Oculus Rift DK2

The Oculus Rift DK2 has been shipping to buyers for the past couple of weeks. I got mine about 1 week ago and its been a couple of days on an off playing around with it. For anyone that is not aware the Oculus Rift is a virtual reality head mounted display unit basically a monitor strapped to your head.



The device is still in development (thats the DK2 or Development Kit 2 part) so its still very rough around the edges and there are not too many demos or games supporting it yet but surprisingly there are quite a few. I ordered the Rift earlier this year before Facebook bought it (still not sure what that means and probably nothing good) about when DK2 was shipping date was announced and available for purchase. I really bought as a bit of a lark not expecting much but a toy that I could play with. Together with the Sixense STEM controllers and the Kinect, I thought it would be an interesting play thing if I have time to program for it.

I have to say that it is a great little piece of hardware but its got a ways to go. It will need higher resolution screen and better framerate before they release it and at least the latter is expected in the customer shipping version next year. My understanding is over the DK1 version it adds the positional camera which tracks head movement so it knows which way you are looking and can adjust head position properly so that you things are not distorted. It supports 1920x1080 resolution and needs at least 75 fps to work well so good graphics cards help quite a bit.

In the demos that support, it is far more amazing of an experience than I expected. My initial expectations were set by the Tuscany Demo that ships with SDK that is required to be installed. Pretty simple and what I was thought I would be getting. Low interactivity and somewhat disorienting.

I figured few games would work but enthusiasts have been busy and several games have pretty good support. Skyrim looks absolutely amazing and I really just want to explore more with it. The interface I heard was terrible but I haven't had too many issues other than having menu items just out of the field of vision which presumably is fixable with some mods. Half Life 2 just got beta support a week ago and going through the intro levels was another eye opening experience. The wait screens make me want to throw up but that's another issue altogether and hopefully will be fixed soon enough. There is a Hang gliding demo from Epic as well as a couch knights and a few other demos that really show off the hardware and also show how far it has to go to give a good experience to people other than enthusiasts.

For starters, I recommend going over to the Oculus-ready Games and Demos forum at oculusvr for demos. There is a Skyrim thread with updated Virieo Perception Drivers which have been fixed for the DK2. Also hints on setting up Half Life 2 and precompiled Unreal Engine Demos. The Titans of Space is a short but sweet demo on just how small we really are and some great visuals of the planets. Someone created a Museum of game characters so you can look at static models for a couple dozen games and get a matter of perspective.

Has anyone else picked one up yet? I'm a convert at this point and didn't expect to really be one. But perhaps I was predispositioned as I did buy one after all. I'm cannot wait for more games to support this style of play but the down side is likely that they are going to mostly be FPS, Racing and Flight Sims I fear.

I didnät pick it up, but it sounds really interesting… how is it connected? And how is controlling apart from looking handled in games?

Video is just HDMI output plus USB and input is normal input like Xbox controller or keyboard+mouse. Keyboard is tough since you cannot see it but I'm a touch typist which helps I guess.

I bought but have yet to receive the Sixense STEM controller which is a position aware controller sort of like Wii or Move controllers. Apparently some have a Hydra which are 3D controllers but games need to support it. Not sure how games will use that yet other than swordfighting demos but seem like they would be nice for things like precision placement of items in Skyrim home.

I'd say things are early days in this technology but its an interesting toy for now.

I think, controversy aside, that the acquisition by Facebook will actually be a great thing. Lots of more money to better develop it, plus ability to custom-build parts for it, instead of using smartphone parts. Also, it should help wide-development into other types of applications, not exclusively games.

Look through your friends facebook pages by tunring your head… and in VR on top of that… ehmm.. thanks but no thanks.. I don't even have facebook.

The money might help though even for gaming. The risk is it'll be used for facebook exclusive games only… like farmville VR!

GothicGothicness said:

Look through your friends facebook pages by tunring your head… and in VR on top of that… ehmm.. thanks but no thanks.. I don't even have facebook.

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C'mon now, you can do better than that.. What about FB pages which are 3D homes (or castles, space stations, whatever you prefer) that you can decorate as you like and people can come visit and do stuff (Sims-like). We're already seeing similar things like that, for example we have an app which is a cinema that you can visit together with friends.. Concerts and stuff is also something that would fit for VR (and Facebook, since its something social).

The money might help though even for gaming. The risk is it'll be used for facebook exclusive games only… like farmville VR!

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Not very imaginative, again It's more likely we will get something like Steam but for VR games, and i wouldnt mind that the slightest, it needs a platform like that to be successfull because it needs to be very easy to use (like Steam). I'm not interested in a unit for us few hardcore gamers, then it will only have a handfull of games and then die off in a few years, like so many units before it. E.g, i have the Track-IR and the support is terrible nowadays. This will be the same of course, if it doesnt become successful enough.

I've had DK2 for like a month now and i my impression is that it still has a long way to go. It's really fun to use for 10-30 mins at a time and the first time you use it, wow, very impressive (this coming from someone who plays on a large 3D TV quite a bit). Sims really shines with it, i even bought Euro Truck Simulator and i hate cars and especially trucks, but i find it very impressive (immersion wise)..

For some reason i wasnt impressed at all with Half-Life 2 when i tried it a few days ago. Maybe the initial "wow!" effect is wearing off a bit, but i guess it's also because it just works better for Sims where you're enclosed in something (a spaceship, a truck etc).

Also, wearing the DK2 is pretty similar to wearing a scuba diving mask, and wearing that while playing games isnt very comfortable, at all. Even your nose is mostly enclosed so breathing is affected a bit. It really fits the game/demo Ocean Rift though (which is a pretty cool demo) But again, its far from the final product (i hope).

I'll keep my reply short and simple. I'll let others joke around, or express distaste.

So here we go I'm not interested, and never will be.

Sounds interesting Vurt. I have two questions. Is it heavy and can you still wear your glasses?

redman5427 said:

Sounds interesting Vurt. I have two questions. Is it heavy and can you still wear your glasses?

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It's not that heavy but not very comfortable to wear for extended periods, think of it like a scuba diving mask (almost) but it's heavier and with cables. There's also a problem that currently it's a bit like staring down a tube because the FOV is lacking..

Again, it needs much more time. Technology overall needs to get much better too Both CPU's and GPU's needs to get a lot faster to handle 4K, higher FOV + the image needs to be rendered, not once, but twice for 3D.

You should be able to wear it with glasses from what i've heard, and it even comes with 2 sets of lenses so if you're near sighted the lenses themselves might work. Making custom lenses for your exact vision is also an option.

Couchpotato said:

So here we go I'm not interested, and never will be.

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Until you try it (final version, that is) Or do you mean you can't see 3D properly (a few people can't because of eye problems, some problems can be treated though).

It also comes down to what type of games you're interested in. It's hardly a device for people who only enjoys isometric 2D RPG's or pure strategy games. For people that enjoy Sims or first person games it will become a fantastic unit. A "game changer" for sure, even a must (for Sims at least). But its really something that has to be experienced and it might be a problem when it comes to marketing the product.

Playing a space sim and looking around in your cockpit is something that you need to experience to understand what's so fantastic about it. Approaching a planet or huge ships is absolutely stunning and gives you goosebumps because of how well scale is presented in the unit (very different from watching on a big TV, which is laughable in comparison).

I've let a few sceptical people try it and they've all been impressed. A few times they've had to take it off because it has become too intense. A friend tried a horror type of demo where you are running around in the rain in a dark forest, he found it far too creepy to continue (i let him be alone in the room).

The first time i tried the unit i played the demo CyberSpaceDK2 which was quite frightening as well (very intense vertigo), i had to take it off a few times. The feeling of scale, height and even movement is very, very intense and you feel it in your stomach like you would IRL (maybe with 70-90% of the intensity i would say).

One thing that i found very interesting is how even muscle memory seems to come into play. If you've ever been in a rollercoaster you will begin to relate to the feeling of accelleration when you play a game that puts you in a similar situation.
It plays funny tricks on the mind, like a dream would.

I'm very excited by this technology - but I'm not getting it until it's complete. I have no interest in subpar editions.

But, it does represent an amazing potential in terms of taking parts of gaming forward. I've been waiting for something like this since the early 90s. It never came, and now it's suddenly a thing again.

Exciting

It will absolutely change gaming, i have no doubts after trying it (this is why i had to buy it, to see if those youtube videos with people falling backwards and whatnot were mostly just fake or not).

Don't buy it yet. Wait for the final product (2+ years?) and you will literally be mind blown, no doubt.

I would imagine it'd give headaches and such after exstensive periods of use ?

I don't see why. I havent experienced it at least, but i can't say i've played any game with Rift for longer than maybe 35-40 mins and then having a break.

You can get motion sickeness when you play rollercoaster types of games for long periods, i'm usually not prone to it at all, but here i got it from the more intense demos. Not too strange i guess.

Your eyes usually adjust to what they're doing after a while. Likely, it's a matter of habit and acclimation.

But I can't imagine playing all games with this. It's clearly for a certain kind of game - and I can't play games for hours and hours in a row, like I used to.

The problem isn't the technology, though. It's getting people to buy it who're not enthusiast gamers.

If we want something like this in our mainstream games, we have to convince the average gamer to invest. That's always the challenge.

A big reason why space sims took a plunge was that the average gamer refused to buy a joystick for the occasional game. Simple things like that can be a huge obstacle.

vurt said:

Until you try it (final version, that is) Or do you mean you can't see 3D properly (a few people can't because of eye problems, some problems can be treated though).

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Yes I'm one of the few who can't use 3D due to eye problems, and severe headaches. I also still remember the 80's when they tried before, and failed.

So Vurt I will never try it or buy it. You wont change my mind.

I can't wait for the actual release. I'm gonna pick one up for sure then. I think its gonna be game changing (pun intended).

DArtagnan said:

If we want something like this in our mainstream games, we have to convince the average gamer to invest. That's always the challenge.

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Indeed, especially with something you can't show on youtube. Well you can show people's expressions and stuff, but not the actual experience.

And i agree, playing with a huge device on your head for hours is not really possible (imo), it needs to be a lot more light weight.

Couchpotato said:

Yes I'm one of the few who can't use 3D due to eye problems, and severe headaches. I also still remember the 80's when they tried before, and failed.

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More like 90's than 80's but yeah the failed miserably, that's why i have hopes now (when FB bought it). It was also way too early back then, might still be..

I'm guessing it could be awesome for games like TES (Oblivion, Skyrim, etc), Risen, etc. Probably the immersion factor is more pronounced when playing in 1st person view than 3rd person view. My only concern is the mouse/keyboard interface (mouse should be fine, but keyboard?)

Vurt as usual is the voice of wisdom. If you are not a developer or extreme enthusiast you should not be getting it yet. I've heard the final product will have the same resolution would would be disappointing and also still require 90 fps which will be difficult for a lot of systems to handle. Heck right now with simple demos I'm having difficulty hitting the current magic mark of 75 fps. The good part of Facebook is likely leverage in their supply chain so they can get better screens.

In 2 years or maybe even one, it will be an interesting product. It may be a fad like the Wii or Kinect but I think what will happen is it may not stick initially but will silently grow in the background.

So far Skyrim has been fairly cool but you really can see every single pixel and the white balance is off in my experience. I've tried Fallout 3 and it sort of works but needs some help. Regarding Half Life the main issue I had was the models were so old that its very easy to see the flaws. It would be interesting if Ryse (supposedly better models) could be run under the Rift and see what the difference is.

Regarding Facebook, I anticipate Second Life will be crushed like MySpace was by Facebook and maybe we'll see some Neuromancer or Snow Crash action. More likely some Daemon action (or was that Google Glass ...).

I dont have the same issues as Vurt with the googles on my face as they fit fairly well for me. Tuning the Inter Pupil Distance (IPD) settings so that things are not blurry has been a challenge though. Keyboard has been ok for me but I find that I occasionally have to lift up the goggles so that I can find my mouse or find an odd key that I can't touch type with precision (like F6 or something). Games will either be super simple and use a XBox controller or will need something the Razer Hydra or Sixense STEM or whatnot with more buttons tied to your hands.

There was researcher that had a bunch of work and videos on redesigning how you do input with a Rift. I particularly was inspired by this video that shows him interacting with 3d earthquake data. You can see that its still a bit of a challenge with various tools.

vurt said:

You can get motion sickeness when you play rollercoaster types of games for long periods, i'm usually not prone to it at all, but here i got it from the more intense demos. Not too strange i guess.

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I can believe it. Back in the 80's the amusement park had a domed movie display that more than filled up your field of vision then showed a movie of riding a roller coaster. It was hard to stay standing! (Too hard, I guess, as they made everyone sit on the floor a few years later.)

I don't know if they will ever translate current 3D side-by-side video into some sort of 3D display on the Rift but I've got a roller coaster video all set up for it! (And a 2D version, if you don't have a bucket handy.) I hope stuff like that can work as I've got a ton of 3D pictures, too. Seems like it should work, though obviously it wouldn't fill your vision.

P.S. Theme Park Studio plans to put Rift support into the game. That should be pretty sweet!