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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

#291

Post by riskable »

dorfsmay wrote: post #277

I love the idea to be able to work in many places while keeping a good posture! On the pictures, it looks like there is no pointing device. Is the pointing done by eye tracking? How do you click on things? How do you deal with "focus follow mouse"? For example I often look at one window while typing in another.

I don't know how it works with their headset but with the Quest 2 hand tracking (which is handled via four cheap IR cameras) you just make a pinch motion with your fingers to "click" or click-and-drag: https://support.oculus.com/articles/headsets-and-accessories...

I assume that doing a right-click would be a pinch-and-hold sort of situation or maybe you could just use the left hand for that sort of thing.

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

#292

Post by fire »

kanetw wrote: post #288
fire wrote: post #281

Oh hell yeah! I can't afford it, but I would love to be able to read text and just generally program within VR itself ( review units wink wink ). I saw mention of Nix - what does steam / proton compatibility look like there? Is there more info available on the compute unit's load profile during typical usage? Any idea whether it would be able to handle running a windows VM with hwaccel at the same time? With a Xe gpu…

The hand tracking is Ultraleap's assuming they actually deliver the Linux software at some point in the next few months. We're considering backups like using mmWave RADAR. It shouldn't be too intensive (at least not noticeable so far), but I'll double check. The LED matrix display is for the outside. In both the founders' and regular, the internal display are Sharp 2448x2448 LCDs. The regular edition will have a LED…

Ahhh, nice! What's the purpose/utility of the matrix display? Can it be used as a light source? Or maybe a point grid display for pixel art style faces / messages?

> I think I heard about VR-OS but haven't looked deeper; focused on the HW right now.

That's actually precisely why I brought it up :D

> a Windows VM... should work?

Ah sorry, I edited my message above to be clearer as far as what I was actually asking ( load profiles and such ). I got so excited that I started brain dumping without a lot of context.

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

#293

Post by kanetw »

fire wrote: post #292
kanetw wrote: post #288

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The hand tracking is Ultraleap's assuming they actually deliver the Linux software at some point in the next few months. We're considering backups like using mmWave RADAR. It shouldn't be too intensive (at least not noticeable so far), but I'll double check. The LED matrix display is for the outside. In both the founders' and regular, the internal display are Sharp 2448x2448 LCDs. The regular edition will have a LED…

Ahhh, nice! What's the purpose/utility of the matrix display? Can it be used as a light source? Or maybe a point grid display for pixel art style faces / messages? > I think I heard about VR-OS but haven't looked deeper; focused on the HW right now. That's actually precisely why I brought it up :D > a Windows VM... should work? Ah sorry, I edited my message above to be clearer as far as what I was actually asking ( l…

Communicating with the outside world, basically. DND signs, pixel-y eyes, etc.

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

#294

Post by kanetw »

LoveMortuus wrote: post #290
kanetw wrote: post #286

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Battery life isn't in the specs yet because it's TBD. We're targeting 3 hours, but that's not a final number and might change if we notice that it's too heavy or we still have usable mass budget etc.

Three hours seems very low, but I guess it count be doable if the charge time is one hour or less. That way I could see it like, it forces you to stretch your legs. Damn... I'm guessing swappable batteries aren't on the roadmap. But the tech looks really cool, especially because MAYBE it could be used while laying in the bed. Best of luck! I hope you'll be profitable and continue to develop the tech!

Swappable isn't planned for the v1, yeah. V2, maybe.

Charge time should be about an hour (1C charging).

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

#295

Post by fire »

kanetw wrote: post #293
fire wrote: post #292

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ahhh, nice! What's the purpose/utility of the matrix display? Can it be used as a light source? Or maybe a point grid display for pixel art style faces / messages? > I think I heard about VR-OS but haven't looked deeper; focused on the HW right now. That's actually precisely why I brought it up :D > a Windows VM... should work? Ah sorry, I edited my message above to be clearer as far as what I was actually asking ( l…

Communicating with the outside world, basically. DND signs, pixel-y eyes, etc.

That's hilarious and I love it. Is the front modular as well? I could see a cool alternative to hack together being an e-ink display

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

#296

Post by sbarre »

selfhoster11 wrote: post #60
sbarre wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> You can buy an HTC Vive for 800$, and a PI4 for 60$. Why would anyone use Dropbox?? You can just use SFTP, CVS and a 5$ VPS... [0] Seriously though, let's treat your comment as non-trolling: The HTC Vive - a 6-year-old device - does not have anything close to the per-eye resolution needed to do any kind of desktop computing, AND it uses outside-in tracking, meaning you need external lighthouses so it's not really p…

The Dropbox comment doesn't apply here. Simula One is meant for Linux geeks, the exact kind of person who would be just as happy (or happier) to roll their own Dropbox if it was cheaper.

I think you misunderstand the reason that comment is so notorious..

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

#297

Post by Aeolun »

stocknoob wrote: post #45

So many people are complaining about price of a first gen enthusiast device. You know the Apple II (~1500 in 1977) is 5k in modern dollars, and sold over 5m units, right? If the device solves a genuine productivity problem for you, 3k is cheap.

> You know the Apple II (~1500 in 1977) is 5k in modern dollars, and sold over 5m units, right?

I think the difference might be in the price point of all your competitors, or the increased marginal utility of your product.

Using this headset over any of the existing ones, what benefit do I get? The software is already open, so I can use it with any headset. My sole concern is getting the absolute best headset.

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

#298

Post by oarsinsync »

riskable wrote: post #283
kanetw wrote: post #201

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You shouldn't take it off outdoors with the lenses pointing at the sun, no. Ambient light will be fine. Also don't stare at the sun with the cameras. Although if you do, they'll be replaceable.

The natural motion for removing any VR headset is to lift it off your face and then hold it via the head strap which points the display directly upwards. Also, when placing the headset down for charging it's also natural to hang it up on a hook of some sort (via the head strap) which also has the side effect of pointing the lenses upwards. If someone does this near a window the sun can destroy it in no time.

+1 to this. Every time I take my vr headset off, I hold it by the back of the headband until I put it down somewhere.

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

#300

Post by fuzzy2 »

kanetw wrote: post #220
fuzzy2 wrote: post #203

Is it really comfortable to wear for extended periods of time? I’m a little behind on VR tech. I have an HTC Vive (1st gen), which has a third strap to support the weight. Does it really work okay without that? I would imagine the combined weight of the computer and the headset to be substantially higher than my HTC Vive. It has to be supported by something – which hopefully isn’t my nose or ears! (Also, what is the…

We might end up adding a third strap. More info on that in the upcoming 2-3 months. Weight is still being worked on. Our target is 800g, but that might change depending on what tradeoffs we want to make or what comfort testing tells us.

Thanks for the info!
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