This is kind-of what you see when you wear an Oculus Rift

[Ryzza5]

Before I received my Rift I heard many say it was brilliant but I also heard some disappointment as to the visual quality. I assumed it would be good enough for me not to care (which is true) but there are probably many others who are also unable to 'just try it' and wonder what they can expect to see if/when they finally get to wear one. So I took the mirrored output of one race and made the following visual edits to give a rough idea (don't shoot me if it's not 100% perfect) of what the Rift is like to look through:




Yes you can see the black edges on the sides (you can actually see a little more above and below the edges shown here) but don't forget this image is hard up against your face and not half a meter away.

[Ramjet]

Hey mate, great effort and I hope you do not get offended but the edited mirrored output you are showing does not look at all like what I see in my Rift CV1 and would lead someone to have a mistaken impression of what they will actually see as it is not a very good approximation.

The amount of pixel density and depth of colour makes a huge difference in the image you experience closeup in the Rift. I can see you have added some sort of filter on top of the mirror image to try replicate the Rift but the definition of the image underneath is still much higher than what one experiences in the Rift.

I am not an expert in photography or filming but it would be better to try film directly via one eye output of the Rift using a camera that is capable. Then the representation would be much closer to what is really seen. But it will always be limited by what you miss out on seeing the whole image as immersive 3D and which compensates hugely for the lack in visual definition.

[Ryzza5]

Yes it was hard to get just the right effect - a little more seemed like way too much. I've gone on the cautious side to compensate for the user focusing on where they're going rather than just watching a video (if watching a video on the Rift you'll notice the SDE much more).

Thanks for mentioning that.

[jimortality]

I wish mine looked as clear as that.

[Ryzza5]

My monitor must be really dirty

[jimortality]

My monitor must be really dirty

What graphics settings do you have? I need mine to look like that!

[Ryzza5]

All stock

Maybe my eyes are just shot / tired

[My993C2]

I can't speak for what it looks like using the CV1 since I don't own a CV1. I own a Vive. However I am only chiming in here to say "There isn't a video out there that can replicate what you see while wearing a VR HMD. You have to try a VR HMD to experience VR". At least in the case of the Vive, but I am sure the same can be said about the Rift. I can say one thing though, the Vive doesn't have any black edges at all. Does the Rift actually have these black edges?

[Ryzza5]

When racing, my peripheral vision allows me to see the black sides. There are more pixels a the top + bottom that are not captured via the mirrored output.

This preview is intended for those thinking of buying, who know the VR is amazing from what they've researched, but just wonder what to expect in terms of quality.



Alternatively, squash a cylindrical can into the shape above, stick some fly-screen mesh on the end and stick it to your face while driving your real life car (carefully)

[GrimGreener]

Nice try but the biggest problem is that even if I stick my face right up to the monitor (and ignore the fact my eyes can't focus that close) it doesn't give the immersion the HMD gives. Ok res is lower, but it's the peripheral vision that adds greatly to the sense of speed and being able to run your head and check when your opponent is braking etc. I do wish they hurry up and get a variable resolution screen for VR...I.e. One that has super high density pixels in the sweet spot of normal vision and then lower res around the edges. Expect that's not taking an off the shelf phone screen and requires a new fab line - so very unlikely.