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Avalean
Participant
June 25, 2013

Vision Lenses

Ok, by far I am termed an end user. I know jack squat about software programming or such, but I have done more than my share of beta testing and firmware hardware testing in my 50 plus years of life to have learned a few things.

I am also a 100% Disabled VFW medically retired and living in Germany, so see things a bit differently from a lot of gamers today.

I have been looking at all of the various videos and other aspects of the Oculus that is available which I can understand.

So a few thoughts from myself for what it is worth.

1) Lenses, IF you can create a set of removable lens fit caps which could then be taken to an optometrist and have prescription lenses cut and fitted into them, this would be wonderful for us glass wearing people.
If you take a look at most glasses today you can see the lenses are basically held in using a wire frame / Screw set up. This allows for the lenses to be removed and new ones placed into the frames as glass magnification adjustments need to be made.

I see you have an A / B / C type set of lenses and this is good for most average individuals needs. I for one if I am going to spend the cash for a VR unit I want the best optimal vision possible. Since in most cases it is the frames that cost an arm and leg when getting glasses, to have a set of inserts for the Oculus that can have prescription lenses fit to them and changed when new ones are needed would be a god sent.

2) As for the problem with the use of keyboard: I have permanent 20+% nerve damage at the brain stem, due to this I have no touch sensation in my hands anymore. If I can not see myself hitting a key then I will not know it. To overcome this I have been looking at different forms of touch board designs. The current best solution I have come up with to date is using a 2 button track ball with my right hand. One where the ball is top center with VERY LARGE Buttons to the left and right. Since my hand does not move from this platform when gaming I usually have no problems unless at times the hand gets wrong signals and either does not push a button OR often does not release the button when it is pushed down.

BUT for now that is the best method I have found for the right hand.

NOW as for the left with a VR set over my eyes I had worries on this issue of being unable to see my hand hit keys. that is until I found a little gadget recently which I am ordering ASAP to give it a try. This is the Peregrine Glove. It operates like a touch pad but is a glove with sensors on the fingers and palm sections.

So, once programmed I would not need to see if my finger is on the right button when punching it solving this no eyesight to the keyboard or touchpad problem. If anyone knows of similar devices perhaps it is time to start a list of such so research and feedback on how effective they work with Oculus can be posted.

3) My main concern with the Oculus device is weight. Since I have extensive damage of the neck and skull base regions any weight can be a problem. So I am waiting for the final product release before buying a set. Which begs the question. IF you buy a prototype, do you return this for a finished design product or do you have to buy a new set completely?

I am building a totally new machine to start with Star Citizen and am set for an Alpha testing slot. SO, IF the full developed version is not out by say oh December this year when I hope to have the system fully ready it then would require me to get a prototype set. Yet as a medically retired VFW individual, my budget is VERY limited so of course like anyone I want to be able to maximize the money spent to its fullest potential possible.

SO, is a final consumer device planned for release before end of 2013 OR how does one acquire a prototype set and if such is purchased, once a full consumer set is released how will that be handled financially?

Thanks for the time, effort and work.
Avalean
US Army Med. Ret. VFW

    14 replies

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    geekmaster
    Up and Coming
    June 30, 2013
    "Avalean" wrote:
    SO what if under those conditions they were to say make a secondary attachment for the overlay lens that we could then take this to the optomitrist with the lens prescription, have them grind the lens to the needed prescription and shape to fit this extra lens holder that is form fitted to be placed and held onto the normal insert glass area? ...

    Yes, that is basically what I was suggesting. You can test this using old eyeglass lenses if you have them. If careful, you may even be able to grind them yourself.
    This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
    AvaleanAuthor
    Participant
    June 30, 2013
    Well I do not have a delv proto type set myself, as a 100% Disabled VFW living only off of my current disability pay in this economy, I simply can not afford it. That was why I am passing on the suggestions hoping someone there better connected could give it a try.

    I am slowly saving up to hopefully be able to buy a consumer model once it is released, but even for that, the eyeglasses issue will HAVE to be sorted out. Due to the injuries I sustained in the service my eyes were simply too messed up to be able to wear contacts and normal "reading" glass type lenses will do me no good I am sorry to say.

    But keep on truckin baby, with enough input it may still yet be solved by some one.

    As I was told as a child, Can not and Impossible never achieved squat.
    geekmaster
    Up and Coming
    June 30, 2013
    "Avalean" wrote:
    As I was told as a child, Can not and Impossible never achieved squat.

    You will see that same thing about self imposed limits of possibility (in different words) in MANY of my posts. ;)

    Regarding lenses, I only suggested reversing them so you can get your eyes closer to them without risking harm from the protruding ground edges. If in a safety retainer to mount them and cover their edges, they could be mounted like normal lenses (convex side against Rift lenses). The extra distance of your eye from the Rift lens would only be the thickness of the additional prescription element.

    Compound (multi-element) lenses would be far more cost effective than custom single-lens prescription aspheric lenses, and more likely to just work (fewer iterations of grind/test/grind/test).

    Remember that the lens distortion is an essential component of how and why the Rift works as well as it does, providing an extra wide FoV. Custom lenses need to retain this distortion property, and may be difficult to design correctly without a fair amount of (perhaps costly) experimentation and testing.

    I already tested a compound lens stack using my old eyeglass lenses (not ground down to circles) and it worked quite well.
    This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
    neph
    Participant
    July 1, 2013
    Here's a couple of cents worth from someone who's still waiting on his rift.

    "Avalean" wrote:

    2) As for the problem with the use of keyboard
    ...
    If anyone knows of similar devices perhaps it is time to start a list of such so research and feedback on how effective they work with Oculus can be posted.



    There's quite a lot of talk about the Razer Hydra on the forums, don't know if you've considered it already. It' fairly cheap now, with apparently a new version on its way, both the razer site has had it on sale for ~$50/euro and i picked it up on amazon.co.uk for a little more (but saved on the postage).
    As a controller, it feels pretty much like a console controller with one separate controller for each hand. If you're comfortable handling an xbox controller, i don't think you would have any problems with the hydra.
    It has plenty of buttons and all can be programmed with downloadable software.

    Now, i haven't actually played anything with it yet, but i've done a bit of preparation development and testing, and even though it feels a bit plastic, the positional sensors are above what i expected.

    I'm sure there's loads more info to be had in the forums.


    "Avalean" wrote:

    3) My main concern with the Oculus device is weight.


    Just an idea;
    You could suspend it in the ceiling. With a counterweight you could off load the whole weight, while still maintaining freedom of movement (at least enough while seated in a chair).
    "The television screen has become the retina of the minds eye."
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