It has been a while since my last post, offering STEM based news has been on the back-burner for a while. With a harsh winter, lots of nurturing, and the realisation that I want to go out of the house to work, but can't, I return once again to talk about the new wave in STEM and beyond.
I have been a huge fan of Virtual Reality since the early 90s, It may have been mentioned in prior texts that I longed for the VFX1 in 1995(ish). This was a highly developed peripheral (at the time) offering a chance to step into a polygonal-world. By the standards that were set by Oculus a few years ago, this is now a dinosaur. My own knowledge was to grow drastically after a college study saw me use popular culture and new technologies to aid in my presented endeavours.
I was always going to jump on the wagon and get my hands over one of the latest headsets. I decided, early on, to pre-order an Oculus DK1 (Developer-Kit-1) headset, I waited months for the box to arrive and loved the use of it and what it taught me. That headset was quickly superseded, the DK2 (Developer-Kit-2) was better on the eyes, but it was when the CV1 was released that the DK1 headset turned into more of an ornament than that of a digital peripheral.
I have now moved on. This week, I became the proud owner of a HP Windows Mixed Reality (WMR) headset. It is specified as an underdog to the HTC Vive and the Oculus setups, but having configured it, it is NOT far behind! The stark difference between my old headset, compared to this, is, quite frankly, staggering; it has a resolution that sits miles ahead of the DK1. To cap off the history and present trends, I will just say one thing. With a plethora of units on the market, they all have their place regardless of which hardware they are attached to. Cost is a big factor, with the former setups costing at least twice the price of what I paid out on the WMR headset. Money aside, let's get on with my thoughts...
The HP headset is well-made and is comparable to the other WMR headsets on the market with only the viewing width being its moderate downfall. I found that this was quickly forgotten about as I stepped into the Cliff House that adorns the new updates from Microsoft.
What I love the most, though, is the ease of setup. I read about users that hated the idea of it being within Windows, seeing it as a problem. I have seen simplicity at its finest! I love that the update has given me a quick VR experience. With the headset fully connected, dropping the eyepiece down onto your face (a great feature) puts you into your virtual-home within two-seconds. Once setup, Steam is accessible with SteamVR and its sister plugin, SteamVR for Windows Mixed Reality, opening the headset to the Vive's world. What a boon! I love this headset, the controllers are highly impressive, too. Many have been disappointed by the scope of controller use, seeing them disappear behind the head is an annoyance that is down to the integrated spacial-cameras on the front. (More about these in a moment.) I have had no problem with this. As I used the software, I felt more comfortable having the controller's avatars in sight, anyway.
The spacial-cameras act like the sensors that come with the other headsets. These, however, are built in. Some might say that this can have its problems, but so far, this has only served to make things easier. On the whole, I have adopted this later than many and I know that there were some real issues at the beginning, but now, its all smiles from me! The biggest hurdle is the computer 'spec' requirements. It is obvious that you will need a big machine, but this has left many in the dark, dreaming of owning such technology. Comparisons? The HP, along with much of the other headsets in the range, need a lot less to get decent frames-per-second. This allows entry-level systems to be in the market, too.
Before I summarise with my final thoughts, I want to share the feeling of putting it on my face for the first time:
Once it was setup and the odd wrinkle ironed out, I tightened it to my face. I spent time to centre my pupils, minimising the blurry movement that can occur. I flipped it down and saw the tutorial spark up. Her delightful voice spoke to me, showing me what to do and introducing my eyes to the mighty Cliff-House. My first action was to swoosh the controllers around, using the pointed beams as light-sabres. (Yes, I included the sound effects!) I saw the holograms and impulsively added a floating spaceman to my porch.
After getting Steam up and running, I found out how to add the Netflix screen to my cinema-space. I then sat and watched the final minutes of an episode I had been watching. It really does feel like a huge screen ahead of you! (My favourite bit about this room is the night-switch. Pressing it will remove the walls and ceiling and give you a night sky that blankets the mountainous vista in front of you. What a delight!)
In Summary:
VR is really moving and I am a proud to be part of it. MY own projects in VR are under-way, some that have been on the cards for almost thirty years. The level of technology has moved with the ease of development, opening the industry to people like myself that can now step inside.
It is quite apparent that the commercial success will rely on the marketers aiming the wares at the gaming community in the opening years. The industry, though, is clearly aiming at the VR converted. It needs to attack the common individual, and maybe fight for attention from those that adopted the mobile phone so easily. As technology is unhinged, we are set to see new enterprise rise from the slump. I used to vision a 'Lawnmower Man' type scenario, spinning on a virtual plain or playing a Tron-type cycle battle. It is good to see films released that, once again, harness the use of headsets, Ready Player One is the modern equivalent that seeks to draw the believers and to coax a few more.
Social media and chat-spaces are all heading to Goggleville, as the technology moves to even higher climbs, will more people share their lives in a virtual setting, and if so, how bad could this be for humanity? My thoughts are straight forward, if treading carefully, this could be a saviour. My love for VR was always about 'possibility'! those that are less fortunate could have what they are missing. My biggest love is the thought of simulation. Anybody that knows me, knows that I am a simmer at heart, and love the pretend worlds that can be used to benefit my own emotional and physical future. For now, I hope this continues to grow, I for one, am sticking with it and truly love my new toy!
For further VR output, look at: Stem-and-Learning-Cycle
Written for BeingSTEM - 2018
(All writings are written with my own ideals in the hope of aiding others, some day.)
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