Suggestions for VRealities.com

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PalmerTech
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Suggestions for VRealities.com

Post by PalmerTech »

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.
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cybereality
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Re: Stay away from VRrealities.com

Post by cybereality »

Well I figured they were pretty shady, been following the site for years but could never afford their wild prices. Also, the site looks like it was designed in 1994, I really wouldn't trust giving them my credit card. Not to mention the false claims about 3D support, they are right up there with e-dimensional (another hack job company).

Also, I just got wind of what happened on the Rift thread. Unbelievable. Do people just think we are idiots to fall for that? Obviously FUD, even before you tracked the IP.

Just lame.
space123321
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Re: Stay away from VRrealities.com

Post by space123321 »

I had made several attemps to contact them in the past - sometimes I would receive a quick pleasant reponse, sometimes I would have no reply. I guess in depends on their mood lol...
3dvison
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Re: Stay away from VRrealities.com

Post by 3dvison »

I am going to sound like a snob.
But can the new RIFT thread only be viewed by people(Like Me) that have some kind of documents, such as my glossy brochure for the Forte VFX-1 that I sent away for by snail-mail back in 1995.
Just somthing that shows we are the type of person that knows what a VR-HMD is, and we know that Field of View is KING.
Last edited by 3dvison on Sat Jun 09, 2012 6:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
space123321
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Re: Stay away from VRrealities.com

Post by space123321 »

Does my receipt for my Cybermax count lol?
3dvison
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Re: Stay away from VRrealities.com

Post by 3dvison »

space123321 wrote:Does my receipt for my Cybermax count lol?
If it's not a VReality's receipt...Than Yes that counts...Cybermax gets you, Gold star status.
Octavion
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Re: Stay away from VRrealities.com

Post by Octavion »

The way he was trolling I was sure it was Ancjob... maybe he finally got a job with his peers at VRrealities.

Oct
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ShawmK
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Re: Stay away from VRrealities.com

Post by ShawmK »

I've always been a bit suspicious of VRealities; I'm glad it's not just me...

Another black mark against them:

http://www.vrealities.com/3ddvd.html

Many of the "3D DVDs" they sell are pirated copies of discs produced by a friend of mine named Dann, who used to run a website called Underground 3D. Back in the pre-Blu Ray days he produced field-sequential versions of films, mastered from various sources.

He was completely unaware that that VRrealities were selling copies of his discs (for a lot more than he ever charged). They even use the exact cover art that he produced.

His website is no longer active, but he still maintains his YouTube channel:

http://www.youtube.com/user/underground3dmovies/videos
bobv5
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Re: Suggestions for VRealities.com

Post by bobv5 »

I think they used the act lab gun with different hardware inside. The act lab is game port connection, the VRealities.com is usb. The act labs is a light gun, VRealities.com claim 360 degree tracking. The act labs wont work with windows xp, VRealities.com claim it emulates a mouse.

The most likely explanation is that they put an air mouse in an act lab gun case. VRealities.com took that page down. Was looking at the google cached version. They must have an insane amount of storage, to backup most of the internet!
"If you have a diabolical mind, the first thing that probably came to mind is that it will make an excellent trap: how do you get off a functional omni-directional treadmill?"
PalmerTech
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Re: Suggestions for VRealities.com

Post by PalmerTech »

Yeah, that seems a likely explanation.

And wow, looking back at the Wayback archive, the specs on the Virtual Viewer have been even more exaggerated in the past. Last February, it was claimed that the image size was a whopping 85" at 5', then they claimed 100" at 10', now they claim 90" at 10'.

Still incorrect/exaggerated, though. :roll:
Goldwarrior
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Re: Suggestions for VRealities.com

Post by Goldwarrior »

I also see over at Vrealities the VR2200 which had a field of view listed at 42 and now its magically listed at 45 degress fov !! :?

http://www.vrealities.com/products/featured/vr2200

listed at $1499US and includes a tracker. I assume this is the same Hillcrest tracker that was noted?

but then on ebay they have it listed for $999US with the tracker but the ebay listing says it is 42 degree FOV

http://www.ebay.com/itm/271404609697?ss ... 1423.l2649

I guess they are dumping them on to ebay

They are clearly lying about the FOV being at 45 degrees.

Is this an Oriscape unit? FOB Price: US $ 450 - 600 / Piece
http://oriscape.en.alibaba.com/product/ ... r_LCD.html

Which is listed at 32 degree FOV

VRealities are damn LIARS!! This community is too small for this type of crap!
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