I have been really tempted to jump into VR for a little while now, I tried it when the quest first came out, the very first one but it was too blurry and made me dizzy. I’ve considered getting back into it again, but the thing that has made me really hesitant is I’ve heard that VR is not in the greatest place and that it’s really tough to find good VR games to play. For example, there’s Fallout and Skyrim VR but they’re not really in good shape, and it takes a lot of modding and tweaking to get them to actually work properly. But I’m curious what other people think. Do you think VR is in a good enough place to be able to play it and enjoy it long-term? Or is it some sort of short-term hype thing?
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No. It’s a meta product so it should be avoided.
I’m really trying to avoid all Meta products, but Quest 3 seems to have the best reviews and there are some good refurbished and used deals.
I’m not sure what to pick instead, while being cheap and having a PC about 7 years old.
No
If you don’t wanna deal with Facebook and all that, I have the Pico 4 headset and it’s similar to the quest and I’ve liked it a lot. Never used the quest 3 though
I will echo some of the other sentiments.
Meta sells a lot of their tech at a loss. You are not buying a VR headset with just your dollars. You are taking a huge kit of cameras and sensors hooked up to the world’s most advanced internet-connected telemetry and strapping it to your face. The data it gleans is how you’re covering a large portion, if not the majority, of the cost.
In my opinion, a PS5 and PSVR2 is the best way into VR for most people right now. I have that and a Valve Index and while the Index is awesome, it’s pretty dated and fiddly and while my computer runs it pretty well, catching up to more modern tech will cost me $2000 in upgrades and the fuss associated with building/upgrading/buying/migrating a PC.
I’m hoping Valve releases their rumored standalone headset sometime before the end of the world.
Much as I trust Sony more than Meta, part of the issue is that 80% of the cool stuff from VR comes from indie teams running an ItchIO page or Patreon, not established publishers.
Supposedly, PSVR2 can work with PC now but I don’t know how refined that integration is.
The integration is ok and the psvr2 is quite nice with the oleds. I have the adapter and it works. BUT VR is an utter joke… specially on the ps5 itself. So unless you are a furry and really really really need that much vr porn then I’d wait another 5 years and spend that money on hooker and blow instead.
I agree that there’s a ton of good stuff coming from the indie scene and also some amazing modding of existing games out there (check the Flat2VR discord - they just modded full VR support with motion controls into Silent Hill 2 Remake), but despite all the complaints about the PSVR2 library, there is more than enough gold in there to keep a lot of people entertained for a very long time, and some of it is truly AAA stuff. The headset itself is extremely well designed and easy to pick up and play, and the amount of tech you get is pretty nuts.
I’ve heard it’s pretty minimally supported on the PC because they’re kind of trying to get away with building half of a bridge (spoiler: it won’t work) but even without features like haptics and eye tracking, it’s a reasonable baseline headset. There may be some Bluetooth inconsistencies for some though, if I remember correctly.
You might be able to get a used Quest 2 pretty cheap. That was my entryway to VR, and a cheaper way to find out if it’s something you want to invest more in.
It’s not going to replace flat screen gaming. It’s hard to be in VR for hours, especially when you have to manage battery life, but I’ve had a headset for a year or two now, and it’s still amazing where it’s good. I’m better with smooth moving, but I still prefer teleporting, for headache/dizziness.
Tried Skyrim, couldn’t make it stick - VR just isn’t right for massive open worlds. Halflife Alyx is amazing - it’s the right scale for VR, the attention to manipulatable objects is amazing, and some of the puzzles just couldn’t be done in 2D. Blade & Sorcery is good, too.
Games I keep going back to are Beat Saber, because I’m old and need something to make me stand up and move, and Mini-golf, which is mostly a focus for hanging out with remote friends.
Interesting take regarding Skyrim. In my opinion, open world games are THE thing that VR is perfect for and sadly has way too few options.
I want to be in a virtual world. Seeing the sunset or just sitting down in a tavern in Skyrim and watching the people belong to some of my unforgettable gaming moments.
It is those closed, specialised games that are not fun to me. Give me more Skyrim worlds and less fruit ninja or beat sabre.
I can see that. If you just want to hang out in a space, then VR Skyrim definitely has some cool places to hang, but how long are you really going to spend in that Skyrim tavern?
When OP asks whether VR is a long-term option, that’s what I think. My favorite 2D games I have 500+ hours, probably a half dozen of them; I can still go back to those, some 10+ year old, and sink another 50+ hours. The only VR game I have more than 50 hours is the mini-golf game that’s glorified chat.
For me, VR as an experience has been really amazing. It’s a level of immersion that’s just indescribably better than anything 2D, but each of those experiences has had limited staying power, which I think is because the physical demands of VR constrain my playtime and focus. I can left-mouse-button all day, but my back gets sore if I stand for three hours. So I can handle beat saber because I treat it like a gym session, but the idea of VR walking 7000 steps to Skyrim’s Throat of the World…just no.
Started with a Rift way back and recently got a Quest 3. As you’re already aware, it comes down to the games you want to play. I’ve invested a bit in a setup for flight simming, because I love helicopters. Because helis are so sensitive, VR actually gives you much better control (it also increases your immersion, obviously). I replayed Half Life Alyx recently, and it’s still great. And then I spend a bit of time in Beat Sabre several days a week. Oh, and there’s a puzzle game where you just use your hands to match a set of blocks to a 3d shape. It’s great not always using controllers. In terms of the quality of VR - it might not have improved enough to ‘cure’ your nausea yet. The quest 3 was a big step up in clarity compared to the Rift, but your peripheral vision is cut off, and it’s still a ways off from normal vision.
I went through similar thoughts on whether or not to pick up a Quest 3 and after having one for 8 months I’ve not regretted it. The Quest 3 is a great all-rounder if you’re looking for something accessible but also capable of PCVR.
The one thing I will say is accessories are often overlooked. You’ll want to replace the headstrap with a better one. A battery pack if you want longer sessions. Wear glasses? Prescription lenses. A Wi-Fi 6/e router or better if you want to wirelessly tether to a PC for PCVR (plus the costs that come with a gaming computer).
While accessories may appear optional. If you’re spending a load of cash on the headset, then sticking with a subpar experience seems silly. So research what you intend to use it for ahead of time and budget for what you feel is necessary.
