Oculus Rift

[MrPopo]

I'd argue the OR isn't even a large leap forward. We had it back in the mid 90's, but it died off due to cost and the fact that is severly fucks with your head. The cost has come down but your inner ear is still your biggest enemy. And everything you've described are still a very basic skeleton. For example, a treadmill is fine if you're going in one direction, but if you want to turn it falls flat. Plus, you really want a reactive treadmill, something that lets you stay in one place but moves based on how fast you try to move.

They're all cool pieces of technology, but they're still very much novelty toys. And that's why I expect the average person to not care; you see the same thing with the Kinect, which does some cool stuff, but as a functional consumer device it falls flat.

[AppleQueso]

For example, a treadmill is fine if you're going in one direction, but if you want to turn it falls flat. Plus, you really want a reactive treadmill, something that lets you stay in one place but moves based on how fast you try to move..

I seem to recall someone building a giant hamster ball-like thing for this...

[Krejlooc]

I'd argue the OR isn't even a large leap forward. We had it back in the mid 90's, but it died off due to cost and the fact that is severly fucks with your head.

Well no, we didn't have it back then. Maybe the technology existed, but no consumer virtual reality product of this fidelity has ever made it into public hands.

The cost has come down but your inner ear is still your biggest enemy.

There are testimonials from people who have used the rift for hours on end who say you get used to it. It's unfortunate if you can't get around it, though.

And everything you've described are still a very basic skeleton.

I pretty much made it clear that basic was the modus operandi. Like any other massively crowd-lifted project, mass deliberation on the problem will lead to solutions. For example...

[/quote]For example, a treadmill is fine if you're going in one direction, but if you want to turn it falls flat. Plus, you really want a reactive treadmill, something that lets you stay in one place but moves based on how fast you try to move.[/quote]

That's not how this treadmill works at all. It's not really a treadmill. There is no mechanism. It's a super slick surface and you wear special low friction shows to produce a completely slippery surface where you feel no friction. A series of kinect-like sensors in the band around your waist monitors your legs from a fixed position and moves you based on that. It's not that your feet are moving a mechanism and the computer is reading the movement. It's that the computer is watching you run on a stationary surface and moving you based on that.

It's pretty out there and reportedly works far better than any mechanical treadmill. It's about to enter kickstarter with Oculus backing it.

They're all cool pieces of technology, but they're still very much novelty toys. And that's why I expect the average person to not care; you see the same thing with the Kinect, which does some cool stuff, but as a functional consumer device it falls flat.

True it's a novelty toy right now, but it'll go through growing pains rapidly. This is part of the maturation process. Like I said, I figure if you're not a developer, it's probably not as exciting, but this is a step that can never be completely bypassed. We're going to go through the growing pains right now to make the experience more awesome in the near future.

[MrPopo]

True it's a novelty toy right now, but it'll go through growing pains rapidly. This is part of the maturation process. Like I said, I figure if you're not a developer, it's probably not as exciting, but this is a step that can never be completely bypassed. We're going to go through the growing pains right now to make the experience more awesome in the near future.

The original question was "Why is this not exciting?"

[Krejlooc]

The omni treadmill is on kickstarter right now. Needed $150k to be funded, got it in like one hour. They're at $250 right now. I donated $400 so I'm getting mine in January.

[jinx]

The omni treadmill is on kickstarter right now. Needed $150k to be funded, got it in like one hour. They're at $250 right now. I donated $400 so I'm getting mine in January.

Heh, what an age old VR idea finally taking shape. When watching the video, it looked like he was having a hard time pacing the speed of his walking vs. character movement. Like the force he was applying to the Omni wasn't matching up with how it would feel when normally walking.

I understand this is still really early, just making an observation. I'm going to keep my eye on this, and see if they release anymore demos. Pretty cool stuff.

[Sload Soap]

Facebook have swooped in and bought Oculus Rift for an outstanding $2 billion dollars. Bugger me. I guess it makes a kind of sense.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014- ... -oculus-vr

Thoughts?

[Pulsar_t]

The End.

[darsparx]

Facebook have swooped in and bought Oculus Rift for an outstanding $2 billion dollars. Bugger me. I guess it makes a kind of sense.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014- ... -oculus-vr

Thoughts?

I guess they're just trying to diversify their market they tend to, but still kinda stinks that we have very little stuff like this that isn't owned by a corporation....

[SamuraiMegas]

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases ... 28061.html

Shit.