HTC Vive Pro & HTC Vive Virtual Reality Headset Thread

Is the cost for the device too prohibitive for consumers?

  • Yes

    Votes: 21 65.6%

  • No

    Votes: 11 34.4%
  • Total voters
    32
:)

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Pretty interesting that many people on the internet were claiming for months that CV1 would have the better screen/optics. And in the end, the Vive has a significantly larger FOV, less lens flaring, and its brightness is measured at 390 LUX compares to 130 for the CV1.

I'm not looking to get into a flaming contest, I'm just saying. It was a default arguement for months that Vive would be inferior in the "important" categories. Guess not.
 
Paul33993
Pretty interesting that many people on the internet were claiming for months that CV1 would have the better screen/optics. And in the end, the Vive has a significantly larger FOV, less lens flaring, and its brightness is measured at 390 LUX compares to 130 for the CV1.

I'm not looking to get into a flaming contest, I'm just saying. It was a default arguement for months that Vive would be inferior in the "important" categories. Guess not.
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Yet all the reviewers and people who have got hold of CV1 and have tried a Vive pre have said that the FOV appears to be about the same on both. All these 'measurements' that are being done at the moment don't tell the true story, there's more to FOV than these measurements, eye distance to the lenses and the lenses themselves make a big difference ; )

There is so much BS surrounding the launch of CV1 and Vive at the moment, I'd take anything that is posted at the moment with a huge truck load of salt. Read what some of the legit news sites have to say in their reviews of both and try and read some of the more balanced and objective reviews from users who have both to see the truth.
 
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There are no Vive reviews yet. There's an embargo. You have to be living in a cave, though, to know it's not going to get amazing reviews because many have done previews that have already shown their hands.

I don't really care about people's impressions. Impressions on technical matters are worthless. I'm a numbers guy. Here's an FOV article dealing with numbers:

http://doc-ok.org/?p=1414

But back to the reviews, prepare for a blood bath come Tuesday. It's not going to be pretty. That's just a fact. People can rationalize there way into feeling better about being on Team Oculus, but the reviews are going to be pretty rough when the comparisons start happening.

And my point was I just found it funny that I had it constantly shoved in my face that the Rift was superior. And now that the numbers show the exact opposite (regarding screen), were moving to something that's completely made up.
 
Paul33993
There are no Vive reviews yet. There's an embargo. You have to be living in a cave, though, to know it's not going to get amazing reviews because many have done previews that have already shown their hands.

I don't really care about people's impressions. Impressions on technical matters are worthless. I'm a numbers guy. Here's an FOV article dealing with numbers:

http://doc-ok.org/?p=1414

But back to the reviews, prepare for a blood bath come Tuesday. It's not going to be pretty. That's just a fact. People can rationalize there way into feeling better about being on Team Oculus, but the reviews are going to be pretty rough when the comparisons start happening.

And my point was I just found it funny that I had it constantly shoved in my face that the Rift was superior. And now that the numbers show the exact opposite (regarding screen), were moving to something that's completely made up.
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That's the whole point, the numbers don't tell the whole story no matter how much you want them to ; )

There's plenty of people out there who have tried both and they say there is not much difference between the two in terms of FOV. However, I can see what I'm dealing with so I'll bow out. Enjoy your HMD!
 
https://www.destructoid.com/review-htc-vive-352103.phtml

Apparently the UK embargo ends today (rest of the world is tomorrow). First review is up. Expect similar reviews because most of the major outlets have all tipped their hand and have hinted similar feelings.

EDIT: And I kind of resent the implication there. I don't blindly root for companies. Nobody was a bigger fan of the Oculus movement for the first couple of years. But I don't blindly root for something when it's against what's best for me. So me being in the Vive camp now is simply because it's the best consumer solution available. I'll have no trouble jumping ship again when there's something better.

I was simply pointing out that it was an echo chamber on racing forums that Vive was nice, but they were getting Oculus because it would have better optics (based on nothing). And no one of any intelligence would argue the point, because you couldn't argue a point with zero info (although that's what the other side itself was doing). So I found it funny. It should also be pointed out there was an absolute firestorm when Oculus DK2 came out and it had a much smaller FOV that DK1. So I don't think people should be branded as fanboys for pointing out the point again. It's real and it matters. The ideal FOV is more like 170 degrees. Every bit helps.
 
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And to add a bit of balance ;) In summary, both kick ass headsets which each do some things better than the other.

Hi All,

I've been playing with a Rift for quite a while now, and have also had the pleasure of trying a Vive Pre the past couple of days. I'm going to try to keep my thoughts as unbiased as possible, and stick to facts more than opinions. Hopefully this guide will help some of you decide which headset to purchase
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The headsets:
  • SDE/Fov: Rift and Vive use the same resolution screen. Vive spreads this out over a slightly larger field-of-view. This means that the Vive has a slightly worse screen-door-effect. I prefer the Rift screen/fov. I notice the improved screen clarity more than I notice the slightly lower FOV. The difference is not significant though, I'm nitpicking. Either is a huge step-up from the DK2.
  • Comfort: I slightly prefer the Rift. With its hard plastic strap it slides on and fits like a hat. The Vive is still much comfier than the DK2, but not quite as comfortable as the Rift imo. On the other hand, I've heard that the Vive is much more comfortable for people with larger heads, or people with glasses. Based on this, my conjecture is that the Vive will have the least discomfort across a large variety of head shapes, but if you are "average" and without glasses, the Rift fits like a cloud.
  • Tracking: The Rift may still use a camera but it's a whole different animal from the DK2 camera. For seated experiences like FlyInside, you aren't going to lose tracking with either system. This is a non-issue, both of these HMDs are so good!
  • Headphones: My biggest gripe with the Vive is the lack of integrated headphones. I find it really annoying having to put on a headset, and then put on headphones. I use wireless headphones which helps, it's even more annoying having the earbud cable hanging down. I wouldn't choose one headset or the other based upon the headphones, but I do wish both had them.
  • Lenses: Both the Vive and Rift lenses produce "light-ray" artifacts when you have a bright object centered against a dark background. Not the end of the world or anything, but it's there. The Vive gets a "ring" artifact if your eyes are not well-centered with the lens, while the Rift avoids this particular artifact. It's not a big deal though, just make sure to center your eyes
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FlyInside Compatibility:
  • Vive is Beta: I'll be releasing the first Vive build sometime next week, although I'm shooting for Monday. That said, FlyInside has had months of testing and refinement on the Rift, so you can expect that the Vive builds will be slightly "beta" quality for a while. That said, I expect them to catch up quickly. This is just a warning, if you start using FlyInside for Vive on April 5th, it's going to be a little messier than using FlyInside with the Rift.
  • Vive Pixel Issues: READ THIS. Vive's FOV is quite asymmetrical (the left eye has more of its pixels to the left, the right eye has more of its pixels to the right). This is a good thing, it increases peripheral vision, overall a solid design decision. That said, flight simulators are designed around a symmetric FOV. To cover the entire Vive FOV with a symmetric flight simulator FOV, I need to perform significant overdraw. As things stand right now, you can choose to either perform overdraw for a full FOV but lower clarity (same pixels spread out), reduce FOV and keep full clarity, or turn up the resolution at the cost of performance. I find that the experience is fine if I set a balance between overdraw/fov/clarity, but I wanted to give fair warning. This is the biggest drawback to using FlyInside with Vive instead of Rift. I'll be working to implement proper asymmetrical projection matrices in FlyInside, which will completely fix the problem. That said, it may take days, it may take weeks. There's always a very slim chance it won't be possible too.
  • ATW: With the Rift I'm able to take advantage of the excellent asynchronous timewarp support in the Oculus Runtime. On Vive, I use a homegrown ATW implementation. It's not quite as rock-solid as the Rift support, but it's still very good, and significantly better than FlyInside's ATW used to be in FlyInside 1.3. I wouldn't choose your headset based upon this info, but the Rift has a slight advantage in TW stability.
  • Future Features: In the future I plan to add support for the Vive controllers (great way to interact with aircraft cockpit controls), passthrough camera, and chaperone-assisted airplane walk-arounds/inspections. When Oculus Touch is released I'll add support for those controllers also, but for a while the Vive version of FlyInside will have some functionality which the Oculus version does not. I don't attempt to favor either platform, but I do intend to make full use of each one's hardware, and right now, the Vive comes with more hardware.

Roomscale:
If you're only ever planning to play FlyInside I'd tell "go ahead, get a Rift." It's slightly more comfortable, SDE is slightly better, and FlyInside support is currently better. Most of you, though, won't only be using FlyInside. When it comes to other games, seated experiences like Oculus ships with are "very cool." On the other hand, some of the Vive room-scale games are "I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS IT'S A HOLODECK LIKE FROM STAR TRECK THIS IS AMAZING." If you can clear out the space for room-scale you need to try it. The tracked controllers are great. Jumping, walking, ducking, crouching is perfect. My new favorite game is Space Pirate Trainer VR: http://store.steampowered.com/app/418650/. You dual-wield pistols, aim them with your hands, blow up robots, dodge bullets like in the matrix, it's incredible.

In Summary:
Between just the headsets, I definitely prefer the Rift. On the other hand, Vive's full-body experience makes up for the slightly worse SDE and annoying headphones. If you do go Vive, be aware of FlyInside's current state, and the fact that it may always be slightly better on the Rift (although I'll do my best to make it as good as possible on each platform).

P.S. Keep it civil in the comments. These are both great headsets, no point in having flame-wars, you don't owe either product your devotion. It's just a toy/tool to enjoy
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http://forum.flyinside-fsx.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1617

And I'll be sure to report back here once I receive both my Rift and Vive sometime hopefully in May. Will you be doing the same?
 
Paul33993
Pretty interesting that many people on the internet were claiming for months that CV1 would have the better screen/optics. And in the end, the Vive has a significantly larger FOV, less lens flaring, and its brightness is measured at 390 LUX compares to 130 for the CV1.

I'm not looking to get into a flaming contest, I'm just saying. It was a default arguement for months that Vive would be inferior in the "important" categories. Guess not.
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Pretty interesting this is the first one ever I read a comparison on both suggesting the Vive have a significantly larger fov. Most would say slightly larger as they are using the same panel at similar viewing distances it would be tough to get the fov all that different :)
 
I tried DK2, CV1 and Vive Pre. The Vive provides the best experience: more comfortable, more room for glasses (no way I can keep my glasses with CV1), brighter screen, better optic (if you are a little bit of centered on the CV1, it is instantaneously blurry, easier to stay in the good position with the Vive). SteamVR feel more mature than Oculus platform but it is more a personal taste. The tracking system of the Vive will allow more versatile experiences because of the space covered by the infrared lasers. Camera based tracking can't be as precise within a range because a camera has to focus on a limited range. Everything out of range is blurry and less precise to track. And like it is some image processing, it will ask more cpu for tracking (need top notch usb3 ports).

Guess what, I have ordered a Vive :)
 
K_Soze
I tried DK2, CV1 and Vive Pre. The Vive provides the best experience: more comfortable, more room for glasses (no way I can keep my glasses with CV1), brighter screen, better optic (if you are a little bit of centered on the CV1, it is instantaneously blurry, easier to stay in the good position with the Vive). SteamVR feel more mature than Oculus platform but it is more a personal taste. The tracking system of the Vive will allow more versatile experiences because of the space covered by the infrared lasers. Camera based tracking can't be as precise within a range because a camera has to focus on a limited range. Everything out of range is blurry and less precise to track. And like it is some image processing, it will ask more cpu for tracking (need top notch usb3 ports).

Guess what, I have ordered a Vive :)
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Interesting, you're the first person I have seen write that about comfort and blurriness off centre. The vast majority of reviews I have read state that the Rift is by far the most comfortable, they state it's like wearing a cap and if you set it up correctly, making sure the back of the strap is correctly seated on the back of your head, then you get almost no pressure on your face. In contrast I have read many people saying that the Vive is front heavy and uncomfortable after even 30 mins of play.

I do doubt what you say about the off centre blurriness also. The slightly smaller field of view and smaller grooves on the fresnel lenses in the rift should lead to a bigger sweet spot around centre and also the ability to change the IPD on the rift at any time should mean you can make sure that blurriness is not a problem. The larger FOV and bigger grooves in the lenses of the Vive lead to a more noticeable SDE and a smaller sweet spot off centre. That's what I've read in pretty much every review comparing the two.

The general consensus agrees with you about glasses, much more difficult in the rift compared to Vive. Also ticking one box in Oculus home does away with the need to worry about Steam VR being better than Oculus home as it enables you to play any games on Rift.

I've also seen a video that shows that room scale is perfectly possible at present on the rift and that should only get better when Touch is releases later in the year. It's a shame Touch wasn't ready at launch but everything I have read from people who have early versions of Touch tell me it'll be worth the wait.



Like I said above I'll be able to try both when they turn up in May and I'll be sure to report back my findings as I'm really seeing so many conflicting reports that it's hard not to raise an eyebrow.
 
I agree that the CV1 feel lighter than the Vive. For the Touch controllers, yes they are really better than the Vive controllers. The ergonomic is better, more buttons, ability to detect finger presence near buttons, really nice. For the room scale with the Rift, yes it is possible in a smaller area, the length of the CV1 cable seems shorter. But with two cameras, you can do some standing experience. The problem will be that if your back occludes the controllers, they won't be tracked correctly anymore. And it is a case that can happen more frequently with two cameras that look at the same direction standing close to your PC.

But the Rift is an excellent headset, and I will miss some of Oculus exclusives like VR short takes (Henry). I hope that Valve or third party will release some better VR for the Vive while I am almost sure that Touch controllers will be the reference for VR input.
 
Thanks for the impression I will probably never ever being able to demo them. Fit is quite personal what I read is that the Vive may fit bigger heads better for small and medium heads most may find the Rift more comfortable is the impression I got so far.

SDE and sharpness more reports rift is a hair better then vive here overall but perhaps the glasses make it hard to get the right fit? Never used lenses in my entire life but I may have to.

As for brightness do the Rift feel dim versus a regular monitor? I am not a big fan of ray cannons I run about 120 cd on my monitor which is capable of 350 cd. Much easier on the eyes but I do want to be able to portrait some sunny days. However I am afraid the headsets vill produce as dull images as when I run ULMB on my monitors. running ulmb on my 2560x1080 35" monitor give me way more SDE but hopefully the fresnel lenses do wonders.

Do LFS, PCars etc have Vive support? TBH it´s software support that will make or break them. In regard of PCars you are not supposed to buy it via Occulus home then you can´t run multiplayer versus users running the steam version.
 
Just played The Lab : Longbow experience. Holy c... This is amazing. I want to play this for hours ! I am Legolas !

Just compared once again CV1 and Vive : yes the Vive feel heavier, and yes the Vive is really brighter.
 
Cool pretty much decided what to get in case I can´t demo them at this point. No way I am waiting another 2 years for the next iteration. Since the Vive seem to be very much drivable in racing sims it should be even easier on Rift to find the brake markers. Though question is what to do when somebody smashes the brake markers and you must look for signs in the tarmac when to brake.
 
It looks like the Oculus Rift is the better solution for us simracers

- It's more comfortable for longer race sessions
- Has sharper optics
- It's cheaper

The only big plus of the Vive is availability and it has tracked controllers with roomscale. Which you do not need for simracing.

If you're undecided which one to buy, ask yourself : Which HMD will i get in 6-8 months, when the Rift has tracked controllers and supports roomscale through Steam VR?
 
HoiHman
It looks like the Oculus Rift is the better solution for us simracers

- It's more comfortable for longer race sessions
- Has sharper optics
- It's cheaper

The only big plus of the Vive is availability and it has tracked controllers with roomscale. Which you do not need for simracing.

If you're undecided which one to buy, ask yourself : Which HMD will i get in 6-8 months, when the Rift has tracked controllers and supports roomscale through Steam VR?
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Cons with rift is more glare, less comfortable with glasses seem to be a common notion and when it´s finally available we may want StarVR or even PS VR :P

Got shipping notice this morning from june to mid july not that bad if they can hold to it. HTC Vive also seem to have issues delivering predictebly.
 
From the tested review above:

Norm: Every time I play a Vive game, 10 minutes in I think to myself, "Boy I wish I could be playing this game with tracked controllers but wearing an Oculus Rift". Coz it's about the comfort.

Jeremy: I could say the exact same sentence. And, in fact, yesterday when I was playing the Vive, I had to take it off and say "Ugh, I really miss my Oculus Rift" because it is just so much more comfortable.
 
HoiHman
It looks like the Oculus Rift is the better solution for us simracers

- It's more comfortable for longer race sessions
- Has sharper optics
- It's cheaper

The only big plus of the Vive is availability and it has tracked controllers with roomscale. Which you do not need for simracing.

If you're undecided which one to buy, ask yourself : Which HMD will i get in 6-8 months, when the Rift has tracked controllers and supports roomscale through Steam VR?
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I agree, main concern for sim racers is comfort and image quality which it would appear the rift has the edge on in both departments. I do play other games though so I'm really intrigued to try out the tracked controllers and room scale on the Vive.
 
I don't get how people can find the rift more comfortable. The rift can't be use with my glasses, the Vive is really comfortable with. I have a light leak around the nose, lot of reflects and hard time to find the good headset position to avoid blurry image with the rift. The only good points are : lighter, maybe better balanced.

Maybe comfort depends a lot of our morphology.

But yeah it seems that most simulations will support the Rift.
 
K_Soze
I don't get how people can find the rift more comfortable. The rift can't be use with my glasses, the Vive is really comfortable with. I have a light leak around the nose, lot of reflects and hard time to find the good headset position to avoid blurry image with the rift. The only good points are : lighter, maybe better balanced.

Maybe comfort depends a lot of our morphology.

But yeah it seems that most simulations will support the Rift.
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The key here is maybe you use glasses and they choose not to? I may remember wrong but think I heard the very same testers suggest that the Vive is more comfortable with glasses before then the rift. But of course most comfortable without.
 
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oqvist
The key here is maybe you use glasses and they choose not to? I may remember wrong but think I heard the very same testers suggest that the Rift is more comfortable with glasses before then the rift. But of course most comfortable without.
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Actually I am not using glasses when using the Rift and don't even think that I still have my glasses when using the Vive. The Rift makes your skin wearing the scuba shape, but the Vive feel more like wearing a winter ski mask (more foam).
 

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