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Oculus Rift
PunksNotDead
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This looks really exciting for the future of gaming, actually putting you into the game!
LINK Not sure i'd want to try out the Guillotine simulator any time soon though!:eek:
LINK Not sure i'd want to try out the Guillotine simulator any time soon though!:eek:
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A friend of mine got the dev kit and I finally got a chance to try it out last weekend.
INCREDIBLE.
Seriously. You can read all you want. Watch reaction vids. Watch the 2D versions .... but NOTHING can prepare you for what it's actually like to use.
I knew fine what it was before I tried it of course. But the feeling of immersion is way beyond anything I was expecting. It really messes with your head (and perception). Nothing else comes close. IMAX (went to see Star Trek) actually looks pretty lame in comparison now and they need to change their blurb at the start of every IMAX film calling it "the most immersive experience". Not even close any more.
I tried out - Tuscan Mansion, Rollercoaster, Guillotine Sim (not as bad as it sounds actually), some sort of space tour, some cartoon game thing, Oculus Drift (driving game) and Helicoper Sim (with Razer Hydra). The rollercoaster and helicopter sims were the standouts for me. Especially the helicopter with the hydra tracking your upper body movement adds even more to something thats already way beyond anything else.
Once they refine it and people really get to grips with producing software for it, this thing is going to kick some serious butt.
"Next Gen" consoles have little or no interest for me now (except the Wii U cos I already have one). Consumer release of the Rift is the only thing I'm keeping an eye on.
Well, that and holding myself back from paying way over the odds for a dev kit on ebay ....
Not a chance.
Trust me. Unless you get a LOT more used to it over time, there is no way you're likely to fall asleep with this thing on. Your head gets way too messed up for that to happen ....
And we weren't using headphones (we we running it on someone elses PC). The guy who owns it uses it with headphones which completes the sensory immersion (although they released a demo of a horror game the other day and even he said he had to bale on that .... and he's used to it!).
We were talking about it at work yesterday and concluded that used underwater, with a space sim, you would get about as close to the sensation of actually being in space as it's possible to get while still on the planet.
It does sound absolutely amazing and allows you to become fully immersed in the game, i can see how it could become a game changer in how we see and play games, and i'd say if it offers something different for gaming it could do very well in the next couple of years especially with a lot of negative responses about the next gen consoles that have just been unveiled by Microsoft & Sony.
It's just so much more of an experience. You actually get a rush from playing it. On the rollercoaster, you still get ghost sensation of stomach flops as it runs along the track. You're not actually moving of course but your head thinks you are because thats the world as you see it .... so it tells your brain this and you still get a similar sensation.
I sound like I'm ranting but I've been gaming since the early 80's and I can honsestly say this is a quantum leap compared to everything else I've seen in the last 30 years.
3D is a gimmick. I'm not terribly interested and I don't really think it has much of a future.
VR is so much more. Not a gimmick and just ...... awesome.
But as long as they keep doing more of the same (which they are) I'm not really interested outside Nintendo.
Don't forget it can be driven by the next-gen consoles too, there's no reason one of these couldn't be the ultimate accessory for the new consoles too!
I've tried a dev version also, FWIW I wouldn't break the bank on one of those - the consumer version (when it comes) is supposed to be much higher resolution..!
I know.
£400-£800 for a dev version on ebay at the moment (depending how lucky you get) is an awful lot for a pre-release version. My head knows full well I should be waiting for consumer release ..... but ..... DAMN I want one!!!
And yeah, if a console picks it up, that would make them a lot more interesting. But then, that would imply actual innovation rather than a load of marketing speil and flash presentations. So I won't hold my breath. Personally, I suspect the stuff that the indies produce is likely to be much more interesting that anything the usual large software companies are likely to do with it. At least in the first place anyway.
Regards
Mark
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1944625487/omni-move-naturally-in-your-favorite-game
Whilst I'm skeptical, it is a cool idea to feel like you're actually walking in Skyrim.
Apparently they want to sell these at retail for $300
Absolutely amazing, exciting times for gaming!
That bizarre contraption is not the future of gaming, who is going to want that thing in there living or bedroom, it will just be one of those gimmicky inventions that goes no-where, at $300-400 a pop i just don't see any market for it, and as i said in my last post i would have serious concerns about the health risks of using that thing for long periods, it is like having your eyeballs a few inches away from a pc monitor for hours, the guy who designed that thing is just fishing for a job in the gaming sector, he knows that invention won't go anywhere...
That can happen.
Same happens to divers and astronauts. If it messes with your perception of horizons, balance, reality (etc etc), which this does, then it has the potential to do that. Owner warned us all to go slowly and avoid sudden movements at first and take your time getting used to the sensation of height. Movement on the horizontal plane I had no trouble with. The vertical plane took more getting used to. Same when both were combined. If you tried to fly the helicopter like you do in a 2D game, you would probably barf. lol. But you do get used to it.
If you suffer motion/travel sickness or vertigo, theres a very good chance you'll get them from this. It didn't make me feel ill but it does take a little getting used to. A couple of my friends weren't so keen and one guy (who gets really bad car sickness) can hardly use it. But you get used to it. You just need to get your brain used to the idea that what you're seeing isn't actually real. What I found, was grab the desk you are sat in front of (assuming you are) and it "grounds" you. Guy at work who scuba dives said divers do the same thing when they get disoriented. Grab something solid.
The treadmill? I dunno. Maybe. But even with the Rift, I suspect it'll remain niche. The Razer Hydra's seem much more integral as they give you hands. You can use the joysticks on them for movement. I can see how the treadmill might be a novelty in some games (Track & Field anyone?) but do I want to simulate the walking part as well as the seeing part? Probably not all (or even most) of the time.
So yeah, it probably won't be for everyone, but if you do enjoy it, I think you'll REALLY get into it.
As for the eyes thing ..... meh. I'm in my 40's and work with computers so I've been staring at monitors all day, most days, for over 25 years and my eyes are still OK. Given how cool this thing is, I'll risk it!
considering that almost no-one is going to buy this thing i don't think sony or microsoft will bother with it...
Peeping round corners and looking down holes? F**k yeah!:D
I think it'll do quite well - not for everybody, but the proposed pricing and quality of image and tracking are unlike anything in this field previously. On a console like a PS4 it suddenly becomes a 'consumer' item rather than an intimidating geek toy - a few tries of an Ace Combat or Gran Turismo where you are literally in the driving seat, and this thing will sell. At least to those with strong stomachs
at $300-400 for what is an accessory it will always be a geek toy rather then a consumer item, it is simply too expensive, you can buy a next gen console for that before too long, people are moaning about having to spend an extra £50 on the price of Xbox One because of Kinect being included, yet you think those same people are going to go out and spend $400 on a console accessory, it is simply not going to happen, a few people will buy it but it won't ever be a mainstream product, besides look at the size of that thing, how many people are going to want that thing in there living room or bedroom...
What on earth are you referring to there? The Oculus Rift is a VR headset, and the consumer version (pictured in the DS story linked) is even smaller than the dev version in circulation - when you say 'size of that thing' are you talking about the crazy omnidirectional treadmill from a completely different company? That's not part of the package!
You have to compare the Oculus to a display device like a HDTV, not a controller accessory. It's also got a long history of 'almost happening', but the technology was never up to the task, and the images it could be driven with were too low grade anyway. The technology has matured, and if you get to try one you'll see that for a lot of people who've felt cheated by the elusive promise of immersive VR for so long, this thing will be like Hoverboards finally hitting the market. I would say this will comfortably be the best selling 3D headset ever (I've had a few) - it won't be for everyone, but it works this time so it'll definitely sell in enough numbers to make it's mark.
If it hits consoles, I think it'd also make a great rental device too. Curiosity is high, maybe you only want to try one for a weekend (maybe only stomach one for less, but those are the risks!).