Virtual Reality - Oculus Rift

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Rambowjo

Rambowjo

Das Protoss
Aug 3, 2005
5,073
5
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Tapeland
Looks like we're about to get virtual reality that actually works, at a reasonable price as well. The Oculus Rift, a project started by some 20 year old nerd who really wanted virtual reality, started as a kickstarter more or less, that very quickly raised two million dollars. The Rift is basically a head mounted display, that gives you stereoscopic 3D (basically real 3D), a relatively wide field of view (kind of like wearing a hoodie), decent resolution and sublime head tracking.

[M]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJo12Hz_BVI[/M]

Yes, it isn't really virtual reality, since you're only getting the visual stimuli, but that seems to be more than enough to convey a very very strong sensation of being in whichever place is being projected at your eye balls.

Don't believe it, here are some excellent videos of some guy letting his friends and co-workers try out the Rift.

[M]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HM08kgNuEcY[/M]

[M]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ARHWmliUPY[/M]


I've ordered one, and judging by current production rates, I'll probably get it sometime in july or august. By an incredible stroke of luck, I might get it much earlier, due to packaging solutions for countries outside the US and Canada, but I am not holding my breath. Right now, they are only selling early versions, developer kits. The commercial release is scheduled for some time in 2014, when there's a lot of software developed for the device, and of course better technology, in particular even wider field of view and higher resolution.
 
Kantham

Kantham

Fool.
Sep 17, 2004
18,034
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It's been a while since announcement kicked in, but yeah. Apparently it's the shit (it's really that good), and game developers are most likely to include it in future games.

It's funny because, the portrait of video games was mostly going to head over social and mobile (at least trying), but this product does exactly the opposite by adding a whole new level of immersion in games for an individual player. If it's really that good and doesn't discomfort users, it may likely become a new standard to gaming, even possibly entertainment.
 
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Rambowjo

Rambowjo

Das Protoss
Aug 3, 2005
5,073
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Tapeland
Gir said:
So have they fixed that minor "I can't see my keyboard" issue yet?
Click to expand...

Haha, no, not at the moment. It seems like the easy solution is to just only use WASD for movement, or simply using a controller. You could technically have the keyboard appear in front of you, and the keys that you press getting pressed ingame.
 
Lruce Bee

Lruce Bee

Transcending to another level
May 3, 2001
1,644
3
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Sherwood Forest
We had one in the office the other day and let me tell you that this thing is nothing short of sensational - some guys were actually bracing themselves against walls when falling off cliff edges etc - it's that good.
The super lightweight head set is a pleasant surprise as well.
Definitely going to be massive for PC & Console gaming in the future.
 
Jacks:Revenge

Jacks:Revenge

╠╣E╚╚O
Jun 18, 2006
10,065
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somewhere; sometime?
yeah this is pretty awesome.
a sign of things to come, no doubt, and definitely going to change the way games are played (if not how movies are watched someday, too).

I'd love to try one but I'm not shelling out 300 bucks yet. not for only 2-3 working games; the rest being simple demos (like the guillotine simulator). I think they said Half Life 2, Team Fortress 2, and MS Flight Simulator are the only games (so far) that fully work with the headset.

if they got Far Cry 3 or ArmA to work with this, I'd jump on the bandwagon right now.
 
NRG

NRG

Master Console Hater
Dec 31, 2005
1,727
0
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I would love to try one. They added commands in TF2 that are automatically used when the oculus is detected and those changes alone are fun.

The only thing that would make me want to actually buy one though is if I was convinced I would actually like to keep playing games with it. The Novint Falcon and Nvidia 3D Vision are perfect examples of something that's really cool at first but the novelty quickly wears away and the downsides eventually have you putting the products aside to be scarcely used again. Now, I know the Oculus can't really be compared to "normal" 3D, but I'd have to try it first to know it's something I would actually like playing with for more than a few weeks or just to show to some friends.
 
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Balton

Balton

The Beast of Worship
Mar 6, 2001
13,428
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Berlin
Kantham said:
YOU GAMER GIRLS AND GAMER BOIS, that thing is the least accommodable piece of trash invention ever.
Click to expand...

So you're saying in the worst possible way that this thing is too big for your living room?

No wonder the most well known French detective is the total dweeb Inspector Clueso.
 
ambershee

ambershee

Nimbusfish Rawks
Apr 18, 2006
4,519
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38
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Nomad
sheelabs.gamemod.net
We've got a couple in the office. They're genuinely very responsive, but the screen resolution is far too low. One big issue with it so far is that all of the demos have the movement screwy, and as a result it's non-immersive.
 
Balton

Balton

The Beast of Worship
Mar 6, 2001
13,428
118
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Berlin
Kantham said:
No, it's just a pointless tryhard.
Click to expand...

:lol: you're cracking me up.

ambershee said:
We've got a couple in the office. They're genuinely very responsive, but the screen resolution is far too low. One big issue with it so far is that all of the demos have the movement screwy, and as a result it's non-immersive.
Click to expand...

so it's like those 20 year old VR helmets with 3d added?
 
Rambowjo

Rambowjo

Das Protoss
Aug 3, 2005
5,073
5
38
32
Tapeland
Balton said:
:lol: you're cracking me up.



so it's like those 20 year old VR helmets with 3d added?
Click to expand...

No, the resolution is many times higher, but it's been blown up massively, so it fills your vision, by using some clever lenses. Old VR stuff was basically like watching through a window far off in the distance, to my knowledge. The tracking is many times better, it weighs nothing, and most important, it's relatively cheap.

The lack of software support probably has to do with the SDK not being out for more than a month or so.

All that said, this is just the developer kit.
 
Balton

Balton

The Beast of Worship
Mar 6, 2001
13,428
118
63
39
Berlin
Rambowjo said:
No, the resolution is many times higher, but it's been blown up massively, so it fills your vision, by using some clever lenses. Old VR stuff was basically like watching through a window far off in the distance, to my knowledge. The tracking is many times better, it weighs nothing, and most important, it's relatively cheap.

The lack of software support probably has to do with the SDK not being out for more than a month or so.

All that said, this is just the developer kit.
Click to expand...

I know all that. I'm more speaking about the conceptual side and to me it seems like an upgrade to the VR helmet, which already has failed me before to immerse.
 
ambershee

ambershee

Nimbusfish Rawks
Apr 18, 2006
4,519
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sheelabs.gamemod.net
For the record, the resolution is something like 640x480 - and you can see the lines between the individual pixels in the display. I'd be holding out for a model with a higher resolution display at the moment.
 
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