Hands on with the Oculus Rift VR headset

In my last post I talked about the film Her and the way in which it portrayed gaming in the future. I talked briefly about the Oculus Rift and how emerging technologies are making those futuristic dreams a reality. Since then I’ve been lucky enough to get some hands-on time with a Rift headset in the hopes of gaining a better idea of how these new technologies operate, and whether or not they’re effective.

The Oculus Rift VR headset (Development Kit)

The Oculus Rift is a VR (Virtual Reality) headset that uses state of the art motion tracking and image mapping to create an immersive virtual space for the wearer. Moving your head creates movement in the virtual environment that matches real life. The headset consists of two lenses (one for each eye) and nearly fills the wearer’s entire field of view; completely blocking out the real world and allowing the virtual world (as much as possible) to fill the wearer’s vision.

The exterior hood, side fittings and internal lenses on the Rift headset

The aim is to create a completely new and enveloping way of experiencing modern media; mainly visual forms like video gaming, film and television. Through my time with the Rift I wanted to see how much these claims come to fruition, and was keen to experiment with the Rift’s possibilities to see if it does indeed add an immersive aspect to playing or watching and whether or not it creates any new opportunities for visual media.

During my time with the headset I tested various demos, both sound only experiments and visual-based tests.

The first experiment I tried was a virtual surround sound test. I was placed in the centre of a speaker array; used earlier to output the original sound, measure listener response and program the headset. Wearing the Rift and a pair of headphones I then listened to Bohemian Rhapsody. Through the Rift's motion tracking I was able to turn my head and have the sound reach me from different directions. By moving I experienced a surround sound effect mimicking one from the speaker array, but through a stereo headphone output.

The setup used to measure and create the virtual surround sound test

It was a very impressive, realistic and surprisingly intuitive way of listening. I had expected the test to feel unnatural, the weight and size of the device pulling me out of the experience. But rather, as I sat and listened and moved around I was able to accurately control the direction of the sound and felt as if I was listening to the speaker array, or even a live performance itself.

Though such a use of the Rift will never truly re-imagine the experience of gaming or watching, it already proved to me how the device can increase the immersion aspect, and create a more engaging experience whilst simply wearing a pair of headphones. Once the programming process is simplified and the initial speaker setup no longer required the days of needing a 7.1 surround sound system may soon be at an end!

I then moved on to try some visual demos. The first was Oculus Tuscany, a tech demo that allows the user to roam freely around a Tuscan villa and interact with objects in the environment.

'Oculus Tuscany' - Showcasing high level graphics and highlighting the possibilities of the Rift

This demo immediately felt much more intuitive and engaging than I thought possible. I was still using a mouse and keyboard to control my movement, and yet being able to move my head and direct my actions and explore my surroundings was quite amazing.

I could stand and look around freely as if in real life, walking up a staircase I could tilt my head and compensate for the angle, picking up a ball I could tilt down and reach for it. Interacting with the basketball I was able to aim my shot and observe the throw by simply moving, as if playing with a real ball. It was much more involving than I had imagined it would be, and felt more natural than I thought possible. I instantly felt at home moving my head to explore and the experience never became disorientating or jarring, it felt like the way interaction with a virtual world should be.

A 2D computer representation of my experience in 'Oculus Tuscany'

One drawback to the experience however is the display of the Oculus Rift’s developer kit. At 720p resolution (1280x600 to be precise), the view is slightly blurred and this takes you out of the virtual environment. Even with this drawback though, the demo was very impressive and the consumer release of the Rift is planned to feature a 1080p resolution (1920x1080) which should fix the issue.

Next up I tried the Cobra Roller Coaster simulator. I was intrigued by this demo as the graphical quality was lower than that of the Tuscany demo, and I wanted to see if that adversely affected my experience.

Surprisingly, I still felt as if I was soaring along a coaster at high speed. As I looped the loop and took hair-raising corners I found myself leaning my head, looking down to the ground far below and feeling a real sense of height. If the Tuscany demo confirmed to me that the Rift can create an immersive game world, the simulator showed me how such a world can feel like real life to a surprising degree.

A 2D computer representation of 'Cobra Roller Coaster' in action

Already I was beginning to see how the Rift can shape the future of video gaming. By combining the use of virtual surround sound with an environment explored using a user’s own field of view, video gaming can become a much more personal and involving experience. It isn’t hard to imagine how gaming will drastically improve simply by wearing the device.

Pleasantly surprised at the Rift so far and convinced of its place in the future of video gaming I turned to its use for film, using the VR Cinema demo.

Placed in a virtual cinema I was able to load in a movie of my choice and watch it (in full) as I sat in this virtual theatre; walking around, choosing my seat, turning off the lights and so on. Whilst not nearly as interactive or engrossing as the previous demos it did still create a strikingly different experience. Films are already being developed specifically for the Rift (an interactive trailer for one can be seen here), and whilst I didn’t get to view one, it’s easy to imagine how watching a movie in a virtual world would be an interesting experience.

The interactive 'VR Cinema' viewing experience

VR Cinema concluded my time with the Oculus Rift headset and I left thoroughly impressed. I admit to being dubious as I first sat down and placed the device on my head, but it truly is an engrossing, engaging and frankly fantastic way to experience audio/visual entertainment.

Does it change, outright, the way we’ll play games and watch films? At the moment, no. It adds a whole new layer to the experience, but it doesn’t create any unique possibilities on its own. It’s early days for the Rift though, and as developers continue to experiment with its possibilities, and as consumers get accustomed to using the device, who knows what will happen and what part the Rift will play in the future of entertainment? I, for one, am excited to find out.