PLAYSTATION VR
Sony’s recently-launched
PlayStation 4 add-on could be
the release that launches VR
into the mainstream. It requires
a console to play on and
software support is currently a
little limited, but it should ramp
up over the coming months.
Although Sony recommends
that players remain seated while
playing, the PlayStation Camera
is capable of motion tracking
over an area of about three
metres by two metres, as long as
you remain 0.7m away from the
camera. Therefore, make sure
you’ve got enough space when
you start playing games that
require movement.
The PSVR is user-friendly and
easy to set up, when compared
to PC-based VR systems. It’s
the only place you’ll get to be
Batman too, as Rocksteady’s
Arkham VR is a title exclusive to
the platform.
The PlayStation system is
capable of displaying on a
television as well as in the headset,
allowing VR and non-VR players
to play together.
http://www.playstation.comDAYDRE AM
VR that uses a smartphone in a headset
has been around for a while in the form
of the Gear VR, but Google has recently
announced its Daydream device, the
software for which will be built into
Android phones running version 7.1 or
later of the operating system.
Daydream is platform-agnostic,
unlike Gear, that which requires a
Samsung handset. Phones will need
certain hardware features, such as nine-
axis motion sensors and low-energy
Bluetooth, to be compatible with the
headset, which will come packaged with
a wireless controller. Its low price is due
to it being made out of cloth – a step up
from the Google Cardboard headset that
was the firm’s first foray into smartphone
VR. Games, movies and other content
will come from the Google Play Store.
http://www.vr.google.com
HOLOLENS
Microsoft’s head-mounted display looks
different from all the others, being more
like a set of smart glasses than an all-
enveloping helmet. The Hololens acts
differently too, mixing VR with reality
rather than replacing it completely.
It also contains powerful processors
in the headset itself, rather than relying
on the host PC.
The current version is aimed at software
developers rather than consumers,
and is both expensive and lacking in
software support. But there is a version
of Minecraft that allows you to play the
block-building game on your kitchen
table, while a 3D-modelling program can
output to a 3D printer.
Hololens may not be the best way to
experience VR, but it could offer a glimpse
into the future of computing.
http://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-hololens