Just got Virtual Reality headset AMA

[kneeblock]

So I've been waiting with baited breath for Oculus Rift to come out to the general public. Their acquisition by Facebook slowed things down a bit, but my hope is that more developers will be ready at launch and that the product will be more polished as a result.

There are other VR options out there from Samsung and Sony, but both seem somewhat tied into their products ecosystem like Apple rather than striving for cross platform compatibility.

The other option was Google Cardboard. At $20-25, the price was right. Yesterday I opened the box and got to experience what I feel is the next web.

I haven't been able to play with it too much due to time constraints, but I will give my impressions and possible uses.

 

[Punch]

How long before it's used for pron?

 

[Pitbull9]

Oh shit i didnt know it came out yet. Either way i will wait a few years for better games to come out and for them to fix the obvious bugs that will come with it.

 

[ThatOneDude]

Have you watched vr porn yet, no other questions matter

 

[kneeblock]

How long before it's used for pron?

It's already used for pron.

 

[La Paix]

Guess what she's seeing.

 

[kneeblock]

Have you watched vr porn yet, no other questions matter

Yes, but most places you can find it are premium. I've seen a trailer, but that's it.

Based on the trailer, I can confidently say that POV porn will never be the same.

 

[kneeblock]

Oh shit i didnt know it came out yet. Either way i will wait a few years for better games to come out and for them to fix the obvious bugs that will come with it.

Good strategy as regards Oculus, Vive, Samsung VR, etc, but Google cardboard allows you to dip your toe into VR for $20. It also forces developers to actually pay attention to mobile in a meaningful way. Worth it imo.

 

[Punch]

Can you use it for Fallout 4?

 

[Team Bisping]

The cardboard is pretty good, I tried it out with a paul mccartney concert, which is fucking awesome. Can't wait till VR really kicks off.

 

[kneeblock]

Can you use it for Fallout 4?

My dream is a VR version of Half Life 3.

 

[kneeblock]

So in the past day I have toured the solar system, left to join a larger star cluster, base jumped, swum with sharks, chased Bjork around a beach, discovered an app that ports PC games to the viewer (TrinusVR) and desperately tried to set up auto-replay a 24 second HD porn clip like back in the old days on FreeOnes.

 

[BJTT_Pella]

So in the past day I have toured the solar system, left to join a larger star cluster, base jumped, swum with sharks, chased Bjork around a beach, discovered an app that ports PC games to the viewer (TrinusVR) and desperately tried to set up auto-replay a 24 second HD porn clip like back in the old days on FreeOnes.

What was the base jump like?

 

[kneeblock]

What was the base jump like?

It was pretty cool, but not quite HD enough for me since it was streaming over 4G. Will have to try again over WiFi.

 

[BWS]

MY BUDDY DESIGNED THE VR HEADSET FOR SONY. ITS CALLED THE MORPHEUS.........I'VE PLAYED SOME GAMES ON IT THAT HAVEN'T EVEN BEEN SHOWN TO THE PUBLIC YET.......A HORROR GAME AND SPACE SHOOTER..........ITS FUCKING AMAZING.....THE HORROR GAME WAS FUCKING CRAZY.......

 

[kneeblock]

Awesome @BWS I'm dying for the Oculus to come out, but the Morpheus promises to be great as well if you have a PS4.

Have him send all geekhaveners a prototype

 

[RedDragonUK]

Very cool

 

[IschKabibble]

Have you experienced any motion sickness after prolonged use? I'm holding out for the Vive myself. Can't help but think I'll use it about as often I do the 3D feature of my TV, which is pretty much never.

 

[GJdeux]

where can one test drive one of these? would love to see it? what did it cost?

 

[kneeblock]

where can one test drive one of these? would love to see it? what did it cost?

$10 if you buy the kit from google and put it together yourself.

$20-$25 if you buy a preassembled one like I did. Got mine from Knox Labs, which is one of the approved google devices.

 

[kneeblock]

Have you experienced any motion sickness after prolonged use? I'm holding out for the Vive myself. Can't help but think I'll use it about as often I do the 3D feature of my TV, which is pretty much never.

I haven't had motion sickness per se but did have a little trouble refocusing my eyes after prolonged use. It really depends on the app as some are better than others. When the image gets hazy at the edges that's called "drift" and can lead to motion sickness. The less drift, the less likely you are to feel weird.

I have to say, this makes 3d look like a pop up book. I feel hyperbolic when I talk about it, but that's because I see so much potential. It's all going to depend on how many apps are developed for these devices and how much developers put into making high quality projects instead of cutting corners to monetize. Right now it's hard to imagine a future where people aren't clamoring for it. Almost every person I've shared it with is mind blown.

Though I will say it's been breaking down along gender lines as women are considerably less impressed, so there could be something lacking either in the experience or my curation of the content.

 

[Wintermute]

"When humans invent the HoloDeck, it will be the last thing humans ever invent"

Having said that, I tried Google cardboard with just my hands and it sucked. How close does the viewer hold the phone? I couldn't focus

 

[kneeblock]

"When humans invent the HoloDeck, it will be the last thing humans ever invent"

Having said that, I tried Google cardboard with just my hands and it sucked. How close does the viewer hold the phone? I couldn't focus

Most of the high end VR devices coming out next year attach to your head. Cardboard is basically a proof of concept. It's experiencing VR at all that's blowing my mind.

Edit: A phone conversation with @peter_weyland revealed he meant he looked at the app, not through cardboard. To clarify for anyone else, looking at the app is meaningless without the viewer.

 

[MoomBah]

I got one about a month ago too. I thought the Insidious demo was really cool and is the first one i show to people. My one complaint is that the content isnt as clear as i thought it would be. 4k phone screens should change that, but we also need the 4k content to go along with that.

Google Cardboard is a cool introduction, but im gonna need to see alot more to spend any more than $50 on one of these big name devices.

So question: Will you jump into the Gen 1 of some of these devices when they come out (Oculus, Samsung Gears, HTCs etc)? Or will you wait for a bigger leap before you spend more money on VR?

 

[kneeblock]

I got one about a month ago too. I thought the Insidious demo was really cool and is the first one i show to people. My one complaint is that the content isnt as clear as i thought it would be. 4k phone screens should change that, but we also need the 4k content to go along with that.

Google Cardboard is a cool introduction, but im gonna need to see alot more to spend any more than $50 on one of these big name devices.

So question: Will you jump into the Gen 1 of some of these devices when they come out (Oculus, Samsung Gears, HTCs etc)? Or will you wait for a bigger leap before you spend more money on VR?

Based on what I'm seeing now, I'll likely stick with cardboard until I see more investment by developers and probably wait on a gen 2. Oculus has been in development so long I'm reasonably confident it will be pretty ready and leaps and bounds ahead of where cardboard and analogues are now, but I figure the early focus will be the gamer market which I'm not really a part of.

Did you happen to see the 2 at a time video? I finally got my hands on that and it pretty much sealed the deal. Also the Orbulus app transporting me to Mars.