Hands-On With Sony's VR Headset 46
It wasn't long after the rise of the Oculus Rift that Sony hopped on the virtual reality bandwagon and announced a headset of their own. Now, Eurogamer has had a chance to operate and test Sony's hardware, which they say "has its own distinct vision for VR," as well as a distinct focus on console gaming.
"On the 640x768 per eye first-gen Rift, the result was the perception of a disappointingly minuscule resolution, with a highly distracting "screen door" effect where you could see between the pixels. This is far less of an issue with Morpheus, and we were pleasantly surprised by how good image quality is in an environment where resolution remains at a premium. In discussing the situation with Sony, it's clear that some effort has gone into judging how to best apply the fisheye lens effect that distorts the image, with a stronger focus on retaining resolution in the key focus area. Over and above that, we wouldn't be surprised if the narrower field of view also contributes to improving image integrity. ... However, in comparing Morpheus to what we've seen from Oculus VR, it's perhaps surprising to discover that a truly transformative element of the proposition comes from a piece of hardware that you might already own: PlayStation Move. Our aspirations for the hardware were never fully realized, but the hook-up with Morpheus is a match made in heaven - in fact, if there is to be a struggle for market leadership with Oculus (and potentially Microsoft), the existing motion controller is undoubtedly one of the strongest weapons in Sony's arsenal."
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"Chinese technology startup ANTVR [...]"
From: http://games.slashdot.org/stor... [slashdot.org]
Call me tron (Score:2)
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Why would you ... oh, forget it, I really don't want to know.
I'm sure it will exist sooner or later. :-P
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There is supposedly VR Pr0n available for the Facebook Rift already - go use that
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I wrote a thing that does that (virtualizes monitors) but the resolution (at least with the original rift) makes it unusable. I'm hoping DK2 improves things enough that it at least isn't a horrible option, but 960x1080 per eye is probably still too low. Smearing was also a big problem for monitor virtualization, but DK2 should have mostly fixed that.
LOL ... (Score:2)
You keep using that word. I am not sure it means what you think it means.
There's some rule 34 fan fiction in there somewhere.
Re:LOL ... (Score:4, Funny)
http://www.cracked.com/article... [cracked.com]
Puff piece propaganda (Score:4, Insightful)
At the very least they seem to be thinking about a counter-balance, though the Sony style will probably render that less than ideal.
Terrible field-of-view (Score:5, Insightful)
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the fov is what makes oculus so good.
and also, FUCK THE MOVE CONTROLLER. the best way to play with oculus(and similar) still is sitting on the sofa with a keyboard and a mouse. unless you think your going to play for 10 minutes - and we all know that if a gaming session is 10 minutes then the game isn't that good to begin with...
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I've enjoyed some Move games, and thinking a couple of them could benefit from a HMD setup.
If they figure out a wireless lightweight version, Move Sports could be pretty entertaining.
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Narrow view angle significantly compromises immersion.
This is my biggest issue with it. I almost bought the TMZ-H1 back before Oculus got big, but decided not to because the FOV was so awful.
Not sure Sony are going to do much with this (Score:4, Interesting)
I think this'll collapse unless Sony decide to open it to PC and maybe other consoles. It's not something that is general-use enough to bundle it with every console they sell, and there's not been a truly successful aftermarket add-on for a console as game manufacturers don't include support for them.
I was supporting Oculus until the FB buyout, and then I looked to Sony as maybe they'd treat this as a general display device rather than a PS4-exclusive (You can plug an XBox into a Sony Bravia), but now I'm just hoping Valve wake up and Do Stuff with a few of Gabe's millions.
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Yes, FB uses your info, they say they will in their user agreement, and yes they leave a bunch of stuff open but they also give you the option to shut stuff down.
Sony on the other hand has been known for fucking over people with absolutely zero permission and absolutely no way to stop it.
Maybe you're just really young?
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because FB will bastardize it into an annoying ad delivery platform more than likely sony makes its money by providing you products and or services rather than knowing a lot about you and force feeding you garbage like FB does
its hard to cheer for sony but given the alternative is fb then i cheer for sony
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Sony on the other hand has been known for fucking over people with absolutely zero permission and absolutely no way to stop it.
Google "shadow profiles". I can (and do) boycott Sony products, but FB will sell my data even if I neither give it to them nor give them permission to sell it.
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I think this'll collapse unless Sony decide to open it to PC and maybe other consoles.
Could easily go either way, and there's plenty of room for hacking a driver to make it work with PC. The interface box just uses HDMI and USB so it's at least got standard interfaces.
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and you can hack a powerglove to work with your pc too.
but your cousin isn't going to. unless it's really, really, really really good compared to oculus&others then it'll collapse. but if it's not pc compatible it's dead.
I Love the PowerGlove (Score:2)
and you can hack a powerglove to work with your pc too.
but your cousin isn't going to. unless it's really, really, really really good
No, no. It's a Powerglove, you only do its because it's so Bad [youtube.com]!
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1. Yes, Sony has a bad track record when it comes to marketing VR glasses. (Did you even know that VR glasses for the PS2 [impress.co.jp] exist?) However, with all the press Oculus has generated and the competition getting ready, Sony may be willing to make a bigger bet on VR.
2. FB seems to be going for a hands off approach that won't hinder the adoption of the Oculus Rift. I'm at least willing to take a wait and see approach before condemning the buyout. Apart from that, core members of Oculus like John Carmack and Michae
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> Abrash and Forsyth already went to Oculus
When did that happen? ? So [Michael] Abrash and [Tom] Forsynth AND John Carmack are at Oculus now !
It will be interesting to see if VR _finally_ takes off.
Rootkit Sony (Score:1)
[ten foot pole out of reach]
Is this from the All-your-tronic-are-belong-to-us Rootkit-first-adopters Sony?
Seriously? (Score:1)
The PS4 is already struggling to handle 1080p 30fps, I can't imagine it being able to even drive this thing properly.
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That's hardly a problem. You just reduce the image quality until you get the required framerate. The game may not be as pretty as the non-VR ones, but it'll probably be more immersive if done right.
Summary (Score:4, Informative)
Trying to put it in concise list, TFA is bit too verbose. Short version - it is a real DK1 killer, too bad DK2 is already out there...
Comparing to DK2 (prototype versus prototype, so don't jump with 'it will get fixed in final version'):
- horizontal FOV 90 deg (instead of 100)
? no data about vertical FOV
+ better perceived pixel density (because of lower FOV)
- blurry, high-persistence LED screen
- 60Hz instead of 75 Hz (but high-persistence anyway is a killer here)
- no mention of any advanced techniques like time warp
+ headband with tracking leds, which allows proper tracking even when you look behind
+ reported to be more friendly for people with prescription glasses
+ considerably better looking
+ headphones included
- with jack input INSIDE the visor !
= PS4 versus PC
? no exact data regarding tracking quality, seems to be lacking magnetometer compared to DK2, not sure if it makes a difference
+ utilizing PS Move and PS controllers fully, has some concept for VR interaction besides 'up to game designers'
If Oculus will 'borrow' idea of tracking headband and Morpheus will get low-persistence OLED display, we will have very close match here for consumer version...
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I would put "headphones included" as a minus; rather I get headphones I like + it doesn't become expensive paperweight in case one of the headphones goes funky
VR hasn't been proven in the market, but... (Score:2)