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HTC Vive and SteamVR hands-on impressions

A

ashecitism

Member
So far these are from MWC, the embargo just got lifted. Update: GDC impressions are coming now too.

http://www.engadget.com/2015/03/04/htc-vive-hands-on/

In the room where I had the demo, the two base stations were located where the ceiling meets the wall, about 90 degrees from each other. Attached to the Vive was a slew of cords; one was to a computer located at the far end of the room, while another led to a pair of controllers that look a lot like the Wii's nunchuks, except in place of joysticks, there are touchpads. The left and right sides of the grips are clickable and there's also a trigger button located where your index finger would naturally rest. A small shield of sensors that look similar to the ones on the Vive's faceplate are located in front of each controller. An HTC spokesperson tells me that the final version of the controllers should be wireless instead of wired, but for now, I had to strap on a belt full of cords as well as the Vive to prevent the headset from weighing me down.
Click to expand...

I then went from the deep blue sea to a cartoon-like kitchen, where I controlled a pair of animated hands. In a demo titled "Job Simulator" by Owlchemy Labs, my task was to add a list of ingredients to the pot on the stove before time was over. Of course, instead of doing that, I explored the kitchen. I picked up the rolling pin and the mushrooms and opened the refrigerator door. The controls were responsive for the most part -- I only really used the trigger button -- though there were a couple of times when the accuracy seemed a little off and I picked up the wrong thing by mistake.

The scene changed again and then I was a giant looking over a miniaturized tabletop battle. Called "Quar" by Steel Wool, the demo showed tiny soldiers fighting a rather epic battle, with tiny men riding on tiny horses and brandishing their tiny swords. I was able to crouch down, move around and look at the detail of the miniature figures from all angles.
Click to expand...

Obviously, however, HTC still has some challenges. For one, all those cords make it really difficult to walk around the room without the fear of tripping and falling over. Even if the controllers will be cordless eventually, HTC says the headset itself would still probably be tethered to a PC due to latency issues with wireless connectivity. Plus, not everyone will have the room or space to hook up two laser base stations so that the Vive will work. We also have yet to know what the minimum PC requirements are for the Vive to work as smoothly as it did. If we're to guess, we'd surmise it's quite demanding.

Yet, I walked away from the demo a complete believer, not just in VR, but also in HTC and Valve, and I can't wait to see what's next. HTC has said that the developer edition of the Vive will be available later this spring, while a commercial retail version will be in stores by the end of the year. I'm not sure if I'll be able to afford this yet, but if I can? Sign me up.
Click to expand...

http://www.theverge.com/2015/3/4/8146523/htc-vive-valve-vr-headset-hands-on-preview

Valve has also put together what I'd describe as a mildly interactive Portal short movie. It's called Aperture. I was tasked with repairing a malfunctioning drone, and my inevitable failure drew the always-sarcastic disapproval of GLaDOS. As much as I love Portal, I found that to be the weakest part of the Vive VR demo; I was just following highly specific orders and wasn't given any freedom to experiment and interact with things that weren't designed to be manipulated by my virtual hands.

"I started painting in 2D, then I turned my square into a cube and the whole world changed"

The Job Simulator by Owlchemy is the converse of Valve's Aperture: its graphics are much more crude and basic, but it allowed me to interact with everything inside a 3D kitchen. I microwaved a tomato, served up a beef steak, and cracked many eggs. This was actually the perfect demo for VR: the rudimentary and clumsy actions I was performing reminded me of those of a young child that's first getting to know the world around it. That's the stage at which virtual reality experiences are today. Their makers and their users are still figuring out what works, what doesn't, and how all the pieces fit together.
Click to expand...

My killer app for any VR headset with 3D motion tracking is the aforementioned Tilt Brush. It's basically like living in my very own music video. Everything gets darkened around me, I'm handed a color palette in my left hand and a paintbrush in my right, and then I can go crazy doing vibrant, beautiful light drawings in the space around me. Everyone apparently starts off by painting in 2D, and so did I, but I quickly realized that the square I'd made could be turned into a cube. It quite literally added an extra dimension of fun and exploration and is exactly the sort of unique experience that only virtual (or perhaps augmented) reality gear can deliver.

As early as this first try with the Vive VR may be, I'm excited by it. Hand and head tracking is done without any noticeable inaccuracies or latency, and if developers continue creating rich VR experiences like the ones I made my way through this week, there'll be plenty of reason to want one for your home.
Click to expand...

edit:

MWC:
http://gizmodo.com/htc-vive-virtual-reality-so-damn-real-that-i-cant-even-1689396093
http://www.cnet.com/news/watch-out-oculus-htc-vives-vr-experience-is-astonishing/
http://www.anandtech.com/show/9048/testing-the-htc-re-vive-with-steam-vr-better-than-oculus
http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-31734418
http://phandroid.com/2015/03/04/htc-vive-review/
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/htc-vive-virtualy-reality-hands-on,4102.html

GDC:
http://www.polygon.com/2015/3/4/8148265/htc-vive-vr-valve-hands-on-impressions
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/...amVR_highlyimpressive_even_as_a_prototype.php
http://www.ign.com/articles/2015/03/04/gdc-2015-how-valves-portal-vr-demo-sold-me-on-vive
Verge: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n38gC5xgvBg
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2015/03/05/vive-gdc-review/
Tested: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=leg2gS6ShZw
Tested post-GDC podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOAEYFssZlE&t=1024
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/d...er&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=socialoomph
http://www.pcgamer.com/steamvr-hands-on-valve-overtakes-oculus/
http://www.maximumpc.com/valve’s_vr_experience_closest_thing_holodeck_we_have_2015
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/valve-demonstrates-the-future-of-vr-better-than-an/1100-6425725/
http://kotaku.com/valves-vr-is-seri...m_source=Kotaku_Twitter&utm_medium=Socialflow

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/...campaign=Feed:+GamasutraNews+(Gamasutra+News)

the first in a series: http://www.roadtovr.com/valve-steamvr-htc-vive-hands-on-gdc-2015-stage-constant-presence/

http://www.tested.com/tech/504272-and-now-bit-virtual-reality-context/
http://www.tested.com/tech/concepts/504521-htc-vive-vs-oculus-crescent-bay-my-10-vr-takeaways/
 
G

gofreak

GAF's Bob Woodward
Controller certainly sounds a lot like the sketch in the other thread:

Attached to the Vive was a slew of cords; one was to a computer located at the far end of the room, while another led to a pair of controllers that look a lot like the Wii's nunchuks, except in place of joysticks, there are touchpads. The left and right sides of the grips are clickable and there's also a trigger button located where your index finger would naturally rest. A small shield of sensors that look similar to the ones on the Vive's faceplate are located in front of each controller. An HTC spokesperson tells me that the final version of the controllers should be wireless instead of wired, but for now, I had to strap on a belt full of cords as well as the Vive to prevent the headset from weighing me down.
Click to expand...

Not totally explicit, but I hope these are SteamVR controllers and not HTC specific,
 
A

ashecitism

Member
from cnet, talking about the controller and visualization of the boundary

The controller's in a very early design, but are wands like the PlayStation Move, topped with triggers on one end and a capacitive click-disc on the other, like the Valve Steam Machines controller design. It's like one of those controllers was split in half and turned into two motion-sensing wands. At the very ends, the controllers opened out into a little sensor-studded bracket. I wasn't able to photograph or show these controllers in any way, but again, imagine Sony's Move controllers, the Nintendo Wii remote, and Valve's upcoming Steam controller all mixed together.

...

I see a mock-up storefront for Steam VR, with tiles surrounding me: I see icons for Surgeon Simulator, a fishing game. And I see outlines of the VR controllers: like ghosts, they hover in the virtual space. I reach out and know where to grab for them, and now I can see them in front of me. I click the triggers, and see where my fingers touch the control discs: they glow and bring up spinning icons. These controllers can become, in a sense, anything you'd want in VR: and they feel like an improvement on any controllers for VR I've seen before, including Sony's Project Morpheus.

..

Then I saw the wall: a glowing grid gently appeared, indicating I'd found the boundaries of my physical space. The grid-wall grew brighter, and spread across part of the deck. I reached out and touched the actual wall, right where it was supposed to be.
Click to expand...
 
W

whyreggielie

Member
That sounds pretty amazing and what I hoped VR would actually be like. How much is this going to cost though is the question?
 
C

chuckddd

Fear of a GAF Planet
I'm going to clear out the spare bedroom for this. Visitors may stay in a hotel or lay on the floor with the headset on and enjoy a virtual spare bedroom.
 
K

Krejlooc

Banned
Had a friend describing the controller to me last night, it sounds phenomenal. Inside-out positional tracking of the limbs as a standard controller for VR. Absolutely incredible.
 
P

Pie and Beans

Look for me on the local news, I'll be the guy arrested for trying to burn down a Nintendo exec's house.
Heres the controllers apparently:
BfwXCZa.jpg


Wish the left controller had an analog stick. I recognise a touch pad is useful for one hands interaction with elements, but locomotion is always going to be best served by a physical stick.

You corrected it with the Steam Controller Valve, get this one right too! Please!
 
D

darkwing

Member
hmm looks like a better VR solution than the Rift at the moment but Rift can certainly improve their stuff too

either way bodes well for the VR market, competition
 
K

Krejlooc

Banned
ashbash159 said:
I cannot make sense of those controllers. Can you grab onto the top of them and move it by a hinge?
Click to expand...

The top of the controller houses the camera for inside out positional tracking. Think of it sort of like a very advanced, and totally reversed, version of the glowing balls on the end of playstation move.
 
Z

zephervack

Member
Pie and Beans said:
Heres the controllers apparently:
BfwXCZa.jpg


Wish the left controller had an analog stick. I recognise a touch pad is useful for one hands interaction with elements, but locomotion is always going to be best served by a physical stick.

You corrected it with the Steam Controller Valve, get this one right too! Please!
Click to expand...

Those 2 cubes would be Steam Lighthouse right?


Also, what is Dreamworks Logo doing there???

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...go.svg/1280px-DreamWorks_Studios_logo.svg.png
 
N

Nzyme32

Member
ashecitism said:
http://www.engadget.com/2015/03/04/valve-vr-input/

Gabe interview about VR input
Click to expand...

What in the world is Lighthouse? It's the "base stations" referenced in Valve's VR headset announcement, and it's even more important than the incredibly impressive headset. Valve president Gabe Newell compares it to USB and expects it to fundamentally change how people interact with virtual reality. "Now that we've got tracking, then you can do input," Newell said in an interview with Engadget this morning. "It's a tracking technology that allows you to track and arbitrary number of points, room scale, at sub-millimeter accuracy 100 times a second."

What that means for me and you is that Lighthouse puts your body into the virtual world with stunning precision. I tested it and can confirm: holy shit, yes, this really works. Want to reach out and touch something in VR? Lighthouse is how you'll do it.
Click to expand...

I had no idea it was tracking that much, obviously that makes some sense. If the opinion are unanimous and no other sets have adopted the idea, I'll go with Vive. Still need to see what Oculus do
 
Hale-XF11

Hale-XF11

Member
I get the sense that you can use Lighthouse as its own standalone product, while using any other controller or headset along with it.
 
A

Alexlf

Member
At this point I can honestly see Oculus teaming up with Valve and implementing their controllers/tracking, perhaps with their own flair.
Palmer said they had been waiting for an input standard and this seems to be it.
 
Lord Phol

Lord Phol

Member
Actually looks pretty good, I'm curious to see som impressions and comparisons from people who have used both Vive and Occulus.
 
S

Sendou

Member
Gamasutra

Movement was all one-to-one with no latency issues.
Click to expand...

One concern about full-room VR is running into walls in the real world. Valve countered this issue by having the system dictate a "safe area." If players move out of the safe area, a grid flashes up to remind you that you're about to run into your wall or coffee table.
Click to expand...

One demo was Job Simulator 2050 from Owlchemy Labs. I found myself standing in a virtual kitchen with a slightly masochistic robot (I'd throw a rolling pin at him, he'd ask for more), combining ingredients in a pot on a stove, grabbing food from a virtual refrigerator, and serving up a plate. It all felt natural and intuitive.
Click to expand...

The prototype controllers are represented in VR as whatever developers want (e.g. hands or tools), and since they sense tilt and other motion, as well as interactivity, are very flexible control solutions.
Click to expand...

As for motion sickness, I'm quite prone to being carsick, boatsick, airsick, etc., but I didn't have too much of an issue outside of a couple seconds of wooziness during the final robot repair demo (I was in VR for about 20 minutes), which seems like a good sign for other people with motion sickness issues.
Click to expand...

With multiple VR solutions hitting the market, Valve assured that developing games and porting them across other VR platforms is relatively painless and speedy
Click to expand...
 
V

Verger

Banned
I actually like that this interface looks "different" than others.

My biggest issue was trying to use VR just as an "add-on" to the typical controls schemes/controller inputs. I feel that VR should involve much more immersive controls to really sell it.
 
K

Krejlooc

Banned
Kevin said:
So what's the verdict so far? How does Valve's VR stuff compare to Oculus's offerings so far?
Click to expand...

I think what they've presented at GDC, encompassing all their technologies (operating system, GPU hardware, API, input solution, headset, PC settop boxes, etc), presents the single best consumer VR solution around. Oculus is playing catch up to valve until they move to inside-out positional tracking as far as I'm concerned (and to their credit, they will eventually move to inside-out tracking).

What valve did these last few days was basically asserted their dominance of VR. They understand VR very well.
 
M

mrklaw

MrArseFace
Krejlooc said:
Had a friend describing the controller to me last night, it sounds phenomenal. Inside-out positional tracking of the limbs as a standard controller for VR. Absolutely incredible.
Click to expand...

Can you explain how it is inside-out tracking? Looks like the lighthouses are laser emitters, and the headset/controllers are fitted with retro reflectors, so the lighthouses would also effectively be the sensor. So it seems to still be outside-in, just with the 'light source' coming from the base station rather than directly from the headset or controllers.


Proper inside-out would mean the headset calculating position which it doesn't look like it is doing.
 
A

Amir0x

Banned
Goddamn I can't wait to try this out now. More revelations and world changing feelings.

Why VR, why do you keep eluding me so? Just come to me and accept my embrace for under $400 and with a decently user friendly interface so that I don't have to learn a second language to utilize you *swoon*
 
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