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Ask HN: Working in a VR Headset?

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Re: Ask HN: Working in a VR Headset?

#231

Post by Nathanael_M »

hailwren wrote: post #205
Nathanael_M wrote: post #200

I’ve been thinking about this lately (as are many people, I’d imagine, with all the Metaverse hoopla) and I think the adoption line for VR is text resolution. Once a headset is in play that can match out of headset text resolution, rapid adoption, tooling, etc. will follow. Something I’ve been thinking about is tooling, though. Like if I had a browser and file storage in an environment with infinitely scalable window…

So, you might be interested in https://github.com/SimulaVR/Simula . There have been a few examples of VR windows managers on Linux which don’t require an entire OS rewrite. Is that the solution Meta will go w/? almost certainly not. But replacing a WM for a different “view” of your OS is a pretty common thing on Linux. (For some distros like Arch, replace isn’t the right word. You have to install whichever one you’d…

Oh this is very cool. I was thinking about game engines in this context, but couldn’t wrap my head around combining the OS and the engine. Browsers seemed much more accessible, but this project is kind if blowing my mind.

People ultimately need to be able to have choice. Their OS in their environment on their tech stack. I’m not sure how that happens, but open source operating system on an open source game engine seems like the right start.

Now we just need an open source headset…

Re: Ask HN: Working in a VR Headset?

#232

Post by exodust »

malux85 wrote: post #8

Physically it doesn’t work: The headset is too clunky and heavy still, after a few hours you get a sore neck and I have trouble with lack of airflow on my skin (where it contacts my face gets sweaty and irritated after long periods) More importantly: the resolution is too small. Using an IDE to edit text inside VR technically works, but the font size has to be so huge because the resolution inside is so poor, coding…

> good quality 1080p projector

Good idea on the road. And you could set up two projectors for two giant monitors. Although one projector and laptop should be enough for most needs.

Laser diode projectors in particular are bright and uniform enough to project onto a clean wall. There's also the option of short-throw or regular projector. Flicker-free and reliable. Turning your hotel room wall into a big screen makes sense.

I would definitely choose a portable projector over VR if I needed the equivalent of a large monitor on the road. The other thing is, you can have the screen on and do "normal life things" like read physical documents, gaze out the window, use your mobile phone, pace around the room, scratch your head, play with your hair as you think... and your screen remains stationary and separate.

Re: Ask HN: Working in a VR Headset?

#233

Post by cesarb »

chaostheory wrote: post #214
notpushkin wrote: post #180

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It’s not a dumb monitor It could be. Just like you can use Android phones without signing into Google (or at least could, not sure how stock OS works nowadays as I'm on microG for the last couple years).

Then there’s only one possible choice: SimulaVR It’s a stand alone full system though

> It’s a stand alone full system though

AFAIK, it will be possible to use SimulaVR either in standalone mode (with its own portable computer running everything) or in tethered mode (plugged into a normal computer which runs everything); there's even an option on the preorder page to get a version without the portable computer (it is my understanding that the portable computer is detachable, so the full version can be transformed into a tethered-only version simply by detaching it).

Re: Ask HN: Working in a VR Headset?

#234

Post by SoftTalker »

fiat_fandango wrote: post #119

I would rather become a brick mason or plumber before I have to work with a VR headset on. Zero doubts. If this becomes any kind of norm for tech work I'm throwing my computer out the window.

Right with you. My city is desperate for bus drivers. I think that sounds pretty good compared to wearing one of those ridiculus VR goggles.

Re: Ask HN: Working in a VR Headset?

#235

Post by iepathos »

The technology isn't there yet. The resolution needs to be probably 6x what it currently is to be good for reading and productivity purposes. The strain on the eyes and weight on the head/neck from having VR headset on for extended periods is also significantly higher than the strain from just a viewing a monitor and that problem is not going away anytime soon.

Re: Ask HN: Working in a VR Headset?

#237

Post by BaculumMeumEst »

> Does anyone have any useful experience to share on working in a VR headset?

Tried it, returned it.

> Is it comfortable for longer periods of time?

No.

> How is it on the eyes?

Strain.

Any extra screen real estate VR gives you if is vastly outweighed by the negatives. It's a sweaty glowing device right in your face that causes significantly more strain than a laptop monitor. It's cool to think about but I think you already know the answer to this. Try it yourself if you'd like.

Re: Ask HN: Working in a VR Headset?

#238

Post by ynx »

andybak wrote: post #156
chaostheory wrote: post #141

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I feel that the bare minimum headset that can handle work is the HP Reverb G2. It’s the only headset with a high enough resolution under $1000 (you can find it under $300 on eBay). There’s also Pimax, but their QA and customer support is terrible and you need to deal with base stations. Through the lens comparison g2 vs Index vs Quest 2 https://youtu.be/ny_OPsxHQmU

The Quest 2 and the Reverb look closer than I expected. The contrast is the main difference (and that could be an artifact of the way it's shot) The tracking on the Reverb has a bad reputation and I've avoided it for that reason mainly - as well as the extra complexity resulting from using one more translation layer (Windows MR > SteamVR) and a minority platoform.

Oculus and SteamVR are pretty far ahead of the pack - the Quest is the biggest market and SteamVR is the most open ecosystem, and the rest of the APIs get comparatively little (or imbalanced) real-world testing and improvement.

Reverb is cool but at the end of the day, despite some good Valve engineering, it's WMR, and HP doesn't seem super committed to VR anyways.

Re: Ask HN: Working in a VR Headset?

#239

Post by peteforde »

Commenting because this somehow hasn't come up, but Quest Pro is not the headset that you're potentially looking for. (And not just because the Quest Pro only gets ~2hrs battery life.)

What you're really looking for is the Varjo Aero: https://varjo.com/products/aero/

The Aero has 35PPD, automatic IPD adjustment and incredibly good eye tracking. It is on an entirely different level than the Quest Pro.

It's also significantly more expensive, but it is the only VR headset that I've ever been able to work comfortably in (coding) for long periods. You can use it with a laptop that has a sufficient GPU.

The Quest Pro confuses me because I don't think the perfect customer exists. Anyone who needs it and can afford it is going to be 10x happier with an Aero.

The only thing more expensive [at this part of the market] than an Aero is buying a Quest Pro first.

Re: Ask HN: Working in a VR Headset?

#240

Post by kilolima »

newaccount74 wrote: post #198
clolege wrote: post #17

> I am comfortable with at least two 27" monitors. I embraced a single-monitor workflow early in my career after experimenting and finding that having multiple monitors often makes me less productive than just switching workspaces with ⌘+tab. Now it's extended to a single-laptop workflow that's given me incredible flexibility to travel and move around the office. When do people really need multiple monitors? My only…

I have been experimenting with multiple monitor setups for some time, using 2 - 6 monitors. Currently I have 5. I like having Email+IM on a vertical monitor on the side. If someone contacts me, I always have this communication screen, and I can respond to people without forgetting what I was working on. On my laptop, I press Cmd-Tab and everything is gone. I also like having a second monitor above my main monitor jus…

For your laptop, have you tried virtual desktops tied to keyboard shortcuts (like Alt-1, Alt-2, etc)?

Also a drop down quake style terminal with multiple tabs provides the same rapid access functionality for the command line.

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