Yeah, I think a lot of people are waiting to see how VR turns out, or how these different Companies ultimately integrate their VR into the games & systems.
I myself, am not worried about the delivery system (goggles vs multi-monitor walls/holodeck), but the implementation of reality and sense of space within the game. How hard is it going to be, to leave a mouse behind in Battlefield 5, when going to 3D-space motion controllers, etc.
I've had both versions of the SDK. I've contributed as a tester and tried a lot of different games and experiences. There's been some interesting innovation by some companies around interface. The best example in my opinion is Elite Dangerous. As you look at different areas of the cockpit you automatically activate different hologram consoles for interaction. My favorite example of visual immersion is within Digital Combat Simulator (of which i assisted in the dev as a tester and SME). When flying without Rift I have to look at my altimeter often to maintain situational awareness. With the Rift on I can lean over and look down at the ground and get a sense of what my altitude is via depth perception. It's really staggering.
What I'd like to see in Pantheon is the inclusion of control through Oculus Touch. Hand gestures to initiate various spells and abilities would be a whole new level of immersion!
As if you don't have enough weight of responsibility on your shoulders at this point Brad, let me just say that after observing you while testing and playing in your previous projects I fully expect you to pull something wild off with VR that blows everyone away. Sorry man.. competence is a curse.
Aradune said:Keep in mind the challenge with VR devices is not getting the display to work -- I know we could get it working with Pantheon in fairly short order, and we will, once it makes sense to and we have the resources to devote to it.
The real challenge is the interface. An MMO requires a pretty sophisticated UI that you are interacting with often. You are firing off abilities and spells in combat. You are manipulating items in your inventory. I think once the display side of things is somewhat standardized, which I think will be fairly soon, you'll start seeing games that are graphical but don't require sophisticated user interfaces popping up first. Then, over time, as the interface issues are addressed and standardized and the devices mature beyond just moving your head around to change your view, more complex games will start to support VR. MMOs will likely come later, again because their interfaces are more sophisticated and being able to interact with the UI so essential to gameplay.
That said, I've experienced the earlier games and demos that exist now, and the immersion factor quite honeslty blew me away. I knew I was interested in VR already, but actually experiencing it really impacted me. MMOs and virtual worlds are all about immersion and feeling like you are really there. To that end, VR and MMOs ARE the future. It's not a matter of IF, it's a matter of WHEN.
So you can be certain that when the hardware and software improves to the point where sophisticated user interfaces work seamlessly with the rest of the VR experience, Pantheon will definitely be part of this immersion revolution. But like I said, it's the 'when'. And a lot of that 'when' is out of our hands, at least at this point. Because of that, where VR tech is at the moment, I really cannot with any confidence or credibility commit or even allude to when VR will become part of the Pantheon experience. It may be before launch, or it may very well be post-launch (the latter probably more likely).
That said, who knows where things will be at VR-wise in one year... in two years... sometimes tech like this catches on quickly, but sometimes it takes time. And like I said, much or even most of this is out of our hands. Nothing would make me more happier than if a year from now there are both hardware and software solutions to make integrating VR with an MMO (and I mean, again, truly integrated including a seamless, natural answer to the sophisticated UI issue). But as of right now, just putting on a VR device over your head and using your neck to change the camera's view, combined with clunky and sometimes optional finger/hand interfaces just doesn't cut it.
http://www.roadtovr.com/first-look-unreal-engine-will-soon-let-you-build-vr-inside-vr/
I know this is a little off track and Unreal engine has nothing to do with pantheon but I mean just WoW and WOW
Zandil said:http://www.roadtovr.com/first-look-unreal-engine-will-soon-let-you-build-vr-inside-vr/
I know this is a little off track and Unreal engine has nothing to do with pantheon but I mean just WoW and WOW
That is very cool mate!
since I can't type without looking at the keyboard, VR headsets are probably out for me. That being said if the resolution on the next generatons increase I may consider it.
Fot now though I will stick with my 4K 40" monitor. If you have not played FO4 in 4K you are really missing something nice. I hope Pantheon looks as great.
ok, is this like VHS vs BetaMax?- it was not long ago the new TV's had "3D ready" monitors- and glasses, but there was not alot of content out there, and it hasn't increased. Dont get me wrong I think VR is the way to go but where are the competitors?
Random association: Remember the movie "Brainstorm"? with a young Christopher Walken.
Manouk said:ok, is this like VHS vs BetaMax?- it was not long ago the new TV's had "3D ready" monitors- and glasses, but there was not alot of content out there, and it hasn't increased. Dont get me wrong I think VR is the way to go but where are the competitors?
Random association: Remember the movie "Brainstorm"? with a young Christopher Walken.
1 - VR is not 3d, it's streoscopic
2- compertiors in the race at the momnet are Rift and Vive and PSVR is due out end of this year some time
3- content, just today FATED announced they are releasing tomorrow, EvE:V, Elite, Project Cars, The Climb, EvE's Tron Disc game, Chronos list goes on and on, there are more VR titles out then there was console titles when they released Xbox or PS4.
Niien said:Vive > Oculus :)
Ours is on order! We like the fact that we can get up and walk around in the VR game to a limited extent.
Oculus Touch will do the same when it's released later this year.
Just to dig back a little ;)
Oculus has proven better optics which gives less SDE and is generaly clearer
Lighter and more comfortable also easier to get on and off
Has built in headphones
Only one cable
cheaper
and easier to setup and use
Pheww ;)
Game line up is bigger to on the Rift.
Zandil said:Niien said:Vive > Oculus :)
Ours is on order! We like the fact that we can get up and walk around in the VR game to a limited extent.
Oculus Touch will do the same when it's released later this year.
Just to dig back a little ;)
Oculus has proven better optics which gives less SDE and is generaly clearer
Lighter and more comfortable also easier to get on and off
Has built in headphones
Only one cable
cheaper
and easier to setup and use
Pheww ;)
Game line up is bigger to on the Rift.
Fanboi much?
Both are early tech and have their advantages and limitations over each other.
As impressed as we are with the HTC Vive and the Oculus Rift, we’d still recommend you wait on a VR headset unless you have a rabid interest in VR. As the first generation of a largely unproven technology, both headsets have some major problems that need to be ironed out before they can appeal beyond early adopters.
For the Rift, the lack of hand-tracking is a major strike. It’s hard to wholeheartedly recommend a VR platform that currently can’t run killer apps like Audioshield, Job Simulator, Hover Junkers, Tilt Brush, and many others that use your hands to create an entirely new experience. The Touch controllers will eventually help Oculus on this score, but right now their quality and functionality (not to mention their release date and price) are big question marks. Add in the current issues with the Oculus platform itself, and there are clear reasons to wait at this early date.
For the Vive, the clunky, downright uncomfortable design of the headset itself is a major issue. Being uncomfortable makes it hard to get lost in a VR experience for hours at a time. Like it or not, Oculus’ commitment to securing exclusive games could also cause some regret for Vive owners, even if none of the Oculus exclusives currently feel like must-have system sellers that we simply couldn’t live without.
Anyone that is interested should some google-foo research and read reviews. There are literally dozens.
Here is one at Ars Technica. http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2016/04/the-ars-vr-headset-showdown-oculus-rift-vs-htc-vive/
Zandil said:Niien said:Vive > Oculus :)
Ours is on order! We like the fact that we can get up and walk around in the VR game to a limited extent.
Oculus Touch will do the same when it's released later this year.
Just to dig back a little ;)
Oculus has proven better optics which gives less SDE and is generaly clearer
Lighter and more comfortable also easier to get on and off
Has built in headphones
Only one cable
cheaper
and easier to setup and use
Pheww ;)
Game line up is bigger to on the Rift.
Ahh thanks for the info, didn't know they were putting out the touch thing. That might be something to look at.
1. Weird, we read a couple of reviews that state otherwise:
"We are not going to make real picture comparisons at this stage when we have yet to use the HTC Vive and consumer Oculus Rift on the same day, let alone with the same demos or games. If we're pushed, we'd say that the HTC Vive has the edge - not in terms of pixels obviously but HTC has also made some improvements to the Pre's brightness and clarity.
On the Vive, so far, there's less of the dirty window effect too, but again we don't know which display HTC will use on the final headset and we need to spend more time with both devices in the same environment. We've found that the Gear VR, for example, fogs up in the Wareable office but not so much back at home."
2. True, they say they are a few grams lighter, however seems like an option to get on and off easier. We also didn't find it a turn off for a few grams.
3. Agreed, that was one of the cons on the Vive for us.
4. Many cables can be turned into one, though still not really an issue for us.
5. Cheaper as it's only a headset, the additional controllers and sensors for tracking the controllers are an additional cost. So they will probably be pretty close to the same cost once they are compared as complete packages.
6. Seems to be an opinion, however it may be easier to setup an Oculus due to the lacking features. :)
7. Haven't looked at the games list.
The biggest reason we bought the Vive after the fact that it tracks your movement in a room was the fact that Oculus will be tracking your activity and reporting back to Facebook. We voted with our wallet on this one.
"The process’ main purpose is to help detect when the Rift is turned on and on your face so that it can launch Oculus Home, but the further reaching implications of it are potentially much more salacious.
Digging into the Oculus Rift’s Privacy Policy that users agree to when checking “Agree” on the Terms and Conditions there are a couple of interesting bits that may prove to be concerning (if not completely expected).
A section of the privacy policy outlines “information automatically collected about you when you use our services” including when, where, and how you interact with content on the platform even going as far as tracking your movements in virtual space."
