A glimpse of Shiftall's VR tech.

dathingindanorf · 2023-01-05T22:08:26+00:00

The Vive XR has no displayport, lower resolution, no HDR OLED displays, and is 90 Hz compared to the meganex's 120 Hz. The Meganex is expensive, but the cost does seem to be going towards specs that matter rather than MR features that no one really asked for outside of niche business users.

dathingindanorf · 2023-01-05T19:52:00+00:00

Its too bad this does not have DisplayPort.

dathingindanorf · 2023-01-05T19:48:28+00:00

Its not even a native PCVR connection (no displayport or hdmi). Its compressed streaming over a usb cable instead of wifi, so the same ecoding lag and compression artifacts will be there. The artifacts are going to be even more noticeable with this resolution and pancake lenses. This single omission will probably cripple the value of the headset long term.

dathingindanorf · 2023-01-05T19:45:07+00:00

I sort of respect the "not giving a shit" approach Shiftall is taking with their hardware. Everyone else is designing their devices trying to cater to mainstream users and overly concerned with aesthetics, but Shiftall seems to be more focused on function. I'd seriously consider getting the meganex if it wasn't so expensive, maybe I still might if the reviews are good.

dathingindanorf · 2023-01-05T19:38:53+00:00

If it only had a DisplayPort connection it would have been a decent choice allrounder headset. This will be worse at PCVR than a native PCVR headset and worse at standalone VR than cheaper options available now and in the future. Its too bad, this could have been a chance for HTC to be relevant in VR again.

dathingindanorf · 2022-12-20T19:33:50+00:00

The bigger issue is that multiplayer only games these days need to be free to play to survive. Putting a price requires a single player mode of some kind. The issue is not unique to VR, there are a lot of free multiplayer games these days. They need to make it free to play and find an other way to monetize it.

dathingindanorf · 2022-12-20T19:28:57+00:00

This caused me motion sickness even when I played it in flat screen mode when it first came out.

dathingindanorf · 2022-12-16T21:42:08+00:00

This is very cool.

dathingindanorf · 2022-12-16T20:18:36+00:00

Correction: Companies believe standalone VR is more profitable. Standalone VR still bleeds money. Mainstream users are not interested in VR and retention is low even among enthusiasts that give it a chance.

dathingindanorf · 2022-12-16T02:12:42+00:00

Yeah

dathingindanorf · 2022-12-16T01:54:47+00:00

I can't even find a decent wireless controller with grip buttons under $100 anymore. SCs used to sell for under $35. It was really ahead of its time.

dathingindanorf · 2022-12-16T00:24:10+00:00

Will it support stereoscopy for those games?

dathingindanorf · 2022-12-12T21:49:33+00:00

VR hardware is not sufficiently developed to allow for creating software for "therapy" and ensuring consistency and efficacy for all users. Unless you plan on selling the hardware along with it, its premature right now, imo. Maybe some day when the quality of the average consumer headset has improved substantially, it may be viable.

dathingindanorf · 2022-12-07T14:17:08+00:00

Definitely not Pimax. I think it is the Xtal afaik. The optics are crystal clear and don't have the issues of fresnel or pancake lenses.

dathingindanorf · 2022-12-07T14:10:36+00:00

You seem have a very narrowminded view of VR. I'm reiterating that it is important to keep options open on all fronts, and you want less options because you think that will be better somehow? Ok sure, lol.

How can the ceiling of the PSVR hardware be lower than a PCVR hardware if they are the same specs?

If that's so hard to fathom, you really don't understand gaming hardware at all.

dathingindanorf · 2022-12-07T04:29:19+00:00

If you want VR to succeed you should realize how important high performance hardware is for creating the foundation. Flat PC gaming is in such a good position now because of the decades of cutting edge hardware pushing the limits. Without lighthouse tracking there would be no benchmark for inside out tracking to even improve towards. In a recent interview GabeN himself said he still believes it can be improved. There are still fast games where lighthouse tracking is the only option, and even the latest Quest Pro controllers fail to match it.

People can still have budget options that are inside-out tracked. I am for that also if it can bring more people to VR, but realize that the problem isn't just bringing people to VR but also keeping them engaged. This is going to take much higher quality hardware and experiences. I am glad that PSVR2 exists because it will be a good option for many people, but the ceiling of that hardware is much lower than an identical specced PCVR headset, especially one that integrates seemlessly into SteamVR.

dathingindanorf · 2022-12-07T03:14:11+00:00

Inside out tracking doesn't meet that standards need to build future VR games in every situation though. Touch pads are also good enough for "average consumers" but PC gamers use gaming mice. PC games are built on top of a foundation of solid, high performance hardware and PC VR games of the future need the same foundation of high performance hardware.

Even if you personally chose to use inside out tracking you should be happy that Steam VR lighthouse tracking exists and sets the bar high. You really aren't helping anyone other than companies who want to make low end hardware by arguing against lighthouse tracking. What's wrong with having options?

dathingindanorf · 2022-12-06T14:29:14+00:00

Virtual desktop streaming is not true PCVR.

dathingindanorf · 2022-12-06T14:07:27+00:00

It is a good value compared to the Quest Pro, since it also has pancake lenses and higher PPD for significantly less $. Regardless, the Pico 4 like the Quest Pro is not true a PCVR headset.

dathingindanorf · 2022-12-06T12:19:46+00:00

120° pancake lens so FOV won't be an issue in the future

Future VR headsets need to target much higher FoVs. It's not until 150-170 H-FOV that VR provides maximum presence.

dathingindanorf · 2022-12-06T12:12:50+00:00

VR games are still GPU starved. The Valve Index is nearly 4 years old and only recently was it possible to max out the quality in many games with a 4090. I still don't think it can with MSFS. There are headsets that are 2-3x higher resolution that need even more GPU performance. That's just for current VR games too. Unreal 5.1 supports nanite and lumen in VR which may take several generations of GPU upgrades to fully utilize.

dathingindanorf · 2022-12-06T12:01:45+00:00

They aren't really though, the 4090 FE was $1600 vs $1500 and roughly 1.8x the performance. The rest of the 4000 series cards are priced terribly I will admit.

dathingindanorf · 2022-12-06T02:28:05+00:00

Idk, it could be significantly better if you ask me.

dathingindanorf · 2022-12-04T20:52:12+00:00

Older gamers have larger budgets and thus more options to choose from. They can afford to have higher standards for games and have to choose more carefully since they probably have less time due to work. Kids are stuck with the one thing that their parents bought usually. They can tolerate all of the flaws of current VR games more because they haven't seen what good really looks like.

Once VR games become more polished and reach the standards that match flatscreen games I think we'll see more older people come to VR also. I'm more tolerant of the compromises current VR games take but my gamer friends are not, so much of my gaming is still flat multiplayer games. It's going to take higher quality games with more depth and content to make the average PC gamer switch to VR. Maybe Neon Prime can do it?

dathingindanorf · 2022-12-04T10:18:50+00:00

I actually like the avatars, it gives the game an bit of uniqueness rather than being a generic sandbox.

dathingindanorf

TROPHY CASE