Forum Discussion
Razer Hydra still best default controller for CV1 launch ?
Let's imagine a single wired improved Razer Hydra as the default 6D controller for a 2015 CV1 launch :
- It's wired to keep the cost down (*edited*).
- It can provide gamepad input on pre-VR games.
- It can provide keyboard/mouse input on pre-VR applications (including mouse input on Windows).
- It leaves your second hand free.
- If wired to the bottom of the CV1 the cable length is no longer an issue.
- With a single cable, no more knots between multiple cables.
- No camera line of sight required.
- No finger tracking required (just need to check buttons, instead of trying to figure out what the fingers are pretending to do).
- Provides a (clumsy) solution to body movement, that bare hand tracking doesn't provide at all.
- Works 360° (by being wired to the CV1).
- You can rest your hands on your knees while moving your VR body (like a gamepad).
- You can switch hands to rest the arm holding it up (for extended sessions).
- It provides basic haptic feedback.
- It can be replaced by a dual high end wireless version with enhanced haptic feedback purchase right away or later (after that becomes more affordable), with the critical assurance that the enhanced version will be supported.
- In short : Works out as both a basic 2D/3D controller, and as a complex 6D gaming controller (for both pre-VR and VR games). The jack of all trades default VR controller of 2015.
It's fine for Oculus VR to go into direct bare hand tracking, eye tracking, voice recognition and whatever else research... for the future, with it's VR dedicated rooms and multiple depth sensing full body tracking cameras.
But for a 2015 release, it makes more sense for Oculus VR to partner with Sixense to develop a more affordable (*edited*) wired starter version of their Sixense wireless STEM system as the default CV1 6D controller, that would benefit both companies (as a starting point to a full and totally supported Sixense wireless STEM purchase), then for Oculus VR to delay CV1 for another year just because bare hand tracking isn't ready for it, and that a default 2D gamepad controller would do more harm then good.
Am I missing the obvious ?
- It's wired to keep the cost down (*edited*).
- It can provide gamepad input on pre-VR games.
- It can provide keyboard/mouse input on pre-VR applications (including mouse input on Windows).
- It leaves your second hand free.
- If wired to the bottom of the CV1 the cable length is no longer an issue.
- With a single cable, no more knots between multiple cables.
- No camera line of sight required.
- No finger tracking required (just need to check buttons, instead of trying to figure out what the fingers are pretending to do).
- Provides a (clumsy) solution to body movement, that bare hand tracking doesn't provide at all.
- Works 360° (by being wired to the CV1).
- You can rest your hands on your knees while moving your VR body (like a gamepad).
- You can switch hands to rest the arm holding it up (for extended sessions).
- It provides basic haptic feedback.
- It can be replaced by a dual high end wireless version with enhanced haptic feedback purchase right away or later (after that becomes more affordable), with the critical assurance that the enhanced version will be supported.
- In short : Works out as both a basic 2D/3D controller, and as a complex 6D gaming controller (for both pre-VR and VR games). The jack of all trades default VR controller of 2015.
It's fine for Oculus VR to go into direct bare hand tracking, eye tracking, voice recognition and whatever else research... for the future, with it's VR dedicated rooms and multiple depth sensing full body tracking cameras.
But for a 2015 release, it makes more sense for Oculus VR to partner with Sixense to develop a more affordable (*edited*) wired starter version of their Sixense wireless STEM system as the default CV1 6D controller, that would benefit both companies (as a starting point to a full and totally supported Sixense wireless STEM purchase), then for Oculus VR to delay CV1 for another year just because bare hand tracking isn't ready for it, and that a default 2D gamepad controller would do more harm then good.
Am I missing the obvious ?
17 Replies
- I cannot judge PS Move, because I haven't used it.
But being limited to face forward is an issue. Even Oculus have added LEDs on the backside of Crescent Bay while they still state they are aiming for a seated experience.
Next to that, I haven't experiences an optical tracking solution which is as smooth (that is: high frequency and precise tracking) as the Hydra. Again, I don't know about the Move's capabilities at this point.
The thing which decided not to support the PS Move in my software at the moment is that it is not officially supported. In the past I have spent a lot of time getting devices to work for instance using GlovePie. But it has always turned out to be 'almost there' and 'just not good enough'. When I read last year about the PS Move I notices the lack of 64-bit support and pairing trouble, I decided not to go that road again. But maybe things have changed now, however: there is still no official support. "konstantin_lozev" wrote:
@serrarens
If you say the Hydra accuracy range is only 75 cm, and you can only face forward, then I don't really see the advantages compared to an optical+IMU solution like PS Move.
Hydra isn't even for sale anymore, and the player shouldn't physically turn around 180 deg anyway, at least not for commercial projects.
Also as a developer I will not target unsupported input devices.- batteries and bluetooth is not the expensive part of STEM, pretty cheap gamepads have those. its the meneting sensing induction coils etc, and oclusion does decrease their acuraccy as well as the presence of any metal or magnetic objects for a fair distance, probably best combined with optical tracking to calibrate for such interference. As DK2 and CB already have a tracking camera the cheap solution is controllers with LEDs on them CB's tracking is much more accurate than PS Moves. Front facing tracking like PS Move is fine for seated experience or if you dont wander with your feet, IMUs should be able to fill the gaps during brief occlusions, and ideally there would be support for additional cameras being installed. If the tracking cameras where also depth cameras for Kinect style body tracking that would be even beter, but more expensive of course.
Hopefully Oculus will announce their input solution soon so that developers know what options they have. LED studed controllers could be really cheap so I would be disappointed if Oculus left input entirely up to 3rd parties, especially after the Nimble aquisition. "mrmonkeybat" wrote:
and ideally there would be support for additional cameras being installed
Yes, this seems the most obvious and cost-friendly solution.- http://www.roadtovr.com/oculus-rift-cre ... -gdc-2015/
- Now that Valve has revealed there "Lighthouse" system for high precision, hard to occlude tracking for large volumes and any number of devices, I think it is now clear that both Hydra/STEM and DK2/CB style tracking are obsolete. Unless Oculus have something truly special up there sleeves (which seems unlikely considering the noises they have been making) they should definitely licence the "Lighthouse" technology.
- While I was neither convinced by the webcam or Nimble VR announcements from Oculus VR, I certainly call Valve's Lighthouse brilliant (ok, bad pun), although they left us in the dark on it's price.
