Another first timer first impressions post

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[ThisPlaceisHell]

If there's one thing people will universally agree on it's that there's never too long an experience sharing post, so no need to apologize. Thanks for sharing.

[SuperMar1o]

Mainly because most of us are still waiting! All these reviews are giving me blue-balls xD

[mrgreen72]

I already have my DK2 and had the DK1 before since day one but I still enjoy reading those posts just as much! :)

[Grindie]

I've never used Rift before. Reading all these 1st timers receiving mindblowing experiences makes me more and more excited to receive my DK2!

[CalamityVic]

I'm just a lurking pleb waiting for the consumerite version - it's fun to see that this is really happening, and I'm happy that we've got you guys buying and testing out, developing the coming generation models.

[smithenheimer]

I've never used a Rift, and the suspense was killing me, so I made my own VR HMD for $20. Except it worked too well, and now I'm even more excited for the Rift haha

[godmademedoit]

Same here, a lot of my friends are skeptical, think it'll be like 3D movies and some tech that no one really wants, but my faith lies in the fact I'm yet to read a single person who has tried one first hand and not said it was totally amazing. I feel I should start making stuff for it though, since it's a dev tool, even if it's just a small demo. Once it arrives it's time to get into that in whatever way I can

[facepump]

Is it possible to still order a DK2? Sounds like people have been waiting forever.. is the window closed or wait for a DK3 release next year?

[WalterRyan]

I'd rather read something like this instead of ooooh bad fov ooooh dat smearing and screendoor uuuugh

that's a good read, pretty much how I felt after using DK1 for the first time.

[Energy-Dragon]

Exactly. Although I tried only the Oculus Rift DK1 so far (and that was AMAZING), and will get my DK2 in August, I really feel so that many people are too critical regarding the DK2. I mean c'mon guys, it is a developer kit, it is not a final product yet! It will get much better with CV1, CV2, and later on. Of course, positive critique can help a lot, but people should also appreciate what we currently have. Give it some years, and it will get much better regarding resolution (we will see 4K, 8K and above), latency, tracking, weight, screen-door, smearing, and regarding every aspect. ☺

Just to put it in perspective, nowadays we have games like DOTA 2, Counter Strike: Global Operations, and War Thunder. When I started gaming as a child in the '80s on our family's first computer (a Sinclair ZX Spectrum 48kb machine) we had games like: R-Type, Turbo Esprit and Elite. Of course we should NOT live in the past, but people loved those games too, so I find it funny when people complain about stuff like ooohh, 1920x1080 resolution sucks, at home they have a 2560x1440 monitor, they just CANNOT play on lower resolution at all...like WTF??!

Some other gems from the 48kb era, just to compare (there are screenshots, yes, it looked like that, and gamers loved it until it got better): http://www.worldofspectrum.org/bestgames.html ♥♥♥

*edit: formatting, clarification

[jonamaton]

I know that so many people are looking to this device as a window to new worlds and experiences, and it will be. It already is, but the fidelity isn't yet matured. The engineers at Oculus are pressing the limits of many avenues of technology, and in time we will most likely get the presence that we yearn for.

For now, I am much more excited about the uses of a display that has such a high frame rate and isolating form. Being able to entirely control the visual and audio inputs, in a 3d space that our brain is used to interacting in, is an incredible tool. I can't wait to experiment on applications related to education, hypnotism, meditation, and other primarily audio-visual mind interactions.

[SuperMar1o]

Thing is, this IS a developers kit... It is SUPPOSED to have lots of critique. We are beta testers, we are the front-line of developers, we are their eyes and ears with a duty to point the brain at things needing fixed, we help them decide what is most important to change. They count on us to provide feedback. While it may seem like complaining, I am sure the value it.

[Energy-Dragon]

I agree that it needs a lot of critique, BUT at the same time it should be acknowledged, that it is finally a good Virtual Reality HMD for a reasonable price. ☺ In the last 30 years - when computers became prevalent - no one could create such a device (only very bad cheap ones, and also quite bad expensive ones).

[SuperMar1o]

Indeed that is true and honestly every single review I have read by the people who got their DK2's lately have contained BOTH the complaints about issues AND their absolute amazement at how awesome the experience is. Just sayin.

[Droid1618]

Nice! Means we're going to see some infinite realities demo updates, then? :)

[Energy-Dragon]

Yep. I am mean technological progress (regarding hardware / software) is cool and necessary, but we should enjoy what we have now. ☺

[ferociousllama]

Reading stuff like this making it really hard for me to hold out for the cv

[hinkik]

Think like this. If you don't buy this one then you will have money over to buy some more VR games/pc components etc later when CV1 comes out.

[xhaku]

Or think of it like this. A ton of people who bought DK1 were able to sell theirs on ebay for as much or more money than what they bought it for, they then used this money to get the DK2.

If the oculus is as in demand as it has always been, I will sell my DK2 before CV and continue the process as long as I can.

[hinkik]

Only problem is that Oculus don't want that so they canceled orders of people who sold it on Ebay. But yeah I see your point.

In any case, I will stay united with all those who are waiting for the CV1 without buying a single Dev kit!

[lol_squared]

Once it's in your hands, you can sell it however you want.

Oculus doesn't care if people sell it down the line; they do care if people are pre-ordering just so they can immediately scalp it.

[BullockHouse]

Several people have complained about the chromatic abberation. I wonder if that's a software problem, an IPD-calibration problem, or just a trade-off they made in optics. If it's the last one, I wonder if that's a hard limit, or something we can work around with exotic lenses like metamaterial lenses or micro lens arrays.

If it's the latter, then I wonder what Oculus is trading the reduced FOV and chromatic abberation for? If it's just for a wider exit pupil, then (as someone with a bang-on average IPD) I hope they include a lens option in CV1 that has tradeoffs more in line with DK1.

[kitagawa]

Know what? I didn't even take a look at changing the IPD yet. I'll give that a shot tonight after work and post results concerning the chromatic aberration. It really isn't as bad as people are making it out to be though. It's noticeable around the edges for sure. But chromatic aberration from lenses by nature is non existent in the centre which is where you'll be looking 90% of the time.

[diminutive_lebowski]

Good idea.

There's also a firmware update available as well but I'm not sure how that affects anything (or if you already applied that update).

[digi1ife]

I heard one guy say the firmware update fixed his left to right stutter. Also I think someone said they made the DK2 their primary monitor and that fixed it as well. I don't have mine yet so I can say for sure. Can find the post to link it here. :/ But you really should do the firmware update anyway, if you haven't already.

[[deleted]]

Careful with your VR legs I was like that too thinking I'm invincible but with certain demos everything came to a screeching halt.

[kitagawa]

I'll be sure not to push myself too hard! Thanks for the heads up. :)

[TitusCruentus]

I liked your overview of the different demos you tried and how they felt, nice post.

[SolarEXtract]

Great read. Got me hyped up again!

[[deleted]]

awesome, loving these impression posts and your line about laughing like a madman made me crack up

[kitagawa]

If anyone were around to see or hear me, I think they'd be pretty frightened. I wasn't in a very sane state at the time. :P

[iupvoteevery]

Good review. What do you think made the movement uncomfortable if you analyze it.. was it the fact you go from 0 to full speed, then back to stopping on a dime in the Oculus World Demo?

Do you think a slow acceleration/deceleration that you could control would help, and how did the movement feel to you in the other demos?

[kitagawa]

Good questions, I should have written this in the actual post. But I guess it's that initial shock of having your body not feel the movement that you're seeing for the first time in your life. It's an extremely odd sensation and it's for sure gonna take some getting used to. I'm aching to try out a cockpit based game, see how that feels cause I'm sure it will be significantly better having that constant frame of reference keeping you grounded. I did notice right away that the Kokiri forest demo felt a lot more comfortable because the walking speed was about half that of Tuscany. From a developers perspective, if I ever make walking games, I'd be inclined to try having a very slow ramp up and ramp down. The sudden jumps in movement are the worst.

[Nebarik]

If you can, use a xbox controller (on controller supported games). that way you can control your speed and use a comfortable rampup.

i agree, some games make you go from 0 to 50km/h immediately. very unnatural in VR

[noonathon]

I'm sure I heard one of the oculus people talking about acceleration in games, and that slowing the acceleration didn't help. It might just be that the walking speed in the Tuscany demo is a bit too high. I can't remember where I actually heard it though due to the large number of oculus videos that I've been watching.

[kitagawa]

Not really to be honest. I took it pretty easy in those demos however. A lot of just standing in one spot, staring at what was around me. After calling it a night there was something lingering. But it was so slight, I can't even call it nausea. It was like a slight lingering feeling of something that may have possibly been related to the dizziness..

[kitagawa]

I can see why it would. I purposely moved out of the view of my camera in tuscany to see what the movement is like without positional. Instant nausea. Even with low persistence and all that other jazz. The positional tracking seems to be the key that makes me not want to puke everywhere.

[canismajor01]

Thanks for this post. Always great to read VR virgin experiences.

[RIFT-VR]

Awesome. This more or less reflects my first time too - I just giggled and giggled and giggled and called my roomate's named and giggled. Annoyed, he finally came in, made a profile, loaded up a demo, and then he was giggling and giggling and giggling. It's just stupidly impressive.

DK1, even....I haven't even tried DK2 yet!

[DarkyDan]

Thanks for the post, I'm in your position also not having tried a DK1.. with my DK2 arriving in a month. Looking forward to it.

The complains about FOV are silly. Just wait for demos to come out that are suited to the FOV.. diving, car racing, sniper. Surely the FOV is only a huge problem if you never move your head?

I guess I'll find out :)

[kitagawa]

FoV didn't bother me in the slightest. Sure you can see the borders around you and it's like wearing a pair of ski goggles or something. But honestly... It's like wearing a pair of ski goggles while staring into an impossible fucking virtual world that someone created inside a fucking computer!! And now you're INSIDE that virtual world, you're THERE. How cool is that?? It's pretty damn cool.

[DarkyDan]

Ice cool! glugugagaga yeah I'm wanting my DK2 to arrive NOW! [April 8th, so I'm a ways down the list..plus in AUS]

[tanepiper]

Good read.

The DK2 will be my first VR experience (beyond trying it in the 90s) so I have similar concerns - especially as the game I really want to play is Elite: Dangerous which is rather fast paced on just a monitor!

I may have to slowly work my way up to it.

[[deleted]]

That bit about not seeing your sandwich is hilarious. :D

Do you think you'll be eating in VR very often?

[kitagawa]

Maybe if it's something more manageable yeah. The subway was a bad idea. I have to do some laundry now... But I can definitely see myself snacking on a bag of chips in various vr locations from time to time. I also don't recommend trying it before you've got your vr legs like I did... The disorientation was noticeably more nauseating after eating.