Have there been fundamental changes for home VR in the last five years?
November 30, 2021 7:04 PM Subscribe
I got rid of my disused VR rig five years ago but I thought I’d stick my toe back in. A lot of the equipment is looking very familiar, and while it looks like there have been some small advances in controllers the software seems to still only recognize the same basic inputs. Is there anything new over the last five years? New uses, new types of equipment, new concepts?
The Oculus Quest 2 headset has external cameras, so that there is more immersion with the outside world whilst wearing goggles. However, the image quality is (very) poor. You might wait for Apple's VR goggles, rumoured to have true LIDAR support.
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 7:24 PM on November 30, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 7:24 PM on November 30, 2021 [1 favorite]
Honestly there haven't been any massive changes, just incremental improvement on the top and bottom end of the price range. At the top you can get a Valve Index headset and play games like Half Life: Alyx on Steam that have good visuals and high fidelity input, but it's expensive. On the low end you can get the Quest 2 standalone device which will be very similar to what you were playing 5 years ago but without needing a PC
posted by JZig at 9:50 PM on November 30, 2021
posted by JZig at 9:50 PM on November 30, 2021
Of course, this guy turned up with a breathless presentation of rather old ideas. This was beautifully put into historic context by Ethan Zuckerman - Hey, Facebook, I Made a Metaverse 27 Years Ago.
posted by rongorongo at 1:29 AM on December 1, 2021 [4 favorites]
posted by rongorongo at 1:29 AM on December 1, 2021 [4 favorites]
Dang, that Zuckerman piece could be an FPP all on its own!
(Also, I remember all those things he mentions. Why no Jaron Lanier?)
posted by wenestvedt at 4:21 AM on December 1, 2021 [1 favorite]
(Also, I remember all those things he mentions. Why no Jaron Lanier?)
posted by wenestvedt at 4:21 AM on December 1, 2021 [1 favorite]
At the top you can get a Valve Index headset and play games like Half Life: Alyx on Steam that have good visuals and high fidelity input, but it's expensive.
One huge feature of the Quest 2 that hasn’t really been marketed is that you can connect it wirelessly to a pc. This used to be something you’d have to sideload but it’s now officially supported (I haven’t done it in a year or so though). With a fast enough connection (best to have a dedicated wifi6 router), and pc hardware that can handle the encoding on top of rendering the game, it’s PC VR without the tether. Alyx looks amazing on it, I am sure the FOV or input fidelity is lacking compared to Index (and index controllers seem to be way way better) but I have only used Quest 2 (which actually has a higher resolution than Index and can run 120hz). Running around dodging head crabs, ducking behind barriers, stomping through cities in Google Earth, etc in a large enough room is wild.
The inside out tracking also enables things like hand tracking/gesture control or tracking keyboards and adding overlays so you can see them in VR. Not super useful as of yet but interesting to play with.
All the usual caveats about how Facebook is evil apply, but I think they’ve signaled the end of the tethered pc vr market with the Quest 2.
posted by soy bean at 5:03 AM on December 1, 2021 [2 favorites]
One huge feature of the Quest 2 that hasn’t really been marketed is that you can connect it wirelessly to a pc. This used to be something you’d have to sideload but it’s now officially supported (I haven’t done it in a year or so though). With a fast enough connection (best to have a dedicated wifi6 router), and pc hardware that can handle the encoding on top of rendering the game, it’s PC VR without the tether. Alyx looks amazing on it, I am sure the FOV or input fidelity is lacking compared to Index (and index controllers seem to be way way better) but I have only used Quest 2 (which actually has a higher resolution than Index and can run 120hz). Running around dodging head crabs, ducking behind barriers, stomping through cities in Google Earth, etc in a large enough room is wild.
The inside out tracking also enables things like hand tracking/gesture control or tracking keyboards and adding overlays so you can see them in VR. Not super useful as of yet but interesting to play with.
All the usual caveats about how Facebook is evil apply, but I think they’ve signaled the end of the tethered pc vr market with the Quest 2.
posted by soy bean at 5:03 AM on December 1, 2021 [2 favorites]
Out of all the games journalism I follow, there's very little coverage of VR. The implication to me is that games development simply isn't there, despite the maturation in hardware. If you got rid of your original rig because there weren't enough titles, you may want to browse the Steam or Oculus stores to see if there are any recent releases that would actually interest you.
posted by backseatpilot at 5:21 AM on December 1, 2021
posted by backseatpilot at 5:21 AM on December 1, 2021
(I'm the Daniel Beck mentioned in Ethan's piece. Our metaverse wasn't nearly as crappy as he makes it out to be; it was freakin' 1994, the whole web was wonderfully crappy :)
Other than the great untethering, and incremental increases in graphics quality and reduced headset size, there are the VR treadmills -- the price points still kind of stretch the definition of "home VR" but are headed in the right direction.
VR software really is stagnant, though; Alyx was cool, No Mans Sky is wonderfully immersive, or would be if it didn't outpace my (overpowered!) hardware, and there are a few others that actually take advantage of the medium (Keep Talking and No One Explodes pulls it off wonderfully!) but for the most part it feels like VR peaked with Beat Saber.
posted by ook at 5:53 AM on December 1, 2021 [15 favorites]
Other than the great untethering, and incremental increases in graphics quality and reduced headset size, there are the VR treadmills -- the price points still kind of stretch the definition of "home VR" but are headed in the right direction.
VR software really is stagnant, though; Alyx was cool, No Mans Sky is wonderfully immersive, or would be if it didn't outpace my (overpowered!) hardware, and there are a few others that actually take advantage of the medium (Keep Talking and No One Explodes pulls it off wonderfully!) but for the most part it feels like VR peaked with Beat Saber.
posted by ook at 5:53 AM on December 1, 2021 [15 favorites]
Besides games, what's actually being developed for VR? Heck, what's still even supported?
Google Cardboard is apparently dead, which makes me sad: it was a fun hack to pop in my phone and walk around Europe's streets in Google Street View -- but it was genuinely immersive, and if there are more COVID restrictions, I am going to need it this winter. (I have viewers branded with the Simpsons and Star Wars, if anyone wants to make me an offer...)
posted by wenestvedt at 6:33 AM on December 1, 2021
Google Cardboard is apparently dead, which makes me sad: it was a fun hack to pop in my phone and walk around Europe's streets in Google Street View -- but it was genuinely immersive, and if there are more COVID restrictions, I am going to need it this winter. (I have viewers branded with the Simpsons and Star Wars, if anyone wants to make me an offer...)
posted by wenestvedt at 6:33 AM on December 1, 2021
If my teenage son is any indicator, VR Chat is getting bigger. He does, however, actively advise against my trying it.
I asked him what was new just recently and it seems that, as others have said, there's been little new in VR to rival Halo and Metroid for consoles.
posted by OHenryPacey at 7:29 AM on December 1, 2021 [1 favorite]
I asked him what was new just recently and it seems that, as others have said, there's been little new in VR to rival Halo and Metroid for consoles.
posted by OHenryPacey at 7:29 AM on December 1, 2021 [1 favorite]
In 2018 Beat Saber was released. Beat Saber is the first "killer app" for VR. It's an addictive rhythm game - but unlike, say, dance dance revolution, it has the fun act of slicing boxes in the correct direction with swords. I have never met anyone that played it and did not like it. Slicing the boxes is incredibly satisfying. People would buy $1500 computers and $800 headsets just to play this game.
The Oculus Quest was released in 2019. The Quest was the first large-scale improvement to VR in the last 5 years. It had inside-out tracking, and using a technology called "asynchronous time warp" which is over my head, it decreased the latency from moving your head to nigh-unperceivable levels. Now, you could play Beat Saber for only $400, the cost of the headset.
Numerous games were released for the quest. Not a ton were super notable. The under presents was human-acted game, done by a theater group/art project, and had a ticket system for in-person theater events that were interactive in small groups. Echo VR was an enders-game-esque game about moving with a team in zero gravity by throwing yourself off of walls and cubes, to deliver payloads to enemies without being tagged. Shadowpoint was a puzzle game similar to Portal - narrated by Sir Patrick Stewart.
With the Oculus Quest, there was a big debate that continues today. Oculus has its own store, and many games are listed on both Steam, and the Oculus Store, and the Oculus quest store. Some games allow you to buy them on one platform, but not all games have this policy. Prices are often higher on the Oculus stores, and they have a higher restriction to quality of releases than the Steam store. (Think, apple vs android app stores). Many criticize Oculus as a "walled garden" that disallows some apps from running, but there are flaws in that argument.
Beat Saber was heavily modded since release to allow custom "maps" with custom songs. This runs against the game's monetization of releasing DLC of albums from popular artists. There has been a shell game of modding on the oculus quest, with updates breaking mods, and uncertainty about updates and additional features to be gained from adding these mods. It's a bit of a "developer against playerbase" situation. This, and the above, are a main driver of "sidequest" - an app that allows you to download non-Quest store apps onto your quest, often including beat saber mods. Oculus is so big, that it wants to embrace the community, and have launched a similar process, while also saying they will partner with sidequest, while also often pushing updates that happen to break beat saber mods.
The quest 2 launched. It has almost all of the same features as quest one - but with slightly better graphics and better screens. Some apps can only be played on the Quest 2.
That's the highlights of the last 5 years of VR!
posted by bbqturtle at 7:30 AM on December 1, 2021 [7 favorites]
The Oculus Quest was released in 2019. The Quest was the first large-scale improvement to VR in the last 5 years. It had inside-out tracking, and using a technology called "asynchronous time warp" which is over my head, it decreased the latency from moving your head to nigh-unperceivable levels. Now, you could play Beat Saber for only $400, the cost of the headset.
Numerous games were released for the quest. Not a ton were super notable. The under presents was human-acted game, done by a theater group/art project, and had a ticket system for in-person theater events that were interactive in small groups. Echo VR was an enders-game-esque game about moving with a team in zero gravity by throwing yourself off of walls and cubes, to deliver payloads to enemies without being tagged. Shadowpoint was a puzzle game similar to Portal - narrated by Sir Patrick Stewart.
With the Oculus Quest, there was a big debate that continues today. Oculus has its own store, and many games are listed on both Steam, and the Oculus Store, and the Oculus quest store. Some games allow you to buy them on one platform, but not all games have this policy. Prices are often higher on the Oculus stores, and they have a higher restriction to quality of releases than the Steam store. (Think, apple vs android app stores). Many criticize Oculus as a "walled garden" that disallows some apps from running, but there are flaws in that argument.
Beat Saber was heavily modded since release to allow custom "maps" with custom songs. This runs against the game's monetization of releasing DLC of albums from popular artists. There has been a shell game of modding on the oculus quest, with updates breaking mods, and uncertainty about updates and additional features to be gained from adding these mods. It's a bit of a "developer against playerbase" situation. This, and the above, are a main driver of "sidequest" - an app that allows you to download non-Quest store apps onto your quest, often including beat saber mods. Oculus is so big, that it wants to embrace the community, and have launched a similar process, while also saying they will partner with sidequest, while also often pushing updates that happen to break beat saber mods.
The quest 2 launched. It has almost all of the same features as quest one - but with slightly better graphics and better screens. Some apps can only be played on the Quest 2.
That's the highlights of the last 5 years of VR!
posted by bbqturtle at 7:30 AM on December 1, 2021 [7 favorites]
Both 1) fully wireless setup, and 2) standalone VR device I think are the biggest changes in VR lately.
When I moved from PSVR to a Quest 2 (with no PCVR), I really didn't value how much wireless would change things. PSVR's limited cable length meant I was playing with a ceiling fan on my right, and a brick fireplace on my left. And there was time spent managing cable before/after each session - call it a minute, but that minute is friction that makes it harder to want to play VR. I spent a lot of time, "wanting" to play PSVR, but not finding it worth the effort to do. To play my Quest, I walk into the room where I keep it. I pick up the headset+controllers and walk to the room I want to play it (often the same room, but sometimes I'll be in the kitchen to hear the timer, or downstairs on my bed for seated play), I turn it on. Maybe I spend 10 seconds to draw a guardian, and I'm playing. The low mental "work" to wanting to play is *great*.
Standalone VR device? Sorry, I should have said, relatively absurdly cheap standalone VR device. In 1 year of the Quest 2's existence, it outsold all non-Quest 2 PCVR headsets combined sales since 2012. In 1 year, of the Quest 2's existence, it outsold PSVR sales during it's ~5 years of existence.
What do sales numbers mean/matter to the user? When PCVR devs report that they get 5x-20x more sales on the Quest lineup than PCVR, it says that 1) devs will absolutely target that platform. And 2) PCVR games had mostly stagnated as it wasn't great for sales. 5x-20x means that more people, and larger companies will start looking at VR.
That doesn't mean much now, as good games don't get made in a day. But in a year or three there will be a lot more quality games (some new, and some ports of old games into VR).
Next year, the Cambria (also a FB/Meta product) should release. While it will be much more expensive than the Quest 2, it's still expected to sell for approximately the cost of components. So it will likely have the same SoC, but better screen (great for PCVR). More over it will have higher resolution colour passthrough vision, and a *much* less bulky form factor. I.E. Augmented Reality will become more viable.
Additionally, Apple is expected to release hardware similar to Cambria in 2022 or 2023. Apple entering the game will bring in some devs, and some people not afraid of spending money on hardware. While I'm extremely unlikely to buy an Apple product, I think their entry to the VR market will be a benefit to VR.
posted by nobeagle at 9:19 AM on December 1, 2021 [2 favorites]
When I moved from PSVR to a Quest 2 (with no PCVR), I really didn't value how much wireless would change things. PSVR's limited cable length meant I was playing with a ceiling fan on my right, and a brick fireplace on my left. And there was time spent managing cable before/after each session - call it a minute, but that minute is friction that makes it harder to want to play VR. I spent a lot of time, "wanting" to play PSVR, but not finding it worth the effort to do. To play my Quest, I walk into the room where I keep it. I pick up the headset+controllers and walk to the room I want to play it (often the same room, but sometimes I'll be in the kitchen to hear the timer, or downstairs on my bed for seated play), I turn it on. Maybe I spend 10 seconds to draw a guardian, and I'm playing. The low mental "work" to wanting to play is *great*.
Standalone VR device? Sorry, I should have said, relatively absurdly cheap standalone VR device. In 1 year of the Quest 2's existence, it outsold all non-Quest 2 PCVR headsets combined sales since 2012. In 1 year, of the Quest 2's existence, it outsold PSVR sales during it's ~5 years of existence.
What do sales numbers mean/matter to the user? When PCVR devs report that they get 5x-20x more sales on the Quest lineup than PCVR, it says that 1) devs will absolutely target that platform. And 2) PCVR games had mostly stagnated as it wasn't great for sales. 5x-20x means that more people, and larger companies will start looking at VR.
That doesn't mean much now, as good games don't get made in a day. But in a year or three there will be a lot more quality games (some new, and some ports of old games into VR).
Next year, the Cambria (also a FB/Meta product) should release. While it will be much more expensive than the Quest 2, it's still expected to sell for approximately the cost of components. So it will likely have the same SoC, but better screen (great for PCVR). More over it will have higher resolution colour passthrough vision, and a *much* less bulky form factor. I.E. Augmented Reality will become more viable.
Additionally, Apple is expected to release hardware similar to Cambria in 2022 or 2023. Apple entering the game will bring in some devs, and some people not afraid of spending money on hardware. While I'm extremely unlikely to buy an Apple product, I think their entry to the VR market will be a benefit to VR.
posted by nobeagle at 9:19 AM on December 1, 2021 [2 favorites]
Besides games, what's actually being developed for VR?
Why, porn, of course. Twas ever thus.
posted by Thorzdad at 11:58 AM on December 1, 2021 [1 favorite]
Why, porn, of course. Twas ever thus.
posted by Thorzdad at 11:58 AM on December 1, 2021 [1 favorite]
I don't find the Quest 2 image quality to be poor and I am a pretty big AV snob. It allows fully wireless PC Link as well which works pretty flawlessly in my experience. Used to have to download Virtual Desktop to do but now AirLink or whatever it's called is just part of the Quest 2. At that point, you have the benefits of a PC running the VR like you would tethered but fully mobile. You can then play PCVR games (or the PCVR version instead of the Quest version if it's a dual play scenario like the Walking Dead game I bought) too.
I keep hearing VR developers say that they've blown away all other sales pretty much instantly on the Oculus store too so I'm pretty sure it's here to stay.
posted by OnTheLastCastle at 2:08 PM on December 1, 2021
I keep hearing VR developers say that they've blown away all other sales pretty much instantly on the Oculus store too so I'm pretty sure it's here to stay.
posted by OnTheLastCastle at 2:08 PM on December 1, 2021
I played the original Half Life (not Alyx, though I hope to someday play that) sideloaded into the Quest 2 and it was a really wonderful experience.
posted by raisindebt at 9:30 PM on December 1, 2021
posted by raisindebt at 9:30 PM on December 1, 2021
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by supercres at 7:13 PM on November 30, 2021 [2 favorites]