Suggestions for VRealities.com
Posted: Sat Jun 09, 2012 5:10 pm
When it comes to buying HMDs and VR products, you have to be careful and know what you are getting. Here are sample experiences I've had with VRealities. I'm hoping this message will help them improve their marketing practices:
1. They are regularly overzealous with their product specifications and claims. For example:
- They regularly remark that their HMDs work with "any video card, turning ANY PC GAME or APPLICATION into TRUE STEREOSCOPIC 3D!" on several products. There is currently no known way to support these HMDs in "any game or application" - especially on modern AMD cards.
There was one member on MTBS who claimed it works, but he vanished when I asked for clarification, which is unfortunate. I have asked VRealities about this, but have received no information on how this claim is possible.
- Their field of view specs are inaccurate, and this needlessly misleads customers. The below product claims the virtual image size is 80" at 5', which works out to a diagonal FOV of over 60 degrees, which would be quite impressive! Directly under that, they list the FOV as 35 degrees, which is the actual specification. http://www.vrealities.com/i-cinehr.html I've asked VRealities to change it, but no luck there.
2. They claim exclusivity with high markups, but there are inexpensive options that do the same thing.
-The "X-Gun" (http://www.vrealities.com/x-gun.html) is a motion tracked gun they sell for $589, and they used to charge several thousand for it. In the specs, they claim "Display Compatibility: CRT or LCD", and also claim that "The X-Gun is available only through Virtual Realities, Inc and will not be sold or warranted through any other site".
This product is actually the Act Labs GS Gun, a product that launched at $89.99 back in the 90s, and is available on Act Lab's website for a clearance price of $14.99: http://www.act-labs.com/gun2.htm
If you check out the website, Act Labs clearly states "Warning : ACT LABS light guns will only work with CRT display (PC monitors or TV). CRT = a heavy and long tube behind the screen, it will not work with LCD, Projector, or TFT monitors /TV."
I would be really impressed if indeed the VRealities equivalent worked with LCD panels, but I don't have any reliable information to support this. If they can send us a review sample to test, I'd be happy to set the record straight.
-The "VirtualCube" (http://www.vrealities.com/virtualcube.html) is a $99 Hillcrest tracker in a black plastic shell. John Carmack and I took this one apart to confirm this. VRealities is selling it for $499 a piece.
-The "Virtual Viewer" (http://www.vrealities.com/virtualviewer3d.html) also has a striking resemblance to an Oriscape SVGA HMD. Priced at hundreds of dollars more, it too has a false claim that it works in 3D with any game/graphics card, inaccurate field of view specifications, and outlandish screen size claims. VR companies and resellers would do just as well if they marketed their products as they are, and not resort to dressing up the specs.
If Armand Bastien/VRealities has any corrections to make, feel free to post them here.
A disclosure of my only personal experience with John/Armand Bastien/VRrealities: A few months ago, I got a PM from VRealities, who took issue with a post of mine that expressed doubts about the authenticity of their site. I sent back a very polite message linking to some of the inaccuracies on his website, hoping that they would be corrected. He sent back a message, deleted it before I had a chance to read it, then messaged me several days later, with no response to my corrections and asking if I would like to meet up at CES to discuss things. I agreed, and we worked out a time and place. When that time arrived... No show, no response to text messages or voicemail, despite the phone ringing all the way through. After waiting around for a while, I gave up and left. He responded to a PM I sent him several days later by saying that he had left CES right before I called him because his mother had broken her hip. I asked if we could talk on the phone or via email to try and address the inaccuracies, but never got a response.
EDIT: Thread has been updated.
1. They are regularly overzealous with their product specifications and claims. For example:
- They regularly remark that their HMDs work with "any video card, turning ANY PC GAME or APPLICATION into TRUE STEREOSCOPIC 3D!" on several products. There is currently no known way to support these HMDs in "any game or application" - especially on modern AMD cards.
There was one member on MTBS who claimed it works, but he vanished when I asked for clarification, which is unfortunate. I have asked VRealities about this, but have received no information on how this claim is possible.
- Their field of view specs are inaccurate, and this needlessly misleads customers. The below product claims the virtual image size is 80" at 5', which works out to a diagonal FOV of over 60 degrees, which would be quite impressive! Directly under that, they list the FOV as 35 degrees, which is the actual specification. http://www.vrealities.com/i-cinehr.html I've asked VRealities to change it, but no luck there.
2. They claim exclusivity with high markups, but there are inexpensive options that do the same thing.
-The "X-Gun" (http://www.vrealities.com/x-gun.html) is a motion tracked gun they sell for $589, and they used to charge several thousand for it. In the specs, they claim "Display Compatibility: CRT or LCD", and also claim that "The X-Gun is available only through Virtual Realities, Inc and will not be sold or warranted through any other site".
This product is actually the Act Labs GS Gun, a product that launched at $89.99 back in the 90s, and is available on Act Lab's website for a clearance price of $14.99: http://www.act-labs.com/gun2.htm
If you check out the website, Act Labs clearly states "Warning : ACT LABS light guns will only work with CRT display (PC monitors or TV). CRT = a heavy and long tube behind the screen, it will not work with LCD, Projector, or TFT monitors /TV."
I would be really impressed if indeed the VRealities equivalent worked with LCD panels, but I don't have any reliable information to support this. If they can send us a review sample to test, I'd be happy to set the record straight.
-The "VirtualCube" (http://www.vrealities.com/virtualcube.html) is a $99 Hillcrest tracker in a black plastic shell. John Carmack and I took this one apart to confirm this. VRealities is selling it for $499 a piece.
-The "Virtual Viewer" (http://www.vrealities.com/virtualviewer3d.html) also has a striking resemblance to an Oriscape SVGA HMD. Priced at hundreds of dollars more, it too has a false claim that it works in 3D with any game/graphics card, inaccurate field of view specifications, and outlandish screen size claims. VR companies and resellers would do just as well if they marketed their products as they are, and not resort to dressing up the specs.
If Armand Bastien/VRealities has any corrections to make, feel free to post them here.
A disclosure of my only personal experience with John/Armand Bastien/VRrealities: A few months ago, I got a PM from VRealities, who took issue with a post of mine that expressed doubts about the authenticity of their site. I sent back a very polite message linking to some of the inaccuracies on his website, hoping that they would be corrected. He sent back a message, deleted it before I had a chance to read it, then messaged me several days later, with no response to my corrections and asking if I would like to meet up at CES to discuss things. I agreed, and we worked out a time and place. When that time arrived... No show, no response to text messages or voicemail, despite the phone ringing all the way through. After waiting around for a while, I gave up and left. He responded to a PM I sent him several days later by saying that he had left CES right before I called him because his mother had broken her hip. I asked if we could talk on the phone or via email to try and address the inaccuracies, but never got a response.
EDIT: Thread has been updated.