Oculus Rift competitor

SkeeterUK

SkeeterUK

SkeeterUK

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http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/read...-shoots-light-beams-into-your-eyeballs/032194

Makers of a new gaming headset called the Virtual Retinal Display say the specs are more realistic than the Oculus Rift.

Unlike the Oculus Rift, which features an LCD panel, these goggles project light directly into each eye using an array of two million micromirrors.

The brain interprets the signal as an 80-inch panel viewed from eight feet away.

Because Retinal projection requires precise alignment, Avegant’s headset has a frame that expands to accommodate different face widths. It also has high-quality optical elements that can be individually adjusted, giving it that ‘optician’s glasses’ feel.

The Virtual Retinal Display offers a separate 1,280x768-pixel resolution image for each eye – twice the effective resolution of the current Oculus Rift developer kits.

Consumer prototypes are expected at CES 2014 and the device should be making its way to a crowdfunding site within the next few months.


Not keen on the thought of beams going straight in your eyes like but the resolution sounds interesting enough and its per eye not 720p split like the rift atm. Still, probs far too much either rift or this thing for myself but which would you go for?
 
Seems a better option than the rift, nice refresh and lack of eyestrain. Will be interesting to see how this one goes.
 
The problem is it's another device that gives you the "large floating TV screen" effect like the Sony HMZ displays, rather than a proper immersive VR experience.
 
FlukeRogi said:
The problem is it's another device that gives you the "large floating TV screen" effect like the Sony HMZ displays, rather than a proper immersive VR experience.
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Which is the difference with the Oculus. I agree with a previous poster, more the merrier, but this isnt really a Rift conpetitor.
 
I just hope there isn't a 'standard' war between these new devices. I mean competition is good and all that, but if we get a situation where two-different formats hold equal/similarly large developer support, then it gets in the way of gaming. It'd be much better if one format becomes the standard (preferably the best) and all the devs support it together.
 
eggyoke said:
I just hope there isn't a 'standard' war between these new devices. I mean competition is good and all that, but if we get a situation where two-different formats hold equal/similarly large developer support, then it gets in the way of gaming. It'd be much better if one format becomes the standard (preferably the best) and all the devs support it together.
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There really isn't any serious competition to the Rift atm. Most of the other headsets just give you a "large TV" type display.

About the only device that really could be called a competitor in the sense of it providing a proper immersive display is the Infiniteye, which has a huge field of view, but approaches things differently by using two independent screens and a different type of lens (and we've no idea about potential cost or if and when it might come to market).

The Rift has several advantages though. They have a product in the hands of developers, millions in funding, a team including quite a few industry veterans and integration in UDK, Unity, Torque, Unigine and Cryengine.

I don't think a small team starting out as Oculus did has a chance now. Anything that steals the Rift's potential market would have to come from a big industry player with very deep pockets.
 
I tried a HD Rift at PlayExpo and was severely unimpressed.

I think they will find a market in the casual gaming theatre but as for core gamers, I doubt it.

That obviously does not mean it will not be successful, it just means it is not what us geeks expect from VR hardware.

I want to feel I am IN the world, not looking at the world through a window strapped to my face.
 
The more I think about it, I don't think I would like full immersion. There are time where I don't like playing FPS non-horror games at night with headphones on as it can get a bit jumpy, full VR would possibly terrify me, haha.
 
I have to say when I tried the Rift earlier this year I was incredibly underwhelmed.

The motion and 3d were fine and dandy, but the pixelation was atrocious. I could count the pixels. I understand it was a dev kit but even so I am worried the final product will not be that much better in terms of picture quality.
 
krooton said:
The more I think about it, I don't think I would like full immersion. There are time where I don't like playing FPS non-horror games at night with headphones on as it can get a bit jumpy, full VR would possibly terrify me, haha.
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Theres a ctually a video of someone playing a horror game on the rift dev kit, and yes - theyd better have a cast-iron disclaimer.
 
Gimpymoo said:
I tried a HD Rift at PlayExpo and was severely unimpressed.

I think they will find a market in the casual gaming theatre but as for core gamers, I doubt it.

That obviously does not mean it will not be successful, it just means it is not what us geeks expect from VR hardware.

I want to feel I am IN the world, not looking at the world through a window strapped to my face.
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It really should look like you're wearing a pair of ski googles - if it was worse than that, then it could have been poorly set up. I know it's been reported that the HD prototypes are using the devkit lenses, which apparently reduces the FOV in comparison to the devkits. By all accounts they tend to run demos with the screen fully extended (for ease of setup I guess) which again reduces the FOV.

If you're bothered at all, and want to pop down the motorway to Doncaster at some point, you're welcome to spend some time having a go on my devkit. Aside from the downgrade in resolution, it would probably be a better experience being able to sit down and take your time with it/pick and choose demos etc.

What games/demos did you get to try out btw (hope it wasn't War Thunder, it's not the best implementation of the Rift)?
 
I got to play iRacing which I thought would have been great as I subscribe to iRacing anyway but it was seriously not AMAZING like I wanted it to be.

As you say, a rollercoaster and surgeon sim, not "core" games, that is my concern with the Rift.
 
Gimpymoo said:
I got to play iRacing which I thought would have been great as I subscribe to iRacing anyway but it was seriously not AMAZING like I wanted it to be.

As you say, a rollercoaster and surgeon sim, not "core" games, that is my concern with the Rift.
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I've not played iRacing, so can't comment on it, but it can transform some games utterly.

I don't know if you've played Lunar Flight, but it basically involves flying a lunar lander around. It's a nice enough indie game on it's own, but with the Rift, the difference is staggering. Sitting in the cockpit of the lander just blows away playing it on a monitor, and turns an interesting game in to a full on experience.
 
FlukeRogi said:
I've not played iRacing, so can't comment on it, but it can transform some games utterly.

I don't know if you've played Lunar Flight, but it basically involves flying a lunar lander around. It's a nice enough indie game on it's own, but with the Rift, the difference is staggering. Sitting in the cockpit of the lander just blows away playing it on a monitor, and turns an interesting game in to a full on experience.
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I play Lunar Lander and can imagine the difference that makes.

One thing which surprised was there was no depth, if that makes sense?
 
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