Week 39 - First VR Week

 Week 39

VR introduction


    This week we have been introduced to VR(Virtual-reality).

    One of the first things we talked about was the different types of headsets available to us. Some of the most popular among the ones we talked about were:

-Samsung(+Oculus) - GearVR - This was a partnership between Samsung and Oculus to bring affordable VR solutions to consumers by using a Samsung phone as a base

-HTC Vice - One of the best if not the best VR headset at the time it came out but it is a type of headset that still needs a PC to power the whole experience, typical of its time

-Sony - PS VR - This is a headset designed for Sony's Playstation lineup.


    Afterward, we talked about the 2 different environments in that VR experiences are currently run and also the history of VR experiences in general. These are:

-Cave automatic virtual environments(CAVE) where an empty room is used and its surfaces are changed usually using a projector to create a highly immersive experience.

-Head-mounted displays(HMD) - this is the most popular method in which that we are also using where one or 2 displays are mounted in front of the users' eyes in a headset form-factor

    One of the most important subjects we talked about was VR tracking. There are 2 main types:
inside-out and outside-in experiences.
Inside-out tracking is currently the most popular tracking method that includes the Quest series from Oculus which we are currently using for our assignments. This method is the most popular as it does not require any external sensors and is easier to set up for the user and is generally cheaper also it does not restrict the user's movement to a predefined box area. This also has drawbacks compared to the outside-in method. The latency is higher and tracking accuracy is generally worse but the advantages more than makeup for the shortcomings.

    Also, we have talked about the concept where headsets like the Quest series from Oculus have their own hardware inside not requiring external computers to run the VR experience and how we can compile the code on the PCs and wirelessly upload them to our VR headsets.

    Afterward, we have gotten our assignment and started talking about ideas of what our project is going to be. We have settled on making an axe trowing game. You can read more about this in our next week's blog in week 40.




Author of this blog: Mircea Dobre,





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