PlayStation VR: $399 is here!

[Mmm_fish_tacos]

That was always a thing lol

I know. Buts the difference it makes is massive.

[the-pi-guy]

Shu at 4:40 walking by, making sure good things are said.

[ethomaz]

I know. Buts the difference it makes is massive.

540p vs 720p too.

[the-pi-guy]

[the-pi-guy]

Left is pebtile at sligher higher PPI.  Right is RGB.  PPI is almost identical for both, the left is just a smidgen higher.  Still looks better.  

[Aura7541]

Left is pebtile at sligher higher PPI.  Right is RGB.  PPI is almost identical for both, the left is just a smidgen higher.  Still looks better.  

RGB screens also have better color production, especially when it comes to producing white.

[the-pi-guy]

It's interesting how many people are surprised you need the camera.  

[Legend]

Outside of VR, pentile is actually pretty cool tech. In fact lots of video formats are "pentile," having lower resolution red and blue color channels. Human brains don't really notice it.

Left image has lower res red, middle has lower res green, and right has lower res blue.



NTSC Video - Whassit all mean anyway?

[the-pi-guy]

While we've previewed the mech-powered sports game RIGS a number of times since its E3 2015 debut, it's importance as a comfort litmus test for PlayStation VR drew me to it. This was my first time with the game, and I came away impressed with its design and surprised at my own reactions.

To put things in context, I don't do well with heights. I don't delight in the falling feeling that comes with plummeting on a roller coaster. However, simulated thrill rides like Star Tours are a different story. For some reason my body is completely fine with them even though the physical sensations are similar. For me, RIGS is more akin to the latter. I expected to become nauseated during my time and was ready to pull the plug at a moment's notice.

For all intents and purposes, RIGS is a competitive first-person shooter. This genre is extremely tricky to implement in VR because of sudden movements and frequent disconnection between view direction and locomotion. The goal is to destroy enemies, become overcharged and then jump down into the scoring hoop from above. I fully anticipated that would be a deal-breaker for me. I pushed myself even harder by choosing a mech class that can double jump. I most certainly felt my stomach drop out on many occasions during the demo. But it didn't stop me from having a fantastic time (and taking the MVP spot in the three-versus-three game).

I expect RIGS will be the game people use to contextualize intense VR experiences. At least early on, it will be part of our vocabulary for attempting to anticipate our reactions to high-speed and drastic vertical movement. It's not going to be for everyone, but for those that can handle it, RIGS is likely to be a hot ticket this fall. – Mike Futter

   Hands-On With Some Of PlayStation VR's First Titles - Features - www.GameInformer.com


Oh my wow.

[the-pi-guy]

Shuhei Yoshida talks PlayStation VR • Eurogamer.net

This week, Sony finally revealed details of its upcoming PlayStation VR headset - which will launch in October with the eye-catching price of £349.

Not only will PS VR be the the most affordable virtual reality experience to launch this year, it will also have the might of Sony's PlayStation brand behind it.

But there are still plenty of unanswered questions surrounding PS VR's potential for success. It is a fixed platform, with hardware locked to the PS4's own - which will date quicker than ever more powerful PCs. It is also based around technology such as the PlayStation Camera - which carries its own set of limitations.

Eurogamer editor Oli Welsh sat down with Sony Worldwide Studios' Shuhei Yoshida at the Game Developer's Conference in San Francisco to discuss Sony's VR plans - and explore its potential.

You can watch the full interview - including Yoshida's separate answer when we quizzed him on the possibility of PlayStation 4 and Xbox One players being able to play together. Alternatively, you can read his answers on VR via the transcript below.

You announced the price yesterday and it's a lot cheaper than Oculus Rift. There's no camera or controller included but that still doesn't account for a $200 difference on price. How have you done that? Are you taking a loss on each unit?

Shuhei Yoshida: I'll answer the last question first - according to our hardware team we are not going to lose money selling PlayStation VR for the price we announced. That's great news because we can invest in promotion, doing trials, developer support without bleeding money by selling the PS VR hardware.

In terms of how we accomplished it - luckily our hardware teams have been making hardware for a long time. We've approached PS VR development how we approach PlayStation console development - we always aim high in the quality of the experience. Especially because virtual reality is so new, we wanted to do it right first time. We waited until we could use cutting edge tech like 120Hz OLED displays - that doesn't exist anywhere, we custom made it for PS VR.

[ethomaz]

So that is why PSVR is the only to have 120hz display.

[Mmm_fish_tacos]

Taken from the GDC Dev Conf

"IPD is important for world scale. The correct IPD will make sure virtual objects feel like they are the right size."
"PSVR has been designed to accomoate a wide range of IPDs so users don't need an adjustment. We'll have a way for users to set the software IPD." This will be tied to the PS ID.
"Game developer reads the IPD and then you can insert it to make your game render properly."

It seems sony has an answer to everything.  

[Legend]

Taken from the GDC Dev Conf

"IPD is important for world scale. The correct IPD will make sure virtual objects feel like they are the right size."
"PSVR has been designed to accomoate a wide range of IPDs so users don't need an adjustment. We'll have a way for users to set the software IPD." This will be tied to the PS ID.
"Game developer reads the IPD and then you can insert it to make your game render properly."

It seems sony has an answer to everything.  

That is amazing. Much better than OR's solution.

[ethomaz]

That is amazing. Much better than OR's solution.

I read OR has issues with area, distance and tracking... Vive is a better option on PC.

[the-pi-guy]

Crazy how badly GAF is waiting.  
There are 122 pages for the PSVR price.