VR Gaming Chat

I don't think Valve need an ecosystem other than the one they have and that's PC software.

They look for new ways of selling their PC gaming library... Steam Deck (Steam Machines before that), PCVR.
But they're really not hardware vendors, hardware is just a way to sell more PC games. Vive and Index were an insurance measure in case VR took off... to keep Steam relevant to VR users in the face of the Rift store.

Now, as long as Quests connect to PC and Meta aren't really into PCVR software vending, Valve don't need to do anything other than still have a little insurance, in case Quest standalone takes off and starts to challenge PC gaming, which it won't, at least not for a very long time. They definitely don't need to make any VR hardware that competes on price with Meta i.e. selling at cost or close to it.

Valve don't even need to produce software for PC or PCVR, they make all the money they need from other people's software. Alyx was something that promoted their PC store to VR users and VR developers alike.
 
All interesting viewpoints.
But let's take a wild guess, and what do you think is going to happen over the next 5 to 10 years?
I could be wrong, but Mark and Meta have missed out in the past in taking the market for a consumer with a product, and if anything, the Quest 3, 4, 5 would feel like his only realistic chance to establish a standard.
Due to not wanting to make money from the hardware, it's pretty much impossible for anyone to come along and dislodge from a money/platform position/ecosystem position.

Apple are going to "Do an Apple" and head for the high ground.
Samsung (perhaps with Google?) are going to release a competing very high end model to compete with Apple. but honestly without the Apple ecosystem and Apple brand behind them I've no idea how they will be able to sustain a 2000+ headset to anyone really.

All the mid tier ones seem like they could come and go again and again over the next decade and no-one will really notice.
 
They managed to spin a whole article out of some model numbers!


Apparently critical of the Apple headset's lack of controllers. Got me wondering if we still need tracked controllers? If the hand tracking is good enough now, a controller will always have a hand attached to it, so could we dumb down the controllers to just being inputs?

I'd thought Google had given up on VR. It's good to see them back interested. Hope they actually have some ideas and it's not just a 'me too' in response to Apple.
 
They managed to spin a whole article out of some model numbers!


Apparently critical of the Apple headset's lack of controllers. Got me wondering if we still need tracked controllers? If the hand tracking is good enough now, a controller will always have a hand attached to it, so could we dumb down the controllers to just being inputs?

I'd thought Google had given up on VR. It's good to see them back interested. Hope they actually have some ideas and it's not just a 'me too' in response to Apple.
Yes, for certain games/experiences you either need or very much prefer controllers.
Firstly it's impossible to see what your fingers are doing in many instances, additionally in many games you are representing on screen that you are holding an item. So it makes sense for you to be holding an item in real life to give your hand/brain the realistic touch/feel feedback for the most believable experience.
Ideally of course you would have many different shapes things to match the experience.
A bat, a paddle, a gun/rifle, a steering wheel.
Most don't have all of these of course, but just holding a controller at least gives you some sense of matching what's on screen with a trigger or button.
Hands have there place (ideally on the end of your arms ;) ) but not for a lot of things as they are no precise enough and as I say need to be seen 100% for it to work.
 
I am a huge fan of hand tracking in VR, it is a big step forward for immersion however for most titles it is along side proper peripherals not instead of.

sure perhaps in some games controllers wont be needed, golf games just use a stick, same with a drum game (i dunno just plucking out of my head)

but where hand tracking is really exciting for me would be flicking switches in the cockpit of a flight sim - but still having my HOTAS as well.
 
I am a huge fan of hand tracking in VR, it is a big step forward for immersion however for most titles it is along side proper peripherals not instead of.

sure perhaps in some games controllers wont be needed, golf games just use a stick, same with a drum game (i dunno just plucking out of my head)

but where hand tracking is really exciting for me would be flicking switches in the cockpit of a flight sim - but still having my HOTAS as well.


Valve's Index controllers are the way forwards. We still need buttons in games and joysticks.
 
This is disappointing...


I'm probably part of the problem, I wanted it but didn't buy it... Coz they didn't release it on my platform of choice :facepalm:

It's the Chicken and Egg problem.

We have built these amazing cars, but there are just not the great roads to enjoy them on, so I'll wait for the better roads before buying a car.
Not worth spending all the money making these really expensive roads when there are so few people buying the nice cars.
You need the Car Companies to invest in road construction or the road companies to invest in car production.

Or you need a GIANT reason to get into cars, just like how cars first started (which hardly anyone knows about now, which was all the piles of horse poo and terrible smell from dead horse carcass in the the street, so the cars were the answer to clean up the city streets from the disgusting horse problem.

According to Lee Jackson, author of Dirty Old London: The Victorian Fight Against Filth, mud was actually a euphemism. "It was essentially composed of horse dung," he tells Fresh Air's Sam Briger. "There were tens of thousands of working horses in London [with] inevitable consequences for the streets. And the Victorians never really found an effective way of removing that, unfortunately."

In fact, by the 1890s, there were approximately 300,000 horses and 1,000 tons of dung a day in London. What the Victorians did, Lee says, was employ boys ages 12 to 14 to dodge between the traffic and try to scoop up the excrement as soon as it hit the streets.
 
And to limit those chickens to only poached eggs or limit those cars to only horse poo free roads is counterintuitive... I've lost my trail of thought... I'm imagining a terrible omelette.
 
Or you need a GIANT reason to get into cars, just like how cars first started (which hardly anyone knows about now, which was all the piles of horse poo and terrible smell from dead horse carcass in the the street, so the cars were the answer to clean up the city streets from the disgusting horse problem.

According to Lee Jackson, author of Dirty Old London: The Victorian Fight Against Filth, mud was actually a euphemism. "It was essentially composed of horse dung," he tells Fresh Air's Sam Briger. "There were tens of thousands of working horses in London [with] inevitable consequences for the streets. And the Victorians never really found an effective way of removing that, unfortunately."

In fact, by the 1890s, there were approximately 300,000 horses and 1,000 tons of dung a day in London. What the Victorians did, Lee says, was employ boys ages 12 to 14 to dodge between the traffic and try to scoop up the excrement as soon as it hit the streets.
how strange..... I had never heard that story before ... until a few days ago only it was about new york.
 

This is very consistent with my personal experience. 120 FPS on the Index was a game changer when trying to get my VR legs. Going back to 90 on my Pico 4 is very close but not quite the same and I'm more susceptible to the odd bit of queasiness than I was on my Index.

120 FPS should be the minimum going forward.
 
The boys birthday (12) is fast approaching and he's constantly mentioning a VR headset.
He's been a PC/XBOX player up to now.. Loves Minecraft, Roblox and just know he would love Five Nights at Freddys on it.

I've been looking at the MetaQuest 2 (128GB) as an introduction into the VR Headset space for him.. Didn't want to go straight into getting him a MQ3 as they're pricey if he doesn't get on with it.

Noticed that the 256GB version of the MQ2 is rarer than chicken lips right now?

Are these a good option for a first VR headset for this age group and does anyone know if there's stock online anywhere for the 256GB set? MQ UK themselves don't have any so am guessing not :(

Thanks
 
The boys birthday (12) is fast approaching and he's constantly mentioning a VR headset.
He's been a PC/XBOX player up to now.. Loves Minecraft, Roblox and just know he would love Five Nights at Freddys on it.

I've been looking at the MetaQuest 2 (128GB) as an introduction into the VR Headset space for him.. Didn't want to go straight into getting him a MQ3 as they're pricey if he doesn't get on with it.

Noticed that the 256GB version of the MQ2 is rarer than chicken lips right now?

Are these a good option for a first VR headset for this age group and does anyone know if there's stock online anywhere for the 256GB set? MQ UK themselves don't have any so am guessing not :(

Thanks
The Pico 4 is a good compromise between the Q2 and 3. I've had the Q2 and it developed a fault so I refunded and got the Pico 4. The Pico 4 has pancake lenses which is a massive improvement over the Q2, and the rear battery makes it more comfortable to wear without spending on an extra strap. The downside is the selection of games on the Pico store is more limited but you can access most of them via PCVR with virtual desktop.
 
The downside is the selection of games on the Pico store is more limited but you can access most of them via PCVR with virtual desktop.
Assuming the OP has a PC capable of powering it
 
The boys birthday (12) is fast approaching and he's constantly mentioning a VR headset.
He's been a PC/XBOX player up to now.. Loves Minecraft, Roblox and just know he would love Five Nights at Freddys on it.

I've been looking at the MetaQuest 2 (128GB) as an introduction into the VR Headset space for him.. Didn't want to go straight into getting him a MQ3 as they're pricey if he doesn't get on with it.

Noticed that the 256GB version of the MQ2 is rarer than chicken lips right now?

Are these a good option for a first VR headset for this age group and does anyone know if there's stock online anywhere for the 256GB set? MQ UK themselves don't have any so am guessing not :(

Thanks
a lot of us on here are slightly VR snobs (myself included) however as a 1st vr headset the quest 2 is really good.... its no quest 3 but meta have the 128gb on offer today for £199

that is a serious amount of kit for the money, and it IS still a decent headset.

add to that if they love VR in the future you can aleays buy a better meta headset and set up family sharing and play multiplayer games on a single account. I played crazy golf with the lad on my quest 2 and me on my quest pro and it was fantastic.
 
Totally agree bought my foster lad one of fb marketplace yesterday including a hard case, battery headset and recharging grips with a charger, all for £100 then referred him and we both got £23 a bargain!
 
nice!... was it never used or do the referals work on 2nd hand headsets? either way that is some deal you got there!.
 

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