Rift VR’s Oculus Rift is perhaps the most exciting thing to happen in the realm of videogaming for quite some time. Legendary game designer John Carmack thinks so anyway. Still, actual consumer units are a long way off..and probably longer now, as Rift demos a brand new prototype at CES
Called Crystal Cove, the new prototype is bedecked with little IR beads all over the front, that help increase positional tracking accuracy. Yes, this does mean that the Rift, like many other motion sensing peripherals, will require the use of a camera – but that won;t drive the price of the already expensive system up.
“Cost has always been at the crux of the entire Oculus platform, if the hardware is not affordable, it might as well not exist. We made sure this is a low-cost solution without sacrificing any quality,” Nate Mitchell, the VP of Product at Oculus, told Polygon. “This is a top-notch positional tracking system.”
Silly tracking beads aren’t the only new thing about this new prototype though; it now sports fancy OLED screens, which offer a much better resolution, and a refresh that affords something they’re calling low persistence; the pixels blink on for a very short amount of time.
“Low persistence is really, really important. It’s probably the most important thing we’re showing. It doesn’t sound really exciting… but it’s incredible the difference low persistence makes,” Rift Boss Palmer Luckey said. “You really have to see it. It’s mind-blowing.”
“Our new OLED panel in the prototype switches in well under a millisecond, so it’s faster than any LCD monitor on the market … what we’re doing is we’re taking the image and flashing it on when it’s correct, and only keeping that on for a fraction of a millisecond and then turning it off and then going black until the next pulse,” Luckey continued.
It makes using the Rift a much more comfortable experience, that feels more natural and eliminates much of that jarring judder seen in previous prototypes. Virtual Reality has already come a long way – and I suspect it’ll get much further still this year.
Unfortunately, Rift has no word on when we might see that much anticipated consumer version of the device, or just how much it’ll cost when it does finally become available. I want eyeballs on with the HD prototype of the Rift last year, and it was quite a surreal experience. I can;t wait to see how it’s gotten better.
Last Updated: January 8, 2014
Admiral Chief in Vegas
January 8, 2014 at 15:41
Heh, I see what you did with the header Geoff, showing your age there.
Oh crap, that means I’m showing mine…
Sageville
January 8, 2014 at 15:42
I say nothing…
RinceThis2014
January 8, 2014 at 15:47
Boom! 🙂
Hammersteyn
January 8, 2014 at 15:53
Just shows we have class.
Admiral Chief in Vegas
January 8, 2014 at 16:02
Hehe, you said it
RinceThis2014
January 8, 2014 at 15:47
Man, this thing is going to take off like a North Korean missile!
Hammersteyn
January 8, 2014 at 15:51
Bwahahaha!
Unavengedavo(aka. MadeYouLook)
January 8, 2014 at 15:59
Well technically North Korea has had successful missile launches. So are you saying that this will also be a success?
RinceThis2014
January 8, 2014 at 16:02
I will not say anything more!
geelslang
January 8, 2014 at 16:46
I really hope it succeeds, everyone and their mother complains that there is no innovation in gaming, this is something new and exciting.
RinceThis2014
January 8, 2014 at 19:04
Totally with you on that!
JJ's horrible secret (John)
January 8, 2014 at 15:54
Music video win.
Hammersteyn
January 8, 2014 at 15:57
It’s a novelty really. I hope they Bundle it alongside Kinect, Youtube needs some fresh new Fail videos.
geelslang
January 8, 2014 at 16:42
Novelty? I dont thinks so, but it remains to be seen. Im 10x more interested in this than the underwhelming new consoles.
Hammersteyn
January 8, 2014 at 18:14
Underwhelming? I guess it depends on your point of view then really.My point is that they have been really trying to push VR for decades and so far it hasn’t become a must have in gaming. Maybe this time round but I’d rather stick with my PS4 than buying a Rift right now.
Rags
January 8, 2014 at 16:07
Take my money!
Devourer of Small Bunnies
January 8, 2014 at 16:19
Slowly, very very slowly, the oculus is climbing my “be interested in this shit please” list.
MakeItLegal
January 8, 2014 at 23:10
This reminds me of a film I saw where people have virtual sex cause of all sorts of weird stds …. I merely suggesting if I where a porn o owner , I would invest seriously into this the implications would be huge
Smeegle
January 9, 2014 at 06:04
Crytal Cove? Crystal!