VR finally got good

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When the Oculus Rift came out for general consumer purchase, I was first in line.

And, don't get me wrong, it was a lot of fun.

What wasn't fun was the logistics.

It meant either having the computer and all the associated wires in a place with the space to move around, or it meant making space where the computer lived.

You had to pay attention to those wires too, because they were a trip hazard.

As well as the wire from the headset to the computer, you needed two high-speed ports for the proximity sensor thingies. Little towers that detected your location in space.

My PC is an ugly brute so my wife didn't like it out on display in the lounge, and the room with my PC is too small, so the rift gathered dust.

This Christmas I ordered myself the Quest version.

The Quest has essentially mobile phone parts inside, wifi, and a rechargeable battery. You can load up software right onto the thing, and then play whereever you have space. Only plug in when you need to recharge, and the battery has a decent life where you will get eyestrain or nausea before you need to top back up.

If you really want the PC experience you can get that too - and with the latest update, use the regular USB C cable that comes in the box with the charger.

Even better? It can now detect hand gestures, so soon you won't need controllers.

We are not at Snow Crash level of VR, but we are well on the way there.



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2 comments
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I'm still avoiding VR, which is really hard because I am really excited about the technology. I just don't want to play games that look like they were done in 1970's or play games like "Job Simulator".

When it gets to the point where modern games use VR I'll be more interested. There are a few titles coming out but once you play the 2-3 games you are stuck with a bunch of wireframe looking games.

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Weird, I am not finding that at all. The Quest games I have played have all looked good, and the games are even better when tethered to a decent spec PC.

Regardless, my motivation is to learn the development side rather than play the games :)

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