So, two computers are now complete. I have taken a piece of garbage, which I kind of bought by accident along with a monitor and souped it back up to respectability for storage, and I have added some rocket fuel to my now somewhat elderly retired server. I am now awaiting two pieces of equipment to build a VR ready machine for around £300. If anyone is interested, I will post some instructions on how to get VR ready and mildly futureproofed for under £1000.
Why do I need a VR ready machine when I have little time to play games? Because I plan to make some.
For those who question the usefulness of VR – here are the basics from wikipedia- What is VR
I think it is going to revolutionize education, personally, but I do not plan to leave it in the hands of dull witted educators to make a mess of it. Learning is an adventure, not an excuse for a bunch of browbeaten and unimaginative people to access grants and hold interminable meetings.
How can I be so confident that I am capable of making VR games? I spent a lot of time in Second life, and they are making a nice medium for me to work in. You can read more about it here Linden labs – Project Sansar
For this reason, I am aware that a lot of the products being launched this year are not quite as future friendly as they might appear on first glance. Looking but not touching, or using traditional gamer’s tools such as playstation controllers, for example, are things that will mean that you have to replace your expensive equipment within a couple of years
Playstation VR – looks very trendy but no thanks
Google Cardboard – a cheap way of seeing whether you like the idea of being blind and looking around a cartoon without much functionality. The good thing about this is that it makes VR extremely cheap for smartphone users.
HTC Vive by far the best mainstream option as it at least enables you to wave your hands around a bit but no. I forsee a lot of peripheral footpads etc.
Oculus Rift I would like to be supportive but no.
Without some definition in terms of your real life body, VR is all floating hands and the novelty of watching things move about. Limited in terms of long term value, but oooooooooh the potential.
Touch in VR goes in a predictable direction: VR sex suit sells out in hours
I can tell you that although these might be fun investments, and certainly the idea of a full body suit is far better than things that restrict you to visual or floating hand versions of VR, once Project Sansar is launched, it will be a matter of weeks before somebody posts instructions on how to make a far more comprehensive VR sex suit with a bit of old hessian webbing and a few improvised sensors they picked up on ebay.
Second Lifers are obsessive, they cannot be bothered with the real world, as the one you have more control of is a lot more interesting and colourful. Rather than you spending all your money on commercial products, I would hazard a guess that if you choose instead to ensure that your computer is ready, you have a couple of monitors and you await developments from Sansar, it will take probably under a year before DIY VR becomes normality. They are also rather keen on virtual sex, so if that is your thang, keep an eye on Sansar.
I have always been known as a rather uptight and foul tempered Second Lifer, so I am likely to create something more cultural, obscure and a bit surreal. I do like things with an educational edge, although I am much more interested in alternative reality methods of presentation. Roll on Sansar, and hurry up with the VR already.