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Virtual Realty Reviews

Oculus Rift

Oculus Rift Review

by By Audrey Liang - June 1, 2016
Review

When I was a teenager, one of my favorite science fictions was about virtual reality (VR). It described how a physically challenged boy felt healthy again and lived a different life in a fictitious game by wearing a magic headset. Today, the similar headset is no longer fiction. With Oculus' Rift, we all can immerse in virtual worlds. If you are a game fan and want to try virtual reality, the Oculus Rift would be a sound investment for you.

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The Oculus Rift is basically a headset with two light-emitting diodes (OLED) displays that present stereoscopic 3D images to you. It's also equipped with an integrated gyroscope and accelerometer, which work together with the low-latency constellation-tracking sensor to enable the sensation of presence. The result is that you need to turn your head physically to see the whole picture. Moreover, with the upcoming Oculus Touch, you will need to move your body to complete the task in a video game.

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To immerse in the virtual worlds by positional tracking is an advanced feature of VR, while some people, especially those who suffer from motion sickness during travel (sea, air, etc.), may feel motion sickness using VR devices. Trying to avoid the sickness, the Oculus sets different comfort levels for different games.

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The Oculus Rift is lightweight and comfortable to wear. There are three velcro straps to help you adjust the headset to fit your face, eyes and even ears. Rift's built-in headphones look ordinary but offer good 3-D audio that reflects both distance and direction accurately. That is why many people don't want to replace Rift's removable headphones. If you order an Oculus Rift, you will also get a remote control and an Xbox gamepad besides the headset and IR sensor.

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To set up an Oculus Rift, you need a midrange Windows PC rig, or you can choose the Oculus Ready PC. Then, you need to plug the headset into a USB 3.0 and HDMI ports, and you're all set. You also need the Rift store where you can find some VR games and other resources on Oculus. Virtual Reality is a big thing in 2016. As the inception products in this area, Oculus' Rift is a high-end VR headset that worth your investment.
 

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Highlights

  • State of the art displays and optics designed specifically for VR

  • Advanced display technology combined with its precise, low-latency constellation tracking system enables the sensation of presence

  • 1,200 x 1,080 resolution OLED screen for each eye

  • Xbox One controller included, Rift Controllers coming later

  • Remote control to navigate, home, back, select, and volume controls

  • Low-latency constellation head-tracking system

  • Requires NVIDIA GTX 970 / AMD R9 290 equivalent or greater

  • Needs Intel i5-4590 equivalent or greater

  • HDMI 1.3 video output

  • 3x USB 3.0 ports plus 1x USB 2.0 port

  • Windows 7 SP1 64 bit or newer

  • One year limited warranty

Pros

  1. The headset is light weighted and comfortable.

  2. It's capable of fully immersing you in virtual worlds.

  3. The built-in headphones offer clarity sounds.

  4. Simple setup.

Score

9.4

Cons

  1. More apps, games and accessories needed.

  2. Glasses wearers will need to deal with some slight discomfort.

  3. Might lead to motion sickness.

  4. Requires a Windows PC to work.

MS HoloLens

Microsoft HoloLens Review

by Mirna Rossi & Mikael Romo - January 19, 2016
Review

With the advent of the HoloLens, Microsoft has narrowed the gap between people and machine so we can transform ideas into holographic projects. The HoloLens is a headset you wear to fuel your productivity by working with holograms. It works with the Windows Holographic platform (part of Windows 10) whose function relies on principles of mixed-reality, which means you could get to see the world in a whole new light.

  

The HoloLens turns computer productivity into a 3D, interactive experience by making use of gaze, gestures, and voice. This cordless headset uses smart-glass, which places holograms into your environment, and its gaze-tracking technology centers an app you’re using onto the objects you look at. Its sensors take in information about your environment and what you do in it. It’s got a spatial sound system that allows you to localize sounds coming from exact locations relative to your holographic experience. HoloLens also recognizes gestures you make: with “air tap” you can interact with holograms and apps in front of you by using your index finger to bring them where they need to be. The unique device contains: an optical system that enables sensors, a powerful HPU (holographic processor), photo/video camera, speakers, and Wi-Fi capability. And of course, without wires or tethering to computers and smartphones, you can move all around the room with ease.

 

You can adjust the HoloLens to tilt up and down, forward and backward, according to your need. The product's usability depends on what you want to use it for. Architects and engineers will be able to visualize their designs and collaborate on them in ways that a screen doesn't allow. Video game artists can sculpt their characters and design levels, able to judge their creations with an immediate visual point of view.

 

Beauty is in the eye, hands, the voice of the beholder—whether you are a developer or video game designer, with Microsoft HoloLens, your ideas will bloom into impressive results. The HoloLens will be released in the later quarter of this year to developers, available only for mail-in orders. 
 

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Highlights

  • Revolutionizes human-computer interaction

  • Explore new worlds and commercial possibilities

  • Share your ideas for holographic apps

  • See into the future of product design with Autodesk

  • Connect, create, and explore like never before

  • Enabled by Windows 10

  • HPU/holographic processor 

  • No tethering

  • Senses movement and environment

  • Built-in speakers

  • Simple and comfortable design

  • Adjustable fit

  • Shipping will start in the first quarter of 2016

Pros

  1. Built-in quality

  2. Works over spectacles

  3. Excellent clarity of sound 

  4. Works on Windows 10, easy for developers to write apps

  5. Deeply engaging experience

Score

9.5

Cons

  1. 5.5 hour battery life 

  2. Hefty $3000 price tag

  3. Only for developers

  4. Still in development phase

Samsung Gear VR

Samsung Gear VR Innovator Edition Review

By Rachael Kalinyak - September 7, 2015
Review

Finally, with the release of Samsung’s Gear VR Innovator Edition, virtual reality has been introduced to the world. Powered by a smartphone, the easy to use, conveniently mobile entertainment device will not only amaze you but also immerse you into fantastical worlds. The comfortable headgear and mobile design allows for the system to be both transported with ease and worn for extended periods of time, making the Gear VR Innovator’s Edition an excellent choice for entertainment on the go, anytime and anyplace.

 

Compatible with the Samsung Note 4 and the Samsung S6 and S6 Edge, the Gear VR provides users with stereoscopic displays that are adjustable according to the wearer, allowing for those without 20/20 vision to enjoy the virtual reality experience as well. These displays, although only providing a limited field of vision, allow for both 3D and 2D images.

 

With the launch of Samsung’s first virtual reality content service, Milk VR, the Gear VR is even more attractive for gamers as it promises to deliver new content five days a week. Outside of Samsung’s Milk VR service, and due to the newer nature of the technology, new games and content are consistently being released on the virtual reality market, never allowing users to get bored. The Gear VR brings games to life as it tracks the head movements of the user paired with interactions from the trackpad, found on the right side of the device, and/or a separate controller, sold separately. And, with the integration of a USB port, the user is provided with the opportunity to plug in extra accessories or give the device more power as they are entertained.

 

Samsung’s Gear VR Innovator Edition is a great demonstration of technological capabilities and innovation and will forever be a collector’s item to cherish.

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Highlights

  • Easy to Use

  • State of the Art Mobile VR

  • Amazing Virtual Reality Anywhere

  • Access Milk VR - Virtual reality content service

  • Unimaginable Possibilities with Oculus 360 Videos app

  • Oculus 360 Photos give you a 360-degree environment surrounding yourself with panoramic still photos

  • VR Gallery lets you view photos from your mobile device

Pros

  1. Excellent head tracking 

  2. No perceptible lag

  3. Comfortable

  4. Not overly heavy

  5. Do not disturb feature

  6. Brilliant design to block out the outside world

  7. Charge while you play via USB

Cons

9.0

Score

  1. Not compatible with other smartphones or devices

  2. Some apps require use of an Android game controller - sold separately

  3. The lens tends to fog

  4. Phone overheats if games played for too long

  5. Battery drains very quickly 

  6. Pictures are in low resolution

  7. Content is limited

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