Oculus Rift

Soldato
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Yeah, this is true. It's a real shame because the only platform they really could have latched onto is Steam and since it's already got Steam VR it would seem like a no brainer. Of course, that's never going ot happen now that Valve are making their own device.

So, while I agree it's necessary, it's a shame that we've ended up with more fragmentation.

Pitty they didn't get GOG Galaxy support or something! :)

Thankfully the task of implementing VR support into an engine is actually pretty straightforward, it won't be a big deal supporting the Vive and Oculus. The tricky bit is handling the different input devices but you know, that's always been a pain in the ass :)
 
Soldato
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vapourware becomes rubbishware

No tech specs (apart from saying the resolution isnt as high as they wanted), and apart from eve, the games look dire!

I got the impression of the ceos of various companies, that they had resigned to the fact it was rubbish but had to put on a front

Again, I assume you're saying this without having tried the Oculus Rift then?

Some of the best VR experiences aren't first person shooters, and those game have the potential to be great fun in VR simply because of their enviroments.

One of my favorite games on the Rift to play with and show others is a 3D platformer that i'd never even imagine owning as a monitor based game. It's a completely different experience in VR and honestly, without trying it, you can't even imagine what you're missing out on.
 
Soldato
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I know I post about the Oculus Rift a lot, and have been accused of "lapping up the PR a treat", but really I'm just posting what they're announcing and really don't have a preference when it comes to a final VR product. I honestly think I'll buy them all.

The thing is, it's hard to find information about the other devices. Morpehus has gone propper dark and Vive is a Valve baby, so we all know what that means :)

Regardless, there's another Vive preview over on Ars Technica (http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2015/...-world-that-feels-like-an-imax-in-your-house/) which is, again, massively short on details but good to know that it's progressing.
 
Soldato
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I know I post about the Oculus Rift a lot, and have been accused of "lapping up the PR a treat", but really I'm just posting what they're announcing and really don't have a preference when it comes to a final VR product. I honestly think I'll buy them all.

Err excuse me, this is a technology forum we're on. Tribal affiliations are mandatory. You have to pick a SIDE.
 
Soldato
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^This, DK2 and a HOTAS is immense. As long the consumer version doesn't have as many bloody cables to plug in, I am all for it.

The cables were one of my biggest problems with the DK1/2, although I didn't find them very comfy to wear for more than half an hour so hoping they improve comfort too.
 
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I'm really not sure about these devices, the only one that I'm kind of excited about is Microsoft's Hololens. The Oculus seems to be not much more than strapping a couple of mobile phones to your face. I haven't tried anything yet though, so I'll try to reserve judgement until I see some finished product reviews.

Yeah, I think you might be surprised when you do. While what you're effectively doing is what you describe (sticking a mobile display to your face), it doesn't look like that when you're using it (Rift).

Hololens does have potential, but by all accounts what you actually see is a very small window into the augmented/virtual world (a few people have said it looked somewhere like 35-40 degrees). That isn't immersive. 90 degrees and over seems to be generally regarded as the point at which your brain goes from telling you you're looking at a screen to feeling more like you're actually inside a virtual environment.
 
Soldato
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Most of the demos ive tried i would definitely buy the full price game. Its a whole different ball game playing in VR. Resolution doesn't matter as much as long as you have presence. (the feeling of being there) And there are no headache inducing moments or nausea.
 
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I can't imagine that the Morpheus will be anything special. How can a console power it similarly to a pc?

Impressions have been pretty much positive (including from people in the Oculus community). The thing is that any experience will be targeted towards the limits of the PS4, so don't expect massive detailed open worlds like GTA.

EVE Valkyrie is coming to Morpheus as well as the Rift, so that will give at least one title for comparison.

Bear in mind that games are also being created for the GearVR, and that's a phone in a headset. Again those will play to the limits of the hardware.

At the end of the day though, the PC will have the advantage especially as hardware advances, with the PS4 stuck with what it already has.
 
Soldato
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There's also the fact the PS4 is a closed hardware platform so when it comes to getting maximum performance out of it, Sony know what they are doing.

It also only has to manage 1920x1080 at 60 fps, unlike the Rift which is actually closer to 1440p (actual rendered image before barrel distortion down to 2160x1200)
 
Soldato
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The Oculus seems to be not much more than strapping a couple of mobile phones to your face.
Until you try it, you cannot know and no-one can explain it. It has to be experienced, but what you are saying couldn't be further from the truth... and that's taking in to account all the weaknesses of the DK2... the final version and the Vive will be vastly superior.
 
Soldato
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VR doesn't need all the layers of GPU eye candy that '2D' games require to be effective. PS4 is perfectly capable of delivering a great VR experience.
 
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I don't know all that much, but I tried Alien Isolation on DK2 last year and I was blown away! :)

Anyone thinking it's simply two screens in front of your eyes has no understanding of how complex and immersive the Rift is, it quite cleverly fools your senses to believe you are part of the game world, not just viewing it.

It's early days, even after VR is commonplace on the market, but wow, it's exciting to be part of the generation where it started. It is a game changer... pun intended.
 
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No, it's not a serious contender. It's held together by duck tape (see 7 seconds in) :p

Nothing wrong with duck tape per-se, prototypes are often ugly.

Not sure if panoramic vision is a big deal at this stage- I've never felt constrained by the field of view of the DK2, but then, like latency in positional tracking, some people notice it more than others. I wear fairly wide-rimmed glasses so I guess I'm used to a slightly constrained field of view in normal life!

My worry would be what's going to render those extra pixels at the required refresh rate with current GPU tech, and their positional tracking doesn't look particularly low latency to me, I can see lag between movement and screen update on the monitors, although it's possible that's not reflected in the headset screens.

The more innovation the better though, it's all good.
 
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