Oculus Rift

​Oculus Rift​ - It finally came in and here are my impressions broken down into categories.

Install

• Very easy setup.  
• It takes 2 USB 3.0 slots.  One for the head tracker and the other for the headset.  
• You also need the HDMI output from your video card.  I tried using a DP to HDMI converter which did not work with the Rift but did for my TV out so I can have both hooked up at the same time.   
• The Oculus home software walks you through the setup process and I was done in about 5 minutes.

Headset Hardware

• The headset has 3 adjustment straps, one on each side and one on top. 
• I guess I have a small head as the side straps where pulled about all the way just to make it tight.  
• It is light and once you get the straps set it's easy to take off and on. 
• You can adjust the spacing of the lenses with a small button under the right eye.
• The headphones work very well and I thought they did a decent job producing bass. 
• I did play for 3 hours straight and my face did get a little irritated by the material that was touching my skin and that could be due to the newness and the chemicals on the fabric.  
• My neck is a little sore this morning but nothing major.  It will take a bit of time to build up those specific neck muscles. 
• I do use reading glasses but since the Rift projects the picture far away I don't need them for the Rift.
• I did try putting on the Rift with my glasses though and it was not easy even after opening all the straps up.  Maybe easier with more practice.  
• I did not feel nauseous at any time during my playtime. I am running with a 980TI and have not had any frame rate drops.   

Headset Performance

• The first time I put them on I watched an intro video and it was awesome.  
• I was standing in front of an alien on a rocky planet and he was looking at me and making faces.  .
• Then I was standing in a hall and a T-Rex was at the other end and he came at me and stopped just in front and roared and the spit came flying out at me then he walked over me.
• Next I was standing on the edge of a building looking down and I did feel a bit queasy since I don't like heights.  
• The sense of being there in a different place is what is cool about the Oculus.  Looking all around and being enveloped in the world is really a unique experience.  
• With all that said the tech still needs a couple of years to get where it needs to be.  
• The problem I have with the Oculus is with the Screen Door Effect where it looks like you are looking at the picture through a screen door, I can see the pixels that make up the picture so it isn't sharp and that is bothersome to me and it reinforces the feeling that I'm looking at a screen and not really in the world.  
• Maybe my eyes are more susceptible to this effect as I've read on some posts that they can only tell if you are looking for it but I see it all the time. 
• The games are also not in 1080P even the though the screens have a high resolution the picture you see is just not as crisp and clear it feels more like 720P and I've even read it's more like 480P.  
• In a couple of years once the lenses and video cards get better this tech will really shine. 

Software Impressions

Oculus Home

• You have to install this product and it be open in order for the Rift to work.  
• It's a store front like Uplay and Origin.  
• There is an option that you have to turn on if you want to be able to play games from Steam or other networks, it's not on by default. There are some games that are exclusive to the Oculus Store so you need to do some research before deciding on where to buy. 
• I was able to play a couple of VR games through Steam.  

Game Impressions

Project Cars

• I mainly wanted the Rift for driving simulators, mainly Dirt Rally, but most of them don't have support for the Oculus yet.
• I only tried PC for about 2 races and it was cool being in the car looking at the dashboard and seeing all the racers just by turning my head.
• The graphics are a bit jaggy and it's a bit difficult to see far away images because of the resolution.  
• I need to do some more tweaking with the graphics to see if I can fix these issues.  

Chronos

• A 3rd person action adventure game that feels a bit like Dark Souls.  
• The camera is in a fixed position sort of like the Resident Evil games but you can still look around.
• The game is fun on its own and the VR does add a bit to the world in making you feel like you are there.    

Lucky's Tale

• A platformer that works really well in VR. 
• Again you do feel like you are in this place.
• There are some sections where you go underground and you see the action kind of like a diorama which is neat. 

Eve: Valkryie

• Space shooter where you are in a cockpit and that feels perfect for VR as you do feel like you are in a ship and there is a cool thrill when it takes off as you see the scenery fly by. 
• The graphics are great but once again the SDE takes me out of the world.  

Doom

• Only got to play about 30 seconds before it crashed but it was Doom in VR.  

Conclusion

• Is the Oculus Rift worth $600 plus the PC you need to run it?
• At this time I would say not yet, probably in 2-3 years once the tech gets better then this will be amazing.
• If you have to have the latest gadgets then you may want to splurge on one but right now there isn't a game that is a must play so again waiting until there is more software will probably be the best decision.
• I think these same issues I have  will exist with the VIVE so I'm probably going to cancel my VIVE pre-order.  
• It may sound strange but I got a similar feeling to the Oculus when playing games in 3D with the convergence set really high. The image felt like it was right in front of me and that I was in the world as well.  It wasn't as tight as the Oculus since your whole view is the world but it was a similar feeling. 

Dark Souls 3 Ratchet and Clank, Visceral Detail Cleanup

Oculus Rift - Just got charged and it should be shipping soon.  Hopefully I'll get it by the weekend.

Dark Souls 3

• Finally defeated the first major boss after about 6 attempts, his fire sword attacks looked awesome.  
• This game isn't as stingy with bonfires as the last two games and they are usually pretty close to the boss lairs so the game does seem a bit easier. 
• There are a ton of weapons, I think I already have 20 in my inventory although I'm only using about 3 of them.  
• I was having a couple of crashing issues until I disabled AA but they did release a patch on Monday that may have fixed that issue, other than that the game has run smoothly.
• The like the enemy designs as they are quite grotesque, the ugly frogs with the big eyes are back as well. 
• Had my first invasion the other day and it couldn't have came at a better time.  I was in an area where there is this giant on a tower far away that keeps throwing large spears at anyone who tries to cross this specific path.  The invader spawned just behind me so I took off running down the path and was able to dodge the spears but the invader didn't have as much luck and died at the barrage of spears without me swinging a single time and it felt awesome.  

Ratchet and Clank

• A game about the new movie which is a retelling of the original game. 
• This is classic Ratchet and Clank game play at it's best with some of the best graphics that I've seen. 
• I've beaten all the major Ratchet and Clank releases and the game play still holds up.  
• Can't wait to see all the crazy weapons, I haven't read much about the game. 
• It's $40 so a nice price as well. 

Visceral Detail Cleanup

• Ever wondered what happens to all those bodies and blood soaked floors that is left over from one of your gaming sessions?
• Wonder no more as you undertake one of the best co-op games of this generation as you get to help clean up all the mess.
• So grab your mops, buckets, and bins and get ready for Visceral Detail Cleanup.
• The game at first glance seems horrible and dull, but it's probably one of the funnest multiplayer experiences that I've had.
• The fun is not in the actual game play but the chat between friends.
• The game does have some wonky physics which does lead to some spirited conversations.  
• If you are mopping up blood and then someone kicks over the water bucket sending all of the blood that you just cleaned go everywhere you may get a little irritated or maybe they keep walking through the blood leaving tracks that might also spur a louder than normal response.  Also don't try to run when carrying a bin full of body parts, it will end in a mess. 

New Releases - Not a big release week.  My pick is Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair which has the best talking bear in any game series.

PC

Banner Saga 2
Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair
Loud on Planet X

PS4

Axiom Verge — Vita (PS4 Cross-buy)
Blues and Bullets Episodes 1 and 2
Invisible, Inc.
Koi
Lichdom: Battlemage
Masquerade: The Baubles of Doom
Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse
Loud on Planet X
Pang Adventures

Xbox One

Lichdom: Battlemage
Masquerade: The Baubles of Doom

3DS

Langrisser Re:Incarnation -Tensei

Wii U

Star Fox Zero
Star Fox Guard
​

Dark Souls 3, Enter the Gungeon, Hyper Light Drifter, Quanturm Break

Still no Rift yet expected ship date maybe next week.

Dark Souls 3

• Another Dark Souls game.  Either you love them or hate them.
• I put in about 5 hours last night and died about 30 times so it's slow going but I like it.  
• I'm on the PC and it's runs smoothly and looks great, I've read reports of some slowdown on the consoles.
• The game seems a bit more streamlined so it may be a bit easier for newcomers to tackle, it's still is full of mystery but they do explain a bit more of what and where you need to go and do. 
• The speed of the game/combat is between DS1 and Bloodborne which feels great.
• The eneimes and bosses so far have been interesting and brutal. 
• Man these games are sooooo good and different from everything else that is made today.  

Enter the Gungeon

• Rogue-like twin stick shooter where each enemy is a type of bullet, the game has a really cool style.  Flipping over tables to provide cover is cool.  
• I wish it had some sort of progression like Rouge Legacy.  It has random drops which do expand over time but if you don't get a good weapon on the first level it makes it tough to go much farther.  
• After 2 hours I've only got to the second level once.  
• I think they need to do a bit more re-balancing and this game would be perfect. 

Hyper Light Drifter

• A really cool looking tough isometric action RPG. .
• The graphics are 8-bit but look amazing.
• There is no text in the game and no English is spoken, you only see pictures when you speak to NPC's so there is some mystery in the game.
• The combat is fast and fluid but tough as you only have about 5 hit points starting out so you must be cautious. 

Quantum Break

• I've only spent about 30 minutes playing but I'm not sure I'm going to like this game.
• The controls do not feel good, they are floaty and I haven't even tried combat yet. I've tried changing the sensitivity but something is just off.
• I really liked Alan Wake so I had high hopes for this game but it's not starting off well.  

Rocket League

• Still going strong, playing at least an hour or two a day.
• The basketball mode is coming this month which looks interesting. 

New Releases - Of course Dark Souls 3 is my pick of the week but I also picked up Ratchet & Clank.

PC

Dark Souls III
Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture
Stories: The Paths of Destinies


PS4

Dark Souls III
Ratchet & Clank
Risk of Rain
Samurai Warriors 4 Empires
Stories: The Paths of Destinies

XB1

Dark Souls III

WiiU

Terraria

3DS

Bravely Second: End Layer

Vita

Risk of Rain

Stardew Valley, Super Hot, The Division, Far Cry Primal, Rocket League

Sorry for the lack of content recently.  I will be amping up especially in 2 weeks when I finally get my Occulus Rift.  I'm really excited to get into VR and see if this really is the future of gaming.

Stardew Valley (Steam)

• This game came out of now where and it's been on top of Steams charts since it's release. It was made by one person over 4 years and it has sold over 450k in the first couple of weeks
• You play as an IT guy that is fed up with city life and decides to take over your recently deceased grandfathers farm in a faraway small country town.  The small town is made up of quirky characters that you try to befriend by giving gifts and maybe even find a mate.
• The game plays a lot like the Harvest Moon games but so much better in my opinion.  
• This is a nice game to just chill with and is easy to play in short bursts.  The game is broken up into days which last around 10 minutes. You do have to decide how to spend your time since it is limited and it's tough because there is just so much to do.  
• I highly recommend this game, if you look at the steam page you may think I'm crazy but it's a game that can really get your hooks into you and you will be saying just one more day.  

Super Hot (Steam)

• A first person melee/shooter where time only moves when you do.  
• The game is just a set of unique levels(rooms) where you have to defeat all of the enemies without getting hit once.  This seems tough, but since time only advances when you move it makes each confrontation look like a John Woo action scene.
• So I enter a pool hall with 2 enemies each with guns.  I pickup a pool ball and throw it at one approaching enemies.  The ball hits the guy and the gun he was carrying flies in the air. I punch the guy once then grab the gun out of mid air and shoot him and he's down. The other enemy is far away running left so I adjust my aim knowing the flight path of the bullet and fire.  I then slowly move ahead and I can see the bullet moving through space and it hits the enemy in right in the forehead and enemy down.  Another enemy suddenly appears behind a pillar and is arms length away but I'm out of bullets so I throw my gun at the guy it stuns him then I quickly take him out with 3 punches.  
• Once a level is complete it replays everything at full speed and it looks incredible.  
• It's a really hard game to explain in words but it's a really neat concept. 
• The game is $22 on sale but it's relatively short so you may want to wait until it goes on sale but I've enjoyed my time with it. 

The Division

• After all the great reviews I decided to pick this game up on PC and well.....
• I've only spent about an hour with the game and it hasn't hooked me yet.
• The game looks great and runs fine but I'm playing solo and I really think you need a group to get the most out of the game.
• The match making seems very easy to use and you can group up with randoms before each mission so you can decide how you want to approach the game
• It is a loot game so you will be getting tons of weapon and armor drops that keep you comparing those with your equipped weapons. 
• I guess it does feel a bit like Destiny but the weapons so far have not been as cool but I've barely started so I need to put in a lot more time. 

Far Cry: Primal

• Put in about 5 hours and enjoying my time but it does feel like another Far Cry game.
• The pace is a bit slower since your main weapon which I like so there is a lot of stealth in the game.
• The missions though feel the same as the previous games, I wish there was more of a survival element to the game.
• You do hunt a ton of different animals and even tame the carnivores to be your pets which you can ride and order to attack your enemies but you really aren't surviving.  You are taking out bases and roaming enemies the same way you've done before.

Rocket League

• It seems like I've been playing a ton of games but in actuality I've spent most of my time playing Rocket League, I have over 300 hours.  
• I'm addicted and no other game has the type of excitement at the constant pace that this game has.
• I'm finally feeling comfortable with aerials so it's opened up a whole new play style and strategies and I still have a ton to learn.  
• It's an amazing game if you haven't tried it yet you really need to. 

Dying Light: The Following, Firewatch, Rocket League

Dying Light: The Following (Steam) on all Consoles

• I loved Dying Light and thought it was one of the best games last year so I was excited for this last part of the Season pass.
• This DLC has a land mass of twice the original game so it's massive and it needed to be because the biggest addition to the game is a car.
• Chopping zombies up in various was is fun, but plowing over groups of zombies is even better. I just have the base car now so it's bare bones but there are a ton of upgrades for the car with some pretty awesome weaponry.
• They've added some other improvements as well so there is a good reason to return to this game and even play for a second time.
• If you didn't play this game last year now is the time to pick it up.

Firewatch (Steam) also on PS4
 

• Saw the demo at E3 and the game looked amazing. You play as a lonely fire spotter in a vast wilderness and your only contact to the outside world is by a radio talking to your supervisor. That was basically the trailer so you really didn't know much more than that and the game was really intriguing.
• I bought the game and finished it on the same day. It was around 4 hours long.
• I have mixed feelings about the game. It was good but not great.
• The story was interesting and I did like how the character interactions worked and the dialog was good but I thought the ending was very underwhelming and the story had too many red herrings.
• The wilderness you are exploring looks really nice but it isn't that large of space so you will be walking across familiar territory often.
• The neatest feature of the PC version is that you get a camera at some point and you can take some great pictures and actually have them sent off to get real pictures made which is a neat idea. It does cost money though I think around 5-10 dollars.
• It was interesting to play but at $20 it did feel a bit steep because the amount of interaction was very low so you are basically playing a short story.

Rocket League (Steam) also on PS4 and Xbox One Next week

• Season One wrapped up yesterday afternoon and though Robby and I tried we just couldn't get me to the silver level in doubles so I had to get the bronze crown. Robby did get the Silver though so good for him.
• In the Second season they have changed the way you are ranked. In season one each match you would lose or gain points whether you one or lost so each game so even if you were getting better you could still be ranked low. Now they are basing it on your performance and if you are improving. They aren't clear though how that is being evaluated so I'm not sure if it will better or not.
• They also added a report feature that you can use if someone is being abusive in the text chat and it will send a log with your complaint which is a nice feature. Most people are polite but there are always a few who are jerks.
• One other addition is some random loot drops for your car, the more you play the better the drop rate.
• The Xbox One version will release next week and I'll get that one as well. There are a couple of unique cars in that version and it includes all of the previous DLC. The biggest omission though is cross play support which is a Microsoft xbox policy. Can't believe they won't let you play with steam owners and Sony will. Crazy.

New Releases - Couple of good releases this week. Top pick Dying Light: The Following.
 
PC

Assassin’s Creed Chronicles Russia
Arslan: The Warriors of Legend
Dying Light: The Following
Firewatch
Unravel

PS4

 ssassin’s Creed Chronicles Russia
Arslan: The Warriors of Legend
Breath of Fire 3 - PS2 classic
Dying Light: The Following
Firewatch
Level 22
Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime
MOP: Operation Cleanup
Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm 4
Rugby Challenge 2
Siralim
Unravel

XB1


Assassin’s Creed Chronicles Russia
Arslan: The Warriors of Legend
Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm 4
Unravel

PS3

Level 22

Vita

Level 22
Siralim
We Are Doomed

Rise of the Tomb Raider, The Witness

Rise of the Tomb Raider (PC)

 

• I originally bought the Xbox One version since it was exclusive to that console, but I never really got into it because of some controller lag. I thought the aiming and the actions after some button presses felt a bit off.
• The PC version fixes that issue plus gives the already good looking game some added umph to make it one of the best looking games of this generation.
• I really enjoyed the first game and they have added quite a lot to Lara's new adventure.
• The exploration areas are much larger now with secrets and hidden loot to discover. There are also a lot more tombs to raid.
• I am really liking the story and I am actually seeking out all of the voice memos that have interweaving story lines.
• I'm playing on Hard mode and when there is a required fight sequence with waves of enemies they go on for too long and get too tough quickly. They also aren't randomized so if you die you will see the same enemies as before.
• I want to try the endurance mode which makes the game play like a survival game where you have to survive the harsh elements and hungry animals.

 

The Witness

• A puzzle game from the developer of Braid.
• The game is basically about 700 maze puzzle games. That sounds boring but it's really entertaining.
• The puzzles are set on a beautiful island that you will be traversing while solving puzzles.
• The puzzles are grouped around different parts of the island and each type has a certain rule that you must solve in order complete the puzzles.
• I've been taking screenshots with my phone which I've found helps out a lot.
• It's only $40 so if you have a PS4 and PC and want to be challenged give the game a try.

New Releases - A pretty big release this week on the PC. American Truck simulator, just kidding X-Com 2 is out. I've only played an hour so no impressions yet. I'm also interested in Cobalt. Also if you have a PS4 or Vita pick up Crypt of the Necrodancer it's awesome.

 

 

PC

 

American Truck Simulator

Cobalt

Fortified

Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm 4

Tales of Symphonia

XCOM 2

 

PS4

 

 AIPD

Albedo: Eyes From Outer Space

Amazing Discoveries in Outer Space

Crypt of the Necrodancer

Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth

Gravity Rush Remastered

Megadimensional Neptunia VII

Nitroplus Blasterz: Heroines Infinite Duel

Not A Hero

Royal Defense

 

 XB1

  

Cobalt

Fortified

  

WiiU

 

Shütshim: Seriously Swole

 

360

  

Cobalt

 

PS3

 

Nitroplus Blasterz: Heroines Infinite Duel

 

 Vita

 

Crypt of the Necrodancer

Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth

 

For Sale

 

Espon 5030UB Projector

 

 If anyone is interested I'm selling my Projector for $1400, I've had it about a year and a half and the bulb has around 500 hours on it so I've barely used it. It's in perfect working condition and still under a 3 year warranty.

  

100" Projector Screen

 

If you don't have a screen then I have one of those as well. $150.

  

Popcorn Machine

 

 I also have an movie popcorn machine that I'm selling for $50. It's a hot air popper that would be great for parties and it's easy to clean. 

 

 Polk Monitor 50 Speakers

  

This is for a pair of 2 floor standing Polk speakers for $50.

 

Oculus Rift, Amplitude, Batman Arkham Knight

Oculus Rift VR Headset

•  Pre-order to go live at 10am
• Reading Neogaf predicting what the price will be
• 5 minutes before 10 go to site
• See Countdown
• Wait on countdown 3...2...1
• Hit order button
• Goes to white page
•  F5
• Goes to white page
• Repeat previous 2 steps for about 5 minutes
• Finally loads the product.
• $599 price tage
• No hesitation hits order button
• Shipping in March
• Now just have to wait and hope no delays.

Amplitude (PS4)

•  My first experience with a rhythm game was on the PS2 with the game Frequency by Harmonix. 
• You flew a ship around lanes made up of different instruments of a music track and you had to hit buttons along with the beat for about 2 measures then that part of the track would keep playing and you moved to another lane for a different instrument so you were playing the song but also picking which parts to hear.
•  It was an amazing game.
• The sequel Amplitude came out and it was even better.
• These titles led to the first Guitar Hero game and the rest is history.
• They put this new game on kickstarted about 2 years ago and it has finally been released. 
• It feels the same which is a good thing. It's still tough as ever but it's beautiful and the audio is booming. 
• My big gripe though is with the soundtrack.  There is a campaign composed of 15 songs and I'm not a fan of quite of few of them.  You do have to play those in order to unlock more songs which is a pain.  Of course music is opinionated so you may love it.
• One of the first songs I unlocked was the song to the first level of Crypt of the Necrodancer and it was awesome.  Playing that song made the game worth it.
• The price is only $20 so not a huge investment.  
• I think there is a total of 45 songs so I have a ton to open up so I believe the music will get better.

Batman Arkham Knight

• Finished the main story this weekend and it was really enjoyable and I thought the writing was amazing and the main characters were voiced perfectly.
• My only gripe is that to see the true ending you need to finish all the 250 Riddler challenges so I've been debating just watching it on youtube.  I do find the challenges fun though so I may hold off.
• I put around 40 hours into the game and still have most of the DLC to finish up.  They are short which is a bit disappointing but I have gotten my money's worth.