- Joined
- Dec 9, 2021
I think we're more closely associated with the likes of the motor racing autist with his Thrustmaster and triple monitors setup (except his shit runs reliably)
The VR Thread - We all know what you really use it for.
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- Joined
- Aug 23, 2018
Small update on the headset technical front. Got the firmware to finally take. The fix was to plug it in the back of the PC, in the red USB 3.2 slot. (Most advice online says to use front ports.) I figured it would like the fastest port more, and was right.
The next problem. It's complaining that my display port connection or GPU isn't good enough.
My GPU is above minimum spec, Steam gives it a great rating for being VR ready. If it is a GPU bottleneck, a new GPU could be on the cards, though now is a bad time for that.
I had bought an "8k" display port 2.1 cable just for the headset. The recommended "4k" 1.4 cable from the same brand was out of stock so assumed this would be acceptable.
The current plan is to swap my monitor to HDMI and 60hz, and put the headset in the first display port. Maybe it will like that more, and in theory, it won't be competiting for bandwidth with my monitor,
The next problem. It's complaining that my display port connection or GPU isn't good enough.
My GPU is above minimum spec, Steam gives it a great rating for being VR ready. If it is a GPU bottleneck, a new GPU could be on the cards, though now is a bad time for that.
I had bought an "8k" display port 2.1 cable just for the headset. The recommended "4k" 1.4 cable from the same brand was out of stock so assumed this would be acceptable.
The current plan is to swap my monitor to HDMI and 60hz, and put the headset in the first display port. Maybe it will like that more, and in theory, it won't be competiting for bandwidth with my monitor,
- Joined
- Aug 23, 2018
Double. Sort of a X-post with the game dev thread.
In short, the sequel to G-mod is coming out at the end of April. It's Source 2 (the HL Alyx engine) and is trying to be Gmod meets Roblox. Giving Source 2 a Unity like interface and workflow.
One thing that interests me is native VR support out of the box. It is the HLA engine after all. And given HLA is famous for having a mod become a full game (gunman contracts) and a near total conversion (goldeneye vr) this could mean that we'll start seeing worthwhile VR games again since people won't be limited to janky plug ins or doing the basic VR groundwork. I don't know how easy it'll be to port flatscreen modes to VR. Given that people have done it with newer Resident Evil games without official mod support, then I assume it's doable.
In short, the sequel to G-mod is coming out at the end of April. It's Source 2 (the HL Alyx engine) and is trying to be Gmod meets Roblox. Giving Source 2 a Unity like interface and workflow.
One thing that interests me is native VR support out of the box. It is the HLA engine after all. And given HLA is famous for having a mod become a full game (gunman contracts) and a near total conversion (goldeneye vr) this could mean that we'll start seeing worthwhile VR games again since people won't be limited to janky plug ins or doing the basic VR groundwork. I don't know how easy it'll be to port flatscreen modes to VR. Given that people have done it with newer Resident Evil games without official mod support, then I assume it's doable.
- Joined
- Oct 9, 2023
Pretty much... I can count the plug and play vr titles ive experienced on one hand and most of them are half life.
Its a fun set up but we are still far away from it taking off.
- Joined
- Dec 9, 2021
Actually kind of excited. VR GMOD sounds like a blast. I worry a little though about those horror maps that try to seem innocent at first causing IRL heart attacks.
- Joined
- Aug 23, 2018
Excellent news Kiwis. After a decade and 4 days, I've finally been able to jump into VR. I look forward to trying all the amazing AAA games and thriving ecosystem that has developed in that time.
But seriously though, been waiting a long time to try this.
But you don't care about novelty. Let's talk big problems.
The biggest is with the controllers. Despite getting a 96/100 on the bluetooth quality test. (anything above 70 is considered good, and I want to say 40+ is acceptable) every few minutes or so I get a pop up warning me my bluetooth quality is too low. The left hand would sometimes glitch out a bit. I'm standing just out of arms reach of the PC, so I doubt it's a signal problem.
The other issue is a stupid one. The headset comes with cheap earbuds with a standard headphone jack. The problem is that they clip into place. I'm hesitent to use them as, if I decide to use proper headphones, I worry they might not be removable.
Any tips for dialing in IPD and other fine tuning welcome.
But seriously though, been waiting a long time to try this.
Turns out updating my drivers fixed it. ...kind of. It still complains about my cable/GPU in the software, and clicking ok causes to go back a few steps in the setup process. But ignoring it allows me to continue, and I was walking around home with no issues except for an extra window open. Happy days.
Getting those wow moments of walking out of the Steam home, and seeing the mountain views, but it leaves blowing past and birds flying that sold it. The sense of presence standing in front of shelves is great too.
There are some minor quibbles. The cable nag I mentioned. Bluring at the edge of my vision, and there's some godrays when there's black text on a white screen. The fix for this I might already know, as I've yet to turn the headset to 90hz and turn the brightness down to zero. I also felt a bit swimmy when using the passthrough. I suspect this is because my eye distance isn't set right. All this I put down to set up.
The play area being a transparent blue cage you're standing in is kind of silly. I'll have to either turn that off, or just do what most people say and make the play area bigger than the room and have a mat or towel to tell when you're stepping out of bounds.
Getting those wow moments of walking out of the Steam home, and seeing the mountain views, but it leaves blowing past and birds flying that sold it. The sense of presence standing in front of shelves is great too.
There are some minor quibbles. The cable nag I mentioned. Bluring at the edge of my vision, and there's some godrays when there's black text on a white screen. The fix for this I might already know, as I've yet to turn the headset to 90hz and turn the brightness down to zero. I also felt a bit swimmy when using the passthrough. I suspect this is because my eye distance isn't set right. All this I put down to set up.
The play area being a transparent blue cage you're standing in is kind of silly. I'll have to either turn that off, or just do what most people say and make the play area bigger than the room and have a mat or towel to tell when you're stepping out of bounds.
But you don't care about novelty. Let's talk big problems.
The biggest is with the controllers. Despite getting a 96/100 on the bluetooth quality test. (anything above 70 is considered good, and I want to say 40+ is acceptable) every few minutes or so I get a pop up warning me my bluetooth quality is too low. The left hand would sometimes glitch out a bit. I'm standing just out of arms reach of the PC, so I doubt it's a signal problem.
The other issue is a stupid one. The headset comes with cheap earbuds with a standard headphone jack. The problem is that they clip into place. I'm hesitent to use them as, if I decide to use proper headphones, I worry they might not be removable.
Any tips for dialing in IPD and other fine tuning welcome.
- Joined
- Aug 25, 2023
There are apps for measuring your ipd. Most people are in the 60s.
- Joined
- Aug 23, 2018
(Not an april fools post)
Everything is working well except one thing. Tracking loss. Almost every post on the internet says it's a bluetooth issue, but I'm not so sure since all the buttons work, even rotation. It's only positioning that breaks. Steam and PSVR app both say all is well. I've messed with room lighting to no avail.
My options in order of expense and complexity.
As for games. Not playing HLA until I have the tracking issues solved. Been playing H3VR, and HL2VR. One thing I notice is both games, guns are big.
H3VR is fun, but the controller freezing kills it. It's also a game that seems to really need room scale, or at least smooth locomotion as you're expected to be jumping around. Most of my deaths were a result of a guy coming in behind me and me not being able to turn/reposition fast enough. Skill issue, but in teleport mode there's no way to easily back up which makes some stuff more difficult than it should be. And of course, my hand freezing at inopportune moments is fatal.
HL2VR is where I spent most of my time, simply because I know the game and can work around technical issues. I notice I'm going slower through the game because I keep looking at things. It has an abundance of options which means I've spent a lot of time tweaking things. It's a mod though, and has a few flaws. Things like the seesaw puzzle being a pain, or one time my height was stuck to be about a foot after I accidentally teleported under a desk and that reset my height somehow. I did fix that eventually. Though Half-Life 2: But Gordan is an action figure could be a thing.
I have vertigo remastered installed and ready to go.
It's too early for me to have an opinion on the headset, as well as what is user error and what isn't. eg. There's a bit of plastic that pressed into my forehead during one session, and it turned out it was because I had the scope out to maximum and likely had the headset on wrong.
I wonder what the experience people with original rifts was like because I have just under 2k per eye, and there is some serious aliasing in some games. I question how playable some games were.
Everything is working well except one thing. Tracking loss. Almost every post on the internet says it's a bluetooth issue, but I'm not so sure since all the buttons work, even rotation. It's only positioning that breaks. Steam and PSVR app both say all is well. I've messed with room lighting to no avail.
My options in order of expense and complexity.
- Get a USB extender or hub to move the dongle closer. I doubt this would work as I'm not even 6 foot away as is. Maybe it would be enough, maybe, but I'm not convinced. Should be able to pick one up at the supermarket tomorrow.
- Get the more expensive Asus dongle. Friend says Asus makes crappy dongles, but is the most recommended.
- Wifi/Bluetooth card with external antenna. This is the overkill option, and requires a lot of fucking around due to cards being picky, and being PCIe instead of simple USB. But, none of the power and range limits of USB, at least on paper.
As for games. Not playing HLA until I have the tracking issues solved. Been playing H3VR, and HL2VR. One thing I notice is both games, guns are big.
H3VR is fun, but the controller freezing kills it. It's also a game that seems to really need room scale, or at least smooth locomotion as you're expected to be jumping around. Most of my deaths were a result of a guy coming in behind me and me not being able to turn/reposition fast enough. Skill issue, but in teleport mode there's no way to easily back up which makes some stuff more difficult than it should be. And of course, my hand freezing at inopportune moments is fatal.
HL2VR is where I spent most of my time, simply because I know the game and can work around technical issues. I notice I'm going slower through the game because I keep looking at things. It has an abundance of options which means I've spent a lot of time tweaking things. It's a mod though, and has a few flaws. Things like the seesaw puzzle being a pain, or one time my height was stuck to be about a foot after I accidentally teleported under a desk and that reset my height somehow. I did fix that eventually. Though Half-Life 2: But Gordan is an action figure could be a thing.
I have vertigo remastered installed and ready to go.
It's too early for me to have an opinion on the headset, as well as what is user error and what isn't. eg. There's a bit of plastic that pressed into my forehead during one session, and it turned out it was because I had the scope out to maximum and likely had the headset on wrong.
I wonder what the experience people with original rifts was like because I have just under 2k per eye, and there is some serious aliasing in some games. I question how playable some games were.
- Joined
- Jan 6, 2026
I keep trying to enjoy Blade and Sorcery, people tell me it's one of the best VR games, but it just feels really barebones. It's like a half finished mobile game.
Maybe I spoiled myself by playing Skyrim VR with over 9000 mods, and thus my expectations of what a VR sword and sorcery game can be and should be are way out of whack, but it just feels really empty and boring. Also it just has endless tiny annoying janky issues, like the angle it defaults your wrist to when holding a bow, the awkward positioning of holsters that you can't change, shitty physics, the lack of maps... Seriously am I missing something or is there only one "real" map and all the rest are just arenas? Really?
Do I need to treat it like Skyrim and load up on mods before it's good or what? I took a look on Nexus but there doesn't seem to be very much out there.
Maybe I spoiled myself by playing Skyrim VR with over 9000 mods, and thus my expectations of what a VR sword and sorcery game can be and should be are way out of whack, but it just feels really empty and boring. Also it just has endless tiny annoying janky issues, like the angle it defaults your wrist to when holding a bow, the awkward positioning of holsters that you can't change, shitty physics, the lack of maps... Seriously am I missing something or is there only one "real" map and all the rest are just arenas? Really?
Do I need to treat it like Skyrim and load up on mods before it's good or what? I took a look on Nexus but there doesn't seem to be very much out there.
- Joined
- Aug 23, 2018
My set up is pretty much finalised. Bluetooth issues fixed (The asus dongle worked perfectly).
What would you recommend for audio?
The earplug style earbuds that came with the headset are uncomfortable. And earphone options that aren't that are either extremely cheap or extremely expensive. eg. I keep getting recommended to buy the Vive off ear speakers, get some custom clips from etsy, and use those. I'm not paying for basically a second headset just for some speakers, even if they are fantastic. I see airpods recommended a lot, but are expensive.
I bought some super cheap "gumy" earphones, the only old style ones I could find (and used for years back in the day). The quality isn't great, but it's good enough and I forget they're there when playing for the most part.
Comfort is the main factor, followed by quality. There are some C shaped clip style ones I'm considering, along with some G shaped that clip behind your ear. They are bluetooth which isn't ideal, but are cheap (£20) and are marketed as being for sports/the gym, but I have no idea.
Unrelated. Has anyone here used an old headset like an OG rift? Asking because despite the PSVR2 being 2k per eye, the middle distance can get horribly aliased. Given the OG rift was half that, it must have been unfathomably awful.
Been mostly playing Vertigo Remastered. Fun game, but very buggy.
What would you recommend for audio?
The earplug style earbuds that came with the headset are uncomfortable. And earphone options that aren't that are either extremely cheap or extremely expensive. eg. I keep getting recommended to buy the Vive off ear speakers, get some custom clips from etsy, and use those. I'm not paying for basically a second headset just for some speakers, even if they are fantastic. I see airpods recommended a lot, but are expensive.
I bought some super cheap "gumy" earphones, the only old style ones I could find (and used for years back in the day). The quality isn't great, but it's good enough and I forget they're there when playing for the most part.
Comfort is the main factor, followed by quality. There are some C shaped clip style ones I'm considering, along with some G shaped that clip behind your ear. They are bluetooth which isn't ideal, but are cheap (£20) and are marketed as being for sports/the gym, but I have no idea.
Unrelated. Has anyone here used an old headset like an OG rift? Asking because despite the PSVR2 being 2k per eye, the middle distance can get horribly aliased. Given the OG rift was half that, it must have been unfathomably awful.
Been mostly playing Vertigo Remastered. Fun game, but very buggy.
- I lost an hour or two of progress due to a session not saving checkpoints. Luckily the unlocks persisted so I could use chapter select.
- I dropped the fire lighter to start the game out of bounds, and loading a checkpoint resulted in a black screen, requiring a restart.
- A mission critical control panel refused to work requiring a restart.
- One checkpoint saved as I died, forcing me into an infinite loop, and even quitting to main menu didn't fix it so had to restart. I think it's first game where I got game over on a menu.
- The lack of manual saves is a pain, but you can cheese it by saving an upgrade point as the game saves when you buy an upgrade.
- To open manual doors I often have to grab them and walk backwards. Causing the first person arms to stretch.
- Using the portal wand when a mirror is present causes the graphics to freak out.
- Not really a bug, but the first boss is a huge difficulty spike. I put it on easy and beat it first time. I'm not 100% sure, but I think on normal my melee hits weren't registering? I'll assume it was a skill issue.
- Joined
- Aug 25, 2023
This was my only problem with the game. Didn't know it was that buggy.
- Joined
- Aug 23, 2018
Maybe I just got unlucky?
It's also the worst game for motion sickness I think. It has some strange choices, but the worst cases of sickness for me is when the framerate drops, or it's annoying habit of checkpointing you during forced movement like falling into a pit of goo, or on a moving platform. I've taken to closing my eyes when loading so I don't get a surprise trip to wobbly town.
- Joined
- Aug 23, 2018
Might as well update the thread.
A bunch of stuff is on sale at the moment, including a bunch of VR games. Medal of Honor, A-Tech Cybernetic, and Zero Caliber being the big ones on my wishlist. No sure what, if any, to get.
Related, inflation and/or price drops has rendered games that were considered expensive tech demos to be about the cost of a sandwich.
And has anyone played Myst, Riven, or Obduction VR? I liked Myst back in the day, but don't see much value in replaying it, but the idea of exploring that iconic world in VR appears like The Lab Postcards do.
And for what it's worth. Bluetooth earphones didn't work. The dongle just doesn't have the bandwidth for it. Oh well.
Half-Life Alyx has been great. Just past the Jeff section. The original claims that the game is easy are false. Combine tear you up if they get a catch you in the open. Headcrabs are scary despite protests from people that they look slow in flatscreen footage. Ammo has also been almost survival horror levels of strict. I don't see the use of burst fire or auto loaders when you really don't have enough ammo to burn like that. Maybe they make more sense on easy?
And for VR games in general. Laser sights are like playing with the cheats on. They're great.
A bunch of stuff is on sale at the moment, including a bunch of VR games. Medal of Honor, A-Tech Cybernetic, and Zero Caliber being the big ones on my wishlist. No sure what, if any, to get.
Related, inflation and/or price drops has rendered games that were considered expensive tech demos to be about the cost of a sandwich.
And has anyone played Myst, Riven, or Obduction VR? I liked Myst back in the day, but don't see much value in replaying it, but the idea of exploring that iconic world in VR appears like The Lab Postcards do.
And for what it's worth. Bluetooth earphones didn't work. The dongle just doesn't have the bandwidth for it. Oh well.
Half-Life Alyx has been great. Just past the Jeff section. The original claims that the game is easy are false. Combine tear you up if they get a catch you in the open. Headcrabs are scary despite protests from people that they look slow in flatscreen footage. Ammo has also been almost survival horror levels of strict. I don't see the use of burst fire or auto loaders when you really don't have enough ammo to burn like that. Maybe they make more sense on easy?
And for VR games in general. Laser sights are like playing with the cheats on. They're great.
- Joined
- Aug 23, 2018
I just finished Half-Life Alyx. Any mod recommendations?
I keep getting told Gunman Contracts and Return to Rapture, but I’m still not burned out of vanilla HLA so anything vanilla-like would be good.
I’m getting Levitation, Environs, and an escape room office. I’ll get Goldeneye and Cityscape once those are complete. I’m mainly after map/level mods. Though some silly, weird, or horror mods wouldn’t go amiss. So far, other than Goldeneye and Levitation, there doesn’t really seem to be any effort for compilations or campaigns. Nothing like the -ville series or doom megawads.
I’m tempted by some QoL mods, like the resin scanner and partial mag storage mods, but don’t want to break things.
I might do a texture replacement on the posters/paintings as a test.
I keep getting told Gunman Contracts and Return to Rapture, but I’m still not burned out of vanilla HLA so anything vanilla-like would be good.
I’m getting Levitation, Environs, and an escape room office. I’ll get Goldeneye and Cityscape once those are complete. I’m mainly after map/level mods. Though some silly, weird, or horror mods wouldn’t go amiss. So far, other than Goldeneye and Levitation, there doesn’t really seem to be any effort for compilations or campaigns. Nothing like the -ville series or doom megawads.
I’m tempted by some QoL mods, like the resin scanner and partial mag storage mods, but don’t want to break things.
I might do a texture replacement on the posters/paintings as a test.
I liked it. I played with teleporting movement and it was fine for the most part. A couple of doors wouldn’t open unless I teleported into them, and there were a couple of scenes I think smooth locomotion would’ve helped, but I had a good time.
I said before, but I disagree with the claim that the game is piss easy. I found the game quite tricky. I died a fair bit. Especially to combine. I also ammo to be almost survival horror levels of short supply for the most part.
I like how there’s no straight damage upgrades. Laser sights are great. There were some oddities though. The grenade launcher seems to make grenades weaker. Thrown grenades either kill or do massive damage, launching them barely phases the combine unless it’s a direct hit. I fail to see the point of the autoloader when shotgun ammo is so rare. “Let’s automate this thing you do only a few times in the game.” maybe it’s god tier, I don’t know. Love watching the pistol mag extender working though.
The hacking puzzles get annoying. They are fine early on, but later they just slow the game down. Letting go of the blue thing on the sphere puzzle makes them invincible. The game didn’t tell me that (or I missed it).
Thoughts of the ending. I’m still processing, but I’m not mad at the retcon itself. I don’t like that it introduces time travel to the series. That's a can of worms I hope they use extremely sparingly.
Thoughts on Jeff. I liked the Jeff scene. Very intense. I don’t know how it will fare on repeat plays, but it was fantastic first time. I love how they set up the snapping bastards beforehand. I just don’t think it’s the revolutionary scene people portray it as. Could be wrong on that.
I said before, but I disagree with the claim that the game is piss easy. I found the game quite tricky. I died a fair bit. Especially to combine. I also ammo to be almost survival horror levels of short supply for the most part.
I like how there’s no straight damage upgrades. Laser sights are great. There were some oddities though. The grenade launcher seems to make grenades weaker. Thrown grenades either kill or do massive damage, launching them barely phases the combine unless it’s a direct hit. I fail to see the point of the autoloader when shotgun ammo is so rare. “Let’s automate this thing you do only a few times in the game.” maybe it’s god tier, I don’t know. Love watching the pistol mag extender working though.
The hacking puzzles get annoying. They are fine early on, but later they just slow the game down. Letting go of the blue thing on the sphere puzzle makes them invincible. The game didn’t tell me that (or I missed it).
Thoughts of the ending. I’m still processing, but I’m not mad at the retcon itself. I don’t like that it introduces time travel to the series. That's a can of worms I hope they use extremely sparingly.
Thoughts on Jeff. I liked the Jeff scene. Very intense. I don’t know how it will fare on repeat plays, but it was fantastic first time. I love how they set up the snapping bastards beforehand. I just don’t think it’s the revolutionary scene people portray it as. Could be wrong on that.