Oculus "Rift" : An open-source HMD for Kickstarter

Post by **cybereality** » Sat Sep 01, 2012 10:45 am

Well I already got charged. I was in for $650.

Post by **MSat** » Sat Sep 01, 2012 12:14 pm

Wow.. The Rift has definitely come a long way in such a short period of time. Granted, I only heard about it from Carmack's E3 demo, but even then, Palmer was wondering if he would be able to sell a measly 100 units. Now we have fancy rendering of a beautiful enclosure, fully assembled and about half the price of his initial estimates! Not only that, but going from a one man show wondering about how he would build more than 100 kits if there was the demand, to having a very impressive team consisting of industry professionals - the future of the Rift couldn't look brighter!

Thank you Palmer and John! If this ideal match-up didn't happen when it did, who knows when it ever would have.

Post by **Owen** » Sun Sep 02, 2012 1:07 am

Congratulations, the future of VR looks very hopeful indeed. I eagerly await my two units as I start work on a new game engine.

Post by **anzbert** » Sun Sep 02, 2012 3:48 am

there is a new review of the rift done by 4playerpodcast.com at pax 2012

link : http://youtu.be/GzQdBrNfY9Y

edit: nothing new in it really. just a short impression of two guys that have tried it shortly.

Post by **Kazioo** » Sun Sep 02, 2012 7:18 am

Three amazed people - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkUHw_Ll2O8
Face of the third guy tells everything

Post by **gray** » Mon Sep 03, 2012 7:37 am

Indie game pledging Rift support at release;

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/f ... d=93017653

http://indiegames.com/2012/09/welcome_t ... .html#more

Spooky

Post by **LordJuanlo** » Tue Sep 04, 2012 2:03 am

I'm jealous of those lucky guys in the videos that have already tested the Rift

Post by **raijinspecial** » Wed Sep 05, 2012 4:51 pm

Congratulations Palmer!

http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2012/09/v ... ulus-rift/

Post by **MrGreen** » Wed Sep 05, 2012 6:30 pm

I haven't been obsessed with something like that in a loooong time.

screw December is like 3 years away!

Post by **anzbert** » Thu Sep 06, 2012 1:47 am

same here. i havn't been that excited for any sort of product since i was waiting for my first pc. savouring every little bit of oculus news i can find. and i'm checking for them every day straight after work.
sadly theres no one around sharing this excitement in my daily life. my gf doesnt really get it and heres not a lot more geeky people. ( i'm living in remote western australia, far away from civilization

pls santa bring me a rift in december (+ the usual 3 weeks extra for shipping to this hellhole

Post by **LordJuanlo** » Thu Sep 06, 2012 2:20 am

The most similar situation I remember was when I bought my 3Dfx Voodoo card. The card wasn't available in Spain and it was very hard to find abroad. I had to wait a couple of months to get mine and I was thinking about it every minute of the day until I finally got it. Today I'm much older, but with the Rift I'm getting the same special feeling. Thanks Palmer! December can't come soon enough...

Post by **wuliheron** » Thu Sep 06, 2012 2:25 am

December? Palmer said to wait for the commercial version next year or so! Ya'll are just bragging as far as I'm concerned.

Post by **Zhin** » Thu Sep 06, 2012 2:46 am

anzbert wrote:pls santa bring me a rift in december (+ the usual 3 weeks extra for shipping to this hellhole

Three weeks!!??? I feel your pain mate.
Here I am whining over that possible 2-3 days I might get delayed if Swedish Customs decides one of their infamous ARBITRARY claims. Thanks for putting things in perspective

Post by **anzbert** » Thu Sep 06, 2012 3:02 am

Three weeks!!??? I feel your pain mate.
Here I am whining over that possible 2-3 days I might get delayed if Swedish Customs decides one of their infamous ARBITRARY claims. Thanks for putting things in perspective

yeah it sucks pretty hard . i started a few little projects like building a custom sound system party machine setup, or another time i planned a scissor-lift based sit-stand desk which i didn't get far with. i just loose my initial enthusiasm everytime i have to wait for another missing part for about 3 weeks. sometimes not even knowing if the ordered part will do the job. if not it's another 3 weeks waste of time.

anyway.i'll stop whinging now

. i'm still a happy chap.

but you're right. living here really made me appreciate the great postal services in europe.

Post by **Zaptruder** » Thu Sep 06, 2012 6:12 am

anzbert wrote:same here. i havn't been that excited for any sort of product since i was waiting for my first pc. savouring every little bit of oculus news i can find. and i'm checking for them every day straight after work.
sadly theres no one around sharing this excitement in my daily life. my gf doesnt really get it and heres not a lot more geeky people. ( i'm living in remote western australia, far away from civilization

pls santa bring me a rift in december (+ the usual 3 weeks extra for shipping to this hellhole

I live in Perth! I can't find anyone to share my enthusiasm with either unfortunately.

But I suspect that'll change largely once I have something to actually show them.

Then they'll say... Damn, this IS the future!

Post by **crespo80** » Thu Sep 06, 2012 6:30 am

Zaptruder wrote:
anzbert wrote: Then they'll say... Damn, this IS the future!

When you first invite them to try the rift, depending on their age, they might say... Damn, this is the 90s past coming back

Then, once the try it, they may be blown away and change their mind

Post by **android78** » Thu Sep 06, 2012 4:12 pm

Zaptruder wrote:
anzbert wrote:same here. i havn't been that excited for any sort of product since i was waiting for my first pc. savouring every little bit of oculus news i can find. and i'm checking for them every day straight after work.
sadly theres no one around sharing this excitement in my daily life. my gf doesnt really get it and heres not a lot more geeky people. ( i'm living in remote western australia, far away from civilization

pls santa bring me a rift in december (+ the usual 3 weeks extra for shipping to this hellhole
I live in Perth! I can't find anyone to share my enthusiasm with either unfortunately.

But I suspect that'll change largely once I have something to actually show them.

Then they'll say... Damn, this IS the future!

I'm used to people giving me funny looks and backing away slightly when I talk about my toys/inventions/hobbies and in some ways, it's part of the fun. I do wonder how much impact the rift will have on the future of games. Obviously, I'm all for them developing a complete immersive experience, so you put you rift (or whatever HMD) on and the whole experience from then on is VR, including any OS interaction. But that being said, even if the HMD does eventually provide the full experience that we all want, I think there would be a lot of the public who still hate it just because, without any reason. There will also be those who prefer the disconnection from what they are playing. So when you say 'this IS the future', we need to be careful. If people feel like something is being pushed upon them, then this often starts them off on the wrong foot. If people hear about something cool and then go seeking it, that's when they get excited.

Post by **Owen** » Thu Sep 06, 2012 5:10 pm

I think its likely that the market will stratify more sharply with this kind of technology. Some people will tend toward more immersive experiences like the Rift, while others gravitate toward pick up an play experiences like with mobile platforms. The middle ground between the two doesn't seem that compelling in the long term, except maybe for local multiplayer games.

Post by **Mel** » Sat Sep 08, 2012 8:29 am

Has anyone else seen this, and do you know anything about it?

http://www.nthusim.com/store

Post by **Alkapwn** » Sat Sep 08, 2012 10:58 am

Mel wrote:Has anyone else seen this, and do you know anything about it?

http://www.nthusim.com/store

Wen I first launched their site up, I was like man this looks cheese. Trying to take advantage of the Oculus Rift hype. But then searching around it seems from all the community setups and stuff that people have put together, that they really do know their stuff. The problem though is from what I can tell, they excel at curved/multi display setups.

So I think the "Rift Support" may only end up being applying the warping to games. Not even sure if they plan on using side by side 3D or not, may just be one gameview duplicated and shown with warping to each eye. Does anyone know what that will look like through the Rift? If the view through the Rift has overlap from the two eyes, what does that look like when it's not a left view and a right view, but a single view on each side?

Post by **Mel** » Sat Sep 08, 2012 8:07 pm

Alkapwn wrote:
Mel wrote:Has anyone else seen this, and do you know anything about it?

http://www.nthusim.com/store
Wen I first launched their site up, I was like man this looks cheese. Trying to take advantage of the Oculus Rift hype. But then searching around it seems from all the community setups and stuff that people have put together, that they really do know their stuff. The problem though is from what I can tell, they excel at curved/multi display setups.

So I think the "Rift Support" may only end up being applying the warping to games. Not even sure if they plan on using side by side 3D or not, may just be one gameview duplicated and shown with warping to each eye. Does anyone know what that will look like through the Rift? If the view through the Rift has overlap from the two eyes, what does that look like when it's not a left view and a right view, but a single view on each side?

I kinda had the sense that it might be a bit of a money grab, given that they're taking pre-orders without specifying what it actually does. If it's just pre-warping, then I think that's already covered by others (cybereality comes to mind), and presumably for free (I don't wanna speak for cyber or anyone else about their intentions regarding payment for their work, so please correct me if I'm wrong).

Post by **Namielus** » Sat Sep 08, 2012 8:21 pm

Cybereality is going to put out a commercial product, end of story.

Post by **brantlew** » Sat Sep 08, 2012 8:25 pm

If you check over on the Nthusim thread, a representative from the company is talking a little bit about it. Nthusim is an existing company that already does this sort of work - so this is a really, really simple off-shoot project for them. Maybe a bit of a money-grab but you can't fault them for that - who isn't thinking about ways to capitalize on the Rift phenomenon? And the product does have some value since it should be able to properly project a low-res 2D desktop. (As you are all aware, normal desktop usage on the Rift will be really awkward with the way that the optics work.) And of course, it will support any game in non-stereoscopic mode. No custom driver work necessary. For $20, it sounds like a good deal to me.

Post by **coresnake** » Sat Sep 08, 2012 10:03 pm

NTHUSIM Plus Edition

This enhanced version is for users who want to use multiple projectors to create a truly memorable experience. Supports:
Single head,
Dual head,
and Triple head configurations!

ONLY $489

But I only have one head

Post by **cybereality** » Sat Sep 08, 2012 10:09 pm

I think its great if Nthusim gets in on the action. I still feel like my driver (which will be commercial, by the way) will have more value. I am doing a lot more than just the warping, including stereo 3D and head-tracking. And future versions of my software may support even more fringe stuff like haptic force-feedback, and things like that. But I think the more support the Rift gets, the better the eventual commercial version will do.

Post by **BOLL** » Sun Sep 09, 2012 11:08 am

Not sure if these links have been posted, they just appeared in my Google Alerts. When I read articles I mostly look for first hand stories of their experience of the rift, I found them interesting, and it... erhm, helps with the waiting.

Somber: http://psychobuttons.com/2012/09/02/jum ... ulus-rift/

Hyper: http://www.stfuandplay.com/story/conten ... culus-rift

As a comment, I am myself in the camp of having tried out very crappy VR (about 10 years ago) which at that time got me totally disinterested. I was so disappointed technology hadn't gotten further at that time, even though it most likely wasn't the latest and bestest version. The Rift has so far, without me even trying it, done the reversed. My interest in VR and immersive media is at a peak level, and I hope it'll be sustained :)

When it comes to gaming, I haven't been this excited for a peripheral since motion controls with the Wii, before that I was fairly burnt out and bored with repeated game concepts and a stagnation in variety in the industry, I was looking for newer and better experiences while not wasting my time, age does that I guess.

The Rift, as a concept, not only provides a new experience but brings it all to a new level. Moving pictures is a strong media, moving pictures with supreme immersive qualities will be insane. Better brainwashing devices will be hard to find! :D I am so looking forward to getting lost in a fantastic universe other than our own... the closest I have come to achieve that so far is by reading books, I realize... er, I am babbling, that usually happens when I am excited. Yes, totally looking for immersion, lets hope developers can deliver content to match.

Post by **Kazioo** » Sun Sep 09, 2012 6:11 pm

Very nice review: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNo8jNJBQXI&feature=plcp
I like that Oculus team talks openly about positional tracking

EDIT: New link. The video was removed seconds after my post

Post by **cybereality** » Sun Sep 09, 2012 6:12 pm

Looks like the video was removed.

Post by **MrGreen** » Sun Sep 09, 2012 6:13 pm

Kazioo wrote:Very nice review: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6aYn3ib6XA
I like that Oculus team talks openly about positional tracking

Removed

Post by **Krisper** » Sun Sep 09, 2012 6:35 pm

Kazioo wrote:Very nice review: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNo8jNJBQXI&feature=plcp
I like that Oculus team talks openly about positional tracking

Excellent review, it is so good to see all these people getting excited about the RIFT.

Post by **cybereality** » Sun Sep 09, 2012 7:53 pm

Videos back. Good stuff.

Post by **IGameArt** » Sun Sep 09, 2012 8:18 pm

Good to see girls getting excited about this. Glad it's not just men who want to jump on the band wagon, especially girls that cute!

Post by **zino** » Mon Sep 10, 2012 12:55 am

IGameArt wrote:Good to see girls getting excited about this. Glad it's not just men who want to jump on the band wagon,

You are doing good...

especially girls that cute!

Aw, frak! You where so close!

Post by **MrGreen** » Mon Sep 10, 2012 7:56 am

zino wrote:
IGameArt wrote:Good to see girls getting excited about this. Glad it's not just men who want to jump on the band wagon,
You are doing good...

especially girls that cute!
Aw, frak! You where so close!

Post by **Kazioo** » Mon Sep 10, 2012 1:27 pm

IGameArt wrote:Good to see girls getting excited about this. Glad it's not just men who want to jump on the band wagon, especially girls that cute!

Hah, yeah I agree, it was refreshing.

There is even better quote on her website:

Some notable things about it are that when you turn your head completely around you’ll actually see the game behind you, not just a mirror image of what’s in front.

mind=blown

Post by **jis** » Mon Sep 10, 2012 1:32 pm

All games should add an option to have the game mirrored when you look backward.

Post by **3dvison** » Mon Sep 10, 2012 4:43 pm

When the RIFT comes out, maybe we can create a VR world, and in this VR world, when you call a cute girl cute, it only means you wanted to tell a cute girl she was cute, and no one else in the VR world, would be affected by this...

Well except for the non-cute girls..OH Dam, now I did it also...I was so close, I almost had it...LOL

Post by **cybereality** » Mon Sep 10, 2012 6:13 pm

Hey, I'm not too picky. She looked alright to me. Anyway, any girl screaming the words "virtual reality" will get a thumbs up in my book.

Post by **PalmerTech** » Tue Sep 11, 2012 1:02 am

I figure this sprawling thread is as good a place as any to post:

We just finished up a new prototype, been playing Doom on our backtop rig. It is crazy how intense it can be, my entire body was sweating at the end of a single level! Not motion sick or claustrophobic or anything, it just got my heart pumping.

Post by **AndrewRyan** » Tue Sep 11, 2012 1:18 am

Palmer, at the moment, how much of Doom 3 is currently RIFT compatible (if it's alright of you to answer such a question.

)?