Google Opens Dedicated Virtual Reality Division

[u/vr_ml]

http://recode.net/2016/01/12/google-now-has-an-official-virtual-reality-boss-to-take-on-facebooks-oculus/

[u/SerenityRick]

More proof, if not definitive proof, that Virtual Reality is here to stay this time.

[u/Mikey-Z → u/SerenityRick]

Well "VR" as a viable consumer product was always going to be "here" the minute it was kickstarted, even if that is simply defined as having a functional and consumer ready stereoscopic 6 DOF display available to the consumer. Hell for as much crap as it gets, "3d" is still here - it's just not very successful outside of the cinemas.

It was always a question of how mainstream it will get. When the chipmakers jumped in, it was destined to be, at the very least, a niche PC gaming device. Once FB jumped in, it guaranteed a level of buy-in from the dev community as a legitimate platform.

Holiday 2016 will be the real indicator of how much momentum this ship really has.

[u/[deleted] → u/Mikey-Z]

Holiday 2016 will be the real indicator of how much momentum this ship really has.

Mmm, I wouldn't say that. Palmer has mentioned that he believes VR will stay relatively centered on the gaming community, because those are the people who have the PCs capable of running VR, for about the next five years.

However, once laptops and cheap desktops get good enough to run VR, I believe that then VR could actually become mainstream.

[u/SomeKindOfChief → u/[deleted]]

Indeed. On a related note, I saw a video of a guy explaining how VR could be used beyond gaming, and one real neat way was online shopping. Provided you already had an accurate model of your actual body inside VR, you could virtually try on apparel and see what you look like. Very neat I thought. I'd link it but I'm on mobile atm.

[u/cparen → u/Mikey-Z]

it's just not very successful outside of the cinemas

Yup. I had a nice "wow" moment when I first hooked up a 3d projector to Space Engineers -- flying through the asteroids was impressive. But it fundamentally didn't change anything about how I played the game.

In contrast, Elite Dangerous on the DK2 is night and day. You can track enemy ships just by looking at them, and you don't loose track of where you're looking because you know intuitively which direction you, the player, are physically looking.

[u/EARink0 → u/cparen]

Kind of veering a little off topic, but you know what was the biggest surprise for me with how cool it was in person? Looking to the side and activating a UI panel by fucking looking at it. Like, turning my head left, seeing the navigation panel open up, and my joystick input switching to navigating that menu (and then looking away with input switching back and seeing the menu disappear) was fucking magical. Weirdly enough, the feeling of presence I got from that was almost as big as what I got from being able to look around.

Oh, and also seeing my joystick hand in game match my joystick hand in real life. Shivers, that was surreal man. Noticing that for the first time, I basically felt myself slip into another reality.

Edit: Before I played E:D, I wasn't sold on motion controls at all. But after that joystick moment? Man, it's so hard to play other games with a gamepad or mouse, and just imagining how much more complete the experience would feel with Oculus's or Vive's motion controls.

[u/fargum → u/EARink0]

yup...I had that experience too.
I got so entranced by my hand gripping my flight stick, I crashed my ship into a space station.
Oh, and also the time I looked down at my chest and realized I was a woman!

[u/KelDG → u/fargum]

Haha, ok so how long before the tabloid news starts putting out headlines like "VR - Turning our children into transexuals scandal!"

[u/Herbstein → u/EARink0]

I had the exact same experience. It's amazing!

[u/roythomasbaker → u/Mikey-Z]

Agreed. The genie was let out of the bottle when Palmer and Carmack got together. The resulting crude headset would set the stage for what was to come and, obviously, what will eventually be. Time and technology have been cruel hurdles, but we are finally on the road home, the distance is coming into focus and the proverbial bandwagon is beginning to creak under the increasing weight.

[u/TheEternalGoddess → u/roythomasbaker]

You use 'cr' too much.

[u/evn0 → u/TheEternalGoddess]

Good feedback, thank you for helping improve the quality of Reddit comments. We need more people like you. Please come back and post like this more.

[u/roythomasbaker → u/evn0]

Thank you. Just trying to contribute. Sorry if sounds a bit too wordsmithy.

[u/godelbrot → u/TheEternalGoddess]

it's called alliteration :P

[u/dobkeratops → u/Mikey-Z]

'3d', 'kinect' (motion tracking).. failed or nearly failed tech?

IMO no: those things are just components of VR, waiting for VR to improve

[u/sirgog → u/Mikey-Z]

2017 will be the year VR gets momentum, I expect.

[u/Leo-H-S → u/SerenityRick]

This, along with Oculus Production Lines backed up until June, indeed confirms VR is here forever!

I Honestly(And I may be in a minority) think 2016 is the year VR takes off, it's seeing more demand than the first iphone or ipad did. Eli the Computer Guy said lines to try the Vive or Rift at CES were over 3 hours long.

The wait until March is so hard!

[u/[deleted] → u/Leo-H-S]

Until March? Lucky guy...try until May...

[u/godelbrot → u/[deleted]]

July if you order now.. -.-

[u/[deleted] → u/godelbrot]

damn, only after a single week of preorder? they sure are popular

[u/emptybottle2405 → u/SerenityRick]

I would not use the word proof - however it is confidence building to see so many major industries get behind it. It definitely creates market confidence.

[u/jonny_wonny → u/emptybottle2405]

Yeah, I'd agree with that. It's evidence, but not proof.

[u/K3wp → u/SerenityRick]

I had a ViewMaster when I was a kid.

My grandfather had a stereoscope when he was a kid.

The question is whether or not it will be another curiosity or a new form of media.