Any experience with mobile VR (mobile as in walking around)?

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rick2718
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Any experience with mobile VR (mobile as in walking around)?

Post by rick2718 »

Does anybody here have any experience or comment on the experience of being mobile while "in" a virtual world?
Some VR headset seem to be trying to support it with front facing camera(s), one has a little slide window you
can open... and some seem to be trying to avoid it, maybe scared off either by the perceived liability or
the extra complexity/cost.

We built a device for Film Directors which lets them walk around in their sets. They can use an Android tablet for a display,
but we also built in support for the Rift which they really like.
If anybody has any insight/info/opinion, we'd love to hear it. It's always enlightening
to get information from outside the echo chamber.


thanks
Rick Joyce
rick@LucidityVR.com
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brantlew
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Re: Any experience with mobile VR (mobile as in walking arou

Post by brantlew »

Why, yes.
http://www.mtbs3d.com/phpbb/viewtopic.p ... 120#p95635

I've also been in the Valve Room several times.

In short - walking around even a little bit is incredibly, stupendously immersive.
rick2718
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Re: Any experience with mobile VR (mobile as in walking arou

Post by rick2718 »

Thanks for that... We have our own version of differential GPS, but it's still
not accurate enough by itself. RTK GPS is wayyyy better, but also too expensive.
In the end we fused GPS with our other sensor data to get a pretty good compromise,
and got it all packed into a 5 inch square box.
This is from an early version:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/sp0dujyzmhzw ... MedRes.mp4

She's the Art Director for the upcoming Mad Max movie, also 'San Andreas'... no doubt that walking-around steps it all up
a couple of notches. It's about being believable, which pushing a mouse to walk can't ever achieve.

Do you know why OR hasn't pursued this? liability worries? too much distraction from the cause?
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cybereality
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Re: Any experience with mobile VR (mobile as in walking arou

Post by cybereality »

I got to try Brant's redirected walking system, and honestly I was more impressed by that than the first time I tried the Rift. The act of walking around (in real life) and having that match the in-game walking is really incredible and highly immersive. Especially if you have a large area (we tested in a football field) you feel a sense of freedom that is not possible sitting (or standing) in a small room tethered to a computer.

I'm not sure if the ODT's can match (or even come close) to the experience of walking around freely in a field. However, I guess anything helps and a treadmill will probably be better then sitting in a chair.
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blazespinnaker
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Re: Any experience with mobile VR (mobile as in walking arou

Post by blazespinnaker »

You can't run in a field, not to mention you're always nervous about running into something / tripping.

On an ODT you can run and you generally feel safe.
Gear VR: Maybe OVR isn't so evil after all!
emsman
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Re: Any experience with mobile VR (mobile as in walking arou

Post by emsman »

I know of one other very promising ODT out there that is in development. It's called the Infinadeck.
Infinadeck.com
grandmaster789
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Re: Any experience with mobile VR (mobile as in walking arou

Post by grandmaster789 »

our company develops such an untethered VR setup - we can walk around freely in a 30x30m area. It's pretty much required for our target audience (military/police/emergency training) but it also introduces *many* difficult issues.

We use a full-body inertial sensor suit to capture limb movement, as well as an external tracking system to estimate absolute user positions. Synchronizing and combining these data sources is pretty difficult and is subject to interference from the environment. Especially the magnetometers in the inertial sensors get all screwed up if you walk in a room with iron beams embedded in the floor/wall. When you're stationary it's easier to compensate for such issues but when you're walking around we typically encounter a couple of such more or less invisible factors.

That said, I that being able to walk around, see your 'own' hands and feet and other people with you in VR is pretty liberating. There are plenty of issues but it's still a pretty good experience.
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