Oculus vs vive

[Jakevandee]

So I've been wanting a vr headset for awhile and i narrowed it down to the htc vive and the oculus rift and touch, I have only tried the oculus and it was awesome, but is the htc vive better, worse. (P.s I would be doing a full room and I would purchase extra sensors for the oculus)

 

[Sakkura]

The Vive and Rift both have their pros and cons.

The Vive in particular more easily supports a larger tracking area, and you don't have to worry about USB ports. It has a front-facing camera, and is getting wireless upgrade kits before the Rift. It also has a longer cable, again nice for larger spaces (the Rift can use extensions but again that's a bit of faff).

The Rift is more comfortable and convenient (though the Vive can roughly match it with the $100 upgraded headstrap), it has better controllers, and a lighter/thinner cable. With the ASW feature, it also handles things a lot better if your PC isn't producing 90FPS most of the time (that's why the minimum requirements for the Rift are now a lot lower).

I just have to give the recommendation to the Rift because of the price difference. Right now you can also get $100 store credit if you buy the bundle on Amazon.

 

[Jakevandee]

Price isn't too much of a priority for this, because I want the headset to last a couple years, i saw that the htc vive had a greater upgrade path so I am leaning towards that more. I will also have an i5 6600k watercooled with a gtx 980 gaming g1 so I think I could get close to 90 fps on games

 

[Sakkura]

The new version 2.0 base stations they're developing will not be compatible with the current Vive, so I don't really know about that upgrade path.

A 980 is pretty nice for VR, but a few of the more demanding games, or most games in general if you turn up settings, can still run into performance issues.

 

[Tri23]

If ya want (2) years.. you are fine. Nobody can predict if your hardware in computers will be relevant past 2 years.

There are no plans or released product designs for a Vive gen2. Too much new tech to determine what is going to make it or not.
Also, the wireless tech needs to hit the US markets and see acceptance before any HMD releases what could be obsolete tech if wireless proves itself.

Gen2 though.. will be AMAZING!
Of course, if they go all out.. it is going to require a hell of a graphics card.

 

[aquielisunari]

So I've been wanting a vr headset for awhile and i narrowed it down to the htc vive and the oculus rift and touch, I have only tried the oculus and it was awesome, but is the htc vive better, worse. (P.s I would be doing a full room and I would purchase extra sensors for the oculus)

I've settled on the Vive. I could go over some of the pros and cons but that's been done. Can they be debated against? Of course they can. Have I asked a few questions here and at other forums regarding the Vive and my rig? Yes. Have I watched dozens of videos regarding the Rift and the Vive? Yes. Comparison videos?

Consider the ASW. If you are on a very strict budget that will ring true. If you save for longer, like me, or have a bigger budget then you can prepare your rig for VR with SS at 2.5. Find a VERY fluffy man who is also a nerd and computer geek. He can tell you his opinion https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWproPHhHd0&t=1878s . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pkio43DqXJM&t=531s talks a bit about ASW.

The Vive has a better IPD adjustment.

I agree the Vive has a larger field of play and that's essential to the VR experience. We've already been running and dancing and so much more with current and previous generations of non-VR products.

Please do your research regarding supersampling if your rig will be able to handle it. So much better.

My hardest choice was deciding between the Vive and Virtual Boy.

 

[Jakevandee]

I think I'll go with the oculus, unless I find a good deal on a used vive

 

[Sakkura]

The Vive has a better IPD adjustment.

Other way around. Well, unless you happen to have a (very) high IPD. The IPD ranges supported by the Vive and Rift are slightly different; the Rift can handle lower IPDs than the Vive, but the Vive can handle higher IPDs than the Rift.

The Rift's IPD adjustment button requires pressing in before adjusting. The one on the Vive is just a simple dial, so it's a little easier to accidentally change. And the Oculus software has a more robust guide to setting the IPD correctly.

The Vive does have an advantage in the eye relief adjustment though.

Really, you can add endlessly to the list of small pros and cons of each headset. They're both really great devices, and the differences just amount to competition to fix shortcomings on each set. Like the Vive's newly launched Rift-style headstrap upgrade.