Meant to be Seen

Randomoneh wrote:- How is it possible that all those journalists at CES were able to enjoy the Rift event though they all have different IPDs?

Ardheim wrote:Expanding on BOLL's last question:

-How come you don't have a forum avatar with you posing like fonzie with a leather jacket?

You know, with the thumbs up and all that jazz.

alekki wrote:How are you making developers support positional tracking when it's not included in the dev kit?

BOLL wrote:- How to cure this over-hype I'm suffering from? It's been several months now D: oh, apply for a job at Oculus? Hmm.

- How come you don't have a forum avatar?

Dycus wrote:I keep bugging him to get an avatar because I always miss his posts, but he's too lazy.

2EyeGuy wrote:- Is it possible to do something different for each eye in a UDK game, for example having an injured eye, or having a character with a patch over one eye?

Dycus wrote:I keep bugging him to get an avatar because I always miss his posts, but he's too lazy.

BOLL wrote:- Oh oh oh. Will the foam on the dev-kit be replaceable? As I plan to bring my kit around to 200 people it would be nice as it'll get worn/insanitary.

BOLL wrote:Why, a perfect new contest! Make an avatar for Palmer! The prize being him using it in the forums for at least a week! Hahaha.

rmcclelland wrote:After all the inane CES interview questions, maybe Palmer would answer some MTBS3D community questions? Should be more interesting then the same questions over and over. Let's try and keep them answerable. Here are a few:

- Have you tried a Rift prototype with racing or flying (cockpit based) games? Is the experience more compelling without 'fake-walking' with a controller breaking the immersion?
Yes, it is. Needs more research, though.

- What does it feel like to go from working alone in a garage to being the toast of CES? Did you ever worry that your view of how awesome VR is wouldn't be shared by the world at large?
Insane. I still work in about the same way as I did in my garage, except with the added advantage of ample funding and an office full of brilliant people! The connections you get from a show like CES is incredible, and so is the press. To be honest, though, I don't think the world at large knows how awesome VR is, not yet. Just the tech nerds for now!

- Besides techie mindshare, did you gain much else with all the CES exposure? Has it increased your chances of getting a better display in the near term, attracted talent, etc..?
That remains to be seen. We have only just gotten back, still following up with everyone.

NikoKun wrote:- Now that you're back from CES, has anything changed because of all the new excitement and hype generated by it? Any surprises, or still taking things in?
Lots of surprises, nothing I can share!

- Could you tell us what the various dials on the Dev Kit do? The screw-driver dials on the sides, and the grip-dials around the lenses?
Nope!

- I'm always hoping for new blog updates, whether it's progress reports, updates on the production/shipping, or even just ideas/brainstorming/discussion posts, I hope we see more, instead of quiet before the dev kits go out. (Not really a question.heh)
Expect a lot more once the developer kits ship.

BOLL wrote:- Ok, like this, what is the approximate average of hours you have slept per night the last week, and how do you think it has affected your health. A real question eh?

- Oh oh oh. Will the foam on the dev-kit be replaceable? As I plan to bring my kit around to 200 people it would be nice as it'll get worn/insanitary.
It is replaceable in a mechanical sense, it remains to be seen if we can get it on its own without the Rift itself. It is modeled after ski goggle foam, so replacing it with that on your own would not be too difficult.

- How come you don't have a forum avatar?
I like to stay low profile.

Randomoneh wrote:- How is it possible that all those journalists at CES were able to enjoy the Rift event though they all have different IPDs?
The lenses have a wide exit pupil, and the generic settings we were using work pretty well for everyone, if not optimally.

- Basics of perspective tell us that, when we're looking at our flat displays, pixel appear to be larger in the center since our eyes are closest to the center. Lenses have opposite effect. Is it possible that those two effects cancel each other - leaving us with pixels that appear to be about the same size?
It is definitely exaggerated.

- How did you calculate the actual FOV of the Rift since usual calculations are off the table because of nature of the lenses on view?
We will outline all the work that takes once we ship.

DannyO wrote:- Are there any plans for additional models alongside the main ~$300 model? e.g lighter more exotic materials, higher res OLED display for those that are willing to pay a lot more.

We plan on sticking to one model. Even a tiny change would essentially require producing a whole new product, so it would cost many, many times more than a mainstream mass produced unit. The main model is going to have the best possible specs within a reasonable budget, so I would not worry.

GobHoblin wrote:

alekki wrote:How are you making developers support positional tracking when it's not included in the dev kit?

I'm also pretty curious about this... Any word on when devs might be able to get info on the positional tracking the rift will be using?
Nope.

3dRat wrote:Hi everyone!

my question: have you registered some patents about oculus rift or something?
I mean I know it is build upon some publicly available componentes but what if some big company are just now registering all sort of "ideas" about VR and when the rift is going to be out this big company will say "wait a minute! we got something to talk about..." that would be sad...

I think the modern patent system is a travesty, but unfortunately, it is the only way to protect yourself. We are building up up our IP.

2EyeGuy wrote: - Why didn't you show people the 7 inch rift you had sitting on the desk at CES?
Our software was optimized for the old prototypes, particularly the warping code. Those prototypes were fresh from the factory, we did not have enough time to get things working well enough, though we tried.

- Is there anything to help short-sighted people use the Rift yet?
I am nearsighted. Can't say more than that right now.

- Can we use the Rift in other programming languages besides C++?
Yes, but development is going to initially target C++. We only have so many programmers!

- Are you going to give money to Cybereality for making his driver?
No comment.

- How many bits per pixel is the screen?
8 Bits.

Actual developer questions:

- Does the Razer Hydra interfere with the Oculus Rift's tracking?
Not in initial testing.

- Is it possible to do something different for each eye in a UDK game, for example having an injured eye, or having a character with a patch over one eye?
It is possible, we have not done that yet, though.

BOLL wrote:- Will there be any restrictions to where we can show off the devkit Rift? Outside of private demonstrations would going to an event like DreamHack and bringing the Rift along be a bad idea? Or more bluntly, would buying a couple of table spots and setting up shop with official looking OR shirts, pamphlets, neon lights and fireworks be a bad idea? Erhm, yes my mind is spinning out of control.

[Edit] Realizing that hmm, yes, feels like this would be an important question for sure. We wouldn't want devkits to be displayed and mistaken for the final product, or without the information that the consumer version is not available for some time yet. Perhaps some kind of guidelines or even a license agreement should come with the devkit? Haha xD eh...

We don't plan on formally restricting it, but if people set up an official looking Oculus booth at a show, we would probably ask them to stop.

Kanibal wrote:- We saw a lot of people use Rift over their glasses in CES videos. I think I read somewhere that it lowers fov. Can you estimate how much although it is probably a function and not a constant right? Just so I keep my expectation in check. Also does not wearing glasses with Rift pose risk of scratching the lenses?
It totally depends on the face of the person and the glasses. And yes, glasses do pose a scratch risk.

- Can you elaborate on different ways of dealing with bad eye sight including wearing glasses or contact lenses and what are their advantages and disadvantages relative to each other? Just so I quell my fears from the first question.
Contacts, gluing glasses lenses onto the headset, hoping for a last second announcement.

- Will you start taking preorder for consumer version of Rift soon? I'm too chicken for dev kit but I want to be among the first to get the consumer version and not knowing release date is no problem for me. It would also let you know what the demand is right?
Not soon, it will be a while. We won't take preorders till we have at least the specs worked out.

- Can you tell us how would curved display improve Rift design, not just fov but also maybe form factor?
Not until I have a chance to use some!

- You are getting pretty visible in the industry. I'm sure you have been dealing with some big screen manufactures. I know you probably can't talk any specifics but have you been able to get some super prototype screen maybe? If so can you talk about how it feels?
We have some prototype screens. It feels like being in a secret club.

- Follow up to that, if you have been in talks with some big fishes in the industry, can you say if in general they view you as some no-name garage company or if their attitude is changing? Like if they are starting to see the new trend emerging or if they're are blind.
They see us as a new company with a lot of potential, and also a lot of risk. I think their evaluation of us is correct.

- Is there an question that you wished someone had asked you but no-one did? If so can you tell us both the question and the answer?

Libertine wrote:-How thrilled are you that someone created a community questions for Palmer thread?
It gave me a good excuse to take a break from working on this sorry can't post about that.

Charge wrote:- Will Oculus be able to tell each of the Kickstarter backers if their Rift is going to be produced in the first manufacturing batch of 5000 units?
- If so, when?
Not yet, don't know yet.

PalmerTech wrote:I like to stay low profile.

MrGreen wrote:

PalmerTech wrote:I like to stay low profile.

Epic Fail.

PalmerTech wrote:Yes, but development is going to initially target C++. We only have so many programmers!

PalmerTech wrote:They see us as a new company with a lot of potential, and also a lot of risk. I think their evaluation of us is correct.

PalmerTech wrote: People should ask what launching a startup does to your relationships. My answer: Do not expect good results.

PalmerTech wrote:

Libertine wrote:-How thrilled are you that someone created a community questions for Palmer thread?
It gave me a good excuse to take a break from working on this sorry can't post about that.

2EyeGuy wrote:

PalmerTech wrote:They see us as a new company with a lot of potential, and also a lot of risk. I think their evaluation of us is correct.

That's a worry. What are the risks? Maybe you should cut down on expenditures until you have a more certain income. Too many companies in this field fail. But this seems like something you could easily keep going indefinitely if you are careful not to overspend too much. But I don't know. Maybe you're better off taking the risks for a great consumer product launch.

2EyeGuy wrote:That's not entirely true. There are probably loads of programmers out there that would happily port it to other languages for free.

bobv5 wrote:Palmer, it seems you are thinking of including audio in the consumer version. If you cant make it awesome, please make it optional.

Libertine wrote:

bobv5 wrote:Palmer, it seems you are thinking of including audio in the consumer version. If you cant make it awesome, please make it optional.

A high quality option would be nice, but I can't imagine looking around much unless your in a dogfight or doing some VR out of your seat. It seems like most people will just be sitting at their desk and mildly looking around as the play, especially for long gaming marathons.

I really think that’s a cool idea. It’d be awesome to have built in audio, you know? The problem is if we’re going to do audio, we’re going to do it right. It doesn’t make any sense to do audio and just be like, “Oh it has included headphones and they’re decent.” The only reason to do it would be if we could give an experience that’s superior to what people can get out there on their own.