Forum Discussion
Any word on positional tracking in the consumer Oculus Rift?
I know, it's a little too early to speculate.. :D but I'm seeing plenty of ideas here pertaining to positional head tracking, and aside from display quality and latency, this seems to be one of the most important features for people who've got access to the devkit, and I'm seeing a lot of attempts to implement it, be it with blood, sweat or tears!
While I'm aware the Rift might require a more complex solution, the Johnny Lee 'Wiimote hack' is probably the best example of this (http://gizmodo.com/337068/wii-headtracking-creates-3d-window-display), and while his work surfaced a few years ago now, the results are still impressive. The effect is somewhat amplified by the fact the display is in a static position, so the wow-factor might be somewhat mitigated on the Rift. Still, it's a simple solution and it appears to work extremely well. It's not hard to imagine how the Rift might benefit from this - the easiest example being able to 'simulate' the Wiimote hack in a VR app - the additional information would make the experience quite a bit more immersive.
Though it's not a major factor for everyone, the VR experience I'm designing would benefit immensely from positional tracking. When working in four or five dimensions, position matters a lot, and tracking it means the difference from a user perspective between 'manually' interacting with / rotating an N-dimensional object and simply observing an N-dimensional object in its natural habitat :).
I can also see the downsides - your average, conventional game is not programmed with independent translation of head and body in mind - even if it's possible to easily translate the camera based on head position, it'd be far more of a challenge, for example, to dodge a (very slow) bullet by leaning backwards.
So, my question is, what's the official position on positional tracking : is it a no-go, a possible avenue of exploration or a certainty in the finished product - as this will ultimately have an effect on the fundamental design of our app and where we take it.
I'd also like to take this opportunity to thank the developers of the Rift hardware - as well as providing something consumers have been aching for for years now, you guys appear to be more professional and competent than many larger companies, while retaining the spirit of discovery, experimentation and exploration that's in line with the consumer mindset. It's all very exciting and I wish you the best of luck :mrgreen:
While I'm aware the Rift might require a more complex solution, the Johnny Lee 'Wiimote hack' is probably the best example of this (http://gizmodo.com/337068/wii-headtracking-creates-3d-window-display), and while his work surfaced a few years ago now, the results are still impressive. The effect is somewhat amplified by the fact the display is in a static position, so the wow-factor might be somewhat mitigated on the Rift. Still, it's a simple solution and it appears to work extremely well. It's not hard to imagine how the Rift might benefit from this - the easiest example being able to 'simulate' the Wiimote hack in a VR app - the additional information would make the experience quite a bit more immersive.
Though it's not a major factor for everyone, the VR experience I'm designing would benefit immensely from positional tracking. When working in four or five dimensions, position matters a lot, and tracking it means the difference from a user perspective between 'manually' interacting with / rotating an N-dimensional object and simply observing an N-dimensional object in its natural habitat :).
I can also see the downsides - your average, conventional game is not programmed with independent translation of head and body in mind - even if it's possible to easily translate the camera based on head position, it'd be far more of a challenge, for example, to dodge a (very slow) bullet by leaning backwards.
So, my question is, what's the official position on positional tracking : is it a no-go, a possible avenue of exploration or a certainty in the finished product - as this will ultimately have an effect on the fundamental design of our app and where we take it.
I'd also like to take this opportunity to thank the developers of the Rift hardware - as well as providing something consumers have been aching for for years now, you guys appear to be more professional and competent than many larger companies, while retaining the spirit of discovery, experimentation and exploration that's in line with the consumer mindset. It's all very exciting and I wish you the best of luck :mrgreen:
2 Replies
- There are several placed I can refer you to, but I'll try to keep it concise.
Interview with Palmer
That's from last month. Three main priorities for consumer version:
1. Higher resolution
2. Minimize screen door effect
3. Positional tracking
Positional tracking has always been a top priority for Oculus, and I imagine they will really regret it if they aren't able to implement it for the first consumer product.
As I said, there are multiple discussions about positional tracking. Here's what comes up in the search.
I started a thread a few months ago about how positional head tracking should be tied to positional hand tracking. I recommend reading that thread as maybe you have some insight or input that could be beneficial. Thanks! - No input on the positional tracking thing, I'm afraid, but I'm curious what you're working on involving N dimensions?
