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Comment by air7 | Hacker News Reader

I'm getting mine in a few days and I'm very excited. Can you recommend some jaw dropping content to try on it?

> I'm getting mine in a few days and I'm very excited. Can you recommend some jaw dropping content to try on it?

Superhot is the absolute best IMO. If you're open to homebrew, VRigade on SideQuest is my favorite game on the platform, hands down.

EchoVR is very exciting because it demonstrates the 6DoF VR experience pretty well and interaction with space (e.g. you have to throw discs and catch them, while floating), but it's still in beta so it has limited content. Pavlov Shack too but it's also in alpha and requires SideQuest. The Climb is pretty cool as an experience, but not necessarily mind blowing.

One of the first games I tried with the Quest was "The Exorcist" which was pretty creepy and really showcases the immersiveness of VR. You really feel like you're there in that game, which was not always a good thing.

Unpopular opinion, but personally I don't really like Beat Saber (yes, partially because I suck at it). It feels too casual and very repetitive, which I don't feel demonstrates VR's potential. Too much like fruit ninja but for VR.

Outside of games (you can use Oculus for more than games!), I'd also check out Immersed VR. I don't think it's there yet, but the idea has a lot of potential. Very innovative app.

EchoVR is nice, yes. The throwing never really worked for me, but moving around like in a space station is really cool. You can basically grapple around and don't need your legs at all.

In the boxing demo on the quest I was surprised at how much my brain did not like the idea of this ultrabig guy getting into my personal space with violent intentions. My primal brain said "Run."

Depends what you are into but I love Space Pirate Trainer as an "intro" as it really is superbly done and takes advantage of lots of the unique VR capabilities (think, space invaders where you can physically duck or sway out of the way of bullets) - but it is still completely intuitive to someone new.

Nothing really jaw dropping there right now.

Beatsaber and Superhot are cool games, but they aren't 460€ cool.

Yes, content is the single biggest problem with VR now. There is a lot of it on some platforms (like Steam and Oculus PC), but most of it isn't very good. On Quest there isn't much to play or experience period. VR needs to get to the point where multiple Beat Saber quality games are coming out every month, and an Alyx level AAA game comes out a few times a year.

You’re asking for the release cycle of a console like the Switch. I’m curious what people think is the timeline before that happens?

Im not sure, but the Oculus Quest is constantly sold out right now...so I imagine there is going to be some growth in this space.

That's a good question, I think once a single VR device sells 10-20M units, VR might get there. However, PSVR is at 5M and Quest is at ~0.5M-~1M units. PC VR (really Steam VR) is at ~2M. Headsets keep selling (for now), and we finally have a system seller game in the form of Alyx, Facebook's multiple game studio acquisitions are also a good sign for high quality content in the future. Theoretically these studios will be able to attract better talent by offering FAANG level salaries (3x-4x most game industry equivalents).

> There is a lot of it on some platforms (like Steam and Oculus PC), but most of it isn't very good. On Quest there isn't much to play or experience period.

With an appropriate USB-C cable[1], Quest has access to the Steam and Oculus PC library too :D

[1] As I’m sure most people on HN already know, there are many different types of USB-C cable, each supporting different subsets of USB-C’s potential functionality...

Personally I still think beat saber is the best combo of easy to figure out plus completely engaging (i.e. you forget where you actually are)

IdK. Space Pirate Trainer is like the arcade shooter game a lot of us X gens dreamed of as kids. So much fun.

Agreed, that's another easy one to jump into. Love it also.

Beatsaber is really nice, it's the first and only game I bought right now.

But it's not jaw dropping.

It's like para para or dance dance revolution, but a bit more imersive.

That's true, there are others where I'm legitimately frightened. I think of Beat Saber as a good first game.

Beat Saber is the big hit, which I love; but if you're really into rhythm games I would also take a look at Audica, from Harmonix.

If you are into puzzle-light exploration in a beautiful space, I would highly recommend Fujii as a hidden gem. The only drawback is that it's pretty short.

Not really "content", but if you are interested in productivity apps, Immersed or BigScreen are among the options for streaming your desktop to your headset, depending on what platform you're on. They can also be used for online VR screensharing. (Disclosure: I have a small stake in Immersed.)

The various streaming apps (Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Youtube, etc.) are not exactly novel, but I like being able to watch stuff without being in front of the computer. (I finally have the screen on the ceiling that I've always wanted.)

I liked "A Fisherman's Tale", a puzzle game that takes advantage of VR. Charming.

Oculus Link + decent PC + Half Life Alyx.

or Virtual Desktop + sideloaded Virtual Desktop version that supports streaming VR + Shadow.tech cloud gaming pc + Half Life Alyx

Does that work well?

Yes, surprisingly it works pretty well. I get 10-15ms pings to the server so I could imagine if you have a much higher latency it wouldn’t.

I’ve been using this setup some Christmas and also find it works incredibly well.

Ghost Giant is an amazing story, and the best use of VR I've ever seen.

Oh also, it's not really a game but there's something called "Ritchie's Plank Experience". I'm afraid of heights and I seriously pulled the Quest off my head the first time cause I freaked out.

Echo VR!

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