Thursday, May 23, 2013

My Latest Obsession


I ordered an Oculus Rift today. I have long been interested in experimenting with new input/output methods. I've programmed control systems using Wii Remotes / Balance Board and the Microsoft Kinect.

But specifically I was interested in the concept of Head Mounted Display (HMD). Unfortunately most of the consumer products available are severely lacking.

Head motion tracking and stereoscopic rendering were not the big sell for me, but as it is, the Rift seems to be doing it all better and cheaper than anyone else.



I ordered the kit today for $300 but do not expect it to arrive until sometime this fall. Keeping up with the rate of production and experiences other users are having with their kits as they arrive should prove stimulating in the meantime.

I also ordered a Razer Hydra, which will arrive much sooner. It is a 'virtual wand' style input, like a Wii Remote but much more accurate and suited for PC games (people use it to play Half-Life 2 and such). So I will have a few months to build input systems with the Hydra before the Rift shows up. Then I'll be able to do stuff like the video below.


What an awesome time to be making video games!


No comments:

Post a Comment