Fool me, this is real good shit ! [the VR thread]

[Bod]

Anyone taking advantage of the discount from Alien / Dell / Asus on a new PC?
I'm toying with the idea of a new CPU so I've decided to wait until the UK deals are announced next month before deciding which route to take.

[Jamesac]

It's probably better to build your own PC rather than pay mark-up rates for a preconstructed system. I know I'm building on a tight budget for VR and every cent I save goes towards more power. At this point I've got everything budgeted (including the Rift) other than the graphics card, which I'm still waffling on. Probably a GeForce 980, because a 980 Ti is just too rich for what I've got left.

[Mqark]

So the Vive is $799.

[pogo]

via

[Dio]

Caption competition? "Object entering the Imperial Vortex... approaching the Sea of Fire..."

[zip accident]

"Imagine him at 90 years old"

[Dio]

"If I grab this guy's macbook and quickly sit down will anyone be able to tell it was me...?"

[pogo]

Why was he there? As FB are investing in social VR:

As we continue to make big breakthroughs in the technology behind VR, we’re also investing in efforts to explore immersive new VR experiences that will help people connect and share. We’ve already helped people connect in a wide variety of ways on mobile devices — ranging from Facebook and Instagram to Messenger and WhatsApp — and now we want to apply that same approach to the new medium of VR. In the future, VR will enable even more types of connection — like the ability for friends who live in different parts of the world to spend time together and feel like they’re really there with each other.

We’ve created a Social VR team at Facebook focused entirely on exploring the future of social interaction in VR. This team will explore how people can connect and share using today’s VR technology, as well as long-term possibilites as VR evolves into an increasingly important computing platform. They’ll will work closely with Oculus and other teams at Facebook to build the foundation for tomorrow’s social VR experiences on all platforms.

Our work in VR is still early, and there are a lot of hardware and software challenges that we still need to solve. But we’re encouraged by our progress to date, and we’re excited to continue building VR technology that gives people new ways to connect and share.

I’m not sure whether it’s a good thing or bad thing that they want their social VR on all platforms.

[Bod]

So the Vive is $799.

From the Vive site ...

The countdown has begun and is ticking away toward 10 a.m. Eastern time on Monday 2/29 at which time pre-orders will open worldwide with pre-order fulfillment and full commercial availability starting early April 2016. Vive will be delivered as a complete kit allowing users to instantly jump into a fully immersive virtual environment using two wireless controllers, 360 degree tracking and room scale movement sensors.The integration of SteamVR into the bundle ensures that all Vive equipment is kept up-to-date with the latest features.

Taking Vive one step further, with refreshed branding and an updated head strap, the Vive consumer edition builds upon the innovative features that were introduced into the Vive Pre. The consumer edition of Vive also integrates phone functionality. Enabling you to stay connected to the real world, without exiting the virtual world, Vive Phone Services demonstrates the ability to combine both realities without losing touch of either. By allowing you to receive and respond to both incoming and missed calls, get text messages and send quick replies and check upcoming calendar invites directly through the headset, it opens up a whole new world of possibilities for both consumers and businesses.

The Vive will be priced at $799 and for a limited time the consumer edition will also ship with two fully-fledged VR experiences to get you started in the virtual world.

[Bod]

Any bets on what the Playstation VR will cost now we know Rift & Vive prices?

[Sir_LANs-a-lot]

Any bets on what the Playstation VR will cost now we know Rift & Vive prices?

£399

[KlaxonCow]

Steam has got a free benchmarking tool for seeing if your system is "SteamVR ready".

http://store.steampowered.com/app/323910/

Tests your GPU and CPU. And, if you are lacking, then gives you an indication if it's your CPU or GPU that needs the upgrade and the sort of fidelity of experience to expect (i.e. whether you can crank the settings and resolution right up or not).

Also, yes, as a Linux user, I have to note that the benchmarking tool is Windows only. So someone else will have to tell me if this is actually any good.

And here's an Australian bloke putting a bunch of nVidia cards he's been reviewing - a 950, 960, 970 and 980ti - through the benchmark tool to see at about what level a graphics card is deemed "SteamVR ready".



(Why only nVidia cards? Well, in the comments he explains that nVidia let him keep the cards he gets for making reviews, while AMD ask him to give them back afterwards. So when something like this shows up unexpectedly, he's got a load of nVidia cards ready for testing purposes, but not an AMD card for comparison.)

[Misfit]

Hmm, I'm months down the line on my Oculus pre-order. Makes me tempted to go Vive....

[pogo]

Any bets on what the Playstation VR will cost now we know Rift & Vive prices?

We will find out soon it seems:

[WladimZappo]

You think there'll be some YAKaction (YAKtion?) At that event?

WZ