Talk about Head Mounted Displays (HMDs), augmented reality, wearable computing, controller hardware, haptic feedback, motion tracking, and related topics here!
The Sony guy said aswell that they plan to release two models, one in the pricerange of the T1, and another cheaper one for the mass market.
Isnt the HMZ cheapo already, better they make one twice as expensive and put some extra FOV and comfort into the package.. I dont want cheaper stuff I want better stuff!
Isn't there more expensive stuff already on the market ? ;P I really hope they do this, would mean that investors would see the possibility's and we can choooooossseeee from alot of good HMD's in the near future. <- ALMOST got a boner when i wrote that
Corex wrote:
Isn't there more expensive stuff already on the market ? ;P I really hope they do this, would mean that investors would see the possibility's and we can choooooossseeee from alot of good HMD's in the near future. <- ALMOST got a boner when i wrote that
Well, not in that price range. Im talking the 2,000-3,000 dollar range, not 20,000
It's possible that Sony keeps the oled tech for their "expensive" model and implement lcd or lcos in the cheaper ones. Picture quality in terms of picture fidelity is something they are used to make the crowds ( at least the homecinema ones) pay for, regardless if production of oled is cheaper in the end. They gain much more bucks with marketing politics ensuring not to compete their own products rather then offering the best for thelowest price possible.
I think it will be a lot of fun to observe how LG, Samsung etc. react. I would bet that they have something in the pipeline already
ancjob wrote:does not look like there will be better ergonomic design - it's the same design
Why do you think that? The picture at the top is just a stock picture of an HMZ-T1, it is not a picture of the newer model.
any idea where to find the pics of new model ?
being in this HMD thing for long - my love for gadgets like these has not dwindled in the least....
that's another thing occasional 20 min use then in the box...will be the norm....but i still do love technology good/bad...gadgets to splurge on....wait did i forget the word "judiciously' oops...so naughty me..
by the time it will be in INDIA - hopefully it will have a different shape - same specs.....i believe!
ancjob wrote:any idea where to find the pics of new model ?
I doubt there are any pics, they have probably not even finalized the design yet. This is only the very first we have heard of it, so we will probably not be seeing pics for a while. Who knows, though, maybe they will show it off at CES! Sony has moved a lot faster than we expect, so who knows.
Today I try out contact lens and found it is easier to focus on the screen plus less reflection. The screen looks slightly bigger without prescription glasses. The picture quality is really good compare to previous gen HMD. If you like 3D game which mostly in 720p, I don't see a reason waiting for 1080p model. Going to try out COD:MW3 tonight.
i only sony were to sell their OLEDs - there will many HMDs from diff. companies [LG,Samsung,Epson etc] with great ergonomics as well.....may be my wishful thinking.....
is there gonna be a 1080p model from sony - is that true ?
what if Sony comes out with new models of 3d viewer every year....? - then waiting for the rt ergonimics will be the best at least for me....something like Lumus HMDs Design i 'd posted info of
I think the reason why I get shorter distance for ASUS WAVI is due to the output voltage is 10.5v from 12v connection. Wish to simplify the setup to below:
10.5v --> LM2596 regulator --> 5v 3A output straight into the processor box (after cut out the wiring from internal transformer).
19v --> step down willy cable --> 12v 3A powering ASUS WAVI.
Is it completely US compatible? Will I need a voltage converter? I wonder how it compares to the IOGEAR, which I found for $200 on Costco. I think it may be better.
You can use it with any 12v 2A DC adapter (UK version come with UK plug). I'm not sure if IOGear support 720p 3D framepack but you can check it out with return policy from Amazon.
Would the Razer Hydra be better than Wii Motion Plus, since the Hydra's more sensitive? Also, I found a Wii Remote Plus for $40 on Amazon. It has Wii Motion PLus integrated. Would that be the same? I assume it would; just wondering if there might be any compatibility issues. I ordered an Energizer XP18000 and was about to order the IOGEAR. It's $200 from Costco. I'll try to find out if it supports framepacking. What is framepacking, and what uses it? I want to play Xbox 360, PS3, and PC games in 3D.
Razer Hydra uses absolute tracking, so its going to be more accurate for certain purposes. The Wii Motion+ is probably good enough for gaming, though it may have some drift.
The Hydra is really good, and accurate, and works fine on 360 degree setups. Currently the software lets it down a bit however when used with guns. Specifically, the 'gesture' support seems to only be towards the sensor/origin, so the gestures such as tilt gun left and right just don't work reliably when facing 180. Pointing gun up/down etc works fine. This is a bit annoying, cos its quite nice to be able to use the gestures. When using a Wiimote etc, because its relative not absolute, its probably much easier to get gestures to work when facing 180 degrees. The other advantage of a Wiimote is that it is wireless.
If gesture support is not important, I think the Razor is probably a better bet for a head tracker. This is because it supports absolute positioning (and magnetic sensors have a long history as being one of the best solutions for VR head tracking. You could use GlovePIE to output the head motion as TrackIR, then you would have a head tracker that would work with many games and be 100% positionally accurate. Mouse emulation always sounds nice, but in my experience its a bit of a PITA. The big advantage is the absolute positioning, so you will have zero drift.
Aphradonis wrote:Would the Razer Hydra be better than Wii Motion Plus, since the Hydra's more sensitive? Also, I found a Wii Remote Plus for $40 on Amazon. It has Wii Motion PLus integrated. Would that be the same? I assume it would; just wondering if there might be any compatibility issues. I ordered an Energizer XP18000 and was about to order the IOGEAR. It's $200 from Costco. I'll try to find out if it supports framepacking. What is framepacking, and what uses it? I want to play Xbox 360, PS3, and PC games in 3D.
@Aphradonis - Based on the glovePIE forum, it seems that Wii Motion Plus integrated might not 100% compatible based on part no. The safest bet is to get a normal wiimote + motionplus.
Framepacking is the HDMI 1.4 3D Standard and PS3 and PC (using Nvidia 3DTV Play) do support this standard. Not sure about XBox 360 but from what I heard it support TnB format which HMZ-T1 do support.
Okay, thanks. I'll just get a regular Motion Plus, then. I already have a Wiimote. I can try the Hydra later if I decide the Wiimote is not accurate enough. Since framepacking is the standard for HDMI, the IOGEAR almost certainly supports it, as it's specifically designed with 3D in mind. It's $200 from Costco, and they have a three month return policy.
How's the Energizer XP18000 working? How long does it last with your simulator? Hopefully that's the best battery - I looked around and didn't find a better one, and since it's the one you use, I ordered one already. I want to use it with the TN Games 3rd Space vest eventually.
I managed to get 2.5 hours from a fully charge XP18000. If we can get a step down regulator 10.5v to 5v - 3A and feed it directly to the processor box bypassing 110v input, I estimate due to higher efficiency we can get extra 10% power.
Wow, the Amazon product description says five hours for laptops, eight for netbooks. I expected the HMZ to draw less power than a netbook. How can it require so much power? It's just two small screens! That's disappointing, especially since each charge takes four hours. How about this this battery (very expensive - $500!, but claims 10-15 hours)?
I think the Sparkfun IMU is a good alternative for Wiimote, I'm working on a software for it to forward the tracking data to Glovepie (For TrackIR or other games) or Freetrack games
CyberVillain wrote:I think the Sparkfun IMU is a good alternative for Wiimote, I'm working on a software for it to forward the tracking data to Glovepie (For TrackIR or other games) or Freetrack games
That would be incredible
How does this perform compared to Track IR5? Would it run smoother, more precise?
I'm asking this because there are users having issues with track IR in simracing games, simracing would be the task i would mainly use the HMZ for.
Aphradonis wrote:Wow, the Amazon product description says five hours for laptops, eight for netbooks. I expected the HMZ to draw less power than a netbook. How can it require so much power? It's just two small screens! That's disappointing, especially since each charge takes four hours. How about this this battery (very expensive - $500!, but claims 10-15 hours)?
The reason is it need to power 2 devices - HMZ-T1 and ASUS WAVI. Asus WAVI consume around 24w (12v, 2A).
Not sure of the issues, but if they are mainly loss of directional detection due to some LED's being obscured, then either a Hydra or gyro solution should improve that. However, there are historically issues getting TrackIR emulation going, so it will all depend on what you are after and whether you want to put in extra work to get 360 tracking, or just slap a TrackClip onto the HMD and get about 120 degree tracking.
I'll probably be experimenting with GlovePIE's TrackIR emulation this week in my efforts to get my Hydra working as a tracker.
GlovePie TrackIr emulation works out of the box for older games, NaturalPoint, being the assholes they are, have encrypted the TrackIR data rendering all emulators useless for games newer then 2008.
There is a memory hack though that encrypts the data before its reaches the game and that makes it work, it's not a generic hack, each game needs to be added for support.. google TrackIRFixer...
Game developers should ban NaturalPoint and use the Open freetrack API instead, as developer I want standard, and closed standards such as TrackIR is poop.. Microsoft should do their part and integrate a Headtracking interface into directx
About the Sparkfun IMU, I have yet to receive it before I can compare it with my Freetrack setup
edit: I do not think Punkbuster will like memory hacks if its a online game that takes advantages of the TrackIR interface
//788Y///++++++++++-*ep, thats how its been up to now, but he mentions in the readme for 0.45 that hes using a new method of TrackIR emulation. I wonder if this one will work without needing TrackIRFixer?+
As you say, everyone should just use the Freetrack API!
I've just discovered it seems that the Hydra is not supported by GlovePIE currently
I can't think of anyway to shoehorn it in, unless GlovePIE supports creating blank objects that I can fill from another application somehow. Then I can use the SDK to do that.
I might end up having to write something using their SDK ;-(. Razer is really missing an opportunity by not releasing a head tracker using the Hydra tech in competition to TrackIR. If they made it Freetrack compatible, people could easily reimplement the old trackIR interface from Freetrack to provide TrackIR compatibility.
WiredEarp wrote:I can't think of anyway to shoehorn it in, unless GlovePIE supports creating blank objects that I can fill from another application somehow. Then I can use the SDK to do that.
I could fix so that you can write input plugins for my upcomig Sparkfun IMU software, which in turn will output to Freetrack clients or Glovepie.. It will only handle 3DOF from start though
The 444Wh battery is truly extreme. Nine pounds is heavy, and the price is very high, but it could provide a good workout, and the longest possible uninterrupted, untethered VR experience. I wonder how long these would last with a wireless video transmitter like the WAVI or IOGEAR, and an HMD, like the HMZ or ST1080. Also, I wonder how much the 3rd Space Vest would reduce battery life. My guess is significantly, since it's generating fairly strong pneumatic pressure.
@Aphradonis - Looks like I underestimate the XP18000 battery pack. Today I try out COD:MW 3 for 2 hours straight and still left around 50% battery level. I would prefer a lighter battery pack as gaming in VR is really tiring for 2 hours straight. XP18000 is rated at 18Ah at 5V which is around 90Wh (600g). I would get 2 XP18000 if you can take 6-7 hours gaming.
Anyway, MW3 3D vision support is not really good. Shadow is render wrongly is one eye causing less than satisfy 3D performance for indoor. Outdoor seems OK for 3D.
Kinect is coming soon as I need to source for the external cable + USB for PC from DealXtreme which take around 10 days shipping.
LEGEND. Thats **EXACTLY** what I wanted. Thanks! Now I can just shoehorn it into GlovePIE, and leverage that, instead of having to figure out TrackIR code from other source.
As far as those really beefy battery packs go, they should not really be needed. The Wavi consumes 24 watts, but my WiCast claims 10 watts, and I am measuring it at closer to 6 watts during normal use. I ran the WiCast and my HMD from my XP18000 the other day for just under 8 hours straight, and it was still going! That should be more than enough for normal use.
