John Carmack
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John Carmack takes a step back at Oculus to work on human-like AI
Six years ago John Carmack left the company he founded, iD Software, to join Oculus VR as its Chief Technology Officer and push forward the future of virtual reality tech. Today the engineer behind many developments in 3D gaming has announced that a new "consulting CTO" role at Oculus "will only be consuming a modest slice of my time." Instead, he's turning his focus to Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), or AI that can pick up intellectual tasks like a human being does. That's in contrast to the "AI" you see today, which is usually a very narrowly focused set of algorithms built for a specific task. In 2014, Carmack told Engadget that the prime motivation behind his decision to join Oculus was development of Samsung's Gear VR headset. Since then, virtual reality growth has happened in fits and starts, with less focus on mobile platforms. Also, Oculus was acquired by Facebook, and there was a protracted legal battle with Zenimax, the company that acquired iD Software after he left, over the copyright to VR code. Oculus founder Palmer Luckey and other executives have left the company since Facebook took over, following a pattern seen at its other acquisitions like WhatsApp and Instagram. Still, Carmack suggests he'll continue to have a role with Oculus, and similar to the shift that brought him to the company, it seemed inevitable he would move on to another field at some point after 3D engines and aerospace work. According to his Facebook post, the alternative was "cost effective nuclear fission reactors," which just aren't suitable for working from home.
Oculus CTO John Carmack on the VR challenges of the Quest and Rift S
Give Doom co-creator and Oculus CTO John Carmack 90 minutes to talk, and you can expect be inundated with tons of geeky technical details. That basically describes his keynote for the second day of the Oculus Connect 6 conference, where the legendary developer spoke frankly about the challenges the company faced as it launched the Quest ($399) and Rift S ($399) headsets this year. But of course, he also couldn't help but give us a taste of where things are headed.
John Carmack's 9-year-old son releases first game, Angry Face
John Carmack, arguably best known as the co-creator of Doom, has a nine-year-old son named Ryan. This week, Ryan released his first video game - a variation of Pong that substitutes the simple graphics of white bars and a square with ovals and a smiley face. It's called Angry Face. "I enjoy video games a lot so I made one," Ryan wrote on his blog. "I feel nervous about my game ... it's rather simple. It's called Angry Face! This is my version of Pong. I wrote the game but my 4 year old brother helped me with sound and testing. He really likes the game. This is the very first game that I've created and I want to make more in the future. I hope I get a good response and that everyone likes it." Ryan also mentions that he made a "grandma mode" difficulty level at the request of his grandmother, as well as an "expert mode" difficulty for those looking for a challenge. You can play Angry Face in a web browser for free, so long as you have the Unity Web Player extension installed. [Image: Ryan Carmack]
Oculus' Carmack to Minecraft creator: 'Say the word'
Earlier this year, Minecraft creator Markus "Notch" Persson announced that his game would not be coming to Oculus' Rift due to the company's acquisition by Facebook. "Facebook creeps me out," Persson said. It seems those heebie-jeebies are starting to subside though, as a different life crisis has come to the forefront: "And about now I'm officially over being upset about Facebook buying Oculus," Persson recently tweeted. "I'm upset about there being a hole in my favorite sock instead." John Carmack, co-creator of Doom, Oculus convert and center of a legal battle with former employer ZeniMax, responded enthusiastically. "Say the word, ship the source, and i'll make sure It runs well on you-know-what," he wrote. Sounds nice, but we're not sure how Carmack would make Persson's sock run well on ... oh. Ohhhh. Nevermind, we just got it. We see what you did there, John. [Image: Mojang]
Doom's Dungeons and Dragons pedigree dissected
The latest episode of YouTube series Did You Know Gaming explores Doom, and it's got more than a few tasty tidbits of info on the world's most famous demons-in-space shooter. For example, while 1993's Doom is widely-cited as having helped usher in the first-person shooter genre, we're somewhat surprised it didn't result in a new generation of kids rolling 20-sided dice, considering how many of the game's roots trace back to Dungeons and Dragons. The series' famous demons? DnD. The floating Cacodemon? DnD twice, as its general design is similar to a Beholder, while its sprite was taken from an Astral Dreadnought. Doomguy rolls for an attack against the Cyberdemon with his shotgun. Critical Hit! [Image: DYK Gaming]
Oculus slams ZeniMax in latest legal statement
The war of words continues between Oculus VR and ZeniMax. The latest salvo comes courtesy of a legal statement issued by the former in which it denies ZeniMax's claim that key tech was developed by John Carmack before he left ZeniMax for Oculus. "By deliberately misstating some facts and omitting others, ZeniMax makes the incredible assertion that it, a videogame software publishing company for personal computers and consoles like the Sony PlayStation, invented and developed a virtual reality hardware and software system," the statement reads, in part. It goes on to state that the Oculus VR headset tech was developed by Palmer Luckey and that the "lawsuit is nothing more than ZeniMax seeking to correct for a massive missed opportunity through the assertion of meritless litigation."
Oculus: ZeniMax lawsuit a 'transparent attempt' to profit from Facebook sale
Oculus VR has issued a legal statement denying ZeniMax Media's claims that Oculus Chief Technology Officer John Carmack developed key VR technology while employed at ZeniMax, therefore entitling ZeniMax and its subsidiary id Software to compensation. "ZeniMax's Complaint falsely claims ownership in Oculus VR technology in a transparent attempt to take advantage of the Oculus VR sale to Facebook," the statement reads. "By deliberately misstating some facts and omitting others, ZeniMax makes the incredible assertion that it, a videogame software publishing company for personal computers and consoles like the Sony PlayStation, invented and developed a virtual reality hardware and software system." The statement continues: "The truth is quite different. There is not a line of ZeniMax code or any of its technology in any Oculus VR product. [...] Until the Facebook deal, and the perceived chance for a quick payout, ZeniMax never raised any claim of infringement against Oculus VR, undoubtedly because ZeniMax never has contributed any intellectual property or technology to Oculus VR." Carmack responded to the allegations last month. "No work I have ever done has been patented," he said. "ZeniMax owns the code that I wrote, but they don't own VR." Today's statement asserts that the Oculus VR headset technology was developed solely by Palmer Luckey, and claims that "[ZeniMax's] lawsuit is nothing more than ZeniMax seeking to correct for a massive missed opportunity through the assertion of meritless litigation." Oculus now demands a jury trial to resolve the issue. [Image: Oculus VR]
ZeniMax is taking Oculus VR to court
ZeniMax Media and its subsidiary, id Software, filed suit against Oculus VR and the company's founder, Palmer Luckey, claiming that Oculus illegally misappropriated ZeniMax trade secrets and infringed on ZeniMax copyrights and trademarks while developing the Oculus Rift. ZeniMax filed the suit in federal court in the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas. The suit claims that Oculus exploited ZeniMax IP, code and "technical know-how" (that is the technical term) regarding VR technology. ZeniMax said it gave Oculus "valuable intellectual property" under a strict NDA, and that Oculus illegally used its IP to create the Oculus Rift. ZeniMax said it sought compensation from Oculus but was repeatedly denied. In May, The Wall Street Journal reported that ZeniMax asked Oculus for compensation after developer John Carmack left ZeniMax to become Chief Technology Officer at Oculus VR. At the time, ZeniMax said in a statement, "The proprietary technology and know-how Mr. Carmack developed when he was a ZeniMax employee, and used by Oculus, are owned by ZeniMax."
ZeniMax Media formally files suit against Oculus
Polygon reports that it has obtained a copy of the court filing showing that ZeniMax Media, familiar to MMO players as the parent company of The Elder Scrolls Online's ZeniMax Online Studios, has sued Oculus VR for misappropriation and commercial exploitation of "copyrighted code, trade secrets, and 'technical know-how'" in relation to Oculus' virtual reality tech. ZeniMax Media earlier this month accused Oculus (by way of developer John Carmack) of using and exploiting "ZeniMax's technology and intellectual property without authorization, compensation or credit to ZeniMax." Oculus and Carmack strongly denied those claims.
Engadget Daily: #AmazonCart, Oculus VR denies IP theft, and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Oculus VR responds to claims of IP theft from ZeniMax
When John Carmack left ZeniMax to work for Oculus VR, claims were made that he took some important intellectual property with him. "The proprietary technology and know-how Mr. Carmack developed when he was a ZeniMax employee, and used by Oculus, are owned by ZeniMax," a ZeniMax statement to Engadget said. Now the Oculus folks are responding to these accusations for the first time in an official capacity stating that all claims are false. Read on past the cut for the official statement from Oculus VR. [Source: Oculus VR press release]
Oculus accused of stealing ZeniMax IP [Update: Carmack responds]
[Update: John Carmack has responded to ZeniMax's claims. "No work I have ever done has been patented," he said. "Zenimax owns the code that I wrote, but they don't own VR."] The Elder Scrolls series publisher ZeniMax Media is seeking compensation for the Oculus Rift VR headset technology following the recent departure of associated developer John Carmack, The Wall Street Journal reports. ZeniMax alleges that Carmack performed "extensive VR research and development" while employed at ZeniMax, entitling the company to "ownership of key technology used by Oculus to develop and market the Oculus Rift." Carmack joined Oculus as Chief Technology Officer shortly before departing the ZeniMax-owned id Software last year. ZeniMax notes that Carmack first contacted Oculus founder Palmer Luckey in 2012 regarding the company's virtual reality technology. While at ZeniMax, Carmack allegedly iterated on a prototype VR headset he received from Luckey, later demonstrating a modified version at a ZeniMax convention booth in Los Angeles.
John Carmack on Facebook buy of Oculus: 'they get the Big Picture'
John Carmack, co-founder of id Software and current CTO of Oculus, has weighed in on the Internet's ... shall we say "mixed" reaction to the news of Facebook purchasing the virtual reality-oriented company. Carmack responded to a post titled "Wrong and Right Reasons To Be Upset About Oculus" on Anamanaguchi lead songwriter Peter Berkman's Tumblr page, noting that, while he was not involved in the negotiations with Facebook, he has "reason to believe that they get the Big Picture as I see it, and will be a powerful force towards making it happen." That being said, even Carmack seems surprised by the acquisition. "Honestly, I wasn't expecting Facebook (or this soon). I have zero personal background with them, and I could think of other companies that would have more obvious synergies," Carmack wrote. Many have expressed concern over Facebook's policies regarding private information, but Carmack doesn't share those worries. "I'm not a 'privacy is gone, get over it' sort of person, and I fully support people that want [to] remain unobserved, but that means disengaging from many opportunities. The idea that companies are supposed to interact with you and not pay attention has never seemed sane to me," he wrote in a separate comment. "I have never felt harmed by data mining, and I rather like the recommendations that Amazon gives me on each visit." [Image: Oculus]
Oculus Rift: From $2.4 million Kickstarter to $2 billion sale
Facebook's acquisition of Oculus VR stunned the game industry. In less than two years, Oculus VR and its Oculus Rift virtual reality headset have gone from (literal) overnight Kickstarter success to subsidiary of a social networking giant. To put it another way: John Carmack, one of the principal creative forces behind the original Doom, is now a Facebook employee. Wild. The transition of Oculus VR from a $2.4 million dollar Kickstarter to a $2 billion dollar acquisition seems unreal. To put things in perspective, and for the benefit of anyone who hasn't kept up with Oculus VR's meteoric rise, we've decided to retrace the company's story all the way from its humble beginnings in 2012.
Carmack on id departure: 'VR has the possibility to be something really huge'
In an interview with USA Today, John Carmack characterizes his recent decision to leave id Software for Oculus VR as motivated by the potential of the Oculus Rift and VR technology in general. "I really do think VR is now one of the most exciting things that can be done in this whole sector of consumer electronic entertainment stuff," said Carmack. "I've seen this when we transitioned from 2D games to 3D games and everybody has seen the mobile transition, right now in the last five years. After you have been around for a while, you can notice some of the trends. It really feels like VR has the possibility to be something really huge." That John Carmack, a man responsible for some the most influential 3D game engines in history, would be drawn to new rendering technology should come as no shock. What is surprising, however, is that Carmack offered id Software parent company ZeniMax Media a deal whereby id could work alongside Oculus VR, allowing Carmack to retain his old position while also feeding his drive to explore the potential of VR. Carmack's proposal was rejected. "It would have been a huge win," said Carmack. "It seemed like a sensible plan for me. "But they couldn't come together on that which made me really sad. It was just unfortunate. When it became clear that I wasn't going to have the opportunity to do any work on VR while at id Software, I decided to not renew my contract." [Image: Oculus VR]
Quakecon 2014 nails in July dates, Carmack offers to give talk
Quakecon, North America's LAN party extraordinaire, is taking place a couple of weeks earlier than usual in 2014. Organizers announced the Bring-Your-Own-Computer event will be held from July 17 to July 20 at the regular venue of the Hilton Anatole in Dallas, Texas. It'll be the first Quakecon since John Carmack left id Software, the company he co-founded, to work full-time at Oculus VR. That doesn't mean Carmack's traditional keynote address is a write-off, as the veteran programmer tweeted he's offered to give the talk - it's now up to organizers to accept his offer. Carmack or no, because the event's happening a wee bit earlier there's no time to dawdle over booking a hotel room - a $160 per night special rate is available now. Admission to the event itself remains free.
Testing the 'huge breakthrough' in new Oculus Rift VR prototype
The newest internal prototype of the Oculus Rift, codenamed Crystal Cove, adds positional tracking, low persistence and an OLED screen, iterating on the 1080p HD developer model out in the wild. Positional tracking is a straightforward addition that players have been looking out for, and the Oculus achieves this with an external camera that faces the player and watches a series of LEDs on the front of the headset. With positional tracking, players are able to lean down and read text or get a closer look at objects in front of them. Low persistence is a trickier beast to tackle, but it basically means the Oculus Rift has erased motion blur, allowing the player to move his head and keep his eyes fixed on one point, as humans do in reality. The Crystal Cove prototype reduces latency to 30 milliseconds from 60 milliseconds in the HD dev kit, though Oculus VR's goal for a consumer product is 16 to 20 milliseconds. "You want to be able to stay focused on something," Oculus VR CEO Brendan Iribe said during a hands-on demo at CES. "If there's text in the world and you're looking at it, you want to be able to move while you stare at that text. Your head is always moving. So it actually ends up being really key – it's a breakthrough. This is a huge breakthrough." The Oculus Rift team works with Valve to solve some of the headset's technical issues, and the low persistence solution spawned in part from Valve R&D man Michael Abrash. Abrash previously co-created Quake at id Software with John Carmack, who is Chief Technology Officer at Oculus VR.
John Carmack departs id Software
John Carmack, co-founder of Doom developer id Software, has left the company in order to pursue new projects outside the field of game development, reports IGN. "John Carmack, who has become interested in focusing on things other than game development at id, has resigned from the studio," id Software studio director Tim Willits told IGN. "John's work on id Tech 5 and the technology for the current development work at id is complete, and his departure will not affect any current projects. We are fortunate to have a brilliant group of programmers at id who worked with John and will carry on id's tradition of making great games with cutting-edge technology. As colleagues of John for many years, we wish him well." Carmack joined up with Oculus VR as Chief Technology Officer in August, but remained with id in the months afterward, serving in a leadership role for unspecified projects. Carmack's resignation follows up on former CEO Todd Hollenshead's recent departure from id, ending a 17-year tenure with the company.
Oculus Rift retail headset will tether to Android [update]
Update: Oculus VR CEO Brendan Iribe has clarified that there will be one Oculus Rift headset available at retail, despite the Gamesbeat report calling out a different lighter headset for Android. Oculus VR, the technology company behind the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset, is preparing a special variant of its product for Android mobile. Chief executive officer Brendan Iribe revealed at the Gamesbeat 2013 video game conference the mobile headset will be a lighter version of the current headset, hoping to launch at the same time or close to the retail launch of the PC version. "We have some exciting plans on the mobile VR side as the PC VR side," Iribe said, as transcribed by Gamesbeat. "We're really looking at hitting the consumer market. We're very excited about what we're seeing. Skeptical about how good mobile VR could be on such a small platform. It's pretty incredible what [John Carmack has] been able to do." John Carmack, who signed on as Chief Technology Officer for Oculus in August, said the retail headset will likely run on an Android processor. In an interview with Engadget earlier this month, Carmack envisioned "a head-mounted display that probably runs Android, as a standalone system, that has a system-on-a-chip that's basically like what you have in mobile phones." Oculus has yet to announce when the Rift will officially launch, though some developers have had the development kit headset since March. Oculus began as a Kickstarter campaign late last year and managed to earn over $2 million through crowdfunding. The company completed its first round of investor funding in June, securing $16 million.
Carmack: New Oculus Rift dev kit coming, retail model will 'probably' run on Android
Oculus Rift's recently recruited Chief Technology Officer John Carmack confirmed that a new dev kit for the company's augmented reality headset will be available before the hardware launches at retail next year. Speaking with Engadget, Carmack additionally revealed that the retail Oculus Rift unit will likely run on an Android-powered operating system, easing its development process. "The way I believe it's going to play out is you will eventually have a head-mounted display that probably runs Android, as a standalone system, that has a system-on-a-chip that's basically like what you have in mobile phones," Carmack said. Several in-development projects have added official support for the Oculus Rift over the last several months, and early adopters have successfully added Rift functionality to a number of existing games using the VorpX and TriDef drivers. The Oculus Rift secured $16 million in investor funding earlier this year, following up on its successful Kicksarter campaign.
