Bernadotte 0 Posted August 10, 2003 Does anyone have any good links describing the state of the technology? Â I found this site, but it doesn't offer much in the way of objective product reviews and comparisons. Does anyone have any personal experience with high quality 3D hardware (with head tracking)? Â I suspect that the best equipment may already be in use by the military for UAV crews. Â I wonder when some of that will trickle down to the world of consumer products. Â (Imagine IL2 in 3D without need for padlocking or directional hat!) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SpeedyDonkey 0 Posted August 10, 2003 I wish i got a nickle every time someone was walking around with this Is there any screenshots of what you can see in those things? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
denoir 0 Posted August 10, 2003 Does anyone have any personal experience with high quality 3D hardware (with head tracking)?  I suspect that the best equipment may already be in use by the military for UAV crews.  I wonder when some of that will trickle down to the world of consumer products.  (Imagine IL2 in 3D without need for padlocking or directional hat!) I tried some VR goggles in an internet café once. They were utter crap - but that was something like 8-9 years ago, so I assume that the technology has improved. The real thing that I've had the fortune of trying is the VR-Cube at my university. I've played quake in it and it was truly awsome. It was really like being in a real 3D-world. As for military computer hardware/software, you'd be disappointed. Due to the high requirement specifications that they have on software it's usually 10-20 years behind commercial software. Commercial games are graphically far more advanced than the simulations used by the military. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Shashman 0 Posted August 10, 2003 I remember trying on some VR goggles at Mediaplanet (a technology exhibition) here in Brussels and all I can remember about them is that they made me dizzy and I had a headache after Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bernadotte 0 Posted August 10, 2003 I wish i got a nickle every time someone was walking around with this Is there any screenshots of what you can see in those things? "Please stop laughing and let me see your driver's license." Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mooncaine 0 Posted August 10, 2003 I just attended SIGGRAPH, an international conference for people who work with computer graphics, and I was able to test out a VR goggle set that actually worked well. It fit over my eyeglasses, it had built-in headphones [the soft, cup-cushion kind that block out some of the outside world's noise], and a display that almost filled your vision [but it wasn't stereoscopic]. It tracked *really* well, and I was testing it by jerking my head back and forth, and tilting my head sideways. In the demo, I wore the goggles and sat as a passenger in a car that was driven by the demonstrator, via the keyboard. Just as a passenger can in OFP, I was able to look around in almost any direction while the car moved through a town. The detail was a little less than a typical OFP screen, though. I can't tell you the name of the demonstrator, because I promptly chose to forget it. I did this because, after chatting with him, I learned that his company didn't make the VR goggles, and they didn't write software drivers, either. I was telling him that, if only the device came shipped with some drivers that would make it work with DirectX's joystick and hat controllers, they could start selling them to gamers right away. He kept telling me I could write my own drivers, to which my reply was a polite version of "Yeah, right. Keep on dreaming." Turns out they were only a reseller. Why on earth a reseller thinks they can make money in this tight economy without adding some kind of value to the product is a mystery to me. BTW, I'm having a small prob setting up my addon tank. Please look at this topic and tell me if you have any suggestions. thanks, MoonCaine Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Renagade 0 Posted August 10, 2003 VR went they way of the spaceships and laser guns we were meant to have by now Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mooncaine 0 Posted August 10, 2003 The real thing that I've had the fortune of trying is the VR-Cube at my university. I've played quake in it and it was truly awsome. It was really like being in a real 3D-world. denoir, that link to the VR-Cube project was very interesting. Thanks for posting that! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bernadotte 0 Posted August 10, 2003 I honestly think there's a huge fortune to be made in light-weight, high-quality 3D VR, but the industry has been waiting for a few key developments. 1. Â Display surfaces. Â Wearing twin cathode ray tubes on your head tends to cause neck trauma. Â Today's hi-res colour display films being developed for flat screens and mobile phones could be part of the answer. 2. Â Optics. Â Projecting hi-res images from 2 screens 4 cms from your eyes with 120 degree FOV without heavy coke-bottle lenses may require a new approach, like contact lenses. Â Now, just imagine mounting a tiny video camera on each side that would feed a normal forward view when you have to unplug from the computer to answer the door. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
denoir 0 Posted August 10, 2003 I agree. There was a lot of interest for VR technology in the early 90's but the interest faded very soon. As you say, some of the relevant problems are still to be solved. Optics is a tough one. It's difficult for the eye to have a fixed depth of vision. As opposed to the real world where our focus varies with the distance to the object we're viewing. When you have a display a couple of mm in front of your eyes, that focus is fixed and the eyes tire very soon. Perhaps direct retinal projection could be the solution. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Renagade 0 Posted August 10, 2003 There was something  on TV  about 5  years back where u went into what could best be described as a human hamster ball  locked  into place made out of semi transparent material then u went inside and the virtual world was project onto the ball from a few  projectors so when  u walked inside the ball it moved the world about and u had a handheld device f or shooting and stuff. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
VXR 9 Posted August 10, 2003 not VR but also cool are the Edimensional glasses, i also have them a year now and they are very good. www.edimensional.com Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Shashman 0 Posted August 10, 2003 Wow they're relatively cheap What are they like? Any side effects?Do they work well? Could you give a resume of them? Thanks Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mooncaine 0 Posted August 10, 2003 not VR but also cool are the Edimensional glasses, i also have them a year now and they are very good.www.edimensional.com Wow, Vixer, do you play OFP with those glasses? I noticed a year ago that the same company sells a head-tracking system so that you could control, say, the hat switch on your joystick with head movements. Since you still have to see the monitor in front of you, it seems kinda pointless, but it's a start ..... BTW, folks, there's a picture of the VR glasses I tried on at this page [just do a search for "Head mounted display" to move directly to the photo]: http://www.cwru.edu/its/itac/nms/siggraph/sigg033.html Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nathanz 0 Posted August 10, 2003 http://www.vrealities.com/simeye.jpg Hahahahahahhaahahahahahahahahahaha.......hahahaha Vixer does those glasses make you feel like your ... err ... really there? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bernadotte 0 Posted August 10, 2003 BTW, folks, there's a picture of the VR glasses I tried on at this page [just do a search for "Head mounted display" to move directly to the photo]:http://www.cwru.edu/its/itac/nms/siggraph/sigg033.html And here are the specs. Only $5k for the 3D type. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NurEinMensch 0 Posted August 10, 2003 Why go for weird looking VR goggles when you can get a 3D Monitor? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nathanz 0 Posted August 10, 2003 because it costs to damn much ? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
booradley60 0 Posted August 11, 2003 because I want to know what it feels like to be Darth Vader in combat. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Scope-SWAF- 0 Posted August 11, 2003 wow... Vixer tell us some more about the glasses, please. any better with OFP than a original monitor? does it really work as I think, like that you reallly can see 3d there and you can almost feel yourself in there? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
williek 0 Posted August 14, 2003 The edimensional glasses are amazing!! Â I've had them since last year and I never played OFP without them. Â Then i upgraded my card to a ATI 9800 and realized they weren't supported HOWEVER, edimensional just released new ati drivers so i'm a happy man! Â the new drivers are even better than the older ones because these have no flicker at all and the crosshairs are lined up much better. Â you should definitely pick up a pair if you have a few extra bucks, well worth the experience. haven't tried the head track thingy yet, next on my list of purchases if the wife lets me Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
denoir 0 Posted August 14, 2003 Explosions in OFP (camCreated) are 2D sprites. I have the Asus 3d goggles that came with my graphics card but I've never really enjoyed playing any games with them. It can be a fun thing to show friends but I never really use them myself. Besides the technical limitation they're pretty uncomfortable to wear. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dauragon 0 Posted August 14, 2003 Explosions in OFP (camCreated) are 2D sprites. I have the Asus 3d goggles that came with my graphics card but I've never really enjoyed playing any games with them. It can be a fun thing to show friends but I never really use them myself. Besides the technical limitation they're pretty uncomfortable to wear. wow denoir you have everything Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
