Oculus Rift Tips
My Hardware- I am using an Oculus Rift on my PC (see signature).Updates
- 16Oct17- Added two new FAQs about number of sensors, and playing seated or standing.
- 21Sept 17- Updated with FAQ. Added FAQ Can You Play VR on Your Mac?
Table of Contents
- Links
- FAQ
- Setup
- How Tos
Links:
FAQs
- Can you Play VR Games on Your Mac?
Apple is working on VR support for the Mac OS. The big question is your current hardware up to the task? Mac laptops- I don't think so. You'd stand a better chance with an iMac, but I still question if the hardware is currently up to the task. This is a hope for the future.
For gaming, Macs have always been behind the power curve. VR technology requires a beefy video card. I'll cross my fingers Apple will adjust it's hardware and it's pricing to make it somewhat competitive. See this article: How to Use VR on a Mac. From the article:
Apple to sell GPU enclosure for older Macs
While newer Macs will take advantage of more powerful GPUs to provide the buttery-smooth 90fps refresh rate required for comfortable VR, what about older Macs? While the introduction of Metal 2 should boost the graphical performance of the Mac range, Apple is also set to sell a separate GPU enclosure for older systems.
The GPU enclosure is said to connect to the Mac via Thunderbolt 3, meaning those without a Thunderbolt 3 port on their Macs are out of luck. Inside the GPU is an AMD Radeon RX 580 graphics card, more than enough to provide a high-end VR experience on a Mac.
The enclosure will initially be made available to developers only, but we imagine that it’ll change once more VR (and non-VR) Mac games start to appear on Steam and other VR platforms.
- When you launch a VR game is it displayed both on your monitor and in your headset?
Yes, to a lesser extent, spectator mode, not in a playable format. The majority of game rendering is happening in the headset.
- Which Games are free?
When I purchased my Oculus Rift a couple of games appeared in my library as available for download, but a search of the Oculus Store (Oculus Home, wearing the headset) revealed other free games such as Robo Recall, available for download. This article from July 2017 mentions 17 free applications (First Contact Oculus Demo, Dead and Buried, Oculus Quill (illustration program), Robo Recall, Toybox, Lucky's Tale, Farlands, Lost, Dragon Front, Oculus 360 Photos, Ripcoil, Echo Arena, and others not mentioned.)
- If you have a choice should you buy your games from Steam or from the Oculus Store?
Personal preference. For several reasons I choose to purchase from Steam if available at Steam. The reasons are that I an extensive Steam library of games, and that Steam has more flexibility for spreading those games out over multiple hard drives. Oculus is more restrictive in this sense. Although not 100% sure, my understanding is that your Oculus game library will be located with your Oculus App. Will verify and update this.
- Can you play a game purchased in the Oculus Store in a non-VR enviroment if it has non-VR capabilities?
Yes you can. Link: Oculus Forum. Note: Some games are VR only.
- How will I know if a Game will make me nauseous?
Well, the best plan is to find a store that has a VR unit to try out. However, they may put you into a mild VR game. Robo Recall is mild. Movement is by teleportation which is easy on the inner ear. The Spiderman Game demo has a opportunity to pull yourself up to a crane using your web which may give you a twinge. Don't go there expecting to fly Eve:Valkyrie, but you never know, they might if requested. The problem is that they probably don't have anything other than the Touch Controllers configured and I think Valkyarie requires an xbox controller. Note that Steam VR games on the store pages have a ratin like mild or moderate.
- How Many Sensors Do I need?
Plan on an absoute minimum of 2, depending on the game, 3 maybe even 4. If it's an exploration game based on free movement, when you get turned around 180°, your two sensors will have trouble or lose track of your hands. I ordered a third controller this weekend and will see how much that helps before I spring for a 4th. Keep in mind that each sensor requires a USB connection. I imagine this info applies to the Vive too.
- Should you play this seated or standing?
That depends on the game. My goal is to be seated and so far, fly space ships or command turrets, no problem seated. An exploration game like Lone Echo, I do play in my chair. In this game you move with wrist thrusters so the primary issues is having to pause the game ever so often so you can un wind the cable from around your chair legs.
Setup
* Connections Required- The headset requires both a HDMI connection and a USB 3 connection. Each sensor (2) also requires a USB 3 (preferable, but I'm not sure if required). So total, I had 3 USB connections and 1 HDMI connection. My computer built in late 2013 had plenty of USB ports for this purpose.
* HDMI Cable- I plugged the HDMI cable into the mother board HDMI (on the back of my computer), the OR setup software had no complaints, but my graphics during the tutorial were very slow. When I went to the Occulus App and checked devices, it told me that I was plugged into HDMI, but I needed to use a different port. Changing it to the video card’s HDMI port solved the problem.* Sensor Placement- My desk is a cluttered mess, so I purchased 2 wall mounts for the OR Sensors, which is perfect instead of using the stands that come with it.
* Steam Knows when your using a VR headset. After I installed my OR, when I launched Steam a message in steam popped up: Using a VR Headset? with an offer to install Steam VR. In Steam, go to Library>Tools and look for the status of SteamVR. When I first launched a game Steam VR required me to conduct a room calibration.
How Tos
* How to Link Steam VR Games to your Ocuus Rift Application/Account.
- Install OR Application (required to run OR).
- Install Steam VR in Steam.
- Follow these steps to make the OR App see software purchased from other than the Oculus Store: https://www.vrheads.com/how-launch-your-steamvr-games-oculus-home as follows:
- In OR Application, 0pt into the Public Test Channel
2. Click the gear button.
3. Click Settings.
4. Click Beta.
5. Click the switch next to Public Test Channel so that it turns blue (On).
6. Click Join Public Test Channel.
* In OR App, add support for third party sources:
- Launch the Oculus app from your desktop, Start menu, or taskbar.
- Click Library.
- Click the Filter drop-down menu.
- Click the switch next to Include Unknown Sources so that it turns blue (On).
Note: After doing the above steps, when I launched Gun Jack, it registered in the OR Library.
* How do I reset the view and sensor tracking for my Oculus Rift headset?
https://support.oculus.com/200305533724698
Resetting Your Headset View
When you use a game or app, you can reset your view while wearing your Oculus Rift headset. This option is only available when a game or app is open.
To reset your headset view while using a game or app:
1. Open the Universal Menu by pressing the Select Button on your Oculus remote
2. Move your head to the position you want.
1. Open the Universal Menu by pressing the Select Button on your Oculus remote
2. Move your head to the position you want
3. Select> Reset View from the menu on the right
Resetting Your Headset Sensor Tracking
If you want to change the location of your headset sensor, you can reset the tracking in your settings.
To reset your headset sensor tracking:
1. Open the Oculus app on your PC computer
2. Click and then select Settings
3. Click Devices in the left menu
4. Click Configure Rift and then select Sensor Setup
5. Follow the on-screen instructions to reset your headset sensor tracking
How to Reset View in Oculus App Home View (wearing the headset)
Settings > Devices > "Configure Rift" > Reset view.
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