Author Topic: Rift's Price Drops  (Read 1109 times)

Offline Wraith_TMS

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Rift's Price Drops
« on: March 02, 2017, 12:21:26 PM »
I figured I'd give someone else a chance to catch this one but since no one has, I'll post this very good news  :old:

Oculus has bundled and reduced the price of its Rift _and_ Touch controllers by $200.  Link: https://www.oculus.com/rift/

You can now buy the Rift head-mounted display along with the Touch Controllers for $600.  The Touch controllers' price has been reduced to $100 (they were $200) and additional IR tracking cameras have been reduced to $59, if bought separately.   

More confirmation here: http://www.theverge.com/2017/3/1/14779460/oculus-rift-touch-vr-bundle-price-drop-200

« Last Edit: March 02, 2017, 12:47:49 PM by Wraith_TMS »
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Offline AAIK

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Re: Rift's Price Drops
« Reply #1 on: March 02, 2017, 01:29:33 PM »
A step in the right direction, but it still needs a long way to go before it can become really popular.

Offline Vulcan

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Re: Rift's Price Drops
« Reply #2 on: March 02, 2017, 02:12:50 PM »
Might indicate a new model not to far off.

Offline Skuzzy

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Re: Rift's Price Drops
« Reply #3 on: March 02, 2017, 02:14:43 PM »
Think it has more to do with the Vive kicking its tail in sales.
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Offline SIK1

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Re: Rift's Price Drops
« Reply #4 on: March 02, 2017, 10:27:42 PM »
Might indicate a new model not to far off.

Think it has more to do with the Vive kicking its tail in sales.

Either way I think it's good news for VR in general.

Now I just need a computer that can handle VR.

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Offline hotcoffe

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Re: Rift's Price Drops
« Reply #5 on: March 03, 2017, 04:13:25 AM »
Either way I think it's good news for VR in general.

Now I just need a computer that can handle VR.

 :salute
Sik

VR: Virtual Reality
AR: Augmented Reality


I personally think spending money on VR at the moment is just waste , consider AR coming in fast tho, within a year we will see all the VR systems becoming absolute and being replaced with AR so personally I am saving and waiting for AR systems to be come more affordable. ( I am quite happy with my Track IR and I see it will be enough next couple years ...)

example:
« Last Edit: March 03, 2017, 04:17:02 AM by hotcoffe »
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Offline Skuzzy

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Re: Rift's Price Drops
« Reply #6 on: March 03, 2017, 05:38:39 AM »
For most games, AR is not going to bring anything VR does not bring now.  For instance, in AR, we would still have to render the entire world.  AR is more about supplementing your existing reality rather than replacing it entirely.
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Offline hotcoffe

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Re: Rift's Price Drops
« Reply #7 on: March 03, 2017, 05:41:59 AM »
For most games, AR is not going to bring anything VR does not bring now.  For instance, in AR, we would still have to render the entire world.  AR is more about supplementing your existing reality rather than replacing it entirely.

your are exactly right and thats the reason why VR is a evolutionary dead end.( I dont think the games will stay the same (or gaming experience as we are used to it as in VR or regular game play), they will also become more real world integrated...)

example:
« Last Edit: March 03, 2017, 06:43:55 AM by hotcoffe »
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Offline Skuzzy

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Re: Rift's Price Drops
« Reply #8 on: March 03, 2017, 06:43:58 AM »
Not sure what the point of that was, but there will always be an application which can use any technology available, and AR is inclusive.  There are better examples of AR applications than what you picked.  Mostly engineering types of applications where the engineer can interact with what is being designed.  A true "what-if" application.

Now, hop into a Jeep and drive around in your AR headset.  Or into a cockpit and fly a plane.  As long as the entire world has to be replaced it is no better than VR.  That is the limitation for AR.
Roy "Skuzzy" Neese
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Offline eagl

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Re: Rift's Price Drops
« Reply #9 on: March 04, 2017, 09:46:04 PM »
AR is great for stuff you want to do in the real world.  Fighting monsters or other players in a large scale physical environment?  That's gonna be where AR shines.  Think Everquest in the real world.  Or Larry Niven's Dream Park.

Want to do stuff that is "impossible" in the real world, like fly in space, superhero stuff, or even fly/drive real vehicles that don't exist anymore or are too unsafe?  Then you're looking at either VR or high fidelity physical constructs with the complexity of a full-motion commercial aircraft simulator with AR added on top.  VR gets you most of that experience at a fraction of the cost.

HTC can put 100+ gamers around the world in a virtual spitfire cockpit, at a cost of maybe $3000 per player (PC, VR gear, joystick and/or other cockpit enhancements) using VR technology, with the cost absorbed by the players.  Using AR technology, it could cost upwards of a million bucks per player for the physical environment, with the costs paid for by HTC. 

Think about the costs involved for the motion-sim rides at amusement parks.  AR would enhance those rides quite a bit, but in the end people are standing in line for up to an hour for a 5-10 minute ride with 30 other people in seats bolted to a hydraulically manipulated platform with a big TV screen up front.  It's passive entertainment at this point, no real participant interaction at all.  Maybe AR will permit some participation but that's a long way away.  The Dream Park books are a vision of where it could go, but the physical infrastructure behind real AR gaming is going to be hugely expensive.  VR brings with it full player participation in impossible or extremely dangerous environments, at a fraction of the cost.  And the VR physical environment is as simple or complex as the player desires (or can afford) without costing HTC anything extra.


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Offline eagl

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Re: Rift's Price Drops
« Reply #10 on: March 04, 2017, 09:53:56 PM »
That said, imagine what Disney could do if they added AR overlays throughout Disneyland and Disneyworld.  Even that simple little rocket ride up on the tower that you can make go up or down would benefit from an AR overlay, giving you (for example) an asteroid field to duck and weave through.  People with the AR gear would see asteroids and could play that game, while the 3 yr old who just likes the idea of flying a rocketship would still enjoy the ride without a single piece of AR gear at all.

Or what if they mounted play cannons on the handgrips of the roller-coasters, and let you shoot at AR targets during the roller coaster ride?  That could be fun and give people a huge incentive to come back for repeat rides to improve their scores.  Might not even need physical objects mounted on the ride, if hand controllers or gloves are worn, so you could just point your finger and go bang bang :)

Tons of possibilities with AR.  But...  I don't think you're gonna get a full motion AR vehicle combat sim anytime soon.  VR's gonna have to do that until/unless someone like Disney puts down millions for full-motion sim cockpit platforms.

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Offline Vulcan

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Re: Rift's Price Drops
« Reply #11 on: March 05, 2017, 01:36:43 PM »
your are exactly right and thats the reason why VR is a evolutionary dead end.( I dont think the games will stay the same (or gaming experience as we are used to it as in VR or regular game play), they will also become more real world integrated...)

VR will still continue to evolve alongside AR. Increased resolution, better projection/display tech, headtracking tech etc.