World-builders, rejoice: the final Oculus Rift VR dev kit is here

[AlexGoesHigh]

http://www.theverge.com/2014/3/19/5524972/oculus-reveals-virtual-reality-development-kit-2-announced

 

 

One year ago today, Oculus introduced the first version of its prototype virtual reality headset that wasn't literally held together with duct tape and glue. The $300 Oculus Rift Development Kit showed the world that inexpensive VR headgear was capable of being mass produced. Now, at the 2014 Game Developers Conference, the company is introducing development kit number two.

 

Starting today, Oculus is taking pre-orders for the Oculus Rift DK2, a refined version of the Crystal Cove prototype that blew us away at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, taking home our award for Best in Show. It also just so happens to be the last developer kit before the company announces the long-awaited consumer version of its headgear. Sony may just have announced its own virtual reality headset for PlayStation 4, but as far as headgear is concerned it seems like Oculus is already on the home stretch.

 

How far has Oculus come in a year? For months now, I've been playing with the original developer kit, without ever trying newer Oculus prototypes like Crystal Cove. Like tens of thousands of developers, I struggled with the painfully low 720p resolution and blurry motion of the original screen, sometimes feeling too nauseous to play more than a few minutes at a go. But when I put on the so-called Oculus Rift DK2 this week, I easily retained my composure.

 

TO 1080P, AND BEYOND

 

The 1080p OLED panel still isn't high enough a resolution to avoid jagged edges — Oculus says the consumer version will have even higher resolution — but combined with special techniques to reduce blurring and motion sickness, the difference was already night and day. Looking around in virtual reality felt far more glassy, more like looking through a window than through a fine mesh visor. The DK2 has been combined with a peripheral: a new, custom camera which tracks the position of 40 infrared LEDs now mounted invisibly beneath the Rift's translucent shell. Thanks to that tracking, I could lean over a virtual table or look up a chimney flue, because the camera tracks in 3D space. Most of that's the same as Crystal Cove, mind you, but Oculus founder Palmer Luckey says the tech has improved even since then, with lenses made of a more advanced resin that ensures higher image quality across more of your field of view instead of just the centers of your vision.

 

"WE KNOW WHAT WE NEED TO SHIP."

 

I didn't find all of Oculus' choices completely welcome, though. Though the motion tracking camera makes games feel more fluid, it needs to be positioned in front of you, and the lack of LEDs on the rear of the new Rift developer kit means that you can't turn a full 180 degrees without breaking the line of sight from that camera and running into issues. Perhaps as a result, most of the demos on display were rather tame — if fun — diversions that presented you with a dollhouse-like 3D world to look into while seated, rather than an open 3D environment to explore. VR Knights by Epic Games is the new standout experience: two doll-like knights come to life and battle in a virtual living room, where you and another player actually appear in the virtual environment, while simultaneously controlling your interactive action figures by remote.

 

How far away is actual consumer virtual reality? Oculus still won't say, but Luckey says that it will be a complete redesign, without a single part — to his knowledge — carrying over from the development kits. "We're much closer," says Luckey. "The last year we've spent researching and developing what consumer VR needs to be... we didn't know before, and we do now."

 

"We know what we need to ship, we know what parts we need to do it, we know where we can get those parts, and now it's just a matter of playing the waiting game and putting it together."

 

The Oculus Rift Development Kit 2 will ship this July for $350. Later today, we'll see whether the company's new competition — Sony — has come far enough with its own virtual reality hardware to pose a serious challenge.

 

 

first off...

 

 

now that i let my excitement be heard, this is awesome i hope that the first consumer gets demoed next year CES or even this E3 if they are that close also @Slick this is what you wanted sir

[Paralectic]

YEEEEEEAH BITCH!!!!!!!!!!

[dragosudeki]

If only there was somewhere close where I can try this

[Damikiller37]

£210!!! wut... I'm getting one as soon as it's out if the price is similar. Also looks a whole lot better without the sensors being visible all over it It would be awesome to see the ability to replace the faceplate and customise it or at least the Oculus in different colours... White would look so nice!

[techswede]

Must.. Not.. ORDER.. Must wait.. for consumer release..
Damn it! I want it now

[qwertywarrior]

OMG YES !!!

i cant believe it !!

 

who will buy one ?

[totjup5]

I'm really tempted to buy one now.

[SrN95]

I'd buy one right now if I could have it within a month or so...but July seems so far away May just wait a little while longer

[Jeroen1322]

i just came a little..

[Rorgash]

i am getting more exited about it, still wont buy one until the real release and even then maybe not until there are some games i want to play that has support for it.

[GoodBytes]

The future is now:

I am sorry guys, but this thing is sooo incredibly gimmicky. I guaranty to you it will be collecting dust after a few months.

Oculus is not the first to say that they got VR right, and it won't be the last.

You can't play hours with it, you'll have neck pain for sure. You look ridiculous, 1 player only, not real 3D (at least the Nintendo Virtual Boy was real 3D, with rotating mirrors and LED display to not see the slow response time of LCD panel) and no actual games will support it natively and properly due to the extremely low market share. Reminds me of these PC version of the PowerGlove. I recall years ago when it was said to be the ultimate gaming controller, and how it will replace keyboard and mouse for ever, and all that crap. Yea, all these companies don't exists anymore. The only difference this time around, is that for some reason Oculus has a lot of friends in the media, and the media is building hype for them continuously.

[Damikiller37]

The future is now:

 

*image*

 

I am sorry guys, but this thing is sooo incredibly gimmicky. I guaranty to you it will be collecting dust after a few months.

Oculus is not the first to say that they got VR right, and it won't be the last.

You can't play hours with it, you'll have neck pain for sure. You look ridiculous, 1 player only, not real 3D (at least the Nintendo Virtual Boy was real 3D, with rotating mirrors and LED display to not see the slow response time of LCD panel) and no actual games will support it natively and properly due to the extremely low market share. Reminds me of these PC version of the PowerGlove. I recall years ago when it was said to be the ultimate gaming controller, and how it will replace keyboard and mouse for ever, and all that crap. Yea, all these companies don't exists anymore. The only difference this time around, is that for some reason Oculus has a lot of friends in the media, and the media is building hype for them continuously.

My question is... have you tried Oculus for yourself? If not then I would love to hear from you when you do and see if your opinion changes. Also the market share will grow rapidly especially when large companies like Sony are pushing for VR with their Project Morpheus and I'm more than sure there will be more to follow. Also game engines like Unity are getting ready for VR so all we need now is support from developers.

[LukaP]

The future is now:

I am sorry guys, but this thing is sooo incredibly gimmicky. I guaranty to you it will be collecting dust after a few months.

Oculus is not the first to say that they got VR right, and it won't be the last.

You can't play hours with it, you'll have neck pain for sure. You look ridiculous, 1 player only, not real 3D (at least the Nintendo Virtual Boy was real 3D, with rotating mirrors and LED display to not see the slow response time of LCD panel) and no actual games will support it natively and properly due to the extremely low market share. Reminds me of these PC version of the PowerGlove. I recall years ago when it was said to be the ultimate gaming controller, and how it will replace keyboard and mouse for ever, and all that crap. Yea, all these companies don't exists anymore. The only difference this time around, is that for some reason Oculus has a lot of friends in the media, and the media is building hype for them continuously.

You can be a hater somewhere else

Ive tried DK1 and already found it awesome. Have no motion sickness, dont notice any input lag... Only thing that bothered me was that i could see the pixels.

[Wesley]

I Just Preordered one! Yay! sorry 1 dev person that doesn't get one because i did but i can't help myself lol

[Scionyde]

I am sorry guys, but this thing is sooo incredibly gimmicky. I guaranty to you it will be collecting dust after a few months.

Oculus is not the first to say that they got VR right, and it won't be the last.

You can't play hours with it, you'll have neck pain for sure. You look ridiculous, 1 player only, not real 3D (at least the Nintendo Virtual Boy was real 3D, with rotating mirrors and LED display to not see the slow response time of LCD panel) and no actual games will support it natively and properly due to the extremely low market share. Reminds me of these PC version of the PowerGlove. I recall years ago when it was said to be the ultimate gaming controller, and how it will replace keyboard and mouse for ever, and all that crap. Yea, all these companies don't exists anymore. The only difference this time around, is that for some reason Oculus has a lot of friends in the media, and the media is building hype for them continuously.

 

I'm not somebody who's hyper-excited for the Rift (I won't pick one up right away on launch), but I think it's a little premature to disregard it completely.

 

My understanding is that the weight distribution feels comparable to wearing ski goggles, so I wouldn't expect too much neck pain. As for looking ridiculous, who cares? Like you yourself said, it's a single player experience so very few people are going to see you wearing it. (And even then, who the hell cares?)

 

Supporting games will be an issue, and we'll have to see what the landscape is like closer to release. We know EVE: Valkyrie will be a game for it, and it's a type of game that in theory should perfectly complement the benefits and drawbacks of such a device. There are also a bunch of other games tentatively planning support for it which may or may not happen, but it's not insignificant. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_games_with_Oculus_Rift_support

[werto165]

£210!!! wut... I'm getting one as soon as it's out if the price is similar. Also looks a whole lot better without the sensors being visible all over it It would be awesome to see the ability to replace the faceplate and customise it or at least the Oculus in different colours... White would look so nice!

The dev kit may be quite similar to the consumer version.

[GoodBytes]

My question is... have you tried Oculus for yourself? If not then I would love to hear from you when you do and see if your opinion changes. Also the market share will grow rapidly especially when large companies like Sony are pushing for VR with their Project Morpheus and I'm more than sure there will be more to follow. Also game engines like Unity are getting ready for VR so all we need now is support from developers.

I did actually. The old version. I could see the pixels quiet clearly, I noticed a nice input lag (it's like moving around with a digital camera and looking at the display), and I the refresh rate was crap as they use cellphone screens they said when I asked about it.

[GoodBytes]

My understanding is that the weight distribution feels comparable to wearing ski goggles, so I wouldn't expect too much neck pain. As for looking ridiculous, who cares? Like you yourself said, it's a single player experience so very few people are going to see you wearing it. (And even then, who the hell cares?)

440g.

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/03/oculus-rift-dev-kit-2-launches-with-960x1080-resolution-lower-latency/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+arstechnica%2Findex+(Ars+Technica+-+All+content)

Where that for 2 hours while moving your head all the time.

[Calavera]

Happy dance IRL!  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:

[Calavera]

The future is now:

I am sorry guys, but this thing is sooo incredibly gimmicky. I guaranty to you it will be collecting dust after a few months.

Oculus is not the first to say that they got VR right, and it won't be the last.

You can't play hours with it, you'll have neck pain for sure. You look ridiculous, 1 player only, not real 3D (at least the Nintendo Virtual Boy was real 3D, with rotating mirrors and LED display to not see the slow response time of LCD panel) and no actual games will support it natively and properly due to the extremely low market share. Reminds me of these PC version of the PowerGlove. I recall years ago when it was said to be the ultimate gaming controller, and how it will replace keyboard and mouse for ever, and all that crap. Yea, all these companies don't exists anymore. The only difference this time around, is that for some reason Oculus has a lot of friends in the media, and the media is building hype for them continuously.

The sore neck thing is not true imo, in real life your neck doesn't hurt after a whole day either, does it? You turn your body to relief stress on the neck - same goes in the game. You won't have to just look a direction with you head, you can move your whole body and thus not have to twist your head in weird directions all the time. 

 

But I agree that this won't be an ideal product, but the best we'll get for a good price.

[Rorgash]

440g.

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/03/oculus-rift-dev-kit-2-launches-with-960x1080-resolution-lower-latency/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+arstechnica%2Findex+(Ars+Technica+-+All+content)

Where that for 2 hours while moving your head all the time.

 

I am ready to prove you wrong, could you send me the new one?

[Slick]

Yeah I already bought one - I'll also have coverage of it from PAX East as I believe they are going to be there!

[GoodBytes]

I am ready to prove you wrong, could you send me the new one?

Well it was an issue with the Virtual Boy, and other similar VR devices.

[WiiManic]

This is taking so much restraint to not order one.

 

I've been following since kickstarter day 1....But the Consumer version will have a greater than 1080p res, so I'll wait.

Don't have enough to buy both

[Calavera]

Yeah I already bought one - I'll also have coverage of it from PAX East as I believe they are going to be there!

Luke, I am sure you'll cover this in future videos, but will you be buying the consumer version too after this DK2 or will you be happy with the features it has now?

Perhaps the CV won't have more features anyway, but still.