10 ms·

Can virtual reality help get you through lockdown?

31 points by JesseJon 6y ago

127 6y ago
Given how well the finger and hand tracking for Oculus Quest is progressing, Facebook's investment in virtual reality may have been in hindsight a very smart investment. The way I see the future of VR is not so much games, but virtual meetings and virtual sports. Still waiting for that headset that's comfortable to use while sweating. Beat Saber and its like are really a great way to exercise. Oculus Quest 2 might very well be the breakthrough product people who are rooting for VR have been waiting for.
- Artlav 6y ago
  A side question - does Oculus Quest need accounts and internet to use? I still can't get over Oculus Rift needing an account and an internet connection just to install drivers.
  - Robotbeat 6y ago
    It uses an App Store, so you need to make an App Store, but you don’t always need an internet connection (multiplayer games need an Internet connection). They strongly push you to link your Facebook account, but it is optional.
techer 6y ago
I dusted off my GearVR and only used it for a few hours on and off but it was extremely effective. The Quest was sold out so I’ll wait. Definitely for some people it will be extremely helpful.
jansan 6y ago
My family has officially been put under quarantine since April 30th, which means we were not permitted to leave the house since then. A friend, who owns an Oculus Quest was so nice to bring it to our house so we have something to do. We tried it and while it was an amazing experience (Superhot is totally cool), the novelty wore off pretty quickly. After three days my kids were back at playing Minecraft and I am back to programming and playing Sudoku (thanks Simon!). So from my experience, the answer is "maybe a little bit, but probably not for long".
zarkov99 6y ago
What is so hard about staying home with your family, working, reading, playing games and watching Netflix? Jeez, people in living memory have endured so much more, so much more gracefully.
- pbhjpbhj 6y ago
  I'll guess you don't live in a bedsit, and that you didn't lose your job when lockdown started, that you have game systems, and plenty of space and entertainment at home ...
  - zarkov99 6y ago
    How does VR help you if you lost your job? As to the rest, yes, I suppose the lock down is easier for some than others, but I would suggest that for most its pretty fucking easy, and the amount of whining being done about it is a disgrace. People that lived through Syria's bombing or the Blitz would have a hard time comprehending what is it exactly that is so though about these few months.
    - pbhjpbhj 6y ago
      I'm not in a bad situation but playing openworld games (non-VR) has, I think, helped my mental health. I normally walk 4 miles a day to work, now I work and sleep in the same room; I feel some days like I'm in prison except without the social spaces and exercise time.
      - zarkov99 6y ago
        If you do not mind me asking, where do you live that you cannot step outside yet?
        pbhjpbhj 6y ago
        I can now go out, and there's been some relaxation of lockdown (UK). I was referring to "over the last few weeks". It's not always been easy for me to get out during the day because of time conflicts (schooling, vs WFH; as nights are getting lighter this is getting easier). Primarily it was when we were in one exercise period per day (≤1hr), as I have a younger child it would normally not be enough exercise for me. The sense of moving around landscape helped me to relax and forget I was confined.
ithanium 6y ago
Google Street View application on iOS used to have support for cardboard-like VR goggles, where one would make use of their mobile phone as a low cost glimpse into the VR world. What a better way to experience VR than by exploring some streets across the world. Unfortunately, the iOS application has a bug for the past year where this functionality is not working any more, and there are no signs that updates will bring it back. [0] https://apps.apple.com/ie/app/google-street-view/id904418768 https://apps.apple.com/ie/app/google-street-view/id904418768
slfnflctd 6y ago
I've been waiting for something like the Quest for a long time, and I think it's great. Heads up for those who are considering hooking it up to SteamVR, though-- while I did get it working over my WiFi six months or so ago, it was a lot of hassle to even load up the environment so I stopped messing with it in hopes the experience would improve. After reading lots of good things about such alleged improvements, last night I tried again. The whole convoluted process had changed enough that even after a couple hours of tinkering I couldn't get it to work. I also somehow temporarily hosed the HDMI audio out on my gaming PC, which was very stressful as this is how my S.O. and I watch all our shows together on a daily basis. So if you don't have a lot of patience for possibly hours of fruitless/destructive screwing around (which probably won't work the same way in a few months), maybe try to wait until you can find an Oculus Link cable or 3rd party substitute. My two cents to save you what I went through.
- wlesieutre 6y ago
  What are you using for SteamVR over wifi? I've had pretty good luck with Virtual Desktop, but you have to buy the store version for a license and then sideload the alternate builds with Steam support since Facebook are being dicks about it. The official story was "not up to their quality standards" but it works just as well as Link for me. I did read recently that Link has gotten less picky about USB cables, it'll even run without being able to confirm USB3 speeds. Quality is probably impacted.
  - glenneroo 6y ago
    According to these tests[0] the new update allows to even run Link over the included USB 2.0 cable without any quality degradation (even Half Life Alyx was fine). [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3CfhT7qXxI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3CfhT7qXxI
    - wlesieutre 6y ago
      Neat! Unfortunately my included charger and cable were eaten by the charger gremlins. I have a shorter USB-A to USB-C cable (from CHOETECH) that works for seated experiences. If I want something farther, Virtual Desktop. Haven't been doing much PCVR with it either way though, compared to how much time I've spent in Quest native games.

31 points by JesseJon 6y ago

127 6y ago

Given how well the finger and hand tracking for Oculus Quest is progressing, Facebook's investment in virtual reality may have been in hindsight a very smart investment. The way I see the future of VR is not so much games, but virtual meetings and virtual sports. Still waiting for that headset that's comfortable to use while sweating. Beat Saber and its like are really a great way to exercise. Oculus Quest 2 might very well be the breakthrough product people who are rooting for VR have been waiting for.

Artlav 6y ago
A side question - does Oculus Quest need accounts and internet to use? I still can't get over Oculus Rift needing an account and an internet connection just to install drivers.
- Robotbeat 6y ago
  It uses an App Store, so you need to make an App Store, but you don’t always need an internet connection (multiplayer games need an Internet connection). They strongly push you to link your Facebook account, but it is optional.

techer 6y ago

I dusted off my GearVR and only used it for a few hours on and off but it was extremely effective. The Quest was sold out so I’ll wait. Definitely for some people it will be extremely helpful.

jansan 6y ago

My family has officially been put under quarantine since April 30th, which means we were not permitted to leave the house since then. A friend, who owns an Oculus Quest was so nice to bring it to our house so we have something to do. We tried it and while it was an amazing experience (Superhot is totally cool), the novelty wore off pretty quickly. After three days my kids were back at playing Minecraft and I am back to programming and playing Sudoku (thanks Simon!). So from my experience, the answer is "maybe a little bit, but probably not for long".

zarkov99 6y ago

What is so hard about staying home with your family, working, reading, playing games and watching Netflix? Jeez, people in living memory have endured so much more, so much more gracefully.

pbhjpbhj 6y ago
I'll guess you don't live in a bedsit, and that you didn't lose your job when lockdown started, that you have game systems, and plenty of space and entertainment at home ...
- zarkov99 6y ago
  How does VR help you if you lost your job? As to the rest, yes, I suppose the lock down is easier for some than others, but I would suggest that for most its pretty fucking easy, and the amount of whining being done about it is a disgrace. People that lived through Syria's bombing or the Blitz would have a hard time comprehending what is it exactly that is so though about these few months.
  - pbhjpbhj 6y ago
    I'm not in a bad situation but playing openworld games (non-VR) has, I think, helped my mental health. I normally walk 4 miles a day to work, now I work and sleep in the same room; I feel some days like I'm in prison except without the social spaces and exercise time.
    - zarkov99 6y ago
      If you do not mind me asking, where do you live that you cannot step outside yet?
      - pbhjpbhj 6y ago
        I can now go out, and there's been some relaxation of lockdown (UK). I was referring to "over the last few weeks". It's not always been easy for me to get out during the day because of time conflicts (schooling, vs WFH; as nights are getting lighter this is getting easier). Primarily it was when we were in one exercise period per day (≤1hr), as I have a younger child it would normally not be enough exercise for me. The sense of moving around landscape helped me to relax and forget I was confined.

ithanium 6y ago

Google Street View application on iOS used to have support for cardboard-like VR goggles, where one would make use of their mobile phone as a low cost glimpse into the VR world. What a better way to experience VR than by exploring some streets across the world. Unfortunately, the iOS application has a bug for the past year where this functionality is not working any more, and there are no signs that updates will bring it back. [0] https://apps.apple.com/ie/app/google-street-view/id904418768 https://apps.apple.com/ie/app/google-street-view/id904418768

slfnflctd 6y ago

I've been waiting for something like the Quest for a long time, and I think it's great. Heads up for those who are considering hooking it up to SteamVR, though-- while I did get it working over my WiFi six months or so ago, it was a lot of hassle to even load up the environment so I stopped messing with it in hopes the experience would improve. After reading lots of good things about such alleged improvements, last night I tried again. The whole convoluted process had changed enough that even after a couple hours of tinkering I couldn't get it to work. I also somehow temporarily hosed the HDMI audio out on my gaming PC, which was very stressful as this is how my S.O. and I watch all our shows together on a daily basis. So if you don't have a lot of patience for possibly hours of fruitless/destructive screwing around (which probably won't work the same way in a few months), maybe try to wait until you can find an Oculus Link cable or 3rd party substitute. My two cents to save you what I went through.

wlesieutre 6y ago
What are you using for SteamVR over wifi? I've had pretty good luck with Virtual Desktop, but you have to buy the store version for a license and then sideload the alternate builds with Steam support since Facebook are being dicks about it. The official story was "not up to their quality standards" but it works just as well as Link for me. I did read recently that Link has gotten less picky about USB cables, it'll even run without being able to confirm USB3 speeds. Quality is probably impacted.
- glenneroo 6y ago
  According to these tests[0] the new update allows to even run Link over the included USB 2.0 cable without any quality degradation (even Half Life Alyx was fine). [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3CfhT7qXxI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3CfhT7qXxI
  - wlesieutre 6y ago
    Neat! Unfortunately my included charger and cable were eaten by the charger gremlins. I have a shorter USB-A to USB-C cable (from CHOETECH) that works for seated experiences. If I want something farther, Virtual Desktop. Haven't been doing much PCVR with it either way though, compared to how much time I've spent in Quest native games.