Current state of VR standalone headsets

Forums › Gadgets, robotics, home automation, electronics (including wearables) › Current state of VR standalone headsets

gargar669

10 posts

Wannabe Geek

#242337 22-Oct-2018 20:22

I have a mate with a terminal health problem. He is now too sick to even contemplate any sort of bucket list. The question is weather VR headsets could be a viable distraction from the same 4 walls day after day. I'm thinking more along the lines of standalone units like the Oculus GO. Can any of the VR gurus comment if this is a workable solution to someone who can no longer get out and about? The googling I've done is very contradictory, but many are raving about the Google Earth VR app. Sounds perfect but not sure what runs on each headsets ecosystem. Any help would be appreciated.

vulcannz

436 posts

Ultimate Geek
Inactive user

#2113143 24-Oct-2018 10:39

Oculus Quest and Magic Leap are probably the next big things in this field. Unfortunately Quest is not due til next year, and ML is pretty expensive right now (aimed purely at developers). I see Go as more of a product testing the waters for the Quest headset.

gehenna

8521 posts

Uber Geek

Moderator

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2113164 24-Oct-2018 11:30

I had a Gear VR a couple of months ago when I had an S9+. Granted it wasn't standalone, but it was a similar experience. The main problem I found was the pixel density is not yet good enough for clear VR images. You get this thing called the "screen door effect" where it looks like you're watching the video through a fly screen. You do get used to it, and it's better with some content vs others - e.g. animated content is fine but full motion video can be blurry. In my opinion this is the biggest hurdle to get across with VR right now.

Also, sorry to hear about your friend's situation - VR is still a bit nauseating too depending on the content you're viewing or interacting with. I had a cool Apollo 11 launch simulation that lasted for about 30 minutes, but even I had some motion sickness while watching it and I'm generally all good with any sort of motion related issues.

gargar669

10 posts

Wannabe Geek

#2113190 24-Oct-2018 12:58

Thanks for the info, I hadn't considered the motion sickness. Could be that it's not such a great idea.

SpartanVXL

1323 posts

Uber Geek

#2113241 24-Oct-2018 14:54

A full tracked system like Vive or Rift would be better for a variety of experiences. The mobile systems are a bit limited in that regard.

If your friend can still move 360 degrees (even just sitting) and has/will get a pc capable of running VR then I would go that route. Motion sickness is pretty low if you don't intentionally use artificial locomotion.

If they can still make a day trip, there is a VR arcade in Takapuna to try this out. The owner has posted on Geekzone previously.

Regardless the VR scene is still quite small in comparison to traditional entertainment. It's also quite expensive, I would definitely try before buying.

LostBoyNZ

584 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2113364 24-Oct-2018 17:47

Yeah there's no ideal experience at the moment.

The Oculus Go has better resolution than the Oculus Rift, for example, but no motion tracking (just turning your head). However, the Oculus Go is a breeze to setup, you don't have to worry about VR capable PCs, cables, sensors etc. The Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, which let you walk around, are a fantastic experience, but a more complex setup and less important to things like Google Earth.

I rent VR headsets, so do feel free to ask any questions :)

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gargar669

10 posts

Wannabe Geek

#2113406 24-Oct-2018 18:12

Thanks again everyone.

I think the complexity of the high end systems and the necessity of setting up a high end PC would probably rule them out for him. If you think the Occulus GO would run Google earth VR O.K, I may make that suggestion. Still a bit concerned about motion sickness as nausea is already a problem (Chemo and all that goes with it).

LostBoyNZ

584 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2113438 24-Oct-2018 19:46

It looks like unfortunately Google Earth isn't out on the Oculus Go, which is a shame :( These apps might be of interest though: https://www.oculus.com/experiences/go/section/168408707194936/

Regarding motion sickness, that's a good point. Everyone reacts differently, but usually if the camera isn't moving, people are fine. I loaded up a video for someone on the Oculus Go yesterday, and most of it would go great. But there's some drone shots which I guarantee will cause motion sickness in many people. Then later, you're in a car driving, and that's ok, because you have that constant non-moving frame of reference to prevent motion sickness. So your brain thinks you're moving when you're not, in the drone shots. But your brain thinks the car is moving and you're not moving, in the driving shots.

Taken to the extreme, for example with a roller coaster, and people can still feel motion sick even with a fixed object in their vision, but most of the time VR experiences are less intense.

Using that link posted above, if you click on any title, on the right you'll see details such as if it requires internet, etc. One of them is the comfort rating, and so there's some warning about more extreme experiences.

I'll send you a PM about the Oculus Go too.

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vulcannz

436 posts

Ultimate Geek
Inactive user

#2114183 26-Oct-2018 07:34

A tip for VR newbies getting motion sickness, have a fan blowing on you. Makes a huge difference (also helps keep the lenses de-misted).