Oculus Rift: Available for pre-order • Hacker News Board

Re: Oculus Rift: Available for pre-order

#261

Post by rnernento » Wed, Jan 06, 2016, 6:39 PM UTC

chaostheory wrote: post #248

rnernento wrote: post #224

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree that there have been plenty of quality indie titles but I think the 3D / recreating reality aspects of VR are somewhat limiting here. 2D games (some of my favorite recent indies) are out of the question in VR. A major goal of VR is to recreate reality or some "reality", which requires well designed 3D models and animations. That being said I think there will be great indie experiences available, but they'll a…

> the 3D / recreating reality aspects of VR are somewhat limiting here. 2D games (some of my favorite recent indies) are out of the question in VR Well there are plenty of great 3D indie games as well, so it's a moot point. > Console makers have learned how important it is to either keep console costs down or subsidize in order to reach the largest user base That happened generations ago. With the growth of the inter…

You make some solid points, the key is the successful consoles had killer titles that provided awesome experiences and pushed the technology early (Sonic, Tomb Raider, Halo, Wii Sports, etc.) Also those consoles launched at (relatively) consumer friendly prices.

Re: Oculus Rift: Available for pre-order

#262

Post by cloudwalking » Wed, Jan 06, 2016, 6:39 PM UTC

AndrewKemendo wrote: post #252

cloudwalking wrote: post #231

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most of the addressable market willing to pay $80k for a car do already own a house...

Of course. But again, it's still not everyone. For example I own a house but not a garage, so I can't get one.

Sure, and I do think the Tesla analogy is accurate. This is a first-gen device aimed towards early adopters who are willing to pay more. Next generations will be progressively cheaper.

Re: Oculus Rift: Available for pre-order

#263

Post by robbies » Wed, Jan 06, 2016, 6:40 PM UTC

For all the complaints of $599, consider the prices of graphics cards, gaming monitors, phones, (4K) TVs, and so on. With this price, they are targeting the alpha consumer, who (hopefully) will have a great experience, tell their friends and the world, and prepare the markets for the eventual mass market version that will be in the $200-$400 range. AAA devs were never going to participate in this first gen anyway (there was no way they'd recoup their dev resources, so why would they).

While I think the concern for content is a valid one, I think indies and non-gaming apps will come through with a few breakthrough experiences that will drive the first set of sales, paving the way for the AAAs.

Re: Oculus Rift: Available for pre-order

#264

Post by yazaddaruvala » Wed, Jan 06, 2016, 6:42 PM UTC

vocatus_gate wrote: post #183

thetmkay wrote: post #169

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One of the reasons why it may lack real-world interest is lack of content. People need to believe in the medium and pioneer content in spite of lack of interest, in hope to generate that interest, or it will remain an unsolved chicken-and-egg problem. I believe Newell and Carmack do want to make high quality "games" in the sense of interactive experiences, and they see VR as an opportunity for that. What's required i…

That's fair. Seeing an impressive example of the tech put to good use might get me excited about it, something beyond another 3D "walking around" simulator. Maybe it's one of those technologies that needs a breakthrough moment, or to reach critical mass to where mainstream adoption starts occurring. Because right now it feels very "really? We're trying to make this happen again?" to me.

Actually because of the way your brain and body are linked: a 3D "walking around" simulator, (while sitting stationary) is currently the worst possible VR experience.

The best, is piloting a machine - car, plane, etc. You're in a seat, like your real body is.

You're waiting for the: experiencing a X-Wing in motion while in a dog fight destroying TIE fighters over Jakku, R2-D2 beeping in your ears demo.

If you get the chance try Eve Valkyrie on a DK2. It is one of the closest, currently existing, demos to the one I described above.

Re: Oculus Rift: Available for pre-order

#265

Post by greglindahl » Wed, Jan 06, 2016, 6:45 PM UTC

AndrewKemendo wrote: post #228

strictnein wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Kind of like saying to buy a car you need a $300k house with a garage, when in fact many of the people buying a car already have a house with a garage. That's also not a "killer" desktop. The 290 is a a 2.5 year old card. The GTX 970 is equivalent to a 680 or 780. The 680 came out almost four years ago. If you had no computer at all, you could build that system for ~$700 - $750 ($200 CPU, $100 Mobo, $200 Used GPU, $5…

Actually, as an addendum to my other comment, I think a more accurate metaphor would be like buying a Tesla S. You have to have a house that you can add a charging station to, in order to buy it, which most people don't have.

There are quite a few Tesla owners who don't own houses, actually. It's definitely more convenient to have charging in your garage / your apartment's garage. So it's a big consideration, but not an absolute rule.

Re: Oculus Rift: Available for pre-order

#266

Post by vegabook » Wed, Jan 06, 2016, 6:46 PM UTC

moron4hire wrote: post #199

theinternetman wrote: post #177

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As someone old enough to remember that time, no one said that.

As also someone old enough to remember that time, lots of SNES and Sega Genesis owners were saying that. And people were getting sick from Doom at far greater rates than they are today from Oculus Rifts.

"Sick from Doom"?? I don't remember anybody getting sick from Wolfenstein or Doom. Controversy around (for the time) violent graphic realism? Sure. Seasickness? No.

Re: Oculus Rift: Available for pre-order

#267

Post by gnarbarian » Wed, Jan 06, 2016, 6:46 PM UTC

aresant wrote: post #195

vocatus_gate wrote: post #157

I think the biggest risk to adoption is real-world interest. I get that VR is a fun tech, and has some potentially cool possibilities. But to me and seemingly many other people, it's just not that interesting. I don't know why, maybe I'm not geek enough, but I just have zero interest. And frankly it feels kind of like a gimmick. I'm especially averse to the idea of strapping on a clumsy headset every time I want to u…

I literally feel sorry for you, not in an unfriendly way, that you haven't seen the right demo yet and can't share the insane excitement that I have for this technology. This is the FIRST consumer release! This is the Palm Pilot 1 of VR. Yes most of the content right now is mediocre but there are some mindblowing experiences too. For instance Elite Dangerous + DK2 + Motion Sim. It literally feels like you are pilotin…

That motion rig looks great. Where can I get one? Or how much did it cost to build?

I was backer 513 for the oculus kickstarter and am beyond pumped for my free cv1.

Re: Oculus Rift: Available for pre-order

#268

Post by ihuman » Wed, Jan 06, 2016, 6:48 PM UTC

thenomad wrote: post #80

apsec112 wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

From the hardware FAQ on /r/oculus: "Can I use a weaker PC for basic content? With weaker hardware, it may be possible to run very graphically simplistic content like virtual desktop, virtual cinema (for watching movies), and 360 videos, however you will be totally on your own without support if you choose to do this, and it is unlikely that there will be many (or any) games that support lower specs. If you do wish t…

That's odd, I've been using a laptop to demo Rift tech for some time... (Although it's quite a beefy laptop, optimised for 3D work.)

I used to use a MacBook Pro from 2011 with the DK1, and it worked just fine.

Re: Oculus Rift: Available for pre-order

#269

Post by jpambrun » Wed, Jan 06, 2016, 6:48 PM UTC

cloudwalking wrote: post #229

darkxanthos wrote: post #205

In a world where hard core gamers will pay >$500 for a graphics card, this price will work fine for a 1st gen. It'll be a smaller audience at first but that will also help them out as they need to focus on their customer support for issues they find in the wild.

I don't think $600 is unreasonable for a brand-new platform's low-production volume v1. The PS3 launched at $499-$599.

It is not a complete platform though; you still need a 1000+$ PC to connect it to.

Furthermore, the PS3 was a known quantity because of its predecessors. You could reasonably assume that you could get hundreds of hours of entertainment for that initial purchase. VR is unproven and the asking price is just too steep for such a gamble (for me anyway).

Re: Oculus Rift: Available for pre-order

#270

Post by moron4hire » Wed, Jan 06, 2016, 6:50 PM UTC

vegabook wrote: post #266

moron4hire wrote: post #199

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As also someone old enough to remember that time, lots of SNES and Sega Genesis owners were saying that. And people were getting sick from Doom at far greater rates than they are today from Oculus Rifts.

"Sick from Doom"?? I don't remember anybody getting sick from Wolfenstein or Doom. Controversy around (for the time) violent graphic realism? Sure. Seasickness? No.

https://www.google.com/search?q=doomsickness&oq=doomsickness...