Ah, virtual reality. The siren song of the tech world. We’ve been promised incredible, immersive VR experiences for absolutely yonks. By that I obviously mean intense and frightening virtual sex experiences. This is what science fiction has promised us and we demand it now.
the future is hell
Regardless of whether you’re trying to secure some freaky virtual hanky panky or you’re actually just a normal person interested in new frontiers in technology – you weirdo – 2016 has been a pretty momentous year for VR. We’ve actually got some pretty solid, workable products that you can try out, and they run the gamut from somewhat affordable to fuck off expensive, with experiences to match.
So let us give you the rundown on what kind of VR tech you can get your hands on, how much it costs and whether or not it will trap you in a hellish Matrix-like fantasy world from which there is no hope of escape. But perhaps you won’t want to escape.
OCULUS RIFT
The Oculus Rift is kinda the grandaddy of the current generation of VR devices. It started out as a clunky but promising device brought to life by a 2012 Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign, which showed that VR can be something good and immersive rather than just a shithouse demo product at a museum. You know the ones.
Fast forward to now, and Oculus VR is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Facebook, and you can order a Rift for US$599. It’s a headset with a 1080×1200 display over each eye with head-tracking and integrated 3D audio headphones. It comes with an Xbox controller, and touchpads for motion control are on the way.
It works with your PC, and as you might imagine, your rig needs to be a bit of a beast to handle VR gaming at an acceptable level of smoothness. Framerate is actually super important when it comes to VR – if it’s jittery, then the suspension of disbelief is borked and you might violently spew all over your desk. So, basically, your parents’ beige Pentium II box won’t cut it.
Luckily, Oculus offers a compatibility tool so you’ll know if your machine can handle it. They also offer ways of buying packages which come with beefy computer hardware alongside your Rift. As you might imagine, they can get quite pricey. Break open your first home fund, baby. Instead, try living in a virtual world where you are an Australian homeowner.
There are already a bunch on games witth Oculus support – the list over at Wikipedia is kept up to date – and there’s a lot more coming. The Facebook backing implies that there’ll probably be a whole slew of other experiences for the platform too.
Ready to see your dickhead mate’s Croatia trip in glorious VR? I’m bloody not. But it’s coming.
GEAR VR
Not willing to drop a trillion bucks on your VR experience? Wanna give VR a go but the thought of investing your hard-earned in a nerd toy makes you want to dack yourself? Already own a recent Samsung Galaxy phone? Then the Gear VR is a good idea.
Setting you back about AU$159, the Gear VR is basically just a headset you can click your Samsung Galaxy phone into. Bada bing bada boom, your phone’s display is now your VR display. It’s actually built by Oculus as well – that’s how deep this company has its finger in the VR pie.
As you might imagine, it’s not a perfect experience. You’re not going to have an existential crisis over the quality of this wizardry.
But it’s pretty serviceable as an intro to the world of VR. There are some cool apps for it. One which is heavily advertised is a ‘virtual cinema’ where you can watch your movies on a big ‘cinema screen’ in VR. A bit sad, in a way, but that’s the potential for VR for normal user interface experiences.
Obviously gaming is again a big part. There are a stack of apps on the Google Play store and on the Oculus VR site which are compatible. You can also score wireless controllers. Go figure.
HTC VIVE
This lumpy looking device is the HTC Vive. It’s a joint project between consumer tech company HTC and video game developer/distributor Valve Corporation.
The difference between the Vive and the other VR hardware on offer – apart from the backing of the absolute monster that is Steam – is that it focuses on ‘room scale’ technology. What that means in practice is that it’s focusing on experiences where you can walk around and utilise an entire room as part of a virtual experience.
How’s that gonna work in practice? Who knows. Have you got a whole bloody room to dedicate to VR? Well look at you, Mr. or Mrs. Moneybags.
The double trackpads you get as controllers for this one are pretty cool – giving you full haptic feedback and the potential for a whole range of interactions. Honestly, it’s bucketloads better than using an Xbox controller. Apparently 107 games are in development for the Vive, so that’ll keep ya going.
The Vive is US$899.00 to deliver to Australia, and that doesn’t include the computer. Like the Oculus Rift, you’ll need a beast to handle it. Sorry, your Age of Empires II rig simply will not cut it.
PLAYSTATION VR
Now this is going to be a compelling proposition for a lot of people. Sony are developing a VR headset that’ll work with existing PlayStation 4 systems, which is compelling for both those that already have one, and those who aren’t keen on buying a Vive or Rift and a beefy gaming rig.
It works with the PlayStation Camera, that accessory nobody bought, and the PlayStation Move, those motion controllers that nobody bought either.
It also outputs the VR visual onto your TV, so your housemates can enjoy watching you lose your dignity in real-time.
I got to play with the PSVR ahead of time, and it was a solid experience. Not quite as dazzling as, say, an Oculus running on top-end hardware, but pretty fucking decent for something squeezed out of what is now a several-year-old console. I played an experience where you hover inside a shark cage while a big ole shark menaces ya, and it was pretty great.
Keep an eye out for this one come October. The demand will probably be massive.
this could soon be you, you grub
So that’s the lowdown on the major players right now. It’s all fledgling tech, really, and just an indication of what is to come – but it’s a start. Don’t worry, child. Soon you will be but a traveller in a virtual world of insane delights.
Photo: Total Recall.
