Oculus Rift impressions

After just a few days of playing with my new Oculus Rift, I can’t imagine any better future for video gaming. While I’m sure that I’ll continue to love my other, less immersive games, they just feel kind of old and mundane by comparison. In fact, it gets to the point that I don’t know how I can ever adequately convey an experience using screenshots and text anymore. Virtual reality gaming feels as far removed from current gen gaming as current gen does from its 8-bit predecessors. We might not have flying cars or actual hoverboards, but this is definitely a step in the right direction. One day I’ll have a full body haptic feedback rig, but beaming games directly into my face will do until then. The shocking thing about these VR games is that they don’t even need to be played from a first person perspective to be immersive. I’ve gotten the chance to go hands-on in my own living room with three very different game experiences for the Rift that highlight why VR is more than just a vehicle for the next Call of Duty game.

Rift hardware

The first thing I should mention is the hardware itself. The consumer version of the Rift is exceptionally comfortable to wear. When properly adjusted, I can wear it for periods far longer than I probably should. It’s worth noting that I use the Rift with glasses that are pretty darn chunky. (I look like am kind of a Seattle hipster.) Beyond the initial need to adjust them once I have the HMD (head mounted display) on, they don’t cause me any discomfort at all. So I can’t imagine that anything smaller than cateye style frames would ever be an issue. I generally don’t have any problems with fogging unless my body temperature is already up for some reason. So maybe don’t play right after getting out of a hot shower or doing your workout routine. Smudging can happen, but Oculus was thoughtful enough to provide a microfiber cleaning cloth to take care of that.

Setup should be performed while standing. This is especially true for experiencing the Oculus Dreamdeck which will be the first virtual reality environments to be pumped into your eyes. (Oculus Dreamdeck can be downloaded for free from the store if you want to try out additional scenes or show it off to friends.) Make sure my wife is nowhere near when experiencing the steampunk skyscraper scene. She has pushed nearly all of our friends who walk to the edge of the platform and look down. Yes, walking around does work in some of these VR experience vignettes. The games I’ve played so far could be done either as sitting or standing experiences, but each one definitely works better one way rather than the other. Speaking of games, let’s talk about a few.

Rift gaming for everyone

Lucky’s Tale comes as part of the package for everyone when buying the Oculus Rift. Lucky’s Tale is a traditional 3D platformer in the vein of Super Mario 64. Only our concept of 3D was so ridiculously lacking that it fails to encompass the childlike wonder I felt when playing this game for the first time. Instead of thinking of 3D in traditional gaming terms, think of it more like having action figures and a massive playset. I thought that something in third person might feel unusual or odd, but being able to look around the play area was beyond mesmerizing. However, I will admit that being pulled along behind Lucky did screw with my equilibrium a couple times. It’s hard to not trust the evidence before my eyes even when I know that I’m sitting entirely still. This also leads to issues like not being able to zoom the camera out or easily look behind while sitting down and playing. (Note to self: Get a swivel chair for VR gaming.) I really didn’t think I’d end up enjoying it as much as I did. I still get a kick out of leaning toward Lucky to zoom in while he’s facing me just to see him react. Sadly, it’s not a very long game (maybe 4 – 6 hours to complete), but there are time trials challenges to master if you enjoy it and want a reason to replay beyond the story.

As an Oculus Rift pre-order, I also got a founder’s pack copy of EVE: Valkyrie. I had played a demo of this one at PAX Prime last year, so I already knew that I was excited to get in the pilot’s seat again. The whole experience is done from a first person perspective within the cockpit of a space fighter. It’s a spaceship dogfighting game (no pesky ground to run into) with two modes of play. Of the couple dozen combat missions I’ve flown so far, only two have been a point capture match while the rest have been team deathmatch. Kills and assists in either match type will grant XP at the end of the fight. Gaining XP allows eventual unlocking of ship upgrades and the construction of new ship types. There are some single player modes, but these award no XP or credits, so they’re only worth exploring if a player is really interested in some of the backstory and lore around the game. Otherwise, it’s a pvp grind until staring into the cold void becomes too maddening to tolerate any longer. One thing to note is that this is a fast paced game that involves a lot of twisting and turning of the viewing experience while flying through space as well as craning of the head and neck to visually track targets while locking on missiles and such. Disorientation is bound to happen the first couple times out. Regardless, this is an intense and immersive ride that should satisfy any fan of the genre going back to the days of Star Wars: X-Wing.

Farlands is a game that is currently free from the Oculus store. As such, I immediately downloaded it to bolster my own library as I’ve done with everything currently free in the store. The closest comparison that I have for it is possibly Pokémon Snap. Farlands, however, is not on rails. Instead, players take on the role of an alien researcher who must teleport down to a planet and search for new, sentient life forms and document them. There are, however, plenty of plants, bugs, and less intelligent life forms to document as well. The bulk of the game is about finding the best angles and taking good photos, but there are also interactions to be had with the various creatures that can be encountered on the planet. The game has built-in longevity by way of daily interaction limits. It’s clearly not a game meant to be experienced as a marathon, but rather as a recurring exploration of new environments in short bursts each day. It’s a great game for people that enjoy discovery, but want to savor it over time. There’s also a lot of fishing to be done. Couldn’t have alien planets without fishing, right?

Virtual reality is the future of gaming

For my first three game experiences on the Oculus Rift, I have to say that I appreciate the diversity of play styles that translate so well into a VR environment. The Rift is by no means perfect. God rays are rather noticeable when contrasting light text or objects against extremely dark backgrounds. But in bright, colorful games like Lucky’s Tale or Farlands, I’ve never found it to be an issue. There has been considerable Reddit debate about the field of view, but I find it hard to complain when I’m in game. The HMD is incredibly comfortable for extended play sessions. However, I did end up with a very distinctive part in my hair and marks on my face after playing for several hours straight. (Really, I should have been taking breaks, but it’s freaking VR.) I look forward to putting more games directly into my eyes in the coming months. Esper 2 and Bazaar are both on my list of things to pick up soon. I just wish I didn’t need to wait until next month to get Edge of Nowhere. It’s an expensive piece of hardware with a very demanding PC requirement, but I’m hoping that it and the HTC Vive do well enough that the demand exists to bring a more affordable solution to the masses. Despite the rather questionable success of the launch (I had to wait six weeks for my initial March estimated ship date), virtual reality is the future of gaming and media consumption in general (I hope). Until then, I have a headset to put on and some alien fish to go catch.