New Valve Prototype VR Headset Shows Up At VR Meetup In Boston 41
An anonymous reader writes "The last time we saw Valve's prototype VR headset, which they said was built to the spec that could be found in a consumer product by 2015, it was a using an 'inside-out' tracking approach where a camera mounted on the VR headset tracked markers placed all over the walls and ceiling of the demo room. This week, at a VR meetup in Boston, Valve had a new prototype to show, featuring an 'outside-in' tracking approaching where a single camera trackings IR-LEDs built into the case of the VR headset, much like the forthcoming Oculus Rift DK2. Valve's latest prototype is thought to be using two 1080p displays in portrait orientation, compared to a single 1080p display in the Oculus Rift DK2."
Re:DOA (Score:4, Informative)
The virtuaboy was DOA because it was a 5lb monochrome (red/black) monstrosity that had to sit on a table, with barely 3D wireframe games, no tracking, etc whose original creator never intended what was released to be the final product (besides, as seen, it was 2 decades too early for the tech out there.)
Oculus Rift weighs less than a pound and can be worn on the head. It will be bought by 3D shooter enthusiasts would would otherwise buy multiple video cards/monitors just for gaming. I assume it will have a microphone.
I really fail to see what the two have in common. If I were into 3D shooters, I would be saving up for such a system.
This is like claiming in January 2007 the iPhone will bust because of the Apple Newton.
Re:Just a prototype for development (Score:4, Informative)
The problem with using two 1080p 16:9 displays in portrait mode is that it is the wrong ratios for covering the field of vision. We should be using two 1600x1200 resolution 4:3 screens in portrait mode. Each 3:4 screen creates a similar ratio of the human eye's field of view (9:13.5) (multiplying the 3:4 screen ratio up, you get 9:12, which is much closer than 9:16 for the 1080p widescreen panels).