Slashdot Mirror
Oculus Rift Review: Virtual Reality is Almost Here
In what can be seen as a major milestone in the nascent, but fast-evolving virtual reality technology space, Facebook-owned Oculus on Monday began shipping the commercial version of the Rift. Several technology publications have posted their reviews of the Oculus Rift. The Verge, for instance, says: The high cost of buying and running high-end VR headsets makes them inaccessible to many people, and the Rift in particular is relentlessly focused on gaming. Within these limitations, though, the Rift makes a good case for seated VR, and it lays a solid foundation for what's to come. The headset you can buy today is not Oculus' most ambitious vision for virtual reality -- but it's a vision that Oculus has successfully delivered on. The publication has given the Rift a score of 8 out of 10, noting that the retail price of the Rift, and the accompanying gaming PC, is a tad too expensive. It also found the lack of motion controls a weakness. Cnet writes: You simply must try the Oculus Rift. It's breathtaking. I just wouldn't buy one right now -- and there's no reason you should feel the need to, either (especially with its arch-rival, the HTC Vive, also just days away). The longer you wait to buy, the better it will get. This is just day one for Oculus -- and for the future of virtual reality.
The CNET review linked above isn't too bad, actually.
We're looking at the "Nintendo era" for VR, remember the light gun and the power-glove? I'd KILL for the power-glove type of integration with this. Earlier attempts at VR are like the Atari and ColecoVision systems. We just weren't there yet.
Listen, until you've TRIED it and thought about the potential, don't knock it. This isn't a fad anymore. People scoffed at the first mouse, too.
I really wish the Gear smartwatch was integrated as a controlling device, just for hand-waving grab/slide/push/pull type of gestures. Instead of tabs in a browser, moving them around to create panels while I read, do research, etc would be amazing.
Right now it's just a toy. But I'd write code while looking at references, etc. All with this on, if it only had the interface to do so.
Never mind gaming, I'm interested in VR for data visualisation. Like graphs with tens of thousands of nodes, or heat maps in three dimensions.
I've been trying to figure out which to buy: The Oculus or the Vive. Note: I have no personal experience of either so this is all about info just gleaned from reviews ete. I really hope to try both before I place an order but I have a feeling it wontt be easy.
The Vive is about $100 more expensive but it seems well worth it for the difference, since it can also support standing up and moving around, and also comes with VR controllers. Yes I'm presuming the seated experience is as good as the Oculus, which is pretty important since I'm guessing that will actually be the most commonly used scenario, but having the option to stand up and move around would be nice.
The BIG decision factor for me is that Oculus is primarily targetting Windows only, with Linux support at best being an afterthought (they announced several months ago that they have put their Linux dev effort on hold)
Linux support remains a core goal to the Vive team.
That alone would be enough for me to STRONGLY favour the Vive over the Oculus.
My fear/expectation is that most windows game developers will stupidly only support oculus not vive, because they consider it the "de facto" VR headset, even if it it is more limited/not as good as the vive.
I'm also wondering why everyone is complaining about the lack of motion controls with the Rift. Is really using a Keyboard+Mouse with a headset really that tough? I mean I can use my keyboard with my eyes closed (I just tried it).
For me the real appeal of the Rift is not so much total immersion as it is having depth perception into a virtual environment without having to deal with the idiosyncrasies of 3D monitors.
Have you actually tried VR? No? Then I'd perhaps recommend you do so before making such wild claims. It's possible that VR will fizzle out, but to compare it to 3DTV is showing the extent of your experience with the technology (i.e. zero). The biggest problems VR will face are applications and costs, not whether the technology actually works.
Yes, keyboard controls are problematic. Yes, it's possible to type with your eyes closed, but if your hands lose the keyboard entirely it really brings you out of the experience to find it again and reposition. And many times the movement keys are not necessarily on the "home row" so you end up hunting around a bit. Plus, oftentimes the experiences work better if you're a bit back from your desk with some space to lean forward or shift a bit. Keyboards really detract from the experience.
E pluribus unum