Quality VR on the cheap

[qan]

I'm going to do you a favor. I'm going to put you in the used car of your DREAMS

No, really, I'm doing you a favor here. VR on the cheap. You can get a high-quality headset that handles motion tracking, lens distance/focus adjustments, etc for about $15-$20.

I'm talking about the breed of Google Cardboard-compatible headsets that are basically the form factor of the Rift or Vive -- but without the obnoxious cords leading down the back of your head and back, so in some ways this is honestly superior, no joke.

You need to have at least a mediocre phone, but that's it. If you can play 720p YouTube videos on it without hating life, you're good. Here are some examples, though a quick search for Google Cardboard on Amazon will turn up many more:

http://www.amazon.com/Glasses-Topmax...dp/B01B2FXW9W/	http://www.amazon.com/Chralter-UPDAT.../dp/B012VPL6MC	http://www.amazon.com/Fire-Cardboard.../dp/B018PA8JJA
$20	$15	$30

So these badboys are cheap as hell, they strap to your head unlike rather sad little standard Cardboard, they hold the phone securely (well, that middle one uses suction cups so I wouldn't totally bank on that, but the $20 and $30 should be good), and:

• They motion-track to wherever you're looking. This seems pretty basic but is actually the best/most immersive part.
• It's in 3D. This is also cool. Expect an image clearer than theater 3D movies (which, BTW, you will be able to watch by downloading "side by side" versions from ... places). And because it's on your goddamn face, it's more intense than watching it in a theater, too.

What you can do with this:

• Go skydiving/skiing/surfing with someone while looking around 360 degrees. The guy who's skateboarding and about to eat it all over the sidewalk can't look around 360 degrees while he does it. But you can.
• Go snorkeling in a coral reef, visit cities you've never been to, see what it feels like to be in a rally race, virtual rollercoasters, etc.
• (All of the above can be found on http://www.youtube.com/360, and you can actually check this out before you use a VR headset -- it will track your phone's movements, giving you an idea of how it will work.)
• See concerts in 3D, feel like you're there. Stare vacantly at the audience and pretend you're part of the band. Honestly in some of these you feel like a creeper, because you can just stare at people if you want. Non-aggro LARP to your heart's content.
• Try out all the weird apps available. Live for a little while inside a cartoon. Do a 3D version of .. you know that one level on Battletoads, with the jetbike? The one everyone loves? Do that in 3D, and not as hard. I can't remember what those games are called right now. Watch someone draw in 3D.
• Make anime real. Not really my thing but I know at least 2 of you are thinking it. This isn't motion-trackable though. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUS8kt52X3A
• Watch just about any 3D blockbuster title, if you can find the side-by-side version. (Readily available but you have to know where to look.)
• EDIT: Board> but does it have porn? (Yes, of course)

So what are you waiting for? It's 2019, get with the program. Time to VR it up. I will personally refund your money if you are disappointed.*


*I absolutely won't. But not for the reason you think. Because you absolutely will not be disappointed.

[Jerome Scuggs]

was just reading about the $99 gear VR, looks like the market floor has already dropped even more. holy fuck.

[Bioture]

I know you said VR on the cheap, but having tried the Rift and the Gear, they're in two different worlds with the dimensions positioning in the Rift. Looking around is nice but being able to "lean" in is real nice. I'm hoping to try the Vive before I dive into this tech.

[qan]

I know you said VR on the cheap, but having tried the Rift and the Gear, they're in two different worlds with the dimensions positioning in the Rift. Looking around is nice but being able to "lean" in is real nice. I'm hoping to try the Vive before I dive into this tech.

Sounds pretty cool.

They're definitely in different ballparks. But they're both certainly VR. The Samsung Gear is basically an expensive Cardboard, though... slightly better tracking, and comes with an easy way to interact.

For next to nothing these little Cardboard sets are utterly amazing, IMO. Great cheap gift for your nephew too.

[rothe]

I know you said VR on the cheap, but having tried the Rift and the Gear, they're in two different worlds with the dimensions positioning in the Rift. Looking around is nice but being able to "lean" in is real nice. I'm hoping to try the Vive before I dive into this tech.

Any suggestions on games?
Whats the end game on VR. I mean to ask what is the goal people are looking for?
I wonder how this will change television and movies once it is widespread.

Just found this.
Any thoughts?
http://www.hoverjunkers.com/

[qan]

Any suggestions on games?
Whats the end game on VR. I mean to ask what is the goal people are looking for?
I wonder how this will change television and movies once it is widespread.

After watching a lot of side-by-side videos of gameplay on YT last night, as well as about 45 minutes of someone playing Alien Isolation on Twitch and broadcasting in Rift splitscreen, I'm pretty convinced it's going to become dominant in the next 10 years. It's just so ridiculously immersive; in an age where games are feeling stale and samey, it gives you another reason to play. Suddenly stuff like Euro Truck Simulator is actually interesting to play and even watch be played. I'm not kidding, I watched a guy play it for about 15 minutes and was enthralled. It gives this great sense of urgency to everything. I can imagine just wandering around to explore environments being worthwhile now. It changes what can be considered a game. Going to have a very hard time not shelling out now for even this massively expensive 1st gen stuff, plus the computer capable of utilizing it...

It might be hard to tell a really consistent story with a 360-3D movie (where you can head track around), though I'm sure short films and TV shows will use it in a gimmicky way. Can see it getting use where it's not essential that you see a particular image at a particular time. Good examples of this are sports events (NBA floor seats anyone?), comedy shows, concerts, stage plays ... anywhere where the action you know will take place in a particular area, and you can just set up a 3D camera and forget it. Though, considering you can have multiple cameras in a scene at a time, you could do a TV show or movie with 2 or 3 360 cameras in each scene, allow the user to switch between them freely, and then just digitally edit out the other cameras from view.

The biggest problem with 3D VR is it's isolating. One person. (Also, it's a pain in the ass to do anything else with VR headgear on. You have to pull it off/up anytime you want to check something not on your screen.)

But perhaps we'll see 3D TV become somewhat normal, where you can share the experience. I haven't had a chance to see it but I'm guessing that the angle it's viewed at can make a big difference, and that it can result in some eye strain. The new 3DS handles this by tracking your head and adjusting the 3D positioning accordingly. But if you have multiple people watching a 3D TV, how does it work? Everyone's view is equally out of focus? So that's a big hurdle, because there's a big social aspect to how we use our TVs and also our PCs (which for many of us are a TV replacement... "Oh, I don't watch TV." Oh yeah? How much crap do you watch on your PC?).

[Bioture]

Any suggestions on games?
Whats the end game on VR. I mean to ask what is the goal people are looking for?
I wonder how this will change television and movies once it is widespread.

Just found this.
Any thoughts?
http://www.hoverjunkers.com/

Never played hover junkers, but since I had the DK2, most of the stuff I played were tech demos and not full-on games.

With that said, I look forward to just one game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIl2-5f8NTo

I hope my wife gets along with my waifu.

[qan]

With that said, I look forward to just one game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIl2-5f8NTo
I hope my wife gets along with my waifu.

>cicadas in the distance
>tatami and sliding doors
>blonde white girl playing an acoustic guitar
Can you get any more Japanese?

[Jones]

[rothe]

http://www.gizmag.com/best-vr-headset-gdc-2016/42377/

Headset:

Oculus Rift - $599

HTC Vive - $799

PlayStation VR - $399

Mothership:

Gaming PC for Oculus Rift - ~$950+

Gaming PC for HTC Vive - ~$950+

PS4 for PlayStation VR - $350

Motion controllers:

Oculus Touch for Rift - separate purchase, TBA price

Vive controllers - bundled w/headset

PS Move for PlayStation VR - $60 separately or bundle w/headset for $499

Sensors/trackers:

Oculus positional sensors - one bundled w/headset, one bundled w/Touch

Vive Lighthouse base stations - two bundled w/headset

PlayStation Camera for PlayStation VR - $50 separately or bundled w/headset/controllers for $499

Bundled games:

Oculus Rift - Lucky's Tale, Eve: Valkyrie

HTC Vive - Job Simulator, Fantastic Contraption, Tilt Brush (all limited time only)

PlayStation VR - PlayStation VR Worlds (only in headset/controllers bundle)

Total package:

Oculus Rift - ~$1,499 without motion controllers (TBA with motion controllers)

HTC Vive - ~$1,699 with everything

PlayStation VR - $849 with everything

Yea the ones your showing are much more in the price range of average people plus. The games are not very 3d other than you can look around they are built non linear paths. My main question will be about the controls each game builder sticks with.

[Bioture]

http://www.gizmag.com/best-vr-headset-gdc-2016/42377/

Headset:

Oculus Rift - $599

HTC Vive - $799

PlayStation VR - $399

Mothership:

Gaming PC for Oculus Rift - ~$950+

Gaming PC for HTC Vive - ~$950+

PS4 for PlayStation VR - $350

Motion controllers:

Oculus Touch for Rift - separate purchase, TBA price

Vive controllers - bundled w/headset

PS Move for PlayStation VR - $60 separately or bundle w/headset for $499

Sensors/trackers:

Oculus positional sensors - one bundled w/headset, one bundled w/Touch

Vive Lighthouse base stations - two bundled w/headset

PlayStation Camera for PlayStation VR - $50 separately or bundled w/headset/controllers for $499

Bundled games:

Oculus Rift - Lucky's Tale, Eve: Valkyrie

HTC Vive - Job Simulator, Fantastic Contraption, Tilt Brush (all limited time only)

PlayStation VR - PlayStation VR Worlds (only in headset/controllers bundle)

Total package:

Oculus Rift - ~$1,499 without motion controllers (TBA with motion controllers)

HTC Vive - ~$1,699 with everything

PlayStation VR - $849 with everything

Yea the ones your showing are much more in the price range of average people plus. The games are not very 3d other than you can look around they are built non linear paths. My main question will be about the controls each game builder sticks with.

I was pleasantly surprised when PS announced that their VR was going to be much cheaper than the others... I'd need to see some reviews/demos to see if it's worth it vs. the PC versions.

Also, the $950 price tag for a PC is the MINIMUM requirements for the headset. Again, since the resolution for these have been jacked up since the DK2, I'm not sure if a 970 can run games much higher than low-medium settings. I used a 2 x 870 setup for the DK2, and it ran ok. Whatever that's worth.