Unity3D - Free vs. Pro

I love the C# development in Unity, and the less bloated starting point (I had experiences with the UDK before). But the price is insane. I hoped I could use the free version as long as I don't have anything to actually sell, mostly to make prototypes but if the DK2 isn't supported in the free version... well screw that then :D

I better start using the UDK again.

"Comgenie" wrote:
I love the C# development in Unity, and the less bloated starting point (I had experiences with the UDK before). But the price is insane. I hoped I could use the free version as long as I don't have anything to actually sell, mostly to make prototypes but if the DK2 isn't supported in the free version... well screw that then :D

I better start using the UDK again.

I need the lowest cost tool to use as a hobbyist. Unity would probably be my choice if the pricing was the same, although I have to hand it to Epic: Unreal Engine support is really top notch in their forums.

The only downside I'm seeing to UE4 is that it cranks up every fan in my computer and runs it hard but I guess it is made for it.

Develop in Unreal? But their cut after 50k is too steep imo.
But not having Oculus Rift support in the free version of Unity is a serious consideration.

What's the word on the Cryengine, and Rift support?

There was some beta-level Cryengine support at one point, but I don't think it's been updated for a while.

Hmm, thank you, and are there are any other environments that have native Rift support?

The most well supported engines for the Rift are Unity and Unreal. If you have the C++ source code for a different engine, then you can do the integration work yourself (i.e. for OpenGL or DirectX engines). Though of course, this could be a lot more work and trouble than just using an engine like Unity.

Is there any effort by Oculus team to negotiate Rift integration in its free version of Unity?

I am learning to build games on Unity since its v4.5 is free.
But beyond that, to make games for Oculus Rift, will I be able to learn on Unity and switch to UnrealEngine4 without a steep learning curve?

BTW cybereality, I just got your RHTS-8206 headphones. Then I realized that 5.1 surround will only work for static speakers, and not when you can move your head around (unless you are looking straight ahead) to determine sound direction.
I suspect that is the next challenge for CV1.

@twisteklabs: I don't know of any plans to support Unity free. It's really not up to Oculus, the Rift uses features that are only available in the Pro version.

5.1 headphones can work in VR, as long as the game supports surround sound. Usually the speakers are placed in 3D in relation to the camera, so if you turn around 180 degrees the sound that was in your left ear will be in your right ear. So I don't think that's a problem.

"cybereality" wrote:
The most well supported engines for the Rift are Unity and Unreal. If you have the C++ source code for a different engine, then you can do the integration work yourself (i.e. for OpenGL or DirectX engines). Though of course, this could be a lot more work and trouble than just using an engine like Unity.

A couple of years ago, I tried building a simple 2D iOS game using OpenGL. Never again! If I build any kind of game, I'm using a framework. I'm keeping an eye out for some open source frameworks to hit the Oculus.

This would be an ideal area for the Oculus team to work with. They were touting the large cash infusion from Facebook that will help move this into areas where it couldn't before.

How about moving it into an area so developers can develop for the rift for free? How about working with Unity, Unreal, and any other popular development platforms to be included with the purchase of a VR Dev kit for free? Toss in all the pro versions.

Flex those muscles and jump start this thing into high gear. It seems a bit silly that what we have available is behind a quite expensive pay wall right now. There are other options, but stuff like Unity should be a no brainer.