New VR-headset — Oculus Go and HTC Vive Pro
There are dozens of virtual reality headsets presented in the market for the moment — from budget models that work in conjunction with a smartphone, to advanced ones, for which a PC game is needed. Soon the situation can dramatically change — powerful headsets will be deprived of associated equipment and will cease to constrain users. The first steps in this direction have already been made — today let us talk about Oculus Go and HTC Vive Pro.
Oculus Go
Oculus Rift is perhaps the most famous VR headset on the market. Everyone have heard of it after Facebook bought Oculus VR for more than $ 2 billion.
The consumer version of the Oculus Rift went on sale in March 2016, the Oculus Touch controllers in December of the same year. Facebook does not disclose how many devices was sold, but on Steam (the largest online gaming store) there are about 70 thousand owners of Rift. True, it is worth adding that Oculus VR is developing its own store of VR-applications — Oculus Store.
At CES 2018 Facebook presented Oculus Go — a light version of Rift with a price of $ 200 instead of $ 600. Oculus Go do not need an external computing node (PC) or a smartphone. At the same time, the resolution of the picture is 2560x1440 against 2160x1200 at Rift. Additional characteristics are not provided, but the concept of a cheaper and self-contained headset is impressive. In China, by the way, Xiaomi will produce a copy of the Oculus Go — Mi VR Standalone (with 32 or 64 GB of flash memory).
Jason Rubin, one of the leaders of Oculus VR, in a recent interview honestly outlined the minuses of Rift — insufficient resolution, solid weight and a requirement to use in conjunction with the PC. In fairness, these are technical disadvantages, not conceptual ones. Oculus VR is aimed at high-quality graphics, a wide field of view and, of course, the lack of additional wires. Partially named ideas are embodied in the Go helmet.
A promising development of Facebook is the Oculus Santa Cruz glasses, summarizing the power of Rift with Go mobility. This device is “all in one”.
It is noteworthy that Facebook cares not only about the hardware, but also about the creators of content. In January 2018, the Start program was announced, aimed at novice developers under the VR. Participation is free of charge. Companies registered in the program will open access to products (including Oculus Santa Cruz), and to technologies.
HTC Vive Pro
Number of HTC Vive owners among the Steam audience is approximately equal to the Oculus Rift owners. Valve (the owner of Steam) under the contract with HTC is promoting the Vive headset. On its popularization is also affected by the fact that VR-projects exclusively for this helmet makes Bethesda — one of the leaders in the gaming industry.
Vive Pro, like Oculus Go, made its debut on the January CES. The helmet is equipped with overhead headphones, two front cameras and two microphones. The resolution compared to the usual Vive has risen to 2880x1600 (from 2160x1200). This is a very serious application for success — as well as the availability of Vive Wireless Adapter, a proprietary adapter for wireless connection of glasses to the PC. The headset is easier to wear / remove and can be used with ordinary glasses without any problems.
The release schedule and the cost of Vive Pro are not yet announced. But the company representatives said that the increased resolution (with increased clarity and density of pixels) will allow to display more text on the screen — this is important for games of certain genres such as RPG. And not just for games. Vive Pro should like corporate customers HTC — someone will show in VR new cars, someone will do “voluminous” instructions for the staff. Work on the sensors HTC Vive also does not stand still — here the Taiwanese company relies entirely on partners. And such an important point — in the company store VR-content Viveport will soon appear an interactive preview function. Downloading the demo version of the application, you quickly understand whether it is worth it to spend or not.
Lightweight Oculus Go and improved HTC Vive Pro will undoubtedly spur the sales of virtual reality sets. They certainly will not repeat the fate of 3D-TVs, quickly out of fashion. Jason Rubin of Oculus VR in one interview reviewed the VR market within the framework of the theory of “hype cycles” — glasses and games for virtual reality are now in a phase called “the depression of illusions” between the “peak of inflated expectations” and “the tendency to eliminate shortcomings “. On the horizon is the “plateau of productivity” phase. The rumors about the death of VR are exaggerated, but for the sake of revolution in the sphere one must try hard. The main thing is that VR, unlike 3D-TVs, does not limit anything. Virtual reality is constantly being used in new industries.
VRT World company is optimistic about the future of VR and just glad of the growing competition in the market of VR-headsets. In December 2017 VRT World launched it’s first virtual reality park in Moscow. The technology developed by the company called Full Body Tracking. This technology carries all the user’s movements in the VR and solves the problem of dissynchronization with the vestibular apparatus. VRT World prefers Oculus Rift — because of the convenience of Touch controllers. February 27 — March 27 VRT World will hold Token Sale to attract investments for the development of the global blockchain-based marketplace and VR-network. For the industry, this is no less important than the upcoming release of Oculus Go and HTC Vive Pro.
