Virtual Reality

[J T]

This is a great article and oral history about virtual reality with ample quotes and commentary from the major VR pioneers. This covers everything from The Power Glove, to Lawnmower Man, to the Oculus Rift. Fascinating stuff!

http://www.theverge.com/a/virtual-reality/intro

[BogusMeatFactory]

So I was reading the article and I found what various people in the VR industry were saying about past, present and future development in VR. Ben Delaney's commentary was the most infuriating of them all as he continued to deride the Oculous Rift and how what it is doing is comparable to what was accomplished in the 80's, which is absolutely asinine. He seems to be the most jaded person and for me, that was difficult to digest.

For me, I always found Virtual Reality to be one of those strange oddities. I would welcome the idea with open arms, but I feel that most people focus on the practical applications of Virtual Reality, which I get on a business standpoint, but for me I view it from a more artistic perspective.

It is that artistic perspective that makes me feel that Virtual Reality is not even close to being ready for mainstream consumption. I feel that software developers lack the imagination to realize the full potential of VR and how to utilize it to the fullest. To me I see it as being a place to present a strange and alien world in a way that defies logic and our personal understanding of reality. I always feel that a lot of people are too short sighted or fear pushing boundaries in what can be accomplished with technology and artistry and the merging of those fields. Do I think it is impossible for my views to be shattered, of course... and I hope that they do, but I fear that developers get VR in their hands and see what modern software there is and translate it into VR. They don't think of making something new and interesting that showcase the potential.

[Exhuminator]

I believe one day virtual reality (as well as augmented reality) will be as intrinsic to our daily lives as has been radio, television, the internet, and cellular smartphones. The possibilities of this medium are staggering, but it will take inexpensive hardware that is a breeze to use for the average person, readily available via normal consumer outlets, coupled with a few killer apps to really get the ball rolling. Sad as it is for me to say because I don't like the company, if Apple got into VR it would be a great thing for the medium.

[Westane]

I believe one day virtual reality (as well as augmented reality) will be as intrinsic to our daily lives as has been radio, television, the internet, and cellular smartphones. The possibilities of this medium are staggering, but it will take inexpensive hardware that is a breeze to use for the average person, readily available via normal consumer outlets, coupled with a few killer apps to really get the ball rolling. Sad as it is for me to say because I don't like the company, if Apple got into VR it would be a great thing for the medium.

Funny, I said the same thing about if Apple ever got into NFC and mobile payment. Sure enough...

I own the Samsung Gear VR. I was REALLY nervous to buy it as I'm legally blind and any time I'm interacting with a computer monitor or other screen I need to be close to, I wear these 0.6" thick reading glasses. I knew I wouldn't be able to wear them with the Gear VR, and I was concerned I wouldn't be able to experience the technology. I mean, without binocular vision I've already been cheated out of 3D, but hey. I had to try it though.

The Gear VR is obviously at the limit of its processor, in this case my phone, but even still, the experience I had was incomparable to anything else. I was in the ocean and I instinctively dodged fish coming at me. I was piloting a Jaeger and felt this incredible sense of space. I was in a haunted house and... well I had to find new pants afterwards.

I guess what I'm saying is, for me at least, the tech is proven, and it's only going to get better. The fact that if, even for a moment, I actually felt like I was transported out of my house into handcrafted world, that's really something. Valve/HTC's VR set will be a day zero buy for me.

As for Augmented Reality, I agree. That's where I believe the future actually lies. We'll wake up in the morning and, just like putting on a watch or glasses, we'll put on our AR device and it will be the most natural thing in the world. Like, straight up Accel World... one day...

What will be interesting is seeing whether or not AR will one day actually make VR obsolete. I'm going to let my nerd show for a second, but a friend and I were discussing the implications of gaming over AR. We could, remotely, play a game of Magic the Gathering, or "conference" in a bunch of people for a round of D&D, or, best yet, POKEMON BATTLES! At that point though, if AR could become good enough to overlay entire environments over our own, what's actually the difference between AR and VR?

I know, I know, all crazy wishful thinking from a hapless nerd, but, man...

[Pulsar_t]

http://www.pocketgamer.co.uk/r/Android/ ... sp?c=64242

How about we just skip VR/AR and just plug into the matrix (for real, not this pathetic status quo)

[Westane]

http://www.pocketgamer.co.uk/r/Android/ ... sp?c=64242

How about we just skip VR/AR and just plug into the matrix (for real, not this pathetic status quo)

I think the comments pretty much sum up that article. I stand by my post completely

[Pulsar_t]

Damn even though it's 100% scripted the bit at the end gave me the chills.

[noiseredux]

so the system requirements for the Rift were released:

NVIDIA GTX 970 / AMD 290 equivalent or greater
Intel i5-4590 equivalent or greater
8GB+ RAM
Compatible HDMI 1.3 video output
2x USB 3.0 ports
Windows 7 SP1 or newer

I actually have little interest in the OR, and if I were going to investigate VR, I'm far more intrigued by the Vive. That said, I'm guessing that the Vive's requirements would be along the same lines.

I'd be all set to run this on my rig (though I'm unclear what exactly the 1.3 part of the HDMI requirement means).

[Tanooki]

Wow kind of on the greedy end of things with the video chip. You can't get much better than that Nvidia 970 other than the 980. That's going to leave a lot of people out who maybe interested.

[Pulsar_t]

Keep in mind that this just their baseline. The more demanding games will require more power to display the required number of frames for the two VR screens.

It'll be interesting to see if VR picks up in terms of software development. Valve with their dearth of new software (aka Valve-time) shouldn't be a problem, but other big publishers like EA and Ubisoft will have to consider whether full VR implementation would be worth the trouble.