Gaming Peripherals Spot!
By Kiarna Aug 10th 2013 at 01:08 am MDTSo I was geeking out with some workmates last week and we got onto the subject of virtual gaming. Naturally, virtual reality headsets came up in conversation. Originally launched at CES in January this year, the new and improved Oculus Rift was reintroduced at E3 in June, 2013 and is arguably the most exciting thing in virtual gaming at the moment.
So what is the Oculus Rift I hear you ask? It’s basically a set of goggles with a DVI/HDMI hook up to your video card. Motion sensors track your head movement for an almost flawless 3D immersion. This technology allows you to “look around” with your head and receive the appropriate response from your game through your eyes. The standard resolution input is 1280 x 800 but you can mirror the goggles to your primary monitor and get a resolution boost up to 1920 x 1200!
The actual hardware itself is apparently highly adjustable. Elastic bands around and over the head adjust to any head size, the screen can be manually moved closer or further away from your eyes for viewing comfort and the goggles come with 3 different interchangeable eyepieces, 2 of which correct for mild longsightedness and shortsightedness. There is still enough room for a pair of eyeglasses to fit under the goggles if the eyepieces are not suitable.
As with everything good there is always a down side. Motion sickness! Unfortunately when you start messing with the brain it doesn't always react kindly. In some developers the motion sickness/vertigo set in after around 10 minutes game play. As you acclimatize to the goggles, however, the motion sickness ceases. It has been suggested that taking anti-histamine medication (ie. motion sickness pills) helps with that transition. I can just imagine myself settling in for a night of hardcore gaming …. snacks - check! drinks fridge stocked - check! raid bucket - check! motion sickness tablets - check!
At US$300 for a dev kit I think I’ll wait a little longer for all of the “bugs” to be ironed out before I grab a set to try myself, but these are definitely on my wish list! Check out this demo video if you want to see what all the fuss is about. =)
