Valve + HTC VR headset

[dragonfliet]

http://gizmodo.com/htc-vive-this-is-valves-virtual-reality-headset-1688756062

So, Oculus said they'll release the Rift this year, now Valve has a VR headset coming out this year. I mean. Wow. This is just a very, very happy time for me.

Provided they don't play any compatibility shenanigans, and this is a relatively simple, open process (so devs can implement VR and drivers will accomodate for Rift or Vive instead of a dev having to hard code for EACH headset)--and both Valve and Oculus are both big proponents of being open, then this could be INCREDIBLE for consumers.

Me so happy

 

[Rambowjo]

It's very exciting, and Valve has some very interesting technology at their hands. Arguably the most important bit about their HMD is that they went with inside-out tracking, which means that the 6DOF tracking of the headset is not limited by a camera, unlike the Oculus Rift which is currently planned to be camera tracked. On top of that, Valve has also apparently taken the dual screen approach, rather than a single screen split by the middle, giving them a somewhat ugly design, but allowing higher resolution earlier + higher FOV most likely.

The VIVE will probably be the first HMD to truly induce presence in the majority of people. Oculus is hopefully revealing something this week (GDC), but Palmer Luckey (founder) has already gone on Reddit to say that people shouldn't get their hopes up too much.

Interestingly, Nvidia is supposedly also revealing an HMD this GDC. Couple that with UE4 now going completely free, and 2015 onwards is going to completely disrupt the gaming industry I bet.

 

[Sir_Brizz]

Many of the reviews I have read for it have said it is already a much better experience than the Rift. That's not good for all the effort the Rift guys have put in and the purchase by Facebook.

 

[Rambowjo]

Many of the reviews I have read for it have said it is already a much better experience than the Rift. That's not good for all the effort the Rift guys have put in and the purchase by Facebook.

It's worth keeping in mind that the latest version of the Rift is about 9 months ago. The huge thing about the Vive is the tracking. It's far beyond what Oculus has.