Going to try PS4 Virtual Reality: Please Help (1 Viewer)

[Ronald Epstein]

Morgan,

So glad you found this thread and that you have PS4 VR.

You provided a lot of helpful information. I may not have 4k yet, but at least I am covered for the games that need more processing power.

Just tell me....

After dropping all this money, is the VR experience that cool? Do you really get lost in the games?

I have people telling me they had to take the helmet off because the games were so lifelike (and in many cases) scary.

Do you really feel your body move with these games even when standing still?

 

[mattCR]

Do try watching a 3D Bluray title in PSVR. It is a unique experience.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Do try watching a 3D Bluray title in PSVR. It is a unique experience.

That sounds interesting. I will!

 

[Morgan Jolley]

Everyone I've showed the VR to has found it to be pretty awesome (except my wife, because she got motion sick just putting the headset on). When you're playing a game, it doesn't look lifelike and there's no forgetting that you're just playing a videogame. However, the sense of presence is still amazing. It's the difference between, say, watching a TV show on your flat TV versus walking around the set of the show. You know it's fake, you can see the seams between the walls or how cheap the props are, but you're THERE.

Even so, I've still had some visceral responses to what I see in the games. There's a jumpscare moment in the demo for Until Dawn: Rush of Blood that really startled me, much more so because it was in VR than simply because it was a good scare. In Farpoint (a first-person shooter that you can buy with a gun controller, so you're looking and aiming in free-roam VR) I've actually lost my sense of position in the real-world because I've gotten so wrapped up in the virtual world. It's honestly a so-so FPS game but the sense of presence from being in VR is what REALLY sells it and makes it awesome.

In some games, the view will move while you're sitting still and that may make you nauseous. For example, early in the Batman game there's a spot where you're on an elevator going down, and that first movement down made me dizzy. However, play the games enough, try playing standing up (but standing still), put a small fan pointed at your face while you play, and you will either be able to tolerate it or you'll get over it. It does take some getting used to. But for me, it's worth it.

Even so, the amount of motion in games is not consistent game-to-game. Batman has literally that one moment of uncontrolled movement, with the rest of the movement being point-and-click style with a quick fade to black and then fade back up, with the movement being handled during the blackout so you don't experience it. This is a VERY common compromise in a lot of VR games, though many also have free movement for people who are able to handle it.

Another note, the PSVR demo disc should be on the PSN Store, so you can download it for free and run it off your console rather than having to insert and use the physical disc. VR has become one of the few situations where I REALLY prefer digital games, since many VR games tend to be smaller experiences and switching discs is a pain while you're wearing a headset.

Oh, and you have a regular PS4 right? You may be able to sell it or trade it in on Amazon or elsewhere to recoup some of your money. Not sure how much you'll get, but it's an option. Just be sure to back up your save data (if you have PS+, this can be stored in the cloud so you don't need to physically move it to the new console) and then format the HDD before you trade it in.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Morgan,

Your description of the experience is outstanding.

Have a really crazy question for you or anyone else that wants to answer...

Obviously, your friends can monitor what you see on the viewer via the display that the PS4 is hooked up to.

I have a plasma. I don't want to use that as a monitor screen.

Could I buy a cheap 15" LCD screen for about $130 for friends to watch my virtual experience and vice-versa?

 

[CraigF]

Do try watching a 3D Bluray title in PSVR. It is a unique experience.

How is that? I've been waffling on the PSVR bundles a few times, if it's good for watching 3D BDs it could tip me over. Last time they didn't have the new headset. Is that display in there actually 1080p, I'm confused about that (i.e. whether it down-rezzes 1080p to 720p or not). [The only 3D-capable display I have left is really lousy, compared to the OLED one I was using for ~6 months, hard to go back to it...]

 

[Edwin-S]

HDR refers to 4K content. When you upgrade to 4K you’ll be happy you bought the updatedPS VR.

Really hope you enjoy it. Let us know.

Exactly, how would 4K capability and HDR pass through be of any value on a headset with only 720p panels?

How is that? I've been waffling on the PSVR bundles a few times, if it's good for watching 3D BDs it could tip me over. Last time they didn't have the new headset. Is that display in there actually 1080p, I'm confused about that (i.e. whether it down-rezzes 1080p to 720p or not). [The only 3D-capable display I have left is really lousy, compared to the OLED one I was using for ~6 months, hard to go back to it...]

I would like to know about this as well. I might be convinced to buy one of these if it would allow me to watch my 3D discs with good quality image playback. The 720p panels is the biggest sticking point with me when it comes to buying this peripheral. I don't get SONY's thinking by them adding HDR pass through before making this headset fully 1080p capable.

 

[Edwin-S]

I found the answer to my first question. The HDR pass through is useful if a person has a 4K TV as the 4K/HDR signal will now pass through the breakout box and out to the TV, instead of having to unplug from the breakout box and plug directly into the TV with the older unit. It has no advantage with the headset itself.

The fact that SONY has done nothing but add a couple of very minor improvements to the system rather than some major upgrades to the capabilities in version 2 , such as 1080p panels or improved field of view, indicates to me that, as usual, the peripheral has not sold enough units to warrant continued major development.

Still I might be tempted to buy this if the playback quality of 3D movies is good. It would be a relatively cheap way to ensure that my 3D discs remain viewable without me having to drive 20+ kms out to my sister's place all of the time.

 

[Tino]

Exactly, how would 4K capability and HDR pass through be of any value on a headset with only 720p panels?



I would like to know about this as well. I might be convinced to buy one of these if it would allow me to watch my 3D discs with good quality image playback. The 720p panels is the biggest sticking point with me when it comes to buying this peripheral. I don't get SONY's thinking by them adding HDR pass through before making this headset fully 1080p capable.

I just got done hooking everything up.

The new headset passes HDR. The last one didn’t. You would have to disconnect a bunch of cables to enjoy HDR. Now it’s sll good.

I don’t think HDR works with VR games. It’s just convenient now so you fint have to undo cables.

Hope I made sense.

 

[Tino]

There you go. I was typing my response when you found your answer.

 

[Edwin-S]

Okay. I have to clear up a misconception of mine. The panels in the headset apparently are 1080p OLEDs, not 720p like I thought.

Now a couple of questions. Will the old "Move" controllers work with this unit? Does the Gran Turismo pack have the updated headset? I can get that unit for 399. The other combos have sold out. I basically want to use this thing for watching my 3D flicks, but the pass through would be good to have when I want to play 4K enabled games on my TV.

 

[DaveF]

Do you really feel your body move with these games even when standing still?

Yes.

I have a plasma. I don't want to use that as a monitor screen.

Could I buy a cheap 15" LCD screen for about $130 for friends to watch my virtual experience and vice-versa?

Why not? I used my Kuro for video games for about seven years with no adverse effects. And presumably you might want to play non-VR games on a big screen sometimes.

If friends will be watching, it will be much less eganging to watch on a puny 15” laptop screen.IMO. But yes, you could do that.

 

[Edwin-S]

Why not? I used my Kuro for video games for about seven years with no adverse effects. And presumably you might want to play non-VR games on a big screen sometimes.

If friends will be watching, it will be much less eganging to watch on a puny 15” laptop screen.IMO. But yes, you could do that.

I would have to agree with you there. I used my Panny plasma for playing games quite a bit and never had an issue with burn-in. With the TV properly set, pixel orbit/shifting on and running the occasional maintenance routine to protect against burn-in, the possibility of damaging a plasma set while playing games is pretty low.

 

[DaveF]

^ And it's not the only content played, and it's not played for 12-hours a day. As part of mixed content, it's no worse than watching a few hours a day of a news channel with their chevrons and tickers and logo bugs. Or a few movies movies with letterboxing.

 

[Tino]

Watching 3D movies in VR is fun for a while but the decreased resolution is the dealbreaker for me. Infinitely Better in regular 3D.

 

[Edwin-S]

Watching 3D movies in VR is fun for a while but the decreased resolution is the dealbreaker for me. Infinitely Better in regular 3D.

How would it be decreased resolution? It is 1080p to each eye. it should be no different than using standard active shutter glasses. In fact, I thought it might be better in terms of reduced crosstalk due to having separate screens for each eye. I agree that watching 3D on a regular TV would be better, but I cannot get an LG OLED passive 3D set anymore. This route seems like the next best thing for watching 3D flicks, outside of buying a projector. True 4K projectors are still too expensive and you have to have a dedicated, light controlled, room to use them.

 

[Edwin-S]

FFS, I need to practice my reading comprehension. It is one 1920 x 1080p panel with 960X1080 to each eye. Guess it was a good thing I didn't order this yet. Blerrggh.

Edit: I think I will go ahead and order this. The cinematic mode seems to have been improved quite a bit with the 4.5 update. Resolution will be lower, but this will be a good stop gap for watching the occasional 3D film when I don't want to drive out to my sister's to use my old Panny, plus I have to admit that I am kind of curious about the VR side of this.

I am curious if Sony is planning a 4k version of this thing though. They have only sold about a milion units, so I cannot see it, myself.

 

[Sam Posten]

Lol this thread is fascinating from my perspective. I’ve had all 3 major headsets since launch. I lov them and will continue to explore but no way do any of them warrant a recommendation from me to non enthusiasts.

Ron in particular I am loving reading inquiries, expectations from. I can’t wait to see experience posts! Hope you dig it bud, I know you love gadgets!

 

[Morgan Jolley]

Whole lotta questions...

Regarding the headset resolution: it is a 1920x1080P OLED screen but with the optics and all it comes out to be two 960x1080 images (one for each eye). Sometimes, you do feel like you're looking at the world with goggles on rather than just seeing the world, but the immersion gets you past that pretty quickly. Also, the resolution you really see is kind of a barrel-distorted image that the optics make appear like a regular image, so it's not really what you think but looks fine.

Regarding 4K/HDR pass-through: like was mentioned before, this is a big deal for people who don't want to completely rewire their setup when they switch from a VR game to a regular game on their TV. The VR headset's screen won't show 4K or HDR, but the added power of the PS4 Pro can make some games look and run better.

Regarding a second TV hookup: Ron, you can plug the unit into whatever second external TV you want. A couple points though. First, some games actually have multiplayer modes where you see one thing on the VR headset and your guests would see something completely different on the TV. This is so you could play together or even against each other. So having an external TV for them to play with you or just see what you're doing in VR is handy. However, the resolution on the external TV will be diminished (it has to do with the VR headset optics and the image for those to look good to your eye). Second, if you are playing a VR game by yourself then you don't even need the external TV, you can do the whole setup and everything with just the headset. All of that said, playing a VR game on a plasma is probably better than playing a regular game since VR games tend to have fewer stationary elements (health bars, timers, etc.) because they break immersion, so you shouldn't need to worry about this much.

Regarding motion while not moving: this is referred to as drift. There's multiple possible causes, from lighting issues in the environment to miscalibrated accelerometers/gyros in the headset. If you leave the headset flat on a table for a few seconds when you first turn it on and you play in a not-super-bright room with few reflective surfaces in view of the camera, you should be fine. I've gone hours without experience drift, then I've felt it nonstop in slight ways for several minutes.

Regarding the updating headset and motion controllers: these are all, more or less, functionally identical. The new headset streamlines some things but the only real "new" feature is the 4K/HDR pass through for the box. The controllers function identically but are slightly updated by their physical design. Sony is being careful to not fracture the market by requiring different pieces of similar-looking hardware for various things. A Move controller or a VR headset or a PS Camera, all of any version, will work together just fine.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Lol this thread is fascinating from my perspective. I’ve had all 3 major headsets since launch. I lov them and will continue to explore but no way do any of them warrant a recommendation from me to non enthusiasts.

Ron in particular I am loving reading inquiries, expectations from. I can’t wait to see experience posts! Hope you dig it bud, I know you love gadgets!

Sam, It sounds like you expect me to be disappointed.

Why not? I used my Kuro for video games for about seven years with no adverse effects. And presumably you might want to play non-VR games on a big screen sometimes.

My 5 year-old LG plasma has slight burn-in already but not from games. The channel logo is burned in there due to constant watching of a particular channel. So, I am very careful about what I allow to remain static on my screen.