Not fully immersed

[Shadowblade]

Whenever I play put on my Oculus rift I don't really feel like I'm actually there sometimes, its more like I'm just looking at a screen in a box. Theres a black outline around the VR headset that kind ruin the immerson, is this normal? Or am I missing something

[Menzue]

how immersed you are really just depends on who plays it. the "black outline" is commonly known as tunnel vision, which is normal due to the fact that you can see the sides of the headset.
Personally I feel sort of immersed but not really as my mind knows that im not really holding an AR15 Assault rifle, and it depends on the graphics type. in Rec Room I know that because a huge ass sword the size of my body weighs a single pound. Still gets me in shape though as I act as if it is 40.

TL:DR
Immersion depends on who you are and the type of game. "Tunnel Vision" is because you can see the sides of the headset and its easy to ignore after a while. I use VR more as a workout instead of entertainment as swordfights are pretty intense.

[Fuinelen]

also, "presence" (the act of being so completely immersed that your mind feels like it is really in the game) Is hard to reach and gets more and more difficult to achieve the more you play. I remember the first time I felt it, with my Oculus DK2 in Elite : for a split second I felt and "believed" like I was really in a spaceship flying at ridiculous speeds toward a planet. It lasted for, at most, a second, but it was incredible. This feeling barely happens anymore, but playing a game in VR always beats playing the same game in "flat" in terms of immersion .. just not that "perfect" immersive state.

[RED-FROG]

VR will never be able to _fully_ immerse you. It's virtual afterall.

[Alien Identity]

Try a racing car game..... the black outline looks just like you are wearing a helmet. I fitted 2 bass shakers under my seat, and got simvibe, so the engine rev vibrations and bumps on the road I actually feel through my seat, it does a lot for immersion.

[J.]

Get slimmer cover, like 6mm. With vive it greatly improves the fov. Also adjust the lenses closer to your eyes.

[Alien Identity]

Originally posted by J.:

Get slimmer cover, like 6mm. With vive it greatly improves the fov. Also adjust the lenses closer to your eyes.

Yes! I have the 6mm waterproof VRcover, it brings the lenses closer to the eyes.

[roel_koel]

Its one of those things with current tech, some HMD worse than others for immersion busting FOV issues.


Best solution I found was 4mm aftermarket face cushion for Vive, as long as you don't wear glasses (you would scratch the Vive lenses on your glasses lenses), brings your face slightly forward relative to lens.

Made a noticeable difference to FOV; could be tested by switching back and forth between the OE wide cushion and 4mm aftermarket cushion to see the difference.

Negatives were more cleaning required (of you and the HMD) due to more transfer of facial / eye debris, and a tendency to fog more readily - more an issue in active experiences like Space Pirate Trainer.

When running at right temperature, nice and clean, the immersion was breath taking at times - "Abbots Book demo" in 5 x 5 M room scale with air conditioning on cold = wow!

Great experiences with great content can really pull you into VR and if you can learn to relax into the view you may often forget the 'tunnel vision'.

[Major_Troubles]

Originally posted by J.:

Get slimmer cover, like 6mm. With vive it greatly improves the fov. Also adjust the lenses closer to your eyes.

I wonder what the shapes of your faces are. With the standard (wide face) foam pad that comes with the Vive, the lenses are so close to my eyes that my eyelashes touch them. I move the lenses one step away from the closest setting. I wouldn't benefit from a thinner foam.
But if it works for you, good for you. I'm not saying you shouldn't use them.

[J.]

Or you have long eyelashes :D

[Major_Troubles]

Originally posted by J.:

Or you have long eyelashes :D

Afaik, they never assisted me in seducing someone. So they can't be that long. Then again, I'm male... ;)

No, their length is not above average.

[Shadowblade]

Glad to see I wasn't the only one that had this issue, I thought it was just me

[ObiSpud]

Or bulgy eyes maybe ;)

Perhaps with a thinner foam pad, you could slightly increase its distance from the lenses by using double sided velco in between the HMD and the face pad itself.

[OMG 77]

Pimax 8k out soon 200 f.o.v that will be worth a look had pimax 4k that was ok. Pimax 8k has everything rift and vive have like two cameras and controllers.

[hyperion]

Originally posted by Shadowblade:

Whenever I play put on my Oculus rift I don't really feel like I'm actually there sometimes, its more like I'm just looking at a screen in a box. Theres a black outline around the VR headset that kind ruin the immerson, is this normal? Or am I missing something

The issue is the binocular effect and screendoor effect. I am hearing that Vive has less binocular effect and the same screendoor. Still, the immersion can be wonderful at times even in Rift. I remember a couple of times in Robo Recall, I got tired and decided to put down my guns on a concrete road barrier I was crouched behind, so I could rest my arms. Dropped my controllers on the floor, lol. That's more immersion than you're ever getting in non-VR games.

[Joybutton]

You are not wrong. I have 2 Vive's and a Rift and what you are describing is one of the points in a cross platform review I'm writing.

On the Vive it's less noticeable and if you get the 6mm VR Cover others have mentioned the difference is striking. My Rift is fairly new and I haven't checked online to see if there is an equivalent cushion, but the fact that the Rift uses adhesive instead of velcro for the face leads me to believe they do not have as straightforward an upgrade.

Issues of immersion are significantly more complex than just FOV, screendoor effect, etc. If you're having fun with a title like Robo Recall, the action is high and you're fully engaged, there's a good chance you'll notice it less or not at all. The rest of the time it seems to be something to accept as part of the experience. At least, that's how I'm looking at it.