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VR gloves in consumer hands are nothing new. First there was the Nintendo Powerglove and then a while later there was the P5 Glove for the PC and soon to be there is Microsofts Natal, which works completly without gloves and instead just with a camera.

I really don't see anything special about this, especially since the price falls in into the fucking expensive category and not into one where it is interesting for the average consumers.

There is already a 3-D 800x600 HMD available (and it's been around a while) The i3PC goes for $825 (sans tracker) I've had one for a few years, and it works OK. http://www.vrealities.com/iglassesi3pc.html I don't know how this HMD discussion evolved into an AR discussion, it's like saying, "Since they don't make a good ultralight plane; why don't you buy some flippers and a snorkel instead?" They are two very different apps. Only NVidia cards are driving the 3D, and a lot of games aren't really designed to use 3D in a useful way. For example, in most first person shooters, you either have a aiming reticule, which in 3D is impossibly close to your visual field (like using your finger held one inch from your eyes to aim) or you have a gun in the lower right corner, pointing obliquely up to the center. Very few use true 'iron sights' which would allow you to look 'down' the gun barrel to aim, and NONE allow you to use iron sights up to your right (or left) eye to sight. Many games, even though playable in 3D don't have a means of sending tracker data back to the view, like flight-sim which uses the hat switch instead of the mouse data. If game makers could start including standard features to support head-tracking, better 3D implementation and force feedback (now missing from UT3) they would be a greater drive to buy HMDs.

What do you mean "Where Are the High-Res Head-Mounted Displays?" ??? Theres plenty out there! They just cost money.. I guess theres not enough demand to cheaply mass produce these things.

You suck at Google. Heres a few you may be interested in: 1280x1024, 1280x1024, 1280x720, stereoscopic 1280x1024 and 1280x1024.
Or if you have a lot of money to spare, try this panoramic head mounted display: 1920x1200 and apparently from 800x600 up to 2664x1160.

I can't seem to find the super high-res industrial and military grade ones though...

You mean like this?

P5 Virtual Reality Glove

This is the same device used in "Minority Report". It's been around for quite some time, and it has a few patches for games as well. Specifically, it worked with "Black & White". I never actually used it, but it would apparently control the game exactly as you would expect, since you actually "grab" things in the game.

Yet it is. I bought one a month ago to test in my rehab lab. We decided that our custom FSR solution was better. Given that, the P5 is still a fantastic product considering the $60 price tag.

http://www.vrealities.com/P5.html

They have come a long way since the power glove but there are recent failures as well.

I own both of the above devices, I have an unhealthy fetish with unique control mechanisms, and seeing what interesting things I can do program wise with their APIs, despite that both of them are crap and share dusty shelf space next to my VFX1 Headset (with puck), Mixman Pro, and the far more useful (at least for solid modeling) 3D space mouse.

Leading up to their announcement of the controller design I was CONVINCED this wouldn't be it because of all the past failures. It's one of those things that looks really good on paper but is just poor in practice, due to inherent flaws like users trying to find their home position, quickly tiring their arms out trying to keep them afloat while using it and very difficult to interpret sensor outputs. Past that gaming that requires lots of movement past the thumbs is usually reserved for occasional play as opposed to the only mode of play. It's nice to hit the arcades on the weekend but for a relaxing game after work most still prefer the minimal movements required by a keyboard and mouse or gamepad.

Honestly if Nintendo pulls this off it will be a stroke of genius, and if anyone can it's them, even still I'm not holding my breath.

I also disagree with your statement that Apple hardware is all about fickle and impressionable folks being wooed by gee whiz industrial design and ergonomics. People happen to like Apple hardware and software solution because it offers a well integrated solution that minimizes finger pointing. As some OEM PC vendors we've encountered have tried to pass the buck with us and wanted us to pay more for a problem they believed was a Windows issue when we already payed for service/warranty.

Perhaps you care to explain how a survey of 140,000 readers of Consumer Reports rated Apple service higher for A) solving problems, B) waiting on the phone, C) support staff, D) web support of both Desktop and Laptop systems. Perhaps consumers gravitate towards the Honda Accords instead of the Dodge Neons. Both have a steering wheel and four tires, but most people are willing to pay more for the Accord.

The Sony Glasstron is no longer being manufactured or supported according to this site, which still has some for sale.

I think parent poster is right.

I used a pair of Sony headmounted glasses (Glasstron, see here for an example: http://www.vrealities.com/sony.html) and they worked *terribly*.

It didn't feel like a 20 ft. projection TV, it looked and felt more like your eyes focued on tiny monitors.

I tried both the 800x600 VGA input and an NTSC signal.

Another gimick that just creates environmental waste and pollution.

Fighter pilots have head tracking on HMD (helmet mounted displays) that make it easier for them to target enemy aricraft.

They're available commercially too (for flight sims, etc), bit pricey though...

http://www.vrealities.com/logitech.html

...was at Siggraph in Orlando, FL in 1998. One booth had goggles (not sure what else to call them, kind of like these) and a headband with a gyro-sensor-thingie. Even though it wasn't 3d/stereo (the only possible improvement), it was so awesome. They had a good FPS game running (I think either GLQuake or Quake II at the time) and it was the greatest thing in the world. Just as good as you can imagine--walk with the arrow keys on a keyboard, shoot with 'control', but you could look around with your head, rather than the mouse.

It worked perfectly. Just what VR should be. Better than the those big, clunky, slow things at the mall; probably as good as what was imagined by Gibson. Better than what was shown in that crappy movie with Michael Douglas and Demi Moore, based on the equally crappy Crichton book. Perfect, perfect, perfect--very fast, no delay at all, nothing unnatural about it. Just turn your head, look up, and that's what you see. Exactly what you would expect.

My question is this: it's six and a half years later. Gear like this should be a few hundred bucks now. Why isn't it everywhere? Sony quit making the glasstrons, and this place has gyros be they seem like they cost a lot more than they should. I don't know a gamer who wouldn't love a setup like this. Gamers have spent a zillion dollars on video cards and controllers in the last decade. Stuff like this seems like it would have a huge market, and capitalism--more than nature itself--abhors a vacuum.

I did this, with a R/C Hummer and an X-cam wireless (BEFORE they were sold as peeping-toms in internet popups). Picture quality wasn't great, and only worked outdoor, pointed forward with no tilt/pan/zoom.

(Actually the first one of these I built was an old video camera duct taped to a gas R/C buggy. Other than bottoming out the suspension, and having to wait till after a run to see the results, it was pretty cool).

But what really made it, was a heads-up "Virtual Reality" video display. I can't afford a Sony Glasstron so I just used a cheapo head-mounted CRT I found at Fry's. It felt like you were actually driving the car. Especially fun was running a dirt R/C track in it, and rollovers/endos.

I predict this to be the future of R/C toys. Once we have good quality, lightweight wireless video with a decent (half mile or so) range, that we can drop in an R/C airplane or helicopter, and inexpensive decent quality VR goggles (stereo would be best), it becomes like really flying the thing. Add some digital transmitting avionics for altimeter/airspeed/VSI/GPS and it might be a decent training tool.

We know the army is using this for "backpack" RPVs and APVs. And movie companies are using them instead of helicopter shots. So they should become consumer technology soon enough.

Also, picture these for war games (like we used to play with the Big Trac, but with real control of the vehicle and short-range offensive weapons. Combine it with Battlebots - pilots "drive" the vehicles.

(P.S. A Beowulf cluster of these, and my robot army will be unstoppable!)

In looking around for virtual reality solutions, I came across this Doom 3 virtual reality kit. It is $1450 USD, which is a fair bit, but for any hardcore Doom 3 fan it is probably a must have :)

I would love this product integrated with a head mounted display. Can you imagine looking around in stereo AND your head controls tracking.

Would that not simply be a virtual reality helmet, such as this one? Some other stuff may be found here and here.

Looking around I can't really find any integrated tracker/display headsets, though it is may be because I am not looking in the right places. Expect anywhere from $500 to $3000 and up for these solutions.

You can get the whole kit-n-kabootle here (for a pretty penny) - head mount display, head tracker, controller, force feedback vest and full retail copy of Doom3.

Wouldn't that be cool or what?

If you made a self contained apparatus then you still need position tracking that will have the same issue also the further away the trackers, they become less accurate. For example, we have used Flock of Birds that has a range of about 3.05 meters. I suppose you could do a design with tons of trackers that are evenly spaced out but that would cost a lot of money.

I know there are other methods but basically small controlled environments are easier to handle.