Is The Current Vr, Htc Vive, Oculus Rift Etc. Actually Vr?

[xTcHero]

What's been bothering me for a while, is companies proclaiming their product to be "virtual reality". It is supposed to give you an immersion of that you exist in a different world - but do they really do that?

 

I mean, in my opinion, it's just a screen in front of your face. What makes this VR? Then, technically, a TV-screen is VR. Just not as immersive as the Oculus or the Vive. I want to hear what you think. Is this the "future of VR", or is FullDive the way to go? I mean, what makes virtual reality is your perception of the world, not a screen which moves when your head does. I do know that what you see has a huge impact on your perception, but unless we can make what we see, hear and feel 100% immersive, it cannot be called virtual reality. In my opinion. I need some for- and against-arguments, as I know I might be wrong at some points; but I believe my vision is still correct.

[CraigD]

What's been bothering me for a while, is companies proclaiming their product to be "virtual reality". It is supposed to give you an immersion of that you exist in a different world - but do they really do that?

Most of the people I’ve read who’ve used systems based on present day commercial VR headsets like Oculus Rift, HCT Vive, Sony Playstation VR (AKA Morpheus) seem to me to find describing them as virtual reality to be accurate. I’ve not used one since a demo at a 2012 conference, but even then, I found the experience immersive enough to believe I was “in a different world”, though at no time was I unaware that I was using the system, or unable to distinguish the VR world with actual reality.

 

I mean, in my opinion, it's just a screen in front of your face. What makes this VR?

VR headsets do not just place a screen in front of you face – importantly, they place a separate screen in front of each of your eyes. This allows them to present a slightly different image to each eye, giving the perception of depth via the stereoscopic effect (Stereopsis)

 

Then, technically, a TV-screen is VR. Just not as immersive as the Oculus or the Vive.

An ordinary TV, even the latest 4K/UHD ones, which present pixels so small that they cannot be distinguished by the naked eye, and thus have “perfect” resolution, presents only a flat image, like a printed photograph. 3D TVs have a feature where electronic glasses quickly black out each of your eyes as the TV displays a different image, providing a stereoscopic effect.

 

I want to hear what you think. Is this the "future of VR", or is FullDive the way to go?

My guess is that increasingly sophisticated systems similar in general appearance to present day VR systems is the future of VR. Such systems are proven to be possible, while it’s unclear if Fulldive technology is.

 

My guess is that stereoscopic vision systems will be replaced with holographic ones. Present day systems such as the ones described in this 2011 Gizmag article are very close to feasible now, their main limitation at present is multiplexing 3-colors to produce a realistic full-color image.

 

The main areas from improvement are not, I think, reproducing the sense of vision, but getting realistic, full-body input, and providing tactile and sense-of-motions feedback.

 

What I find revealing is that, despite being technically feasible for many years now, VR systems are not very popular with consumers. The next few years, I think, will show if they will be widely accepted or not. If the current generation of systems are not popular, even as they become less expensive, I doubt that later generations of similar systems will be, either.

[GAHD]

old tek is old tek.

[xTcHero]

While I do get your point, such a VR device is not capable of rendering you unable to believe the difference between the virtual world and real world. You'll always know you're in the real world.

 

No matter how immersive it is, it will never be immersive enough to make you forget about the real world. I don't say the current so-called VR devices are bad, because they aren't, but I don't believe they are virtual reality. A virtual reality world is supposed to be capable of being so immersive, you can't distinguish the difference between the real world and the virtual one.

[KiritoSci]

I mean if you want VR then it really depends on what you really mean by VR. If you want it to be exactly the same as we have now, which is very effective you'll find if you try it, then the VR is simply the visuals of VR FullDive gives not only visuals but also the other senses. It also uses the brains signals as controls without actually moving the real body. So yes, I think the current VR is VR just not quite at what you would be aiming for if you were to try to make it.

[xTcHero]

I partly agree, but disagree that it's VR. It's a nice set of controllers and accessories; which is really awesome; but it's not VR. In that case, playing WoW on a computer screen is technically VR, just bad VR.

[KiritoSci]

Do you think so?

[xTcHero]

I don't, but if todays VR is VR, then I do.

 

Edit: and I have indeed tried todays VR.

Edited July 4, 2016 by xTcHero

[KiritoSci]

Ooh cool!