Valve Index user reviews

[Frc]

@risa2000

The virtual distance should be ok by definition (unless something in the pipeline does apply some “scaling”),

This is the purpose on measuring this value ( I personally doubt that the VR value is so far from the real one) Once we assure that VR space = Real space and that the Graphic/Games engine correctly deal with the geometry (supposition) we can also do angles measurements with the controllers outside VR in real space

Taking your fish eye example, if your FOV is distorted by then lens the 80 degrees marker in the test application will not be at 80 degrees in real space when we measure it. Distances between the markers are not so important has the graduation values placed by the application.

To put it another way it’s like 2 contiguous rooms where you can see the other one thru a glass in the wall. If the geometry/physic in the 2 rooms are equal we should be able to take angular measurement thru the windows has if we were in the other room. ( this is were the VR=Real space and game engine supposition is important). If you replace the glass windows by a fish-eyes lens the 80 degrees mark will not by at this same angle when you measure the real angle outsider VR between the 2 controllers

If no transformation are required to convert VRSpace to Rspace coordinates I don’t see how angles could require some. I do admit that some distortion could be present a this edge of the optics and that 5K+ could me more affected by the that then the Index. But I think it’s quantifiable using the controllers has measurement mark in real space

And by the way strictly speaking we would still have a 114 degrees of field of view for the Index but a distorted one ;-).

[drowhunter]

In Last weeks FReality podcast . Mike speaks about the hit or miss nature of using revive to play oculus games. I felt its worth mentioning because his description of it pretty much is the “Pimax Experience” for me with games in general.lol.

FReality Podcast - Valve Index First Impressions, Spider-Man VR Experience & Vive Cosmos Specs Ep.95

[nukular]

He is a oculus hardcore fanboy…

[drowhunter]

apparently an index fanboy now

[Joeblackof]

Thank you for the advice Neal.

[neal_white_iii]

You’re welcome. Here’s the info on my mod. I’m still using this “temporary” solution months later.

@neal_white_iii

I had a problem with the headset applying pressure to my face (not my nose), which was uncomfortable. I found a good solution: A counterweight. Temporarily, I bundled a couple of metal wrenches in tape and attached it to the back of the head strap using the Velcro loop that held the Pimax cable in a loop (for packaging). It works really well to reduce the pressure on the front of the headset and balances the weight. My counterweight is 11.1 oz / 312 g, which is about half the weight of the headset alone.

[dillanski]

Looks like Chris thinks the pimax is a bit sharper than the valve index

Show Hiatus | Further Index Impressions | Spiderman Far From Home | Episode 129

Probably worth listening to him because he will have done good research on how best to set them both up as opposed to just reflecting the fact that the index is easier to use than the pimax

[Davobkk]

It was Steve who owns both and he specifically said the Pimax looked better in Skyrim but he wasn’t sure if it was settings related

[dillanski]

Sorry yes was Steve , also valve may not yet have fully optimized the index software yet which could get better in time ,
If it’s just the refresh that’s better I’ll not buy the index , never use a vr headset longer than a few hours at a time so fatigue is not such an issue for me
Sent my reverb back so waiting for the Acer concept d ojoj

[Sjef]

Yeah I’ve been hearing “not much less SDE than the Vive Pro” and “still visible SDE”. I won’t ever go back to a HMD with SDE, that’s for sure. Acer Ojo it is (or the new Odyssey which I’m guessing that Samsung will announce next month)

[dillanski]

Acer are busy making ventilation hloes in the ojo after hp reverb issues

[Sjef]

That’s your own speculation right? I couldn’t find any news regarding the Ojo for the last few months. But yeah overheating could definitely be causing the issues with the Reverb

[Heliosurge]

I’d just add liquid cooling.

[dillanski]

Just my speculation if they’re using the same panels

[BNP]

That’ll happen automagically when you sweat.

[Frc]

@Sjef

or the new Odyssey which I’m guessing that Samsung will announce next month)

Speaking of speculation any real in for this? Might be the only oled headset of the new crop…

[Sjef]

No real info at this point unfortunately, Samsung never reveals much. But since the previous 2 versions were announced around august, I think there’s a good chance it will happen again this year in august

[Joeblackof]

Strange as I have tried the 5k 8k and the index and the index is sharper in every game I tried including Skyrim. Noticeably. I think the acer will be super sharp. I wanted a Reverb but the issues have put me off the idea. I wonder when the Ojo will be released.

[Fitzy]

I wonder how supersampling scales in the index. I notice that the 5K+ starts to really come into its own at 120% and that’s the minimum I try to hit in any title for that reason.

[jojon]

@Joeblackof

Strange as I have tried the 5k 8k and the index and the index is sharper in every game I tried including Skyrim. Noticeably.

I don’t know what distances the virtual focal planes are at, between the two devices, but for some reason I am ever so slightly out of optical focus with the index, which is really unpleasant, whereas I am in sharp focus with the P5k+ (EDIT: in the centre of each lens) (my go-to test is whether I can make out the SDE crisply). I’ll try to source some lenses that add tenths of diopters, and see whether they do anything for me – my eyes have been aging quite rapidly the past year or so (…although I could imagine several alternative reasons the focus/apparent_focus could be off, other than my apparently needing glasses with this headset, in spite of not doing so in real life for anything farther away than half a metre).

I also can not avoid noticing that not only does the lens glare/scatter add to the overall brightness of the image - not only for dark areas, but I find my index very dim also, with an abysmal peak brightness (like most newer HMDs, of course, and the Rift CV1 before it), and between these two, Skyrim (…and everything else) turns depressingly bleak; Colours are rich enough - excellent gamut for an LCD, but there is just no dynamic range; It is as if one have turned down contrast extremely much in an image editing program, normalising a photo around medium gray +/- 70; Stare into an open flame in Skyrim, and it looks just as opaque and non-emissive as the stone sconce it burns out of. Man, we need HDR!

The pk5+ at least feels like it is a good bit brighter, even with all PiTool picture balancing parameters at zero, and between all these things, and probably the FOV in some way, too, I do get a considerably greater sense of clarity out of it, than I do out of the index, even with the devices obviously being around the exact same resolution in PPD, and even if I give the index much more supersampling.

…BUT when it comes to graphical detail, the two devices seem very close, and index has a much better and correct-feeling sense of the space and scale, without noteworthy levels of distortion. It also does not suffer from the binocular rivaly with focus, that the 8k/5k series has (…the touted reduction in focus falling off toward the edges is real), nor Pimax’s own version of its glare - being the “yellow glow” that hovers in each quadrant of the lenses.

It’s a hard choice, really, but I think I’ll be staying with the index. I’ll try some lenses, and hopefully Valve can be convinced to add some options to perhaps accept a little more persistence in exchange for an extra nit or two (like the brightness control in PiTool), as well as driver-level picture balancing.

Funnily enough, the place where the sadly lost FOV feels the most uncomfortably restraining, is in Skyrim’s map view. :7