This course will introduce students to emerging technologies used in storytelling from Virtual Reality headsets, to 360 Video to Robots. Students will have the opportunity to learn and work with the latest VR hardware including the Oculus Rift and the HTC Vive.
Before this class, I had already had a good bit of interaction with VR on the Samsung Gear. Because of this, I already had a good baseline for what VR worked like. However, I was really excited to experience some of the higher level VR devices like the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift. That being said, I found that I was far more impressed with the Vive. The Oculus wasn’t bad at all, but because I had used the Gear already it didn’t feel as new to me.
Interaction and Software
As far as interaction goes the Vive definitely won by a landslide. The most notable aspects were the rumbling of the handheld controllers and the ability to establish a “walk room”. Being able to walk around in the virtual space you created is so unique and adds to the entire experience greatly. It made me feel more immersed in the game as opposed to the Oculus, which used a stable viewpoint and no walking. Additionally, the Vive controllers provided yet another unique way to interact with the virtual environment. I loved how there was rumble feedback when your “hands”, “swords”, or anything else the controllers represented came in contact with each other or other objects in the game. The Oculus did have its own set of controls, but it was more like you were just playing normal video games while seeing things in a different view. However, I did find the “robot battle” game/experience to be super cool.
The software for both was very impressive, although the games I interacted with on the Vive were a little more impressive to me. In particular, I found the underwater observation game to be the most amazing software-wise. The entire environment seemed to be animated, but the quality and realism of the image made it feel as if I was in the center of a nature documentary.
Graphics and Design
The graphics of both sets were fairly advanced compared to what you would expect. I think that it’s hard enough to make a good VR app or game, so the fact that they were both able to integrate very acceptable graphics was really awesome to me.
The physical design of the two was slightly different, but still very reminiscent of the standard VR headset to me. The Vive did have a fair amount of external wires due to the intense processing methods, but I’m interested to see if they will be able to make it more compact like the Oculus one day.
Overall Experience and Opinions
Overall, I honestly thought they were both great. I did enjoy the Vive more, but I think that was just because it felt the newest to me due to my VR experience. I thought the Oculus was a good step up from the Gear VR than I’m used to, and the possibility to integrate it with Xbox games presents so many great opportunities for both developers and players. I can’t wait to see the apps and games that are continually developed for both. Personally, I would love to see a strong divide between the two in the future so that each can focus on their strengths. I realize this may not be a popular opinion, but I would like to see the Vive keep its unique handsets and I would like to see the Oculus develop their own strengths in the world of VR gaming.
Before this class, I had already had a good bit of interaction with VR on the Samsung Gear. Because of this, I already had a good baseline for what VR worked like. However, I was really excited to experience some of the higher level VR devices like the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift. That being said, I found that I was far more impressed with the Vive. The Oculus wasn’t bad at all, but because I had used the Gear already it didn’t feel as new to me.
Interaction and Software
As far as interaction goes the Vive definitely won by a landslide. The most notable aspects were the rumbling of the handheld controllers and the ability to establish a “walk room”. Being able to walk around in the virtual space you created is so unique and adds to the entire experience greatly. It made me feel more immersed in the game as opposed to the Oculus, which used a stable viewpoint and no walking. Additionally, the Vive controllers provided yet another unique way to interact with the virtual environment. I loved how there was rumble feedback when your “hands”, “swords”, or anything else the controllers represented came in contact with each other or other objects in the game. The Oculus did have its own set of controls, but it was more like you were just playing normal video games while seeing things in a different view. However, I did find the “robot battle” game/experience to be super cool.
The software for both was very impressive, although the games I interacted with on the Vive were a little more impressive to me. In particular, I found the underwater observation game to be the most amazing software-wise. The entire environment seemed to be animated, but the quality and realism of the image made it feel as if I was in the center of a nature documentary.
Graphics and Design
The graphics of both sets were fairly advanced compared to what you would expect. I think that it’s hard enough to make a good VR app or game, so the fact that they were both able to integrate very acceptable graphics was really awesome to me.
The physical design of the two was slightly different, but still very reminiscent of the standard VR headset to me. The Vive did have a fair amount of external wires due to the intense processing methods, but I’m interested to see if they will be able to make it more compact like the Oculus one day.
Overall Experience and Opinions
Overall, I honestly thought they were both great. I did enjoy the Vive more, but I think that was just because it felt the newest to me due to my VR experience. I thought the Oculus was a good step up from the Gear VR than I’m used to, and the possibility to integrate it with Xbox games presents so many great opportunities for both developers and players. I can’t wait to see the apps and games that are continually developed for both. Personally, I would love to see a strong divide between the two in the future so that each can focus on their strengths. I realize this may not be a popular opinion, but I would like to see the Vive keep its unique handsets and I would like to see the Oculus develop their own strengths in the world of VR gaming.