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Show HN: Simula One – Portable Linux VR Computer

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Re: Show HN: Simula One – Portable Linux VR Computer

#141

Post by EvanAnderson »

kanetw wrote: post #118
EvanAnderson wrote: post #106

Is the intention, down the road, to sell new "compute packs" to allow for upgrades? Is the interface between the HMD and the compute sufficiently engineered and featureful to allow that to actually happen? Similar to a camera system w/ interchangeable lenses, I'd be more apt to buy into this ecosystem if I knew that I could keep my HMD (w/ prescription inserts, perhaps custom-cut padding, etc) but change out the "com…

1. Correct. We want users to be able to buy a new HMD and plug in their old compute pack, or a new compute pack and plug it into their old HMD. The compute pack itself is also upgradable (we're based off Intel's NUC Compute Elements, so it's easy to upgrade to a new CPU for example). Component-level upgradability in the HMD itself is more difficult, but not impossible. There's a solid amount of breathing room and thi…

Thanks for taking the time to reply!

Modularity for upgrades within the HMD itself is nice but it's not something I'd want to see sacrifices made for. Being able to repair the HDM, though, would be a concern to me. Something I physically "wear" on my person makes me think about long-haul durability and repairs. I'd love to have a minimum 5 year expected lifetime for the HMD (if not more like 10).

I'm excited about this platform. The cost seems reasonable to me but I don't think I'm a first generation adopter. I can imagine a second generation version will have a lot of fit-and-finish type updates. I'm hoping you get some traction in the market.

A VR-based workspace is something I've definitely dreamed about.

Re: Show HN: Simula One – Portable Linux VR Computer

#142

Post by kanetw »

roughly wrote: post #135

Man, what has HAPPENED to this place? I'm the biggest curmudgeon in the room, I'll have six feet of dirt on my face before I agree to use this daily, but damn, folks, this IS cool. Everyone complains about boring stagnating consumer tech, locked-down hardware, and Mark Zuckerberg making a real go at personally stalking every single person on the planet - this is the _exact opposite of that_. This is high-end, incredi…

Thank you!

Re: Show HN: Simula One – Portable Linux VR Computer

#143

Post by kanetw »

RodgerTheGreat wrote: post #121
kanetw wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes: 1. We have up to 17mm of space for glasses for casual use 2. We're going to be compatible with prescription lens inserts out of the box, e.g. Reloptix. 3. It's possible that we'll include diopter adjustment as well

That's great news! Is the idea that the headset is physically compatible with the shape of lens inserts for some existing mainstream headset, or will you be partnering with Reloptix and other vendors? It would be very helpful to have this information somewhere prominently in your marketing materials.

Talking with Reloptix right now about the details. We definitely need to put it more prominently somewhere (god, marketing is hard)

Re: Show HN: Simula One – Portable Linux VR Computer

#144

Post by drcode »

lallysingh wrote: post #124

This looks like a decent deal looking deeper into it. Things that weren't obvious on first pass: (1) The VR specs are much higher than consumer level. I suspect this is what makes it reasonable to read text on it. The comparison headset is this: https://varjo.com/products/aero/ (They named it, but didn't google it) (2) They said "VR Computer" but don't define the term. They mean that it's a full PC with a headset ins…

The coffee shop video is the sole reason I purchased it. Not that I'd really ever use it that way, but I want to live in a future where I could in principle do so without shame LOL

Re: Show HN: Simula One – Portable Linux VR Computer

#145

Post by gfodor »

roughly wrote: post #135

Man, what has HAPPENED to this place? I'm the biggest curmudgeon in the room, I'll have six feet of dirt on my face before I agree to use this daily, but damn, folks, this IS cool. Everyone complains about boring stagnating consumer tech, locked-down hardware, and Mark Zuckerberg making a real go at personally stalking every single person on the planet - this is the _exact opposite of that_. This is high-end, incredi…

Yep, agree 100%. Few hackers remain on hacker news.

Re: Show HN: Simula One – Portable Linux VR Computer

#146

Post by bee_rider »

drcode wrote: post #63

I love that they fully embrace the "sitting at the coffee shop with my VR headset" aesthetic. I'm totally ready to support this vision and preorder one and let my freak flag fly at my local coffee shop!

Luckily it is a Linux device, we're the sort of weirdos who'd do such a thing.

In 3 years or so, this will be normalized, right? People will want to wear their apple VR things, to coffee shops.

Re: Show HN: Simula One – Portable Linux VR Computer

#147

Post by fmos »

Interesting. Thanks for the "Show"!

I'm still pretty new to VR and experimenting with a Quest 2 I recently bought out of curiosity really (the tiny price helps; as I'm not planning any extensive/real use, I don't feel like being very valuable product myself).

Anyway, you might want to consider adding your device to the Comparison on Wikipedia? [0]

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_virtual_reality_...

Re: Show HN: Simula One – Portable Linux VR Computer

#148

Post by crtasm »

pjmlp wrote: post #109
moron4hire wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've been hearing people say "VR is dead, AR has killed it" for the last 10 years straight, all while not knowing anyone using AR past novelty apps, all while enjoying the biggest year for VR. Every. Single. Year.

The first time I saw someone using a VR headset, was someone playing Doom with one in 1995. It has been more than 10 years.

10 years of the claim, not since VR became available.

Re: Show HN: Simula One – Portable Linux VR Computer

#149

Post by bee_rider »

psanford wrote: post #123
d--b wrote: post #89

The gif with the guy keeping the device on while being handed his coffee made me cringe. AR mode why not, but not at the expense of actual human interactions!

Everything about that gif is a lie. There is no way you will be able to drink comfortably from a coffee cup with that headset on (just like its not comfortable to do so with an oculus). I like how the clip cuts just at the point where he would bang the cup against the headset. But really its the lack of disdain on all the other people's faces that makes it painfully unrealistic.

It is possible to drink in VR, you just have to get the motion right. But it is something I'd do with a beer rather than a hot coffee.

Re: Show HN: Simula One – Portable Linux VR Computer

#150

Post by georgewsinger »

lallysingh wrote: post #124

This looks like a decent deal looking deeper into it. Things that weren't obvious on first pass: (1) The VR specs are much higher than consumer level. I suspect this is what makes it reasonable to read text on it. The comparison headset is this: https://varjo.com/products/aero/ (They named it, but didn't google it) (2) They said "VR Computer" but don't define the term. They mean that it's a full PC with a headset ins…

Upvoted for the excellent feedback.

1. We'll do a better job defining the term "VR Computer" in our sales page.

2. We'll consider adding a keyboard/mouse as optional add-ons. We have thought about including a "keyboard apron" as an item add-on that is actually differentiated from other keyboards, and one that would be particularly useful for VR computing (with the added freedom of movement).[1] Would something like this interest you? Note that we'd use a more accessible keyboard than the 40% "Corne keyboard" one shown in the photo.

3. We're going to add some of our comparison charts showcasting the Simula One versus other products/prices. They were included in a recent blog post[2], but aren't featured on our shop. Looks like they would be helpful there as well.

4. We're definitely interested in developing "3D office apps" (or something like a Linux ecosystem for them), but decided that the first step was to get people using our 2D VR app environment first.

5. At a high level, SimulaOS is going to be NixOS + our VR window manager. The current features of this window manager are outlined here: https://github.com/SimulaVR/Simula. We plan to add to these features over time (especially including: VR app tiling/window grouping and hand interactions). This should be better showcased in our shop though for sure. Thanks for flagging this.

[1] https://www.wolframcloud.com/obj/george.w.singer/business/pn...

[2] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29923197

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