I remember one of my first experiences with virtual reality was in Atlantic City during the winter in a mall. No one was there because it was the off season, but there was still a hand full of people clustered around this black pod which contained a seat. Inside was someone wearing a futuristic helmet that looked like something out of an 80s sci fi movie. My dad, ever the one for indulging my interest in technology, encouraged me to get in and I was transported to the most opposite experience possible; a WW I biplane pilot. I was flying, attempting to take out my enemy, and my father encouraged me to look around. I was fixated on my target until they were destroyed, at which point I looked around and was simultaneously amazed and frustrated. The world was around me, but just out of reach. I tried to peak over the edge, but the harness kept my head from pointing too far down. If I turned too fast, I had to wait for my virtual head to catch up. Still it was a sight to behold. The other experience (I can't remember which one was first) was a first person shooter. I was fighting against maybe one other person shooting giant balls out of a gun that looked like it was made out of Duplos (except without those high resolution round pins). It was kind of like playing a virtual reality FPS of the original Adventure for the 2600. I was standing, using a controller to move around, and it was awesome. The next few times time I saw both of those units, they were down and I never got to experience it again.
Since then I have always been fascinated by 3D in all forms. From comic books that used 3D glasses to the Virtual Boy (which I currently have a working one). Those of you who know my work at the Otakon Photo Suite know that we even did 3D photos one year which, aside from being a pain the butt, came out amazingly! Of course there is my obsession with 3D printing as well, but that is another story. Let's keep this virtual shall we?
So what about 3D for my kids? Well even though the 3DS has made it super easy, I take the warnings from Nintendo seriously (no 3D for kids below 7 years old to avoid damaging eye development). Now I probably won't wait that long (I'm tempted to introduce G to the 3D feature now that she is 5) but even so, for the time being 3D is definitely something that is mostly a personal experience. I like gaming together, especially with my kids, so the more I can keep that bridge open, the better.
But then there is the Oculus. It honestly is not an overstatement to say that using the Oculus Rift is a life changing experience. I'm sure I could write a years worth of posts just on just the Oculus, but I will keep it short for now and focus on two of the demos that I tried. The rest, I'm sure, will come in a later post.
1) Tuscany: Everyone who has tried the Oculus has tried Tuscany from what I can tell by comments on the internet. It is just what it sounds like. You are in a villa in Tuscany. There is a lake. A tree. A house. After experiencing it I really want to just watch a bunch of different people try this out and see what others do. Why? I just went under the tree and just looked up.
One of my favorite things to do is to look up into the sky through the branches of the trees. Maybe it was because of this cold, cold winter, but when I started out and saw the tree, I knew I wanted to look at the sky through the branches. There were no leaves, the branches didn't sway, but I felt peace. I explored things a bit more and, while I was disappointed in the view of the lake, I felt like I was there.
Sure it was fake. It looked fake. The resolution was mediocre and the pixel density was so low there is a "screen door" effect, but it was bright and fast. When I moved my head, my vision moved. I could scan with my eyes. Things were there...I was there, in full vivid 3D. Everything matched the depth I expected (unlike the 3DS which looks best when the 3D is exaggerated) and with the minimal tether of what is essentially a USB cable, I felt nothing holding me back.
As an aside, I don't know where Jill went (I didn't pay much attention when she tried it), but I did hear her lamenting "I just want to put my feet up!" The real world foot rest wasn't there while the virtual one was.
2) The Mute: On the complete other side of the spectrum I played a game called Asunder: Earthbound where I was an escape convict called the Mute. I was on a plane in what seemed like the 1940s and had interactions with my fellow passengers using only nodding and single button clicks while looking at something (look at the chair in front of you, click, and you kick the chair). Again the graphics where nothing to write home about, but I felt completely there. The buzz of the engines. The awkward conversations with my neighbor. Trying to avoid eye contact with the annoying girl I threw peanuts at. But then I was caught. They recognized me. The guy in front of me whose chair I kicked was revealed to have a gun and his hand reached above the seat, twisting around in an impossible way that in retrospect just looked like sloppy programming and should have been ridiculous. Instead my heart raced. I frantically clicked to see if I could do anything but I just sat there helplessly and watched the gun as I was shot, in the face, 3 times. With each shot, I felt the area where the goggles touched my face burn. Almost as if my body, expecting to be shot, needed a sensation to match my virtual death. I had to come out to reality, to enjoy the fact that I was alive, but my desire to succeed in the game put me back in a few minutes later. Again I died, twice more, and that was enough. I never ask for hints in games, but I couldn't take getting shot again and I asked my friend for help (he couldn't figure out why I kept dying, but later on I found out I forgot to turn out the light so I wouldn't be so easily recognized).
After these two experiences and many more, I walked away desperately wanting an Oculus for myself. For $300 for the development kit, who could say no? But then, in the haze of light headedness that felt halfway between drunk and a dream (which followed me for the next day) I realized that I would be sucked into this virtual world way more than I can afford to at this time in my life.
And so I decided to wait, living with the virtual 3D of my Virtual Boy and my 3DS until there comes a point where the Oculus or similar device can be used for something productive, like easier 3D modeling, or remote presence. And then another friend reminded me, Star Citizen will support the Oculus. Looks like I will be getting lost in space after all.
No comments:
Post a Comment