The pain in my vrAse...

As mentioned previously, I recently became backers of two projects on Kickstarter, one called "360specs" and the other "vrAse".  Both of these campaigns launched around the same time and, while at first looking very similar to one another, these two are as different as night is from day. After the first few weeks of both their campaigns, the vrAse is on track to reach its funding goals, while the 360specs have yet to reach even five percent of their target. This however, may not just be because of a slick marketing campaign and active community like there is with the vrAse. Upon further investigation, the 360specs use fresnel lenses, which, according to Palmer Luckey (the inventor of the RIFT) "... kill contrast, add a variety of annoying artifacts, and don't actually save all that much weight. They don't help with form factor, either; Fresnels cannot come close to matching the focal length/magnification of other optics tech." (source). The vrAse use aspherical lenses, which is what the Oculus RIFT uses, however that is where the similarities end.

Before I go into detail about the differences between the two lens types, it is important to remember a few things about both campaigns. Both are effectively "only" a pair of head mounted holders for your smartphone/device, along with some form of optics to provide the required distortion for total immersion. No electronics, no software, just a plastic case that holds your smartphone (or even tablet) and the relevant lens of the projects choice. While 360specs hints at Unity integration, vrAse seems to be suggesting some sort of a custom ROM/Launcher in the form of the AetherAR (link) as their go-to solution. IMHO, vrAse seem to be overstating just how much of it you will be able to actually do with current model smartphone technology. While hinting at engine integration and 3D movie watching, it doesnt look as though either the vrAse or 360specs will be offering any software/SDK directly, instead rellying on developers to offer solutions along with made-for-VR applications etc.

vrAse photorealistic render (not actual product)

360specs early prototype

Ray Latypov, the creator of the 360specs (and inventor of the Virtusphere, a VR locomation device) says that fresnel lenses "...allows wider field of view; light weight, cost effective and give others flexibility in design...". Compartively, the Oculus RIFT and the vrAse use bi-convex lenses, while the 360specs have chosen plano-convex lenses. What all that geek-speak basically means is that the lenses in the 360specs are flat on one side while the vrAse lens types, like the RIFT, are convex on both sides of the lens.

While the concept of this sort of 3D viewer isn't new, it is only in recent times that smartphone technology has started to pack the required hardware/software and sensor fusion required to create an immersive experience. Projects like FOV2GO (link) and Durovis's opendive project (link) show how, outside of the kickstarter community, users can create their own versions of what vrAse and similar projects offer. For example, purchasing the opendive lens kit and 3D printing the case and holder, can end up being relatively cheap to make a DIY version. One caveat however, is that unless your smart device supports direct USB connections and/or has appropriate software, additional hardware (such as certain controllers, external sensors, positional tracking etc) will not work "out of the box". This could be a bit of an issue when encountering things like drift and other problems that introduce disconnects between the virtual world and the user.

opendive3D demo running one of the four stereoscopic demo's

For those who are, like myself, skeptical as to just how low-latency something like an integrated graphics chip and an on-board gyro/accelerometer can be - there is an example that you can get running on your android based device right now. Using a smartphone with this opendive demo app (link), you can get an idea of what sort of experience your device may provide. Keep in mind, however, that as far as high fidelity graphics are concerned, even if your smart device has the latest Tegra based GPU and cutting edge display - it is unlikely that you will come anywhere near close to the fidelity of  a dedicated setup like the Oculus RIFT can offer, for obvious reasons. Especially once the consumer version of the RIFT hits the market sometime in late 2014/ early 2015. Of course, as smart phone technology improves, we will see advancements in these fields and I think that, despite these current limitations, the potential is definately there. Perhaps not as a direct competitor for the RIFT,  more like a low-cost/entry point into the emerging virtual world(s). The portability of a setup like this definately has its appeal, even when compared to a RIFT and laptop configuration. It seems to me that these sort of products are geared more towards the "casual gamer" and other, less tech-savy crowds.

The one thing I do dislike about the vrAse project (aside from the misleading marketing in the Kickstarter and on their website), is the name of the product. Personally, while I think it could benifit from a better name ("mybae tehy suohld rtehnik tehir pdorcut nmae?"), having something that encourages discussions on forums can only help a Kickstarter project acheive notoriety. While this sort of thing may not get the developer support at the same level as something like a dedicated HMD can, fortunately much of the content developed for VR can be ported relatively easily. Obviously, however, current issues facing development using distortion shaders and optics that involve UI (user interface) and resolution/Pixels per inch(PPI)/aspect ratio will continue with products like this and other VR HMD devices.

In other news and before this post becomes TLDR, I will wind it up by mentioning the STEM kickstarter by Sixense (here). Effectively, a wireless version of the Hydra with improvements in tracking and many other areas, the STEM system was funded within four hours of its campaign launch. By funding production through Kickstarter, Sixense have been able to avoid Razer's bloated software and drivers. Also, HAWKEN continues its open-beta with very much alpha Oculus RIFT integration being provided in its massive Ascension patch. It still requires manual IPD adjustment, additional tweaking and the text is quite unreadable (the alpha support was designed for the HD version of the devkit). However, I did not get as much motion sickness as the last time I tried it and clipping outside of the mech/kill cam issues have been addressed with hints at future HUD integration also on display. A more detailed post discussing my experiences with this will follow soon.

My MSY MSI and my marketing moan...

 I recently decided it was time to buy a new laptop. Having the gaming rig is awesome and all, you just can't beat the portability of a laptop. While there is nothing quite like gaming in full high definition, surrounded by sound, being fully immersed within the virtual world and becoming captivated by whatever story or adventure you are on - having something that can fit into a backpack and be taken with you, wherever you want to go, can make demo/developing/gaming-on-the-go a whole lot simpler.

Having to cart around the Shinobi Stormtrooper rig is no fun either, especially as the case alone weighs in at 12.6 kilograms, which ends up being even heavier when you add the weight of all the hardware too. Having a laptop obviously reduces many of the problems/logistics faced when confronted with having to cart a full sized PC (and all the other hardware it requires) about, and while most standard gaming laptops aren't exactly lightweights compared to other laptops/tablets/etc, all gaming spec laptops/devices have dedicated GPU's and usually aren't cheap. Also, if you want to game for more than a couple of hours, you will need access to a power point as most gaming devices available have limited battery life. Having a gaming capable laptop will now allow me to demo the RIFT much easier and let me showcase/work-on my own content while I am on the road. As a bonus, it also just happens to play most modern games in high fidelity and the creative labs sound isn't bad, although it's no competition to a good set of ear-cans :)

my new MSI laptop; not all G-Series laptops come with back-lit keys. while it is often pictured with them online, this particular model (GE70 2OC-0371AU) does NOT have them - despite it having the steel series chiclet keyboard.

 While the latest and greatest gaming laptop models can cost upwards of $4,500, you can still pick a decent machine for around the $1,500 mark - anything less than that and it is unlikely that you will end up with a model that has a dedicated GPU (most likely having only the integrated graphics or a low-end GPU). Personally, while initially I didn't want to spend more than $1500 - after seeing what another $200 could get me in features (better GPU, more RAM,  SSD boot drive and a larger (17.3") screen) - I opted to spend that little bit extra. Being able to check it out at my local MSY retail outlet as opposed to online, allowed me to take it home direct from the store without having to wait for shipping and it came supplied with 16GB RAM instead of the factory standard 8Gb. The only downside was that it comes standard with windows 8, which means that if I wanted to "downgrade" to windows 7, I would need to buy a copy of it as most modern laptops come with windows 8 as standard. Although, strangely - no external product key sticker either - something I must now use other software to obtain. Guess it's finally time for me to give into Microsoft's latest OS and hope there are enough hacks to make it run like *WINDOWS* should (hint: search for "start8" in the app store). For those who want specifics, I ended up buying the MSI GE70 2OC-037AU for a total of $1,699.

I have also backed two more "VR" projects on Kickstarter.  Oculus posted information about the "vrAse" on their feed and, despite some initial reservations between this one and another similar project (see "360specs"), both are basically "just" the plastics, headband and optics, and have no actual hardware (such as a positional trackers) and both have limited software support. While there are clear differences between the two projects (vrAse uses aspheric lenses while the 360specs use fresnel), the main difference in the amount of support garnered from the Kickstarter community and VR/AR enthusiasts at this early stage, comes down to marketing. while I plan on making another post looking at both of these HMD "shells" and other similar devices in more detail soon, I must warn you that for the remainder of this post (after the pics), I will be ranting a bit about marketing a Kickstarter campaign etc.

photorealistic render of the vrAse with a white smartphone
(download and zoom in to see how a photorealistic-renders works)

Ray Latypov wearing the "360specs" prototype.
If the name sounds familiar, it is because Ray Latypov
helped co-create the Virtusphere, a VR locomotion platform

Ok, ignoring differences in the actual reward on offer, there is a significant difference in how the two campaigns have been run so far. to start with, vrAse went public a week before the KS launch, which probably led to Oculus announcing the launch within its community of developers. while this helped get the almost-critical spike in support from day one, there are many more reasons why the vrAse has reached almost half of its funding goal inside a week. While early interest isn't a guarantee of success, having that initial rush often leads to other backers pledging early and while it is inevitable that not all backers will remain backers by the time the campaign winds up, it helps bring in additional supporters. The other way that vrAse's campaign leads the 360specs is that the creators are actively answering questions and wording replies well in the comments section, despite the obvious fact that English is not their native language. This shows potential backers that the "company" has good customer services and an interest in feedback, despite being "just" a Kickstarter. Yet all of these factors aren't really what makes me moan about marketing - It is what it is and there are, of course, countless other details required for running a successful KS campaign that I will simply skip for now.

What really seperates the two projects and is the focus of this marketing moan is the campaign video that vrAse has chosen to run. Despite it being a "proven" way to entice backers, it is an easy way to scare off as many as it attracts. The vrAse campaign is all music and video with fancy graphics and well designed logos. Questions in the forums, some suspecting copyright issues with music used, and the video showing people happily using software and functionality that simply does not exist yet in the mobile space, often leads to negative adoption. While it is true that this may not be the case by the time backers get their rewards, it can be incredibly misleading to Joe or Jane public who thinks they will be able to fire up a ton of content from day one. Oculus navigated these tricky waters by making it abundantly clear that it was a developer kit, and, while some concession to the fact that the vrAse Kickstarter is purely a HMD "shell" - it could be construed as misleading. Even more so when you revise the entire campaign page that was submitted and approved and take the campaign as a whole. In contrast, the 360specs video ends up far too "plain" and this, combined with the creators lack of communication - has seen initial funding problems exacerbate. It's a shame really, because while I have my own personal doubts over whether or not the optics on the 360specs may or may not present problems, it is sad how some projects suffer from poor marketing/management rather than bad ideas. Who knows, maybe the fresnel lens used in the 360specs isn't as bad as its made out to be by the likes of Palmer and other VR enthusiasts/devs. I for one would welcome such innovations, and if it means me trying it myself for <$100, then we shall see... excuse the pun. If only because it is this sort of thing that can make VR/AR more readily accessible to the rest of the general public when us dev's and geeks start launching products/projects of our own.</rant>

if you want a perfect example on how marketing and media
influence the masses, take a look at the recent Australian election result.
sneaky tricks, media blackouts and Rupert Murdoch will cost Australia, DEARLY.

<*sniff*> goodbye NBN, it was a nice dream while it lasted :(