What brought your attention into VR

Since we're all here to discuss about VR (and hopefully be one of the winners of the bundle) I think one good thread to start would be to simply talk about what brought each of us into VR or for those still waiting to hop on the wagon, what was it about VR that captured your attention?

For me I have to say it was first and foremost the feeling of being inside the game,living it, being part of it,It's a fantasy world gone real. Surely there are alot of non-VR games that are just as immersive, but in VR all your senses are focused on the world that is now the game, Minecraft for example becomes a whole new experience.
Also there's all the other possibilities that are usualy covered by mobile VR headsets (Space walks,Rollercoasters,deep-sea diving,etc..) that bring experiences that for the most part might be a tad difficult to be tried first hand by most of us, while others turn into "safer" more enjoyable ones.

Google Cardboard

Originally Posted by John1521

Since we're all here to discuss about VR (and hopefully be one of the winners of the bundle) I think one good thread to start would be to simply talk about what brought each of us into VR or for those still waiting to hop on the wagon, what was it about VR that captured your attention?

For me I have to say it was first and foremost the feeling of being inside the game,living it, being part of it,It's a fantasy world gone real. Surely there are alot of non-VR games that are just as immersive, but in VR all your senses are focused on the world that is now the game, Minecraft for example becomes a whole new experience.
Also there's all the other possibilities that are usualy covered by mobile VR headsets (Space walks,Rollercoasters,deep-sea diving,etc..) that bring experiences that for the most part might be a tad difficult to be tried first hand by most of us, while others turn into "safer" more enjoyable ones.

For me it was the games. I used to be a gamer and was hoping to get that taste once again so I bought the HTC Vive the moment it was launched. Still waiting for that AAA game, though. Do you really recommend any game which dosent last 30 min to end?
Cheers

For me it was an experience with my brother-in-law’s PSVR. I was over his house one day last summer and he let me try it out. I love how immersive VR is. It’s a far greater experience than staring at a 2D image on a flat screen directly in front of you.

I love VR

I was watching the expanse on TV and I was thinking to myself that I'd never get to go into space. Then I thought that VR was the closest thing I'd ever get. So I went looking online and found lone echo. Watching the trailer for that had me itching to get a VR headset again after kind of forgetting about them when the initial hype died down.

I first got on to VR through a friend. He is a tech enthusiast and invited me over to play. The first thing he wanted me to try was fruit ninja VR, and that was super fun. But I think, of all the games I've played so far, Form and Lone Echo have been the most fun. I love the fantasy genre and these two games are amazingly immersive.

Originally Posted by cprice27

I first got on to VR through a friend. He is a tech enthusiast and invited me over to play. The first thing he wanted me to try was fruit ninja VR, and that was super fun. But I think, of all the games I've played so far, Form and Lone Echo have been the most fun. I love the fantasy genre and these two games are amazingly immersive.

What's your opinion on the first generation headsets? Are you itching to get your hands on a second generation headset or just enjoying VR as it currently stands?

A friend of a friend had a Rift DK2 that he didn't mind sharing. It was mostly rollercoasters and exploring stars ... content has come a long way already.

I thoroughly enjoy VR as it stands, but there are some pretty interesting next gen headsets coming out. The Pimax 8k looks promising with almost twice the field of view as HTC Vive and Oculus Rift. It is also supposed to have a much higher resolution rate and number of pixels. Then there are the new standalone headsets that will be coming out. The HTC Vive Focus and the Oculus Santa Cruz are the most promising of the standalones...in my opinion anyway.

Originally Posted by cprice27

I thoroughly enjoy VR as it stands, but there are some pretty interesting next gen headsets coming out. The Pimax 8k looks promising with almost twice the field of view as HTC Vive and Oculus Rift. It is also supposed to have a much higher resolution rate and number of pixels. Then there are the new standalone headsets that will be coming out. The HTC Vive Focus and the Oculus Santa Cruz are the most promising of the standalones...in my opinion anyway.

I agree. Now we just need the graphic processing power to deliver all the graphics at a photo realistic level ;)

Well it seems that the pixmax renders at 4k, the use of 8k is to reduce the screen door effect. Pretty cleaver move I think!

Much as I dislike Google, I have to give them credit for Google Earth VR - it may not exactly have been what got me into VR, but it's what's been keeping me at it more than anything else...!

Originally Posted by Manus Imperceptus

Much as I dislike Google, I have to give them credit for Google Earth VR - it may not exactly have been what got me into VR, but it's what's been keeping me at it more than anything else...!

True. It's very well executed.

To be honest, I had only a passing interest in VR because the current execution of the tech is not productive in my opinion. My wife thought she'd surprise me at Christmas with an Acer WMR rig. The only game I've been playing for the past year has been Elite Dangerous. And I have to admit, VR with that game is fantastic--good enough that playing it outside of VR is boring by comparison (but still excellent). I can't stand, however, VR outside of the game. Having a virtual 'house' to try to 'move' around just to utilize apps is just idiotic to me. When SteamVR spins up there are a few moments when you're in a circular, domes space with longitudinal and latitudinal lines to create the impression of perspective. THAT is a much more productive environment for throwing apps up in VR. And using those wand controllers is equally ridiculous. I would love to see someone come up with gloves like they used in the movie "Minority Report". THAT would be a much more intuitive application. But right now there is nothing appealing about VR outside of gaming for me. The tech just isn't there yet.

Elite Dangerous... The first time you're flying through an asteroid field, look and see some lasers firing and roll inverted and head into the fight... HOOKED!

Originally Posted by John Walsh3

Elite Dangerous... The first time you're flying through an asteroid field, look and see some lasers firing and roll inverted and head into the fight... HOOKED!

I have that game installed for months! I didn't start playing it because I've read it has a very hard learning curve, is that true? Also, I have a keyboard and a controller (never used it though), can it be played normally without a joystick?
Cheers

Originally Posted by John Walsh3

Elite Dangerous... The first time you're flying through an asteroid field, look and see some lasers firing and roll inverted and head into the fight... HOOKED!

Totally. Ended up buying an HCS Voice Pack for Voice Attack that makes John DeLancie (Q from ST:TNG) as my ship.

I had a PSVR originally. A few of the early VR titles are amazing, e.g. Batman Arkham VR. Lately I've been using HP's Windows Mixed Reality headset for the Steam VR integration and specifically, Google Earth VR, which is amazing (and free, no less!).

Several things made me interested in VR, namely...

Powerful Platform - spatial computing is where everything is going
Organizational efficiency - Get better organized not just by arranging icons but avatars in 3d
Revolutionary - It's a game-changer
Non-discriminatory - unless you don't have stereoscopic vision then that sucks.

If you have eyes sharp enough to appreciate mixed reality ultra you might have read the real reason I've bought a lenovo explorer.

I first entered VR with a cheap Google cardboard a year or two ago. Then, I graduated to a still cheap, but improved VR headset. For the past year, I haven't touched those two things. In fact, I didn't really explore any VR at all. Recently, I bought an HP MR headset. I'm really blown away by it. I don't know where VR is heading, but right now, it's a really cool thing to have.

The first time I tried was with a cheap Google cardboard as well but I wasn't really impressed until I bought the HTC Vive ;)

The games, primarily, and to see how technology is progressing forward. When the Wii came out, I had to get it because it was the "new" thing in technology. Then there was the 3DS. VR headsets were a bit more pricey to jump straight into Day 1 on release, so I've been waiting for price to drop. Instead, I've watched a lot of gaming channels on Youtube where they're trying out different VR headsets/games, and it looks really fun!

I love history and was hoping to be transported in to the ancient past and be able to tour the world in VR very disappointed with PS VR Experience I’m 65 for gods sake!! I need tomorrows technology today not tomorrow that why I want the Vive so bad

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bBqzZ_ioXM

The thing that got me interested in the space was the HoloLens demo at Build. The message that VR/AR/MR could go beyond gaming and had (real) real-world uses was intriguing. So when M$ announced cheaper MR headsets I thought I would investigate. Turns out gaming is pretty fun.

Definitely the games. I watch a lot of gaming channels on Youtube so I was able to see a variety of them being tested out when it was first released.

I have always been a huge fan of roller coaster/amusement park games, and was absolutely fascinated when they introduced first-person camera view so that you could actually experience the ride yourself (about 3-4 different games used to do this) when I was a kid. Considering I was amazed by something like that, you can imagine how much more realistic it must be in a VR headset! :grin:

I loved the idea of being able to strap in and go somewhere else, experience something else. Reading the reviews for the Apollo 13 experience was likely what convinced me of the merits of VR even though it was niche and would likely remain so for a few years.

It's cool to hear about all these amazing things people are enjoying in VR, learning alot and getting really hyped to get a headset and try them!

I always wanted one but when I got to try Space Pirate Trainer on a friend's Vive I was blown away. It was incredible and I worked up a sweat playing that game. He had several people over and we spent hours playing games rotating in and out. Trying out demos. It was a blast.

Originally Posted by LtDarthWookie

I always wanted one but when I got to try Space Pirate Trainer on a friend's Vive I was blown away. It was incredible and I worked up a sweat playing that game. He had several people over and we spent hours playing games rotating in and out. Trying out demos. It was a blast.

Wow, space pirate trainer looks intense and seriously cool!

Got a Gear VR free with my S7 a couple years ago, honestly haven't touched it in over 6 months.

With the content currently available I'm just not interested, was fun to play with for a bit but got boring fast.