Oculus Rift / Virtual Reality General - Games

[img]http://i.imgur.com/LXZOpJt.png[/img] [b]======= What is Virtual Reality =======[/b] [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5XVq4NLnwk[/media] For game developers and other enthusiasts, read [url=http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/JesseSchell/20150626/247113/Making_Great_VR_Six_Lessons_Learned_From_I_Expect_You_To_Die.php]this article[/url], describes well what this new wave of VR will mean for gaming. [quote]My point of view is a bit different. I believe that after a massive flurry of VR hype in 2016, VR devices will be on the market indefinitely. They will not completely replace our existing game platforms, but instead they will join our gaming ecosystem, living and thriving alongside PC, console, and mobile gaming. The difference will be that VR gaming will be the most intense gaming experience, the mode of gaming that hardcore players will value most in the long run.[/quote] [b]======= Who are the major players =======[/b] [img]http://i.imgur.com/kEBHXEw.png[/img] [b]======= What are the products =======[/b] Tom's Hardware made a comprehensive list of the different kinds of VR HMDs here (August 2015): [url]http://www.tomshardware.com/news/virtual-reality-headset-comprehensive-list,29907.html[/url] Here's my own list: [b]Oculus Rift Developer Kit 2[/b] [url]https://www.oculus.com/dk2/[/url] [img]http://i.imgur.com/TX3pC7y.png[/img] [b]Screen[/b]: 1920x1080@75hz [b]Panel[/b]: OLED, low-persistance tech [b]Tracking[/b]: positional tracking from the front using IR camera [b]Available[/b]: [url=https://www.oculus.com/dk2/]right now[/url] [b]Oculus Rift Consumer Version[/b] [url]https://www.oculus.com/en-us/rift/[/url] [img]http://i.imgur.com/G6fdq6q.png[/img] [b]Screen[/b]: 2160x1200@90hz, dual panel (1080x1200 per eye). [b]Panel[/b]: OLED [b]Tracking[/b]: full 360 positional tracking [b]Remarks[/b]: * onboard headphones (detachable) * onboard microphone * software makes use of [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head-related_transfer_function]HRTF[/url] for approximating true 3D audio using software licensed from [url=http://realspace3daudio.com/]RealSpace3D[/url] * hardware IPD slider at the bottom * comes with IR-tracking camera, support multiple cameras to improve tracking accuracy * also the front exterior is made out of cloth instead of plastic, fancy! * comes with a Xbox One controller as default input device, will probably change to Oculus Touch in future versions of the Rift [b]Available[/b]: Q1 2016, pre-orders opening later this year. [b]Oculus Touch controllers[/b] [url]https://www.oculus.com/en-us/rift/#oculus-touch[/url] [img]http://i.imgur.com/wmMSUe0.png[/img] Two wireless hand-held tracked controllers. Uses the same IR-leds system as the Rift HMD itself. Two buttons, two triggers and an analog stick on each controller. Can also derive finger gestures by detecting whether your thumb, index- or middle finger are resting on the controller! Sold seperately from the Rift. Reason being that it would be too new (no games developed for it yet) and costly to include by default at this point in time. This will probably change in future iterations of the tech. Pre-orders will go up the same time as the consumer Rift, but the units will likely ship somewhere in Q2 2016. [b]Samsung GearVR[/b] [url]http://www.samsung.com/global/microsite/gearvr/[/url] [img]http://i.imgur.com/eS3URCj.png[/img] [b]Screen[/b]: 2560x1440@60hz, utilizes a Samsung Note 4 that you need to have bought seperately [b]Panel[/b]: OLED [b]Tracking[/b]: no positional tracking, only rotational [b]Remarks[/b]: made in partnership with Oculus, who provides the software [b]Available[/b]: [url=http://www.samsung.com/us/mobile/wearable-tech/SM-R320NPWSXAR]right now[/url] There is a new version of GearVR coming soon (basically its real 'consumer release') that uses the Galaxy S6. [b]Sony's Project Morpheus[/b] [img]http://i.imgur.com/et1Jkma.png[/img] [b]Screen[/b]: 1920x1080@120hz [b]Panel[/b]: OLED [b]Tracking[/b]: utilizes Playstation eye cam for full 360 tracking [b]Remarks[/b]: works with the Playstation 4. Uses PS Move controllers for input. Initially announced at GDC 2014, new version shown at GDC 2015. [b]Available[/b]: dev kit was distributed to select amount of Sony devs. Consumer version slated for "first half of 2016". [b]HTC RE Vive[/b] [url]http://www.htcvr.com/[/url] [img]http://i.imgur.com/HlEkVb7.png[/img] [b]Screen[/b]: 2160x1200@90hz [b]Panel[/b]: OLED (probably) [b]Tracking[/b]: full 360 tracking within a 15ft x 15ft space, using SteamVR base stations [b]Remarks[/b]: developed in partnership with Valve. First HMD announced to support the SteamVR platform. [b]Available[/b]: dev kit available to select developers. Consumer version release Holiday 2015! [b]SteamVR Lighthouse tracking system[/b] [img]http://i.imgur.com/bfk3CjX.png[/img] Valve's room-scale VR tracking system. Makes use of laser beacons (hence 'lighthouse') that scan infrared pulses across the room. Works in a space of about 4m by 5m with two beacons. Valve intends to make it an open system where anyone can stick some markers on their hardware and have it tracked in VR. [b]======= Other companies =======[/b] There are a lot of other companies making VR HMDs and input systems at the moment. The reason why we focus mostly on Oculus and Valve? Because they're the only ones getting it right. Building a solid VR experience is really hard. Do not buy into PR talk of hardware that has a 'higher resolution' or 'wider FOV' than Rift hardware, because that's only one part of the equation. [b]======= Oculus VR timeline =======[/b] [img]http://horobox.reager.org/u/orkel_1431151821.jpg[/img] [b]======= Oculus public prototypes =======[/b] [B]Crystal Cove prototype [/B] [img]http://i.imgur.com/N78XdLr.jpg[/img] Early DK2 prototype shown at CES 2014. [B]Crescent Bay prototype[/B] [img]http://i.imgur.com/z5lv9gd.jpg[/img] First shown at Oculus Connect conference in September 2014. Shows the baseline of what will be in the consumer version. [b]======= VR games (for Oculus DK2) =======[/b] There are almost too many to list. Which is quite crazy for a gaming market that technically doesn't exist yet. Notable games with some form of VR support (quality can vary): [url=http://store.steampowered.com/app/220/]Half-Life 2[/url] [url=http://store.steampowered.com/app/227300/]Euro Truck Simulator 2[/url] [url=http://store.steampowered.com/app/302710/]BlazeRush[/url] [url=http://warthunder.com/]War Thunder[/url] ... anyway, just check the [url=http://store.steampowered.com/search/?category2=31]list of Steam games tagged with "VR Support"[/url] Notable VR games in development: [url=https://www.evevalkyrie.com/]EVE: Valkyrie[/url] [url=http://www.505games.com/games/adr1ft]Adr1ft[/url] [url=http://playfulcorp.com/#lucky]Lucky's Tale[/url] [url=http://superhotgame.com/]SUPERHOT[/url] [b]======= Recommended Oculus Rift DK2 demos =======[/b] [B]Welcome To Oculus[/B] [url]http://treyte.ch/oculus/[/url] [img]http://i.imgur.com/RqGMMdH.png[/img] [B]Titans of Space[/B] [url]http://www.titansofspacevr.com/[/url] [img]http://i.imgur.com/PplPNwo.png[/img] [B]Vox Machinae[/B] [url]http://voxmachinae.com/demo.shtml[/url] [img]http://i.imgur.com/LU4Vhy2.png[/img] [B]Sightline: The Chair[/B] [url]http://sightlinevr.com/[/url] [img]http://i.imgur.com/yQBNrB9.png[/img] [B]Windlands[/B] [url]http://guardiansofthewind.com/[/url] [img]http://i.imgur.com/kX2Bsnj.png[/img] Many more demos can be found on [url=https://share.oculus.com/]Oculus Share[/url]. [B]======= People at Oculus you should know about =======[/B] [B]Palmer Luckey[/B] [url=https://twitter.com/PalmerLuckey]@PalmerLuckey[/url] [img]http://i.imgur.com/5VXvhW5.png[/img] The original inventor of the Rift and one of the company's founders. Nowadays mainly has a evangelical role as VR poster-dude and generally being bare-foot whenever he can. Also known for [url=http://i.imgur.com/8jBnWtx.gif]producing[/url] [url=http://gfycat.com/RelievedShamefulGiantschnauzer]great[/url] [url=http://i.imgur.com/fmPSgwk.gif]GIF[/url] [url=http://i.imgur.com/ctl0e3c.gif]material[/url] every time he's on camera. [B]Brendan Iribe[/B] [url=https://twitter.com/brendaniribe]@brendaniribe[/url] [img]http://i.imgur.com/Kq4fRp1.png[/img] Company co-founder and current CEO of Oculus. Used to work at Gaikai (the company doing the game-streaming service for the Playstation 4). [B]Nate Mitchell[/B] [url=https://twitter.com/natemitchell]@natemitchell[/url] [img]http://i.imgur.com/JTVgKSS.png[/img] Co-founder and Vice President of Product at Oculus. Often does PR and interviews. Also came from Gaikai. [B]Michael Antonov[/B] [img]http://i.imgur.com/P0u5MAs.png[/img] Chief Software Architect at Oculus, responsible for the Oculus SDK. Another Gaikai veteran where he also lead the software team. [B]John Carmack[/B] [url=https://twitter.com/ID_AA_Carmack]@ID_AA_Carmack[/url] [img]http://i.imgur.com/AxnmB4G.png[/img] Famous for developing the original Doom and Quake, and inventing 3D game engines almost single-handedly. At Oculus he's the Chief Technology Officer after he ditched id Software to make sure VR is done right (because Zenimax wouldn't let him). At Oculus he mainly focusses on mobile VR since that's where the optimization challenges are. [B]Michael Abrash[/B] [img]http://i.imgur.com/OJl5nor.png[/img] Used to work with Carmack in ye olde days, and ended up working at Valve afterwards. Did a lot of [url=http://blogs.valvesoftware.com/abrash/]VR research[/url] there and eventually moved to Oculus for a role as Chief Scientist. [B]======= People at Valve you should know about =======[/B] [b]Joe Ludwig[/b] [url=https://twitter.com/joeludwig]@joeludwig[/url] [img]http://i.imgur.com/DAnhCTA.png[/img] Programmer at Valve. Used to be on the TF2 team, now one of the main programmers of the SteamVR system. [b]Alan Yates[/b] [url=https://twitter.com/vk2zay]@vk2zay[/url] [img]http://i.imgur.com/xCIdzn6.png[/img] The Chief Pharologist at Valve. Hardware engineer working on the Lighthouse system. [b]======= VR videos =======[/b] The original Oculus Kickstarter video: [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzCwczY1jTM[/media] Jaime Hyneman tries the DK1 at Tested: [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKhp4H3DUwE[/media] The DK2 launch video: [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlXrjTh7vHc[/media] Tested interview about the DK2: [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4d3Wli7s6KY[/media] Tech video on how the Rift reduces frame latency even further using 'time warp': [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvtEXMlQQtI[/media] Carmack's keynote at Oculus Connect. Very tech heavy, focussed mainly on GearVR but lots of rambling about VR in general of course: [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqzpAbK9qFk[/media] Tested interview at CES 2015 about the Crescent Bay prototype: [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-IdUI0qs7w[/media] SteamVR's Lighthouse system: [media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrsUMEbLtOs[/media] Tested interviews at E3 2015 with the CV1 Rift and Oculus Touch controllers: [media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asduqdRizqs[/media]

when's the consumer version I still have yet to try the damn thing

I messed around with it on a few games with my friend's OR. Playing WarThunder tanks gave me big motion sickness tho.

[QUOTE=HyperTails;46929710]when's the consumer version I still have yet to try the damn thing[/QUOTE] Soonish. Possibly.

[QUOTE=Dukov Traboski;46929790]I messed around with it on a few games with my friend's OR. Playing WarThunder tanks gave me big motion sickness tho.[/QUOTE] War thunder has terrible Rift support, The IPD is fucked, the FoV is fucked etc.

[QUOTE=Orkel;46929900]War thunder has terrible Rift support, The IPD is fucked, the FoV is fucked etc.[/QUOTE] I dunno, the flying part worked pretty well for us. Head tracking and all that was fine. And like, the tank part too I guess, just made me car sick.

[QUOTE=Dukov Traboski;46929998]I dunno, the flying part worked pretty well for us. Head tracking and all that was fine. And like, the tank part too I guess, just made me car sick.[/QUOTE] Were you using the DK1 or DK2?

[QUOTE=Orkel;46930037]Were you using the DK1 or DK2?[/QUOTE] DK2

Done setting up the OP. Hope ya'll like it.

Yeah great OP, good job Clavus!

STEM system orders got pushed back to March now: [url]https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/89577853/stem-system-the-best-way-to-interact-with-virtual/posts/1082734[/url] [quote]As stated in our previous update (#54 - STEM System Shipping Update and a Sneak Peek at Production), we started delivering the initial prototype systems in mid-December to local backers. This has allowed us to provide hands-on support, particularly for upgrades of the firmware, which for the first prototypes requires the hardware to be returned to us. Our goal was to “incorporate any final feedback from users of the prototypes where possible before pushing start on factory production for the remainder of the STEM System units for Kickstarter backers”. Well, we did just that and discovered, via user feedback, some issues that needed to be addressed. We are in the process of making the final adjustments and testing with local users before shipping the remaining pre-production prototypes and then heading into production. We are also developing a software tool for performing firmware updates remotely, which eliminates the need for systems to be returned to us for upgrades. Now our goal is to continue building the pre-production prototypes, which are being assembled by hand in the US, and resume shipping this month, and the final production units for Kickstarter backers will start shipping from China in March.[/quote] I've got patience though. You can only really ship hardware once so you better get it right on first try.

For some reason I wanna see the Top Gear guys getting their faces in a Rift and playing some driving sim. I imagine James would know about its existence but the other two, maybe not.

[QUOTE=FetusFondler;46943511]For some reason I wanna see the Top Gear guys getting their faces in a Rift and playing some driving sim. I imagine James would know about its existence but the other two, maybe not.[/QUOTE] James built a house out of LEGO. I'm pretty sure he knows a thing or two about most things.

Just spent many hours showing off my DK2 + leap motion to my visiting sister and her husband. I didn't realize until the end, but the entire time, my drive names were visible on the side of one of my monitors: Billy Erection Hitler Dildo

[url=http://facepunch.com/showthread.php?t=1446748]I'm pretty sure this thread is hilariously related to VR[/url]

I don't like how short the DK2 cables are. The ten foot reach is great for sitting down, but I can't run it through eye hooks along my ceiling to drop down to my head so I can use it standing and turning around without getting wrapped in the cable. So I've ordered a displayport->HDMI 10ft cable, a HDMI 2.0 coupler, and two USB 3.0 10ft extension cables. I will become one with the latency.

[url]http://www.army.mod.uk/news/26868.aspx[/url] "The event features the Army’s new Oculus Rift technology - wrap-around virtual reality headsets which will let potential new recruits experience the sensations of being on training exercises and operations in the UK and abroad." To me, this actually quite a promising sign. Generally speaking, the MoD invests in equipment that is hi-tech and actually worth a damn. It must certainly be turning some heads if military forces are showing an interest.

[t]http://i.imgur.com/vLdzgk6.jpg[/t] Jesus, it's come far I can't believe that iteration is less than three years old

I always wondered what the Oculus allows in terms of F.O.V. Virtual reality sounds pretty great to me, but if it feels like looking through a tunnel it would put me off a bit.

[QUOTE=_Axel;46949000]I always wondered what the Oculus allows in terms of F.O.V. Virtual reality sounds pretty great to me, but if it feels like looking through a tunnel it would put me off a bit.[/QUOTE] I haven't tested the Oculus for myself, but as far as I know you don't actually notice that you're looking through a 'tunnel'. Maybe if you really try to spot the borders, but I guess that mostly you won't even know.

[QUOTE=Flumbooze;46949068]I haven't tested the Oculus for myself, but as far as I know you don't actually notice that you're looking through a 'tunnel'. Maybe if you really try to spot the borders, but I guess that mostly you won't even know.[/QUOTE] OK, so I suppose it's at least as good as looking at a screen in that regard.

It's like wearing a scuba mask. Cup your hands on the sides of your face and you'll get a good idea.

[QUOTE=Orkel;46949242]It's like wearing a scuba mask. Cup your hands on the sides of your face and you'll get a good idea.[/QUOTE] That's pretty good already. Do they plan to enhance peripheral vision in the future?

I'm very sure they want to realize everything that enhances the experience eventually. The question is what arrives on what iteration, and the example that Orkel gave will probably still be the case in CV1.

TBH even if all it did was just be a really good quality OLED screen that isolated you from your surroundings (immersive from that alone) and took up a large portion of a view as a 3D gaming "monitor" of sorts (except with a higher quality/more natural 3D effect than what you get out of glasses) I think it would be cool as hell to use over an actual monitor. The fact that its full blown VR is icing on the cake

It would be neat to have a virtual monitor in the virtual reality space, but have that monitor actually be a giant box of sorts that you can run normal games in and see the 3D inside them like little figures. [editline]16th January 2015[/editline] a virtual 3d monitor with free angles

[QUOTE=_Axel;46949000]I always wondered what the Oculus allows in terms of F.O.V. Virtual reality sounds pretty great to me, but if it feels like looking through a tunnel it would put me off a bit.[/QUOTE] Look at a rift an imagine cutting the front face off of it and you're just looking straight through it. That's about what the FOV is.

[QUOTE=krix;46949401]I'm very sure they want to realize everything that enhances the experience eventually. The question is what arrives on what iteration, and the example that Orkel gave will probably still be the case in CV1.[/QUOTE] Crescent Bay has something like a 103 degree FoV compared to the 100 of the DK2 and 110 of the DK1. Mitchell said the CV1 could have "more or less" than the crescent bay so it's still all up in the air, could be anywhere between 100-110.

So as someone wanting to get a new gaming rig that would run the DK2 and later the CV, I understand the requirements are being able to run current games at 1080p at constant 75fps. That being said, could you guys (specifically those already with a DK2) provide some further clarification / what your builds are like and if you guys think they'd hold up or transition well for the CV? Right now I was looking at a $600-$700 gaming rig but I have no idea if that's good enough or not. I'd prefer buying right the first time so I'm not wasting money obviously. That's why I was somewhat curious at what you guys (especially with the DK2) are running.

[QUOTE=WitheredGryphon;46951652]So as someone wanting to get a new gaming rig that would run the DK2 and later the CV, I understand the requirements are being able to run current games at 1080p at constant 75fps. That being said, could you guys (specifically those already with a DK2) provide some further clarification / what your builds are like and if you guys think they'd hold up or transition well for the CV? Right now I was looking at a $600-$700 gaming rig but I have no idea if that's good enough or not. I'd prefer buying right the first time so I'm not wasting money obviously. That's why I was somewhat curious at what you guys (especially with the DK2) are running.[/QUOTE] Having a high-end gaming rig won't hurt, but it all depends on the games you're trying to run. If you're in the upper regions of the Steam hardware survey results, you'll probably be catered to once the CV1 launches. For CV1 it's probably expected that'll you'll need to run 1440p at 90 fps, but that's just to get a perfectly clear image. I image the render buffer could be scaled down or up depending on the hardware powering it, in order to reach the desired framerate. So my advice is get whatever computer does a good job for your current needs, and take into account that you might want to upgrade it in the future.