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[Twasi]

It's not a hoax. This is the first succesful attempt of a project currently going on. There have been many others that have done this sort of research but they were shut down and called lunatics because of the era they were preforming this in. The first succesful experiment of this kind was done by the Nazi during WW2 they have an old documentary of severed dog's heads which they then bring back to life after 10 minutes or so and the dog can look around and such. I don't believe the dog was actually self-aware (the best way I could figure to put it) but more of the primal lobes of the brain taking over forcing small tendons and other things to function.

[Foe-hammer]

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QVGA-quality (320 x 240 resolution)

The resolution is horrible; not even standard TV 480i quality.

Once it supports HDTV (720p) resolutions, then i'm sold.  But until then, no sale.

[Gamester17]

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Last quarter 3001 AD unveiled a blockbuster Virtual Reality (VR) product at the Electronics Entertainment Expo (E3). The new product, called "Trimersion", stands to fully realize the promise of VR by bringing it into the mainstream home market.

For the uninitiated, Trimersion is a set of VR peripherals (headset, gun controller, and adaptors) designed specifically for use with First Person Shooter (FPS) games on Xbox, PC, and Playstation.

"Players feel like they are in the game. You look around by turning your head. It's much more natural than using a mouse," says Bob Ladrach, President of 3001 AD. Gamers agree.

 By targeting the huge FPS gamer demographic, 3001 has positioned itself as the 800 lb gorilla of the VR market. The product will be available this fall and has a suggested retail price of $495. (Competing products start at $899 and go higher). Consumers can pre-order now for $495 and receive a $50 rebate.

As awareness and demand for this product continues to grow at an alarming rate, one thing is for sure; with its low price point, and aggressive advertising campaign, Trimersion is sure to become a hit when it releases in Q4.

Three logical (but not necessary fact) reasons which seams clear to me why its only 320x240 resolution (and thus crap):

1. PlayStation2 compatibility: If they want to make it PS2 compatible then each of the two screens can't have higher resolution than 360x288 for PAL and 360x240 for NTSC since they must be using a split screen function in the game because both the Xbox and PS2 only have one video-out port, guess they went with the lower NTSC resolution of the two since that resolution then can be compatible with both PAL and NTSC version of the helmet (they probably will be the exact same hardware anyhow).   ...if they instead would have chosen to only make the helmet for Xbox NTSC 720p resolution only then they could have made the display 640x360 because that is the resolution of each split screen in a game in 720p HDTV mode, ...remember that PAL Xboxes do not support HDTV modes (Xbox1 in PAL/Europe mode only support 720x576 resolution). So limiting the market to only Xbox NTSC 720p would basically limit them to the USA, Canada and Japan , and they of course want to sell and many as possible to make as much money as possible =/

2. Each device needs to refresh at least 60 times per second if you're not to get a head-ache, 360x240 screens at 50-Frames/Sec+ are easier and cheaper to come by, ...yes I doubt 3001 AD make the actual displays themselves, they just going buy them from a third-party manufacturer because that it cheaper. Remember PAL-60 is 60 Frames/Sec and so is standard NTSC.

3. The lower resolution they cheaper it is for the manufacturer to make and thus each unit will be cheaper and 3001 AD will make more money on each helmet.

PS! Note that I doubt any existing game will support it (unless they patch them or the graphic device driver somehow) so new games need to support the special split screen function for this Virtual Reality 'helmet'.

[twistedsymphony]

AFAIK Current VR stereography works by alternating frames....

frame 1 goes to left eye... frame 2 goes to right eye...

if you're splitting the screen then you're essentially demuxing it, which is no cheap or easy task in terms of hardware. Alternating frames on the other hand is much easier...

Not to mention, if you base it off of an alternating frame tech. games that aren't designed for it will still work (but lack depth)... if you're trying to split a frame, then non-supported games would only show half and half.

Also if they're trying to take on the FPS market (which is not only obvious from their direct statements but the equipment it comes with), why bother with PS2 at all? Lets face it, the PS2 is NOT an FPS console, and I highly doubt they'd throw their target market right out the window for PS2 compatibility.

Finally, they don't need to have HD support, just widescreen, fullscreen 480i images can be displayed on a widescreen 480p screen, so why screw it up.

The screen resolution falls into the same problem as other VR headsets, or any display for that matter, dot pitch... if you're trying to make a display small enough to fit on your head the screens need to be tiny, we simply don't have the tech available to decrease the dot pitch enough for a decent resolution (cheap enough) on a VR headset.

[MR-T]

Yea, I am goign to have to agree with the last two posts, the resolution is crap which makes it junk! 320x240? I don't even compress internet videos down that low anymore..... WHat is the point of having HD/Component inputs if it is only 320x240 resolution lol?

It is going to be a long time before this VR stuff gets done right.

[NeuroChemist]

but according to him this will support almost every popular fps for the 360.
when he asked me if i was intersted i said hell ya, but not until i get my hands on the thing...(500dollers) he then "didnt know what to tell me"
so i was pretty pissed at his lack of info, on almost everything.......id love to talk to someone who maybe was at e3 and got to check it out.......but as of the moment this thing doesnt seem to promising..........im seeing lots of neck cramps as well

[CattyKid]

QUOTE({{909}} @ Jun 27 2005, 11:50 PM)

they said the same thing about the ps2, the saturn and even the genesis, home use VR is never going to happen because it is so bad for your eyes (if it uses the traditional headset things)

[alsybub]

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Just skimmed over this before, but Saturn and Genesis? I was only, like 3 or 4 when they came out, so do you have any links on that stuff? I doubt you could find them, but that would be really cool.

Thanks.

You were only 3 or 4 when the Saturn came out?!?!

Damn, that makes me feel old, the Saturn still feels relatively new to me. Hell, I have one in my living room for Radiant Silvergun!