Nowadays there seems to be a real influx of VR equipment being created. With Tech prices in RSA being what they are, I sincerely doubt too many people are going to splash out for all of them so I find myself wondering which the better device would be to go for.
1. Oculus Rift
It was the first of the new breed of devices to go main stream and become known by all people in gaming circles. Does the fact that it was first to become well known and the one that gets the most press automatically make it the best option?
Pros
* It has a decent following and looks to be quite a promising device indeed
Cons
* You need to connect it to a PC/ Mac to use. I.e. it's nothing more than a high tech pair of glasses
* Cables between you and your system
* Requires you to sit or stand in one place all the time, only turn your head sideways a bit and it can pickup your head moving forwards and backwards also... Thus, it breaks the real immersion into VR
Cost
$350 + $130 for shipping + import duties and taxes + PC
Facebook
The biggest problem I have with the OR is the fact that it is owned by Facebook. I absolutely hate Facebook with all my might. I tried working with their API a few years back and their documentation was not only lacking but what was there was often out of date and thus just wrong. Working with their API required reading the comments and finding out from the developers how they found the right way to use the API. Trial and error and posting results so others could learn from it...:wtf:
Then, on top of that they kept sending out "We changed stuff, please update your code" on a bi-weekly basis. It annoyed the living daylights out of me that they change stuff so frequently and I just have to adapt or watch my code break. So I gave up on Facebook and 3 years later I was asked to fix a plugin on a client's website and for the life of me I couldn't do it.
Googling the matter I found a forum where they discussed the exact thing I was working on and the thread read "This is how you do it" "Nope, they changed it, it now works like this" "Yes, that works, thanks" "No, that has changed again, you now need to do it this way" "Your post is outdated again, you now have to do it this way" and finally ended with "Facebook has decided they want to create a standard look across all sites that use them so they have removed that option completely". So they just decided 'this is what it will look like' on their end and millions of people around the world have no choice but to just accept it.
So they just decide something in their board rooms and then remove certain features from their code and if you are not happy with what it looks like on your site then you simply have to change everything else on your website so it now works with what they are doing. In my case I just wanted to show the latest Facebook posts from the clients website but on a black background. Facebook simply refused and said you have no choice. All posts will be black on white so if you don't want a white block on your site's background, change your site's background and change everything else to now fit the new colour scheme that Facebook imposes on your website's design...
Do I really want a company like THAT in charge of my games? Where they can decide "i want to see Farmville popups inside every single game" and then the developers have no say in the matter? Hell, they can just build it right into the SDK and no matter what game you are playing, when your friend gets an achievement in Farmville then your Call Of Duty game is interrupted by a message sliding into view saying "Do you want to send Sally a spade so she can make a garden?" or "Click here to quit your game and go to Facebook so you can add Sally as a new Friend"
How about Facebook saying that all games must use Facebook Login and thus all games must have the same white background and the same blue buttons and fonts? What if they decide to do like Apple and pick the OS's look for you and demand that all video games developers use it for their games. They already do that with websites... Their site, their rules. If you want to show Facebook on your site then you have to abide by THEIR colour schemes and the layout options they provide you. If you don't like it then don't integrate Facebook on your site. That simple. What is to prevent them doing the same with games.... Their platform, their rules. If you don't want your game's interface to look like a Facebook page, please don't make a game for our VR device...
Do you really want THAT ??? Facebook owning OR is the biggest down side I can ever attach to any of the VR systems. Ever!
2. Project Morpheus
Sony's current device costs something like $2000 and is used on Airplanes to watch movies on a simulated 70" screen. Not really a contender in this matchup, but Sony is now working on this home VR system which I am including in the matchup.
Pros
* It is made by Sony for PS4. People who know their hardware and have been in the gaming biz for decades now making a product for the hardware they are intimately knowledgable of. This can only be a good thing and I am sure all Playstation fans are foaming at the mouth for this.
Cons
* Requires a PS4 to work so that adds to the cost dramatically
* Cables between you and your device
* No idea on price, yet
* I've only ever heard of this kit demoed once and every other article since seems to refer to that demo. so definite lack of info
* Sony themselves said "this is just a preview. It is still a ways off before it is ready". What does that mean? Another 2 or 3 or 4 years before we see it? Hmmm....
3. I Forgot the name
There is that one that sells for $95. Less than a R1,000 and you can get a VR system today. Why so cheap? Because this is not just a pair of high tech glasses, this is a pair of low tech phone braces that holds your phone in front of your eyes and require manual adjustment to make sure your phone fits snugly. Then you just play your VR Android or iPhone games like normal and Bob's your uncle.
Not really a contender in this race, if you ask me, but hell, if it works and it is that bloody cheap and works with whatever pone you have right now, without any additional purchases, why not include it in the list?
4. GameFace
My current favourite, from http://gamefacelabs.com/, means you are no longer limited to sitting in front of a PC or console. You can play VR games on the stadium while waiting for a Football match to start or you could play it on a long trip, or just to escape your in laws at a get together you didn't want to attend...
Pros
* Contains it's own hardware
* Impressive hardware!
* Requires no additional hardware purchases
* You can take the console with you wherever you go and go VR anywhere.
* No wires
* Can be used as a console also and play games on TV
* Use existing bluetooth controls so no extra hardware purchases required
* Allows for full 360 degree motion so you can actually turn around completely and the screen will move with you
* Most immersive VR experience
* 2.5K screens
Runs Android... does that count as good or bad?
Cons
* Availability. They claim a developer version will be ready by end of 2014 but say that mobile devices won't be able to run decent quality VR games for another 3 to 5 years. Does that indicate that developers might get their hands on a GameFace by end of 2014 but gamers might have to wait till 2019??? Oh snap to that!
*Price. Because it contains it's own hardware, the system is going to be expensive.
With the specs on the system being super impressive and their GPU being able to run the Unreal Engine 4 without any hick ups, you might justify the price as a console or PC purchase. With no idea on actual pricing, so far they have only said that it will cost less than a decent gaming PC. Well... that doesn't help. With only the screen cards alone already costing upwards of R10,000, how much does a 'decent gaming PC' cost? R20,000? R50,000? So will this device clock in at "less than R50,000" ??? No idea in terms of price, just that it will be expensive.
Others...
There are more out there but these are the major ones. If you feel there should be another one added to the list, let us know...
My opinions...
Looking at the above list, I like the PS4 add on because I am a Playstation fanboy... but do I want to wait 3 or 4 or 5 more years?
I like the Rift more because it promises more support (it feel like) and is most likely the one most developers will target simply because it is the more well known one... but it is owned by Facebook !!!
I like the GameFace offering the most for it's mobility and true virtual reality integration... but the price factor makes me worried...
Summary
I know everyone has their own preference and asking "which is the better device" is similar to asking "Which is the better console, PS3 or Xbox" and there is no real definitive answer so I am not looking to start a flame war to get the one and true definitive answer of "which is best", just a general opinion over which YOU would consider to be the better system...
Which system would you get for yourself and why?
1. Oculus Rift
It was the first of the new breed of devices to go main stream and become known by all people in gaming circles. Does the fact that it was first to become well known and the one that gets the most press automatically make it the best option?
Pros
* It has a decent following and looks to be quite a promising device indeed
Cons
* You need to connect it to a PC/ Mac to use. I.e. it's nothing more than a high tech pair of glasses
* Cables between you and your system
* Requires you to sit or stand in one place all the time, only turn your head sideways a bit and it can pickup your head moving forwards and backwards also... Thus, it breaks the real immersion into VR
Cost
$350 + $130 for shipping + import duties and taxes + PC
The biggest problem I have with the OR is the fact that it is owned by Facebook. I absolutely hate Facebook with all my might. I tried working with their API a few years back and their documentation was not only lacking but what was there was often out of date and thus just wrong. Working with their API required reading the comments and finding out from the developers how they found the right way to use the API. Trial and error and posting results so others could learn from it...:wtf:
Then, on top of that they kept sending out "We changed stuff, please update your code" on a bi-weekly basis. It annoyed the living daylights out of me that they change stuff so frequently and I just have to adapt or watch my code break. So I gave up on Facebook and 3 years later I was asked to fix a plugin on a client's website and for the life of me I couldn't do it.
Googling the matter I found a forum where they discussed the exact thing I was working on and the thread read "This is how you do it" "Nope, they changed it, it now works like this" "Yes, that works, thanks" "No, that has changed again, you now need to do it this way" "Your post is outdated again, you now have to do it this way" and finally ended with "Facebook has decided they want to create a standard look across all sites that use them so they have removed that option completely". So they just decided 'this is what it will look like' on their end and millions of people around the world have no choice but to just accept it.
So they just decide something in their board rooms and then remove certain features from their code and if you are not happy with what it looks like on your site then you simply have to change everything else on your website so it now works with what they are doing. In my case I just wanted to show the latest Facebook posts from the clients website but on a black background. Facebook simply refused and said you have no choice. All posts will be black on white so if you don't want a white block on your site's background, change your site's background and change everything else to now fit the new colour scheme that Facebook imposes on your website's design...
Do I really want a company like THAT in charge of my games? Where they can decide "i want to see Farmville popups inside every single game" and then the developers have no say in the matter? Hell, they can just build it right into the SDK and no matter what game you are playing, when your friend gets an achievement in Farmville then your Call Of Duty game is interrupted by a message sliding into view saying "Do you want to send Sally a spade so she can make a garden?" or "Click here to quit your game and go to Facebook so you can add Sally as a new Friend"
How about Facebook saying that all games must use Facebook Login and thus all games must have the same white background and the same blue buttons and fonts? What if they decide to do like Apple and pick the OS's look for you and demand that all video games developers use it for their games. They already do that with websites... Their site, their rules. If you want to show Facebook on your site then you have to abide by THEIR colour schemes and the layout options they provide you. If you don't like it then don't integrate Facebook on your site. That simple. What is to prevent them doing the same with games.... Their platform, their rules. If you don't want your game's interface to look like a Facebook page, please don't make a game for our VR device...
Do you really want THAT ??? Facebook owning OR is the biggest down side I can ever attach to any of the VR systems. Ever!
2. Project Morpheus
Sony's current device costs something like $2000 and is used on Airplanes to watch movies on a simulated 70" screen. Not really a contender in this matchup, but Sony is now working on this home VR system which I am including in the matchup.
Pros
* It is made by Sony for PS4. People who know their hardware and have been in the gaming biz for decades now making a product for the hardware they are intimately knowledgable of. This can only be a good thing and I am sure all Playstation fans are foaming at the mouth for this.
Cons
* Requires a PS4 to work so that adds to the cost dramatically
* Cables between you and your device
* No idea on price, yet
* I've only ever heard of this kit demoed once and every other article since seems to refer to that demo. so definite lack of info
* Sony themselves said "this is just a preview. It is still a ways off before it is ready". What does that mean? Another 2 or 3 or 4 years before we see it? Hmmm....
3. I Forgot the name
There is that one that sells for $95. Less than a R1,000 and you can get a VR system today. Why so cheap? Because this is not just a pair of high tech glasses, this is a pair of low tech phone braces that holds your phone in front of your eyes and require manual adjustment to make sure your phone fits snugly. Then you just play your VR Android or iPhone games like normal and Bob's your uncle.
Not really a contender in this race, if you ask me, but hell, if it works and it is that bloody cheap and works with whatever pone you have right now, without any additional purchases, why not include it in the list?
4. GameFace
My current favourite, from http://gamefacelabs.com/, means you are no longer limited to sitting in front of a PC or console. You can play VR games on the stadium while waiting for a Football match to start or you could play it on a long trip, or just to escape your in laws at a get together you didn't want to attend...
Pros
* Contains it's own hardware
* Impressive hardware!
* Requires no additional hardware purchases
* You can take the console with you wherever you go and go VR anywhere.
* No wires
* Can be used as a console also and play games on TV
* Use existing bluetooth controls so no extra hardware purchases required
* Allows for full 360 degree motion so you can actually turn around completely and the screen will move with you
* Most immersive VR experience
* 2.5K screens
Runs Android... does that count as good or bad?
Cons
* Availability. They claim a developer version will be ready by end of 2014 but say that mobile devices won't be able to run decent quality VR games for another 3 to 5 years. Does that indicate that developers might get their hands on a GameFace by end of 2014 but gamers might have to wait till 2019??? Oh snap to that!
*Price. Because it contains it's own hardware, the system is going to be expensive.
With the specs on the system being super impressive and their GPU being able to run the Unreal Engine 4 without any hick ups, you might justify the price as a console or PC purchase. With no idea on actual pricing, so far they have only said that it will cost less than a decent gaming PC. Well... that doesn't help. With only the screen cards alone already costing upwards of R10,000, how much does a 'decent gaming PC' cost? R20,000? R50,000? So will this device clock in at "less than R50,000" ??? No idea in terms of price, just that it will be expensive.
Others...
There are more out there but these are the major ones. If you feel there should be another one added to the list, let us know...
My opinions...
Looking at the above list, I like the PS4 add on because I am a Playstation fanboy... but do I want to wait 3 or 4 or 5 more years?
I like the Rift more because it promises more support (it feel like) and is most likely the one most developers will target simply because it is the more well known one... but it is owned by Facebook !!!
I like the GameFace offering the most for it's mobility and true virtual reality integration... but the price factor makes me worried...
Summary
I know everyone has their own preference and asking "which is the better device" is similar to asking "Which is the better console, PS3 or Xbox" and there is no real definitive answer so I am not looking to start a flame war to get the one and true definitive answer of "which is best", just a general opinion over which YOU would consider to be the better system...
Which system would you get for yourself and why?
What a concept! 
