Virtual & Augmented Reality

Last year in Sept. 2023 I bought a Valve Index as my first VR HMD. I LOVE the Valve Index, it truly is one of the most awesome things I have ever purchased for myself in my entire life. I love the 130 degree FOV, the audio speakers, the ease of use with SteamVR and it feels so good on my face. I absolutely love it!

This year I bought a Quest 3 to compare and see if I am truly getting the best VR experience. I will try to compare the two HMD's pros/cons for anyone trying to make a choice between the two HMD's. Short answer is they are both great and neither wins over the other.

I bought a Quest 3, an official link cable ($50), a BoboVR M3 mini ($20) and the AMVR facial interface ($25) for the quest 3, which costs around $635 total. You can buy a cheaper link cable if you want to gamble, but that doesn't matter. The stock strap sucks see below.

Valve Index and Quest 3 Comparison

1. Quest FOV and Valve Index FOV are very similar, Valve Index might be wider but at the end of the day you have the same experience.

2. Oculus Link / Airlink are really bad on an AMD GPU, not sure if it is as bad on NVIDIA. SteamVR and the Valve Index are so smooth, but Oculus Link / Airlink are terribly laggy and feel like a huge stepdown. Even the official Link cable glitches when switching applications, it is a TERRIBLE experience.

3. SteamVR Link is really good, it fixes a lot of issues for the Quest 3 but limits you to 350 Mbps stream quality.

4. I haven't tried Virtual Desktop yet but I am sure it is as good or better than SteamVR Link.

5. The Quest 3 pancake lenses are clearer but even at H264 940 Mbps on the official Link cable it isn't the same thing as native display port. VRChat colors look better on the Valve Index. MSFS 2020 looks better on Quest 3 because you can see farther since you have more pixel density. After using Quest 3 I still prefer using the Valve Index as a default and still prefer the Valve Index as my main driver. I think the Valve Index is still a great VR HMD for 2024, the experience is pretty close to the same on both HMD's.

6. Quest 3 audio is OK but the Valve Index audio is great. For VRChat and Phasmophobia, I prefer the Valve Index for this reason alone.

7. VR Render settings. Quest 3 2064x2272 = 4689408, Valve Index 2016x2240 = 4515840. I'm rendering almost the same resolution and that is 1.2x in the Meta Link and 100% for SteamVR. When I first got into the Quest 3 I thought it looked exactly the same as the Valve Index for this reason. Quite hard to see the difference until you use it for a few weeks. Quest 3 glare is better then the Valve Index but I also wear the Valve Index at widest FOV with my eye almost touching the glass. I don't really care about the glare on the Valve Index and that might be a personal preference. The Quest 3 has 2x pixel density over the Valve Index on the hardware side and this is different than in application render settings on the software side. It is noticeablly better but it doesn't look 2x better.

8. Quest 3 without buying a new head strap is HORRIBLE, you will be disappointed on the default head strap if you have experienced the Valve Index. Quest 3 with my strap addons are more comfortable then the Valve Index but only because the Quest 3 is considerably lighter.

9. Quest 3 can do wireless which makes watching movies better than on the Valve Index. Quest 3 is clearer and lighter and more comfortable for watching movies hands down. Wireless play for Phasmophobia is really more enjoyable than the Valve Index.

10. Quest 3 tracking is pretty damn good for having no lighthouses. I am very impressed with the controllers although I prefer the Knuckles over the Quest 3 controllers for better immersion.

Recommendation for 2024 Quest 3 vs Valve Index

All around, the experience is very similar. I'm not sure it is required to upgrade from the Valve Index to the Quest 3 unless you have money to burn. I'm sure it makes more sense to upgrade the GPU than to buy a new HMD if you are already a Valve Index owner.

For new VR users, the situation is weird. I still think you get a better first time experience on the Valve Index due to Meta software being worse quality. It is sad because the software issues should be fixable but yet Meta doesn't fix the most obvious issues. SteamVR just works for me and I have a great experience using everything Valve VR. However, the Quest 3 is almost $400 cheaper even with modifications needed on the base package. I don't think the Valve Index is worth that extra $400 because the experience is so close. Quest 3 requires some VR experience to have a good experience out of the box IMO if you are wanting to use it for PCVR.

If you can live with Meta software issues and don't have the extra money for the Valve Index, Quest 3 is a good option. However, the Valve Index is still a great VR option especially if you don't want to fiddle with settings and deal with Meta software issues.

Do I think the Quest 3 was wasted money. Kind of yes. After upgrading the Quest 3 straps from the base package it feels a lot better however I still love my Valve Index. That might change in time but it really is just so much easier to get into VR on the Valve Index because the software works more reliably. If I wasn't addicted to VR I could see people not using VR as much as they would if they got the Quest 3 over the Valve Index based purely on ease of use alone.

However, I still believe a new user will have a great experience on either HMD so don't feel bad if you choose one over the other.

Hey everyone, I’ve just released a relaxing little Mixed Reality game on AppLab called Stack The Blocks! It runs at a crisp resolution and native 90 hz. There are currently 28 levels and a sandbox mode, with planned updates for hand-tracking, 120 hz mode, an additional 56 levels. The game will stay at $0.99 no matter how much gets added.

In celebration of the release, I’m giving away 20 keys on a first come, first served basis (keys are at the bottom of the post!)

Link to gameplay trailer:

While this game has a very limited scope, it has given me an insatiable desire to keep developing for VR. My next game is already in the final stages, and is much more ambitious (and likely to be exclusive to Quest 3 because of that). If that sounds interesting, you can check out my website at corestrand.net for more info and to get notified when there’s news!

Store link:

EDIT: All the keys have been taken. Thanks so much everybody, especially for your words of encouragement. I hope you're all able to enjoy a little trip back to childhood! I have grander ambitions for future games on the Quest (like my tower defense game that will be releasing this summer), so stay tuned!

I picked up Tiger Blade a few days ago. It's 50% off with PS+ bringing it to $12.50 usd.

It is a total blast. There's some VR games we can easily describe "makes you feel like _____". Like Pistol Whip comparisons to John Wick, etc. Tiger Blade makes you feel like... a Korean sword assassin (I don't know if there's an accurate 1-word word haha).

(Unsurprisingly) I have NO clue how to fight with a sword but I sure as hell immediately at least pretend I do, taking on a stance and everything. The game just begs it with the aesthetic, the whooshing slice sfx and vfx when you slice through the air...

The game itself is short and CHALLENGING. You can beat the whole thing in under an hour I think... if you're good enough... and if you have the stamina (I sure don't. I have to stop after a few stages each time). I think at the sale price it's totally worth it even if you just play through once.

But definitely a core idea of the design is getting you to replay levels. They are fast-paced and super replayable, and you will absolutely have a lot to get better at. The challenge gets pretty intense quite fast.

The mechanics of it are quite brilliant I think. You have a sword and gun that swap in the same hand just by holding grip. It's very intuitive and feels good. Meanwhile your off-hand has a kind of grapple-pull, sometimes it's used to pull yourself to the next area, sometimes you'll use it to snag a makeshift shield from the environment, or some enemies will need you to utilize it.

You don't need much swing force to hit but you do need to aim your swings and blocks, as well as your shield position if you have one. It's a lot of coordination when you're in the heat of it and very challenging. The enemies are designed really well with an organic-feeling colour/design coding that gives you essential information about how the enemy will attack you. Not all bullets need to be blocked, and the ones that do need to be blocked are visually distinct. Some enemies will rarely shoot an 'on-target' bullet, while other enemies will always shoot an 'on-target' bullet. So you must learn to be aware and prioritize. And in the later levels you really have to learn the stage if you want to be rewarded with a clean score.

The movement mechanic is also incredibly effective. Fitting the style perfectly, rather than walk around you move in a determined (but engaging from a level design perspective) path through actions. Sometimes that action is dealing the killing slash on an enemy with your sword, other times it's using your grapple. It feels great and fluid.

And it's such a fluid game, and that flow is only really hindered by the intentional challenge that will kill you many times. The biggest reward for replaying - more than snagging a high score - is the satisfaction of maintaining fluidity through the whole stage. It's such a great feeling (I've so far only done it on the easiest level!).

The music is also great fun to my taste, and the story is simple but engaging and totally does what it needs to do.

The are a few minor flaws, some things that could improve,

The game visually looks great and is crisp but the resolution is a bit low. Not that low, don't get the wrong idea. It's a great looking game and the resolution is good enough that you won't think about it once you're immersed. But would definitely be nice to see some it reach its full visual potential!

I think maybe the swings should require just a little more swing before it registers a hit. There's a couple times where I move my sword and I don't intend it to be a swing but it still hits - this never 'hurts' me, but it does feel a bit odd when it happens, and almost like cheating. I wonder if either they could require a bit more swing, or have a sensitivity slider for the player to customize it.

I feel like the shields could maybe be just a bit bigger to reduce the challenge a little. And it sometimes feels like the shield will block hits that my sword was positioned to block. Maybe the shield is in front of my sword without me realizing, but either way I think it could be a bit more forgiving in that vein and check if your sword is positioned for the block, and if so, then not use the shield (the shield can take a specific number of hits before it breaks).

That's all I can think of at the moment! Definitely nothing that keeps this game from being a 'hidden gem' and blast to play, to my taste.

Actually I still haven't beaten the last level! Had to take another break, but wanted to write this up!

Highly recommend Tiger Blade.

I was a little worried about that aspect given some stuff I saw online. Apart from weight distribution, I've seen people say that they thought it was either a regression or that it was no better. I would strongly argue otherwise. My Quest 2 has an Elite strap and VR Cover interface.

The fabric feels really nice on my face, and I might prefer it to the pleather of the VR cover and ABSOLUTELY prefer it to the rock-hard foam of the Q2 stock interface. The stock strap while not perfect feels WAY better and more comfortable than that of the Q2 stock strap. I'd argue the headset feels more secure and comfortable STOCK than my Q2 does with aftermarket parts.

What a pleasant little surprise. :)

And I love it^

Whenever I see people talking about a new videogame, I can’t stop thinking about ”Yeah that would be just better in VR”

The thing is whatever is happening in the flatscreen space I DON’T CARE. It all just feels the same, it’s boring, uninteresting, flat… (GTA 6 being the last game keeping my interest in flat gaming)

Some YouTubers go “Gaming isn’t fun anymore” like bro you’re ignoring the COOLEST gaming tech to ever exist!! And it’s only going to get better from here. Ready Player One is coming…

Do you agree?

Hey everyone,

I’ve been spending a lot of my free time in VR lately—almost all of it, actually. After work, I put on my headset, stay in VR the whole time, and even sleep in VR. Then I wake up, go to work, and the cycle repeats.

I’m starting to wonder if this is a bad thing. Has anyone else experienced this? What are your thoughts?

Thanks!

Cuales fueron los juegos más adictivos (pc o consola) que realmente no podían dejar se jugar? Me refiero a esos juegos que te hacen querer mejorar todo el tiempo

Hey everyone,

I’ve been spending a lot of my free time in VR lately—almost all of it, actually. After work, I put on my headset, stay in VR the whole time, and even sleep in VR. Then I wake up, go to work, and the cycle repeats.

I’m starting to wonder if this is a bad thing. Has anyone else experienced this? What are your thoughts?

Thanks!

On the other vr subs, there seems to be alot of ppl who think aw2 is boring.

How is that possible? It's one of the only games to have an actual storyline, fun game mechanics, different characters, hack n slash, puzzles, mounts, weapons, leveling mechanics, hard bosses, companions, etc. Just doing the general story will get you to 100 hours of game play.

Like wtf else do they want?! Sometimes I feel like people played the first hour and then quit. The game is a freaking rpg. It takes a decent chunk of time to get to a good level where things start to get fun. It's like ppl are so used to vr games being only 10 hours so the first hour has to be super super exciting and fun.

Has anyone heard anything about what’s going with the physical release? They had announced May 24, and nowhere in Canada has it showing as available. Amazon shows it now as December, Best Buy doesn’t have a listing and GameStop says used but nothing even for release date.

Any info would be appreciated!

Interested in getting one, I like to get trophies. Has anyone platinumed either and can tell me if it was fun or not?

First off, thank you all for your enthusiastic response to the VITURE Pro launch this week!

The new VITURE Pro Collection is selling very fast and VITURE Pro XR Glasses are now almost out of stock! When this happens, we'll begin fulfilling new orders based on batch number starting in mid-June.

We've already had to put the Pro Mobile Dock on backorder due to high demand — new orders of this item are expected to ship next month.

The earlier you order, the earlier you'll get your VITURE Pro delivery.