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GameFace: Making a Virtual Reality Android Headset

Posted by timothy on from the walk-away-just-walk-away dept.

jonyami writes "Virtual reality headsets are the next big thing thanks to the rise of the Oculus Rift, but this new headset from tiny startup GameFace Labs promises to one-up its rivals by going completely wireless. A new article goes heads-on with the new device and features an interview with the company's founder, Ed Mason."

14 comments

  1. Oculus Rift still unproven by BisuDagger · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I think it's great they are trying to tap into a unproven market because I love seeing new technology developed. But I just don't see VR redefining the gamer generation. I quite enjoy gaming without something covering my face. Still, very cool to see the technology developed.

    1. Re:Oculus Rift still unproven by gl4ss · · Score: 2

      I think going wireless with it is just fishing for investor funds at this point...

      because.. uhh.. give us some more fucking games with oculus support. it's good enough to make them. and god awful fuck no no no not the approach that valves official team had to the fucking controls NOBODY FUCKING WISHES TO ACTUALLY LOOK UP physically if they're mouse aiming in a fps game(yes all the fucking look lock options on the official tf2 vr mode suck ass and suck ass hard). it's like everyone trying to make something for them just throws all the gamers out of the window before starting "because uh it's virtual reality! totally different!" yeah fuck no it ain't. the stuff that works best with is mouselook combined with actual look.. so you just mouselook around and wasd like usual but turning your head also acts like mouse move... disorienting? actually, no, not really, if you're used to fps games. the hacked on support for half life 2 is far better than the official... most of the vr projects with oculus you see for some reason assume that people would like to walk around, physically turn and so forth.. but come on, if your'e going to be go on a gaming binge for hours you sure as fuck don't want that.

      *(I actually got on the oculus rift kickstarter and it is the future of gaming eventually. frig, just double the resolution of the developer units and it's the future of watching movies too.

      --
      world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
  2. Wireless? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    Wireless is nice, but when it comes to VR HMDs, it is low on the priority list, below imperceptible latency, accurate tracking, resolution, etc. I'd read the site to see how they're going about those issues, but more than half of the screen is taken up a non-scrolling header.

    1. Re:Wireless? by pushing-robot · · Score: 2

      I disagree. Number one on my VR priority list was the ability to get up and interact with an environment possessing entirely different geometry from the world presented to my eyes and ears. Now I'll be able to walk down the street enjoying a fully immersive game of Carmageddon.

      --
      How can I believe you when you tell me what I don't want to hear?
    2. Re:Wireless? by CastrTroy · · Score: 1

      I'm with the other guy. I think that having cables going to a PC isn't a major problem. Personally, I thing it would be great to have an Oculus Rift with some kind of backpack that contained the PC, or small form factor machine, so that everything would be self contained, allowing you to move around the room or relax in whatever chair/bed you want to while enjoying your VR experience. Does the Surface PRO have the necessary ports to hook up to the Occulus Rift? Does it have enough power to run games? What other small form factor PCs are there that have the power to run games?

      --

      Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
    3. Re:Wireless? by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      Personally, I think it would suck to have to wear a backpack while jumping around trying to play a multiplayer game. On the other hand, I'm also sympathetic to not only the need for more processing power, but also more battery power.

      If you could whittle the headset down to just graphics and sensors, and put the CPU in another box, that might be a solution. But it would raise the price considerably. Still, it ought to be possible to use one of the various PCIE-over-a-skinny-wire technologies to pull it off smoothly.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  3. Dive (you can already buy it) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This already has been done ... you can buy it or 3D print your own ... software is also available

    https://www.durovis.com/index.html

  4. Re: by binarylarry · · Score: 1

    Have fun, Dr Lecter.

    --
    Mod me down, my New Earth Global Warmingist friends!
  5. Driver by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I think they should work on efficient Sound Driver , before all those gadget ....

  6. Big whoop... (why is there still a subject entry?) by jasno · · Score: 1

    VR headsets will become popular when the component prices allow it. The technology isn't complicated. What's complicated is packaging two hi-resolution displays, sensors and optics in a package that is light enough to wear for a price that an average consumer can afford. When the prices come down, companies like Oculus will be forgotten as a wave of cheap Asian models floods the market.

    VR is nothing new. I'm willing to bet most of the important patents have already expired.

    I will say that I am looking forward to these devices, not as a gamer but as a programmer. I'm looking forward to reclaiming my desk space and ditching my huge monitors. I'm looking forward to working in a spherical desktop.... hell, not just spherical, but maybe even multisphered(i.e. roll my chair to the left and I'm in another sphere).

    --

    http://www.masturbateforpeace.com/
  7. It looks like it's using Oculus optics by EnglishTim · · Score: 1

    The cups holding the lenses look *exactly* the same as the ones used in the Oculus Rift devkit. I guess it makes a lot of sense to use them in the prototyping stage.

  8. Oculus Rift is planning to add Android support by MSRedfox · · Score: 1

    The initial model of the Rift is centered around getting an ideal PC environment with currently trying to iron out the few issues with the development kit for consumer release. But they're already stated they want to have Android support in the near future with it but as secondary goal once they're done their first initial release. This will allow for using the same device on both the PC and with your Android device of choice. Given how fast the phone/tablet market evolves these days, it makes more sense to me to have the VR device independent of the Android hardware. The GameFace sounds nifty, but it'll quickly find itself with outdated hardware running it, while the Rift's model of having it connect to your phone will allow for updating the hardware as new devices come out. I'd much rather buy a $300 VR display that can be used for years with new phones than having one that is locked into a specific GPU/CPU built in.

  9. Beyond gaming by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ""I think it's great they are trying to tap into a unproven market because I love seeing new technology developed. But I just don't see VR redefining the gamer generation. I quite enjoy gaming without something covering my face. Still, very cool to see the technology developed.""

    You seem to be thinking in the wrong direction, I respect you not wanting to use this, but I think targeting the gaming market helps build up hype, and that hype drives others to innovate better tech for a VR device. The way tech use to be, of course that could or will change once Apple, Google, MS, get involved and start patenting the dumbest of shit involving VR.

    Anyway, this will have uses far beyond just gaming [I'm sure you know this, but} it could be used to do surgery, watch movies, and the porn industry hilariously has already implemented it, of course it doesn't go on your skull, I think it was Showtime, HBO, or Cinemax, has some sex series [not HBO sex/sex1.0 its a newer series] I saw it when DirectTV gives out 3 day "free showings".

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