Oculus Rift comes to Rift

[Slipmat]

If you're a bit tech savy you've probably heard of the Oculus Rift headset which allows you to experience supported games in a kind of '3D' settings, more here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oculus_Rift

The interesting news is that Dev Pithos posted on the Rift Forum that Rift is now testing Oculus Rift support for Rift on the PTS and if all goes well might make Live this week !! (tomorrow for US, Thursday for EU)

Pithos also posted two screenshots of how Akylios and Regulos look through an Oculus, obviously it doesn't show you the true effect, wonder if you wore 3D glasses would the screen shot jump out at you

Akylios

http://webcdn.triongames.com/rift/co...iftOculus1.jpg


Regulos

http://webcdn.triongames.com/rift/co...iftOculus2.jpg

Full Post : http://forums.riftgame.com/general-d...s-support.html

[Jtbrig7390]

Thats cool. Kinda makes me want to get a dev kit and check it out. ill wait for a retail release.

[Nostalgic]

It's a good technology and any game being supported is a plus, however I see a lot of potential wasted when it's not a first-person game. For example, head tracking when you're looking at the back of your character's head. I guess I just feel it's less immersive and that's really what the device excels at. I won't write it off till I try it though.

[Edge-]

Huzzah for wasting time on gimmick technology : /

And if you stick your face close-ish to your monitor and cross your eyes you can get the 3D effect.

[Hellravager]

^ that would ruin your eyes though

[Edge-]

^ that would ruin your eyes though

I don't think going crosseyed for a few seconds to check out an image in 3d is going to ruin your eyes : P

[Khelendros]

Huzzah for wasting time on gimmick technology : /

And if you stick your face close-ish to your monitor and cross your eyes you can get the 3D effect.

No time was wasted, a developer did this on his own time.

[Collected]

Huzzah for wasting time on gimmick technology : /

I'm not so sure it's gimmick technology. Sure it clearly isn't suited to every single game out there and trying to force it upon those games will just be pointless. For example WoW in VR? No thanks. It simply wouldn't work. Same for Rift. The game has to be first person and it has to be open world environment for the technology to really shine.

However I think the technology itself may well replace the TV in gaming. I've watched a few people using the head set and within seconds they're lost in another world. They try to move their hands in front of themselves to pick things up which means the brain is already tricked and they have the biggest smiles on their faces just looking around. They're immersed in a world like never before. There is no longer the disconnect between their eyes and the TV screen with the interference of other objects between to remind them it's "just a game". They're IN the world. Nothing is getting in the way of their eyes and the world and I think that's having a very powerful effect on the brain.

I think when games are developed with this technology in mind that's when the real potential is unlocked. Games will become first person experiences and high detail worlds will allow you to literally feel like you're in the game. It will be extremely powerful.. probably extremely addictive and some people may not even be able to handle it. I mean the unreal 4 engine looks so real people may become hooked on being inside these worlds. Especially if the worlds are designed to allow fantasy world exploration.. like walking around a huge building that's on another planet with space ships flying by, huge galaxies in the sky and various other things going on around you.

I think it has a lot of potential. I was sceptical but after seeing a few people use it I'm thinking it's going to be potentially huge. I can see why someone like John Carmack is into it. Playing games and experiencing worlds on your flat TV may one day be laughed at as being ancient and very basic. Or it could flop. But what I've seen makes me think it will be big. And the price point seems really accessible which was the big surprise to me.

[Lathais]

I'm not so sure it's gimmick technology. Sure it clearly isn't suited to every single game out there and trying to force it upon those games will just be pointless. For example WoW in VR? No thanks. It simply wouldn't work. Same for Rift. The game has to be first person and it has to be open world environment for the technology to really shine.

However I think the technology itself may well replace the TV in gaming. I've watched a few people using the head set and within seconds they're lost in another world. They try to move their hands in front of themselves to pick things up which means the brain is already tricked and they have the biggest smiles on their faces just looking around. They're immersed in a world like never before. There is no longer the disconnect between their eyes and the TV screen with the interference of other objects between to remind them it's "just a game". They're IN the world. Nothing is getting in the way of their eyes and the world and I think that's having a very powerful effect on the brain.

I think when games are developed with this technology in mind that's when the real potential is unlocked. Games will become first person experiences and high detail worlds will allow you to literally feel like you're in the game. It will be extremely powerful.. probably extremely addictive and some people may not even be able to handle it. I mean the unreal 4 engine looks so real people may become hooked on being inside these worlds. Especially if the worlds are designed to allow fantasy world exploration.. like walking around a huge building that's on another planet with space ships flying by, huge galaxies in the sky and various other things going on around you.

I think it has a lot of potential. I was sceptical but after seeing a few people use it I'm thinking it's going to be potentially huge. I can see why someone like John Carmack is into it. Playing games and experiencing worlds on your flat TV may one day be laughed at as being ancient and very basic. Or it could flop. But what I've seen makes me think it will be big. And the price point seems really accessible which was the big surprise to me.

Next thing you know we will have VRMMO like in the anime Sword Art Online

[Slipmat]

Well known Rift Guide writer and player Seatin managed to blag an Oculus Rift for a few days and plans to make a few videos, first up his initial impressions and closing a hellbug Rift in the game

[MORGATH99]

makes sense

[Deleted]

Oculus spybook shit. Just wait till sony or someone releases a vr thingie.

[Slipmat]

wait till sony or someone releases a vr thingie.

Sony has plans to release a sleeker looking 3D headset called Project Morpheus for it's Playstation 4:

http://blog.us.playstation.com/2014/...eus/#sf2223028

The Oculus Rift though was bought out by Facebook for close to $2 billion, it seems Mark Zuckenberg has big plans for the Oculus and not just for games:

I'm excited to announce that we've agreed to acquire Oculus VR, the leader in virtual reality technology.

Our mission is to make the world more open and connected. For the past few years, this has mostly meant building mobile apps that help you share with the people you care about. We have a lot more to do on mobile, but at this point we feel we're in a position where we can start focusing on what platforms will come next to enable even more useful, entertaining and personal experiences.

This is where Oculus comes in. They build virtual reality technology, like the Oculus Rift headset. When you put it on, you enter a completely immersive computer-generated environment, like a game or a movie scene or a place far away. The incredible thing about the technology is that you feel like you're actually present in another place with other people. People who try it say it's different from anything they've ever experienced in their lives.

Oculus's mission is to enable you to experience the impossible. Their technology opens up the possibility of completely new kinds of experiences.

Immersive gaming will be the first, and Oculus already has big plans here that won't be changing and we hope to accelerate. The Rift is highly anticipated by the gaming community, and there's a lot of interest from developers in building for this platform. We're going to focus on helping Oculus build out their product and develop partnerships to support more games. Oculus will continue operating independently within Facebook to achieve this.

But this is just the start. After games, we're going to make Oculus a platform for many other experiences. Imagine enjoying a courtside seat at a game, studying in a classroom of students and teachers all over the world or consulting with a doctor face-to-face -- just by putting on goggles in your home.

This is really a new communication platform. By feeling truly present, you can share unbounded spaces and experiences with the people in your life. Imagine sharing not just moments with your friends online, but entire experiences and adventures.

These are just some of the potential uses. By working with developers and partners across the industry, together we can build many more. One day, we believe this kind of immersive, augmented reality will become a part of daily life for billions of people.

Virtual reality was once the dream of science fiction. But the internet was also once a dream, and so were computers and smartphones. The future is coming and we have a chance to build it together. I can't wait to start working with the whole team at Oculus to bring this future to the world, and to unlock new worlds for all of us.

Full story: http://www.businessinsider.com/faceb...billion-2014-3