VR discussion: Oculus Rift, Vive, Morpheus and more! (2 Viewers)

[Sam Posten]

(April Fools gone wrong) What if Facebook bought Steam next?

 

[Sam Posten]

Inevitable, and awesome.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_JfB4YEan4

 

[DaveF]

I don't get the passion behind oculus VR. As said in BSG: all this has happened before. All this will happen again.If FB killed the current VR hope, there will be another one in five years.

 

[Chuck Anstey]

I don't get the passion behind oculus VR. As said in BSG: all this has happened before. All this will happen again.

If FB killed the current VR hope, there will be another one in five years.

Not if FB uses all their resources to patent as much of the relevant technology as possible.

My biggest fear is that FB will be successful in the plan. Not because I as a gamer will get screwed out of what I want the technology used for but fearful about society as a whole. Given how clunky a VR interface is for everything that isn't a 3D game or simulation, it is downright scary to think about if FB was somehow able to convince the world that such an interface is exactly what they needed. I already think people put way too much of their lives online, prefer texting and online relationships over in-person, and there are no laws to protect people, especially those who willingly opt out by not using FB. I tell my children to be very careful since they will be the first generation where their first prospective employer can look up everything about their entire life.

I tell you, the movie Gamer is starting to seriously look like a crystal ball predicting the near future.

 

[Sam Posten]

As is Ready Player One, Snow Crash and others.

 

[Edwin-S]

I don't get the passion behind oculus VR. As said in BSG: all this has happened before. All this will happen again.If FB killed the current VR hope, there will be another one in five years.

It is just a lot of hype because the project had so many "big" names of the gaming industry attached to it. All of a suddenly VR becomes "viable" because guys like Carmack get involved.

Not if FB uses all their resources to patent as much of the relevant technology as possible.

My biggest fear is that FB will be successful in the plan. Not because I as a gamer will get screwed out of what I want the technology used for but fearful about society as a whole. Given how clunky a VR interface is for everything that isn't a 3D game or simulation, it is downright scary to think about if FB was somehow able to convince the world that such an interface is exactly what they needed. I already think people put way too much of their lives online, prefer texting and online relationships over in-person, and there are no laws to protect people, especially those who willingly opt out by not using FB. I tell my children to be very careful since they will be the first generation where their first prospective employer can look up everything about their entire life.

I tell you, the movie Gamer is starting to seriously look like a crystal ball predicting the near future.

Well, it's not like anyone is forced to take part in Zuckerberg's plan for the world. I don't have Facebook or Twitter and have no intentions of ever having them. Who really wants to read about my boring life a 140 characters at a time or with inane "updates". I had a twinge of interest in Oculus. Now that Zuckerberg owns it I have zero interest in it.

 

[Chuck Anstey]

Well, it's not like anyone is forced to take part in Zuckerberg's plan for the world. I don't have Facebook or Twitter and have no intentions of ever having them. Who really wants to read about my boring life a 140 characters at a time or with inane "updates". I had a twinge of interest in Oculus. Now that Zuckerberg owns it I have zero interest in it.

Only if you have no friends, kids, or relatives that are on Facebook too. All someone has to do is tag a photo with your name that you are in and a part of FB you are. While FB's knowledge of someone who isn't on FB is more limited, it certainly isn't zero. And if FB starts getting into hardware or O/S, soon it could possible that every mobile phone or other commodity device is required to be FB connected, no different than Apple knowing what is going on with their IPhones, IPods, and IPads.

I share others' concerns that what used to be simply a promising gaming accessory is now the thin edge of the wedge for a company to really start trying to gather data on everyone, regardless of whether the individual wants them to or not. It all comes down to the same thing. There will never be $2B in profit from all the VR headsets sold in the next 20 years. Consoles are lucky to make that much on the hardware and that's assuming they are even trying. Console manufacturers get their profit from somewhere else, i.e. the games themselves, and so it will be with FB and the VR hardware. It remains to be seen exactly where the profit comes from but I promise you it won't be good for the consumers.

 

[DaveF]

Not if FB uses all their resources to patent as much of the relevant technology as possible. My biggest fear is that FB will be successful in the plan. Not because I as a gamer will get screwed out of what I want the technology used for but fearful about society as a whole. Given how clunky a VR interface is for everything that isn't a 3D game or simulation, it is downright scary to think about if FB was somehow able to convince the world that such an interface is exactly what they needed. I already think people put way too much of their lives online, prefer texting and online relationships over in-person, and there are no laws to protect people, especially those who willingly opt out by not using FB. I tell my children to be very careful since they will be the first generation where their first prospective employer can look up everything about their entire life. I tell you, the movie Gamer is starting to seriously look like a crystal ball predicting the near future.

Typically, the fear is that the big company, having bought small company and its cool tech, will lose interest and abandon the product. But you're saying the concern is Facebook will do a good job and make Oculus mainstream?Huh. I just can't get any energy over it. VR is like Fusion Reactors: always 20 years away. I think VR is still a ways from being mainstream. Maybe it's finally arriving as a real gaming accessory. But as a mainstream gadget, I think Google Glass (and ubiquitous computing / augmented reality) is the next big to be embraced, in the next decade, before we get to isolating headsets.

 

[Sam Posten]

Neat:
http://gizmodo.com/meet-the-crazy-camera-that-could-make-movies-for-the-oc-1557318674?utm_campaign=socialflow_gizmodo_twitter&utm_source=gizmodo_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow

 

[Aaron Silverman]

Very!

 

[Brian Dobbs]

The OR will succeed. People want VR and this time it feels like it will happen. I'll take DOOM VR anyday.

 

[Edwin-S]

Sword Art Online, here we come.

 

[Sam Posten]

Zenimax sues FB/Oculus for tech Carmack brought with him, sounds serious:
http://www.engadget.com/2014/05/01/zenimax-claims-oculus-stole/?a_dgi=aolshare_twitter

 

[Sam Posten]

Wired cover story on the genesis of the Rift and the company and players behind it:
http://www.wired.com/2014/05/oculus-rift-4/

 

[Sam Posten]

Huge news:http://www.oculusvr.com/blog/jason-rubin-joins-the-team-and-oculus-at-e3-2014/Can't wait for DevKit2 to arrive! I've actually been demoing some of the best of the best DK1 experiences to a lot of different folks down here in B'more and APG, if anyone local wants to see what it's all about and why the new DevKit is so exciting to those of us with DK1, let me know and I'd be happy to show it off.

 

[Sam Posten]

YAY!

Official DK2 Update (July 1st 2014)Postby cybereality » Tue Jul 01, 2014 5:09 pmThe first batch of official DK2s have left the manufacturing facility and are making their way to our distribution centers now. We expect to ship roughly 10,000 DK2s from the factory in July, with just over half of the units through distribution centers and on their way to doorsteps before the end of the month. The very first units are expected to reach developers the week of July 14th. Tracking numbers for all DK2s will be generated as soon as the shipment has been processed by a distribution center.

https://developer.oculusvr.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=10044

 

[Edwin-S]

What language do they use for programming these things?

 

[Sam Posten]

Most devs are using Unity Middleware but there's standard Visual Studio libraries I believe, I've never used mine for coding just prototyping at a high level.

 

[Sam Posten]

This could be pretty big news for all gaming companies, not just VR ones!http://www.oculusvr.com/blog/announcing-oculus-connect-raknet-open-source-and-e3-2014-awards/

 

[Sam Posten]

No more hard plastic cases, which I will miss:http://www.roadtovr.com/early-oculus-rift-dk2-unboxing/