Lesson learnt just then: make sure to have your headphones on the right way round otherwise you'll have the shit scared out of you when the zombie is actually on your other side!

Lord_Griff wrote:

The are no indices.

 
When you try and buy one in Steam they won't take your money, you just go in a queue. They'll email when it's available and you can decide then if you want it. Think the current wait is about 7 weeks.

Yoss was not suitably convinced of VR's merits when he had a go on a Quest last year. Not an easy man to please then.

Gosh, when the encounters step up, I really haven't experienced anything like that in gaming before. Heart was pounding after a particular firefight.
Pacing in the game is incredible as well. 
Think I might splash out for virtual desktop to try it wireless as the extra weight/faff of a cable is an annoyance for Quest.

ALYX? Because commitments, from what I've played which is only around half an hour, it's totally captivated me. The opening city vista is one of those moments which just stays with you.

Feels like being a kid again, your imagination has somehow been conjured into a life sized video game inside your head. A nightmare waking, but one you want to be having. Savouring the moments (probably too much at the expense of pacing) but seems unfair to criticise, because what a feast so far.

Perhaps the waffaa thin mint on top could be...what would this low contrast world look like through the Unreal engine?

Yeah it's the best one for VR by far except it scales resolution automatically depending on your hardware.

I'm having a right mare with this sorted a new base station and the tracking is fine outside of Alyx. I think I'm suffering from performance issues but I'm running it on a beast of a pc.

Yes, I think I'm going to clean install drivers and steam VR.

The other side is getting a laptop and it working first time.

stonechalice wrote:

^^^^This kind of talk totally puts me off pc gaming ergh

You're right it can be a pain but I've spent about 20 minutes messing with it and it's mostly working now and I think I'll crack it today. All in all not that big a deal to sort.

In other news valve refunded the cost of the game this morning without me asking, I assume because I used the index. Pretty happy with that.

bad_hair_day wrote:

Iron tum me has decided to keep playing untethered on the Quest because head crabs.

Hope all half-life fans will get to play this jaw dropper some day.

Seeing as i am never going to buy a VR set, probably not. Big half life fan. But VR is a no until the tech becomes the equivalent of putting on a pair of raybans.

Lord_Griff wrote:

Just wait for the non vr version.

You couldn't make this is in VR. Well you could but it'd be terrible. I can't see Valve making a flat screen game again if that IGN Newell interview is anything to go by.

Valve are obscenely rich but they also seem to think if you're not in VR you're not going to be able to compete. I dunno what crazy brain interface tech they're working but I'll repost this. It's really worth a watch.

SpaceGazelle wrote:

Valve are obscenely rich but they also seem to think if you're not in VR you're not going to be able to compete. I dunno what crazy brain interface tech they're working but I'll repost this. It's really worth a watch.

There is a huge indepth Valve article in this months Edge with and interview with Gabe. Not read it yet.

djchump wrote:

So many great moments in this. Just... so many lovely little encounters - some designed to spook, some to get your heart racing, some just to shit your pants and others purely for the lolz.

Spoiler:

Toilet flush moment and reaction made me grin like a loon

It reminds why linear can be great. It's strangely old fashioned and future mental at the same time.

It does require a bit of an effort to play and this is going to be the key difference with some VR games. If it's not significantly better than flatscreen you're not going to bother. Cockpit stuff will all go VR but the stuff that requires some movement and long periods of standing are going to have to be brilliant. Comfort is going to be key and that'll happen - better designed hmds, wireless, higher Hz etc, but the physicality isn't going away for a while. I can grabbity gloves becoming a standard for a start. Wish I had it irl.