Honestly I’m not sure. I do know that in some games I’m not looking at my hands. For example in Zombie Training Simulator I may grab a steak off the shelf without looking at it. I’m not trying to talk down the other devices. I’m just curious.
From what I read from early impressions, you don’t need to be looking at your hands for them to be tracked,so long as they are vaguely in front of you. I read one guy had problems playing a vr game where you changed guns by grabbing them behind your back.
Reaching behind your back to switch tools or weapons is a pretty common mechanic on Vive games. I have to assume that anything written for devices that would have difficulty with that would use a different mechanic.
I don’t think so at all.
Reaching behind your back to switch tools is a very coarse movement that could easily (theoretically) be tracked by the gyro sensors and accelerometers. That’s what I’m suggesting - that maybe the sensors inside of the motion controllers provide enough precision to the games already without needing external sensors to detect them when they’re outside of your view.
Maybe the system can presume that if it can’t see your hands, they are behind your back (or you’ve eaten them). Unless you’re cosplaying while using a headset I can’t imagine the sensors usually losing track of them otherwise.
And they dropped the price of the Rift + Touch to $399.
I don’t fully understand the difference between the Go and the Santa Cruz. The Go will be an inexpensive, mobile-quality VR experience. The Santa Cruz will be PC-quality with inside-out tracking? So is it a wireless Rift essentially?
A bit more research and the answer to my question is, NO, the Santa Cruz is not a wireless Rift. It will have its own CPU/GPU and can only run PC VR titles that are ported over to it (simple stuff, nothing like Elite Dangerous).
I guess the Go would be comparable to Daydream, the Santa Cruz compared to GearVR, and the Rift will remain the choice for PC VR.
I’m glad to see the industry offer various options and different price points, and targeted at different markets. As a hardcore gamer, what I really can’t wait for is Vive or Rift 2.0, though! Lighter weight, better resolution, maybe fewer cables, etc.
better resolution is irrelevant until we get better video cards to drive em. current tech is stretching it. i want il2 at 90 fps at least before i want more pixels.
Sure, but faster GPUs will come. Right now my 1080 is smoking everything I can throw at it, so not too worried on that front. I’d love to be able to read text better and see things clearer in Elite! Replacing the video card is already part of my regular PC upgrade cycle, so that won’t be too problematic for me, thankfully!
Actually they stated in the presentation that the Go would be more comparable to the GearVR and the Santa Cruz would fill a new performance niche between the GearVR and the PC powered Rift.
Yeah, it seems like the Go is almost literally a GearVR, just with its own processing unit. If the binaries are compatible it’s got to be more or less identical in functionality. So, only rotational tracking, gamepad or headset only controls.
The Santa Cruz, on the other hand, has translational tracking and touch controls. It’s functionally (supposed to be) a Rift, but less powerful.
Same here! Now that I understand what these new products do and who they’re for, I have zero interest. I’m more curious about what’s next for Rift/Vive.
It might be a while. There’s a reason the companies are shifting towards mobile devices. The tech sells better there (in the PC, it’s barely made any splash and the growth has slowed a lot, it seems). There’s some really cool headsets with improved tech out or coming out soon, but they are geared towards arcade experiences (which at this point are more profitable than PC titles).
Which sort of sucks since I want IL2 in VR, but I can’t bear current res headsets.
It’s not totally irrelevant, because even if you run higher res screens at a similar res to what we have now you’d have less screen door effect.
But we get better video cards every year. Not to mention other advancements such as foveated rendering (which you’d hope would be part of any v2), and the software techniques they keep coming up with. :)
huh. well guess we’re all different creatures because screen door doesnt bother me at all wearing my rift. Small FoV does, as do low framerates. I have a 1070 which is not top of the line, but we can’t all be rich enough to rock a 1080ti every year, can we?
This is what I was talking about:
Their headsets are not commercially available, although I’m unsure of the specs. I hope they open a venue close enough to me.
There’s a Friday the 13th sale on Oculus right now. The highlight is Edge of Nowhere for ~$5, but there’s a number of other shovelware and non shovelware titles on regular sale prices as well.