Virtual Reality Q&A (OT)

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  • Hermit CrabHermit Crab Posts: 841
    edited November 2022

    Thanks to previous posters for this most interesting discussion.

    The thread seems to have died down but I noticed a couple of days ago that the Quest 2 (larger memory version)  had a good price drop for Black Friday on Amazon UK.

    I'm so tempted to get one but I would love it especially for a family member in a wheelchair.  She has learning difficulties and couldn't react to games fast enough or figure out most games' puzzles.  Is there any VR software for her to be in woodlands or to 'walk' through pleasant fantasy worlds or other open spaces?  I believe that a person can use the headset while others can watch on a televison?  That would be great for initially helping with the controls.  Any comments would be much appreciated.

    My interest isn't so much to do with most games either.  Environments interest me more and I would seek out games with immersive caverns or whatever.  Never having experienced VR, it would be an expensive gamble but nearly everyone reviewing VR purchases seems to be thrilled by it.  Some talk about being so addicted to Beat Sabre that they actually lost weight!  

    Thanks for any replies.

    Post edited by Hermit Crab on
  • MadaMada Posts: 1,989
    edited November 2022

    Quest 2 is a good purchase and easy to use. My mother is 83 and not the best at following modern tech or puzzles but she absolutely loves 360 videos on youtube. Walkabout Mini Golf is also one of her favourites, the worlds are well designed and its open for exploring even if you don't play the game.

    You can stream from the Quest to your mobile phone, and I assume to a television if you cast from your phone and have casting set up for you TV. I have not done that, but I have used casting to my phone and it worked fine.

    https://www.oculus.com/experiences/quest/2616537008386430/

    https://www.oculus.com/experiences/quest/3422717251188752/

    https://www.oculus.com/experiences/quest/2134272053250863/

    https://www.oculus.com/experiences/quest/2462678267173943/

     

    Post edited by Mada on
  • Thank you so much, Mada.  I appreciate the very fast response and the work you've gone to in providing the links.  I'm pretty much set to take the plunge (if I don't delay and lose the chance, which is a failing of mine!).

    Your clothing technique for DAZ figures is pretty amazing BTW.  I must look into Tilt Brush also for painting.  Another must is blackout curtains.  Otherwise passers-by might think I'm demented, prancing about!

    Apologies that I must retire for the night.  It's after 1 am here and I have an early journey tomorrow  (today!)

    Thanks again.

     

     

  • vrba79vrba79 Posts: 1,398
    edited November 2022

    I remember how 1990s VR was more of a marketing buzz term than anything else, because very little actual Virtual Reality made it into the hands of the end consumer. Basically any game that allowed you to roam around an enviroment freely, from a first person perspective, was labled "Virtual Reality". Even if it wasn't a true and proper 3-D engine. Case in point, here's a clipping from the back cover of Terminator Rampage, a very lousy game that used the Wolfenstein 3-D engine as it's base:

    In hindsight, their boast of running the engine full screen was a mistep, as the game would have no doubt run at a smoother framerate had they run it in a border, but that's beside the point.

     

    Post edited by vrba79 on
  • MadaMada Posts: 1,989
    edited November 2022

    Yes the current VR industry is significantly different from those days. I was lucky enough to talk to Mark Pesce a couple of times and the problems they ran into those years. If you're interested here's one of the talks he gave at Sydney University 5 years ago :)

    Post edited by Mada on
  • MadaMada Posts: 1,989
    edited November 2022

    Hermit Crab said:

    Thank you so much, Mada.  I appreciate the very fast response and the work you've gone to in providing the links.  I'm pretty much set to take the plunge (if I don't delay and lose the chance, which is a failing of mine!).

    Your clothing technique for DAZ figures is pretty amazing BTW.  I must look into Tilt Brush also for painting.  Another must is blackout curtains.  Otherwise passers-by might think I'm demented, prancing about!

    Apologies that I must retire for the night.  It's after 1 am here and I have an early journey tomorrow  (today!)

    Thanks again.

     

    Tilt Brush is amazing to just zone out with some music - I'm currently working on setting up christmas decorations to take into Unity with it :)

    https://www.dropbox.com/s/btk3pp2zpci0jea/ChristmasBall1.mp4?dl=0

    Lucky I have no close neighbours that can look into my windows lol - I'm having way too much fun to care about what other people think now :P

    Post edited by Mada on
  • MadaMada Posts: 1,989

    Interesting article from Stanford University :)
    https://news.stanford.edu/2022/12/14/vr-real-impact-study-finds/

  • SkyewolfSkyewolf Posts: 476

    I know I'm late to the party here and my Quest is currently packed and it's been a while since I've had time to really play with it but (aside from Beat Saber) two of my favorites are Until You Fall and Painting VR

     

     

  • MadaMada Posts: 1,989

    hey Skye :D when its unpacked we should all jump into VR... either in ENGAGE or VRChat :)

    I highly recommend you connect your Quest with a link cable - as good as Quest is its still a mobile chip and graphics are toned down. Since we're all in 3D we have good graphics cards on our computers so best case scenario. I want max graphics

  • FSMCDesignsFSMCDesigns Posts: 12,755

    Mada said:

    hey Skye :D when its unpacked we should all jump into VR... either in ENGAGE or VRChat :)

    I highly recommend you connect your Quest with a link cable - as good as Quest is its still a mobile chip and graphics are toned down. Since we're all in 3D we have good graphics cards on our computers so best case scenario. I want max graphics

    Agreed! I spent an hour today in Kayak VR Mirage and the graphics are just stunning!!

  • MadaMada Posts: 1,989

    I am waiting for multiplayer to happen before I start on Kayak VR Mirage - it would be so much fun to do with a friend :)

  • MadaMada Posts: 1,989

    This is the adventure I have my eye on to do next :) its a pancake game but with a mod by Luke Ross you can play it in VR and its multiplayer :D

    https://store.steampowered.com/app/962130/Grounded/

  • FSMCDesignsFSMCDesigns Posts: 12,755

    Wow, being small and having to deal with nature like that would be quite the experience in VR, I might have to try tnat one myself.

    BTW anyone have any experience with Substance 3D Modeler? I just saw it pop up on Steam on sale and since it's a perpetual license and you can model/sculpt in VR and desktop I thought about trying it out

  • MadaMada Posts: 1,989
    edited December 2022

    I had the good fortune to work on recent VR experiences for ENGAGE. Its such a fantastic medium to experience art and new experiences. If you go to ENGAGE main menu and then content they will show up.

    The 2 latest experiences I created is :

    1. Setting up a Tilt Brush painting by Juliana Loh - its called Dragon Magic and you're pretty much bathing in light and immersed in the whole painting.

    2. Winter Gallery is an exploration on new ways to present art as an immersive experience for viewers. Virtual art galleries has the potential to provide a unique and engaging experience for visitors, offering new ways to appreciate art pieces.

    I will have a virtual world up soon in the LINK section as well, with more art experiences.

    I need 24 hours a day lol.

     

    JulianaLoh.jpg
    2160 x 1140 - 929K
    WinterGallery_Main.jpg
    1095 x 730 - 83K
    Post edited by Mada on
  • MadaMada Posts: 1,989

    FSMCDesigns said:

    Wow, being small and having to deal with nature like that would be quite the experience in VR, I might have to try tnat one myself.

    BTW anyone have any experience with Substance 3D Modeler? I just saw it pop up on Steam on sale and since it's a perpetual license and you can model/sculpt in VR and desktop I thought about trying it out

    Substance used to be Medium before Adobe bought it. I tried Medium long ago but I'm sure they made a lot of improvements since then - I might have to try it out too.

  • WonderlandWonderland Posts: 6,875

    Mada said:

    Hermit Crab said:

    Thank you so much, Mada.  I appreciate the very fast response and the work you've gone to in providing the links.  I'm pretty much set to take the plunge (if I don't delay and lose the chance, which is a failing of mine!).

    Your clothing technique for DAZ figures is pretty amazing BTW.  I must look into Tilt Brush also for painting.  Another must is blackout curtains.  Otherwise passers-by might think I'm demented, prancing about!

    Apologies that I must retire for the night.  It's after 1 am here and I have an early journey tomorrow  (today!)

    Thanks again.

     

    Tilt Brush is amazing to just zone out with some music - I'm currently working on setting up christmas decorations to take into Unity with it :)

    https://www.dropbox.com/s/btk3pp2zpci0jea/ChristmasBall1.mp4?dl=0

    Lucky I have no close neighbours that can look into my windows lol - I'm having way too much fun to care about what other people think now :P

    Lol. I have big sliding door windows that go to my balcony on the second floor and if my neighbors look up as they walk by they'd totally see me acting like an idiot in VR. 

  • WonderlandWonderland Posts: 6,875

    Mada said:

    I had the good fortune to work on recent VR experiences for ENGAGE. Its such a fantastic medium to experience art and new experiences. If you go to ENGAGE main menu and then content they will show up.

    The 2 latest experiences I created is :

    1. Setting up a Tilt Brush painting by Juliana Loh - its called Dragon Magic and you're pretty much bathing in light and immersed in the whole painting.

    2. Winter Gallery is an exploration on new ways to present art as an immersive experience for viewers. Virtual art galleries has the potential to provide a unique and engaging experience for visitors, offering new ways to appreciate art pieces.

    I will have a virtual world up soon in the LINK section as well, with more art experiences.

    I need 24 hours a day lol.


     

    Looks really cool, I will check it out when I have a chance. BTW I'm Alicia_Wonderland in Oculus/Meta

  • MadaMada Posts: 1,989

    I'll add you when I'm on Quest again - I mainly use it for testing so not in there a lot, mostly I'm on the index :)

  • MadaMada Posts: 1,989
    edited December 2022

    Very exciting to see a friend starting up the first film school in the metaverse :) I learnt so much about cameras and green screens just by playing around and testing on the sets.

    https://www.metaverse-filmschool.com/

     

    Post edited by Mada on
  • MadaMada Posts: 1,989

    AltSpace finally went public with their closing down message.

    https://altvr.com/sunset/

    Will be interesting to see what the replacement from Microsoft looks like and if they're going to let creators in or just monetize it all.

  • MadaMada Posts: 1,989
    edited January 2023

    Hanging out with friends testing "Virtual" Virtual Production and Virtual Stunt Cinematography at the Metaverse Film School :) Recorded on a Quest 2.

    Post edited by Mada on
  • MadaMada Posts: 1,989

    Interesting contraption to help with motion sickness. If what they're saying pans out it might end up helping people train to get past motion sickness.

    1. it provides lumbar support and helps your body maintain a correct position to avoid fatigue and bad posture while your mind is away during long VR sessions;
    2. it gives subtle vestibular stimuli to your body, helping align what your limbic system perceives with what is being registered by your visual cortex. That immediately provides relief against motion sickness (for instance people who have trouble with smooth turning can perform it without issues while using the C-Infinity);
    3. what's most important, the device trains your brain to gradually stop believing that you are losing your balance (an illusion which comes from the incongruous stimulation of the vestibular and visual systems in VR, and which in turn triggers the vomit reaction to purge the organism of a possible poisoning that might have caused the sensory misalignment). Thus, the device effectively trains you to become less and less sensitive to motion sickness, until after a few sessions you're completely cured of it.

  • WonderlandWonderland Posts: 6,875

    Mada said:

    AltSpace finally went public with their closing down message.

    https://altvr.com/sunset/

    Will be interesting to see what the replacement from Microsoft looks like and if they're going to let creators in or just monetize it all.

    'Oh my god!  I'm so sad about this! I haven't been there for a while but I have three art galleries there, one a club with virtual cocktails and during Covid I was in AltspaceVR almost daily, going to so many fun parties, even raves, group meditations and creative meetings and met so many friends there, a few that I later met in real life. I own several beautiful houses there I would just hang out in. This is devastating to me. I guess it's partially my fault, I haven't been back as much if at all lately because of real life stuff all open now but I thought it would always be there. I'm going to have to spend the last month there and see where all my old friends are going. I used my art galleries as great PR for my work, because I could blow up all my art huge and have it all in one place and offer people virtual cocktails, a club atmosphere and an outdoor pool and fire pit. I'm devastated about this!

  • WonderlandWonderland Posts: 6,875

    I see a real problem ahead. Between Microsoft Mesh, the new MetaQuest Pro and Apple's headset now in development, there will be less compatibility and different headsets will have have different content and will be less consumer friendly. I also am not a fan of mixed reality and AR which is being pushed more now. I prefer complete immersion into VR. I was a (very!) early adopter of VR and use it daily but I feel like it's now becoming the Wild West with all these competing mega corporations and ruining it for consumers with new more expensive headsets that are meant to be used for business meetings rather than fun, normal socializing and creativity. 

  • MadaMada Posts: 1,989
    edited January 2023

    Wonderland said:

    Mada said:

    AltSpace finally went public with their closing down message.

    https://altvr.com/sunset/

    Will be interesting to see what the replacement from Microsoft looks like and if they're going to let creators in or just monetize it all.

    'Oh my god!  I'm so sad about this! I haven't been there for a while but I have three art galleries there, one a club with virtual cocktails and during Covid I was in AltspaceVR almost daily, going to so many fun parties, even raves, group meditations and creative meetings and met so many friends there, a few that I later met in real life. I own several beautiful houses there I would just hang out in. This is devastating to me. I guess it's partially my fault, I haven't been back as much if at all lately because of real life stuff all open now but I thought it would always be there. I'm going to have to spend the last month there and see where all my old friends are going. I used my art galleries as great PR for my work, because I could blow up all my art huge and have it all in one place and offer people virtual cocktails, a club atmosphere and an outdoor pool and fire pit. I'm devastated about this!

    It would have been better if they gave creators a bit more warning. Its been an open secret for a while that its going to be replaced with Microsoft Mesh.

    Creators spent a lot of time upgrading their spaces after the last big update, and now its just time wasted.

    If you have Unity files its not to hard to move everything over to VRChat (which seems to be the most viable free alternative). They have a new feature called groups with curated members so there will be some AltSpace groups popping up for sure.

    Post edited by Mada on
  • MadaMada Posts: 1,989
    edited January 2023

    Wonderland said:

    I see a real problem ahead. Between Microsoft Mesh, the new MetaQuest Pro and Apple's headset now in development, there will be less compatibility and different headsets will have have different content and will be less consumer friendly. I also am not a fan of mixed reality and AR which is being pushed more now. I prefer complete immersion into VR. I was a (very!) early adopter of VR and use it daily but I feel like it's now becoming the Wild West with all these competing mega corporations and ruining it for consumers with new more expensive headsets that are meant to be used for business meetings rather than fun, normal socializing and creativity. 

    I actually think we'll see it becoming more compatible than less. I have been it from the start as well - not too fond of the standalone headsets because I prefer high resolution graphics PCVR to the lower res you get on standalones but it did grow the market somewhat, even if the retention rate is lower than desired. With a link cable to your computer you can run SteamVR on most of the standalone headsets. I expect Apple to have the same capability in its headsets.

    Most of the platforms now try to include not just all the headsets, but also Windows, Mac, IOS and Android - which means you have to make 4 builds as a minimum. I usually have a more graphic intense version for Mac and Windows, and lighter version without shadows or spotlights for the IOs and Android.

    I wouldn't be surprised if most of the mutliplayer platforms eventually end up as a subscription model. The servers needed to run a multiplayer space is not insignificant - I heard that it cost at least around $80 per person per year just to break even (not substantiated so its hearsay, but it sounds right from other info I have).

    Post edited by Mada on
  • MadaMada Posts: 1,989
    edited March 2023

    I highly recommend the Fat Boy Slim concert  coming up in the next couple of days. Its free, best to watch in VR of course but you can also watch it on desktop. Wear headphones and comfortable shoes - its a whole hour of dancing and partying :D 

    https://app.engagevr.io/fatboyslim

    https://twitter.com/kentbye/status/1640914641152008192

    Post edited by Mada on
  • Richard HaseltineRichard Haseltine Posts: 100,868

    Mada said:

    I highly recommend the Fat Boy Slim concert  coming up in the next couple of days. Its free, best to watch in VR of course but you can also watch it on desktop. Wear headphones and comfortable shoes - its a whole hour of dancing and partying :D 

    https://app.engagevr.io/fatboyslim

    https://twitter.com/kentbye/status/1640914641152008192

    You are reporting from the future or you had a sneak peak (or helped to make it)?

  • WonderlandWonderland Posts: 6,875

    There is sooo much great immersive content in the Oculus TV app! Felix & Paul space station, David Attenborough, worldwide travel, amazing animations... Not to mention apps like Guided Meditation, Tripp, Nature Trek... Meta seems to mostly promote the shooter violent stuff and is not attracting enough females and people older than Millenials. I even watch 2D content like Netflix & Amazon Prime Video in their apps in VR, and everything else streaming in Virtual Desktop on huge virtual movie size screens. I haven't used my TV in years and when I visit a friend with like a 70 inch TV, I complain their TV is too small lol. 

  • WonderlandWonderland Posts: 6,875

    Mada said:

    Wonderland said:

    Mada said:

    AltSpace finally went public with their closing down message.

    https://altvr.com/sunset/

    Will be interesting to see what the replacement from Microsoft looks like and if they're going to let creators in or just monetize it all.

    'Oh my god!  I'm so sad about this! I haven't been there for a while but I have three art galleries there, one a club with virtual cocktails and during Covid I was in AltspaceVR almost daily, going to so many fun parties, even raves, group meditations and creative meetings and met so many friends there, a few that I later met in real life. I own several beautiful houses there I would just hang out in. This is devastating to me. I guess it's partially my fault, I haven't been back as much if at all lately because of real life stuff all open now but I thought it would always be there. I'm going to have to spend the last month there and see where all my old friends are going. I used my art galleries as great PR for my work, because I could blow up all my art huge and have it all in one place and offer people virtual cocktails, a club atmosphere and an outdoor pool and fire pit. I'm devastated about this!

    It would have been better if they gave creators a bit more warning. Its been an open secret for a while that its going to be replaced with Microsoft Mesh.

    Creators spent a lot of time upgrading their spaces after the last big update, and now its just time wasted.

    If you have Unity files its not to hard to move everything over to VRChat (which seems to be the most viable free alternative). They have a new feature called groups with curated members so there will be some AltSpace groups popping up for sure.

    I had purchased through Patreon a huge party club with two floors and an outdoor area with pool and fire pit overlooking Vegas and made it into an art gallery with my art blown up huge and virtual cocktails and bars everywhere and all that is gone. I might be able to get the club back from the creator since I paid for it, but I'd have to redo putting up all my art and the bars and virtual cocktails will be gone. I wish I could create my own VR app free in Steam with a gallery and my art for promotion but I'm not geeky enough to figure that out. 

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