Valve Index

From: Chris (CHRISSS) 9 May 2019 17:40
To: ALL1 of 6
Valve have released some info on their first homemade VR headset, the Index. There's plenty of specs, but little info on how good the headset is yet. It's looking like it should be a good step up from the Vive, and the Rift S looks like a downgrade in many ways.

I know some people here have a VR headset. Is it worth it? Do you use it much? I've been on the fence between the original Rift and a Vive for ages, but seriously tempted by the Index.
From: Manthorp10 May 2019 07:53
To: Chris (CHRISSS) 2 of 6
I've got a Vive and I wouldn't be without VR for the world. It's a radically different experience to flat gaming. An evening of flat gaming leaves me stewing in unspent adrenalin and fucks up my sleep.  I come out of VR much as I would out of a dream (or back in the day, a trip), feeling exhilarated but calm, if that's not a contradiction in terms. It's cathartic.

Depending on the game, I can also come out with a sweat on (NJ) - Beat Saber and John Wick, for instance, both involve enough exercise to break a proper sweat.

I'm gritting my teeth ready to stump up for the Index because the reviews are so good.  There's a cheap upgrade path for Vive owners who, in theory, only need the new headset - though who is going buy a second-hand Vive headset off me without all the accompanying gubbins?  It probably makes more sense to sell the whole lot, double down on the teeth-gritting and buy a complete new Index setup.
From: Chris (CHRISSS) 2 Aug 2019 11:19
To: Manthorp 3 of 6
My Index arrived on Monday :D

I haven't had a huge amount of time to play with it yet but it's epic. I can't really remember the Vive to compare it but the quality of the screen is amazing. No pixels in sight. Some people complain about muted colours and light blacks but I haven't been bothered by it.

The immersion is fantastic. It's so easy to forget where you are and feels a bit strange coming back into the room after taking it off. Beat Saber is obviously awesome and the kids love it. Even Sian said it was epic so it had wife approval too :)

Hotdogs, Hand Grenades and Horseshoes is crazy. The gun mechanics in that is amazing. Very interactive and really feels like you're playing with real guns. And defending yourself from attacking hotdogs is both crazy weird and intense. I just wish my living room was bigger so I don't have to worry so much about crashing into things.

I have to say I love it.
From: CHYRON (DSMITHHFX) 2 Aug 2019 11:59
To: Chris (CHRISSS) 4 of 6
Quote: 
defending yourself from attacking hotdogs is both crazy weird and intense.

 :-O

From: Manthorp 2 Aug 2019 13:51
To: Chris (CHRISSS) 5 of 6
Brilliant! The resolution & all-round performance of the Index is meant to knock the Vive into a cocked hat.

I really want an index headset at least, but I'm not sure my setup has enough grunt. What CPU/GPU have got?
From: Chris (CHRISSS) 2 Aug 2019 14:19
To: Manthorp 6 of 6
I just had a go at The Exorcist Legion VR and I can see what people are saying about the blacks. It is pretty grey to be honest but in most things it's not a problem at all.

And fuck me, that kind of shit if terrifying in VR. It was very short but I nearly shit myself when the lights started flashing and things started appearing out of nowhere.

I recently got a 2070 Super and still running my old i5 2500K. Most things or handles perfectly. Beat Saber can even do 144Hz. But some things struggle a little. Shattered Lights for example dropped down to 30FPS.