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VR Could Be More About Film Than Games, Oculus Says

"We don't know what the killer app is," Oculus said.

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The Oculus Rift got its initial funding on Kickstarter when it was pitched as "the first truly immersive virtual reality headset for video games," but it could end up serving movies more than games, Oculus VR has said.

"We've said from the beginning we're big gamers, and we started Oculus to deliver consumer VR and revolutionize games," Oculus VR's vice president for product Nate Mitchell told the L.A. Times in an interview at CES 2015. "But it may well end up being that VR is more about film than games. We don't know what the killer app is."

GameSpot was at CES 2015, where we saw a few new companies show off their own virtual reality devices. Some (as you can see in the video below) were better than others, but we found that the Oculus Rift Crescent Bay device with the new 3D audio, is still the most impressive virtual reality experience.

In November 2014, Oculus said that the consumer model of the headset is "months, not years" away, and that it will cost between $200 and $400.

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Diluted_NZ

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Why not work together with Sony to create a VR movie format, since Sony has their own VR device and has a whole movie division?


Let John Carmack and Oculus VR concentrate on making an actual VR game. Something revolutionary.


Wolfenstein 3D ushered in the First Person shooter. Doom and Quake helped shape it into what we know is as today. John Carmack has, or can assemble, the best crew to make the VR generation equivalent.


Maybe they should make that a Kickstarter plan again anyway so that investors in that project can once again have a sense of ownership and control over things. Facebook should just let this company breathe a bit and make more money by crowd funding.



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HOLYSHMUCK

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Calling it now, all movies will be remade with VR headset in mind to be able to walk around scenes from movies and see the action from all angles.

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Evil_Sidekick

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And in the end, the Oculus Rift will be all about VR sex

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gatsbythepig

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If it keeps giving people headaches and tunnel vision, then they won't have a choice- it will have to be for movies, instead of focusing on games.

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grin89

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oculus with girls and that hand recognition software please.

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Tiwill44

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I blame Facebook for this

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Diluted_NZ

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Actually, the idea of making the Oculus Rift part of the cinema experience is quite good in one respect - the customer could get a good idea of what the 3D technology would be like without actually having to invest in buying a unit themselves.


You go to the movies, you get to try out the tech for however long the movie lasts for, and then you go home. If you like it enough, you can go back and watch more movies.


If you really enjoyed it, you could buy yourself a VR headset, and get the same experience at home.


Kind of like "try before you buy."


Sony makes movies, so you can imagine them muscling Oculus out of this market eventually once they figure out that Facebook's on the money by doing this.


If I had the resources, I'd be looking at creating motion simulators like the ones you see in theme parks. There's an example of one, made for the movie "Back to the Future" on Youtube.


If you look at the Wikipedia page for this ride, they used a SEVENTY FOOT Imax screen for the ride. That's for the field of vision for 12 cars, just looking straight ahead.


Now how much easier would it be to create an experience like this ride, only using VR hardware instead of the screen? Full immersion, no matter where you look.


Instead of just sitting in a chair like you would be at home, you'd actually feel like you were part of the ride, because it would be in a constant state of motion to match what you were seeing.


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Diluted_NZ

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Actually, the idea of making the Oculus Rift part of the cinema experience is quite good in one respect - the customer could get a good idea of what the 3D technology would be like without actually having to invest in buying a unit themselves.


You go to the movies, you get to try out the tech for however long the movie lasts for, and then you go home. If you like it enough, you can go back and watch more movies.


If you really enjoyed it, you could buy yourself a VR headset, and get the same experience at home.


Kind of like "try before you buy."


Sony makes movies, so you can imagine them muscling Oculus out of this market eventually once they figure out that Facebook's on the money by doing this.


If I had the resources, I'd be looking at creating motion simulators like the ones you see in theme parks. Here's an example of one, made for the movie "Back to the Future"


<< LINK REMOVED >>


Wiki: << LINK REMOVED >>


If you look at the Wikipedia page for this ride, they used a SEVENTY FOOT Imax screen for the ride. That's for the field of vision for 12 cars, just looking straight ahead.


Now how much easier would it be to create an experience like this ride, only using VR hardware instead of the screen? Full immersion, no matter where you look.


Instead of just sitting in a chair like you would be at home, you'd actually feel like you were part of the ride, because it would be in a constant state of motion to match what you were seeing.

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ecurl143

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There's just a few things that need addressing before VR becomes really mainstream and most of those are either being sorted as we speak or certainly on the radar.

Refresh rate and resolutions definitely need improving but the fact that the tech actually works brilliantly already and consumer units literally just around the corner tells me this hardware will revolutionize the user experience.

I already have a DK2 and the immersion is simply stunning.

Using the Virtual Desktop software to transform my flat, lifeless windows desktop into an imax screen that looks 500 feet wide in front of me is quite a wow moment.....and that's just the desktop.

You simply have to see some of the demos in VR to appreciate what Oculus has brought to the table.

I've played some simple horror game demos and normally I'd just waltz down a corridor and blast everything in sight but just getting past the front door of the mansion in Amnesia was a bone chilling experience. I literally shat my pants and was actually scared to move forward. Make no mistake - VR makes ALL the difference to you experience.

One other application I see as a massive un-tapped area is in education. Virtual Tours - Historical Recreations - Tours of the Pyramids and understanding the architecture + a million other things - the list is endless. With virtual application, even boring subjects would be unbelievable.

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Gomtor

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One thing that stands out. It looks unbelievable stupid on anybody's face.

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T-ESI

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<< LINK REMOVED >> Yeah, because you wouldn't want people to make fun of you as you walk out the door with it. OH WAIT! You're supposed to use this in the comfort and privacy of your own home/room. Well then. No problems there!

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Sl4cka

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<< LINK REMOVED >> Ok, princess. Wouldn't want messing up your mascara.

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Gomtor

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<< LINK REMOVED >><< LINK REMOVED >> Sorry, I forgot that it will improve your facial futures.

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Mr_BillGates

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These semi-VR toys are for peasants who can't afford a tv. ROFL.

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puffnbillys420

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These things will be used exclusively for porn

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elheber

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What about VR poker games? One of the worst things about online poker is that you can't play the players. You can't read body language and have a poker face by default. But with VR, the avatars can display which direction you're looking at, which is a HUGE change, especially if the game is made more "realistic" by forcing you to physically see your cards and chips on the table, no HUD. You'd see players check their cards after the flop, check their chips if they're indecisive, check an opponent's chips to gauge how much they're risking, check you to see what you do, etc.


Just a though.

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Flyin3lvl

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""but it could end up serving movies more than games"" thought 3d tv was the next big thing and only way to watch a film nowadays .....

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elheber

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<< LINK REMOVED >> The problem with 3DTVs is that when people want to watch TV, they're essentially doing it to "veg out". Asking them to wear glasses for a passive experience at a time when they feel the laziest is asking too much. However, 3D is still going strong in movies, so it's not like it's unwanted.


In games, there's tons of games that we play to relax and tune out, and in those types of games VR is totally not a fit. But there's also tons of games we play for exactly the opposite reason, to be involved and invested. When you think of video game genres that we play to get excited, it's no wonder scary games are such a hit in VR's early development. And it's those genres along with genres yet undiscovered, that will keep VR alive in the worst case scenario of it never going mainstream.

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WolfgarTheQuiet

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This will end up being used for movies and such. This is your hint right here, bigger market than games thats for sure.


Sony VR will be mainly focused on PS4 which means games.


Look, Oculus was fishy since day one of FB buyout. FB wants that money back and it wants it back as quick as possible, so they will concentrate on bigger markets.

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HRNin

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<< LINK REMOVED >> Movies might have wider audiences, but in terms of revenue the game industry as surpassed movie and music years ago. So I'm not too sure.

I do think the promise of having a giant cinema screen in a chair at home is going to push a good amount of people over the line. (and frankly, I think that's how I would use it most myself) But whether they will surpass game enthusiasts in the first years is yet to be seen.

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sidzero

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"We don't know what the killer app is" - Virtual Porn. Trust me.

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ojmstr

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I have to correct that guy on the right a little bit there even though i know what he ment, you wont get VR right now for $200 from Samsung, you need a Note 4 Mobile Phone first of all and that will cost you $600, that means to get VR right now from Samsung you need at least $800


Oculus will be in the same prize range or even more expencive because you need a high end pc to run it.


The best VR experience from my point of view will come from Sony with 360 degree positional tracking and they will focus mostly on games if that's what your interested in, they also own Sony Pictures so movie watching will probably be a huge selling point for the Morpheus as well. The Morpheus + Ps4 will most likely cost around $600 so it will be the cheapest alternative and the best product overall.



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gargungulunk

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I wish I had a few billion dollars to be aimless with...


The movie would have to be relatively low-action I wonder....at least sitting down, like a car chase.

Or imagine something like Reservoir Dogs, heavy dialogue & and long scenes. One could walk around in the stetting perhaps...or just look around the table and nod about tipping.


I really see this akin to what animation was in the 1920's/30's.....lots of shorts, and far out examples of what could be done....yet nothing cinematic...which is cool, this is VR in the making, and we'll get to tell all the kids in 2056 how it used to be.



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advocacy

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Brazzers.

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LoganDaDestroya

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Well, I guess I can't say much about mass market, but if I'm given a VR headset then my priority would be to interact with a world in a game setting rather than use it to watch something linear. Albeit the nature of a viewer being able to manipulate a camera during a film opens up an enormous range of new techniques filmmakers can use. So who knows...

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crix01

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I hope he means "3D rendered films". Becuase for a regular 2d real life film is a terrible idea.

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Diluted_NZ

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How about taking an existing experience like playing laser tag, and adding a whole new dimension to it by adding virtual reality to the mix? You could be in an indoor arena, actually running around with one of these headsets on, but you'd be seeing and hearing what's been created for you by the VR device.


You're holding what you know is, in reality, just a plastic gun. When you put your headset on though, you can see the muzzle flash, and hear the gun firing when you pull the trigger. (Who's to say it's just a gun - could be a rocket launcher, or anything.)


You're standing in a room with basic elements of cover, like a standard laser tag arena. When you put the headset on, it's like taking what you can actually see, and augmenting it with whatever simulation the makers of the game have chosen. You could be playing a modern, COD sort of game; you could just as easily be playing in a science fiction world.


Basically, set up a physical space with objects etc, and then use it as the framework of a virtual experience that substitutes reality for whatever you want to replace it with. Sort of hard to sum up in a short post...






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elheber

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<< LINK REMOVED >> I remember wanting this when I played tons of laser tag as a younger kid. I'd completely forgotten about this in the decade since I stopped. I remember imagining it with Quake 3 graphics.

Some physical walls could be glass you can see through or fence you can shoot through. You can shoot heat seeking rockets (that can be shot out of the sky), lasers beams that angle off walls, grenades and proximity mines, incendiary streams that can set walls of fire, and pretty much anything one can imagine. There can be player decoys, virtual bots, turrets, and enemies in the sky. The game can have player classes with their own abilities or powers such as a "ghost" class that can activate temporary invisibility if no players are near, or a "teleporter" class that can blink to some spot he aims at if he stands still and has enough room. Plus, the tracking ability of such a system allows the game to enforce zones that certain players can't enter (like enemy safe zones) and automatic warning/punishment for anyone running.


Plus, the matches can be recorded and, heck, even spectated by people waiting outside.

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Diluted_NZ

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<< LINK REMOVED >> With a little imagination I think most of what you mentioned and more would be possible to create in a VR laser tag kind of experience. I'm not sure about being able to teleport, because your movement in the simulation would be tied in with your movement and location in the real world; apart from that I think it would be possible.


Full body motion capture would definitely be needed for the idea to work; I found a project called PrioVR that claims to be able to do this without the need for a camera (it's a wearable device), so that could be a possibility for playing in a large area with the ability to run around.


Motion capture would be important so your movements can be accurately picked up by the simulation, but perhaps more than this it would provide a more immersive experience. Not only would you look different to the enemy - instead of seeing someone wearing a VR headset and motion capture suit, they'd see a graphical representation of your character in the game - you'd actually look different to yourself.


(If you've played a FPS like F.E.A.R. where you can look down and see your body in the game, that's sort of what I have in mind. Or you could be playing as a robot. Whatever...)


You could actually get shot in the game, and look down and see whereabouts on your body you'd been hit. And if you'd been "killed" by the enemy, rag doll physics could kick in and they could watch your virtual body crumple to the ground in the sim, while you (IRL) head back to your starting point.

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Kyelo

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<< LINK REMOVED >> this gave me a semi...

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daviz88

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last minute confession?

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Metallinatus

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Killer app? HL3 exclusive for Linux with Ocullus confirmed.

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Jarten

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I personally think that it could be great if they make it so you can use it to create something like a desktop screen for the computer with a virtual keyboard and hand motions for the mouse. As a 3D modeler, it would be really nice if they could make it so modeling software could work with something like that.

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kujel

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This one of the reasons I was never too keen on VR in the first place it has limited use for video games but can be easily adapted for film which I'm not a huge fan of.

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mkeezay22

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<< LINK REMOVED >> The applications for VR in gaming are far from limited.

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muzza93

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Lol sounds kind of like they are starting to think that it would just feel like a gimmick for video games, so now they say its actually for movies guys.

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mkeezay22

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<< LINK REMOVED >> Another person who has obviously never experienced VR.

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gregglle

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We can't make everyone see it man. People are stubborn. Just the way it is. I know it's sucks that so many are completely off base with their comments but what can ya do. Only wait until it's mainstream I guess. I agree with you don't get me wrong

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stillstillstill

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at least the replay value of movies would shoot up. there'd be so much more to look at.

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HonorOfGod

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Blah hurry up lol

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