Playstation 4 Or Xbox One? (See mod warning in the first post)

Captain Chaos

Captain Chaos wrote: »

I'd put more confidence into VR than the 3D malarky that still does not work great 30 years later. VR is really going places though.

3D gaming is fantastic and really can add to the experience. Even for films it can be a lot of fun, long as its not a cheap post conversion.

jenjenten

microst have halo, and now sony have their own tv series called Powers http://www.deadline.com/2014/03/sony-pictures-tv-to-produce-drama-series-powers-for-playstation/#more-701727

Retr0gamer

My concern with the VR headset is that the PS4 just isn't powerful enough. You really need rocksteady 60 FPS framerates otherwise the illusion breaks down and you end up with headaches and motion sickness.

RasTa

Good first review here

Solanimus - DavidHK ‏@Solanimus 3m

Picture of me being the first to demo sony's project Morpheus #GDC2014




So the resolution is not an issue for Morpheus. The depth is good, comfort is good... Not best tracking, but can be fixed I think. I'm definitely looking forward to developing for Morpheus. #GDC2014

Morpheus did not feel the same as oculus. I mean that in more than one way. The only thing I would have liked more besides tracking is that the sound was too quiet so I could not hear the nuances of the sound work done by Sony.

The first demo I played was The Deep. I was inside a cage going underwater and got attacked by a shark. The second demo was one where I could move more freely; punching and shooting in a medieval setting. I got eaten by a dragon. Both demos looked impressive graphically and the depth was very well done. Bubbles close and wreckage far away in the deep. The current downsides for Sony to work through: tracking, quicker resetting of calibration, and perhaps the sound.

What currently sets Morpheus apart from what I've done with oculus is the clarity of very near and far as well as full body tracking, and overall comfort of course. The consumer version of Morpheus (as this was a prototype) will hopefully have more precise tracking with good calibration, and good 3dsound. I must emphasize the comfort. Morpheus is very comfortable; I didn't even think about that I was wearing it until I got asked in an interview.

Project Morpheus gets Sony a gold star so far.

norrie rugger

Hoping that, as they are designing it specifically with PS4 hardware, they may get the most from it.

Unlike PC headset where all types of hardware must be catered for

ShadowHearth

norrie rugger wrote: »

Hoping that, as they are designing it specifically with PS4 hardware, they may get the most from it.

Unlike PC headset where all types of hardware must be catered for

I dont really think this is an issue with PCs and Oculus Rift. As long as hardware can produce steady needed FPS its all up to Game itself and Oculus Rift.

As Retro said, I would be more worried of PS4 power limitations then anything else.

COYVB

ShadowHearth wrote: »

As Retro said, I would be more worried of PS4 power limitations then anything else.

I'm sure the PS4 development was happening in tandem with Morpheus development - they'll have made the machine partially with this in mind

Retr0gamer

COYVB wrote: »

I'm sure the PS4 development was happening in tandem with Morpheus development - they'll have made the machine partially with this in mind

It's more that to work with the device graphics will have to be downgraded significantly to get it to run at stable framerates. Most current games aren't a stable 60FPS and you'll see as the platform matures that developers will start letting things like frame tearing or dropping to 30FPS to get more detail in their games. 30FPS just doesn't work on these headsets you need 60FPS and then there's the overhead of rendering two screens, even if the amount of pixels is halved on both.

Case in point, look at how plain Metal Gear Rising looks in comparison to other games just so it could maintain 60FPS. Games made to work with the VR device will have compromised graphics in comparison to games that don't.

On PC since it's a dynamic system those concerns are moot.

Varik

Retr0gamer wrote: »

My concern with the VR headset is that the PS4 just isn't powerful enough. You really need rocksteady 60 FPS framerates otherwise the illusion breaks down and you end up with headaches and motion sickness.

Was kinda skimming through a oculus video where they mentioned a valve study showing something about black refresh screen rather than a higher frame rate giving better results for a smooth experience.

Retr0gamer

Varik wrote: »

Was kinda skimming through a oculus video where they mentioned a valve study showing something about black refresh screen rather than a higher frame rate giving better results for a smooth experience.

Any idea how that works? I'm guessing it tries to stimulate the blinking in shutter glasses and it would only really work on an OLED screen which the current Sony model doesn't have. The LCDs I imagine will still have significant ghosting.

Otacon

Retr0gamer wrote: »

Any idea how that works? I'm guessing it tries to stimulate the blinking in shutter glasses and it would only really work on an OLED screen which the current Sony model doesn't have. The LCDs I imagine will still have significant ghosting.

Eurogamer Article

There is one other setback to Morpheus right now, though it's one that's likely to be remedied throughout the development process. Motion blur is much more pronounced on Morpheus than it is on Oculus' DK2, and image quality is also noticeably not quite on par. Both are running at 1080p, but Morpheus' decision to go with LCD displays rather than the OLED used on Oculus hurts it a little - good thing, then, that Sony's already looking at exploring OLED for its own device.

johnny_ultimate

Isn't this the great challenge facing VR gaming: it needs the resources of someone like Sony to break through to the mainstream, and yet needs the adaptability of top tier PC gaming to perhaps reach its fullest potential. The PS4 will undoubtedly be pushed in achieving 1080p 60FPS x2, and yet the people with PCs capable of achieving the same or better will be a significant niche. Certainly the barrier of entry to Oculus Rift is far greater than the price of the device alone, whereas Sony will benefit from a consistent userbase and hardware. It'll be interesting, no doubt about that.

Retr0gamer

I can see Sony's VR headset being a hell of a lot more expensive due to corporate pressure to turn a profit on it. It would be a big shame if it prices itself as a niche product with little support because there's a lot of potential there.

wrt40

I'm not getting what the fuss is to be honest. Putting a pair of goggles on with 90 degree angle with movement still controlled by a controller, so what? You can get just as fully immersed in a game with a big tv, decent sound system and the lights dimmed. Probably more immersive. They used to have VR arcades in that place near leicester square, London back in the mid 90's and I don't see any improvement in the technology today. The only promising development I have seen is Nasa pairing up the Oculus rift with Kinect. But it'll be another console generation before we ever see something like that, if at all.

pillphil

I'd forget about FPS's, they aren't going to work as well as, say, a racing game with a wheel and a rift. Or a flight sim, or a genre I hope will return, car based shooters. Luckey and Wild anyone?

Retr0gamer

wrt40 wrote: »

I'm not getting what the fuss is to be honest. Putting a pair of goggles on with 90 degree angle with movement still controlled by a controller, so what? You can get just as fully immersed in a game with a big tv, decent sound system and the lights dimmed. Probably more immersive. They used to have VR arcades in that place near leicester square, London back in the mid 90's and I don't see any improvement in the technology today. The only promising development I have seen is Nasa pairing up the Oculus rift with Kinect. But it'll be another console generation before we ever see something like that, if at all.

I thought the same until I was in my game dev course and our teacher brought in an oculus rift. Really you have to experience it to understand it, it's a whole new level of immersion. Needless to say nothing got done that day

CiDeRmAn

The PS4 isn't being asked to produce 1080px2, it's being asked to provide the same resolution but split between two displays, split down the vertical. So there will be extra grunt needed for the two images but they, combined, will be 1080p, then you hit the 60fps wall that Retr0 mentions, needed to produce a smooth non nauseous display.

Robert ninja

Isn't the minimum fps for optimum VR experience above 60 anyway? I read it's 75-95. Is Sony's device connecting via HDMI 2.0 or optical cable? I think HDMI 1 might be a little dated for this.

RasTa

wrt40 wrote: »

I'm not getting what the fuss is to be honest. Putting a pair of goggles on with 90 degree angle with movement still controlled by a controller, so what? You can get just as fully immersed in a game with a big tv, decent sound system and the lights dimmed. Probably more immersive. They used to have VR arcades in that place near leicester square, London back in the mid 90's and I don't see any improvement in the technology today. The only promising development I have seen is Nasa pairing up the Oculus rift with Kinect. But it'll be another console generation before we ever see something like that, if at all.

I take it you've used the rift or Sony's prototype to form this opinion?

Pushtrak

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

Isn't this the great challenge facing VR gaming: it needs the resources of someone like Sony to break through to the mainstream, and yet needs the adaptability of top tier PC gaming to perhaps reach its fullest potential.

I know this gen is young, but it seems the solution is clear: Waiting for the PS5, no? I mean, aside from the obvious technical improvements brought about by a new console, price reduction and peripheral included in console are going to be important factors.

wrt40

RasTa wrote: »

I take it you've used the rift or Sony's prototype to form this opinion?

No and I'll reserve judgement until I do. Until then I can form whatever opinion I like and I don't get the fuss. Granted I haven't used VR in about 20 years and there's no doubt it's improved. But as a concept, strapping a device to your head so you can look around, I'm not getting the big fuss. It's certainly nothing new that's for sure. I'm also very surprised the hardware is still so bulky, apart from improved display there hasn't been any progression in the past 20 years. We should be looking at lightweight, wireless google glass type hardware by now.

Rossin

some of the reactions from people using them on youtube are class, they really look blown away

tok9

I was when I used it. It's an amazing experience with the rift and some headphones on. Total immersion.

The only thing that annoys me is that it's been around with ages and we're still a good bit off a consumer version. Not expecting Sony's VR headset for another year or 2 either.

kunst nugget

tok9 wrote: »

I was when I used it. It's an amazing experience with the rift and some headphones on. Total immersion.

The only thing that annoys me is that it's been around with ages and we're still a good bit off a consumer version. Not expecting Sony's VR headset for another year or 2 either.

The thing that annoys me is that I'll keep knocking over my beer when I want to take a swig during the cutscenes…

Pushtrak

I'd really suggest people keep expectations in check with regard to VR console integration with regard to this gen. It really seems like a recipe for disappointment. I'm already considering this just the R&D and beta testing stage, honestly.

johnny_ultimate

To Sony's credit, they're being realistic about the limitations. They've stated they're aiming for games developed specifically for Morpheus and VR rather than trying to port existing ones. That at least will means the games have a better chance of being optimised for the device.

I'd be very surprised if we're playing Battlefield 5 or their ilk on Morpheus. But then it's probably always going to be the specifically designed games that play best, at least at first. It will indeed be at least another console generation until VR is deeply integrated - and that's assuming it takes off as well as many hope it will.

Pushtrak

Good video that is about Oculus/VR.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGmy1V1u_ko

Retr0gamer

CiDeRmAn wrote: »

The PS4 isn't being asked to produce 1080px2, it's being asked to provide the same resolution but split between two displays, split down the vertical.

That's not exactly true. It's rendering at two screen with half the pixels as 1080p which together make a 1080p image but it's still got to render the scene twice from two different angles. There are some work arounds this, and Sony's previous attempts at 3D gaming were very clever at this, but it's still taking processor cycles.

CiDeRmAn

Well, I can't wait to see where this device takes us.
Sony will hopefully deliver a polished experience and, if there's one think my rather unused Move has demonstrated, they aren't afraid to produce some really interesting applications, from the predictable, as a light gun analogue, to the quite cool, the Wonderbook.
Here's hoping they only release software that is tailored for the format because, as sure a MS were trying to convince us that the Kinect is a different format to the 360, the Morpheus surely will be just that.

CiDeRmAn

Can we assume a legacy mode for playing standard PS4 games on a giant virtual screen with surround sound, in 2d I wonder? BluRay similarly on a giant virtual screen?
Seems a shame to miss that trick.