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HTC Vive and SteamVR hands-on impressions
- Thread starter ashecitism
- Start date
The way it works, you manually set up the safe zone so all those things are avoided.
I thought the same as you ('oh its crappy un-precise electro-magnetism etc') until I learned how it works. Why you should prefer this 100x to a camera is because a camera is easily occluded. Lighthouse maps the whole room with invisible dots. With this the whole room becomes the reference point. Even if your right side is occluded it will still track the dots to your left and above etc. It also brings the whole room virtually into your application.
Lighthouse is (compared to Oculus/Morpheus external camera tracking):
+ Basically never occluded, will always track perfectly
+ Gives you a huge tracking space (15x15 feet)
+ More accurate (much more reference points)
+ Maps your surrounding environment so it can be brought into the VR applicatin
Astral/H3X
Member
Woah hold on.
I didn't catch the part where it maps your room -- I thought the bounding boxes were based on a hard 15x15. I guess it makes sense that it does your room but damn.
Now I need to dedicate a room to this.
I didn't catch the part where it maps your room -- I thought the bounding boxes were based on a hard 15x15. I guess it makes sense that it does your room but damn.
Now I need to dedicate a room to this.
Razorback
Member
Are you sure it's only two? That video showed a little box with dozens of them.
If it's only two then it's not a problem at all.
Nightengale
Member
Sounds amazing.
But honestly? It also sounds expensive.
But honestly? It also sounds expensive.
Astral/H3X
Member
Huh? Why would it matter if it had a bunch of sensors?
You have two boxes that fill your room with IR dots that you can't see. You have two wands that look at those dots, and one headset that looks at those dots.
Zeyphersan
Banned
Maybe there's something I'm not understanding
What's the appeal of having a room with finite space set up for VR movement when no game is going to conform to that room size anyway?
What's the appeal of having a room with finite space set up for VR movement when no game is going to conform to that room size anyway?
Yup. Just 2
Either a 980 or a Titan. Those are the only possibilities. I'm leaning towards a Titan because why the fuck not?
That's what I'd use if I were them. Money is obviously no issue so why settle for less and risk performance hits?
ashecitism
Member
Valve's VR rendering session liveblog: http://www.roadtovr.com/valve-talks-advanced-vr-rendering-live-blog-5pm-pst/
Razorback
Member
I thought those sensors inside the boxes where individual sensors that you had to take out and place all over your room.
So it's just the two boxes then? That's a relief.
ashecitism
Member
nvm lol
i'm tired
i'm tired
IMACOMPUTA
Member
In the anandtech article it says that the only wire is a mini HDMI.
If lighthouse just paints the room with IR, and the vive uses built in cameras to see the IR everywhere, how does this data get transmitted back to the PC if only an HDMI is plugged into the vive?
Forgive me if I got something wrong. I've been trying to keep up, but everything is so crazy today.
If lighthouse just paints the room with IR, and the vive uses built in cameras to see the IR everywhere, how does this data get transmitted back to the PC if only an HDMI is plugged into the vive?
Forgive me if I got something wrong. I've been trying to keep up, but everything is so crazy today.
jediyoshi
Member
That shot of the Aperture demo... I need it so bad.
ashecitism
Member
Posted already, though I see there's now a vid.
Jzero
Member
Ugh i need a video of this.
foolishoptimist
Member
engadget said:
I wonder if this is an issue with having 3 inside-out tracking devices that need to be tightly co-ordinated.
I wonder if there is any kindof calibration required to the lighthouse system to work.
Because if you have the headset pointed in one direction, and both wands pointed in different directions, with no intersection of the image they're receiving, and no information on the size/dimensions of the room, I don't see how these devices could accurately position themselves with respect to one another.
call_kotaku
Member
So any word from GDC impressions that it's better than Crescent Bay? I didn't see any direct comparisons from the impressions I've read (non-specific about models or just comparing to DK2). Tech and gaming press can tend to be hyperbolic or inaccurate and there's no frame of reference for people describing experiences.
The motion controllers sound interesting. I assume that because they're selling Lighthouse as a standalone, you can buy the controllers separately?
The motion controllers sound interesting. I assume that because they're selling Lighthouse as a standalone, you can buy the controllers separately?
mhayze
Member
Oh lawd
It's like Christmas come early for the GPU companies.
ryanthelion123
Neo Member
Can these two cameras be like kinect where it tracks your hand movements instead of using controllers?
0.1.1.2.3.5.8.13.21.34.55
Banned
Welp, guess I'll now be designing VR rooms in addition to present wrapping rooms for the uber rich.
The Lighthouse cameras? No. They are meant to track the headset from my understanding. The controllers have a camera on them that are looking back at the headset to provide positional tracking for your hands.
IMACOMPUTA
Member
This is wrong. The cameras exist in the HMD and the controllers. Lighthouse just shoots IR dots all over the walls as reference points for said cameras.
Ah, ok. So I had that backwards. I couldn't remember what was emitting what.
IMACOMPUTA
Member
Thanks for all the stuff you bring here. I look for your posts.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=n38gC5xgvBg
That's a hell of a lot of wires. And you need to wear a belt because of it. How long until wireless/wire-free versions come out?
That's a hell of a lot of wires. And you need to wear a belt because of it. How long until wireless/wire-free versions come out?
Astral/H3X
Member
By the time we get them at all, the controllers will already be wireless. The headset itself still has a few years to go due to latency concerns.
m_shortpants
Member
Real life holodeck becoming reality.
The porn industry must be raving for this
The porn industry must be raving for this
videogamephilosopher
Banned
Regardless of your company affiliation thank you for your detailed analysis these last few weeks.
Zeyphersan
Banned
Oh lawd
So someone wanna explain this concept?
jediyoshi
Member
The controllers are intended to be wireless and everything else from the headset itself will be consolidated down to one wire. Wireless networking itself is going to need an overhaul before something like the headset can be wireless.
googleplex
Member
Also Looks like it'll be on the expensive side.
call_kotaku
Member
Cool, that's what I was looking for. I'm interested in how the optics/screen configuration are different, or possibly any info on the displays themselves, but I guess it's impossible.
I wonder why neither Oculus nor Valve likes people filming inside the demo rooms.
fastballspecial
Member
While all of this seems awesome, I still can't help but feel like I'd be far too disconnected from the real world while using a VR headset.
ryanthelion123
Neo Member
So, it still can't track your body?
call_kotaku
Member
It could if you strapped a half dozen motion controllers to your body
Next time when AMD's flagship GPU comes out I will buy 2 on day one. Obligatory.
Memorabilia
Member
Lol I'm surprised this post took so long...
piratepwnsninja
Member
I would guess the answer is yes, but I would assume that we'd see the same sort of wrappers we've seen for the Oculus for something like this as well, enabling us to play games not specifically designed for VR. Like, Skyrim on my DK1 was pretty amazing, crap res. and all.
jediyoshi
Member
KoopaTheCasual
Junior Member
I'd consider myself a VR detractor, but this sounds like absolutely amazing tech.
Bl@de
Member
And with that it would be already dead for me. I won't dedicate a room for VR and pay for that. Not going to happen. Also, have fun explaining this to your significant other.