Got a new Oculus Rift

So, I was an original backer on the Oculus Rift on Kickstarter a while back, and now I’ve gotten the new production version.

But I either need to buy a new computer to use it or sell it. Any suggestions on what I would need to get up and running?

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If you do decide to sell it, I am interested… :slight_smile:

Not quite sure on the hardware specs required to get the most out of the Oculas Rift other than it will probably be pushing the high end of the PC hardware spectrum… I am guessing a Intel i7 CPU, 8 or more gigs of RAM and one of the higher end video cards.

I got to check out the Oculus Rift headsets briefly at the Houston Arcade Expo last fall and decided that I really want one after two short demos. Interested in VR virtual pinball mostly…

Perhaps this will give you some idea of what kind of system you’ll need.

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There is a PC compatibility check tool you can download off the rift site that will give some basic recommendations, https://www.oculus.com/en-us/rift/ But it is basically you need a very recent beefy graphics card and the right kind of USB 3.0 controller.

I got a GTX 980TI and a usb 3.0 card and have been running my Rift with no issues.

Also playing Adrift is a great way to either get sick or overcome VR sickness

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Well, since I have a MacBook Pro and a desktop that was pretty nice in 2008, I’m not sure I should bother downloading the system check tool :wink:

I know the feeling. My desktop is best-of-2009 technology … that was recently upgraded to decent for 2010 standards.

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So this thing totally negates the sitting too close to the TV warnings, this thing must be killer on the eyes over time.

I’d heard about this before, but wanted to learn more, so I did me a quick Google on this and found on WebMD:

[quote]Sitting Too Close to the TV Will Damage Your Vision:

Fiction: Sitting closer than necessary to the television may give you a headache, but it will not damage your vision. Children, especially if they’re nearsighted, may do this to see the TV more clearly. They may, in fact, need glasses.[/quote]

I guess it’s not bad? I’d guess the Oculus’ optics and the whole 3D thing may get your eyes focusing on something besides a plane ~24" from your face, and maybe that “exercises” your eyes or something, but I am not an optometrist.

The warning about sitting too close to the TV was because TVs used to have cathode ray tubes and you were looking down the barrel of an electron gun. Not a problem with LCD screens.

DISCLAIMER: I have read much about VR headsets but never used (modern) VR headsets.

Main issue with VR headsets seem to revolve around “screen door” effects, motion sickness, and keeping your eyes at a fixed focus for long periods.

Production models for the Rift and Vive seem to have upped the resolution to the point that the “screen door” effect is minimal. Motion sickness seems to correlate strongly to how well the headset tracks motion - the less lag the better; on the software end a number of tricks can further alleviate the issue (artificial “nose” or other fixed reference, masking some bits of the screen during bits of fast motion). It’s keeping the eyes at fixed focus that seems to mess with the brain the most: the optics by necessity are static and adjusted once so your eyes are focusing some distance further out than the inches the displays sit from them; this is hard on you since your brain is wired to adjust focus for varying perceived distances.

I originally got the DK1 to do research into motion-sickness reduction as a passenger on an airplane. That quickly went out the door when I couldn’t even use the thing for 30 minutes without getting lay-down-in-bed sick.

I’d like to see how this one works, but my main application (Condor Soaring flight sim) doesn’t seem to support it. I might try to fake it with XPlane… the soaring model in that isn’t terrible it’s just not Condor… (so I’m told)

I think though, that if you don’t try to look at anything close up in VR land, it wouldn’t be a conflict… after about 10ft(?) your lenses are at infinite focus anyway.

And the issues for adults and children are different… There is a theory floating that while you are growing, there is a hormone signal released when you flex your lens (close up work) that lengthens your eye… or something like that… and this is responsible for tuning your eye’s focal length. I’m not familiar with the details, but it makes sense to me.

This is a great article, thanks!

Unfortunately it also tells me that I need to drop another $800 just to get started…

The computers in the Digital Media room are powerful enough to run it. You need a minimum i5 processor, 8gb RAM, and a GTX 970. It’s about a $1000 PC build.

Digital Media would gladly accept a donation of a DK1, that would be pretty awesome to have for those of you that want to do unity 3D for VR

i still have my mkx computer rig for sale. gtx970 I5 8gb ram krait MOBO ssd drive oh and PSU, probably has all of 2 hours on it.

Going to guess that case is not included.

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At work I run the DK2 with a Titan X and it does very well even with large complex scenes. The card is around $1,100 but well worth it. If you’re going to be playing mainstream games the GTX 980 is good enough because that’s what most people interested in VR have and most developers have targeted.

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