💾 Archived View for theo.flounder.online › personal › VR.gmi captured on 2024-02-05 at 09:20:42. Gemini links have been rewritten to link to archived content
⬅️ Previous capture (2023-05-24)
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
2023-05-11
A Quest 2 VR headset and its two controllers.
VR is a fascinating new and developing form of media and interaction, with its primary uses being:
Some higher end headsets are becoming good at the following, which will be cheaper in the future:
Key developing technologies in VR include:
We currently have reliable full body tracking solutions, but even with just head & hand tracking, social interactions are incredibly rich when compared to video calls. The advantages over video calls are so numerous that the two interaction types are surreal to even compare.
I've yet to find a video that conveys the experience of using VR more than this one:
"Virtual Reality - SteamVR featuring the HTC Vive"
Yes they're actors, but the green screen effect is the really useful part of this video.
Next I present to you the most advanced (at time of writing) experience in VR:
Trailer | "Half-Life: Alyx Announcement Trailer"
Hands-on commentary | "Half-Life: Alyx Is NOT An Absolute Nightmare – This Is Why"
One of my favourite details in this game is the fact they managed to convincingly model the appearance of liquid physics within glass bottles:
"Half-Life:Alyx Liquid Physics"
If you've read this far, there's a good chance you'd be interested to learn more. I get most of my updates on VR news from ThrillSeeker's youtube channel. They're a fantastic source, and go to great lengths to pursue their journalism.
At time of writing (2023-05-11), the best headset to purchase is the Quest 2 from Meta. It costs £399 and works decently without a computer (about Playstation 2 level graphics). It can also be used with a computer via cable or wirelessly (with the latter requiring a good router connection).
That being said, there are currently rumours of multiple new headsets to be released. Valve and Apple are the two most notable companies people are expecting releases from shortly. And the Quest 3 could well be released by the end of this year too.
---
Feel free to send comments & corrections to me at:
Not yet joined the Fediverse? Consider joining Mastodon:
