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HTC Vive Pre (Dev Kit 2) hands-on impressions

Emanuele

Neo Member
Leap Motion has been out for years (it's a sensor device) and I don't think the reviews were very good?

We used LeapMotion on a number of RnD tests and actual projects; while it's not the holy grail of hand tracking, it's a pretty awesome device, especially for the abysmal cost it has.

The point would be, a Leap Motion-esque tracking system, applied to any of the VR headsets, would result in incredible experiences - we strapped one to a DK2 and we had fun times, i can just imagine if a company would make a specific device for that purpose.

Leap Motion already is iterating for VR. And considering it's doing everything with 2 really simple IR cameras ;P
(which is also the reason why it wasn't really included in any major VR headsets from the get go, because all the positional tracking systems use IR, so having a reverse emitter of IR lights to map the hands would easily cause tracking conflicts. could still use different IR frequencies though).

The difference with the HTC Vive Pre's "breakthrough" (lol, market speak, I hoped this 'breakthrough' was coming from Valve's side, instead I discovered was a dud word from HTC's part) is that is a fundamentally different system (and for now, sub-par).

They downgraded from a stereo-camera setup to a mono-camera, they're not doing any distortion, basically it's even LESS accurate a camera than what you're getting using the passthrough function on a GearVR.

As it is now, you can't even attempt to use it for gameplay purposes, since it doesn't correctly reflect the position of the controllers compared to your hand, when bringing the hand closer to the face.

I love the idea of the Chaperone system, but this solution surely is not a "breakthrough". All IMO naturally :)
 

mrklaw

MrArseFace
Played with the Vive and Comic Con last year (DK1) and the experience felt so much better to me then the Oculus Rift. It also helps that they give you an empty room to roam around in.

The Vive at that time was still amazing in telling you your boundaries and with the new cam on the headset, I see this being amazing as it can now map a room with furniture and items in it. I also can't wait to see what the devs do with the camera to create an AR/VR experience.

It doesn't map anything. The boundaries are still defined by the lighthouses and you saying where the limits are. The camera just fades in an overlay when you approach those predefined boundaries.

You can still trip over your dog.

I actually don't like the real world stuff. The 'press a button to see an outline' is helpful when you want to find your chair or keyboard etc. But I don't want it on the chaperone stuff. I prefer the more clinical grids as I imagine seeing your sofa would take you out of the experience more than a simple plain 'holowall'
 
It doesn't work like that.

I was messing around, but having actually used it, it does work like that. If you stray too close to, or out of, the boundaries set up by the little cameras or whatever they are, a grid barrier pops up to let you know you're out of bounds. That's like the entire point of the little cameras and the weird lights or reflector thingies on the controllers and headset - to make a box for you to play around in. The tech tells you when you're moving outside the box. Otherwise it wouldn't be able to track your hands and head if you were just wandering around your house.

Did they get rid of the boundary grid since I tried it a few months ago? I'm not imagining things or making stuff up to shit talk the Vive, I literally reached through the grid at one point to try and interact with something outside of it during one of the demos. I was just poking fun at the marketing saying it was VR without boundaries. Of course there are boundaries. You can't go outside wearing the helmet and expect it to work. The same goes for any of the VR headsets coming out this year.
 

Bsigg12

Member
We used LeapMotion on a number of RnD tests and actual projects; while it's not the holy grail of hand tracking, it's a pretty awesome device, especially for the abysmal cost it has.

The point would be, a Leap Motion-esque tracking system, applied to any of the VR headsets, would result in incredible experiences - we strapped one to a DK2 and we had fun times, i can just imagine if a company would make a specific device for that purpose.

Leap Motion already is iterating for VR. And considering it's doing everything with 2 really simple IR cameras ;P
(which is also the reason why it wasn't really included in any major VR headsets from the get go, because all the positional tracking systems use IR, so having a reverse emitter of IR lights to map the hands would easily cause tracking conflicts. could still use different IR frequencies though).

The difference with the HTC Vive Pre's "breakthrough" (lol, market speak, I hoped this 'breakthrough' was coming from Valve's side, instead I discovered was a dud word from HTC's part) is that is a fundamentally different system (and for now, sub-par).

They downgraded from a stereo-camera setup to a mono-camera, they're not doing any distortion, basically it's even LESS accurate a camera than what you're getting using the passthrough function on a GearVR.

As it is now, you can't even attempt to use it for gameplay purposes, since it doesn't correctly reflect the position of the controllers compared to your hand, when bringing the hand closer to the face.

I love the idea of the Chaperone system, but this solution surely is not a "breakthrough". All IMO naturally :)

I kinda figured this would be the case when it was announced as a single camera setup. It'll be cool to help the chaperone system and all but I can't possibly see it being more that just that, an aid to the chaperone system.
 

SerratedX

Member
It doesn't map anything. The boundaries are still defined by the lighthouses and you saying where the limits are. The camera just fades in an overlay when you approach those predefined boundaries.

You can still trip over your dog.

I actually don't like the real world stuff. The 'press a button to see an outline' is helpful when you want to find your chair or keyboard etc. But I don't want it on the chaperone stuff. I prefer the more clinical grids as I imagine seeing your sofa would take you out of the experience more than a simple plain 'holowall'

Interesting, I thought it was supposed to be a bit more dynamic then that. Personally, I don't feel like seeing your sofa is any more immersion breaking then looking for your keyboard and mouse. I would in fact RATHER see it so I don't trip onto it, but to each his own. I would also like to see games map items like the sofa as a planter or something of equal height so that you CAN run into it/use it for cover, but it doesn't look like a sofa when you get close. That will be a few generations away tho...
 
No, you can see things like furniture or people in your play area, if you manually enable it. There are footages and gifs of people doing that. They only revealed one mode, will talk about more later.
 
Wow, this looks amazing. Is this Leap Motion technology going to be in the HTC Vive?

If it can show your fingers individually and your hands, it'll be even better.

No time to look it up atm, so excuse my question.

My friend had an Oculus DK2 with a leap mounted to the front and showed me some pretty awesome demos using that tech. Some wacky music "game" art piece. Felt like drugs
 
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