Question regarding VR
I got the Oculus Rift and love it, everyone that has tried is so far enjoys it.
I just found out about the Microsoft Mixed Reality that is coming out late October, I heard it won't have sensors which will be really cool.
I can still return my Rift, should I just do that and wait for the new Microsoft stuff?
I would keep the Rift. It does rely on external camera sensors as you know, but it is more precise and works in any lighting levels. The Microsoft "Mixed Reality" (more on this in a sec) headsets use inside-out tracking with the cameras built into the HMD. This is more advanced technology, and it is definitely where the industry is heading, *but*, it is still not as good (yet) as traditional outside in tracking techniques like the ones used in Rift and Vive. For a start, it won't work at all in low light or the dark. Secondly, it requires more processing from your computer, actually quite a significant amount compared to what Rift and Vive use for tracking. It's higher latency and lower precision & accuracy. You won't get quite that crisp, perfectly tracked motion you get on the Rift.
There havn't been any reviews yet, but everything I have seen indicates the Microsoft MR headsets have inferior optics. Smaller sweetspot, which means the headset has to be more carefully positioned on your head to get a clear image, it also means you'll get more blur around the periphery.
The controllers are tracked by the cameras on the front of the HMD, which means they do not get tracked outside of those cameras field of view. For example, if you go to grab an arrow from behind your back in an archery game, there would be no tracking of the controllers behind your head. Developers will have to deal with this somehow.
The only advantages are a modest increase in resolution and a low price, plus you get whatever content Microsoft bring to it's MR platform too, which to be fair could be significant if they invest in it like they do Xbox or PC gaming.
* Microsofts definition of MR confusingly encompasses everything from VR to AR. These headsets are purely VR right now, though.
All that said they're still going to be pretty good, I am interested in them myself for ease of setup and the lower cost too.
AR is going to be a lot different than VR in your experience.
The Microsoft MR headsets are actually VR, not AR. It's just Microsoft being ****ty and using the term MR as an envelope to mean everything from pure VR to AR, meanwhile Apple and Magic Leap and a few others are using MR to mean something more akin to AR. It's all very confusing... basically according to Microsoft a Vive and HoloLens are both MR
Totally unrelated but rumor has it Oculus are bring out a half way house between Gear VR and Rift. It's going to be several hundred dollars, all in one contained VR headset. Not as good as Rift powered by a PC, but still produce a better experience than Gear VR with full 6DOF tracking. Am intrigued.
took some before pics to see what kinda progress I end up making, don't think it'll be much for just 1 month but meh we'll see.
