Disappointing VR experience

[Thelyron]

So my gf and i had some money left over, and she suggested to finally get a vr headset. I agreed, she checked some prices and reviews, and we bought the rift s. It arrives, we unpack, and my gf dives right in, setting things up and starting playing. She says it's really awesome, and after some time it's my turn.
I play for a while, and what can i say besides... it's pretty shit? The concept and gameplay are really fun, i don't get motion sickness at all, but good lord, that fucking pixel grid (I think it's called screen door effect), that fucking edge flickering. I complained about it to my gf, and she asks me what the hell i'm talking about. She's apparently not seeing what i'm seeing.
Next i looked up what resolution this thing is supposed to have. 2560x1440. I honestly couldn't believe it. In the end, after several hours of trying different fittings for the headset, and playing around dozens of times with every available setting, my experience is best summed up as:

In the best of moments, it's like watching footage of a high res game on the screen of a first generation 3ds with the 3d feature cranked to max. It's like sitting too close to an old lcd tv. That's how bad everything looks. I could probably count the individual pixels in that screen door effect if i wanted to.

I tried to play Elite Dangerous, which is something i was very much looking forward to, but it was basically unplayable. All the text was blurry, no matter the settings and setup, the edge flickering was on ps2 levels, and over all that lies that god damn grid that fucks everything up. I'm honestly pretty sad, i was really looking forward to this, but it just isn't fun this way. Meanwhile, my gf says she isn't having any of these problems, that the grid just kinda fades away for her. Is that just how it is, or is there anything that can be done to improve my experience?

[Acelius]

VR is still in the early stages, it will get better. Also, as you say the Rift S has a 2560x1440 resolution, however that is for both displays. The actual resolution per monitor for each eye is 1280x1440. There is a significant screen door effect for every VR headset on the market, it is just a matter of being able to look past it and immerse yourself.

I don't know about the edge flickering, I haven't had that happen on my Oculus Rift.

[potis]

Is that just how it is, or is there anything that can be done to improve my experience?

Yeap, forget how cool actual 2k monitors and high graphics look and pretend PS2 has awesome graphical settings, therefor VR is godly.

You just have to get used to it/suck it up.

No joke, VR is a scam cause infant stages, i wont be touching it till 2025 the least personally.

[Acelius]

Yeap, forget how cool actual 2k monitors and high graphics look and pretend PS2 has awesome graphical settings, therefor VR is godly.

You just have to get used to it/suck it up.

No joke, VR is a scam cause infant stages, i wont be touching it till 2025 the least personally.

Not even close, you just have to be realistic about how far the tech currently is. Even with the mediocre graphics and screen door effect, it is still one hell of an accomplishment, and the most immersive gaming experience I have personally ever had.

[Temp name]

Yeap, forget how cool actual 2k monitors and high graphics look and pretend PS2 has awesome graphical settings, therefor VR is godly.

You just have to get used to it/suck it up.

No joke, VR is a scam cause infant stages, i wont be touching it till 2025 the least personally.

I've tried the original vive.. It's okay, I didn't notice the screen-door effect. The main issue is that people are expecting to play with photo-real graphics, which just isn't going to happen.

[Huzzaa]

It probably depends on your eyes.

By the description of "fading away" as your GF says, that feels like a dead giveaway that her eyesight is just that bit worse making it bearable.
Yours is better and focuses faster, hence the problem.

The entire female side of my own family is also comparatively blind.

On another note.

I wouldn't give VR a try any time in the near future, that stuff is just hype and no goods for probably another 5 years+ no matter what someone claims.

They want to push resolutions in form factors that well, you'd probably need a radiator to properly cool properly, hence they gotta cut it down somewhere.

Stick to the default. Good panel, awesome experience.

My 2cents.

[potis]

I've tried the original vive.. It's okay, I didn't notice the screen-door effect. The main issue is that people are expecting to play with photo-real graphics, which just isn't going to happen.

I just believe it has to do with how serious you take your gaming and what you are used to.

Its the same for me when people tell me when we are about to order/build a PC to people that havent since 2010 etc, and even then they bought some worthless 2 year old crap because they got scammed.

"I wont be playing many games, lets buy something normal, not overkill" but because its me, i always convince them into buying something proper without going overboard on their budget, and 2 months after they ask for help for settings on AAA games "That i would never play this!", because the problem isnt time, or games or whatever excuse they had, its the fact they were cheapassing into buying a new PC for years, despite spending hours and hours daily in front of it.

VR is the same thing, for someone that was playing on a shit PC/Graphics forever, they are used to certain things and they get this "wow effect" even from the shitty squary graphics of the majority of VR, seen it live a few times, kept my mouth shut as to not be an asshole

[Shakadam]

I just believe it has to do with how serious you take your gaming and what you are used to.

Its the same for me when people tell me when we are about to order/build a PC to people that havent since 2010 etc, and even then they bought some worthless 2 year old crap because they got scammed.

"I wont be playing many games, lets buy something normal, not overkill" but because its me, i always convince them into buying something proper without going overboard on their budget, and 2 months after they ask for help for settings on AAA games "That i would never play this!", because the problem isnt time, or games or whatever excuse they had, its the fact they were cheapassing into buying a new PC for years, despite spending hours and hours daily in front of it.

VR is the same thing, for someone that was playing on a shit PC/Graphics forever, they are used to certain things and they get this "wow effect" even from the shitty squary graphics of the majority of VR, seen it live a few times, kept my mouth shut as to not be an asshole

Yeah I agree with this. To be honest though it's the same thing with sound. I.e people who have never experienced "proper" high definition gaming or "proper" HiFi-sound are impressed by what is seen as pretty lackluster for someone who's used to something better.

To expand on what I mean by the sound thing: Time and time again I see people building $3000+ gaming rigs and pairing it with some crappy gaming headset or cheap 2.1 Logitech system and to them it sounds amazing because they're used to, idk, Apple earpods and integrated TV speakers maybe, while for someone who has experience with better audio systems it sounds like shit.

I've tried both an Oculus rift and HTC vive at different events and I was quite unimpressed both times. The screen door effect just kills it imo.

[mrgreenthump]

The only reason why I've been using any sort of VR/AR has been to keep myself informed where it's going and what they can actually do nowdays. I see a lot of my old school friends going for AR/VR jobs with massive funding, but after 2 years I've seen just crappy projects that have resulted from them and most of the projects end in the prototyping stage. I've seen a few being successful though, but all have been utility applications for their respective companies and have 0 to do with gaming.

For gaming, I'd still wait 2-3 years with VR and see where it's heading. We may not see anything by then, but we should have a picture where it's heading.

[potis]

Yeah I agree with this. To be honest though it's the same thing with sound. I.e people who have never experienced "proper" high definition gaming or "proper" HiFi-sound are impressed by what is seen as pretty lackluster for someone who's used to something better.

To expand on what I mean by the sound thing: Time and time again I see people building $3000+ gaming rigs and pairing it with some crappy gaming headset or cheap 2.1 Logitech system and to them it sounds amazing because they're used to, idk, Apple earpods and integrated TV speakers maybe, while for someone who has experience with better audio systems it sounds like shit.

I've tried both an Oculus rift and HTC vive at different events and I was quite unimpressed both times. The screen door effect just kills it imo.

Yeah dont get me started on that.

Building them a 2-3k rig, to pair with 2009 Samsung monitor thats half dead, and a "God make that a headset" or some 9.90$ speakers, thats like the 5th in 2 years because they break down from use.

[nocturnus]

So my gf and i had some money left over, and she suggested to finally get a vr headset. I agreed, she checked some prices and reviews, and we bought the rift s. It arrives, we unpack, and my gf dives right in, setting things up and starting playing. She says it's really awesome, and after some time it's my turn.
I play for a while, and what can i say besides... it's pretty shit? The concept and gameplay are really fun, i don't get motion sickness at all, but good lord, that fucking pixel grid (I think it's called screen door effect), that fucking edge flickering. I complained about it to my gf, and she asks me what the hell i'm talking about. She's apparently not seeing what i'm seeing.
Next i looked up what resolution this thing is supposed to have. 2560x1440. I honestly couldn't believe it. In the end, after several hours of trying different fittings for the headset, and playing around dozens of times with every available setting, my experience is best summed up as:

In the best of moments, it's like watching footage of a high res game on the screen of a first generation 3ds with the 3d feature cranked to max. It's like sitting too close to an old lcd tv. That's how bad everything looks. I could probably count the individual pixels in that screen door effect if i wanted to.

I tried to play Elite Dangerous, which is something i was very much looking forward to, but it was basically unplayable. All the text was blurry, no matter the settings and setup, the edge flickering was on ps2 levels, and over all that lies that god damn grid that fucks everything up. I'm honestly pretty sad, i was really looking forward to this, but it just isn't fun this way. Meanwhile, my gf says she isn't having any of these problems, that the grid just kinda fades away for her. Is that just how it is, or is there anything that can be done to improve my experience?

Had the same experience. Played for a few hours and sent it back; VR is utter garbage at the moment.

[announced]

just wondering what are your pc specs, what games did you try and play, and did you try and adjust the lighting and so there isn't so much of a screen door effect?

I've played VR plenty of times using a Rift S and I've never experienced it. Maybe you are just unlucky? Try working with Oculus support, they might be able to help you out.

[necrobooder]

Wow, that's a surprise to hear.
I just recently bought a valve Index and I'm finding VR to be absolutely amazing. It's not suited for 2+ hours gaming sessions, but it has its place and, as someone else said already, it's the most immersive gaming experience I've had so far.
From what I hear tho, Rift S is a poor choice when it comes to headsets, I would have either gone with the oculus quest (that can now be plugged in for improved performance) or an Index (tho that is admittedly quite more costly).

[zvr]

Well I have a Rift S, bought it recently but I knew exactly what to expect of it.
I got it mainly for casual games like Beat Saber and other similar rhytm/sports titles.
Games don't have impressive visuals, especially 'ports' like No Man Sky, Elite, Subnautica and SkyrimVR, thats true but IMO effect of immersion is just awesome.
It just cannot be compared to the flat screen

For me it was money well spent. I'm just having a lot of fun and my little brother loves it too.
But like other posters said - VR is in infancy and it's mostly for gaming enthusiasts but if someone digs such gadgets (like me) it's well worth the price.

Personally I'm very interested in such technology, I hope it Will hit the mainstream and I'm looking forward for next-gen headsets

[Blackmist]

Screen door is a bit shit. I think it's because they have OLED screens which are a pentile layout. The PSVR is actually much better in that regard, despite the lower resolution.

Try Robo Recall and Super Hot before you call it off though. They're pretty cool.