I should preface this with I’m at a couple of months into the Oculus Quest 2, which is my first VR rig unless you want to count Google Cardboard for some reason. The Quest 2 I got somewhat for work and somewhat for gaming – there’s a dream I always had of flying in an X-Wing or Tie Fighter and yup, that’s been done now in VR.
I may be the special snowflake here, but the Oculus Quest 2 has been an uphill battle for me. From weird issues with the Air Link, to weird performance issues when connected to a computer basically twiddling its thumbs, to just having the thing die because it didn’t turn off when I took it off, it started as a pretty rocky experience.
When it works, it’s been pretty cool. I finally have figured out how to have it both comfortable and usable. I’ve got the grips like I like them. I find that no keyboard particularly works (for me,) in VR still but that’s probably coming soon enough (virtual hands never quite line up right, oh well, it’s beta).
Whatever the last update was added a neat little L/R floaty so I know what controller I just picked up. Seems like that would have been from day one but it’s there now.
I find there’s a great disconnect from where I wanted to be in terms of virtual productivity software, and where I’m at. This is partially due to none of these things liking my keyboard, but a lot also has to do with needing people I know in VR as well and something to work on. As I’m the lone tester at this point, it’s mostly me drawing on a whiteboard, recording it, and trying to deal with virtual space that seems somehow designed to make me feel my age.
I may have jumped in at the wrong time, the Pro is coming out soon. But then again, after the Pro is going to be the Pro 2, the Pro 3, whatever… there does become a time when waiting for incremental improvements just doesn’t make a lot of sense any more. We’ll see.
I am still amazed that after VR and 360 degree videos have been around for years how badly they’re presented, narrated, and how much of a turd biscuit a 12K 360 immersive YouTube video can look like. Don’t get me wrong, some are great, but damn… some are like watching Minecraft from a distance.
I don’t think there’s much in the way of bandwidth or hardware limitation on displaying data, could be wrong, but I think the visuals are going to be about the same speed on next gen. Processors, heating, eye tracking, of course can get better but what it’s capable of currently is astounding. Unfortunately I’m mostly seeing potential and not a lot of actual at the moment. Then again, I’m still starting in this and half of the rabbit holes I go down for investigation are out of date, abandoned, or have been replaced with something newer and better.
In the couple of months I’ve had the Quest 2 though it is getting better… or maybe I’m just using it better… but that L/R grip thing yeah…
