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The status of VR headsets in 2019: What should I buy?

by Chikko Moni Chakma ✔Guest Posting / Article Writing ✔Link Building ✔

In the last three years, virtual reality has not set the world on fire. Still, 2019 is emerging as the best year in the history of the RV, with new headphones that could have cracked the code of what players need.


After all, how many people do you know with a room-scale RV equipment in your living room? Probably not many, and according to Statista, less than 5 million units were sold in 2018. Clearly, the RV is not the overwhelming success that some expected when Oculus and HTC launched their high-end PC headphones in 2016. But that it doesn't mean the party is over.

 

Is this the year you should worry about RV? Let's take a look.

 

A lot can change in a year, and the independent headphones - which do not require a PC or a phone - which we said would come have begun to arrive.

That said, none of the main use case of the RV has changed in the past two years; It is still mainly about games. There have been several furtive attempts to turn the RV into something more than gaming platforms, such as VR virtual desktops (such as the Oculus Desktop and the Multiplatform Virtual Desktop) and cinematic experiences. But virtual desktops are clumsy, and video platforms are prima facie inferior to real-world home cinemas. Why watch a movie in a headset - with a lower resolution and with the mesh effect we see with most headphones - when instead it can be seen in the real world at 4K?

 

Speaking of Star Trek, there are also simulators, such as Star Trek: Bridge Crew, which puts you in command of a starship (and is as rewarding as it sounds). And then there is the realistic and enough to smell the salt water Iron Wolf VR, a sub-simulator of World War II. There are rhythm games, lightsaber games and lightsaber rhythm games. If you have played the 2D version of Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes, you owe it to yourself to play the VR version, in which a player drives a VR bomb while surrounded by teammates in the meat space, helping to disarm it. And it's hard not to love ridiculously lovely puzzle games like Waddle Home.

 

Regardless of the game you are in, don't be surprised if you have a silly smile all the time you are in an RV environment, and the emotion does not disappear over time.

 

We would like to see more conventional developers dedicated to creating large flagship games, but there is no shortage of innovation in games, thanks to the countless independent developers who create small games for various platforms.

In short: RV games are not a single trick pony, a trick or a fad. You might get tired of a specific game, but the experience of the VR keeps attracting you to get more.

 

Wired headphones are becoming cheaper and easier to use

So why doesn't everyone have their own RV team? Well, there is no doubt that cost and complexity have made adoption difficult.

The “tied” headphones that led the revolution in 2016 - the HTC Vive and the Oculus Rift - suffered a high cost, but prices are moderating over three years. Early adopters were willing to spend $ 798 to get a complete Rift package or $ 799 for an HTC Vive, but the Oculus Rift S (an update of the original Rift) sells for only $ 399.

Also, HTC Vive, which remains essentially the same product that HTC launched in 2016, sells for $ 499, less than $ 799.

 

That is still a lot of money, and complexity remains an Achilles heel. Anchored systems require robust PCs with expensive graphics cards. Oculus needs an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti or higher, while HTC needs an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970. If you are already a player, you probably have a PC that meets those specifications, but it may be in a small room that is not suitable for the RV, so you will have to move it to the living room or purchase a second PC. And for the Vive scale living room, it is necessary to mount the trackers on the wall. Is it surprising that adoption is slow?

 

Tracking the inputs and outputs makes the RV easier

 

 

Another exciting innovation is the arrival of the so-called “inside out” follow-up.

 

This year, however, we are beginning to see headphones “from the inside out”, and these are the ones that change the game. By placing a set of cameras in headphones designed to provide 6DOF without external hardware, the initial setup is greatly simplified and the headphones themselves become much more portable.

 

The Oculus Rift S is one of those headphones from the inside out, which should be available at the time this article was published. It sells for $ 399. And HTC is not far behind, preparing the next HTC Vive Cosmos, which similarly dispenses with the need for the Lighthouses.

 

Mobile headphones are still for RV tourists

 

Until recently, when it came to VR, there were only two options: an expensive connection system or mobile headphones that depended on a smartphone inserted to deliver the products. Now there is a third option, the independent headphones, which we will reach in a moment. But before getting there, it is worth noting that mobile headphones offer great value if you want to dip your toes in the ocean of the RV, especially because you can do so for less than $ 100.

 

The gold standard for mobile headphones is probably the Samsung Gear VR, which accommodates a variety of Galaxy headphones.

If you are not a Samsung user, there are also options such as Google Daydream View, which works with a dozen mobile phones, including Pixel 2, Pixel 3 and LG, ASUS and Huawei models. Or, there is the Pansonite 3D VR and the MERGE VR, which work with a wider variety of iPhones and Android phones, and cost about $ 50.

 

Independent headphones could be the sweet spot

What's new in the RV universe in 2019 is the growing availability of independent VR headsets, models that don't require connection to a PC or a phone, since all the electronics are on board the headphones. It is the next logical step in the evolution of the RV, and it may be the version of the RV that puts virtual reality headsets in each living room.

 

It is a world of RV

With so much innovation happening in the RV space, we are beginning to see that headphones are transformed into products that make sense for average consumers, rather than for the first to adopt a tracking system from inside to outside that allows room-scale movement, independent headphones that don't require a PC or smartphone, and smart innovations at all price points. ”

Although that does not guarantee the success of the RV at home, it is likely that the RV will not go anywhere. We are developing an appetite for VR, as evidenced by emerging VR experiences in shopping and entertainment centers across the country. Dreamscape, for example, offers a handful of interactive RV adventures in the southern California area with plans to deploy additional locations later this year.

 

What you should do in 2019

As you can see, this is a turbulent time to look at the VR headset.

If you want to invest $ 100 or less to see what all this fuss is about, a mobile headset that is compatible with your smartphone is a good provisional measure, especially if it includes a handheld controller, so you don't have to keep a hand on the headset to move around the environment.

But if you're willing to make a bigger investment, you may want to wait a few months to see how the dust settles on the board of new products that fall this year. You can't deny that independent headphones with inside-out tracking like the Oculus Quest feels like the future, but it could take more than one or two generations of these devices before graphics and performance maintain the standard set by the Headphones with microphone attached.

Meanwhile, if you can take care of the cables and PC system requirements, there is much to be said for more traditional headphones attached like the Rift S and possibly even the next Valve Index ($ 999) (which doubles the tracking index from the inside out, but promises a noticeably better resolution at a higher price). If you have an interest in VR and have not yet purchased a system, 2019 promises to be a compelling year.


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About Chikko Moni Chakma Advanced   ✔Guest Posting / Article Writing ✔Link Building ✔

40 connections, 1 recommendations, 137 honor points.
Joined APSense since, July 7th, 2019, From California, United States.

Created on Jul 28th 2019 13:54. Viewed 697 times.

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