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A poster asked about minimum require PC specifications required to run the Vive/Oculus in another thread, and in the process of answering him, I ended up building this post, and I figured it would be a great primer, so I decided to give it its own OP.
Resident poster @MusterX is a VR enthusiast, and has composed a wonderful post on the topic. I have copied that post to this thread. Here is a direct link to it:
MusterX > The HTC Vive, Lighthouses, and the 5 Best VR Experiences Currently Available
We have five major products competing in this market (not counting Google Cardboard). My initial focus was on the minimum required specifications to run the two PC-based products: HTC Vive and Oculus Rift. Because explaining how to understand processing performance is a bit complicated I'll just recommend using UserBenchmark to verify where your critical PC components stand (your GPU is your video card, btw):
CPU rankings: http://cpu.userbenchmark.com/
For the CPU, I would suggest you rank by "Effective Speed" (or "QC Mixed Avg") to assess where your PC's processor stands. "MC Mixed Avg" is technically the most accurate measurement of a processor's overall power, but can be misleading if you don't understand what that conveys.
GPU rankings : http://gpu.userbenchmark.com/
For the GPU, "Effective 3D Speed" is your ranking metric.
@jefferz pointed out in another thread that Steam has an upcoming new benchmark to help you automatically if your PC is adequate to meet required specifications for smooth playback of a minimum spec scenario, or an optimally powered scenario:
Steam > VRMark Preview
This website appears to be the best growing resource devoted to the VR niche:
http://www.vrheads.com/
IGN > Comparison Chart of Playstation VR vs. Oculus Rift vs. HTC Vive
Here's Amazon's latest comparison chart:
Note that for "Field of View" specs I used the following reference, as it varies depending on your eyes' distance from the glasses, and not the official specs such as you would see on Wikipedia or the Amazon chart below that hold no context (ex. for all but mine you will see 110º quoted as the official spec for the HTC Vive). Another example of context is that for the GearVR these guys point out that larger phones will boast a wider field of view due to the sheer virtue of their larger physical dimension:
Field of view face-off: Rift vs Vive vs Gear VR vs PSVR
Microsoft has announced plans for an upcoming Windows 10 VR Headset platform, including the minimum required specs, but they haven't released any final renders of the product's appearance or confirmed the final specifications for production. We do have some early takes from the usual suspects (Acer, Dell, HP, Lenovo, etc)
HTC Vive (SteamVR)
http://www.vive.com/us/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Vive/
Facebook Oculus Rift
https://www.oculus.com/
https://www.reddit.com/r/oculus/
Sony Playstation VR
https://www.playstation.com/en-us/explore/playstation-vr/
https://www.reddit.com/r/PSVR/
Poster @DoMeFavors started the official PSVR thread with more details here:
PlayStation VR, PSVR Official Launch Thread - PSVR, Games, Accessories, Discussion
Samsung Gear VR
http://www.samsung.com/global/galaxy/gear-vr/
https://www.reddit.com/r/GearVR/
Google Daydream View VR
https://vr.google.com/daydream/
https://www.reddit.com/r/daydream/
A few pertinent articles from VRHead:
VRheads > HTC Vive vs Oculus Rift: Which should you buy?
VRheads > First Comparison: Google Daydream View vs. Samsung GearVR
Resident poster @MusterX is a VR enthusiast, and has composed a wonderful post on the topic. I have copied that post to this thread. Here is a direct link to it:
MusterX > The HTC Vive, Lighthouses, and the 5 Best VR Experiences Currently Available
We have five major products competing in this market (not counting Google Cardboard). My initial focus was on the minimum required specifications to run the two PC-based products: HTC Vive and Oculus Rift. Because explaining how to understand processing performance is a bit complicated I'll just recommend using UserBenchmark to verify where your critical PC components stand (your GPU is your video card, btw):
CPU rankings: http://cpu.userbenchmark.com/
For the CPU, I would suggest you rank by "Effective Speed" (or "QC Mixed Avg") to assess where your PC's processor stands. "MC Mixed Avg" is technically the most accurate measurement of a processor's overall power, but can be misleading if you don't understand what that conveys.
GPU rankings : http://gpu.userbenchmark.com/
For the GPU, "Effective 3D Speed" is your ranking metric.
@jefferz pointed out in another thread that Steam has an upcoming new benchmark to help you automatically if your PC is adequate to meet required specifications for smooth playback of a minimum spec scenario, or an optimally powered scenario:
Steam > VRMark Preview
This website appears to be the best growing resource devoted to the VR niche:
http://www.vrheads.com/
IGN > Comparison Chart of Playstation VR vs. Oculus Rift vs. HTC Vive
Here's Amazon's latest comparison chart:
Note that for "Field of View" specs I used the following reference, as it varies depending on your eyes' distance from the glasses, and not the official specs such as you would see on Wikipedia or the Amazon chart below that hold no context (ex. for all but mine you will see 110º quoted as the official spec for the HTC Vive). Another example of context is that for the GearVR these guys point out that larger phones will boast a wider field of view due to the sheer virtue of their larger physical dimension:
Field of view face-off: Rift vs Vive vs Gear VR vs PSVR
Acer
Dell
HP
Lenovo
Blubur S1
Dell
HP
Lenovo
Blubur S1
HTC Vive (SteamVR)
http://www.vive.com/us/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Vive/
- MSRP = $799
- VR Product Specifications:
- 2 x 3.61" OLED, 2160 x 1200 [1080 x 1200 per eye]
- 90Hz refresh rate
- ~145º field of view (100º horizontal, 110º vertical)
- Tracking Area: 15 x 15 feet (225 sq ft)
- Lacks Built-in 3D Audio
- Controller:
- SteamVR Controller aka "Vive Wands" [x2 included]
- Any PC-compatible Gamepad (ex. Steam Controller, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Dualshock 4, Dualshock 3, etc.)
- Minimum recommended system specs:
- CPU >>> Intel i5-4590 or AMD FX-8350 CPU
- GPU >>> NVIDIA GTX 970 or AMD R9 290
- RAM >>> 4GB (DDR3-1333 recommended minimum speed)
- Video >> HDMI 1.4 or DisplayPort 1.2
- USB >>> USB 2.0
- OS >>>> Windows 7 (SP1+)
- Software Platform:
- SteamVR
- A joint project between Valve and HTC with Valve probably focusing on the software development and HTC focusing on hardware design & manufacturing. Offers native Unity support. Epic Games also opened Unreal Engine 4 for development on the platform.
- The tide of early reviews indicate this product is probably the hardware king of VR. Content, pricing, and marketing strategy will ultimately win this war, but the word is that it offers the best raw hardware capability & overall experience in demos.
Facebook Oculus Rift
https://www.oculus.com/
https://www.reddit.com/r/oculus/
- MSRP = $599
- VR Product Specifications:
- 2 x 3.54" OLED Displays, 2160 x 1200 [1080 x 1200 per eye]
- 90Hz refresh rate
- ~120º field of view (80º horizontal, 90º vertical)
- Tracking Area: 5 x 11 feet (55 sq ft)
- Built-in 3D Audio
- Controller:
- Oculus Touch
- Microsoft Xbox One gamepad [x1 included]
- Minimum Recommended System Specifications:
- CPU >>> Intel i3-6100 or AMD FX-4350 CPU
- GPU >>> NVIDIA GTX 960 or AMD R9 290
- RAM >>> 8GB (DDR3-1333 recommended minimum speed)
- Video >> HDMI 1.3
- USB >>> 1 x USB 3.0 + 2 x USB 2.0
- OS >>>> Windows 10 64-bit
- Official Setup Checklist & Minimum Specs Reddit
- Software Platform:
- OculusVR
- Not SLI/Crossfire compatible
- I have seen a Reddit that indicates that Valve has opened up its own Vive Wand controller code to the Oculus and the rest of the VR world, and that all Oculus games should work with their controllers, but I am unable to verify if this is true, and if it is true how stable and reliable the experience is.
- The original VR project that set the tech world ablaze, born from a Kickstarter campaign, that quickly drew the involvement of legendary game developer John Carmack before subsequently wooing Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg who initially offered investment capital, then later decided he liked the project so much that he bought it outright. Nevertheless, the project has also been beset by the political drama surrounding the antics of Palmer Luckey.
Sony Playstation VR
https://www.playstation.com/en-us/explore/playstation-vr/
https://www.reddit.com/r/PSVR/
Poster @DoMeFavors started the official PSVR thread with more details here:
PlayStation VR, PSVR Official Launch Thread - PSVR, Games, Accessories, Discussion
- MSRP = $399
- VR Production Specifications:
- 5.7" OLED, 1920x1080 [960 x RGB x 1080 per eye]*
- 120Hz (can also run @90Hz mode)
- ~100º field of view
- Tracking Area: 5.7 x 7.2 feet (41 sq ft)
- Built-in 3D Audio
- Controller:
- Sony Playstation Move Controllers
- Sony Dualshock 4
- Minimum Recommended System Specifications:
- Sony Playstation 4 (must include Playstation Camera)
- Software Platform:
- Playstation 4 OS
- Sony has worked some software magic to enable a "Cinema Mode" which allows for VR simulation using the headset for movies and non-VR games. There are three simulated screen size settings:
- 117"
- 163"
- 226"
- You may also now view 360 degree photos via USB flash drives or media device.
- Note: While it will run on the baseline version this product is intended for the Sony PS4 Pro 1TB ($399) console upgrade.
- *The "RGB" is an indication that there are three sub-pixels for every pixel in the VR display. Sony claims this is why their display is crisper than the HTC Vive or Oculus Rift despite their headset sporting a lower resolution.
Samsung Gear VR
http://www.samsung.com/global/galaxy/gear-vr/
https://www.reddit.com/r/GearVR/
- MSRP = $99
- VR Production Specifications:
- 5.1" - 5.7" OLED, 2560x1440 [1280 x 1440 per eye]
- 60Hz
- ~96º field of view (max)
- Controller:
- Any Android-compatible Gamepad (ex. Steelseries Nimbus, Steelseries Stratus XL, Moga Power Pro, Matricom G-Pad, 8bitdo SNES Controller, 8bitdo NES Controller, etc.)
- Xbox One gamepads may be used with the Gear VR
- GearVR Capable Smartphones:
- Software Platform
- OculusVR
- **the display size varies depending on the phone being used; keep in mind this is also true for the resolution, but right now, all the supported Galaxy devices are 1440p
Google Daydream View VR
https://vr.google.com/daydream/
https://www.reddit.com/r/daydream/
- MSRP = $79
- VR Product Specifications:
- 5.0" - 5.5* OLED, 2560 x 1440 [1280 x 1440 per eye]**
- 60Hz refresh rate
- ~90º field of view
- Controller:
- Daydream Controller [x1 included]
- Daydream-Ready Smartphones:
- Google's announced partners for future "Daydream-ready" phones:
- HTC
- LG
- Xiaomi
- ZTE
- Alcatel
- Software Platform:
- Google Daydream VR (requires Android 7.0+)
- All of the "Daydream-ready" phones announced so far run on Android 7.0+ and use a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820+ chipset (Adreno 530 GPU).
- Optimized for Google Pixel phones at launch which are the first "official" Daydream-ready phones.
- Generally speaking, if it's not a 2016 Android flagship, then it probably won't meet minimum specifications required. There are reports that Google asked developers to begin development using the Huawei Nexus 6P, so users on phones with 2015's flagship Android chipset, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 810, might hold hope if their phones also get an Android Nougat 7.0 firmware upgrade. Other high-end ARM mobile chipset manufactures like Samsung (Exynos), Mediatek (Helio), and Huawei (HiSilicon Kirin) will probably see support trickle in over the coming year for their most powerful chipsets.
- This product was announced just a few days ago on October 4th at their "Made by Google" event, and appears to be an upgraded approach to their barebones "Cardboard" vehicle for using the latest Android-powered flagship smartphones to power the VR experience. As such, it competes most directly with the GearVR.
- **the display size varies depending on the phone being used; keep in mind this should also be true of the resolution, and also display type, since non-Samsung Android manufacturers also make IPS screens. I've seen some speculate that 4K is an intended target in the next year, but that seems extremely unlikely until the phones are significantly more powerful, and we're not getting there in a year.
A few pertinent articles from VRHead:
VRheads > HTC Vive vs Oculus Rift: Which should you buy?
VRheads > First Comparison: Google Daydream View vs. Samsung GearVR
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