Sony VR Headset/Project Morpheus/PlayStation VR

[Shifty Geezer]

Not my area of expertise but this problem was solved decades ago when in-helmet HUDs became common.

HUDs are a general overlay at a fixed focal length. VR optics require correct focussing at different distances. IMO the only way to really provide that is to let users wear their specs/contacts during use, as the mechanics needed to provide correct focussing for both eyes of every user would be something like this:

 

[Deleted member 86764]

I wear contacts and find that my near vision is better when they're not in. So it'll be interesting to see if I have to remove them to play.

 

[London Geezer]

It has started.

http://www.express.co.uk/life-style...-PlayStation-VR-Headset-UK-Price-Release-Date

It's the Express so obviously NSFB (not safe for brains).

 

[goonergaz]

lol, saw that on GAF yesterday - price now removed - clearly just a placeholder.

 

[Deleted member 86764]

It states that the Oculus Rift was announced as £350, so they've obviously thrown out this clickbait without any research whatsoever.

 

[orangpelupa]

Btw dynamic HUD like vanguard v is super awesome to almost eliminate nausea even on 30 fps.

Because I can play that game on cardboard with low fps for 2 times in a row and I'm fine. The 3rd time a bit headache.

Other game as action-packed as that give almost instant nausea when low fps.

Using virtual is also super awesome for 3d content and still great for 2d content.

If psvr allow normal ps4 games to be displayed on virtual theater, it will be awesome I think. Especially for travel of students with small room.

 

[Deleted member 11852]

HUDs are a general overlay at a fixed focal length. VR optics require correct focussing at different distances. IMO the only way to really provide that is to let users wear their specs/contacts during use, as the mechanics needed to provide correct focussing for both eyes of every user would be something like this:

I think you misunderstand me (or perhaps I wasn't clear enough), it's to design a device with close/zero-range optics that can accomodate people with a wide variety of visual impairments if they have corrective lenses. Corrective lenses are not generally balanced for a focal point so close and, unlike human eyes which adapt, lens can't adapt but the optics themselves can be manufactured with a deliverable variance to make the use of corrective lenses operable but without compromising those with better vision.

 

[Gradthrawn]

If psvr allow normal ps4 games to be displayed on virtual theater, it will be awesome I think. Especially for travel of students with small room.

I was thinking about this myself, recently, wondering if that's even possible. If my simple understanding is correct, there are at least 2 different resource pools for CPU and Memory (a split of the physical hardware) and then priority queuing and interrupts for the rest of the system resources (video encoder, decoder, GPU, memory access, etc). If memory serves me the "app" and "game" resource pools are "ring fenced" from each other. So, assuming the "VR Game Theater" launches in the app space, and then game in the game space, the question I have is how would GPU resources be handled at that point? There are no dedicated GPU resources for the OS from what I can tell. And currently when switching between apps and games, while seamless, the GPU is only ever working on rendering one "frame buffer" at a time. In other words, while there may be 2 different frame buffers in memory, GPU resources are only ever actively working on creating just one of those at any given time. I'm not sure how you render even a simple polygonal theater in 3D space while also rendering a game. It would seem to me that the GPU resources needed for each of those are not exclusive to either. In that scenario I don't think the system can guarantee the game the resources its expecting and is built around. Of course, this is all speculation on my part built on a lot of loosely founded assumptions. Someone will correct me I'm sure.

 

[one]

I'm not sure how you render even a simple polygonal theater in 3D space while also rendering a game.

In a virtual theater, a game/video screen is rendered in a smaller screen than your eyesight which is the whole screen.

Last month I bought a mass-produced GearVR and tried the virtual theater with Galaxy S6's 2560x1440 screen to watch a Vimeo movie but the screen-door effect was apparent on video. I don't know S6 has a pentile screen or not, but I'm curious how the screen of the final PSVR outputs images to eyes as I heard its screen takes care of aperture ratio to reduce the screen-door effect.

 

[egoless]

lol, saw that on GAF yesterday - price now removed - clearly just a placeholder.

Or it's not and just the logical bundle price of PS4 + console priced VR headset. So in the spirit of the internet if the tables were turned #4THEPLAYER$ #4THEGAMER$

 

[orangpelupa]

@Gradthrawn

if the processing box is beefy enough, maybe it can make simple virtual theater like android phones?

so the normal PS4 output is captured by the box, then put to the virtual theater then displayed to PSVR. They can tap to the gaikai/remoteplay tech?


@one

i use 1080p 5.9inch android phone for cardboard and the screen door effect is not a problem for watching virtual theater for game gameplay.

i tried no man's sky and i can see everything, including the crosshair. The SDE is not really visible, its more like a "very thin fabric". But the major problem is ALIASING. The space ship cockpit have lots of high-contrast panels and it alias really bad.

PSVR have smaller inter-pixel distance, so the screen door looks should be minimized. But yeah, it wont look as awesome as real full screen VR. and i wonder how the aliasing will looks...

 

[Shifty Geezer]

At first thought a virtual theatre would need some 3D rendering, but thinking about it, a suitably spacious virtual theatre probably only needs be a high res cube map. Just some walls and spot features around the screen to give it a sense of grounding instead of being a screen floating in the black. A little ambient illumination from the screen would be all that's needed for realism.

 

[orangpelupa]

@Shifty Geezer giant screen floating in the void also looks good in VR

 

[manux]

I'm using this app on pc+oculus dk2 https://share.oculus.com/app/maxvr

It has rather amazing virtual theater and movie playback modes. It works well with regular 2d videos too. I can imagine ps4 doing something very similar and possibly even something better if there are special modes for specific games/video sources.

One really amazing thing in maxvr is the special mode for gopro 1080p superwide videos. Downhill mountain bike ride I filmed looks surprisingly 3d when viewed in that mode and user looks at the center. The trees, rocks etc. they have really good 3d effect. The illusion is however broken real fast if one turns head around while watching the video as the viewable are is then recognized as a rather flat surface.

 

[DieH@rd]

IBT: What’s the relationship between Oculus and Sony like?

Luckey: I knew some people at Sony working on VR before I even started my Kickstarter campaign actually, and we brought them in early on to show them what we were working on, to talk about what the minimum standards were for a good VR experience. What does it take to make something that won’t make people uncomfortable and won’t turn people off of virtual reality?

IBT: Sony appears to be best poised to challenge the Rift with the PlayStation VR, which works with the PlayStation 4.

Luckey: That might be true. I think that there’s not many people who already own a PS4 who don’t own a gaming PC who are going to go out and make that roughly $1500 all-in investment in the Rift. It really is a separate market. They’re bringing virtual reality to a different group of people who I don’t think where ever really a part of our market anyway.
It’s also worth noting that their headset isn’t quite as high-end as ours -- it’s still, I think, a good headset -- and the PlayStation 4 is not nearly as powerful as our recommended spec for a PC.

http://www.ibtimes.com/oculus-vr-fo...kindly-sort-about-sony-playstation-vr-2256011

 

[London Geezer]

I can't think of anything worse than a society where everyone watches movies through 'virtual theatres' strapped to their heads.

I rather be in a society where humans just lay on mobile hoverchairs and eat all day, like in wall-e. Cause food.

 

[Billy Idol]

I am most likley buying PSVR...I like being an early adopter (bought right away a 3d tv, played some games...then never ever touched 3d again!).

Will the PSVR experience be more plug and play, more polished?

I fear OVR will have me fight drivers and bugs until I die or so!

The only thing that could be problematic for me: motion sickness...I am sometimes affected.

 

[Deleted member 11852]

I can't think of anything worse than a society where everyone watches movies through 'virtual theatres' strapped to their heads.

What about a society where cats were in charge? Cats on catnip.

 

[MrFox]

There is zero information is this PR interview.

 

[Davros]

Haven't read any of the 99 pages of this thread so forgive me if this has been asked
Someone I know asked me about ps4 vr but worried he'd buy one but there would end up very little content for it
I told him I've no idea console's aren't my thing but I'd be worried that the ps4 lacks the grunt to run vr properly (based on the king of pc system needed for the rift)
Am I right ?