QOTW: Are virtual-reality headsets the next big thing?

[deejayburnout]

i think i will be something big but as long as the technology is affordable. My other concern is the damage to your sight. I remember getting told not to sit to close to the TV as it hurts my eyes.

[gordon861]

I think it could be big but on all the systems I've seen so far I can see one major downside (which is also part of their plus).

I think the fact that you cannot see through them is a major problem. Unless you are a touch typist who really knows the keyboard you are going to run into difficulties when you need to do something that isn't mapped to your joypad/joystick. Also most gamers I know eat and drink whilst gaming, we are going to need waterproof keyboards soon.

I think the way round it would be to have either one or two cameras on the outside of VR headset that would allow you to see though the unit and then have the software allow you to map the location of virtual monitors and virtual glass onto a sphere. This way where there is virtual glass it could just use the feed from the cameras instead of the rendered game.

[Spud1]

Those who don't think that VR "in some form" is going to be huge, more than likely have not tried a Rift DK2 past more than a few minutes.

I was a huge sceptic before I tried it and ultimately bought my own - but the effect is truly unparalleled and I genuinely think that VR, even in its current form, is one of the biggest things to happen in computing since the internet. It's that much of a shift.

Like with any new media however, it's going to need two industries to fully jump on board - Porn and Gaming. The adult industry in particular, given their track record for making these decisions (they were the driving force behind VHS winning it's battle, and BluRay, and played a huge part in the rollout of the internet, 3D cameras etc etc..). With 3D we saw the major movie studios jump all over it, but it was largely shunned by gaming and adult entertainment companies..and still is today.

VR is SO different and SO impressive that I am sure it will be more than just a fad..we are a few years off mainstream though - the latest prototypes based on 2k or 4k panels get rid of the "pixel issue" that exists on the DK2, and they have external cameras to provide a more AR experience rather than pure VR. The wires will disappear before long too and you'll have a GearVR like device that isn't reliant on a smartphone. By that point PCs should have caught up spec wise so they can actually drive the VR screen at the 120FPS you need on the latest prototypes (up from a current 75FPS to avoid sickness with the DK2).

I'm super excited about VR and what it can bring to the table, truely amazing tech.

[shaithis]

(up from a current 75FPS to avoid sickness with the DK2).

This is my biggest worry. I have seen so many "reasons" as to why sickness occurs. I have even been told DK2 fixed it (it most certainly did not for me).

Use a 3D TV. The same issue is there, just not as prevalent due to distances and the ability to relax your eyes. The problem isn't refresh rate, nor resolution....it is the pseudo-3D that is constantly playing tricks on your brain.

I really do not see how they can fix it. Objects are not where your eyes are trying to focus.

[Spud1]

This is my biggest worry. I have seen so many "reasons" as to why sickness occurs. I have even been told DK2 fixed it (it most certainly did not for me).

Use a 3D TV. The same issue is there, just not as prevalent due to distances and the ability to relax your eyes. The problem isn't refresh rate, nor resolution....it is the pseudo-3D that is constantly playing tricks on your brain.

I really do not see how they can fix it. Objects are not where your eyes are trying to focus.

For me, I experienced "VR Sickness" the first time i did certain things. I got a slight twinge from the static "desk" demo, but quickly got over that (within a few minutes). I got really bad sickness the first time I played Half Life 2 - that was the wierdness of motion without motion, and the use of the mouse to aim in combination with my head to look around. That took me around 30 minutes to "train" myself to use it..and now I am fine with FPS's (TF2 is insane with the Rift!). I had a brief bout the first time i watched a 360 video (all those butterflies buzzing around me made me a bit sick), but again got over it quickly.

Since then, i've not had a single issue. I've logged hours and hours in Elite Dangerous using my Rift - longest play session was 6 hours straight (with a toilet/tea break) and no sickness/ill effects. I'm half way through half life 2 as well, and I frequently use Virtual Desktop when i want a large monitor (although due to the pixel density actually doing work in Visual Sudio or Unity is not practical yet). I have probably logged around 60 hours total in the rift since I got it (6 weeks ish).

But then, I am perfectly fine with 3D content (active or passive) and my PC can comfortably output 75FPS as long as I adjust the quality accordingly. So that probably has somethign to do with it!

[shaithis]

Since then, i've not had a single issue. I've logged hours and hours in Elite Dangerous using my Rift - longest play session was 6 hours straight (with a toilet/tea break) and no sickness/ill effects. I'm half way through half life 2 as well, and I frequently use Virtual Desktop when i want a large monitor (although due to the pixel density actually doing work in Visual Sudio or Unity is not practical yet). I have probably logged around 60 hours total in the rift since I got it (6 weeks ish).

But then, I am perfectly fine with 3D content (active or passive) and my PC can comfortably output 75FPS as long as I adjust the quality accordingly. So that probably has somethign to do with it!

Then you are one of the lucky ones. Some people do not suffer it, unfortunately for the tech, most do. I've even seen a number of reviews/previews where the reviewers are actually recommending sickness pills to play.....any tech that requires that is not going to take off.

[TooNice]

I have to say that amongst those unaffected by motion sickness, I have seen a lot of people getting blown away by the Occulus Rift than I have for 3D.

I wonder what is the breakdown of 1. People who do not get motion sickness at all, 2. People who get motion sickness at first but can gradually become immune, 3. People who will always get motion sickness regardless.

This interests me partly because obviously it will affect the success of the platform, but also from a personal perspective. I get seasick when the waves are strong. I don't have the impression that this will ever go away. On the other hand, I recall once when I started playing FPS for the first time after a couple of years, and getting motion sickness within 20-30min. But every subsequent time I went back, I could last twice as long, and it didn't take long for me to reach a stage where for all intent and purpose I could play as long as I wanted without motion sickness. My ex-flatmate (non-gamer until he met me) also experienced motion sickness the first time he played some FPS and 3rd person games. It took him much longer to get used to it (maybe +10min each day), but as a casual gamer who isn't going to spend much longer than 1-2 hours per session, he also got to the stage where he could play long as he liked eventually. This leads me to think that perhaps motion sickness that are seen rather than felt can be overcome. But even if that is the case, people still need an incentive to do so (as far as my flatmate and I were concerned, it was worth it). Meaning an application / game that is genuinely better on such device than without (tech demos will not do).

I found this video interesting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZ8Xj_I3aNU (impression of the Occulus Rift from older folks)

(On a side note, 3D movies never caused me any motion sickness)

[Hicks12]

I sure hope not, as I suffer from not being able to comprehend the 3rd dimension, yet like to be at the forefront of gaming, I'd rather not be ultimately left behind. I'm sure enough that some people out there will make vr for people like me, but I doubt I'll ever get the same, or even a comparable experience from such a device and so, call me old fashioned if you like, but I'd rather see development in larger resolution displays with higher refresh rates

Can you see the real world in 3d? Do you have at least one eye? Then you will be able to see '3d' in the Oculus rift and any other HMD as it is designed to mimic the real world method of display, it is totally different to the '3d' displays in TVs which is really a gimmick (albeit I do enjoy my 3d films, its not in the same league as the Oculus Rift).

£300 for the Oculus Rift DK2 and I have really enjoyed using it and developing for it, if you put it in perspective you pay £200 - £500 for a GOOD higher than 1080p monitor and the oculus rift can emulate an experience that is vastly superior to that of a monitor/tv. For a simple experience I have tried RiftMax which emulates a VR cinema, it was excellent and honestly felt better than my local Vue Cinema! It felt like i was infront of a 70inch+ projector while watching 3d content like pacific rim .

If you havent tried VR (with a good headset like the Oculus Rift or Valve/htc Re-Vive) then I would honestly say dont comment until you have tried it because I have had so many skeptics referring it to as a 'monitor on the face' and just a fad etc but when I demo it to them they change their minds immediately and I cant get them off it! If you have tired it and dont like it then fair enough each to their own

I believe VR headset will be the next best thing as VR is totally different to 3d displays and it seriously feels almost real! Some games arent suited for it but the others are great with it, alien isolation is INSANE with the oculus rift, I cant wait for the consumer versions to be out as the technology is finally here to revive the 90s VR idea .

edit: Also the health issues are different... the problem with being close to a display is that your eyes are focused at a fix distance so when you stop focusing they can struggle to look elsewhere (hence a lot of people need glasses ), but with a proper HMD your eyes should be focusing at infinity so you don't get this issue at all so in theory its MUCH better than looking at a monitor at a safe amount.

[shaithis]

it is totally different to the '3d' displays in TVs which is really a gimmick

Its actually exactly the same.

It sends different images to each eye to make the brain think you are looking at a 3d scene......and the problem is some objects will be out of focus and no matter how long/hard you stare at them they will never come into focus.......and it totally messes with most peoples brains causing the nausea. Until the tech can tell exactly where in the scene I am focusing my vision and then change the focal point to match the tech will always be the same as a 3DTV.....the only difference being you can't look away from the screen when you start to feel sick!

[Hicks12]

Its actually exactly the same.

It sends different images to each eye to make the brain think you are looking at a 3d scene......and the problem is some objects will be out of focus and no matter how long/hard you stare at them they will never come into focus.......and it totally messes with most peoples brains causing the nausea. Until the tech can tell exactly where in the scene I am focusing my vision and then change the focal point to match the tech will always be the same as a 3DTV.....the only difference being you can't look away from the screen when you start to feel sick!

Well if you simplify it then yes it does seem the same but its not at all... 3d tvs you have active and passive displays both with serious drawbacks and they are still based on your angle of view to the TV to change the 3d effect. The oculus rift has a display yes but its split to both eyes and not shared at all (hence no flicker or darkened image like active displays), and the added optics changes the FOV considerably. Your brain can interpret what is in focus and what is not, and there is actual eye tracking on its way to HMD (someone demoed it this year and last, cant be long) and you can then change what is in focus and apply natural blurring the surrounding areas which will aid in this.

I don't know of anyone getting nausea because of an image being out of focus, people have different distances between their eyes and in respect to the oculus rift (and most HMD) you NEED to calibrate it first before use else your eyes will be trying to focus cross eyes or the opposite and that's not healthy, if you get the right settings everything should be in focus and your eyes relaxed as they're focusing at infinity so there is no fatigue. Nausea is caused by movement, take an FPS for example if you're sitting down and trying to move in the VR environment your brain says you're moving but your inner ear says NO IM NOT PLEASE WHAT IS THIS MADNESS, it effects everyone differently some don't get sick at all but others get sick almost instantly, there are solutions to this such as stimulating the person and tricking it further to accepting this change or you have actual hardware like the Virtuix Omni, or better still you have the new valve lighthouse system which maps the whole room so you can walk around and WILL NOT get sick.

Of course there are outliers, if you get sick playing a 2d FPS then no amount of research in tech can stop you getting sick in VR its just pot luck, my friend who cannot play Battlefield because he gets sick actually bought himself a DK2 and he is constantly using it, he doesn't seem to get sick which is surprising really but this such a new field that these things are still being confirmed.

But back to the main point, its not exactly the same sorry but its not as you have at the very least, head tracking and optics that change the output and the method in producing the 3d effect is different, you completely separate the two eyes and show them independent images where as on the 3d market you show it at the same time and let the eyes/brain pick out the different images.

At a basic level it is two images being sent to you but its hardly the same after that!

[iggy]

Can you see the real world in 3d? Do you have at least one eye?

He might be able to get away with an oculus monocle.

[hairyonion]

I admit it has its issues and I didnt expect much but I tried it for the first time today spent 2 hours with it and was blown away. Its pixalated and a bit blurry but the potental is huge. Even with all the short falls it currently has now, I am now a believer. I haven't been soo immersed ever, when this becomes main stream which it will with gamers it can only get better.

I expected with the head set on to see a screen infront of me and to not feel like i was there. I was so wrong, I really did feel like I was inside the game. With a better resolution the average gamer will be I need it NOW, if Apple bought it there wouldn't be so many haters(And also haters that haven't tried it).

VR is finally gonna become a reality

[Strawb77]

“It's funny how the colors of the real world only seem really real when you watch them on a screen.”
― Anthony Burgess, A Clockwork Orange

[whatif]

Having used the DK2... Going to be huge... VERY immersive (possible too much immersion).

If the consumer Rift is slick and nice wide angle then can see a lot of emaciated gamers being found dead with them on.

I first tried virtual reality in the early nineties in England at a amusement arcade. It was a motor car race and it was the best game experience I had had. OK the graphics and game play were not as good as today, but the fact that I could look around just by turning my head was awesome.
This impression has left me wanting ever since.
To buy one today, it would have to start off being cordless (example - to give good battery life and power, even a battery pack worn around the waist would be OK) and of course it would have to be comfortable to wear and watch (for long game play).
I can see that the cost will be high, but then setting up at least 3 good monitors (especially if you go for 4k monitors) is not cheap and the VR set could still be better than 3 monitors if it gets developed well in the games.
Then plug in surround sound with the VR set and you can forget the real reality world.
So I agree with Spiralking that a lot of gamers are likely to not realise how long they have been playing (until the real reality hits them that they need to go to the toilet NOW Ha Ha).

[edzieba]

Its actually exactly the same.

Only when you head is perfectly level, exactly centred in front of the TV, and you never move. In every other situation, the difference between a stereo TV and a HMD become obvious: head tracking. There's also the fact that HMDs (when designed properly) focus the image at infinity, whereas a 3D TV will have a focal distance of however far the TV is from your face.
But it's the head tracking that's the really important part. It ensures that the images provided to both eyes are actually correct when you head moves, unlike with a stereo 3D TV.

[MercutioUK]

Did hexus get to have a play with the SteamVR/HTC Vive? They seem to have done even more than occulus to get the motion sickness side of things nailed down. I'm maybe missing the review/preview/news story on it so I'll dig a bit more shortly

They've got the controller side of things pretty well sorted too, as things sit it's looking like we'll be using the Vive as the VR headset to benchmark the others against (yes, even the mighty Occulus might have a fight on it's hands for which on becomes the "goto" headset).

here's a verge story on it:

http://www.theverge.com/2015/3/4/814...nds-on-preview


edit: and yes, seems I missed the news piece you guys did, my bad