RIFTing reality; demo'ing 101 for the Oculus RIFT

December has already flown by without me getting much of a chance to post a topic. With holiday madness and a week spent interstate, a self-imposed deadline for a functional tech-demo and other commitments, I haven't had much of a chance to keep things updated. I had planned on making a post about some of the more specific issues faced when developing for virtual reality, however, I shall save that for another time. Instead, I thought I would summarise some of the lessons that I have learnt so far while demo'ing the RIFT and the assorted digital constructs. It's pretty incredible when people first "gaze through the looking glass" and have their first real glimpse at virtual reality. Unfortunately, I did not have the opportunity to setup a camera or record some of the more "enthusiastic" reactions this time around, as I had my hands full guiding demo's and doing my best to operate without a controller (something I had foolishly neglected to pack). It was either that or I was far too busy enjoying their responses (read: laughing my ass off) or providing support in some way (making sure they were enjoying themselves and/or handing out ginger as required). Never the less, I thought it might be a good idea to summarise some of the lessons I have learnt while demo'ing the RIFT and various virtual reality experiences to the public.

The first lesson is obvious - when traveling with your RIFT and other equipment (such as laptops, controllers and other gear) - ensure it is all well protected. While the Oculus RIFT itself comes in a very nice padded case with neat slots for all the parts, I have found it best stored in a padded backpack with some of the other equipment required for demos. Not only does this mean that you can take it on board as carry on luggage, it makes one less case to carry and will prevent any oportunistic thieves who may recognise either the Oculus logo or the PVC equipment case itself.  Secondly, carry a bottle of ginger concentrate or ginger pills with you. After working with the RIFT for a while, I have my "VR legs" and I consider myself aclimatised, yet nausea and motion sickness can strike even the most experienced of us and trust me when I say that ginger does indeed help. Also, limiting demo times to roughly fifteen minutes a turn for those not affected by motion sickness will help with aclimatisation and even if a person does not feel nausea during a demo, it can hit them *after* they take off the RIFT. Third, bring your own powerboard and any other cables and adaptors you think you will need for the demo. Never assume there will be enough power points, or atleast enough within reach. I have also invested in a USB-DC cable (you can buy premade or DIY) so that I can run the RIFT without taking up an extra plug for the power brick. This also allows you to run the whole lot off the gaming laptops battery should you need to either make it mobile or run without mains power.

USB to DC (Type M = 2.1mm ID) cable - USB 3.0 should be fine
<USB 2.0 *may* need twin USB connectors to provide adequate power>

Silicone Ninja strap - provides security for your RIFT

Along with the above lessons, also consider securing your RIFT control box with something so that if someone does accidentally drag the RIFT with them, your expensive equipment wont end up on the floor as well. Personally, I have an elastic ninja-strap that is looped around the control box. This way, I have a bit of give while preventing a potential catastrophy. Also, while demo'ing, it's best to use the Oculus calibration utility first to try and set it up optimally, thus providing a viewable experience. While in the rush of demo'ing and in cases where people's eyesight is either 20/20 or farsighted (longsighted) - it is often easier to just throw them in the demo. Personally, I try and avoid swapping lenses as the inside of the RIFT is a dust magnet and can be an absolute PITA to clean properly. I use the standard lenses with my glasses and I try and do this with others of shortsighted (nearsighted) vision. Of course, IPD calibration can make or break a users experience as well, so if possible this step should still be done. At this particular demo however, I was swamped with people wanting to try it out (which normally occurs at public demos), so it was straight into the RIFT with me asking a few questions to deturmine if their viewing was atleast within an acceptable range.


Some of the other lessons I have learnt when demo'ing...

Working with kids; Be prepared for things like getting sprayed in the face with buscuit crumbs. Especially when said biscuits are freely available and a kid pauses, mid chew, to ask a seemingly pertinant question. Lucky for me I wear corrective "safety glasses", so I avoided crumbs-to-the-eyeball, just consider this your fair warning. If possible, try to get the kids to hold the RIFT HMD too, as the size of the mask is ideally suited for big kids like myself (even if you have time to adjust the head straps for each child). Also, check to see if they are OK during their VR experience, silence and swaying can lead to dry heaves and possibly mess - this is one thing that affects both kids and adults though, so *always* be aware of the signs of motion sickness. It probably wont hurt to have a bucket on hand either, just in case. I am aware that there can be issues with children's exposure to 3D and how it is supposed to interefere with their depth perception development. However, small doses combined with plenty of breaks should be fine. I would probably advise against long-term use for children (like Nintendo has done with the 3DS), however, that's more my own $0.02 worth and not something I would consider a qualified opinion on the matter.

Working with seniors; Some are suprisingly accepting of virtual reality. I don't mean they have no problems with it, I have met some elderly users who flat out refuse to even try the RIFT. I am talking about how some seem unphased by how much of a "game changer" this new HMD is. I was able to setup a gallery for a family members birthday and loaded in some high-res scanned slides for them to look at. While they seemed impressed at being able to see their pictures inside a virtual gallery, the idea of being inside a digital world was almost a non-event for them. Whether or not this is because the digital age now ceases to suprise them as much or not is a discussion for another day. Personally, I still get a kick out of the size and capacity of USB flash drives from time to time, fondly recalling sneakernet and other limited storage solutions of the past (Zipdrive anyone?). Of course, not all seniors are like this and some of the best reactions have been from elderly users. One of my favorite reaction videos is this one <here>. However, my favorite "senior moment" with the RIFT thus far, is the grandma who was bedridden because of cancer. Oculus sent the developer a free dev-kit so that she could give gran a chance to "go outside and walk around" again. When the video of her doing this was posted on youtube, a comment led to the developer loading up the RIFT compatible version of Google maps street view. When the dev punched in gran's address, she was amazed to discover gran herself waving at the Google truck as it drove by the house. This means that this particular grandma is one of the lucky few who have been able to glimpse a virtual version of themselves through the RIFT!

gardening gran - read about it (and all the links) here on reddit

Finally, make sure the area around the user is clear and free of any obstacles and objects. If you thought a remote through your LCD or flatscreen was bad, be acutely aware that users are essentially blindfolded. They are usually unable to hear your proximity to them either (especially when wearing headphones) so make sure you approach with caution, especially if they are using tracking controllers like the Hydra/STEM. Even with just a RIFT and a controller in hand, users can still walk into things if you're not carefull and can even accidentally punch you or others when reacting suddenly to a perceived experience. Seated demo's can avoid some of these problems and when the Omni arrives next year, it will create a rather neat way of containing end-users range and scope that will prevent many of these very issues. The only other issues with demo'ing the RIFT I can think of would be one of minimising sweat buildup on the foam, something easily fixed with a bit of DIY thinking. Personally, I havent had much of an issue with this sort of problem, even with several demo's under my belt. There are plenty of solutions on the interwebs to account for this, from the rather simple "pack a headband" to lining the HMD with an aditional layer of removable foam that can be swapped out when one becomes particularly funky. Carefull use of sanitising spray and deodorisers can also help in this scenario. One more caution that I always make when discussing demo's and such, DO NOT  expose your RIFT to sunlight. While I have demo'd outside, it has always been done in the shade and I have never left the optics face up. I think I mentioned the sorry tale of a user who had bought a devkit off ebay once. They bought it in new condition, only to get it and find out the sellers act of photographing the HMD outside had caused the sun to burn two rather small but thorough damage points on the RIFTs display. The optics are focused at infinity after all!

Aldin Dynamics ASUNDER: EARTHBOUND

Darkfield ALPHA

HAWKEN with RIFT support ("borrowed" from IGN's website)

Next month I hope to cover the updated HAWKEN RIFT support as it would seem the reticule has been fixed in the latest patch, plus maybe more fixes and features. Also, Aldin Dynamics Asunder : Earthbound and the Darkfield Alpha build are next on my hitlist. While Darkfield is still in early Alpha 3 state, it promises to offer some rather neat galactic battles and with multiplayer on its way - gaining some early experience might prevent some of the more vicous PvP shenanigans I have witnessed (or experienced) in HAWKEN. Access to the current Alpha build starts at USD$15 and includes all future versions of the game (DRM free). Asunder : Earthbound is apparently more of a made-for-VR experience of its own rather than a game, but should be worth the USD$10 as Aldin Dynamics are the folks behind the rather excelent "Trial of the Rift Drifter" tech demo (still freely available on their website).