“Virtual reality” is a word immediately transports me to childhood, when, as a 10-year old boy, fascinated I watched the fantastic film “the Lawnmower man” shot on the script of Stephen king. Since then it has been more than 20 years, virtual reality has become close to people like never before. 2016 should be the beginning of a new era for the gaming industry and many other industries in which VR can be a serious tool for professionals. But which of the many VR headsets will be the best choice for consumers?
On the market this year are three major player. Each of them will offer consumers their unique vision of virtual reality, presented in the form of a unique gadget. Together, let us reflect that we will be able to offer these three manufacturers.
Oculus Rift
As you already know, Oculus VR, now owned by Mark Zuckerberg, officially announced the release date and the price of its Rift headset. Cost of this pleasure will be 599 $ or 699 euros when it comes to European countries and Russia. This should add another $ 1000 for a good computer with a graphics card of GTX 970. Expensive you say? Yes, it’s expensive. But, according to the founder of Oculus VR Palmer Varnishes, high-quality helmet virtual reality by definition can not be cheap, and even when the price is 599 dollars, the developers will not be able to earn anything on the sales Rift headset. The main profit the company sees in selling software, advertising and other additional services. Believe Palmer on the floor. He’s not going to blatantly lie to our faces. The guy seems sincere.
As for the technical side of the question, the Oculus Rift does offer a very high quality virtual reality for the money. Resolution 2160 1200 pixels allows you to display a clear stereoscopic image at 1080 1200 pixels for each eye. Can your current computer handle 233 million pixels per second? Picture will be updated with a frequency of 90 Hz, which will minimize dizziness and nausea caused by image blurring when moving your head. Horizontal viewing angle is greater than 90 degrees, closer to 100 degrees (the exact specs of the final version of the headset on this account are still there), and the diagonal angle is 110 degrees. Built-in headphones allow you to experience three-dimensional sound, which is critical for immersive VR. However, many are very upset with the fact that they cannot use their own, more professional and quality headphones.
Despite the high cost (and high it was considered even in the United States and Europe), the first batch of Oculus Rift, scheduled for sale at the end of March 2016, was sold out in the online store in 14 minutes. Russia, of course, was not included in the list of 20 countries where the headset can send by mail. So what do Russian customers have two options: either to buy a headset from the local dealers or use the delivery services of goods from the United States, some of which will bring you whatever you want.
Pros:
- High resolution matrix.
- High quality graphics in games.
- The refresh rate of 90 Hz picture.
- High angle view both horizontally and diagonally.
- Built-in headphones with 3D sound.
- The Xbox One controller in the kit.
- Complete the infrared tracker for tracking.
- Availability exclusive for Rift games.
- Support multiple developers.
Cons:
- The high price of 699 euros or 599 dollars.
- The Touch controllers, Oculus is still not available.
- Need to buy an expensive computer.
- You cannot use your own headphones.
Vive
Virtual reality headset Vive nobody was waiting for, but she was able to surprise many with its quality. There was no fundraising on Kickstarter, as in the case with Oculus Rift, no large-scale advertising campaign. The headset was just announced a Duo Valve and HTC without much fanfare. We still don’t know how much it will cost, but it is unlikely the price tag will be significantly lower than the cost of a Rift from its main competitor. Personally, I somehow get the feeling that Vive will cost even more expensive and one should expect the price of 700-800 dollars. But what is this headset better offspring by Oculus VR?
In terms of technical characteristics it is very similar to what we offer developers the Oculus Rift. A similar resolution 2160 1200 pixels and a similar picture 1080 1200 pixels for each eye. Similar to the refresh rate of the picture at 90 Hz. A similar angle of view on the diagonal equal to 110 degrees. A similar set of over 70 different sensors for orientation in space and complete the tracker to accurately track the user’s head. However the tracker in this case is not just an IR camera, as in the case of Rift, and the pulsed laser system installed in two points of the room. This allows the user to comfortably run and jump in the headset on the area of 4.5 by 4.5 square meters. The main thing is not entangled in wires.
An important difference from competitors is the availability of the Vive headset built-in front camera, through which at any moment by pressing a special button, the user can directly through the game to see the contours of his world, like augmented reality. Thus, you can, without removing Vive with heads, to communicate with the audience in the room with people looking at them on his virtual screen. It will also allow you to descend at the things around you in the midst of a virtual battle – the system will warn you if you approach him at a dangerously close distance, bringing their three-dimensional contours on the screen.
Vive headset to go on sale in April 2016, a month after the start of sales of the Oculus Rift. Pre-orders for it will start taking in February, but should first wait for the official announcement of the price of this VR device. And we should not forget that a powerful computer in this case does not hurt you. So it is time to start putting money aside.
Pros:
- High resolution matrix.
- High quality graphics in games.
- The refresh rate of 90 Hz picture.
- High angle view both horizontally and diagonally.
- The availability of a built-in camera headset.
- Laser tracking system in the kit.
- The ability to use your own headphones.
- The presence of a complete VR controllers.
- Support multiple developers.
- Full support for the Steam platform.
Cons:
- Presumably the high price.
- Need to buy an expensive computer.
- For games it is advisable to have a spacious bathroom.
PlayStation VR
Say what you will, but Sony is a direct competitor to companies Oculus VR and HTC/Vive. The PC market and the games console market exist in parallel planes, intersecting only in terms of multiplatform software. The main advantage of the Sony headset is no need to purchase expensive computer. But because of this, users will have to sacrifice high-quality graphics, which is able to issue only top-end PC from 1000 dollars and above. We can say that PlayStation VR is a virtual reality headset in the average level, which can give a lot of pleasant and even amazing emotions. But if you at least once try expensive PC headset, you will feel the difference in the picture quality.
Given that Sony is well aware of the situation with VR and the performance of its PlayStation 4 console, the company’s engineers had to make a bit of a trick to tighten up the specifications consoles for a new gadget. For these purposes the outer part of the calculations, which connects to the console and using the additional processor can improve the quality of graphics and increase the frame rate. This box will connect to the console, and it will cling to itself PlayStation VR headset. But thanks to this course, as well as the implementation of a particular algorithm for counting frames in games Sony will be available frequency of image refreshing at 120Hz, than can not boast of competitors. If the developers decide to redirect power from the frame rate to improve picture quality, they will also be available with a frequency of 60 Hz. Each developer will make that decision on their own, depending on their needs.
Almost everything you need for play with PlayStation VR has already 36 million users worldwide. Just as many PlayStation 4 units have been sold to date. Can I say that around the world today, one can count 36 million owners of graphics cards GTX 970 level? I don’t think so. Remember that if you already have a PS4 console and you are planning to purchase PlayStation VR headset, will also have to buy a camera the PlayStation Camera tracking LEDs on the headset housing, and an optional PlayStation Move controllers. However, you can play using a DualShock 4, because it initially built a glowing panel that tracks the camera in VR-games.
As for the specifications, the headset will offer an OLED screen with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels (960 x 1080 for each eye), and viewing angle of 100 degrees. Built-in speaker is not available, so you’ll be able to use any (wired or wireless) of your choice. The incomparable advantage of the PlayStation VR is the ability to draw picture games simultaneously on the TV screen and headset. So being in the room with you, people can see what you are playing, and help you with advice. Representatives of Sony do not exclude the possibility of asynchronous multiplayer where one player will see your character on TV, and the second in the headset. Thus they will not be able to peek at the screens to each other, being in the same room that give the game more excitement.
The price for the headset yet, but if you ask me, we should expect a price tag somewhere in the $ 400-500 level. Despite the claims of Sony executives that the PlayStation VR will be comparable in price with the PS4, in the end, everything may not be so simple. Helmet Sony have not got an official release date, but to appear on sale it needs in the first half of 2016. Most likely, we will hear more news on the 2016 exhibition GDC in March.
Pros:
- Presumably lower cost.
- The PS4 is much cheaper than a PC for 1000 dollars.
- The picture is displayed immediately on the TV screen and headset.
- The system includes the auxiliary processor.
- Refresh rate 120 Hz picture.
- The possibility of asynchronous multiplayer.
- High angle view both horizontally and diagonally.
- The ability to use your own headphones.
- Availability exclusive for PS VR games.
- Support multiple developers.
Cons:
- Graphics in games can not be compared with competitors.
- A lower resolution matrix.
- You need to buy a camera the PlayStation Camera.
- If you wish, you need to buy the PS Move controllers.
As you can see, each of the three headsets has its pros and cons, but we can already say that those who don’t mind spending on virtual reality is 1500-2000 dollars, will be to choose between two models of VR headsets. And people with a smaller budget will most likely opt for the Sony. Curious is the fact that each manufacturer will try to lure users towards itself with the help of exclusive games. Sony and Oculus VR, for example, have already established their own studios that are actively working on exclusives. About HTC rumors yet, but with the support of the Valve is not excluded. Just imagine what would happen if Half-Life 3 will be released exclusively for Vive? We’re with you it remains to be seen when all three headsets will go on sale, and we finally hear the first reviews about them not from journalists, but from ordinary people. Fortunately the wait is quite short.