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GAF, is VR worth it as a hardcore single player PC gamer?

kittoo

Cretinously credulous
I am wondering if I should buy a VR headset or not. The problem is that I mainly play AAA single player games and that list for VR seems very small. There is HL Alyx, Skyrim I guess and thats it? All the other games I see are these low budget indie games (I dont mean that as an insult, just preference).

So, should I go ahead with it? I dont want to buy it just to play 2 games and then be disappointed in the investment. Can I stream non-VR games from my PC to the headset and would that be better than playing on a 55 inch C9 OLED? It seems I will mostly go with Oculus quest 2 or HP Windows Mixed reality VR 1000, if I buy them. How are they?
 

Quasicat

Member
I have played VR headsets that my friends own. I never got into it because the idea of shutting out the entire world with small children in the house was not something I was comfortable in doing. Now that they are more grown and independent, I am definitely jumping in next year once the new PlayStation, Meta, and possibly Apple headsets are available. I will only pick up one, but that will be enough to get started.
 

Punished Miku

Gold Member
If you broaden your mindset a bit, it's 100% worth it at the Quest 2 entry price.

By broaden, I mean abandon the fixation on AAA only. VR in my experience is mostly short, arcade style games. However, they're awesome. VR is in a great place at the moment.

AAA VR is not ever going to be the majority for multiple reasons.
  • Motion sickness
  • Fatigue after 30-60 minutes of playtime
  • Most VR games sell for $20 or less, with the top end being about $40.
  • Lower install base
  • VR games have to run at a high frame rate anyway, so mind melting graphics usually aren't the first priority
I have dozens of VR games now. They're all single player. But only a couple of them are even close to AAA. Most are low price, low budget, and gameplay focused arcade games. It's so unique and fun though. Super Hot is still literally one of the most immersive VR games ever made, and it's an indie game with extremely simplistic graphics.
 
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Grildon Tundy

Gold Member
Modders make PC VR worth it. They're turning all the classics into VR experiences.

Just one example: You can now play Resident Evil 2 & 3 Remake, and Resident Evil 7 & 8 nearly flawlessly all the way through in VR using PrayDog's free mods. This dude is absolutely legendary, and Capcom would be proud to call these their own if they'd release them themselves.


That's at least 40 hours of high-quality, top-notch AAA single-player gameplay right there.
 
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Daytonabot

Banned
If you have not jumped in yet, I would wait for next generation hardware from a company that isn't as horrible as Meta.
 

ZehDon

Gold Member
In terms of AAA presentation, honestly, VR doesn't really have (m)any titles on the level of Half-Life: Alyx. It's probably the most premium VR game ever made. Some of the games that have been re-made for VR - such as Skyrim and Fallout 4 - are certainly serviceable, but, they really need user modifications to get them working at the level you might expect. User mods open up a world of new experiences - such as Resident Evil 2 and 3 remakes in VR - that are actually pretty terrific, if a little janky. That's the reality of VR right now.

However, if you're a single player focused gamer like myself, and you're prepared to accept AA presentation, VR provides truly outstanding experiences. Games like Moss will warm your heart, games like Resident Evil 4 on Quest 2 will thrill you, and games like Vacation Simulator will have you in stitches. And in terms of indies, I've been playing games like Compound and Into the Radius, both of which trump virtually every major AAA game since Cyberpunk 2077 in terms of sheer immersion. However, if you're after big budget linear cinematic games on the level of the biggest AAA stuff, then VR probably won't deliver what you're looking for.
 

kungfuian

Member
IMO absolutely yes. Nothing on a flat screen comes close to the immersion of VR. If you are playing out of the box (Vive/Index)-

Some Notable Single Player games-
Skyrim VR
Hellblade
Moss
Subnautica
The Talos Principle
Lucky's Tale
Saints and Sinners
Fallout 4
Boneworks
+many many smaller games, too many to list (super hot, raw data, pistol whip, beat saber, final assault, Thumper, etc),

If you set up revive or have quest add these in to the mix-
-Lone Echo 1 and 2
-Chronos
-Edge of Nowhere
-RE 4

And if you are into mods and emulators the reason for owning one grows significantly. Tinkering required-
Re 2 Remake
Re 3 Remake
Re 7
Re 8
Doom (OG and 3)
Firewatch
Half-life 2
Yooka Laylee
3DSEN (play og NES game in Voxel like 3d!)
Dolphin (Metroid Prime, Zelda Wind Waker, etc, are AMAZING!)
 

Kev Kev

Member
100% worth it. i feel like a kid discovering video games and being wowed by them all over again. playing astrobot the first time was just magical. i had a big dumb ass perma smile playng through that first level. i was floored at how well done it was, and how immersive and fun VR is. i cant recommend it enough.
 

nemiroff

Gold Member
VR 1000..?? Nah man.. HP Reverb G2 WMR for seated VR, simulators, flying, racing and superior 4K clarity (with two independent screens and ipd control), and it also has seamless Steam VR implementation. But for a cordless experience I guess I'd go for the Quest 2 (although it has mandatory facebook integration to be considered). One drawback of both of these is that if you've tried occlusion-less controller-tracking (like the Vive and its base stations) both of them kinda suck since they partly rely on headset cameras.

Is it worth it. Well, I think everyone should try a good VR setup. I can't do racing or flight simulators without VR anymore, the experience is that good. But be aware that VR has a pretty big issue when it comes to how locomotion is handled (normal fps controls in VR tend to induce motion sickness), and that's why you won't see a lot of functional "normal" games in VR (but many static-like shooter clones). But again; seated VR is perfect, and some games like f.ex. Alyx that are tailored around the issues are still a valuable/amazing experience.
 
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Heimdall_Xtreme

Jim Ryan Fanclub's #1 Member
I am wondering if I should buy a VR headset or not. The problem is that I mainly play AAA single player games and that list for VR seems very small. There is HL Alyx, Skyrim I guess and thats it? All the other games I see are these low budget indie games (I dont mean that as an insult, just preference).

So, should I go ahead with it? I dont want to buy it just to play 2 games and then be disappointed in the investment. Can I stream non-VR games from my PC to the headset and would that be better than playing on a 55 inch C9 OLED? It seems I will mostly go with Oculus quest 2 or HP Windows Mixed reality VR 1000, if I buy them. How are they?

Short answer... yeah
 

KXVXII9X

Member
If you broaden your mindset a bit, it's 100% worth it at the Quest 2 entry price.

By broaden, I mean abandon the fixation on AAA only. VR in my experience is mostly short, arcade style games. However, they're awesome. VR is in a great place at the moment.

AAA VR is not ever going to be the majority for multiple reasons.
  • Motion sickness
  • Fatigue after 30-60 minutes of playtime
  • Most VR games sell for $20 or less, with the top end being about $40.
  • Lower install base
  • VR games have to run at a high frame rate anyway, so mind melting graphics usually aren't the first priority
I have dozens of VR games now. They're all single player. But only a couple of them are even close to AAA. Most are low price, low budget, and gameplay focused arcade games. It's so unique and fun though. Super Hot is still literally one of the most immersive VR games ever made, and it's an indie game with extremely simplistic graphics.
When I first saw SuperHot VR, I thought it was a YouTube bait hype game. Then a couple years later, I got an Quest 2 after trying my friends PSVR. I decided to try the demo and let me tell you something! I screamed l. I yelled. I flapped around like a child. It brought back the same novelty as being a kid and playing a video game for the first time. I felt like a badass action hero!
 

azertydu91

Hard to Kill
Yeah even the shittiest base concept can work great in VR.
One of the games that my friends and family like to play the most is fucking Fruit ninja VR...It's quick easy to understand and very fun and I say that as someone that absolutely doesn't care about fruit ninja mobile.
Gaes like Astrobot, Half life Alyx, Robot recall or Blood and truth are awesome and solo games....Alyx especialy bring a whole new level of interaction and immersion.
The only downside is that the way of moving can be janky/weird in some games.
 

Rex_DX

Gold Member
There is HL Alyx, Skyrim I guess and thats it?
You should do some more research before pulling the trigger.

Check out Asgard's Wrath, Lone Echo 1 and 2, RE4 VR, Moss, Pistol Whip, Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners, The Climb, Star Wars Squadrons and many, many more "AAA" experiences. Also don't be so quick to write off the "indie" games you mentioned. Some of the best VR I've ever experienced is from smaller devs.

I am vehemently against Quest and Meta and their scumbaggery yet some of the best VR games are Quest exclusives. I understand the appeal and don't judge if you pull the trigger on one although personally I'd plead with you not to. The price is fucking perfect though ... the bastards.

TL;DR - VR is fucking amazing. Do it.
 

64bitmodels

Reverse groomer.
To be frank, yes. Especially if you're using PC VR. Many games on PC have VR mods so you can just play games on VR. I hate facebook but the Quest 2 is the best option purely because of RE4 VR. That shit looks amazing!!!
 

Punished Miku

Gold Member
When I first saw SuperHot VR, I thought it was a YouTube bait hype game. Then a couple years later, I got an Quest 2 after trying my friends PSVR. I decided to try the demo and let me tell you something! I screamed l. I yelled. I flapped around like a child. It brought back the same novelty as being a kid and playing a video game for the first time. I felt like a badass action hero!
It's literally training in the Matrix. Masterpiece of a game.
 

RavageX

Member
IMO yes. Ive been hooked on VR since PSVR and I personally am only interested in single player experiences.

Extra benefit, exercise with some VR games is nice when you dont feel like 'focusing" on exercise.
 

Foilz

Banned
I was convinced VR was a gimmick like 3d gaming. Then my girl wanted a quest 2 to play Phasmophobia. The quest 2 became mine after that and I've never looked back. I ha e 40 games for quest 2 and maybe 20 more on steam VR. It's a wonderful gaming alternative and there are some really great VR gems out there

Half life alyx and Karnage Chronicles are my 2 favorite single player games. But there's alot more great ones
 
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kittoo

Cretinously credulous
After reading posts here-

PS1u3Hm.gif


Follow up questions though.

Quest 2 seems the best choice from features vs price etc? I know the company sucks :p

Or should I wait until new headsets launch?

Should I purchase the extra cable to stream pc to quest 2 or does the wifi streaming work just as fine?

Any other tips/suggestions are welcome.
 

Foilz

Banned
After reading posts here-

PS1u3Hm.gif


Follow up questions though.

Quest 2 seems the best choice from features vs price etc? I know the company sucks :p

Or should I wait until new headsets launch?

Should I purchase the extra cable to stream pc to quest 2 or does the wifi streaming work just as fine?

Any other tips/suggestions are welcome.
The company does suck but they are really pushing VR more than anyone. Meta has done an outstanding job with the quest 2 and it's software. If you don't have a strong wifi6 router then get a compatible cable. You don't need the official overpriced one. But make sure it's atleast 15feet. If you have wifi 6 router and a decent connection you can play steam VR wirelessly. The quest has it built in with link but I mainly use Virtual Desktop which is like $20. Also Install side quest on your phone/pc so you can get free games plus other software.
If you get the quest buy the grips with the straps from Amazon so you don't fling the joysticks ,get a decent pair of headphones to strap to the quest and also get the elite strap with or without the battery. With the battery if you want to extend game time like another 3-4 hours. I have the elite without the battery and just strapped a lightweight battery backup to my headset .now I can play for like 8 hours if I want
 
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anothertech

Member
Lone Echo 1
Lone Echo 2
Half life Alyx
Robo Recall
Edge of Nowhere
Beat Saber
Super Hot
Blade and Sorcery
Asgards Wrath

Not to mention all the VR supporting games like Skyrim, Resident Evil 7, Elite Dangerous and so on

Then there's all the multiplayer stuff like VR chat and shit if you wanna get high and hang out with peeps in India or somthing

People really missing out on some of the best experiences in gaming if they haven't tried these.
 
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kraspkibble

Permabanned.
i thought it was a waste of money. there's a few games worth playing and after about a month i got bored of it.

the hardware needs to improve and studios need to take VR more seriously.

if you have the money to burn then just go buy some normal games.
 

ZehDon

Gold Member
After reading posts here-

PS1u3Hm.gif


Follow up questions though.

Quest 2 seems the best choice from features vs price etc? I know the company sucks :p

Or should I wait until new headsets launch?

Should I purchase the extra cable to stream pc to quest 2 or does the wifi streaming work just as fine?

Any other tips/suggestions are welcome.
The Quest 2 is what I have, and it's the best overall headset I've used. It's ability to work with a PC as well as independently give's it some really massive legs. RE4, played on the Quest 2 without being tethered to a PC, is up there with Half-Life: Alyx for me. Screen, controller, and overall build quality is outstanding in my opinion.

In regards to the cable, any USB 3.0 cable can work as long as its rated properly. Do some research on any potentials. I bought the Oculus branded cable and it works amazingly well. The Air Link stuff - streaming from your PC via your Wifi - is hit and miss for me. I recommend doing some research on your particular modem / router setup to make your hardware is rated for what the Quest 2 needs. In practice, it works pretty well, but there was a step down in video and tracking quality on my setup that wasn't worth it for me. I just use the cable for PC VR now, and it's perfect.

Hit up the Quest 2 thread we have here, there's plenty of tips and recommendations in there, and helpful folk more than happy to answer any questions.
 
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UltimaKilo

Gold Member
Yes, if you want to be an early adopter/beta tester. Some amazing experiences out there, but there's not enough. Check back in 2 years.
 

Zug

Member
Modded Skyrim VR is bananas if you are willing to put some time on tweaking stuff, but that's what hardcore PC gamers do, don't they ?

+ Most of the other titles already mentionned, Alyx being in a league of it's own.
 

BabyYoda

Banned
If not for VR, I'd be pretty bored with gaming honestly, not a single true next-gen game has arrived yet...

I really don't like Facebook, but I took the plunge and got a Quest 2 (with a fake account no less), its a brilliant piece of kit and has plenty of fun as a standalone.

It's causing me to look into building a PC, just so I can enjoy all of the PCVR offerings. I'm a hardcore gamer BTW and have gamed for over forty years, but have become pretty jaded about it all, VR is a breath of fresh air!

I've longed for VR since the 80's mind, so make sure the idea does appeal to you.

As a bonus, it's an incredible workout, if the idea of levelling up or getting a highscore etc in a game, whilst also levelling up your real life body, appeals to you, then go for it!
 

Keihart

Member
When you say you only play AAA games, it kinda puts you in a really good place to say that nothing is enough, because what do you consider AAA? Would you consider AAA games with production values like DMC3 or the original RE2? or do you consider AAA only the games that look like newest first party titles on consoles? is it just budget regardless of how it looks? is it about how long it is?

Whatever you consider AAA games, this are some really good single player PC VR games that you might not know going by your OP.
some of this games are selfpublished, making them effectively indie.







 

nemiroff

Gold Member
I forgot to mention that in my personal opinion Microsoft Flight Simulator in VR is arguably even more mindblowing than Alyx (if you have a beefy rig).

Automobilista 2 (racing) is also out of this world, it's basically a perfect hassle free VR experience with a wheel.
 
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FunkMiller

Gold Member
RE 7 VR remains probably my most memorable full length gaming experience in the last 5 years.

Alyx is phenomenal, as are the two Lone Echoes.

You can absolutely have a full length, deep gaming experience in VR.
 

Haggard

Banned
God no it's not.
Not nearly enough quality content due to its niche existence and too many technological issues. Especially if you're into AAA SP the available content is barely worth mentioning (besides Alyx maybe)
Every time I borrow the hardware from friends I pretty much get bored/frustrated by it within mere hours and return it a day or two later.
 
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kittoo

Cretinously credulous
Guys just one last question before I order this bad boy.

I read at a lot of places that the Quest 2 is blurry. Is that true? I am not expecting clarity like watching my 4K OLED or anything, but its not super bad, right?

God no it's not.
Not nearly enough quality content due to its niche existence and too many technological issues. Especially if you're into AAA SP the available content is barely worth mentioning (besides Alyx maybe)
Every time I borrow the hardware from friends I pretty much get bored/frustrated by it within mere hours and return it a day or two later.

Some replies here asked me to give it a shot, broaden my horizon and not get stuck with only AAA content. So I have decided that the worst that can happen is that I will need to sell it in a few days. So net it might be a ~$100-120 loss. I guess I can bear that much and see for myself.
 
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Danknugz

Member
i've been a VR supporter since the oculus DK2 and my answer is no, the hardware is not there yet because you have companies like oculus focused too much on mass adoption and the lowest common denominator which essentially equates to cheap quality and disappointing specs. the software is too predatory still with lots of get rich quick schemes by shady developers, hyped up promises that fail to deliver in the end, and mountains of shovel ware.
 

kittoo

Cretinously credulous
Guys just one last question before I order this bad boy.

I read at a lot of places that the Quest 2 is blurry. Is that true? I am not expecting clarity like watching my 4K OLED or anything, but its not super bad, right?

Anyone?
 

As someone that uses a Lenovo Explorer occasionally (only 1440x1440 per eye) I can guess the Quest 2 will be fine given its a higher res than I use and I don't have much of an issue. Sure its going to look softer than if you're used to 4K gaming, unless you pick up something like a HP reverb, but it will still immerse you anyway. Games can also play into the 'blurriness' too, Skyrim VR as an example gets a massive clarity boost on my headset just by disabling TAA. To be fair I am looking into getting a Reverb G2 for the resolution increase, but I've still had fun with the current Lenovo headset
 

Ezquimacore

Banned
As a single player gamer, No, it was cool for a month but then I sold everything related to vr. Not going to obtain another one untill the tech is inside a Ray-ban.
 
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