The New VR. Gaming for the rich. - by SubJeff
SubJeff on 13/9/2013 at 11:19
So I happened upon some stuff about the Oculus Rift, the multi-directional treadmill and now this (
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/89577853/stem-system-the-best-way-to-interact-with-virtual) STEM thing.
So pretty soon we're going to get a set of stuff that works together and which gives us a pretty immersive VR experience. At last.
But at what cost? It's surely going to be a lot more than a PS4 or Xbone and I think it's a little crazy. Ok, I know that tech is always expensive at first but I reckon there will be people getting this kit who really shouldn't be wasted that money on it. I'd love a set and I'm sure it'll be great but each one of these things is going to cost in the same region as a console.
icemann on 13/9/2013 at 11:33
To take a page from the last VR craze back in the 90s, VR will NEVER properly take off until they fix 3 problems with it:
* Eye strain from having screens so close to your eyes
* Headaches
* Blurred screens
Once they fix those 3 they'll be all good and then we can properly have our Lawnmower Man experience.
DaBeast on 13/9/2013 at 14:35
From what I've heard of the Occulus Rift, the image quality is terrible, the screens are quite pixely and headaches aplenty!
So yea, I'm not fussed on some peripheral controllers of limited functionality. The PS Move and Kinect hasn't revolutionized diddly balls.
And I wouldn't' call it gaming for rich. The Rift is pricey, but its a development model, not for mass consumers, and its shit anyway. Also TV's aren't exactly cheap. You're effectively buying a bad 3dTV that you strap in front of your face.
The Razor hydra does most of that stuff for 90 quid. After watching some actual game use of it, it doesn't seem that great, just another ultra gimmicky thing for people to buy.
Renault on 13/9/2013 at 14:50
I always thought games themselves should be immersive enough on their own without having to rely on gimmicks like the Wii or the OR.
Not to say I wouldn't consider picking up an Oculus if it came out...
SubJeff on 13/9/2013 at 15:06
Quote Posted by DaBeast
So yea, I'm not fussed on some peripheral controllers of limited functionality. The PS Move and Kinect hasn't revolutionized diddly balls.
Quote Posted by Brethren
I always thought games themselves should be immersive enough on their own without having to rely on gimmicks like the Wii or the OR.
When brain interfaces come along are you guys going to call them gimmicks too? The Wii controls are anything but gimmicky, as proved by the 1000s who got one.
Neb on 13/9/2013 at 15:17
Quote Posted by DaBeast
From what I've heard of the Occulus Rift, the image quality is terrible, the screens are quite pixely and headaches aplenty!
Yep, I've heard about the terrible screen quality too. Before I even think about buying one in the future I'd have to give it a go, and only then would I start to consider motion controllers to complement it.
Renault on 13/9/2013 at 15:25
Quote Posted by NuEffect
The Wii controls are anything but gimmicky, as proved by the 1000s who got one.
You've got it backwards.
henke on 13/9/2013 at 15:26
We have an OR at work and I can confirm that the resolution is indeed poor, and you can see black spaces inbetween the pixels. It's kinda like when you're looking closely at a photo in a black and white newspaper and you see that it's all just built up out of dots, y'know? Supposedly the resolution will be improved for the final commercial version.
Besides that it was pretty neat though! Anyone know if it's easy to get working with games yet? If so I might try to sweettalk my way into borrowing the thing for a weekend.
icemann on 13/9/2013 at 16:27
I'd prefer something akin to the holodeck's from Star Trek. Though we're 50-100 years away from tech like that.
This is the kind of VR I'm waiting for: (
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFkyV7d5t8o) VR Scene from the movie "Disclosure"
That scene is awesome. Why haven't any VR attempts (both 90s and present day) included gloves so far? I would have thought that that would be the absolute first essential thing to have with it. On an immersion level (looking at this from a games dev perspective) the thing that sucks us in is the stuff that is real-like.
So if you waved your hands in front of your face you'd see your hands move in real time etc. Every friggin movie with VR scenes in it from the 90s had that in there, and yet no'one has ever done it. Grrr. Instead they just get people to wear helmet's or goggles but still have the players using controllers or keyboards.
