First Batch Of StarVR HMDs Are On Their Way To IMAX

[kcarbotte]

Acer and Starbreeze announced that they are shipping the first run of StarVR HMDs to IMAX in preparation for the IMAX VR Center, which is set to open in LA before the year’s end.

First Batch Of StarVR HMDs Are On Their Way To IMAX : Read more

 

[FUNANDJAM]

all I can think about is hygiene after others have strapped that thing to their head. I don't think having a box of wet-wipes available will do the trick

 

[Jeff Fx]

all I can think about is hygiene after others have strapped that thing to their head. I don't think having a box of wet-wipes available will do the trick

That's no worse than the shared helmets at a go-cart place. Some people will find it totally unacceptable, fearing lice and other critters, others will be OK with it.

 

[Jeff Fx]

I'd buy a premium HMD if it supported room-scale Vive games on Steam, but I'd be more interested in increasing the resolution to the point where visible sub-pixels are no longer a distraction, rather than going for a wider FOV. The Vive FOV is already very immersive, but the visible sub-pixels make the display look pretty bad when you're not distracted by a fast-paced game. Don't get me wrong, it's the coolest gaming and exercise device ever, but this is just the beginning for VR, and there's a lot of room for improvement.

 

[bit_user]

I'd love to know how much these VR experiences are going to cost. At that resolution, they're probably using GTX 1080-equipped PCs. Without knowing the price of these HMDs, I figure the total hardware cost per user must be at least $2.5k.

Anyway, it's a good move for StarVR. They don't have to compete with Vive's freedom of movement or Rift's price tag. And this gets them some PR, and might drive demand from a few price-insensitive buyers who are impressed by the experience.

From IMAX's perspective, one benefit of a VR experience (as compared with a film) is that you could vary it a bit, each time. Give people more reasons to come back. On the down side, I'm guessing they'll be targeting collective experiences, without much interactivity.

That's no worse than the shared helmets at a go-cart place. Some people will find it totally unacceptable, fearing lice and other critters, others will be OK with it.

I don't know about you, but the few karting places I've gone had clean head socks to use. I prefer to bring my own helmet, though.