Computer games.

[dholliday]

Anyone got the PlayStation VR? Any good?

Does it make sense if I invest in the PS VR as I have a PS5 or just get a oculus quest 2?

PSVR has a huge amount of interesting exclusives which gamer-aficionados rave about like Farpoint, Astrobot, Iron Man, Firewall Zero Hour, Wipeout Omega, The Inpatient, Deracine, How We Soar, Dreams, Blood & Truth and the pant-wetting Resident Evil 7 (tho' there's an unofficial VR mod for Steam versions now). Also Hitman 3 in VR.

There's the Playstation Gun Aim Controller for extra FPS immersion feels.

PSVR Headset has two versions: the first has more cables so is a pain in the arse to set up, but has slightly better clarity/contrast then V2. V2 is probably more recommended as there's only one main cable. You'll also need the camera, and Move/Navigation controllers (ones from PS3-era work too), tho' some games also accept Joypad.


These games sometimes struggled with framerates and textures on classic PS4, but perform well on my PS4 Pro, will be even better on a PS5.

Overall: better graphics, and deffo better exclusives, than the Quest 2.


But Quest 2 has four advantages over PSVR:

1) wireless (realistic boxing with Thrill Of The Fight would be impossible otherwise).

2) and PC-compatibility, including Steam. That's how i'm playing the Half-Life 2 VR mod, via 5m long USB-cable. Wireless-to-PC is also possible but my framerates always suffer.

3) better hardware resolution: noticeable when playing high-end PC VR games like Half-Life: Alyx or Lone Echo. With cable then. Also less 'Screen-Door Effect' when looking at solid bright background colours, like a sky or wall.

4) controllers included, no other hardware necessary unless you wanna link to PC.

bonus) despite PSVR having much more interesting exclusives...Quest 2 has arguably the single greatest one of all: Resident Evil 4...the complete original game in VR...and wireless!


Alternative: wait for the improved PSVR mark II. Not V2 of the PS4-version, but the brand new PS5-optimised Headset coming out early next year. Unfortunately, it won't be compatible with any of those fine exclusives I listed. Dumb move from Sony.



I'm a bit of a VR-nut. Curiousity means i've owned most of the mainstream ones. PSVR vs Quest 2 is a close call, for sure. I reckon it boils down to:

PSVR exclusives vs PC-gaming compatibility.

 

[john jako]

PSVR has a huge amount of interesting exclusives which gamer-aficionados rave about like Farpoint, Astrobot, Iron Man, Firewall Zero Hour, Wipeout Omega, The Inpatient, Deracine, How We Soar, Dreams, Blood & Truth and the pant-wetting Resident Evil 7 (tho' there's an unofficial VR mod for Steam versions now). Also Hitman 3 in VR.

There's the Playstation Gun Aim Controller for extra FPS immersion feels.

PSVR Headset has two versions: the first has more cables so is a pain in the arse to set up, but has slightly better clarity/contrast then V2. V2 is probably more recommended as there's only one main cable. You'll also need the camera, and Move/Navigation controllers (ones from PS3-era work too), tho' some games also accept Joypad.


These games sometimes struggled with framerates and textures on classic PS4, but perform well on my PS4 Pro, will be even better on a PS5.

Overall: better graphics, and deffo better exclusives, than the Quest 2.


But Quest 2 has four advantages over PSVR:

1) wireless (realistic boxing with Thrill Of The Fight would be impossible otherwise).

2) and PC-compatibility, including Steam. That's how i'm playing the Half-Life 2 VR mod, via 5m long USB-cable. Wireless-to-PC is also possible but my framerates always suffer.

3) better hardware resolution: noticeable when playing high-end PC VR games like Half-Life: Alyx or Lone Echo. With cable then. Also less 'Screen-Door Effect' when looking at solid bright background colours, like a sky or wall.

4) controllers included, no other hardware necessary unless you wanna link to PC.

bonus) despite PSVR having much more interesting exclusives...Quest 2 has arguably the single greatest one of all: Resident Evil 4...the complete original game in VR...and wireless!


Alternative: wait for the improved PSVR mark II. Not V2 of the PS4-version, but the brand new PS5-optimised Headset coming out early next year. Unfortunately, it won't be compatible with any of those fine exclusives I listed. Dumb move from Sony.



I'm a bit of a VR-nut. Curiousity means i've owned most of the mainstream ones. PSVR vs Quest 2 is a close call, for sure. I reckon it boils down to:

PSVR exclusives vs PC-gaming compatibility.

Thanks for that.

PSVR does seem cheaper. Guessing the games are more expensive though. Think the cordless part of the oculus is something I think is better. I may wait for the new ps version coming next year. Once I have something in my mind, I struggle to let it go though. Think the kids will push for one at Christmas lol

 

[widnesblue]

PSVR has a huge amount of interesting exclusives which gamer-aficionados rave about like Farpoint, Astrobot, Iron Man, Firewall Zero Hour, Wipeout Omega, The Inpatient, Deracine, How We Soar, Dreams, Blood & Truth and the pant-wetting Resident Evil 7 (tho' there's an unofficial VR mod for Steam versions now). Also Hitman 3 in VR.

There's the Playstation Gun Aim Controller for extra FPS immersion feels.

PSVR Headset has two versions: the first has more cables so is a pain in the arse to set up, but has slightly better clarity/contrast then V2. V2 is probably more recommended as there's only one main cable. You'll also need the camera, and Move/Navigation controllers (ones from PS3-era work too), tho' some games also accept Joypad.


These games sometimes struggled with framerates and textures on classic PS4, but perform well on my PS4 Pro, will be even better on a PS5.

Overall: better graphics, and deffo better exclusives, than the Quest 2.


But Quest 2 has four advantages over PSVR:

1) wireless (realistic boxing with Thrill Of The Fight would be impossible otherwise).

2) and PC-compatibility, including Steam. That's how i'm playing the Half-Life 2 VR mod, via 5m long USB-cable. Wireless-to-PC is also possible but my framerates always suffer.

3) better hardware resolution: noticeable when playing high-end PC VR games like Half-Life: Alyx or Lone Echo. With cable then. Also less 'Screen-Door Effect' when looking at solid bright background colours, like a sky or wall.

4) controllers included, no other hardware necessary unless you wanna link to PC.

bonus) despite PSVR having much more interesting exclusives...Quest 2 has arguably the single greatest one of all: Resident Evil 4...the complete original game in VR...and wireless!


Alternative: wait for the improved PSVR mark II. Not V2 of the PS4-version, but the brand new PS5-optimised Headset coming out early next year. Unfortunately, it won't be compatible with any of those fine exclusives I listed. Dumb move from Sony.



I'm a bit of a VR-nut. Curiousity means i've owned most of the mainstream ones. PSVR vs Quest 2 is a close call, for sure. I reckon it boils down to:

PSVR exclusives vs PC-gaming compatibility.

That’s all helpful, my Sons have asked for the quest 2 for Christmas but wasn’t sure if it was comparable with a PS5. My eldest lad, had a gaming computer and wants to use it on that too. Is the quest 2 definitely comparable with ps5 and a gaming computer?

 

[dholliday]

PSVR does seem cheaper. Guessing the games are more expensive though.

Oh no, the other way around. PSVR games largely have the advantage that there's Retail Disc versions. I paid around €10 each for my collection (used games from Ebay shops). Tho' i expect digitally from the PS-store they'll be expensive.

Quest 2 games are digital-only, and even on a rare sale they are expensive. €40 per game is normal for the big titles. They do have a bunch of smaller independent titles for €10-€20 but most of them are frankly rubbish. Thrill Of The Fight excepted, that was only €10.

Think the cordless part of the oculus is something I think is better.

It's a significant advantage, tho' there's not enough great Quest-exclusives to really take advantage of it. I play with cable-to-PC more than wireless because Steam has easily the best VR collection of games.

A lot of casual gamers swear by Beat Saber, a wireless Quest game and I think their best-seller....not for me, tho'. Reminds me of gimicky Wii/Kinect stuff.

I may wait for the new ps version coming next year.

Yeah, but you can then only play the new expensive PS5VR titles...tho' i expect these to be pretty good. Only a couple of confirmed titles so far.

Once I have something in my mind, I struggle to let it go though.

Same lol

Think the kids will push for one at Christmas lol

My lad is not even 4 yet, so way off VR-age. Younger than 12 isn't recommended due to the trippy nature of reality-sense warping.

VR-gaming is truly next-level, tho'. For any experienced gamer out there it simply has to be experienced.

Maybe best bet is get Quest 2. Resident Evil 4 on its own should be enough to get you all excited for this revolution...you'll need at least a 2x2m free space. You can always still get the PS5VR later once more games come out.

 

[longers]

Is anyone here currently doing, or know of anyone doing, a BTEC in eSports at college? My eldest is in year 11 and is looking at options for A-Levels next year. We recently attended the local 6th Form to get ideas on subjects he could study (as with most teenagers he has no real clue what he wants to do for a career).

He's a bright lad and was considering traditional A-Levels along the lines of Physics, Geology and Engineering, but just before we left the college we checked out their new "Creative Media" dept. My mind was blown to discover that a BTEC in eSports is now a thing, and it has really piqued his interest. He had mentioned before we visited that they do eSports there, but I thought he was talking about an after hours club etc, not an actual academic qualification! He's a massive gamer (like myself), but I'm worried this sort of course will be looked upon as a bit of a "joke" qualification. In fairness, when I spoke to the course tutor raising these concerns (while trying not to offend him too much...), he said it was a common worry and explained that it has a lot of transferable skills, from law, networking, business, event management and health and fitness. But it's a "2 block" course as well, so would be equivalent to 2 A-Levels, but as it takes up the study time of 2 of his 3 study blocks, it would leave him time to study for only 1 traditional A-Level.

The facilities for the course do look incredibly impressive, with 3 huge dedicated "classrooms" containing rows of high-end gaming set-ups, and is the exact sort of thing I would have wanted to do when I was his age if it was available! But I still have my concerns. The entry requirements for the course are one of the lowest for any of the courses they offer, and I worry he would be selling himself a bit short. But I also think it's important that he does something he'll actually enjoy. Another option is for him to instead do the 1 block Digital Games Production course, allowing him time to study 2 other traditional A-Levels.

CoursePage - East Norfolk Sixth Form College

Gives back the Course selected

www.eastnorfolk.ac.uk

If anyone has any experience of these, any input would be much appreciated. Cheers.

BTEC in esports sounds even more doss than the BTEC in popular music I did

I was also told by the people running the course that we would be taught transferable skills etc but the transferable stuff was wafer thin in terms of depth. It was 100% a dossers course in reality.

That said I managed to end up going to uni and getting a masters in audio engineering via that BTEC, so if it’s a valid qualification that can lead onto something proper then all good.

 

[dholliday]

That’s all helpful, my Sons have asked for the quest 2 for Christmas but wasn’t sure if it was comparable with a PS5.

It's not. Only Playstation VR headsets are compatible with PS5. Likewise, PSVR headsets won't work on PC.

My eldest lad, had a gaming computer and wants to use it on that too. Is the quest 2 definitely comparable with ps5 and a gaming computer?

Quest 2 on its own only has a mobile CPU chip...comparable to a high-end phone. But they did an incredible optimisation job on Resident Evil 4, tho' that game is from 2005 (and looks it). A PS4, even PS3, is better than a Quest 2, from a graphics/power standpoint.

Quest 2 with a high-quality USB cable can connect to the PC and has great compatibility with almost all Steam VR games.

What graphics card, RAM and CPU does your gaming computer have? The specs for PC-VR gaming can be quite demanding.


PS5 is high-end stuff...comparable with a gaming PC with an RTX-3060 and decent 8-core processor.

 

[john jako]

Oh no, the other way around. PSVR games largely have the advantage that there's Retail Disc versions. I paid around €10 each for my collection (used games from Ebay shops). Tho' i expect digitally from the PS-store they'll be expensive.

Quest 2 games are digital-only, and even on a rare sale they are expensive. €40 per game is normal for the big titles. They do have a bunch of smaller independent titles for €10-€20 but most of them are frankly rubbish. Thrill Of The Fight excepted, that was only €10.



It's a significant advantage, tho' there's not enough great Quest-exclusives to really take advantage of it. I play with cable-to-PC more than wireless because Steam has easily the best VR collection of games.

A lot of casual gamers swear by Beat Saber, a wireless Quest game and I think their best-seller....not for me, tho'. Reminds me of gimicky Wii/Kinect stuff.



Yeah, but you can then only play the new expensive PS5VR titles...tho' i expect these to be pretty good. Only a couple of confirmed titles so far.




Same lol


My lad is not even 4 yet, so way off VR-age. Younger than 12 isn't recommended due to the trippy nature of reality-sense warping.

VR-gaming is truly next-level, tho'. For any experienced gamer out there it simply has to be experienced.

Maybe best bet is get Quest 2. Resident Evil 4 on its own should be enough to get you all excited for this revolution...you'll need at least a 2x2m free space. You can always still get the PS5VR later once more games come out.

Ahhhh didn’t know if it would play with the kids trippy sides. My girl is 9 and lad is 6 so guessing if they do play I need to be careful lol.

Very helpful today though. Thanks for this fella

 

[Baines' left foot]

If you play a lot of games or do actual work on it, then it's the way.

Agreed. Just started tinkering with my own DayZ server and it’s blown my mind a bit. It’s a completely different level.

 

[Martin Alvito]

Agreed. Just started tinkering with my own DayZ server and it’s blown my mind a bit. It’s a completely different level.

I have been running three screens for over a decade now. Doesn't sound like much of a change to people until they try it. Driving games are filthy.

 

[Lee Smith]

BTEC in esports sounds even more doss than the BTEC in popular music I did

I was also told by the people running the course that we would be taught transferable skills etc but the transferable stuff was wafer thin in terms of depth. It was 100% a dossers course in reality.

That said I managed to end up going to uni and getting a masters in audio engineering via that BTEC, so if it’s a valid qualification that can lead onto something proper then all good.

Does sound proper doss doesn't it lol. Yeah it's a valid course, Level 3 BTEC so it would give him the same number of UCAS points as 2 traditional A-Levels, should he decide to go to Uni. But he doesn't know if he wants to do Uni and I'm not sure how impressed an employer would be with a BTEC in eSports in two years time . One benefit of the course is that after he completes the 2 year Level 3, he would automatically be offered the opportunity to stay on at 6th Form for a further year and do a fully-funded full-time Level 4 course in either Games Design and Production, or Creative Enterprise Sports, which would save him the ~9 grand in tuition fees he'd have to pay if he were to do it in his first year at Uni.

 

[BluePaul86]

Not a huge gamer so can't really justify 500 notes for a PS5 or Xbox Series X. Anyone good a Series S? If so, how do digital games work, is the Game Pass all that?

 

[Black Belt Jones]

Does sound proper doss doesn't it lol. Yeah it's a valid course, Level 3 BTEC so it would give him the same number of UCAS points as 2 traditional A-Levels, should he decide to go to Uni. But he doesn't know if he wants to do Uni and I'm not sure how impressed an employer would be with a BTEC in eSports in two years time . One benefit of the course is that after he completes the 2 year Level 3, he would automatically be offered the opportunity to stay on at 6th Form for a further year and do a fully-funded full-time Level 4 course in either Games Design and Production, or Creative Enterprise Sports, which would save him the ~9 grand in tuition fees he'd have to pay if he were to do it in his first year at Uni.

It sounds a bit committing, only doing one other trad A-level - like if it's a total clown show (which let's face it, is possible) he might not give him as many options. 2 A levels and this sounds more balanced but may not be possible.

 

[Lee Smith]

It sounds a bit committing, only doing one other trad A-level - like if it's a total clown show (which let's face it, is possible) he might not give him as many options. 2 A levels and this sounds more balanced but may not be possible.

Yeah that’s the biggest issue I (and in fairness to my lad, he also) has with it. Most of the BTECs they offer are 1 block, so he could do 2 other A-Levels with them, but this is one of the very few that are 2 blocks. If it was a 1 block then it wouldn’t really be an issue and he would deffo do it as a “fun” course whilst still doing 2 traditional A-Levels.

I think he’s now leaning towards doing the 1 block “Digital Games Production” along with 2 traditional A-Levels

 

[widnesblue]

It's not. Only Playstation VR headsets are compatible with PS5. Likewise, PSVR headsets won't work on PC.



Quest 2 on its own only has a mobile CPU chip...comparable to a high-end phone. But they did an incredible optimisation job on Resident Evil 4, tho' that game is from 2005 (and looks it). A PS4, even PS3, is better than a Quest 2, from a graphics/power standpoint.

Quest 2 with a high-quality USB cable can connect to the PC and has great compatibility with almost all Steam VR games.

What graphics card, RAM and CPU does your gaming computer have? The specs for PC-VR gaming can be quite demanding.


PS5 is high-end stuff...comparable with a gaming PC with an RTX-3060 and decent 8-core processor.

I wouldn’t have a clue about all the graphic cards and what else he has in it. Just know it was all custom built by someone called ginger6 and cost us over a grand. It’s about 18 months old now and works really well.

 

[Dylan]

Not a huge gamer so can't really justify 500 notes for a PS5 or Xbox Series X. Anyone good a Series S? If so, how do digital games work, is the Game Pass all that?

The Series S is by far the best value console. With Gamepass you can get by with pretty much everything being included in some form or another. All of the MS titles hit day 1, you've got access to pretty much all of EA's games with an included origin sub......rumours abound that Uplay will also be coming to gamepass.......coupled in with MS's aquisitions (namely Blizzard/Activision and Bethesda) the AAA title day 1 release is looking pretty extensive. Add in all the indie gems that get included, gamepass is well worth the monthly sub price.

MS just need to get the family plan version going, so I can stop paying for Gamepass ultimate and 3 gamepass for PC subs (still cheaper than buying games outright)