lol. Wouldn’t mind trying one out of curiosity though.
 
If you have the urge to buy yourself a treat, go ahead and get the index. It’s a great bit of kit. I recently did a fresh Instal on my gaming pc after switching from oculus to index. It’s so much smoother now. Steam VR has come on leaps and bounds.
 
If you have the urge to buy yourself a treat, go ahead and get the index. It’s a great bit of kit. I recently did a fresh Instal on my gaming pc after switching from oculus to index. It’s so much smoother now. Steam VR has come on leaps and bounds.

Must admit I'm considering doing the same.

Something I noticed actually - I'd left the FPS on 90 because I 'only' have a 2070 Super and was already seeing a lot of motion smoothing artifacts.

But I switched to 120 just to experience it, and actually the motion smoothing is less noticeable at 123 / 60. In fact I haven't noticed it at all yet - I totally forgot that I'd switched to 120.
 
I did a comparison with beat saber on the Index at 120fps and then on the same system with a RiftS. The difference is quiet noticeable especially on some of the particle effects.
 
Anyone know the current waiting time for the Index, what with Covid 19 etc?
 
Anyone know the current waiting time for the Index, what with Covid 19 etc?

Just says 'after 8 weeks' on the website, which isn't a help at all, and you probably knew already. I got one a month or so ago and it took about 3 weeks, but I'd booked one as soon as orders opened.
 
Mine said a couple of weeks and I got it in 5 days.
 
Thanks both. Just wondering whether there might be a spike in sales, due to people being locked up and going stir-crazy.

Currently torn between Index, new gfx card, or to hell with it and a new, shiny PC. Been looking at this one: Infinity X99 RTX Gaming PC
 
Thanks both. Just wondering whether there might be a spike in sales, due to people being locked up and going stir-crazy.

Or cancellations because between placing the order and coming to pay, peoples' work situation has changed drastically.
 
I'm hoping nvidia take their thumb out and actually release the 3080Ti (or whatever they decide to call it) soon. I'm also itching to upgrade at the moment but holding off.
 
Or cancellations because between placing the order and coming to pay, peoples' work situation has changed drastically.

Yes, that’s feasible. Hadn’t considered that :)

Well, I’ve just bitten the bullet and ordered the Index. Hopefully, I’ll see the order through this time. Because last time I cancelled when my number came up. A combination of being in two minds, and financially precarious. I’m a tad more sorted now.

I think I’ll just try it with my existing setup first, and see how well it performs. If I need to buy a new gfx card, or a new pc later on then so be it. Thanks to all who chirped in. Much appreciated 🙂
 
I'm hoping nvidia take their thumb out and actually release the 3080Ti (or whatever they decide to call it) soon. I'm also itching to upgrade at the moment but holding off.

Should be some time in the second half of this year going by reports. 😁
 
Should be some time in the second half of this year going by reports. 😁
I think they're going to blow smoke up our butts and tease us with data centre and professional cards first.
 

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