Dusk said:
I'm not worried about the head turning for the VR stuff, that is a fundamental of VR, plus it's already done with different systems. The 3DS uses this same technology in a bunch of its games, even the Wii U does this as well. The problem with something like a 'virtual skype meeting' is that it's virtual, so avatars are going to be used, especially with the likes of VR. That's extra money that will need to go into it, I'm not saying it won't happen cause it likely will, but it won't be viably used in business. A huge part of business is seeing the other people directly, seeing their reactions, seeing how they are dressed and their composure. Many businesses at times uses skype (or the like) for interviews. A huge part of an interview is body language and how people are dressed. Using a virtual avatar would remove that completely. It's also similar for business meetings especially when it's meetings with other companies. Everything you just said can already be done, just without the headset and the headset adds nothing to the experience. Unless of course you want to watch a perspective movie with a helmit. You aren't going to be able to look around at the world around you in a movie because it's a movie, you will move your head but it won't change the perspective of the movie at all because there is no 'world' around you. It's generally a set with mic booms, directors, coreographers, stunt people, other actors, skips and of course a warehouse or area that doesn't have the set decorations in it. It would be completely unviable and unrealistic, certainly cost wise, to attempt something like that especially with how much movies cost already. It will definately have it's place with the likes of google earth, or google maps street view and museum tours ect, it will be very much like that, the pros and cons that go with it because that is where technology is at so far. This is not a new jump in technology, it has been around for a long time, it has only just become more economically viable but it's uses are still quite limited. You can already experience much of this on a Wii U. Grab it, put the gamepad up to your face and go to Google Street. You can turn, walk around, look up and down and all over the place. It's essentially the same technology, just with a much lower resolution screen and the controls are built into it. That actually brings me to my next point. Screens so close to the eye... This has been tried again and again but there is often the same result. Long uses cause massive eye strain, and can cause permanent damage. It has nothing to do with the resolution of the screen, it has to do with such a close focus. Even when there are lenses to make it look more distant that only provides a slight improvement. Put you hand up to your face, 3 inches from it, and focus on it. You will almost instantly feel the strain of it. |
I don't think you realise some of the work that's started in the creation of 360 video cameras and how the indie movie scene has embraced VR already (on top of Sony and Oculus obviously). Sony in particular have been working on films where the world reacts to where exactly you're looking (almost like a movie video game hybrid due to a limited amount of interaction). I thought these was quite interesting articles about it from the Sundance festival:
http://www.theverge.com/2015/1/26/7919177/oculus-lost-virtual-reality-film-sundance
We even have promotional stuff like this being made already:
Film is a major area for VR.
You're right, the tech has been around for a while, but until Oculus Rift's kickstarter campaign, most of it was overly expensive and not commercially viable. We're now on the precipice of the tech becoming viable for general consumer use.
As for the eye strain, I'm pretty sure the engineers have this covered:
The Oculus Rift causes very little eye strain, particularly compared to other standard displays or headmounts.
Normally, when you take a break from using a monitor or TV, the idea is to give your eyes a chance to focus and converge on a distant plane. This is a natural position of rest for your eyes.
With the Oculus Rift, your eyes are actually focused and converged in the distance at all times. It’s a pretty neat optical feature.
