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Comment by gjolund | Hacker News Reader

I wonder how much of this is due to Oculus's clear lagging behind it competitors.

HTC and Sony both have platforms that a more robust and better positioned to capture gamers than Oculus.

I wouldn't want to stick around either.

I'm not so sure about that. Once the touch controllers start shipping out with the second camera, they will be equal if not better than the competition.

They are also researching inside out tracking for mobile VR which is very exciting!

What is inside out tracking? Is that like tracking the facial movements and such inside the headset to allow an accurate facial projection while wearing the headset?

Better. It's positional tracking using one or more cameras on the headset. No more external cameras, laser base stations, and limited tracking area.

The term inside-out tracking does not make any assertions about requiring fixed external reference points. The Vive is using inside-out tracking as well, since it utilizes photo diodes on the headset that interpret the external IR laser sweeps.

Have you used an HTC Vive?

I have a couple oculus and they are nowhere near the HTC Vive in terms of immersion.

You have access to Oculus touch? What makes Vive wands better for immersion compared to Oculus touch?

I've recently used both and think they're equal in terms of immersion when the Vive is roughly around the minimum space requirements. For gaming, I could take either; for non-gaming experiences, I haven't seen anything on the Vive that wouldn't feel similar on the Oculus or vice-versa.

If you have a large open space the Vive may pull ahead, but I haven't tried anything that could take advantage of that.

FWIW, I was sold on VR when I first tried DK1, but now having tried the consumer version and the Vive (years later), I'm even more excited.

I found the vive to be much more immersive, and the games being developed for it felt like they truly understood the capabilities of VR.

I'm really excited about the competition in the space, it is only going to be good for VR enthusiasts.

A couple of Oculus devices (dk1, dk2) or a couple of Rifts (without touch controllers)?

I did say that we will need to wait for the second camera + touch controllers for the Rift to be on par with the Vive.

> better positioned to capture gamers

If this generation of VR gets relegated to gaming then it should be considered a failure.

Immersive VR experiences outside of gaming are really really hard. AR has a much better chance of capturing the non-gamer market.

Agreed, VR is very anti-social. I have several oculus and there is no real viable use outside of game that I have used.

Screen replacement is a no go, way to much eyestrain.

In a few generations that could be alieviated though

Surprised to hear you say that. When I got my first oculus, I was struck by how much better it was for nongaming applications than gaming ones. Things like Giants of the Solar System, or tours around historical sites and events. Things like providing visualisation of designs that are yet to be built. Taking a small object and examining it closely in 3d at different scales. Education, training.

I actually think the gaming features of the current crop could end up being a niche use.

VR is not inherently anti-social. Applications like AltspaceVR are very social. Also, I've had groups of people at my home to try out the Vive while projecting the headset content to a wall, and it's always a very inclusive and social experience where HMD wearer and audience participate alike.

In terms of eyestrain, I think you may want to check the IPD setting on your headset (if you own one that supports it), since due to being focused at a farther distance than regular monitors, it should be (and is for me) quite a bit less straining on the eyes.

Resolution is still sub-par for screen replacement though.

Good AR is going to be a long way off. There are many technical challenges that aren't even close to being addressed yet.

Why? Surely gaming, an activity usually conducted alone that already involves buying hardware, is an ideal place for new hardware tech to gain traction.

True. But chances are once they go the gaming route, people will see it as just another toy and it will never escape from this deep pit of nerd-dom and into the hands of the average joe. See google glass, kinect etc. Not VR by any means but revolutionary for their time.

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