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Totally agree. For someone who is pretty busy and doesn't have much time for gaming, the current VR experience is simply too cumbersome, especially if you don't

Totally agree. For someone who is pretty busy and doesn't have much time for gaming, the current VR experience is simply too cumbersome, especially if you don't have a dedicated space for it. I own both a Vive and Rift, and apart from freelance work where I use those devices, I never take them out. Untangling all the cables, setting up the lighthouses, recalibrating the software, making sure the lighthouses are positioned well so there's no interference, asking my wife to stay out of the play area... It's a lot of work for an experience which ultimately leaves you with a headache after one hour of play (either from motion sickness, which I don't suffer from, or from the tightness of walking around with a heavy helmet on your head). Fumbling with the headset to have a quick peek around the room to see where you're standing is also annoying, especially for people (like me, and many gamers, I presume) wearing glasses. It's so uncomfortable I risk damaging my expensive glasses and fall back to wearing an older pair. A screen works much better, especially if you can afford a nice 4K setup (which until recently boils down to the same price as a full-fledged VR setup). I do have some hope for Microsoft's Hololens, though. I believe that augmented (or mixed) reality has a much better chance to lead to much richer experiences, in games but also video and creative work. Being able to play Minecraft on your living room's floor seems much cooler to me than in VR. You still have spatial awareness of what's around you, and there's hope that solutions for nearsighted people will be more elegant.

andybak 9y ago
Agree about the dedicated space. Or rather - a space where you can leave it permanently set up. I'm lucky enough to have an office with 2m square of clear space - so all I have to do is roll my office chair out of the way if I want the whole room. Inside-out tracking will help enormously with this. > Fumbling with the headset to have a quick peek around the room to see where you're standing is also annoying The Vive has a front-facing camera especially for this purpose. I wish the "welding mask" hinge seen on the new Lenovo was more widespread. > A screen works much better For what? You lost me here. > I believe that augmented (or mixed) reality has a much better chance to lead to much richer experiences AR and VR are just different ends of the same spectrum. Ideally you want both as they lend themselves to different types of experience. By the way - I have fairly large spectacles and I don't find wearing them in VR problematic at all. There's easily 5mm of clearance even when the Vive is set to it's closest setting.
- Macuyiko 9y ago
  > The Vive has a front-facing camera especially for this purpose. I wish the "welding mask" hinge seen on the new Lenovo was more widespread. Does it? I must never have noticed it. How do you enable it in-game? >> A screen works much better For general, short-session gaming. At least for me. > I have fairly large spectacles and I don't find wearing them in VR problematic at all. There's easily 5mm of clearance even when the Vive is set to it's closest setting. The main issue for me is putting on the headset and taking it off without the helmet grabbing and smudging them.
  - DiThi 9y ago
    > How do you enable it in-game? Double press the system button of any controller or the left of the HMD. There's also a button in the Steam overlay. Make sure the camera is enabled in the settings, and you may lower the refresh rate if there are USB issues. It's a very shitty camera but it's good enough for finding the controllers, obstacles, etc. > without the helmet grabbing and smudging them It must be put on front first, and it must be removed back first. That way you never move the glasses from your face. Worst case they get stuck to the HMD, but doing it correctly they don't smudge anything.
    - Macuyiko 9y ago
      > Double press the system button of any controller or the left of the HMD. There's also a button in the Steam overlay. Make sure the camera is enabled in the settings, and you may lower the refresh rate if there are USB issues. It's a very shitty camera but it's good enough for finding the controllers, obstacles, etc. Okay, you have just blown my mind. This increases usability a lot! Months of owning this and I had no idea... Thanks!
      - DiThi 9y ago
        They should definitely increase discoverability of such features. Also don't miss my other answer in this thread.
DiThi 9y ago
> Untangling all the cables, setting up the lighthouses, recalibrating the software, making sure the lighthouses are positioned well so there's no interference, asking my wife to stay out of the play area... There's your problem. I just roll the cable at the end of the play session so it's not tangled with other things, and put it safely oriented in a particular spot, without disconnecting anything. I only have to calibrate the lighthouses when I move them accidentally or when I move the whole setup to demo it elsewhere, either of which happen every several months. Also add a "playing VR" sign on the door and close it. Problem solved. > or from the tightness of walking around with a heavy helmet on your head You have the straps incorrectly adjusted, probably. Also there are solutions that don't rely on pressure, PSVR style.
- Macuyiko 9y ago
  > There's your problem. I just roll the cable at the end of the play session so it's not tangled with other things, and put it safely oriented in a particular spot, without disconnecting anything. I only have to calibrate the lighthouses when I move them accidentally or when I move the whole setup to demo it elsewhere, either of which happen every several months. Also add a "playing VR" sign on the door and close it. Problem solved. Sadly, my little office space is shared with others in the house, which is not large. Leaving the cables next to me is not really an option, and I have enough of them already coming from my PC. > You have the straps incorrectly adjusted, probably. Also there are solutions that don't rely on pressure, PSVR style. No matter how I adjust, it always starts feeling heavy after a while. PSVR is indeed much better in terms of comfort, agreed.
  - DiThi 9y ago
    I hang it under my table http://i.imgur.com/hNSuSyG.jpg http://i.imgur.com/hNSuSyG.jpg and I could put it behind the leg and deeper under so it could be barely noticed; and the controllers are usually charging in another room (but in this photo they're hanging just behind). HTC sells a "deluxe audio strap" for the Vive that is PSVR style, and I've made a mod very similar to this one: http://i.imgur.com/OkF6WSV.jpg http://i.imgur.com/OkF6WSV.jpg (for a friend, I still use the stock straps but will probably make the mod for me too). I've followed these instructions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uDf6ayUQtk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uDf6ayUQtk

andybak 9y ago

Agree about the dedicated space. Or rather - a space where you can leave it permanently set up. I'm lucky enough to have an office with 2m square of clear space - so all I have to do is roll my office chair out of the way if I want the whole room. Inside-out tracking will help enormously with this. > Fumbling with the headset to have a quick peek around the room to see where you're standing is also annoying The Vive has a front-facing camera especially for this purpose. I wish the "welding mask" hinge seen on the new Lenovo was more widespread. > A screen works much better For what? You lost me here. > I believe that augmented (or mixed) reality has a much better chance to lead to much richer experiences AR and VR are just different ends of the same spectrum. Ideally you want both as they lend themselves to different types of experience. By the way - I have fairly large spectacles and I don't find wearing them in VR problematic at all. There's easily 5mm of clearance even when the Vive is set to it's closest setting.

Macuyiko 9y ago
> The Vive has a front-facing camera especially for this purpose. I wish the "welding mask" hinge seen on the new Lenovo was more widespread. Does it? I must never have noticed it. How do you enable it in-game? >> A screen works much better For general, short-session gaming. At least for me. > I have fairly large spectacles and I don't find wearing them in VR problematic at all. There's easily 5mm of clearance even when the Vive is set to it's closest setting. The main issue for me is putting on the headset and taking it off without the helmet grabbing and smudging them.
- DiThi 9y ago
  > How do you enable it in-game? Double press the system button of any controller or the left of the HMD. There's also a button in the Steam overlay. Make sure the camera is enabled in the settings, and you may lower the refresh rate if there are USB issues. It's a very shitty camera but it's good enough for finding the controllers, obstacles, etc. > without the helmet grabbing and smudging them It must be put on front first, and it must be removed back first. That way you never move the glasses from your face. Worst case they get stuck to the HMD, but doing it correctly they don't smudge anything.
  - Macuyiko 9y ago
    > Double press the system button of any controller or the left of the HMD. There's also a button in the Steam overlay. Make sure the camera is enabled in the settings, and you may lower the refresh rate if there are USB issues. It's a very shitty camera but it's good enough for finding the controllers, obstacles, etc. Okay, you have just blown my mind. This increases usability a lot! Months of owning this and I had no idea... Thanks!
    - DiThi 9y ago
      They should definitely increase discoverability of such features. Also don't miss my other answer in this thread.

DiThi 9y ago

> Untangling all the cables, setting up the lighthouses, recalibrating the software, making sure the lighthouses are positioned well so there's no interference, asking my wife to stay out of the play area... There's your problem. I just roll the cable at the end of the play session so it's not tangled with other things, and put it safely oriented in a particular spot, without disconnecting anything. I only have to calibrate the lighthouses when I move them accidentally or when I move the whole setup to demo it elsewhere, either of which happen every several months. Also add a "playing VR" sign on the door and close it. Problem solved. > or from the tightness of walking around with a heavy helmet on your head You have the straps incorrectly adjusted, probably. Also there are solutions that don't rely on pressure, PSVR style.

Macuyiko 9y ago
> There's your problem. I just roll the cable at the end of the play session so it's not tangled with other things, and put it safely oriented in a particular spot, without disconnecting anything. I only have to calibrate the lighthouses when I move them accidentally or when I move the whole setup to demo it elsewhere, either of which happen every several months. Also add a "playing VR" sign on the door and close it. Problem solved. Sadly, my little office space is shared with others in the house, which is not large. Leaving the cables next to me is not really an option, and I have enough of them already coming from my PC. > You have the straps incorrectly adjusted, probably. Also there are solutions that don't rely on pressure, PSVR style. No matter how I adjust, it always starts feeling heavy after a while. PSVR is indeed much better in terms of comfort, agreed.
- DiThi 9y ago
  I hang it under my table http://i.imgur.com/hNSuSyG.jpg http://i.imgur.com/hNSuSyG.jpg and I could put it behind the leg and deeper under so it could be barely noticed; and the controllers are usually charging in another room (but in this photo they're hanging just behind). HTC sells a "deluxe audio strap" for the Vive that is PSVR style, and I've made a mod very similar to this one: http://i.imgur.com/OkF6WSV.jpg http://i.imgur.com/OkF6WSV.jpg (for a friend, I still use the stock straps but will probably make the mod for me too). I've followed these instructions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uDf6ayUQtk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uDf6ayUQtk