feedback on Mobile SDK & Gear VR

[natbro]

here are some thoughts & suggestions about the Gear VR and the Oculus Mobile SDK. I combined these because they all seem related to development work, even the device feedback, since it's about speeding up the dev cycle, but happy to split the device feedback out to the other board.

SDK & Development/Debugging Feedback

- this good thread about debug workflow for Gear VR - viewtopic.php?f=67&t=18021 - would be great to incorporate into the standard documentation. this other thread viewtopic.php?f=67&t=18795 recommends installing a separate "ADB WiFi" app, but as I note viewtopic.php?f=67&t=18795#p233308 i don't think this is actually needed (might be malware) and it also doesn't actually work as described (at least for Mac Unity, which exhibits this Unity behavior that I would call a bug: http://forum.unity3d.com/threads/android-adb-wont-install-to-wifi-connected-devices.289110/).

- for developers, have Oculus Home include the contents of some well-known folder of Apps in the Library area or as a separate area in Home. This would allow us to install our apps into a folder and give them to other folks to try out or to facilitate demos. Unless I'm missing something obvious, it is currently quite difficult to demo home-grown applications - you have to launch them manually from the screen, wait for the prompt, and then insert the device into the Gear VR. it would be much smoother to be able to hand the entire already-docked device to a novice user, let them go through the normal intro etc and be able to choose our apps directly in Oculus Home. OK if this isn't an option in the final Oculus Home, although frankly it's a pretty simple side-load capability.

- for vr_dual apps, it would be great if we could test outside the headset using the Note 4's IMU and not just be looking forward with no OVR tracking. Yes, the built-in IMU is low resolution, blah, blah, but purely for developer testing it would be very useful to test things on the device with the full distortion happening and just be able to test out things like how your code is responding to some IMU, even if it's not perfect. it seems to me the more things that can be tested outside VR the faster developers will be making really good content.

- a lot of Android developers are going to be coming to Gear VR and the Mobile SDK through Android Studio. it would be great to offer some SDK samples in Studio format.

Device

- during development there is a lot of change-build-install-test-debug-repeat happening right at your desk. an additional mini-USB adapter port that would pass-through charge the Note 4 (and support debugging/downloading) while it remained within the headset would be very useful to support active development

- the face sensor is frequently triggered by your hands (or nose) while placing the Gear on your face, or as you clean the lenses just prior to putting on the device. this seems to sometimes trigger Oculus Home to launch, then it senses removal of your finger or whatever obstacle, then you finish putting it on your face and it senses you properly but doesn't launch - sometimes Oculus Home stalls out and fails to open after this sequence depending on your speed or number of times you trigger the sensor's bleeping. sometimes i need to remove and replace the Note 4 into the Gear VR to reset its ability to launch Oculus Home again.

- similarly the act of removing the device from your face briefly to wipe away smudges or moisture sometimes leaves the device in a confused state, requiring you to remove and re-dock it, restarting everything.

- the touch-pad and back button could use some texture so your fingers can find them on the side of the device. even a subtle bump would go a long way - i 3Doodlered some tiny PLA dots onto the surface and around the button and it makes it much easier to find these surfaces for new users.

- the touch-pad and back-button are overly right-hand-focused - awkward for lefties. if this control is going to exist on an HMD there should be one on either side.

- the device does not turn off all the way when you remove it from your face, even though the sensor knows your gone. this regularly drains the battery (especially since it can't be charged while docked, see first point). it's great that the Note 4 has fast-charging, but this is still rough.

- the main Gear VR strap always touches tops of ears (see https://www.google.com/search?tbm=isch&q=gear+vr - it's not just my ears!), which will be uncomfortable for most users over time. granted DK1 and DK2 are not any more comfortable. the Gear VR's padded top-strap is great - perhaps it could be paired with an occipital strap instead of an ear strap. same feedback honestly for the DK2 and the crescent bay.

[cybereality]

Thanks for sharing.