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Google Open-Sources Cardboard

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Re: Google Open-Sources Cardboard

#41

Post by hanniabu »

unlinked_dll wrote: post #32
ipsum2 wrote: post #6

For those out of the loop: Google has gradually shut down and in some cases, open sourced their VR projects (Daydream, Mirage, VR180, Seurat, etc) over the last 6-12 months to be more focused on their mobile AR projects (ARCore, Google Streetview AR, Lens, etc). A sad day for VR.

I mean not a sad day for VR. Google is just being Google and thinking that XR is a tech problem. It’s not. The XR gap is in content, not developers, and not tech. Any VR play should be throwing money at creatives, not devs or APIs or frameworks.

> should be throwing money at creatives, not devs or APIs or frameworks

I'm sorry, can someone explain what a creative is and why money should be thrown at them? If they're not developers than how are they going to create content? Also if there aren't good frameworks and APIs the barrier for creating content is much higher.

Re: Google Open-Sources Cardboard

#42

Post by seanmcdirmid »

kayoone wrote: post #36
unlinked_dll wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I mean not a sad day for VR. Google is just being Google and thinking that XR is a tech problem. It’s not. The XR gap is in content, not developers, and not tech. Any VR play should be throwing money at creatives, not devs or APIs or frameworks.

I bought an Oculus Rift devkit and later the full version and loved it, but I actually have doubts about it only being a content problem. VR has some inherent problems (lack of any outside visibility, motion sickness, space restrictions) that are hard to solve and keep many people away from it. For me it only really worked in racing games where i was not moving at all and even then it is quite exhausting.

VR, especially wireless as the Quest is, can work great for fitness. Exhausting is the point of that, though.

Re: Google Open-Sources Cardboard

#43

Post by seanmcdirmid »

dmix wrote: post #7
dyarosla wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They do have several software projects: blocks, poly, tilt brush. I also believe they have various VR divisions. Don’t count them out yet- my take is that the Oculus Quest put the nail in the coffin for ‘phone based’ VR (cheap and solid with controllers/and soon hand tracking is just a better product) and most investment going forward will probably be diverted in that direction (whether it be competing hardware produ…

Has the Quest been a successful product?

Supposedly yes: https://qz.com/1739575/strong-oculus-quest-sales-boost-faceb...

I bought mine in May and have been using it around 6-8 hours a week for working out (Box VR, Beat Saber). It is really a nice device for that, I’m not sure about gaming however.

Re: Google Open-Sources Cardboard

#44

Post by dre54673 »

kayoone wrote: post #36
unlinked_dll wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I mean not a sad day for VR. Google is just being Google and thinking that XR is a tech problem. It’s not. The XR gap is in content, not developers, and not tech. Any VR play should be throwing money at creatives, not devs or APIs or frameworks.

I bought an Oculus Rift devkit and later the full version and loved it, but I actually have doubts about it only being a content problem. VR has some inherent problems (lack of any outside visibility, motion sickness, space restrictions) that are hard to solve and keep many people away from it. For me it only really worked in racing games where i was not moving at all and even then it is quite exhausting.

I had a similar experience. I bought an Odyssey+ but returned it because I felt motion sick every time I tried it. I've read you're supposed to just power through and eventually you get used to it, but that seems like an easy way to guarantee your product will fail. I had friends try it and they also felt the same way.

AR may be a different beast. I don't usually hear people describe it as uncomfortable, mostly just lacking power and content. I also think the market for AR would be much bigger than VR. I think that is why Apple, MSFT, and Google are focusing on it.

Re: Google Open-Sources Cardboard

#45

Post by ramshorns »

ipsum2 wrote: post #6

For those out of the loop: Google has gradually shut down and in some cases, open sourced their VR projects (Daydream, Mirage, VR180, Seurat, etc) over the last 6-12 months to be more focused on their mobile AR projects (ARCore, Google Streetview AR, Lens, etc). A sad day for VR.

Well, in some sense this is a newly released VR project so it's a great day for VR.

Re: Google Open-Sources Cardboard

#46

Post by app4soft »

ipsum2 wrote: post #6

For those out of the loop: Google has gradually shut down and in some cases, open sourced their VR projects (Daydream, Mirage, VR180, Seurat, etc) over the last 6-12 months to be more focused on their mobile AR projects (ARCore, Google Streetview AR, Lens, etc). A sad day for VR.

So, soon Cardboard app would be available on F-Droid?

Re: Google Open-Sources Cardboard

#47

Post by reubens »

hanniabu wrote: post #41
unlinked_dll wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I mean not a sad day for VR. Google is just being Google and thinking that XR is a tech problem. It’s not. The XR gap is in content, not developers, and not tech. Any VR play should be throwing money at creatives, not devs or APIs or frameworks.

> should be throwing money at creatives, not devs or APIs or frameworks I'm sorry, can someone explain what a creative is and why money should be thrown at them? If they're not developers than how are they going to create content? Also if there aren't good frameworks and APIs the barrier for creating content is much higher.

Come on mate. Think about Final Fantasy VII. Was the brilliance of the creativity entirely due to the new medium, or was it script / music / visual design first, 3D graphics engine second?

Re: Google Open-Sources Cardboard

#48

Post by app4soft »

ipsum2 wrote: post #25
EduardoBautista wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It seems like Apple and Microsoft really nailed with focusing on AR instead of VR.

Google was actually the first company to release an AR-capable phone, with depth sensing capabilities, back in 2014[0]. Due to their inability to properly market the device (or maybe the market wasn't ready at the time), they cut back on that division. One of Google's big tactical mistakes, imo. [0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tango_(platform)#Devices

> Google was actually the first company to release an AR-capable phone, with depth sensing capabilities, back in 2014

Nope, Nokia 3230 (Symbian 7.0) was first with such functions - it has exclusive AR-game «Agent V» with depth sensing capabilities.[0]

[0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20957157

Re: Google Open-Sources Cardboard

#49

Post by drdaeman »

EduardoBautista wrote: post #17
ipsum2 wrote: post #6

For those out of the loop: Google has gradually shut down and in some cases, open sourced their VR projects (Daydream, Mirage, VR180, Seurat, etc) over the last 6-12 months to be more focused on their mobile AR projects (ARCore, Google Streetview AR, Lens, etc). A sad day for VR.

It seems like Apple and Microsoft really nailed with focusing on AR instead of VR.

One thing that immediately comes to mind is that AR doesn't have that in-VR movement problem, that's notoriously hard to solve.

And it doesn't require those weird-looking and weird-feeling controllers to interact with the world.

So... maybe VR is not yet there, because the hardware does not allow for the full immersion that we unconsciously expect/want from a virtual reality?

Re: Google Open-Sources Cardboard

#50

Post by moron4hire »

dre54673 wrote: post #44
kayoone wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I bought an Oculus Rift devkit and later the full version and loved it, but I actually have doubts about it only being a content problem. VR has some inherent problems (lack of any outside visibility, motion sickness, space restrictions) that are hard to solve and keep many people away from it. For me it only really worked in racing games where i was not moving at all and even then it is quite exhausting.

I had a similar experience. I bought an Odyssey+ but returned it because I felt motion sick every time I tried it. I've read you're supposed to just power through and eventually you get used to it, but that seems like an easy way to guarantee your product will fail. I had friends try it and they also felt the same way. AR may be a different beast. I don't usually hear people describe it as uncomfortable, mostly just…

> I've read you're supposed to just power through and eventually you get used to it

Wheeeeere did you read that?! I've been in the VR industry for the last 6 years and everyone I know vehemently recommends against doing that.

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