Thanks! You must remember that webcams back in the day were only 320 x 240 pixels though! Having said that, according to Moore's Law, computers should be over 100 times quicker today... Is that really true?
Anyway, the difference with today's systems is that they'll rely a lot less on computer vision tracking (which is what I was doing with those black dots with barcodes), but instead use things like gyroscopes and other position sensors.
HoloLens
So I finally received my HTC Vive! It was around £740 (after you include delivery), and I was actually gonna sell it (for around £1200 on eBay), but changed my mind at the last minute because I've had some recent bad experiences with buyers.andyfuller wrote:Let us know how you find both please xitian - I will be really interested to hear.
So anyway, having played with it, I can honestly say it's amazing! The technology is no where near perfect, but when you're playing a decent game you completely forget about the shortcomings. It's an experience like nothing else. Now I've played with the previous two Oculus developer kits, but they don't even come close to the HTC Vive's room-scale experience. It's like having my own mini holodeck in my room! Yes, a 2m x 2m holodeck, but it's enough.
My favourite game so far is Space Pirate Trainer where you shoot alien drones. You have a choice of guns and also a shield. You aim, shoot, duck, defend... The feeling of badass-ery you get from blowing up a drone with a single bullet from a pistol is incredible!
As mentioned, it's not perfect though.
- Vive headset is actually quite heavy
- The cable attached to the head can get in the way
- You can definitely see the pixelly resolution
- The set up is pretty complicated, and you need to have space for it
- The Vive doesn't really have many / any complete game experiences with any depth
- I do still get mild eye strain and nausea
Having said all that, I don't care, because it's just so awesome! My wife will spend silly money on handbags, and I choose to spend silly money on VR
I'm still waiting on my Oculus Rift. The benefit of the Rift is that it'll have some more complete and polished games like Eve Valkryie, Project Cars, Edge of Nowhere, etc.. but the big drawback is no controllers yet and no support for room-scale VR (the killer feature for me really). Headset is supposed to be lighter and more comfortable though.
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andyfuller
- Posts: 4619
- Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2009 12:23 pm
Thanks for that - I guess you like it then 
Is the OculusRift on order and just awaiting delivery? Let us know what it is like when you get it please!
Is the OculusRift on order and just awaiting delivery? Let us know what it is like when you get it please!
Yes, in fact I ordered the Rift a couple weeks before the Vive. I was on the Rift as soon as pre-orders opened and still haven't got it! Both companies have had some serious manufacturing and delivery issues.andyfuller wrote:Is the OculusRift on order and just awaiting delivery?
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marksmeets302
- Posts: 527
- Joined: Thu Dec 10, 2009 4:37 pm
How do you think the Vive will compare to sony's VR helmet?
I was thinking about upgrading to a ps4 because Doom is about to be released, but then I read sony will enhance the ps4 to a sort of ps4.5 in september. The new version is a bit beefed up and should be better at doing VR work.
I was thinking about upgrading to a ps4 because Doom is about to be released, but then I read sony will enhance the ps4 to a sort of ps4.5 in september. The new version is a bit beefed up and should be better at doing VR work.
I'm thinking the PSVR will be similar to what Oculus are targeting. So seated or standing VR games, using the PS Move controllers or gamepad.
The headset itself is slightly lower spec-ed than the Rift and Vive though. So slightly lower resolution and smaller field of view. How this translates into difference of experience is hard to say without trying it. For me, the Vive's (and Rift's) resolution is only just cutting the mustard though, plus you already feel as though you're looking through ski goggles rather than having full peripheral vision. You kinda forget that in any "intense" games though. The main winning point with the Vive is still its use of room-scale VR though.
The two major benefits of PSVR are: 1. The only hardware you will need is a PS4 (which many people will already have), and 2. Sony might be able to churn out some impressive games or get some PS exclusives. Hopefully PSVR will be a massive hit, at which point it'll make developing games financially more viable and that'll overflow into the Rift and Vive.
The PS4.5 is an interesting one though. It's either an ingenious idea or else is going to create a lot of resentment among existing PS4 owners. I guess it's like Apple releasing an iPhone 5 then a 5S, and a 6 then a 6S. But given that the main point of a PS is gaming, it'll raise questions for multiplayer gaming over whether it's fair for some people to be playing in a higher resolution or higher refresh rate than others. Will all games be available on a PS4 as a PS4.5, how about all VR games? For now, apparently yes. Are Sony really trying to further the industry, or are they just trying to shorten the historically slow turnover of console generations?
Personally, if I was going to get one, and had a choice, I'll always go for the higher spec-ed one even if it's a bit more expensive (within reason). For Doom? I'd get a decent PC
Since launch I've been telling my wife I want to get an XBox One or PS4. I've been waiting until there's a killer exclusive that I can't play on PC, and it just hasn't arrived (Uncharted 4 and Gears of War 4 are kind of tempting though!). Everything else I've just played on my PC, either because it works better with a mouse/keyboard anyway (e.g. something like Doom in my opinion), or I've used an XBox controller. Now with Steam Link being able to stream your PC games to any TV (note I haven't tried one yet), there's even less incentive to own a console as well as PC.
A console is obviously a lot cheaper than a high-end PC though, but I'd shell out for my PC any day.
The headset itself is slightly lower spec-ed than the Rift and Vive though. So slightly lower resolution and smaller field of view. How this translates into difference of experience is hard to say without trying it. For me, the Vive's (and Rift's) resolution is only just cutting the mustard though, plus you already feel as though you're looking through ski goggles rather than having full peripheral vision. You kinda forget that in any "intense" games though. The main winning point with the Vive is still its use of room-scale VR though.
The two major benefits of PSVR are: 1. The only hardware you will need is a PS4 (which many people will already have), and 2. Sony might be able to churn out some impressive games or get some PS exclusives. Hopefully PSVR will be a massive hit, at which point it'll make developing games financially more viable and that'll overflow into the Rift and Vive.
The PS4.5 is an interesting one though. It's either an ingenious idea or else is going to create a lot of resentment among existing PS4 owners. I guess it's like Apple releasing an iPhone 5 then a 5S, and a 6 then a 6S. But given that the main point of a PS is gaming, it'll raise questions for multiplayer gaming over whether it's fair for some people to be playing in a higher resolution or higher refresh rate than others. Will all games be available on a PS4 as a PS4.5, how about all VR games? For now, apparently yes. Are Sony really trying to further the industry, or are they just trying to shorten the historically slow turnover of console generations?
Personally, if I was going to get one, and had a choice, I'll always go for the higher spec-ed one even if it's a bit more expensive (within reason). For Doom? I'd get a decent PC
Since launch I've been telling my wife I want to get an XBox One or PS4. I've been waiting until there's a killer exclusive that I can't play on PC, and it just hasn't arrived (Uncharted 4 and Gears of War 4 are kind of tempting though!). Everything else I've just played on my PC, either because it works better with a mouse/keyboard anyway (e.g. something like Doom in my opinion), or I've used an XBox controller. Now with Steam Link being able to stream your PC games to any TV (note I haven't tried one yet), there's even less incentive to own a console as well as PC.
A console is obviously a lot cheaper than a high-end PC though, but I'd shell out for my PC any day.
Just read this article.
Apparently nothing wrong with the PSVR headset, but the PS Move controllers are crap and need updating.
http://www.gizmag.com/playstation-vr-re ... gdc/42321/
Apparently nothing wrong with the PSVR headset, but the PS Move controllers are crap and need updating.
http://www.gizmag.com/playstation-vr-re ... gdc/42321/
Oh, so I received my Oculus Rift ages ago, but subsequently sold it on eBay for double its price while the hype and delivery backlog was still around. I think it's shipping pretty much immediately now.
I haven't been playing on my Vive a huuuge amount to be honest. There are definitely some slightly more polished games coming out now, but still nothing that would pull me in for hours at a time. I've read that they've made a Doom VR as a tech demo thing which sounds cool though, so hopefully they'll release that to the public one day.
I actually think that one of the biggest barriers is simply the fact of turning the thing on each time you want to play. i.e. Turn on base station, turn on controllers, make sure room is tidy, put on headset and headphones, launch SteamVR, etc... It's only a minor faff, but at the same time it's just enough to put me off bothering and just double-clicking and launching some other game on my PC. Playing a game on the PC is just so much less exerting! I can spend hours (in total over 60 hours so far!) playing something like Warhammer Total War and be entertained in a sort of slow burn fashion, as opposed something really intense in VR which I'll only be able to do for 30 mins or so. Perhaps in my older age I'm just wanting more chilled out experiences
So for that reason I'm actually expecting VR to remain a very niche product. I'm hoping I'm wrong though, as that's the only way that we'll see really decent content made for it.
I haven't been playing on my Vive a huuuge amount to be honest. There are definitely some slightly more polished games coming out now, but still nothing that would pull me in for hours at a time. I've read that they've made a Doom VR as a tech demo thing which sounds cool though, so hopefully they'll release that to the public one day.
I actually think that one of the biggest barriers is simply the fact of turning the thing on each time you want to play. i.e. Turn on base station, turn on controllers, make sure room is tidy, put on headset and headphones, launch SteamVR, etc... It's only a minor faff, but at the same time it's just enough to put me off bothering and just double-clicking and launching some other game on my PC. Playing a game on the PC is just so much less exerting! I can spend hours (in total over 60 hours so far!) playing something like Warhammer Total War and be entertained in a sort of slow burn fashion, as opposed something really intense in VR which I'll only be able to do for 30 mins or so. Perhaps in my older age I'm just wanting more chilled out experiences
So for that reason I'm actually expecting VR to remain a very niche product. I'm hoping I'm wrong though, as that's the only way that we'll see really decent content made for it.
I bet you just switch it off just before the missus comes home from work and fire up visual studio and pretend you are truly working!xitian wrote:I can spend hours (in total over 60 hours so far!) playing something like Warhammer Total War ...
