This Is Why Oculus Rift Will Change Your Gaming World

[GNCD]

[citation][nom]Achoo22[/nom]Another sycophant doing reviews. It's utterly pathetic the way this kid is being heralded as the one who saved gaming. This isn't new tech, the creator (as well as the author, it seems) just isn't old enough to remember the last incarnation. Seriously, games we were playing back in the mid-1990s had support for head-mounted displays.[/citation]

But those versions don't track movement. They are basically small screens slapped on some helmet. The images might be in 3D, but the environments are not.

 

[Achoo22]

[citation][nom]GNCD[/nom]But those versions don't track movement. They are basically small screens slapped on some helmet. The images might be in 3D, but the environments are not.[/citation]

Where are you getting your information? The VFX, which was probably the most popular, fully supported head-tracking.

Everyone is acting like this is something brand new, but it's not. Everyone is acting like dev. support is a major victory, but it's not. This tech was pretty well supported back in the day (anything running build, iD, Descent, etc), and that was back when such support was still relatively difficult to add. This device is a slight evolutionary revision to tech. that's been around for 20 years. NVidia didn't come up with LCD shutter glasses, and this kid didn't invent/revolutionize/fundamentally change/etc gaming.

 

[d_kuhn]

I've been able to try on some of those older headsets... impressive yes but never found one that had enough resolution, field of view, and affordability. Just like with every other 'revolution' in tech... it's not the first company that pushes out an unpopular version that gets the prize, it's the company that pushes out millions - and that hasn't happened yet.

 

[invlem]

[citation][nom]Achoo22[/nom]Another sycophant doing reviews. It's utterly pathetic the way this kid is being heralded as the one who saved gaming. This isn't new tech, the creator (as well as the author, it seems) just isn't old enough to remember the last incarnation. Seriously, games we were playing back in the mid-1990s had support for head-mounted displays.[/citation]

This is true, but while I can't give a first hand opinion (as I haven't physically tried it) it seems the super wide viewing angle he's decided on (and accurate head tracking) makes a world of a difference over whats been in the market previously.

So yes, while he's not invented something new, he's taken an existing (and failing) technology and adjusted it to be more appealing.

Sometimes the smallest, most seemingly insignificant innovations are the most important ones. I don't think anyone is saying that Palmer invented VR headsets, but he's definitely changed the landscape in a way that appeals to the masses... Nothing wrong with that!

Apple didn't invent the tablet, but no one really bought or cared about tablets until the iPad came out. They took a technology that had existed for years, and made enough minor changes to make it more appealing to use.

Not every innovation has to be a completely new, ground breaking idea. Sometimes the smallest tweak makes a flawed design a brilliant design, if the oculus is the "iPad" for the VR industry, then who really cares, all this means is a dead industry is getting a kick in the rear, other manufacturers will jump on the bandwagon and 5 years from now VR might actually be something, I could care less who starts it, as long as someone does.

 

[shriganesh]

I am pre ordering mine now!

 

[Guest]

I've been working on adding full head tracking and weapon tracking to Half-Life 2 in preparation for the Oculus Rift dev kit launch. Once the official rift apis are available I'll integrate them, giving people ~70 hours of content (this also works for episode 1 & 2, the lost coast and tons of user generated maps, etc) that they can use to test out their Rift.

I'm using two hillcrest trackers (the same ones that John Carmack used for the Doom 3 BFG demos of the early oculus rift prototype). I've been playing with my modified HMZ-T1 but others have played it on DIY rifts with the vireio stereo/warp drivers.

I'm currently testing different controllers, in the video I'm using a "top shot elite" that is effectively a wireless xbox 360 controller, and used electrical tape to hold the hillcrest tracker on the top.

Check out my video for more info and a download link if your interested:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5H2rL-lBxRs

 

[Bipolarity]

wonder how it will go with someone like me (blind in one eye and wear glasses)
probably not good is my assumption... just like 3d vision, HD3d etc..

 

[d_kuhn]

I think they just showed shots of an OR headset with three different optics for nearsighted/farsighted/normal eyes... so they're thinking about the 4-eyes problem.

I'm pretty excited about this tech... I think the time is ripe with very high density 'retina' displays showing that we can get a lot of resolution in a small form factor. Wrap some clever optics around these hpd's and you've got a disruptive technology in the display market.

 

[keyholder]

Sorry but its got the word " epic " in the title... sounds childish and pathetic.

No thanks.

its about time these companys stopped having a mid life crisis and start growing up again.

 

[cats_Paw]

there is a small issue with this... how do you aim? with your eyes? that would be sort of imba...
I guess they will have to make sight and aiming a separate thing (like in the original hitman codename 47).
Im definitly interested in getting those! (thou im going to test them first...)

 

[Chris Droste]

Quick; Someone better be putting together Sword Art Online and ALO for this.

 

[stevejnb]

This is just the start, Imagine having a platform like a thread mill under your feet but one that moves in all directions to simulate you walking and physical weapon that you hold to control your weapon in the game.

That would not only be awesome but imagine how physically fit all gamers would get? now this is definitely what the future holds.

Keep in mind the endless torrent of whining and complaining we get from gamers over motion control with the Wii/Kinect. Gamers like sitting on their arses when they game. For me personally, if I have to have some sort of a headset on, I don't want to do anything that will have me sweating.

My thoughts on this... Great step, and it will have a substantial audience, but it won't ever be more than a (substantial) niche item even if they can keep the prices down. Hygiene will be an issue for them in public places, and a lot of people will shy away from something that completely cuts them off from the world or drives them away from their 60 inch tvs. And what's more, haven't we heard a million complaints about Google glass being an imposition? And this is all, of course, assuming that this doesn't cause car-sickness type problems because, if it does, then it will scare off a good number of people who suffer from this issue. How many of us don't know someone who gets dizzy from seeing a first person shooter on a screen?Lastly, is there much point to this beyond first person shooters?

This is great for a fairly large niche audience, but I'm not sure I want to have to put a headset on to play games. I haven't tried it, though I do intend to, but I don't see me being compelled to invest in this rather than just sticking to a good TV/monitor.

 

[Applepienation]

Amnesia.
I will buy this for Amnesia (If priced reasonably).
Oh god, I'm getting chills already.