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[Lord Error]

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1523379957/oculus-rift-step-into-the-game?ref=recently_launched

Best 3D VR headset for gaming (110 degrees view, ultra low latency) for $300. Yes please!

"Rift could be the closest we've come to Star Trek's holodeck." - Gamespy

“...the effect of using the Oculus Rift as you play is mind-blowing." - G4TV

"...we found ourselves entirely absorbed; a gaming experience with a level of immersion genuinely unlike anything else we have ever encountered." - CVG

 

[shira]

If it works with ouya gaming will be changed

Hardcore DIY kit for $275

 

[sTeLioSco]

lots of endorsements....

 

[Durante]

Got one of the DIY kits.

Much cheaper than I expected.

BUY BUY BUY!

 

[Chairmanchuck]

Really love the idea, but didnt carmack say at E3 that right now about 500$ seem realistic, because the current Headtracking-VR-Displays are too slow?

Edit: Oh. It is the one from Carmack, it seems *haha*

 

[DarkSoul520]

I really hope this makes waves like Ouya did, because I feel that this is much more important in reviving the VR dream.

 

[Waikis]

I use my hmz t1 daily.
Paid for the $300 model.

 

[ekim]

So the dev kit is like you can't play games with but can write your own games to use Rift?
Or does the bundled Doom 3 BFG support it out of the box?

 

[HoosTrax]

lots of endorsements....

From a lot of glasses wearers. Can I assume from that that glasses won't be an issue then?

And is this mainly intended for developers, or would this be of interest to end users?

I feel like this thing would benefit from a top strap like Sam Fisher's goggles, to distribute the weight better.

 

[kami_sama]

I want to get one, but I don't have the money.

Either way, I want this to be bigger than ouya. Cheap VR for everyone!

 

[DieH@rd]

Wow they brought down price from 500 to 275!

And with this kind of dev suppot, i cant wait untill they manage to rip out some mobile phone screens with 1080p+ resolutions and integrate them into VR set!

 

[Delusibeta]

So the dev kit is like you can't play games with but can write your own games to use Rift?
Or does the bundled Doom 3 BFG support it out of the box?

Yes to both, from what I understand.

 

[BrokenEchelon]

lots of endorsements....

Jesus. No kidding. Cliffy, Dyack, Gaikai guys, Gabe...

Good god...

 

[Durante]

The video is about 10x more professionally produced than I expected. Good going Oculus!

I have no doubt that this will reach its goal.

 

[DieH@rd]

So the dev kit is like you can't play games with but can write your own games to use Rift?
Or does the bundled Doom 3 BFG support it out of the box?

The problem with the rift is that is uses cheap screens, literal screens that are taken out from the mobile phones. And, to deliver image to both eyes, they use cheap optics that transfers FISH EYE view to the user. To play the game on Oculus Rift, developers or modders need to render the game with that FISH EYE effect in mind, so when we look trough the eyepieces we will see normal image.

In a year or two, i think that many many games will support this kind of rendering out from the box.


[Sony HMZ-T1 uses two extremly small OLED screens that cost an arm and a leg [<2" screens with 720p pixel density].

 

[Shao Kahn Brewing a Stew]

Are the specs as good (and as compatible) as Sony's HMZ-T1?

 

[SquiddyCracker]

I really want this to succeed, but 300 dollars is a bit too mcuh for me to gamble on and the cheaper rewards are pretty meh (that t-shirt is nice though, but still overpriced).

I hope it does get funded though, VR-gaming needs a revolution and this might be just that.

 

[Durante]

The problem with the rift is that is uses cheap screens, literal screens that are taken out from the mobile phones.

This is literally wrong. It's a screen for industrial applications, Palmer confirmed that on the mtbs3d forums.

This doesn't mean it's great or anything, it's just the best feasible option.

Are the specs as good (and as compatible) as Sony's HMZ-T1?

They are much worse in some aspects, but infinitely better in others. This is a VR device, not a movie watching device.

 

[HoosTrax]

To play the game on Oculus Rift, developers or modders need to render the game with that FISH EYE effect in mind, so when we look trough the eyepieces we will see normal image.

Is this something that the big name developers listed in their Kickstarter could add to their respective SDKs (UDK, Source, etc) at a low level, to make available to any games that use those?

I really want this to succeed, but 300 dollars is a bit too mcuh for me to gamble on and the cheaper rewards are pretty meh (that t-shirt is nice though, but still overpriced).

I hope it does get funded though, VR-gaming needs a revolution and this might be just that.

Just to keep things in perspective:
- high end racing rigs costs thousands of dollars
- high end racing steering wheels and flight sticks cost up to $500
- a TrackIR set costs up to $150
- decent quality 3D / 120Hz capable monitors cost at least $400
- one performance-grade video card (NV GTX _70 level) costs around $300-$400

 

[CaLe]

Can it be used with anything else than DOOM 3 BFG ?

 

[Durante]

Is this something that the big name developers listed in their Kickstarter could add to their respective SDKs (UDK, Source, etc) at a low level, to make available to any games that use those?

Yes, easily.

Can it be used with anything else than DOOM 3 BFG ?

People are working on open source drivers to make it compatible with e.g. Skyrim and Mirror's Edge. I'll be contributing once I get mine.
(early sample footage)

 

[CaLe]

People are working on open source drivers to make it compatible with e.g. Skyrim and Mirror's Edge. I'll be contributing once I get mine.

Awesome ! Have any links ?

Thanks

 

[Shao Kahn Brewing a Stew]

They are much worse in some aspects, but infinitely better in others. This is a VR device, not a movie watching device.

Can't see the video at work but from the sounds of what you're explaining, it has head-tracking as well?

 

[CaLe]

Alright I'm backing it... How do I add the 30$ for international shipping ?

 

[Alucrid]

Alright I'm backing it... How do I add the 30$ for international shipping ?

Just donate 330 in the pop up box instead of the 300 already there

 

[CaLe]

Just donate 330 in the pop up box instead of the 300 already there

Great, thanks ! First time I'm backing something up...

I'm a developer myself, and I can't wait to help people with this open source driver.

 

[dark10x]

If it works with ouya gaming will be changed

Hardcore DIY kit for $275

Ha ha, with Ouya? Yeah, as if a Tegra 3 is suitable for something like this.

 

[gofreak]

I kind of wonder if/hope we'll get a standard for VR headsets. Like the stereo3D standards, but for the motion input going the other way.

I want one headset that will work with PC/consoles etc.

I am tempted to invest in one of these though, and hope for a thriving PC scene.

 

[Durante]

Can't see the video at work but from the sounds of what you're explaining, it has head-tracking as well?

It has an integrated gyro/motion sensor, yeah.

Since you asked for a comparison to the HMZ:

HMZ wins:
+ contrast
+ resolution
+ pixel switching times
+ compatibility

Rift wins:
+ display latency
+ integrated low-latency gyro/motion sensor
+ field of view (massive difference)
+ community support (this one is an assumption, but a well reasoned one I believe)
+ price

As I said above, they are very different devices, despite the form factor. The HMZ is almost unusable for VR (due to latency/FoV), and the Rift is almost unusable for movies (due to low res, and FoV again ).

 

[subversus]

nice references he has there

 

[SoulClap]

Pledged. Nearly 50k in donations in less than one day. Looks like it's going to meet it's goal.

 

[HoosTrax]

I'm torn. This is surprisingly affordable for what it is, yet I'm kind of inclined to wait for a version 2.0 or something, that will inevitable come to address whatever issues come up with the first prototype. As I said before, I think this thing would definitely benefit from a top strap.

I wouldn't want this thing resting on the bridge of my nose for hours and hours.

 

[Durante]

Pledged. Nearly 50k in donations in less than one day. Looks like it's going to meet it's goal.

Less than a day? It made 40k in the last hour.

 

[CaLe]

Less than a day? It made 40k in the last hour.

Yep, just pledged too.

Would you happen to have a link for the open source driver people will be working on ? Is there a community setup ? I'd love to help once I get mine.

I'm confused about the $300 option. Does giving that much get you a working and assembled Oculus? All the option says is that you get Doom BFG and an SDK

Yes it does, but it won't be the consumer model from what I understand.

 

[FlyinJ]

I'm confused about the $300 option. Does giving that much get you a working and assembled Oculus? All the option says is that you get Doom BFG and an SDK

 

[Durante]

Yep, just pledged too.

Would you happen to have a link for the open source driver people will be working on ? Is there a community setup ? I'd love to help once I get mine.

I think there are actually two separate projects going on.
You can read all about it on the mtbs3d forums: http://www.mtbs3d.com/phpBB/viewforum.php?f=138
The one I was thinking of is Biclops: https://github.com/josh-lieberman/Biclops

I'm confused about the $300 option. Does giving that much get you a working and assembled Oculus? All the option says is that you get Doom BFG and an SDK

You get a working Rift. (Oculus is the company, Rift is the first product)

 

[chiablo]

This is a dev kit, so I'm assuming this isn't really going to be useful for 90% of people.

 

[Waikis]

Also, according to the MTBS thread, you can actually upgrade the display module down the road.

"The display module is going to be detachable from the optics module, so you will be able to modify, replace, or upgrade your lenses in the future!

 

[DieH@rd]

Is this something that the big name developers listed in their Kickstarter could add to their respective SDKs (UDK, Source, etc) at a low level, to make available to any games that use those?

Carmack mentioned in this video that anti-fisheye visuals can be introduced into game as a simple shader effect.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kw-DlWwlXHo

 

[wrowa]

I'm torn. This is surprisingly affordable for what it is, yet I'm kind of inclined to wait for a version 2.0 or something, that will inevitable come to address whatever issues come up with the first prototype.

Definitely. Keep in mind that this Kickstarter is pimarly targeted at developers and not at end-consumers.

 

[Dark Octave]

Looks awesome. It would be cool if this launched with the next Xbox.

The Double Fine guy was more serious than he usually is in this video.

 

[ghst]

after carmack's evangelising at e3, this is the tech development i'm currently most interested in, certainly hardware wise. as far as i can gather, the actual motion detection is fairly straightforward tech, and the big issues are in the efficiency of the drivers, fov restrictions (both of which carmack claims to have largely solved) and the resolution of the display, which carmack suggests is something that will soon have a solution due to the sheer amount of funding and research currently going into miniaturisation of lcd/oled displays.

if only some of those kinect/wiiu billions could've been spent chasing a dream like this instead. hope we hear more about it at quakecon.

 

[1-D_FTW]

I almost clicked on it. But 275 dollars is kind of scaring me off. What are the technical specs on that? That seems way too cheap. That and the fact they make it a point to say this is for developers and a consumer model will be later.

I don't care about the assembly bit. I'm just concerned that a developer is more interested in getting things working properly. Resolution and screen quality really aren't that important, because it's just the end product. What you want is a working device that you can test and make sure your programming works with. So it leaves me uneasy that they completely omitted any technical aspects.

 

[Sho Nuff]

What's the resolution on this thing?

 

[Durante]

Unless something changed it's a 1280 x 800 screen.

 

[Aaron]

Not a developer, so I'll wait for the consumer version. I really doubt they'll have any trouble hitting their target.

 

[thuway]

I am in. Will they use OLED panels?

 

[1-D_FTW]

Unless something changed it's a 1280 x 800 screen.

But weren't they speculating at 500 dollars when that was being mentioned?

Anyways, I'll just wait. The 300 dollar version doesn't have any limits. An extra 25 bucks won't kill me if I get the urge to fund it before it closes.

I am in. Will they use OLED panels?

No. And I wouldn't expect that for quite some time. They seem to be focused on affordable mass tech. Luckily that means 1080P+ screens could be on the roadmap as soon as next year.

 

[Waikis]

What's the resolution on this thing?

The Oculus Rift contains a 1280 x 800 screen split in two — 640 x 800 for each eye.

 

[Durante]

I am in. Will they use OLED panels?

No. There are no suitable OLED (or higher res) panels in the correct size available at this point in time.