Google Decided To Nix Its Oculus Rift Competitor (recode.net) 50
An anonymous reader writes from a report via Recode: Google recently nixed an internal project to create a high-end standalone virtual-reality headset that would compete directly against the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, according to sources familiar with the plans. Google instead decided to shift more of its resources behind mobile VR and provide tools for other companies to build apps, games and services on Android-powered smartphones, rather than expensive hardware. In May, the company announced "Google Daydream," a platform that will help hardware and software developers create VR hardware, games, and experiences for its new Android Nougat operating system. Google did say they would be releasing their own VR headset, but it's mostly geared towards developers. A different VR project was started inside the Google X research lab, which is now a separate Alphabet company, with around 50 employees working on it, according to one source. That project was creating a separate operating system for the device, unique from Android. Now, it appears that the OS and project were scratched in favor of Android. The report suggests that Google is not as interested in competing directly with hardware from Facebook, Samsung, HTC and others. Apple has been recently granted another AR/VR patent, suggesting the company might be building a VR headset of its own.
Great, yet another format war (Score:4, Interesting)
Rift vs Vive. Again two toys that most people don't know shit about, that are absolutely incompatible, that have pretty strong pushers behind them and no matter which one you choose, you'll be fucked 'cause invariably the other one will win.
In other words, it's going to be the same shit as always: Nobody's going to buy 'cause everyone's waiting first to see which format will prevail, and until then the content will suck because no creator will bother dropping tons of money to create a AAA title for a tool that few people have in the first place and even fewer have because they can't decide.
In other words hearing that Google is throwing in the towel is a GOOD thing.
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Holy shit you are stupid.
http://www.pcgamesn.com/vive-beating-rift
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Only if you count DK1 and DK2 in that. If you compare CV1 with the Vive, with is more fairer since they are both the 'finished' product, the Vive is beating the Rift by a wide margin.
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I see Oculus Rift vs HTC Vive more like nVidia vs ATI. I mean nVidia vs AMD.
Question: How do you write a strikethrough on Slashdot? Nothing seems to be working.
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You've got that backwards.
Valve is making sure "Vive games" (SteamVR games) will work on the Rift.
The community (primarily CrossVR) is making sure Rift games work on the Vive (via SteamVR).
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On the merit of it being backwards.
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Devs are abandoning Rifts APIs.
Why would they code to a closed standard and limit their market, when they can code to SteamVR and play on both headsets.
It's the cost of Rift trying to leverage their APIs before they achieved any kind of dominance. Also Rift was just in the middle of reworking their APIs anyhow. If devs have to recode, why would they recode for the smaller closed market?
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Two? Samsung outsells em both.
This is too early to say. Until Samsung ships, Samsung hasn't sold anything.
In any case, the software development has pretty much stopped on the Occulus in favor of the Vive, so in the mind of game developers at least, the HTC Vive has already won.
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Development has moved to SteamVRs APIs which work with both. Rift fucked itself by trying to use their APIs for lockin. Nobody in their right mind would touch them again and Rift was only about halfway through forcing game devs to use their newer API.
If you have to recode the VR parts anyhow, you'd be crazy not to code to the SteamVR standard.
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StarVR and OSVR? By the time they come out, the next-gen HMDs from Oculus/Valve will be on their way, and their current iterations will be dumped on ebay for cheaper than you can get one of those upstarts' headsets new.
Re: The Market Quickly Crowded with Competitors (Score:2)
All that for for an install base that's never going to be huge.
Are you really that stupid?
Re: The Market Quickly Crowded with Competitors (Score:2)
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Perhaps the reason is that many people who've seen 3d TV (or movies) live aren't really all that amazed by it, whereas most everyone who have actually tried Vive are.
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3D TV is a very fiddly technology. You need to sit in the right position, you need special glasses or just the right angle, and your position doesn't influence the image. 3D is also that doesn't fundamentally change a movie. It has depth now, it's a really cool thing in some cases, but it's still the same movie.
An HMD is a completely different experience. The effect is perfect without fiddling. You can look around a corner. And it gives an amazing sense of immersion, which for some games is an excellent adv
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I'd say this is a smart move (Score:2)
Let everybody duke it out, then Google can put a bunch of their SW on the winning platform.
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And then eight months later they can abandon the whole thing.
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Standalone Has No Competition (Score:4, Interesting)
The report suggests that Google is not as interested in competing directly with hardware from Facebook, Samsung, HTC and others
The Oculus Rift (Facebook/Oculus), Vive (HTC/Valve), and Gear VR (Samsung/Oculus), aren't 'standalone'. The former two require a gaming PC to connect to, and the latter requires a high-end Samsung smartphone be connected. Google's scrapped project ran its own OS, meaning the processing was done inside the headset. There are cheap Chinese standalone 'VR' headsets, but they for the most part only run personal theater/3d video/slideshow software. A few companies are working on real standalone VR but I've heard nothing of their recent progress; Google could quickly make them irrelevant.
I chuckle at the mention of deciding to use a smartphone rather than 'expensive hardware', as if a new $650 smartphone is cheap. Good luck doing VR on a smartphone that costs less than $300 (going price for a new unlocked Galaxy S6 on ebay, the minimum-specced phone that will work with a Gear VR). I shudder to think how many people are gonna get nauseous with their $99 phone that barely manages to run Android N.
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as if a new $650 smartphone is cheap. Good luck doing VR on a smartphone that costs less than $300 (going price for a new unlocked Galaxy S6 on ebay, the minimum-specced phone that will work with a Gear VR). I shudder to think how many people are gonna get nauseous with their $99 phone that barely manages to run Android N.
You're only considering the brands you know about.. That $650 smartphone is only $100 (or less) if you buy something like a DOOGEE or Xiaomi or similar..
Samsung and Apple are doing a number on most westerners - $650 for a phone.. what a joke. Seriously, people who buy their junk at those prices deserve it :)
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Yes obviously I want to get a cheaper phone running a non-Android variant OS laden with Chinese Gov't mandated back doors. That makes perfect sense over a proven brand.
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I for one am more interested in AR and am waiting to sea what Magic Leap
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It's all down to content.
Driving games are here today. iRacing and AssetoCorsa both do mostly pukeless VR today. (the exception being very windy tracks like 'hill climb' in AC)
Fixed wing flying is OK. No puking.
But Descent? I don't think anybody involved with the decision to make a new Descent work in VR ever played Descent 2 on the VR headsets of the 90s. If they had they would have known just how bad an idea it is.
VR games have to leave up mostly up or the disconnect between inner ear and eyes ma
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I chuckle at the mention of deciding to use a smartphone rather than 'expensive hardware', as if a new $650 smartphone is cheap.
If you're already going to buy a cellphone, then spending another $300 on the phone isn't that arduous for that capability. What I'd like, though, is just a way to use a medium-priced phone as a VR headset for my PC. I'd prefer it to work wirelessly. I don't mind dedicating a wireless card to the purpose. I have a moderately powerful PC which can do the lifting. I just don't want to have to spend all this money on a VR headset which isn't going to do anything else for me.
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Sony phones are already setup to be remote screens for PS4s, allowing you to hook up a controller and play your PS4 games on the go.
Won't have the frame rate for VR, but it's close.
Occlus Rift === Segway (Score:3)
Re:Occlus Rift === Segway (Score:4, Insightful)
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