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The Ars review: Oculus Rift expands PC gaming past the monitor’s edge

54 points by davidiach 11y ago

cma 11y ago
Really big mistake to not ship with motion controllers; you feel like you are "at" the game rather than the "in" the game you feel with Vive.
- stcredzero 11y ago
  From what I've experienced in demos, any situation when you're in a cockpit feels like you're in the game.
  - cma 11y ago
    Yeah, seated cockpit sims seem to be Oculus Rift's best niche.
drzaiusapelord 11y ago
> This brave new display technology is a strictly “look, don’t touch” affair, controlled primarily through a standard Xbox One gamepad that seems built for an entirely different way of playing. In the Rift, you have to tamp down that first instinct to simply reach out and grab at the convincing world surrounding you. This right here validates my decision to order the Vive. I want a real VR experience, not just a fancy HMD. The price difference isn't significant for me and the reality here is that even when Oculus launches its touch controllers they'll have a library of games that dont support it (and developers worried if designing for touch will result in lost sales as not every Rift will have it). Looking at the fairly uninspired games available today, I can't see how they could. You can't just tack on motion control. Its a completely different experience, like say, the difference between a NES game and a Wii game. I think the Vive leapfrogged the Rift here. The demos I've seen of the Vive software look like what most people would consider VR. The Rift has exclusives but, Lucky's Tail? Farlands? These are boring console games shoehorned to work with a HMD. That's not what I want VR to be. There's a real Sega Saturn feel here with the Rift. The same way the Saturn was not-quite 3D graphics, the Rift ecosystem is not quite VR. At least not yet.
- stcredzero 11y ago
  I agree with your analysis above. However, for piloting games, this looks pretty killer. Being able to crane your head around ("keep your head on a swivel") and have the same situational awareness problem as fighter pilots (minus the G forces) is going to be awesome. Piloting airplanes, tanks, mechs, warships, spaceships -- all going to be awesome. So maybe the Vive can capitalize on this. Not only can they deliver the piloting, they can also deliver "true VR." Having those controls bundled is going to be a big advantage. It all depends on how much good software they can get built for the platform. Then comes Sony.
- deleted 11y ago
  [deleted]
- blktiger 11y ago
  This goes along with what Steve Jobs used to say about tablets being a "failure" if they required a stylus. It's not because a stylus is bad per se, and in fact a stylus makes for some superior interfaces in some cases, but rather the fact that developers will take the lazy way out. Everyone has a controller so developers start by designing around interacting with the controller instead of interacting with the world.

54 points by davidiach 11y ago

cma 11y ago

Really big mistake to not ship with motion controllers; you feel like you are "at" the game rather than the "in" the game you feel with Vive.

stcredzero 11y ago
From what I've experienced in demos, any situation when you're in a cockpit feels like you're in the game.
- cma 11y ago
  Yeah, seated cockpit sims seem to be Oculus Rift's best niche.

drzaiusapelord 11y ago

> This brave new display technology is a strictly “look, don’t touch” affair, controlled primarily through a standard Xbox One gamepad that seems built for an entirely different way of playing. In the Rift, you have to tamp down that first instinct to simply reach out and grab at the convincing world surrounding you. This right here validates my decision to order the Vive. I want a real VR experience, not just a fancy HMD. The price difference isn't significant for me and the reality here is that even when Oculus launches its touch controllers they'll have a library of games that dont support it (and developers worried if designing for touch will result in lost sales as not every Rift will have it). Looking at the fairly uninspired games available today, I can't see how they could. You can't just tack on motion control. Its a completely different experience, like say, the difference between a NES game and a Wii game. I think the Vive leapfrogged the Rift here. The demos I've seen of the Vive software look like what most people would consider VR. The Rift has exclusives but, Lucky's Tail? Farlands? These are boring console games shoehorned to work with a HMD. That's not what I want VR to be. There's a real Sega Saturn feel here with the Rift. The same way the Saturn was not-quite 3D graphics, the Rift ecosystem is not quite VR. At least not yet.

stcredzero 11y ago
I agree with your analysis above. However, for piloting games, this looks pretty killer. Being able to crane your head around ("keep your head on a swivel") and have the same situational awareness problem as fighter pilots (minus the G forces) is going to be awesome. Piloting airplanes, tanks, mechs, warships, spaceships -- all going to be awesome. So maybe the Vive can capitalize on this. Not only can they deliver the piloting, they can also deliver "true VR." Having those controls bundled is going to be a big advantage. It all depends on how much good software they can get built for the platform. Then comes Sony.
deleted 11y ago
[deleted]
blktiger 11y ago
This goes along with what Steve Jobs used to say about tablets being a "failure" if they required a stylus. It's not because a stylus is bad per se, and in fact a stylus makes for some superior interfaces in some cases, but rather the fact that developers will take the lazy way out. Everyone has a controller so developers start by designing around interacting with the controller instead of interacting with the world.