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Oculus Rift Launching In Q1 2016
An anonymous reader writes: Oculus has announced that their Rift virtual reality headset will be coming out sometime in the first quarter of 2016. They've also posted a couple images of the final consumer headset design. The device was Kickstarted in August, 2012. Consumer-level release dates have slowly slipped further and further out since then, though they've shipped two different development kits. Ars points out that a 2016 launch date will bring the Oculus Rift to market after the Valve/HTC VR headset, and possibly after Sony's Project Morpheus.
Does it come with a blue pill and a red pill?
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Can't see much of the headset - who decided to take a picture of the black headset against a black background with no light?
Oculus is releasing later to coincide with the release of Duke Nukem VR. They also indicated the headset they plan to release after that one, called the "osbourne" is much better and cheaper.
Some drink at the fountain of knowledge. Others just gargle.
I've really been looking forward to this, but the road to release has been so lengthy that I've stopped caring to an extent. While I still think VR will be revolutionary, I feel that revolution is further away than ever. We're likely going to see compatibility issues between the Rift and the Valve headset, which is going to delay things for years to come. Standardised VR is probably years away.
The Facebook buyout also leaves me concerned that I'll need an account to use the Rift, and I most definitely don't want a Facebook account (I don't even want a Slashdot account). When I do buy a VR headset I think I'd be more inclined to go for the Gaben's rather than Zuk's.
Yeah, but every iteration is better than the previous one. Maybe in a few more cycles, the tech will actually deliver on the promise and it will stick around.
#vaporgate
There is real demand for VR.
There is no demand for a crappy head mounted 3D screen, and little demand for a 3D TV that works only from one angle with special glasses.
Working immersive VR is a winner though. These latest headsets are getting very close for the first time. If this generation doesn't manage it, the next one will. It's VR headset time.
There's a typo in that summary. It should read:
Facebook has announced that their Rift virtual reality headset
They're already trying to distance their toxic brand name from it. I say call it the Zynga Facebook Superviewer and just let it kill itself based on brand name alone.
It's not holographic, and it's not VR, it's AR. The latest reviews have been terrible, saying MS reduced the field of view of the AR display to a little box in the middle of your vision. There's still hope they'll fix it based on this feedback, but as-is Hololens is DOA.
Don't confuse fad and niche. I don't think anyone who has used the Rift thinks everyone is going to want one. Rather, the medium has finally reached the point where we can go somewhere with it, albeit slowly. I love the idea, but will pass for a generation or two.
The Daddy casts sleep on the Baby. The Baby resists!
The current 3D movie "fad" has been around for 7-8 years or so. This is several times the length of the previous fads, so I think 3D is here to stay this time. Especially since 3D is being put on lots of movies that would make tons of cash even without the 3D, rather than only on low budget gimmick films.
If they can get a 360 degree camera into a reasonable form factor (neighborhood of a GoPro,) it would be possible to give people the experience of skydiving, rock climbing, or flying a wingsuit in ways that are significantly more real than just watching a video on youtube. You could actually be there, and look around as if you were the pilot. That would be a game changer both for the audience and for content creators.
I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?
I don't buy tons of media but I do always look to see if I can find movies I like in 3D at a reasonable cost. The problem thus far has been that they are always priced at an absurd premium, like $30 or $40 for a movie that I wouldn't likely buy at $20 anyways.
I'm looking forward to these head mounted displays for a few reasons. It'll enable me to watch and play games which may not be appropriate for younger audiences prior to bed time. It should eliminate any screen glare type issues. I can take my computer use to the recliner and sit more comfortably without having to use a gigantic monitor or move a lot of furniture to get a proper viewing angle.
Despite the name that tried to ride the VR fad, the Virtual Boy was not a VR device as we use the term now, since it didn't do head-tracking.
Circumcision is child abuse.
It already seems like yet another item destined to be quickly relegated to my already-full cupboard o' crap.
Quick question, have you seen any non-entertainment application that requires 3D flatscreens? Now have you seen non-entertainment applications that require VR?
I have seen a bunch that requires VR, from PTSD treatment to controlling drones remotely. VR is here to stay, it might be niche for a while but I believe it will eventually make your TV obsolete.
Pad abort, that sounds like when your girlfriend tells you you're going to have to wait a few days...
Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
Two (or more) willing partners. Camera-equipped headsets small enough not to get in the way. Enhance the visuals as much or as little as you want. Augment your other senses as desired and technologically feasible.
THAT'S first-person shooting!
I have been reading headlines for "Oculus Rift" on /. etc for years. I never read the articles apart from the first 1 or 2, since I found out that Oculus Rift is an "exciting" VR headset and that pretty much covered it for me. Maybe I am getting old, I don't know - for example I do remember me being excited before the Virtual Boy was released. In any case having seen so many headlines over the years, without actually paying any attention to them I had assumed this was a real product and modestly popular. But it is not out yet and not going to be until 2016? That raised my eyebrow and I clicked on the link to find out this "product" I hear about all these years "exists" only as some dark renders on an even darker background? Wow, that's it then, I MUST be getting old...
Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent. Polar Scope Align for iOS
it will eventually make your TV obsolete.
I wouldn't go that far. Some other means of displaying information may supplant tv screens as we know them, but not something everyone must put on and wear.
The Daddy casts sleep on the Baby. The Baby resists!
Do not talk about unfinished stuff that is still in planning or development. Developing modern things is complex, and that's fine, but it's hard to keep the excitement alive for 5 years. Same goes for SteamBoxes. Same goes for Peter Molyneux's new game Godus, of which people got incredibly angry because it could not deliver this or that thing that was hyped earlier. The trendy "open development" strategy does not come without problems.
There is no demand for a crappy head mounted 3D screen
That's because they've been crappy. If it was effectively as immersive as going to the movie theater or IMAX there clearly is a market for giant screen experiences even in 2D.
Also great would be on airplanes. I brought my Oculus on my last intercontinental flight and it was great to just get out of the 'claustrophobia' of being around 300 other people. Put on your VR headset and load up a movie in a "theater" with noise cancelling headphones and you're instantly transported into a more relaxing environment. It's not really "VR" but just head tracking a 3D Screen eliminates motion sickness from turbulence etc.
Virtual Boy was not a VR device as we use the term now
Or even back then. The Virtual Boy was released in July 1995 . That same year the VFX-1 (a true though limited by the technology of the time) virtual reality headset was released.
Georgia Tech, the leader in Chia(tm) technology.
Let's go even further: the "Sword of Damocles" device by Ivan Sutherland and Bob Sproull. 1968.
Circumcision is child abuse.
I have the second gen dev version (latest).
It's a disappointment.
Heavy, bulky, uncomfortable, poor resolution and buggy software/drivers.
I'm sure VR will eventually take off, but honestly, the Oculus doesn't feel much better than the VR headsets I used in the 90s.
My God can beat up your God. Just kidding...don't take offense. I know there's no God.
Vapor? Kickstarter's don't lead to serious hardware? That's your insight?
What part of John Carmack, Atman Binstock, Michael Abrash, two shipped development kits over two years, the Samsung GearVR and a $2B Facebook acquisition don't you understand? This is not vapor and it's not a kid's garage Kickstarter.
Semi-informed douchebaggery is the not the same as an informed opinion. Jackasses.
1. The quality and resolution, even for it's day and age was horrible.
2. The price of the Sony offering, and every other similiar product I've looked at was insanely high.
3. At the time even if the prices had been more reasonably they likely would have still been too pricey for me at the time, my finances are much better these days.
The occulus rift while not having spectacular resolution, when you consider it occupies more of your field of view, is still far better than the older options. The price is far more reasonable. If it's good enough and cheap enough for the general market then we will likely see more consistent improvement in the product, such that we might eventually get to something everyone can love.
I've logged on for the first time in years to post this.
I am a serious FPS gamer, from the way back, and owner of a DK2. If they don't figure out something to solve the motion sickness, it'll fall flat.
I was sicker than a dog using my occulus.
Hi, I Boris. Hear fix bear, yes?