Games and porn in virtual reality: what you need to know in anticipation of the start of Oculus Rift, PlayStation VR, HTC Vive

    In the coming months, several virtual reality devices will go on sale at once:
    - Oculus Rift (March 28, 2016)
    - HTC Vive (April 2016)
    - PlayStation VR (first half of 2016)
    - Microsoft Hololens (Devkits in the first quarter of 2016) It's

    time to summarize everything, what is known about these devices, and decide whether to take them now, what to choose, and also under which device it is most promising to develop games.




    Why is a helmet needed and will it replace monitors and TVs?


    Virtual reality technologies give a completely different level of immersion. When you are wearing a helmet, there is only a game in sight, and the review is carried out not with a mouse or stick, but with head movements. Image quality compared to monitors and TVs is still different for the worse, but even so, virtual reality is powerful. A roller coaster ride is rocking, and the most common horror game is scary as in childhood.



    The appearance of helmets does not mean that displays are a thing of the past. Virtual reality technologies are still far from perfect, and in some games their use is irrational (many strategies, two-dimensional games).

    What are the chances of success? They tried to release virtual reality helmets before, but they never got distribution.


    Yes, indeed there have been attempts before. The first commercial helmet of virtual reality (Virtuality) appeared back in 1990. But then there was still no technology that would allow a mass affordable product that could be successful with customers. For example, Oculus Rift displays an image with a resolution of 2160x1200 (1080x1200 for each eye) at a scan frequency of 90 Hz. This requires a computer 2-3 times more powerful than for playing in 1080p.

    In favor of the fact that the current boom is not a false start, the widespread prevalence of Oculus Rift is still at the prototype stage for developers and the great interest of people.

    Which of the three helmets to choose? Oculus Rift?


    It’s hard to say. According to the characteristics, all three helmets are similar. The new wave of VR has launched the Oculus Rift, and so far it has attracted the most attention. The Oculus Rift started as a Kickstarter project that raised several million dollars and was later bought by Facebook. The head of the company, Palmer Lucky, was interested in VR since childhood, he has one of the largest collection of virtual reality helmets in the USA. Oculus VR Technical Director John Carmack is known as the creator of id Software games engines (Doom, Quake), i.e. the man in the gaming industry is far from the last.

    Nevertheless, the company has no experience in creating and popularizing gaming devices. Oculus Rift can be difficult to configure for an inexperienced user and also it is designed for the PC platform (so far only Windows, OS X and Linux support will appear in the future), whose market is several times smaller than the console game market.



    As for the characteristics, the Oculus Rift has two screens, each giving a resolution of 1080x1200 with a frequency of 90 Hz. Will be sold complete with a gamepad from the Xbox One, as well as EVE games: Valkyrie and Lucky Tale. The list of supported games includes hundreds of titles . In the future, it is planned to release a specialized Oculus Touch controller, which will allow you to control in games not only with buttons and sticks, but also with hand movements.

    What is known about the PlayStation VR?


    Sony already has experience working on such devices - in 1997 it released a Glasstron helmet, which was supported by MechWarrior 2. PlayStation VR is its successor. The company has been working on it since 2011.



    The Sony helmet is designed to work with the PlayStation 4 and can produce a 960 × 1080 picture with a frequency of 120 Hz for each eye. The list of supported games counts in dozens , including 20 exclusives, including Ace Combat 7 and Gran Turismo Sport. You can play using the gamepad or on two PlayStation Move. In the future, it is planned to release a new generation of Move (perhaps they will be called differently), imprisoned for VR.

    What are the chances of the HTC Vive from Valve?


    Valve entered the VR race after all: the first prototypes were shown in 2014. The helmet is being developed in conjunction with HTC. Features like Oculus Rift: 1080x1200 per eye, 90 Hz. Specialized controllers are included, just like PS VR and Oculus Rift. Vive support is announced in 37 games .



    Despite the authority of Valve, a great perspective on the helmet is not yet visible. Valve has little experience in the iron business, and the unsuccessful start of Steam Machines shows this in full. HTC is not doing well either: the business press in the company is described with the words “collapse”, “corkscrew” and “stock quotes lower than the value of assets”.

    What other helmets are there?


    There is a curious Google Cardboard project: you can cut a helmet out of cardboard according to a special scheme, insert lenses, a magnet and a smartphone into it as a screen. You should not expect a big effect from it. Surprisingly, there is a Russian counterpart .

    There are also many helmets that are made similar to Google Cardboard (a smartphone instead of a screen), but factory-made: Samsung Gear VR (works in conjunction with Samsung Galaxy Note 4), Homido VR, 3D VR, 3D VR Box, VR BAOFENG3, VR Shinecon, Magic Glass, Carl Zeiss VR One, Vortex VR One, Fibrum Pro, Durovis Dive, Merge VR, Freefly VR. All of them are already on sale, but not a single big stir has caused.

    In addition, there are second tier analogues of Oculus Rift, i.e. full-fledged helmets with their own screens: NVR (Russian development, for sale), Razer OSVR (for sale), Total Vision VR2 (pre-order for 2016), Omimo Uranus One (for sale), ANTVR (for sale), VRVANA Totem (for sale).



    The most interesting alternative called HoloLens is offered by Microsoft. This is not a helmet, but glasses for creating augmented reality, which show three-dimensional holograms in the real world next to the user. Unlike helmets, this is an independent stand-alone device (like Google Glass) and its use goes far beyond games. Most likely even this: outside of Hololens games there are much more options for use than in games.

    The release of Hololens was announced for the current quarter at a price of $ 3,000.

    Most interesting VR games?


    Minecraft and tank games are the most popular in Russia. In Minecraft, Oculus Rift support will appear this spring, and there will also be support for Hololens. War Thunder already supports Oculus Rift and will support PlayStation VR. " Armata " can be made friends with Oculus using VorPX. There is a mod for Oculus Rift for World of Tanks .

    As for exclusives, that is, games specifically designed for helmets, the most interesting are EVE: Valkyrie (space simulator in the EVE Online universe), The Climb (rock climber simulator from Crytek), Private Eye (noir thriller), The London Heist ( criminal action), The Deep (diver simulator), Edge of Nowhere (something like "ridges of insanity" from Insomniac Games), a future game from the authors of the horror Until Dawn. In general, Sony has the strongest lineup at the moment.



    Will game management change with the advent of helmets?


    Undoubtedly. While the most convenient way to control is a regular gamepad - it is no coincidence that the developers of Oculus Rift include it in the standard package. But in the future, the best experience will most likely be delivered by specialized controllers that look like a cut-in-two gamepad and are able to track hand movements. All three manufacturers are working in this direction (Oculus VR, Sony, Valve / HTC).

    In addition, another periphery is being developed: a vest that imitates bullets, a suit for the whole body with a return return (most likely, they will not collect the required amount, but this is hardly the last such project), a Virtuix Omni treadmill , a return weapon , a devicefor tracking pupils, which helps to aim, a bird flight simulator and even a controller for squeezing the female breast (the Japanese naturally came up with).

    Such devices are unlikely to become widespread: they require additional costs, a lot of space (especially Omni) and support from developers. Doubts remain even in the success of specialized controllers like the Oculus Touch, which will come with helmets. In words, control of hand movements sounds great, but in practice it takes place, and it’s just tiring. So far, no one has been able to surpass the standard gamepad, although there have been many attempts.

    Where else, besides games, can virtual reality devices be involved?


    - Video with an overview of 360 degrees. Films are already being shot under Oculus Rift.

    - Social services. Linden Lab (creators of Second Life) said last year they were working on the new Project Sansar virtual world for Oculus Rift and Samsung Gear VR.

    - Design. Several architectural firms have expressed interest in the Oculus Rift.

    - Sports broadcasts. LiveLike promises them in VR.



    - Cars sale. Audi from last year uses Oculus in dealerships to select cars and virtual test drives.

    - The army. Helmets are convenient for training pilots and drivers of armored vehicles. And even in battle they will come in handy: tank crews get a much better view. The Norwegian army has already experimented with Oculus in this direction.

    There are a lot of applications, and most of them have not even been invented yet.

    But what about porn?


    This is generally the most important thing. The porn industry has taken the Oculus Rift into service since the early days of its existence ( NSFW ). Separate sections with VR have not yet appeared on porn sites, but specialized sites already exist .

    The reviews of those who tried virtual porn are mixed. Some say that the effect of presence is so strong that you can reflexively recoil or “smell” the smell of a partner. Others complain that, contrary to expectations, VR porn is not so interesting: a helmet on your head disconnects you from reality and does not allow you to concentrate on your body, in addition, your hearing and vision organs are isolated, because of which there is a fear that someone someday he enters the room and finds you in this form.

    Surely we can say that VR will breathe new life into that kind of adult when a girl using a video chat for money does what is asked of her. The effect of being present in such videos will clearly increase, you can almost touch the girls.

    As for games on an adult theme, Summer Lesson has received the most attention so far. This is a Japanese date simulator for the PlayStation 4.



    Of course, there will be no porn there, only flirtation.

    On PC, VR games will be much more frank, but, as usual, of little interest (those who tried to play Sexy Beach know that you will die of boredom there before you even see your bare chest). Eyewitnesses about Summer Lesson, however, also say that she is stupid and boring.

    How much will you pay for VR?


    The consumer version of Oculus Rift will cost $ 600 + $ 1000 per computer. Recommended system requirements: CPU Intel i5-4590 or higher, video card NVIDIA GTX 970 / AMD R9 290 or higher, RAM 8 GB +, Windows 7 SP1 64 bit or higher.

    The price of the HTC Vive has not been announced, but it is rumored to be in the range of $ 600 to $ 1,500.

    Cheaper than all PlayStation VR: console for 25 000 rubles. and about the same for a helmet.

    So which helmet is better to choose?


    We can cautiously assume that the PlayStation VR will be the optimal price / quality ratio: the price of the helmet will be comparable to Oculus, but the console will cost less than a gaming computer. In addition, PS VR may be easier to handle due to the orientation of a less tech savvy audience and Sony’s extensive experience in creating gaming devices.

    Before buying, be sure to test the helmet for a long time - at least half an hour or an hour. You may find that wearing a helmet is uncomfortable for physiological reasons.

    Is it worth taking VR now?


    It is interesting to be a pioneer, but, as always, you will have to pay your own price. Consumer versions of helmets will be better than devkits, but it is unlikely that they will completely solve the problems of rapid eye fatigue, headache, and motion sickness. Surely there will be technical problems. Yes, and you have to pay a lot of money.

    On the other hand, being among early adopters is priceless.

    Bonus track: collection of bookmarks on sites about VR

    Telegram channel of the author

    Also popular now: