bobv5 wrote:Wondering what the headphones would be like if you included them? Would they be suitable for binaural positional audio? Does the quality of the headphones even affect that?
It depends on the design. I would only include headphones if they were integral to the design and stability of the HMD, like with the VFX1. I am going to avoid that if I can, because people all have different sound budgets and preferences. As far as binaural audio goes, it depends on a lot of things. You want the quality to be as high as possible, and you want them to be in-ear for best results (I use HeadFi RE0s for in-ear, AD-700s for everything else). On top of that, a binaural recording should ideally be made using molds that are cast from your own ears. If your hearing system varies too much from the recording, the effect is greatly diminished, which might explain your results.
Bishop51 wrote:Since most of us haven't had the privilege of experiencing anything over 90d FOV, what is the actual immersive tipping point? Is there a calculable moment where you effectively trick the visual brain into feeling immersed? Does a hamstrung resolution destroy that immersion factor or does pixel diffusion make that a moot point?
Is that hoping for too much? Am I being unrealistic with my expectations of the PR2? Can I load up Skyrim and feel like I'm standing in a dark dungeon or an open, expansive cathedral?
I don't think there is an exact tipping point, nor is FOV the only factor. If you have good software and good tracking, then the resolution and FOV are definitely sufficient to feel a sense of presence! Getting commercial games good enough is a little tougher, since you cannot actually move and tilt your head in all the dimensions possible in real life. Pixel diffusion is a mixed bag. You lose a little sharpness, but get the huge advantage of not being able to see the pixels at all. One limitation of my HMD is that everything is at the same focal plane, but that is a problem that all displays have, be they 2D, 3D, HMD, projector, LCD, whatever.
WiredEarp wrote:I remember virtuality which I think was about 80-90 degrees (i'm a bit leary as to the specs posted on Vrealities or somewhere that claim it was less) and that had a very noticable black border
The Virtuality systems were only 70 degrees diagonally, surprisingly! Like you say, the black border is an immersion killer. With my high FOV lenses, you cannot see the edges of the display at all, the entire lens is filled with image. The FOV of the unit I sent to Cyberreality was about 110 degrees, my new lenses will beat that, with less distortion to boot. I could go all the way to 270 degree FOV, but like I said earlier, no way for normal games to render that!
As far as maintaining immersion/presence, that is tricky. 120 degrees is definitely enough to maintain a solid sense of presence, but hiccups like tracking jitter or having the HMD shift on your head are going to hold you back.
3dvison wrote:Let me ask this, with the PR2 or any HMD with a large fov. Is there a point, if the FOV is large enough, that it will begin to look as if, the floor/ground and ceiling/sky are under your feet and over your head ? Not right under your feet and over your head, but as if they are heading in the direction of your feet and head ? Or is there always a gap in that plane between you and the screen no matter how big the FOV is ?
Yes, there is a point where that happens. In fact, if you press the lenses of my HMD right up against your eyelashes, then the lenses (Which are fully filled by image) are actually reaching over your brow and cheek, so your vertical FOV is just as high as it is in real life! As long as the field of view is correctly rendered to match the HMD, then it will feel very much like the ground and sky are in their place.
Anything I missed? I am trying to see if there are ways I can "cheat" my way to a higher FOV that do not require special rendering, perhaps using plastic panels lit up with LEDs that match the colors onscreen.