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from the 0.1053-What's-Apps-worth-of-stock dept.
Several community members have commented on Facebook's purchase of Oculus VR...
Techwolf writes, "There is news spreading all over the net about Facebook buying up Occulus Rift. Some cheer, some are jeering as kickstarters backers felt betrayed along with open source folks."
Ethanol-fueled writes:
Some of you may have already heard of the Oculus Rift, the kickstarted VR headset platform associated with John Carmack. Earlier today, social networking giant Facebook purchased Oculus VR for $2 billion in cash and stock (chump change compared to the $19 billion it paid for WhatsApp) with plans not so much for VR-gaming, but for VR-real-life...
"Facebook sees VR as a way to join a virtual community from the comfort of your own home and feel like you're really there. Whether you're taking a class, seeing a concert, or checking out the sights in an unfamiliar city..."And from this article:
"Imagine enjoying a court side seat at a game, studying in a classroom of students and teachers all over the world or consulting with a doctor face-to-face just by putting on goggles in your home." Sounds interesting, but all are not thrilled. Minecraft creator Notch broke off a previous engagement with Oculus after he found out, saying that Facebook "creeped him out."
Perhaps the most surprising bit of news itself buried in those articles is that John Carmack now works for Facebook. Who knew?
Jaruzel writes, "From PR Newswire, 'Mobile is the platform of today, and now we're also getting ready for the platforms of tomorrow. Oculus has the chance to create the most social platform ever, and change the way we work, play and communicate,' said Facebook founder and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg. Is this the end of Oculus? Will the Rift be forever consigned to Farmville style web games? Does this news help or hinder Sony and their Project Morpheus VR headset?"
Shub writes, "The company is expected to continue to develop technology aimed at the games industry, although Facebook plans to bring it to new markets. Irish Time's Link"
Lagg writes, "I'm personally fuming, but could the inevitable backlash lead to better things in the long term? Perhaps encouraging competition in this emerging market?"
(Score: 4, Informative) by c0lo on Wednesday March 26 2014, @03:56AM
I was just curious how many would embark in building a VR 3D headset.
Seems the kickstarter don't list any others (but Oculus Rift)
However, I found on indiegogo something that is amazingly simple [indiegogo.com] and is already for sale cheap [google.com] (google translation of the german original [refugio3d.net]): in essence, it seems to be using the screen of your smartphone set in front of two sets of lens, mounted in a thick cardboard frame.
I can say nothing about the quality, durability or the fitness for other purposes, but I raise my hat for the engineering ingenuity.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0
(Score: 4, Informative) by mrcoolbp on Wednesday March 26 2014, @04:36AM
I don't think that is the first time someone thought of that. One of the things Oculus is trying to solve is display-latency issues that can cause significant motion-sickness. That, and getting the display resolution high enough that you really forget there's a screen at all. Both of those factors would be exaggerated with this method.
(Score:1^½, Radical)
(Score: 3, Informative) by Pav on Wednesday March 26 2014, @05:27AM
You should check out CastAR... VERY interesting and unique approach - it doubles as both AR and VR, and looks like it will be cheap and comfortable too. It doubles as both an AR and VR system. Jeri Ellsworth [youtube.com] (known for her C64 joystick product) outlines the whole story in this video... 20 minutes, but WELL worth the time even if you just listen to the audio while doing something else. This was before their (successful) kickstarter campaign.
(Score: 2) by Pav on Wednesday March 26 2014, @05:33AM
...oops... I meant to say "C64 in a joystick" - it was big news on Slashdot a few years ago. Jeri's so obsessed with hardware she works as a self-taught chip and hardware designer (very rare).
(Score: 2) by tibman on Wednesday March 26 2014, @02:26PM
Was hoping someone mentioned CastAR : ) I think it'll be fantastic. Not exactly filling the same role as the Occulus Rift though. I bought mine from the Kickstarter as well. If Jeri Ellsworth says she can build something, it is as good as done. Valve may ultimately regret letting her and her tech go.
If anyone is interested, it is AR and converts to VR. The AR looks amazing, though currently sitting around 720p. It lets multiple people play the same virtual game on the same table but see different things. Link: http://technicalillusions.com/ [technicalillusions.com]
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(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 26 2014, @06:44AM
What's so low tech? A high end Android smartphone will cost you about the same as an Oculus Rift.
I'm wanting to make a car analogy of that, er.. Low tech alternative to buying a car! Pour gasoline in the car you already have.
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Wednesday March 26 2014, @07:22AM
Except:
(yeah, I know, you'd never, 'cause Oculus Rift wasn't released. But, for the sake of argumentation, suppose it was)
The try... I don't know... a tow bar. You could put it on a 4WD and if will be really useful (heck, rumours said you can ask to fit one on a Ferrari [visordown.com]) but you can still mount it on a Smart [wikipedia.org] even if it will make you look stupid...
In any way, if you buy a semi-trailer tractor for your towing needs, you won't be able to park it in, say, your company-provided underground parking spot
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0