Who will win in the end? A detailed experience report of the three major VR head-mounted devices

VR headsets are gaining more and more attention. Which of the three major mainstream products, PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift, and HTC Vive, will truly lead the future? The editor of foreign media Gamesradar uses his own personal experience to provide you with very worthy reference suggestions for your choice.

"VR takes you into the future." This statement may sound like nonsense at first, but after trying out three VR glasses, you will find that it is indeed true. VR has been developing for a long time - Oculus has released countless versions of development tools. All the past research and efforts will finally come to fruition in 2016. In 2016, you will be able to truly be in a VR game world.

I've tried the Oculus Rift, the HTC Vive on Steam, and the PlayStation VR, formerly known as Project Morpheus. They're all strong contenders for your choice of an expensive headset. This article is designed to help you make that choice. From the controllers to the demos, I've covered everything from the controllers to the demos. Which headset will come out on top? Let me tell you.

PlayStation VR

Sony's "Project Morpheus" was first announced at last year's E3, and now has a new name, PlayStation VR. One of its advantages is that it can be perfectly compatible with PS4 in a very simple way. The blue LED indicator on the outside of the helmet is not just for the sake of looking cool, but to allow the PlayStation camera to capture the movement of the head throughout the whole process. In terms of the screen, PlayStation VR is equipped with a 1080P full HD LCD display with a 100-degree viewing angle, allowing you to be fully immersed in it from the moment you put it on.

In addition, PlayStation VR also takes into account the problem of interaction with other people after wearing glasses. When using it, the TV screen will display the normal game screen instead of the left and right split field of view in the glasses. In future games, other players will only use the handles and watch the TV to participate in VR games. Sony claims that there will be more than ten VR games released by the first quarter of next year, but we don’t know the specific form of the games yet. As for the price? To be frank, it doesn’t look too cheap. Sony officially sells PlayStation VR as a "platform" rather than a peripheral. Considering the price of PS4, PlayStation VR is likely to be very close to the price of PS4.

PlayStation VR Controller

If you've sold your PlayStation Move, now is the time to consider buying it back. I promise it's worth it at least now. When Sony designed Move into a stick-shaped shape with a colorful ball on top in 2009, it might have considered using it for 3D motion tracking today.

In the five years since Move was released, few people have tried to hold two Move colored ball controllers at the same time. Putting on a VR helmet can already make your brain think you are in another world. Adding two hands to the experience takes it a step further. Your imagination convinces you that "I am here." "My hands are here too." In the demo experience of "The Getaway", you load your pistol in a bag full of shrapnel and then shoot the thugs through the broken car windshield. The Move controllers can also be used to pick up props or interact with the scene in other ways. Compared with other competitors, PlayStation VR only requires a simple setup, and you can get an excellent VR experience right away.

PlayStation VR Experience

One of the things I remember most about PlayStation VR is that it's scary, but that's just how good it is. Kitchen is a horror-themed demo, and I don't want to spoil it, but it's worth it. "I'm tied to a chair in hell." When you think this, you're already fully immersed in the world of VR. The PlayStation VR experience is just as good as its PC counterparts. Even with just one screen, the display is still great, and the 360-degree surround sound kept me moving my head around to find what was hitting me. The PS4 controllers are cleverly used to represent the bound hands, and the light bars and gyroscopes on the controllers are used to track the hand movements. I've seen the potential of PlayStation VR in horror games. If someone else had touched me while I was playing the demo, it's not impossible that I would have been scared to death in an instant.

Fortunately, the demo of The Getaway is not as scary as Kitchen, and the experience is equally impressive. Although it is just a shooting game with a relatively fixed route, it does not feel like I am just facing a screen and performing actions, but I feel like I am there. On the contrary, I hope I don’t have this feeling in Kitchen.

Oculus Rift

Oculus Rift first raised $2.4 million on the crowdfunding website Kickstarter in 2013. Among the three mainstream VR headsets, this is the one that has launched the most prototypes. After being acquired by Facebook for $200 million, Oculus Rift has become the most talked-about VR glasses. Because there used to be a large number of development kits available for purchase on the official website, many PC games can now use Oculus Rift. There will also be a VR version of "Minecraft" and Facebook's 360-degree full-view video in the future, all of which have become a strong VR software lineup guarantee when Oculus Rift is officially released.

Oculus Rift will be released in the first quarter of 2016, and the latest prototype "Crescent Bay" is also the model closest to the consumer version. Unlike the single-screen PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift includes two 1080x1200 resolution display panels and a head tracking sensor. The device called "Constellation Tracking" provides a 360-degree surround experience and can detect whether you are standing or sitting. Oculus Rift has built-in headphones, unlike PlayStation VR, which can choose other headphones by yourself. As for the price, Oculus founder Palmer Luckey once revealed that the price will be more than $350. If you add a high-performance PC, you will need to spend more money.

Oculus Rift Controllers

Each Oculus Rift controller includes an Xbox One controller. Another new peripheral, Oculus Touch, will be released in the second quarter. Don't be fooled by the Wii-like appearance, this is undoubtedly the best VR controller currently available. Each controller has buttons and joysticks, and the sensor ring on the outside can detect finger movements. Compared with other VR control devices that can only track position with sensors, this is more like a virtual hand.

There's nothing more fun than giving a thumbs-up in the real world and seeing yourself do the same in the virtual world. Independently moving fingers bring you into a new interactive world. You can light a Zippo lighter, pick up a pair of laser guns, or play a remote-controlled tank in the virtual world with the controller in your hand. This completely intuitive operation method is worth learning from other opponents.

Oculus Rift Experience

Oculus Rift's DEMO is simple but still deeply addictive

The most embarrassing thing about VR technology is that there is almost no way to let you understand its magic except by experiencing it yourself. I can't really describe the feeling of wearing Oculus Rift and holding Touch in my hand. The DEMO I tried was in a room with all kinds of building blocks and toys on the table. There was another virtual figure in the room whose appearance could not be seen. Although this person was not in the same room with you in reality, in the VR world, you would only feel that he was right in front of you.

The experience itself was simple and fun, not dizzy like some roller coaster demos. There was a soft feedback sound when I punched the balloon with my fist, and I could shoot a slingshot with my hands while my partner on the other side used a laser gun to shrink me. The simpler the experience, the more incredible it was. We could pass objects in the 360-degree virtual world just like in reality, and when my partner handed me something, I could reach out and take it without thinking. Although it was only a few minutes of experience, everything felt very natural. The display effect of the screen was also very good, and I even forgot that I was standing alone in a small dark room. What made me happy was that in the VR world, I wrote my own name in the air with a firework stick. It is these small wonderful moments that can make us forget ourselves and immerse ourselves in the VR world.

This is an unexpected curveball from Valve. Steam HTC Vive is a direct competitor to Oculus Rift. In addition to requiring a powerful PC, Vive also supports Linux and Mac systems, which is enough to prove that it is also a strong competitor in the VR field. Oculus has undergone multiple versions of updates, and Vive has also integrated many Steam resources and can sense your position in a 15-foot (about 4.5-meter) square space. In this 360-degree all-round space, you can roam freely. It's time to move your coffee table.

Vive has two 1200x1280 display panels for each eye, and a refresh rate of 90FPS, the same as Oculus Rift. The camera on the front of the helmet is used to prevent collision with walls or other objects in reality when moving in the virtual world. Originally planned to be released before Christmas to suppress competitors, the consumer version of Vive was eventually postponed to the first quarter of next year. At present, the official has not announced any information about the price, but it is still unlikely to be less than 300 pounds (about 3000RMB). Will such a price be a bit disappointing?

HTC Vive controllers

Because the helmet has a device that can sense the position of the space, you don't need to use buttons to move, and the controller can focus on simulating your hand movements. In the game DEMO I experienced, I lowered my head to see what the controller looked like in the game. There was a color wheel on my left hand. After pressing it subconsciously, I blew up a balloon at the end of the controller, and then naturally hit the balloon with the same hand. In a quick painting DEMO, the controller was also responsive, and I could paint in the air with flames and snowflakes. I even wanted to try to draw a life-size Batman next to me...

HTC Vive Experience

Compared to the horror of PlayStation VR and the addiction of Oculus Touch, the Vive experience is the best I feel. Starting from a white room, I was pulled into a sunken ship on the seabed. The shadows of fish swayed on the deck, and when I looked up, I could see the patterns of sunlight on the water. If it weren't for the connection wires behind my head, this could be the most immersive VR experience. When a giant blue whale passed by me, I blinked and dodged its tail, and my heart had already risen to my throat. If something horror-related happened at this time, I really don't know how to deal with it.

The clear image display makes you completely forget the world outside the virtual world. There will be a grid to remind you not to go out of the real area boundary, but it doesn't affect the experience much. In the interactive demo of "Aperture Science", I have to repair Atlas in "Portal 2". The appearance of GLaDOS (the character of "Portal 2") makes me more confident about the prospects of VR. Being able to experience your favorite games in VR, I think this is an irresistible temptation for anyone. I just walked around a small room in Aperture, but it felt like there was a whole world outside the door. But then the wall suddenly collapsed.

Summarize

The era of VR is approaching us step by step, and this trend has become inevitable. After experiencing it, you will know that it is not just a gimmick like 3D display. However, it costs a lot to try it out, and the current VR headsets are not very cheap. The final price, compatibility and software lineup will determine the fate of VR. The three VR glasses are also trying to become your final choice.

So who will win in the end? PlayStation VR has 24 million potential users when it is released. Oculus Rift has accumulated a very rich software lineup in the past three years, and Valve also has an advantage in PC games. Each product has its own killer feature. Perhaps combining Oculus Touch with the Vive helmet, plus the huge number of PS4 players can enjoy VR together, this is the most perfect state. However, these are just fantasies. PS4 players can directly choose PlayStation VR, while other players must first consider their investment in PC hardware. No matter who wins in the end, it will be a threatening challenge for those games without virtual reality technology.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.