Valve's HMD

[TheRealistWord]

Sorry if this topic's already been posted - I couldn't seem to find it, but has anyone stumbled across the article about Valve's HMD/headset/goggles that the NYTimes recently discussed? http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/09/techn ... .html?_r=1 The article isn't too descriptive about exactly what it is, but moreso about Valve's approach and the potential of wearable computing. Here's the author's description:

"Every way I look, the scene shifts, the battle unfolds. I have a crazy contraption strapped to my head: a boxy set of goggles that looks like a 22nd-century version of a View-Master. It immerses me in a virtual world. I whirl one way and see zombies preparing to snack on my flesh. I turn another and wonder what fresh hell awaits."

Although, I can't tell if he's speaking hypothetically about Valve's future goals, or if he really was able to demo their new hardware.

Of course, given everything that's been going on lately, I can't help but immediately think of the Oculus Rift (granted, I know Valve has been interested in virtual reality and HMD's for a very long time). Anyone else pick up on this article?

EDIT: Sorry, I just noticed this WAS discussed in another forum. My apologies, I must've been blind for a moment

[Namielus]

I think a seperate thread, not related to nintendo/sony/microsoft is good anyway.

Personally , with all the support Oculus Rift is getting from Gabe Newell and Valve, I think they are going to develop for the oculus rift, not compete against it.
Im not just talking content here, but making sure their wearable computer is oculus rift-ready,
and maybe even putting out more peripheral.

Its just my opinion, once they tried the oculus rift, they realized Palmer Luckey and his team will drive the HMD part forward, so they (Valve) can focus their efforts where its needed.

[cybereality]

Well Valve has always been a software company, I'd be surprised if they departed from that. I think its more likely they will work closely with someone like Oculus and provide software support on that end. But if they did develop hardware I would be shocked if it was an HMD. More likely to be a console or even a controller rather than a display.

[Zaptruder]

Given the VR/AR focus of their hardware team... and how much potential there is for the tech in general (the end game for VR is The Matrix, no joke - except not the dumb matrix where everyone is stuck and you can't get out, but the cool one on the ship where you load programs in and out)... And how much buzz there's been about a Valve hardware project, it seems pretty obvious that they're going to be doing something with VR/AR.

I don't know if that's going to be a competing product to the Oculus Rift - or maybe it'll be a PC Box console that complements VR/AR devices like the Rift.

I think the latter is a better call - control the OS, control the peripherals, build the OS to work well with VR/AR, but ensure that it works well with 2D interfaces. VR field is exciting as hell right now, but the transition from 2D input and display paradigms to 3D and VR will be a 10 year long process.

Can you imagine Valve releasing their little steam box as a trojan horse to take over the next paradigm of computing? Get them with the gaming - but also sell/release non-game programs on the marketplace.

10 years time - they'll own the ecosystem for VR programs, which would be a massive, massive coup.

Or they could not go that way, and Google can do something similar, albeit from a different vector (i.e. from the direction of Google Glasses).

[blzd1]

Is THIS the hardware that Valve was speculated to have been developing?

I was really hoping it would be a console. But anyways, I sure hope if it is a VR HMD, they can do better than that prototype. It is bigger and heavier looking than Sony's HMD.

[Namielus]

I am 99% certain that it wont be a valve-hmd, they might contribute with ideas and tech advise, but no way that they are going head to head with Oculus Rift after all the support they have given.

[TheRealistWord]

Edit: cybereality pointed out, this picture is actually an NVIS ST50 (though possibly modified), I misread and thought this was Valve's own original headset, but being used by Gordon Stoll of Valve! lol. Thanks for the correction!



All the sources I've stumbled across mention that Valve is planning to develop this headset and freely share the designs with other companies. But I agree with everyone - Abrash's praise of the Rift made it clear that he was definitely interested in developing for it, so this new Valve headset might not be in their strongest focus. Valve is a king when it comes to software development, so I'm definitely curious to see how they'll do with the hardware field. In either case, a large, well known company tackling a headset? This is hopefully another win for VR!

Is THIS the hardware that Valve was speculated to have been developing?

I was really hoping it would be a console. But anyways, I sure hope if it is a VR HMD, they can do better than that prototype. It is bigger and heavier looking than Sony's HMD.

Agreed, I was definitely hoping it would be a console too! But they also mentioned "Big Picture" in the article (beta launching Monday), so playing Steam Games on TV's should feel more natural. I guess in that sense it's sort of like a console! And the headset does seem a bit bulky, but they mention it's a prototype. I'm curious what that thing is at the top. A large camera? A sensor? Hmmmm

[cybereality]

That headset is an NVIS ST50( http://www.nvisinc.com/product.php?id=66 ). Not made by Valve or Palmer (though it does look modified).

[TheRealistWord]

Thanks for the correction cybereality, updated the post to reflect that. I should've thought to have googled the text on the headset first, lol! I'm still very curious to see where Valve goes with all of this. But above all, I'm just glad that they're taking such a strong interest in VR

[brantlew]

That looks like a camera on top of it. They could just be experimenting with creating augmented reality games - which seems likely considering that they are first-and-foremost a game company.

[Fredz]

That makes sense since Michael Abrash has been recruited by Valve to work on wearable computing. You can read this very interested piece to have more details about it :
http://blogs.valvesoftware.com/abrash/v ... m-doing-2/

[Zaptruder]

I am 99% certain that it wont be a valve-hmd, they might contribute with ideas and tech advise, but no way that they are going head to head with Oculus Rift after all the support they have given.

TBH, the way I'm reading things is that Valve really just wants to push the state of technology ahead. Now that the VR headset side of things are 'sorted', it behooves them to work on the platform that best supports that paradigm shift.

It's also a lot more lucrative, and something they're a lot better positioned for.

[cybereality]

That makes sense since Michael Abrash has been recruited by Valve to work on wearable computing. You can read this very interested piece to have more details about it :
http://blogs.valvesoftware.com/abrash/v ... m-doing-2/

Interesting read. Thanks.

[benz145]

Abrash has specifically come out to say that the HMD is not a Valve prototype. He seems to be denying that they're working on their own, but you've gotta wonder what the industrial designer position is all about!

http://www.roadtovr.com/2012/09/14/valv ... splay-1197

[TheRealistWord]

Thanks for the link benz.

Abrash:

I’ve seen some speculation online that one of the pictures that accompanies the article… depicts a prototype of a Valve HMD. That might be more plausible if the headset didn’t clearly have the letters “NVIS” on it.

Seems like there might've been quite a few confused with mistaking this for an actual Valve HMD prototype (myself included). IGN and a few others sources I checked didn't take notice to the huge "NVIS" on the front of the HMD either

I did think it'd be a little odd for Valve to jump on the hardware side of VR so soon, especially with Abrash's glowing praise of the Rift - I was instead thinking they'd be focusing on software like usual, trying to create awesomely immersive games for the Rift. But it seems conflicted - researching VR and modifying HMD's and the article saying Valve plans on freely distributing hardware designs so other companies can make "glasses" too, but Abrash denies them working on their own prototypes. Ahhhh, guess we'll just have to wait and see


EDIT: Haha, I'm slow, late to the party... I just realized that you're the same Ben who runs roadtovr.com. Love your site man!

[benz145]

Thanks for the link benz.

Abrash:

I’ve seen some speculation online that one of the pictures that accompanies the article… depicts a prototype of a Valve HMD. That might be more plausible if the headset didn’t clearly have the letters “NVIS” on it.

Seems like there might've been quite a few confused with mistaking this for an actual Valve HMD prototype (myself included). IGN and a few others sources I checked didn't take notice to the huge "NVIS" on the front of the HMD either

I did think it'd be a little odd for Valve to jump on the hardware side of VR so soon, especially with Abrash's glowing praise of the Rift - I was instead thinking they'd be focusing on software like usual, trying to create awesomely immersive games for the Rift. But it seems conflicted - researching VR and modifying HMD's and the article saying Valve plans on freely distributing hardware designs so other companies can make "glasses" too, but Abrash denies them working on their own prototypes. Ahhhh, guess we'll just have to wait and see


EDIT: Haha, I'm slow, late to the party... I just realized that you're the same Ben who runs roadtovr.com. Love your site man!

Haha thanks!