(Kind of loud. But be sure not to miss his awesome reaction at 4m20s.)
I have the original devkit, and it's amazing. You can even interface it with Google Street View. There's nothing like typing in "Eiffel Tower," tilting your head back, and staring up in awe.
In fact, I'd say no one here has experienced Street View until you've seen it with an Occulus. It simply cannot be described how incredible it is to look around with your head instead of dragging your mouse!
His "awesome reaction" is the same reaction he has made hundreds of times to various scenarios in many games. It's his schtick. Hardly a ringing endorsement for the Oculus device. (Although I do hear that they are fantastic.)
How is the camera shaking like that not going to make you sick?
That would be my number one fear about occulus. If it makes you motion sick, it would be a damn shame to know something like VR exists but you cannot play it unless you are fine with feeling like a dog for hours after a session longer than 30 minutes.
I've tried the Oculus for a weekend. I'm relatively unimpressed until 1080p or higher becomes available. It's currently too low resolution. Blurring and scanlines interfere too significantly with the suspension of disbelief.
I'm fascinated by the A16Z investment strategy. It looks like they will put in any kind of money into companies deemed as winners (GitHub, Oculus), with some small investments thrown in here and there just so they're still considered a VC and not a private equity fund of sorts. I think it's going to work very well for them in the long term, and possibly change the investment landscape for future VC funds.
Either you go huge and buy a stake in the winners at all costs, or you go wide and super early like YC. It does leave a large seed/series A financing gap someone will need to close, and I suspect their returns won't be as stellar as those in the extreme ends of companies financing.
We invested in Oculus after we saw a demo of the new prototype. For me, it was up there with the first time I saw Apple II, Mac, the web, Google, iPhone etc.
It may look like that, but that's not quite how we look at it :-). We think about it as trying to back the winners for sure, but being stage agnostic in our approach -- focus on identifying the best companies with the most amazing people and the biggest opportunities, and then invest regardless of stage. Internally we run very different evaluation processes for seed vs A/B vs growth of course.
My only fear is the Oculus management/investors. They could be great, but they seem not so great so far. An investor took over as CEO already and started calling himself a co-founder? That's a huge red flag. The real founder Palmer Luckey seems like the prototypical hacker-founder. Naive and noobish maybe but probably less so than most and obviously super passionate.
I wonder if John Carmack wouldn't be better off just launching a competitor to Oculus. Wherever he goes the magic will follow, and it'd be nice if he was the ultimate boss like he was at id Software.
I'd just really hate for him to get bogged down in a bad environment, kind of the way Linus did with Transmeta, and be forced to resign at some point and start over after wasting years of productivity.
The A16Z guys can probably help avoid any massive stupidity, so that's a nice benefit to this investment.
Weird. It really seems like the management team is incredible. A CEO with multiple wins under his belt (and whom the founding team has worked with in the past) and who has raised almost $100M for the company? The brilliant inventor that invented the Rift – and John freaking Carmack? and Marc Andreessen on the board?
And their investors are Kickstarter, Spark and a16z. Isn't literally the ideal thing to prove the concept with the crowds, then take money from a vc with a proven record of successes, and then take more money from another vc with a proven record? (I wonder if they had any other term sheets for their b)
Wherever he goes the magic will follow, and it'd be nice if he was the ultimate boss like he was at id Software.
It's quite arguable that the best time for id was back in Romero's time, through Quake 1. Carmack was an excellent steward technologically, but from a business standpoint I think they were far outstripped by Epic in terms of being a business based on technology licensing.
An investor took over as CEO already and started calling himself a co-founder? That's a huge red flag.
Except it isnt. Brendan Iribe has been working in the Computer graphics/games industry for ages, co-founding Scaleform (video game UI system) and then working as chief product officer for Gaikai (really impressive video game streaming technology). Oculus also has other co-founders who worked in the same companies. The fact that Luckey, who is 20 years old, gave the CEO role to Iribe makes perfect sense. This is not the next social networking website after all, they want to transform the world with hardware products.
A "prototypical hacker-founder" may well need someone to come in and help with the business stuff. Scaling a hardware business is a lot different to a software one.
And I'm not convinced Carmack likes being in charge. He might well he happy if he can just hack.
Palmer choose Brendan as his partner to help transform Oculus from a project into co-founding a company because they wanted to work together. To characterize him as an "investor" seems strange since he is an entrepreneur. And suffice to say Brendan, Palmer, and Carmack are voting with their time.
Carmack has been talking about working on it for for well over a year now - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kw-DlWwlXHo.
When I saw that last year, I thought it was already his company.
At least that. And much more on the valuation. These are bets on teams, and with leading (bleeding?) edge technology, the CTO is the most important person in the room.
I really think we're moving into a VR/Augmented reality renaissance.
If you've got 10 minutes to thumb through this 20 minute video this shows off whats possible with augmented reality: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bc_TCLoH2CA If we can get that into a pair of sunglasses in the next 10-20 years I'm pretty sure we'll be living in a wildly different world than we are today
I'm ready to ditch my LCD at work and use this. I hope the higher resolution version is good enough to code on. I'm happy to see that there are already some window managers: http://hwahba.com/ibex/
The higher resolution one is all I'm waiting for before I pull the trigger and buy one. I want to use this when I'm in bed. My girlfriend will be able to sleep without the light from the computer screen bothering her. I'll probably also be able to switch to using my Kinesis Advantage keyboard as well since I will no longer be married to the laptop because of the screen.
As a 3D-fan and owner of so many different displays since the VR-32, this one really makes me excited. They got that the studios are not the king of content, but the games engines are. Field of view trumps resolution when it comes to immersion and most other companies always tried to go for something that was focused on movies. I hope that this investment leads many companies to create true immersive experiences and lets 3D games break out of the 1st person shooter trap.
Considering the incredible effectiveness of the current low-res dev kit, give it 3 years or so and the Rift will be second nature to most: 2 or 4k display, wireless, better optics, lighter, even lower latency, etc. If I had the money to invest I'd do it in a whim.
Oculus Rift is a paradigm shift not just for computer gaming but for a host of other industrial and technical services. I for one can't wait to incorporate the oculus rift when preforming invasive experiments on animals using an endoscope.
Pushing pixels to a high resolution display, under tight latency constraints, is going to stress even today's high-end systems. If they succeed at appealing to the mass market, I bet there will be a significant effect on the rate of system upgrades.
I've used the low res dev kit and the immersion it provides it great.
I believe this will have a ton of applications from VR conferencing to going to virtual concerts to even spectating sports with an isometric view of the field instead of the 2d projection.
I wonder what does this mean to the Kickstarter backers. Sure, by legal means they donate to the cause rather than investing in it, but I think it's not really fair if they get nothing from this VC funds.
I'm interested in using Oculus Rift for telepresence (FPV RC vehicles, teleconferencing) purposes - anyone got any experience with this, or recommendations for stereo 1080p camera solutions?
Amazing how this gets downvoted. I was on the order page thinking "man it would be so awesome if I could just send them Bitcoin for this instead of having to link in my new credit card to PayPal". Yesterday Coinbase gets $25 million in funding supposedly able to make this trivial for merchants and vendors. Today another startup gets funding. HN supposedly the startup community has great animosity towards the one and not the other. Hilarious.
Buy both if you're a developer. If you're a consumer and have money to burn then buy both, otherwise wait for the 2nd dev kit/consumer version. As a developer it is one of the most exciting platforms to work on and watch your creations come to life.
Crowds are so funny. I swear there was one HN thread recently where the majority of comments declared the Oculus a mere substitute for ipecac syrup. In this thread, it's the coming of the New Earth. As someone who luckily doesn't experience motion sickness at all, is greatly looking forward to the hi-res Oculus, and frankly to a time when I can spend more time in VR than not, the optimism in this thread makes me happy.
This is speculative, but it seems to me like 99% of the motion sickness that happens in the Rift is because there's only rotation tracking--no motion tracking.
When we look around, we move our head subtly side to side and forward and back. The Rift dev kit doesn't do that--it just tracks what direction you're pointed in. My feeling is that causes a big chunk of the motion sickness.
The production unit will include motion tracking. As long as game titles take advantage of it, and don't do stuff like shake the camera, or move it too much, or do too many cuts, then I think 99% of people will be fine. For those titles at least. Other titles will push the limits.
This is speculative, but it seems to me like 99% of the motion sickness that happens in the Rift is because there's only rotation tracking--no motion tracking.
When we look around, we move our head subtly side to side and forward and back. The Rift dev kit doesn't do that--it just tracks what direction you're pointed in. My feeling is that causes a big chunk of the motion sickness.
The production unit will include motion tracking. As long as game titles take advantage of it, and don't do stuff like shake the camera, or move it too much, or do too many cuts, then I think 99% of people will be fine.
[+] [-] sillysaurus2|12 years ago|reply
(Kind of loud. But be sure not to miss his awesome reaction at 4m20s.)
I have the original devkit, and it's amazing. You can even interface it with Google Street View. There's nothing like typing in "Eiffel Tower," tilting your head back, and staring up in awe.
In fact, I'd say no one here has experienced Street View until you've seen it with an Occulus. It simply cannot be described how incredible it is to look around with your head instead of dragging your mouse!
EDIT: Okay, if you're unhappy with that particular video, then this one might be more to your liking: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fl7fz__6B-4#t=15m30s
EDIT2: Wow, that Dreadhalls game is terrifying. You actually don't even need an Oculus to get the full effect, just headphones. https://developer.oculusvr.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=51&t=3... (Windows / Mac)
[+] [-] enneff|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] RobotCaleb|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] nemof|12 years ago|reply
Fair warning to anyone clicking, pewdiepie videos are absolutely obnoxious. don't melt your brains.
otoh, I am very excited to play this game, Routine when it comes to oculus rift
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAcAd1fUiy8
it looks bloody terrifying.
[+] [-] salient|12 years ago|reply
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9po7_2hYaU
[+] [-] yaeger|12 years ago|reply
That would be my number one fear about occulus. If it makes you motion sick, it would be a damn shame to know something like VR exists but you cannot play it unless you are fine with feeling like a dog for hours after a session longer than 30 minutes.
[+] [-] iamshs|12 years ago|reply
(I am aware can be used outside gaming environment.)
[+] [-] jonlarson|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Segmentation|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] flyinglizard|12 years ago|reply
Either you go huge and buy a stake in the winners at all costs, or you go wide and super early like YC. It does leave a large seed/series A financing gap someone will need to close, and I suspect their returns won't be as stellar as those in the extreme ends of companies financing.
[+] [-] cdixon|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] pmarca|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] staunch|12 years ago|reply
I wonder if John Carmack wouldn't be better off just launching a competitor to Oculus. Wherever he goes the magic will follow, and it'd be nice if he was the ultimate boss like he was at id Software.
I'd just really hate for him to get bogged down in a bad environment, kind of the way Linus did with Transmeta, and be forced to resign at some point and start over after wasting years of productivity.
The A16Z guys can probably help avoid any massive stupidity, so that's a nice benefit to this investment.
[+] [-] pclark|12 years ago|reply
And their investors are Kickstarter, Spark and a16z. Isn't literally the ideal thing to prove the concept with the crowds, then take money from a vc with a proven record of successes, and then take more money from another vc with a proven record? (I wonder if they had any other term sheets for their b)
[+] [-] angersock|12 years ago|reply
It's quite arguable that the best time for id was back in Romero's time, through Quake 1. Carmack was an excellent steward technologically, but from a business standpoint I think they were far outstripped by Epic in terms of being a business based on technology licensing.
[+] [-] kayoone|12 years ago|reply
Except it isnt. Brendan Iribe has been working in the Computer graphics/games industry for ages, co-founding Scaleform (video game UI system) and then working as chief product officer for Gaikai (really impressive video game streaming technology). Oculus also has other co-founders who worked in the same companies. The fact that Luckey, who is 20 years old, gave the CEO role to Iribe makes perfect sense. This is not the next social networking website after all, they want to transform the world with hardware products.
[+] [-] untog|12 years ago|reply
And I'm not convinced Carmack likes being in charge. He might well he happy if he can just hack.
[+] [-] nabeel|12 years ago|reply
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[+] [-] unknown|12 years ago|reply
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[+] [-] bprater|12 years ago|reply
Regardless, Oculus's concept is the future of gaming -- anything that can trick the brain so substantially is going to be a winner.
[+] [-] mathattack|12 years ago|reply
[+] [-] jennichen|12 years ago|reply
RIP Andrew Reisse (http://www.oculusvr.com/blog/andrew-reisse-in-memoriam/)
[+] [-] mentos|12 years ago|reply
If you've got 10 minutes to thumb through this 20 minute video this shows off whats possible with augmented reality: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bc_TCLoH2CA If we can get that into a pair of sunglasses in the next 10-20 years I'm pretty sure we'll be living in a wildly different world than we are today
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[+] [-] rl3|12 years ago|reply
http://www.polygon.com/2013/10/18/4852496/oculus-rift-4k-dis...
Now with John Carmack fully committed, and this massive round of funding, 4K has to be all but certain.
I imagine the prospects for 8K and 12K in the distant future are better now as well.
http://www.techradar.com/news/gaming/oculus-ceo-teases-futur...
[+] [-] djkz|12 years ago|reply
I believe this will have a ton of applications from VR conferencing to going to virtual concerts to even spectating sports with an isometric view of the field instead of the 2d projection.
[+] [-] unknown|12 years ago|reply
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[+] [-] erikpukinskis|12 years ago|reply
When we look around, we move our head subtly side to side and forward and back. The Rift dev kit doesn't do that--it just tracks what direction you're pointed in. My feeling is that causes a big chunk of the motion sickness.
The production unit will include motion tracking. As long as game titles take advantage of it, and don't do stuff like shake the camera, or move it too much, or do too many cuts, then I think 99% of people will be fine. For those titles at least. Other titles will push the limits.
[+] [-] tlrobinson|12 years ago|reply
Reading books in the backseat of a car driving through winding mountains, no problem. 5 minutes in Oculus Rift and I want to vomit.
It definitely depends on the game/demo though, so it may just be a matter of very careful game design. Or maybe reducing latency will help.
[+] [-] erikpukinskis|12 years ago|reply
When we look around, we move our head subtly side to side and forward and back. The Rift dev kit doesn't do that--it just tracks what direction you're pointed in. My feeling is that causes a big chunk of the motion sickness.
The production unit will include motion tracking. As long as game titles take advantage of it, and don't do stuff like shake the camera, or move it too much, or do too many cuts, then I think 99% of people will be fine.
There will still be craz