[ANSWERED] Need help purchasing a VR headset

[cate]

G'day,
I'm really interested in getting vr headsets.
Looking at VIVE and then the cheap OCULUS, I want to go for VIVE because I don't like facebook and I hate the fact OCULUS headsets don't let you use your computer: instead you use their store. So OCULUS is a game console; not what I'm after.

It seems VIVE cosmos elite would be best for me because
-the pro full kit looks attractive but oddly its more expensive than the better and newer cosmos
-cosmos elite comes with good-lookin controllers and the trackers, so it's probably a better deal to get the elite version
-considering it's a "real" headset and comes from valve, the 1500AUD doesn't sound too bad.

So, looking at VIVE cosmos elite specs, it's saying that I must use a VR ready graphics card, where a list is found at https://www.vive.com/au/product/vive-cosmos-elite/specs/ near the end of the site, in "Graphics" at "Minimum computer specs".

Now here's my main concern:

I have a GeForce GTX 1650 and Intel Core i5-9400F @2.9GHZ, 2904MHz, 6 cores, 6 logic cores. I have no clue how good these are as I'm highly unexperienced with hardware, and I am afraid because the GTX 1650 does not seem to be VR ready.
I assume this means that my 1650 would therefore not be compatible with the cosmos elite, and so then I must buy one of the graphics cards from the aforementioned list.

So what then? I must buy one of the listed graphics cards? (If so, where can an Aussie like me find them? I couldn't even find many of them on Nvidia's own site!)
Otherwise would my GTX 1650 work perfectly fine??

Thank for reading and thanks more-so if you gave a response.

[cate]

After heaps more research I've found out "VR ready" is just a buzz word that means nothing other than that vr ready thing is powerful.
So you can certainly use any vive headset along with your dads 20 year old laptop, albeit at crap fps.

[temps]

If you go to the Half-Life: Alyx discussion forum, there are a ton of VR users there who would probably be able to help you with this question.

[iHypered]

Your processor is perfect (better than the one I use for VR) but your graphics card will probably struggle with the newer games. As someone that uses VR myself, I'm actually upgrading a 1060 3GB which is VR ready for VR, but I have to admit it's mostly the VRAM (and yours actually have slightly more VRAM than mine so yours could actually be fine, you might have to just test that). At a guess I would say you can run the light VR games (rec room, beat saber, superhot, ect) but will struggle with the newer ones like Half Life Alyx. In regards with Oculus vs Vive, something you might also want to consider is exclusivity. Oculus offers some oculus only games such as Asgard's Wrath (one of the best VR games imo), but it seems like it's trying to branch out for newer games to steam (like MOH: Above and Beyond). I use a Rift CV1 and if I were to decide on a new headset today, I'd go for either the Quest 2 with link cable (if you value playing the lower games wirelessly) or the Rift S (no sensors to set up).

[cate]

iHypered님이 먼저 게시:

Your processor is perfect (better than the one I use for VR) but your graphics card will probably struggle with the newer games. As someone that uses VR myself, I'm actually upgrading a 1060 3GB which is VR ready for VR, but I have to admit it's mostly the VRAM (and yours actually have slightly more VRAM than mine so yours could actually be fine, you might have to just test that). At a guess I would say you can run the light VR games (rec room, beat saber, superhot, ect) but will struggle with the newer ones like Half Life Alyx. In regards with Oculus vs Vive, something you might also want to consider is exclusivity. Oculus offers some oculus only games such as Asgard's Wrath (one of the best VR games imo), but it seems like it's trying to branch out for newer games to steam (like MOH: Above and Beyond). I use a Rift CV1 and if I were to decide on a new headset today, I'd go for either the Quest 2 with link cable (if you value playing the lower games wirelessly) or the Rift S (no sensors to set up).

Thanks for this insight!
I'm glad hearing my computer is actually pretty alright, as I spent near 2 australian grand on it and later discovered the dealer upprices everything massively, so I feared my computer was actually not very good, and maybe only worth 1.2k
And I reckon the Vive Cosmos elite is good for me; From reviews, they say "It does everything good. Has some flaws, but it's good. The main thing is that it's like the Index, only more expensive. However, it's a good alternative if you are unable to get the Index, and if you value potential wireless vr. But you outta be willing to pay a couple pretty penny."
So I reckon I'm fine spending a good chunk more for this, which sounds pretty great.

[sulenore]

So my 2 cents if you're interested: I got the HTC Cosmos Elite and wasn't very happy with it. So I took it back and got the Valve Index, which was only $100 more. LOVE my index! The biggest problem I had with the Elite was the field of view. Not only is the field of view inherently narrower, but everything outside the very center of your view is out of focus. I spent SOOO MUCH TIME trying to fix it, assuming I was doing something wrong. The blurriness was really disorienting, and even a little nauseating. Finally sent it back and got the Index. Index took almost no time to adjust to my liking and I've loved every minute using it. On the downside it did take me 3 months or more to actually get the Index after I ordered it.

[cate]

sulenore님이 먼저 게시:

So my 2 cents if you're interested: I got the HTC Cosmos Elite and wasn't very happy with it. So I took it back and got the Valve Index, which was only $100 more. LOVE my index! The biggest problem I had with the Elite was the field of view. Not only is the field of view inherently narrower, but everything outside the very center of your view is out of focus. I spent SOOO MUCH TIME trying to fix it, assuming I was doing something wrong. The blurriness was really disorienting, and even a little nauseating. Finally sent it back and got the Index. Index took almost no time to adjust to my liking and I've loved every minute using it. On the downside it did take me 3 months or more to actually get the Index after I ordered it.

Yeah, I got the cosmos elite and recently got it to be wireless, and am waiting for index knuckles.
I didn't research enough, in hindset, I probably should have gone for the index because its heaps better display, popularity, fov, framerate, and dont forget the stations 2.0 and knuckles included.
However being an Aussie I'd have to get them off from ebay, which probably would mean valve support couldn't offer me some help (Unlike VIVE; they've been very helpful with my email queries.)
My take on it:
-The flip up feature basically is not helpful at all, which is annoying because it hinders FOV and clarity and increases weight and worsens center of gravity.
-Display is fine, I suppose (with nothing to compare to,) however text is always difficult to read (I have a 5900x and 3700 (obtained very recently) so hardware bottle necking is out of the question); and yes everything but where you're facing is significantly blurred, though fine.
-The frame rate (I think, don't actually know my fps (dont have VR FPS)) is upsetting. It is not smooth, making the experience significantly less immersive than it could be.
-Screendoor effect is observed but not an issue
-Tracking is good, as you'd expect with outside-in.
-Wands though pretty ok are heavy and uncomfortable, especially in games like boneworks where you must clench onto the wands.
-Build quality seems fine and rather robust, especially for the wands, however my headband has shifted for no reason, making the device uncomfortable and sometimes painful.

Wireless:
-Latency issues are non-existent
-Though I haven't compared it to being tethered again, untethered has bad video quality and significantly reduced fps. I have a 3070 and 5900x now, so I should expect above and beyond 90fps at 100% resolution and good graphics settings.
-The low res isn't much an issue because VR doesn't look lifelike
-The low fps is a shame because with high fps, every motion is super smooth which makes using the thing super fun and immersive. Also, with the lower fps, you feel less engaged in the game, and also your stomach will get upset.
-Batteries life is pretty ok, though I bought an additional battery (total of 2), which works perfectly good for now.
-You can easily mod the headset so that the battery is on the headset itself, meaning you are completely wireless (and can go nude (many people oddly complain they couldn't be nude in vr due to wires))
-Receiver thing on headset does get hot but it's fine. Besides, your face will already be boiling hot.


Note: If you're asking the same as me, wondering what headset to get, I'd certainly go for a pc headset, and if you're trying to save some good hundreds of dollars, consider the facebook pc ones. They sound ok.
However if you're willing to spend the extra insane amount, consider the index then the reverb h2 thing, then the cosmos elite. (Then WMR, psvr)


tl;dr: I would heavily reconsider for the Index in hindsight, even though I'm an Aussie. Though the cosmos elite is pretty ok, and I mostly love that it can be completely untethered/wireless. Controllers aren't ideal, and visuals aren't exciting.

edit: Oh! And using the cosmos elite wired is a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ nightmare. The cords coil super ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ badly, absolutely severly reducing the cables length. See here.[imgur.com]