What's new

VR discussion: Oculus Rift, Vive, Morpheus and more! (1 Viewer)

Morgan Jolley

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Oct 16, 2000
Messages
9,711
The second you introduce an external camera, you immediately get people to not want it. I think the reason the first Rift was neat was because it was just one piece. The best thing they can do for this product is make it wireless, low latency, and then cheap.

And even then...this is like 3D gaming. Sure, its neat, but its a niche of a niche. It will never catch on, it will never see the support it needs, and it will never be mainstream. The last time niche gaming tech went mainstream was the Wii and that's probably because Wii Sports was perfect.
 

Chuck Anstey

Screenwriter
Joined
Nov 10, 1998
Messages
1,640
Real Name
Chuck Anstey
I worked with a commercial 3D headset back in the mid-90s that used the magnetic field to have a full 360 absolute rotation. I needed a cage to keep me from wandering off but it was pretty cool albeit extremely low res. I'm surprised we have not seen a big push for any kind of VR helmet system since, especially with the high resolution that HMDs can achieve. However with this system being a 'fixed forward' setup and the user is expected to stay seated, it seems like it would be best for racing games and it would be awesome for racing games.
 

Morgan Jolley

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Oct 16, 2000
Messages
9,711
Sam - why did you order it? This isn't even the retail unit so its not like there are many games or things you could do with it.

I think VR hasn't caught on for the same reason 3D didn't catch on. There's a price and technical expertise barrier that needs to be crossed first, in addition to the discomfort of "a thing on my face for hours at a time." People hate having polarized 3D glasses on for 2 hour movies, how can you expect them to want to wear a VR headset for an 8 hour gaming session?

I think VR where you actually walk around is going to be a non-starter. I also think the PS Move is the best way to have your hands actually interact with what's going on in your visor so Sony has a good head start in that direction. Kinect could do something similar, but having no buttons to press makes its integration tougher (plus the Kinect has more lag than PS Move, in general). Oculus Rift is a great technology that looks good and works well with a much more limited application. I see at the tech you use for demos or cool interactive displays more than real, solid, long-term gaming.
 

Sam Posten

Moderator
Premium
HW Reviewer
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Oct 30, 1997
Messages
33,671
Location
Aberdeen, MD & Navesink, NJ
Real Name
Sam Posten
Because I own and like the first generation and expect to do the same for each successive generations, including the consumer level one when that comes out. I am a software developer you know. I experiment with all kinds of tech.
 

Morgan Jolley

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Oct 16, 2000
Messages
9,711
Ahh, good point then. It just seems like there's nothing but some neat tech demos on it, so I don't see the point yet.
 

mattCR

Reviewer
HW Reviewer
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Oct 5, 2005
Messages
10,897
Location
Lee Summit, Missouri
Real Name
Matt

Sam Posten

Moderator
Premium
HW Reviewer
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Oct 30, 1997
Messages
33,671
Location
Aberdeen, MD & Navesink, NJ
Real Name
Sam Posten
Like Sony is any better =phttp://imgur.com/JeidGlO
The problem isn't that Facebook is going ruin Oculus, by plastering it with ads and making it a pain in the ass like everything else they've shat all over. Although that wouldn't be a surprise.The problem is that this was an opportunity for something different. And it just died.I am shocked and hurt that when people stood up as fast and hard as they could, screaming for something, throwing their money in the air and hoping that this mattered enough that they could ignore the jaded past where everyone else sold out by now, all it did was raise their acquisition payout to exactly the guys we were hoping to avoid.
http://boingboing.net/2014/03/25/oculus-vr-could-have-changed-b.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitterhttp://www.engadget.com/2014/03/25/notch-oculus-facebook-minecraft/?a_dgi=aolshare_twitter
 

mattCR

Reviewer
HW Reviewer
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Oct 5, 2005
Messages
10,897
Location
Lee Summit, Missouri
Real Name
Matt
Sam Posten said:

This may be one of the most annoying analysis I've ever read.
I am shocked and hurt that when people stood up as fast and hard as they could, screaming for something, throwing their money in the air and hoping that this mattered enough that they could ignore the jaded past where everyone else sold out by now, all it did was raise their acquisition payout to exactly the guys we were hoping to avoid.
The problem with this deal is that Oculus' crowdfunded background and public support made it feel like the next big thing in tech could maybe, possibly be a movement powered by enthusiasts and hobbyists instead of venture capitalists and giant corporations. It would have been DEEPLY satisfying for a beloved Kickstarter to IPO and the best chance we've seen at that just vanished.

The 'problem isn't that the got rich'.. oh wait, the problem is pretty much exactly that they got rich. Boo-hoo, they cashed in to venture capitalists. I mean, wank. This was a project that was going to take tens of millions of dollars not just to fund, but to create a distribution network, a means of development, etc. etc. It was an idea that needed a big company to swing in and I think anyone who donated should have realized this from the beginning.The idea of sponsoring and backing it wasn't a matter of saying 'and they will never take corporate money', it was to show there was enough interest in this product to hopefully attract someone to move forward on it. Now, admittedly, I think if say, Apple had bought them Sam you'd be far less opposed ;) :)

But there were other targets.. Microsoft, Nintendo, Sony and others were probably considered to be in the hunt. The idea that the writer of the boing-boing puts out that 'boo hoo, this is exactly what we were trying to avoid.. hoping to change things..' is one of the most childish rants I've ever read. You did change things. You put up money and you got people interested and you rooted for it through development. That's it.

Ok, my rant over.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Forum statistics

Threads
356,710
Messages
5,121,108
Members
144,146
Latest member
SaladinNagasawa
Recent bookmarks
0
Top