Curses. I had recently decided the Quest 2 problems were not for me - Reverb G2 (a LOT more expensive) is now my number one choice, or was until I read the above. I did of course want to upgrade to an RTX 3070 first, but I cant see that happening for a couple of years under current circumstances… so… is my i5 9600K (@4.8 Ghz) and my factory OC’d GTX 1660 going to cut it?? Decisions, decisions…
Unfortunately I don’t have experience on a 1660. It may be ok but I don’t know. You’ll need to see what others say. I don’t even know where the 1660 fits in the hierarchy. Sorry. What I based the 10 series minimum on was Nvidia introduced single-pass stereo with the 10 series.
I don’t think a 1660 will cut it, I had a 1660ti and it wasn’t a great experience, it was flyable at lower settings but wasn’t of enough quality in my opinion. I upgraded to 1080ti in February.
There have been optimisations since so it might be worth seeing if anyone else provides guidance.
VR is amazing even if the graphics are a step down compared to a monitor, I wouldn’t go back to 2d
I’m also happy with quest 2, price points a plus and the fact you can use it for other apps as well.
Having to get a Facebook account isn’t that big a deal just a bit of a Liberty!
So, I bought the HP Reverb G2 yesterday and have been playing around with it. A few observations with it.
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The outside scenery graphics aren’t nearly as good as I hoped, but i’m not shocked either as I’ve had VR glasses in the past, and it’s not really much different. Inside the cockpit is a different story though. It’s pretty good, but really good when you get up close and personal to the objects in the cockpit. Great graphics, and clarity.
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I’m getting rather jittery visuals at times which is super distracting when you’re trying to feel the immersion (unless you’re trying to immerse yourself in an earthquake). I have no doubt I need to try and work on the settings of everything to find a good balance. I’ve tried using settings from people with older less powerful GPU’s who say they have smooth frame rates without jitter, stutter, and great graphics, but nothing so far has helped, so i’ll have to keep trying different things. No doubt it’s something i’m doing. I have a 3080 GPU so it shouldn’t have too much of an issue I would think.
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Trying to wear glasses in the headset is annoying as @#$%. I’ve been struggling to get the headset on and off with my glasses in place, and when I do get the headset on, i’m finding the glasses either steam up a bit, or I have to stick my finger in the gasket to adjust the glasses. It’s not a huge issue mind you since i’ve just ordered prescription lenses from VR Wave, so when I get them in a few weeks, hopefully it will feel a lot better, and probably look a bit better as well. (Crossing my fingers).
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I’ve tried a couple of the demos like the WMR portal, steam portal, and the Half Life Alyx laneway samples, and I’m really impressed. It does look quite good. I might wait until Half Life Alyx is a bit cheaper ($89 here in Australia) before I get it though.
While I have the above criticism about it so far, i’ve also seen what it can do with the demos, so while it’s not as good as I hoped with FS2020 (until I can work out the best settings), it was certainly immersive while flying around. With any luck, after July 27th when hopefully frame rates improve a bit, maybe it will help the VR frame rates as well… Maybe. Also with prescription lenses, hopefully it will feel less annoying.
Apart from that, it’s pretty good so far.
Can anyone suggest any free Steam VR games or experiences that are free so I can try them out? I’m reluctant to buy anything at the moment without first seeing how I’ll like the game. Any demos etc as well?
Also, anyone else get their G2 prescription lenses from VR Wave? How was/is your experience with the lenses and the company?
A few things… First - it’s good you already ordered snap-in lenses but be very careful in the mean time. VR lenses can be easily scratched if your glasses touch them. Might keep the headset adjusted away from your eyes unti you get your lenses to help not scratch the headset lenses. You lose field of view but your lenses will thank you.
Also, those microfiber cloths will carry dust and can scratch lenses too. I use Zeiss pre-moistened lense wipes - very gently - to get any forehead smudges off the lenses. But glasses can gouge them and then things get complicated. Best to never ever go there. I don’t know if any headset manufacturer replaces lenses. I think most who scratch them have to buff them out which is only the lesser of evils and leaves aberrations in the images you see.
My G2 feels heavy on my brow and temples and it was very uncomfortable until I got this kit. If you are having trouble with fit, might give these a look. I got the heavier counterweight (they offer two different weights). No idea if a little lighter would do better but mine is now plenty good enough.
About tracking - this is a little more complex. If you are using the USB-A adapter, make sure it’s plugged into a blue USB slot and not black. Might also make sure no other high bandwidth devices share the same motherboard USB interface chip. Your mobo manual should tell you which slots are on which chip. Likewise, running the G2 through a USB hub can also cause problems by bogging down communications. USB is serial communications and only one device can talk at a time. Other devices may slow G2 camera comms and cause tracking errors.
The G2 uses 4 cameras to track with and they need good lighting and edges to find and fix on. Make sure your “play” area has high contrast things to see that provide good tracking. When I started using my G2, I was leaving FS2020 full screen and motions on my monitor were confusing the cameras seeing that because I’d move my head, the view on my monitor would change, and the tracking thought that was even more movement. I made my desktop background into an eight square checkerboard to give high contrast black and white squares with high contrast edges for it to see and made the FS2020 application about 1/4 the size of my whole monitor and tracking got solid. This causes minor cursor issues as the mouse cursor scaling is then off a bit, but after a while I was able to go back to full screen. Not sure why or if the tracking finally decided not to pay attention to my monitor.
The G2 builds a map of your surroundings. I don’t know the details but if its view changes, it might help to clear the tracking information and let it rebuild the mapping. I haven’t done that so don’t know the steps but bet it’s easy enough to find. I’ve just seen others talk about that.
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Thanks heaps for that. I’ve found it hard to not use the headset until I get the lenses because it’s probably 3-4 weeks away before I get them, but i’m trying to be careful in the meantime.
I’ll see how it feels when I don’t have the need to have my glasses on, and if it’s a little uncomfortable, i’ll look into the counter weight. Thanks for the link.
Re the tracking, I’ve tried using an external powered USB hub, as well as a dedicated USB port on the PC and both work fine, but I don’t think the jittering is caused by a USB bottleneck. I’ve made some changes to the OpenXR render level and it’s helped a bit, but I think it will take some more trial and error to find the right balance. I might just hold off until after July 27th though and also when I get the lenses just in case I have to re-adjust everything.
The play area has good lighting when needed, and i’ve tried both. I don’t think it’s a tracking issue per se. I’ll experiment further though.
Thanks again for the information and suggestions.
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I’m not sure if I should be concerned here or not, but I ordered the prescription lenses from VR Wave on Saturday, and it’s now Monday and just got a notification that it’s been shipped by DHL. Is it normal to have it made to prescription that quick? If I order glasses here in Australia, it always takes about a week or two just to have the prescription completed. I’m not sure if I should be happy or concerned. Obviously it’s a prescription so they can’t exactly use existing stock, so it would have to be made to order.
Should I be happy or concerned that the order is already on it’s way?
No idea but I would guess so? You’ll find out soon enough anyway. Bet everything is fine.
Well. I thought i’d post an update on the prescription lenses I ordered.
I ordered them on Saturday afternoon Australian time. They were shipped on the Monday evening Australian time. This would have meant the order was processed late late Friday evening USA time, and literally shipped Sunday Night USA time. This also means the lenses were created on the weekend in China.
Anywho, ordered Saturday afternoon, and I just received them today which is Friday afternoon.
As mentioned, I had my doubts that they could possibly have made the lenses properly in that short of time, and on a weekend, so i’ve been expecting the worst.
I’m happy to say the lenses are awesome. I’m in awe how quick the order was processed and shipped from China to Australia. Less than a week from order to being received. I’m probably going to get new lenses from VR Optician in the future because of the wider sweet spot i’ve heard about, but these lenses are brilliant. VR Wave lenses have made me a believer 
Now I don’t need my glasses in the headset… yay!!
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