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Hands-on with the newer, larger Oculus Rift prototype (video)
We like virtual reality headsets, but we also refuse to accept any such headsets with displays below 7-inches in size. Thankfully, the Oculus Rift VR headset met those exact specifications in its latest prototype update, going from a 5.6-inch LCD to a 7-inch 1280 x 800 display. Sadly, while we got to get a much closer look at the updated development prototype, we didn't get to actually use it -- Oculus reps told us that, while the hardware's working, it's not quite ready for press primetime just yet. But that doesn't mean Oculus had nothing to show -- not only have a variety of hardware tweaks been made (a new, custom sensor, for instance), but the software's been optimized. Oh, and there were some new demos to show off, albeit on an aging prototype model.Epic Games' original Epic Citadel demo of Unreal Engine 3 on iOS, for example. The Oculus folks -- no longer a single man, but now a company of around 20 employees -- worked with Epic Games on getting the source code up and running for the hardware prototype, though it's unclear if it'll ever actually be released to developers or the general public. Regardless, like so many software demos running on the Oculus hardware, it was unnervingly effective. There's an inescapable urge to look everywhere but straight ahead while in Epic's Citadel world, even if the wood grain textures on the buildings were a bit more muddy than we'd like. What matters is that the hardware works, and it works to an incredible degree -- the feeling of Epic Citadel's world simply serves to assist in selling the device. The team at Oculus isn't done optimizing yet, though, and promises that slight issues with motion blur (among other minor snags) will be ironed out ahead of launch. Frankly, we had few complaints.
Oculus Rift dev kits to ship in March 2013, orders fulfilled by mid-April
Were you one of the many folks to donate your hard-earned cash to the crazy folks developing the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset? Sadly, we've got some bad news for ya -- you won't be playing Doom 3: BFG Edition with your new headset any time this year, as the device isn't shipping to its Kickstarter backers until some time next March. Citing a variety of factors, the folks at Oculus say it's simply impossible to get the dev kits manufactured and shipped to all 7,500 backers within the previous time frame of "before 2012 ends." The company hopes to have all dev kit orders fulfilled by mid-April 2013.Moreover, a handful of tech specs have changed on the OR since we last saw it, including a display change from 5.6-inch LCD to 1280 x 800 7-inch -- that's a lot of screen connected to your face! As such, the whole device is a bit heavier than before (by 30g). Additionally, previously off the shelf motion sensors were replaced with a custom one "that excels in VR-critical areas." Should you wish to get into all the (extremely) nitty gritty details, Oculus has a detailed Kickstarter update right here.
Oculus Rift developer kits go up for regular pre-order, catch VR procrastinators
Anyone who's been wanting to make a game for the Oculus Rift headset, but hemmed and hawed during the Kickstarter run, now has a second chance. Oculus has kicked off its own pre-order campaign that offers the VR developer kit at the same $300 that it cost for the more proactive among us, or $345 for those beyond US borders. As an added incentive, the first 1,000 who pull the trigger still get a copy of Doom 3: BFG Edition to show what the Oculus Rift can do. Twiddling your thumbs will have cost at least a month -- these new kits won't ship until January -- but the pre-order still means a head start over competing developers that haven't yet seen the virtual light.
Project Holodeck gets help from Razer, swaps Kinect for Move tracking
The group of folks bent on crafting a real-life version of Star Trek's "Holodeck" -- a virtual playground, essentially -- are getting official support from gaming hardware company Razer. That support means not only access to Razer's hardware but also the company's staff of trained professionals. The Project Holodeck team have already implemented Razer's "Hydra" -- a PC-based motion controller that originally shipped with Portal 2 -- into their work on Holodeck showcase game, "Wild Skies." But that's not the only big news for Project Holodeck, as the team recently swapped Microsoft's Kinect motion tech for Sony's PlayStation Move motion tech. Project lead James Iliff told RoadtoVR.com, "The Kinect hardware is extremely lacking in fidelity. Every point the Kinect tracks is filled with unmanageable jitter, rendering the data useless for anything other than the most simple of interactions. We tried very hard to get around this with several software algorithms we wrote, to get multiple Kinects to communicate with each other, however this did not really make anything more accurate unfortunately." In place of Kinect, the team strapped a PlayStation Move setup to a Pro-Tec skateboard helmet, and combined that tracking with the Hydra's motion control and Oculus Rift's head-mounted display. The result is ... well, it's a person standing in a room with a whole bunch of electronics attached to their person. But also, it allows players to interact in a 3D environment -- from perception to engagement. The team's still got plenty of work ahead of them, as evidenced by their latest video (below), but it sounds like things are coming together more cohesively than before.
Oculus Rift's latest VR headset prototype gets a showing at Gamescom 2012 (hands-on)
"This is the latest prototype," the Oculus guys tell us. That's great, now strap us in. The team decided to make a sudden stop in Germany ahead of appearances back in the US over the next few weeks -- and we're glad, because it meant we got to call in on them and grab some time with the Oculus Rift. If you didn't know, the Rift is a Kickstarter-funded VR gaming headset (stay with us) that's caught the attention of several games developers -- most notably John Carmack. He liked it so much, in fact, that he developed a special Rift-ready version of Doom 3 for the headset and Doom 4 will also be heading to the VR peripheral too. We got to play with the earlier game and while there's a video after the break, we reckon you'll really need to try this in person to fully grasp how the Oculus Rift plays. Check out our impressions after the break. %Gallery-162593%
John Carmack-endorsed Oculus Rift VR project hits Kickstarter, developer kits start at $300 (update: $250k goal met)
We heard late last month that the John Carmack-endorsed Oculus Rift VR headset would be hitting Kickstarter any day now, and it turns out today is that day. The project has just launched on the crowd-funding site with a goal of $250,000. To reach that, the team (led by company founder Palmer Lucky) is offering a variety pledge options, starting with posters and t-shirts for $15 and $25 (or $10 for a simple thanks), and of course the headset itself that is initially only being offered as a developer kit. It will set you back $300, which also includes a copy of Doom 3 BFG, and is expected to start shipping in December (signed kits and a complete bundle are available as well). Those that act fast can also snag one of 100 unassembled prototype kits, which run $275 and ship a month earlier in November. Despite that developer-only status, though, the project is already off to an impressive start -- it's raised over $50,000 as of this writing. You can find the usual video overview of the project after the break.Update: The 100 prototype kits are now sold out, and the project itself has already sailed past the $100,000 $150,000 mark. John Carmack also clarified on Twitter that he's not "backing" the project in any official capacity, only endorsing it as a "wonderful advancement in VR tech."Update 2: And the project has now easily met its goal on the first day. Those interested are still able to make a pledge any time over the next 30 days.
Project Holodeck and Oculus Rift hope to kickstart every gamers' VR dream for $500 (video)
Star Trek: The Next Generation may be coming to your living rooms soon courtesy of some hot new Blu-ray pressing, but one of the most compelling pieces of the technology shown on that series still remains elusive: the holodeck. Don't get down, sunshine, because we might soon be making our first, tentative steps into a virtual courtesy of Project Holodeck. It's underway at USC's School of Cinematic Arts as well as the Viterbi School of Engineering and starts out with a pair of Project Oculus glasses. These glasses, which were shown off at E3 by none other than John Carmack, cram a 1,280 x 800 display into a pair of glasses that present a wide, truly immersive field of view. Pair that with a PlayStation Move for head tracking and a Razer Hydra controller and you have the beginnings of a proper virtual reality environment.An early concept of what the complete system might feel like can be found after the break, a couple of people acting out a sequence from Skies of Arcadia, which could be called a spiritual inspiration for the first game designed for Project Holodeck: Wild Skies. In it, two people "pilot a massive airship through a exotic world of floating islands" -- though whether they look as kawaii as their Dreamcast predecessors remains to be seen. When you might actually get your hands on the system is also unknown, but one piece of the puzzle, the Oculus Rift glasses, are said to be hitting Kickstarter any day now -- for an anticipated price of just $500. Bat'leth and copy of Workin' out with Worf not included.
