Oculus Rift

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Oculus Rift
Oculus Rift Developer Kit
Type Virtual reality headset
Manufacturer Oculus VR, Inc.
publication March 2013 (Developer Kit)
July 2014 (Developer Kit 2)
 March 2016 (Consumer Version 1)
Platforms Windows , macOS , Linux
Current SDK version 1.3.2 (Windows)
(April 2016)
Website www.oculus.com

The Oculus Rift is a virtual reality headset developed by Oculus VR . A developer version was delivered in early 2013. The global release of the end customer version took place on January 6, 2016. On March 25, 2014, Facebook Inc. announced the acquisition of Oculus VR for a purchase price of $ 400 million in cash and $ 1.6 billion in Facebook shares.

history

The original idea for the Oculus Rift came from Palmer Luckey , a designer at the Institute for Creative Technologies at the University of Southern California . Since conventional VR glasses turned out to be unsuitable for computer games due to technical limitations, Luckey designed a first prototype in 2012, which he first presented to the game developer John Carmack and which at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in June 2012 together with a compatible version of Doom 3 was presented. To finance the project, a crowdfunding campaign was launched on August 1, 2012 on the Kickstarter online platform , with the aim of raising US $ 250,000 for further development. The campaign was supported by, among others, long-time computer game developers John Carmack ( id Software ), Gabe Newell and Michael Abrash ( Valve ), Cliff Bleszinski and Tim Sweeney ( Epic Games ) and Chris Roberts (Cloud Imperium Games). The intended goal was achieved within four hours; the crowdfunding campaign closed with US $ 2,437,429. With a total funding of 974% of the originally planned volume, the Oculus Rift project is currently (as of November 2015) in the top 50 most heavily funded projects on Kickstarter.com and in twentieth place in the "Games" category.

In March 2013, the first versions of the Oculus Rift, so-called developer kits, were shipped to enable software developers to optimize their products for the Oculus Rift. A short time later, fan modifications for games like Skyrim and Mirror's Edge appeared, while Valve's Team Fortress 2 already offered software support. In mid-June 2013, Oculus VR announced that it had won $ 16 million for the project in an investor round. In August it was announced that John Carmack would become the company's new CTO.

At CES 2014, a new prototype called Crystal Cove with improved hardware was presented. The new prototype has been available for pre-order as Development Kit 2 (DK2) since CES and is to be delivered from July 2014.

In March 2014, the company Oculus was bought by Facebook . As a result, Markus Persson stopped planning a Rift version of his video game Minecraft . Many Kickstarter supporters of the project reacted with displeasure to the sale to Facebook, and Oculus employees received death threats and harassing phone calls.

In August 2014, at the request of Oculus Optikgeräte GmbH, which has been using this name since 1932, a German court prohibited the sale of VR glasses under the name Oculus in Germany by means of an injunction . If Oculus VR should operate under this name in Germany, according to the decision of the Frankfurt Regional Court, there is a risk of fines of up to 250,000 euros or, alternatively, administrative detention for up to 6 months (the decision is not final, so that Oculus VR can still file an objection to the decision ).

The first music video for the Oculus Rift was unveiled at Tokyo Designers Week in 2014. The Japanese singer Kumi Kōda was therefore a good demo for the Oculus Rift with her music video Dance in the Rain .

hardware

Sergei Orlowski, founder and CEO of Nival Interactive , testing the Oculus Rift (2013)

The large display enables a field of view of 110 ° (diagonal, 90 ° horizontal). Conventional head-mounted displays in this price segment typically offer a field of view of 40 ° (diagonal). These devices create the impression of looking at a distant rectangular screen, the edges of which are clearly visible. The Oculus Rift, on the other hand, practically fills the entire field of view , the edges of the image are barely noticeable. This gives the user the feeling of being “in the game” ( immersion ).

The combination of 3-axis gyrometer and acceleration sensors , as well as an additional camera since the development version Crystal Cove , is supposed to guarantee quick reactions to movements, while a magnetometer is used for the correct alignment of the image ( head tracking ). The motion sensors of the development version only measure head rotations (rotation), linear head movements (translation) are not registered. The sensors of the Oculus Rift work with a sampling frequency of 1000 Hz much faster than sensors that were previously used in head-mounted displays or smartphones (120 Hz). This contributes to a reduction in the delay time between head movement and image display, which additionally increases the degree of immersion .

Development Kit 1

The main component of the Oculus Rift is a display that, in the first development kit, has a resolution of 1280 × 800 pixels , which corresponds to an aspect ratio of 16:10. Since the display is divided and the images are provided separately for both eyes, this results in an effective resolution of 640 × 800 px per eye and an aspect ratio of 4: 5. Due to the low resolution and the small distance, even the red, green and blue subpixels were visible in the first tests . Although the resolution is lower than that of comparable glasses, Oculus VR announced that the end customer version should use a higher-quality display with at least Full HD resolution, which corresponds to a resolution of 1920 × 1080 pixels (or 960 × 1080 per eye) would correspond. Such an HD prototype was shown for the first time at E3 2013.

  • Oculus Rift - Developer Version - Front.jpg
  • Oculus Rift - Developer Version - Back.jpg
  • Oculus Rift - Developer Version - Control Box.jpg
  • Oculus Rift - Developer Version - Back and Control Box.jpg

Development Kit 2

The prototype, known as Crystal Cove , primarily improves the display and contains not only a Full HD OLED display, but also an additional head tracking system that detects the infrared LEDs integrated in the glasses via an external camera. With a resolution of 1920 × 1080 pixels, each eye sees 960 × 1080 pixels, which is a significant improvement compared to the first development kit. At the same time, the use of the OLED display and the “low persistence” technology developed by Oculus VR mean that there are no more dragging effects, which was heavily criticized in the previous version.

Consumer version 1

The two panels of the final version of the Oculus Rift each have a resolution of 1080 × 1200 pixels. This results in a total resolution of 2160 × 1200 pixels. This represents a repeatedly significantly increased pixel density, which contributes to a further increased immersion of the user in the virtual world, but means an additional burden for the graphics card. From January 6, 2016, the final version of the Oculus Rift could be pre-ordered in the USA for 599 US dollars and in Germany for 741 euros (including taxes and shipping costs); the first devices were shipped from March 28, 2016. Consumer version 1 has been available without pre-order since mid-July 2016. These prices are controversial due to a previously announced cost of between US $ 300 and US $ 400.

Touch controller

Oculus Rift Touch Controller

Since the beginning of December 2016, Oculus has been offering its motion controllers called Oculus Touch. The controllers, ergonomically adapted for the left and right hand, are powered by AA batteries . The constellation of sensors that are responsible for tracking the Oculus Rift also ensure that the touch controllers are tracked. In addition to this movement tracking, the two controllers have several buttons and an analog stick each . However, this input is only supported by specially programmed software.

software

Computer games and game engines must be adapted or expanded to use the Oculus Rift. The manufacturer offers registered owners of the developer version an open source software development kit free of charge . The game engines Source Engine , Unity and the Unreal Engine support development with the Oculus Rift. Some web browsers now offer experimental support for WebVR , so programming in JavaScript is also possible. Some games already allow the use of the Oculus Rift, others are in development. However, the application possibilities go far beyond gaming: Software is under development that can be used to change street views so that renovation projects can be incorporated and the effect of building measures can be conveyed more realistically than before. There should be something similar for interior design. In addition, a well-known developer is experimenting with its use in rehabilitation after arm amputations. The VR should be used to practice the handling and control of an arm prosthesis.

Reviews

After the first developer versions of the Oculus Rift were delivered, various trade magazines tested the suitability for games and came to a largely positive result, taking into account the development that was not yet completed and the slimmed-down developer version. Above all, the ease of use, the low weight and the good 3D impression were praised. The low resolution with visible subpixels, the noticeable latency and the simulator sickness caused in some people were consistently criticized .

“For years, virtual reality glasses have been considered the next big thing - so far none have been really good. The Oculus Rift, however, finally delivers on that promise. Large field of view, 3D, quick response. "

- Konrad Lischka : Spiegel Online

In an opinion article in the New York Times on the future of film in June 2013, author Frank Rose described increasing immersion for the viewer as one of the greatest challenges, with the so-called holodeck as the ideal. In this context, he called the Oculus Rift “ The most advanced immersive entertainment on the horizon now ” (German: “The currently most advanced form of immersive entertainment in sight”). In an interview with Spiegel Online, game developer Hilmar Petursson of CCP Games also described the Oculus Rift as one of the greatest achievements in the field of virtual reality , which already enables an experience close to a holodeck. The comparison to the holodeck was repeatedly taken up as a description in the press.

The hardware won several awards:

Web links

Commons : Oculus Rift  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ developer.oculus.com: Downloads
  2. ↑ First Look at the Rift, Shipping Q1 2016 ( English ) oculus.com. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
  3. ↑ Facebook buys startup Oculus . In: FAZ.net . FAZ . Retrieved March 26, 2014.
  4. ↑ Monkeyinthecage.com: Interview with Oculus Rift creator Palmer Luckey: Part 2 (accessed June 24, 2013)
  5. ↑ PCGamer.com: Oculus Rift - the VR headset Carmack showed at E3 - Kickstarted into dev kit production (accessed June 24, 2013)
  6. ↑ Almost 7,500 developer glasses pre-ordered via Kickstarter . Oculus VR. Retrieved May 20, 2013.
  7. ↑ Oculus Rift virtual reality headset gets Kickstarter cash ( English ) In: BBC News . Retrieved May 20, 2013.
  8. ↑ The most funded projects in Kickstarter history (since 2009!) ( English ) Kickstarter.com . Retrieved November 25, 2015.
  9. ↑ Skyrim: The role-playing game played with the Oculus Rift . In: Buffed . Computec Media Group . Retrieved May 20, 2013.
  10. ↑ Oculus Rift: Skyrim, Mirror's Edge and Team Fortress 2 played with VR glasses - sample videos . In: PC Games . Computec Media Group . Retrieved May 20, 2013.
  11. ↑ Oculus Rift Investor Round brings in $ 16 million in revenue . In: GameStar . IDG . Retrieved June 18, 2013.
  12. ↑ John Carmack Joins Oculus as CTO ( English ) In: Official website . Oculus VR. Archived from the original on August 10, 2013. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved August 7, 2013. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.oculusvr.com
  13. ↑ a b Georg Wieselsberger: Oculus Rift - Improved Development Kit can be ordered for 350 US dollars. Gamestar.de , March 20, 2014, accessed on March 20, 2014 .
  14. ↑ mcvuk.com ( Memento of the original from March 27, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. : Facebook acquires Oculus for $ 2bn - News from March 25, 2014 (accessed March 27, 2014) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.mcvuk.com
  15. ↑ mcvuk.com ( Memento of the original from March 27, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. : Persson cancels Minecraft for Oculus Rift following Facebook swoop - message from March 25, 2014 (English, accessed on March 27, 2014) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.mcvuk.com
  16. ↑ mcvuk.com ( Memento of the original from March 27, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. : Oculus Rift backers react in anger to Facebook buyout - message from March 27, 2014 (English, accessed on March 27, 2014) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.mcvuk.com
  17. ↑ mcvuk.com ( Memento of the original from April 4, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. : Oculus Rift creator receives death threats over Facebook acquisition , April 1, 2014 (English, accessed March 31, 2014) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.mcvuk.com
  18. ^ Name dispute over Oculus Rift , Golem, April 29, 2015
  19. ^ Report on the ban on selling the Oculus Rift in Germany .
  20. ↑ Rhythm Zone 倖 田 來 未 "Dance In The Rain" In rhythmzone.net (Japanese), accessed November 4, 2014
  21. ↑ Sam Byford A crazy J-pop music video is the best Oculus Rift demo yet In THE VERGE , accessed November 4, 2014
  22. ↑ Product description Z800 3DVisor ( English ) In: Official product page . Emagin Corporation. Archived from the original on August 15, 2013. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved October 15, 2013. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.3dvisor.com
  23. ↑ a b c Hartmut Gielselmann, Jan-Keno Janssen: Finally in the middle! First test of the VR glasses Oculus Rift, c't - magazin für computertechnik , pages 102-109, issue 10, April 22, 2013.
  24. ↑ Steve LaValle: Sensor Fusion: Keeping it Simple, Oculus VR Blog ( English ) Oculus VR. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
  25. ↑ Oculus Rift alluded to - On the way to the personal holodeck (page 2) . In: GameStar . IDG . Retrieved May 20, 2013.
  26. ↑ Finally in the thick of it! First test of the VR glasses Oculus Rift . In: Heise / c't 10/2013 . Retrieved January 10, 2013.
  27. ↑ http://www.gamestar.de/hardware/tft-monitore/oculus-rift/oculus_rift_hd,584,3024684.html
  28. ↑ Why is the resolution of the Oculus Rift developer kit 720p and not 1080p? ( English ) Oculus VR. Retrieved May 20, 2013.
  29. ↑ Oculus Rift: Specifications .
  30. ↑ Oculus Rift is now available for pre-order .
  31. ↑ http://www.roadtovr.com/valve-release-source-engine-sdk-with-oculus-rift-support/
  32. ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original from September 6, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.lifestream-creations.com
  33. ↑ https://www.ims.tuwien.ac.at/projects/arm-prosthesis
  34. ↑ Test of the Oculus Rift: Seasick in the Golem.de editorial team . In: Golem.de . Retrieved June 1, 2013.
  35. ↑ Nausea with enthusiasm: Oculus Rift video glasses in the test . In: Heise online . Retrieved May 20, 2013.
  36. ↑ Konrad Lischka: Oculus Rift: You can look into space through these glasses. In: Spiegel Online . June 18, 2013, accessed June 9, 2018 .
  37. ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/23/opinion/sunday/movies-of-the-future.html
  38. ↑ Konrad Lischka: Game developer about the future: "We can build the holodeck". In: Spiegel Online . June 18, 2013, accessed June 9, 2018 .
  39. ↑ http://www.gamespot.com/news/oculus-rift-beats-xbox-one-and-playstation-4-in-game-critics-e3-award-6411018
  40. ↑ Archived copy ( Memento of the original from July 16, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.develop-online.net
  41. ↑ http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/06/11/igns-best-of-e3-2013-awards