Topic: holographics before VR

[slingshot]

I keep hearing people think that Nin Rev may be VR based.  Not likely.  Virtual Reality is going south.  Holographic interaction-like that seen on Star Trek- will be the next way we go.

Also some clarification on the practicality of "Immersion".  I think we are all familiar with that term, and the rad video clip by now.  It is unlikely to have much use for video games in its current state- simply because it is an interaction between a live environment and computer generated items.  You can't have fun playing a video game with the charactor running around your dorm room.  It would be odd, but certainly not cool enough to justify the $$$$ enormous pricetag.  We play games to escape reality, not focus on it.  YOu need cameras set up all around---- seriously, no need to elaborate.  BUT- it is awesome, and has some staggering applications.  Advertising- business- retail.  Imagine buying clothes at a retail store this way.
----You step onto a small pedistal, a laser scans your dimentions - height, width etc to get your size measurements instantly.  In front of you is a touch screen with menue options- pants, shirts coats....  You select the item you want to "try on", and you are taken to a video screen of you (being filmed in 3 dimentions, so you can move around, or rotate the view)  you are no longer wearing your clothes on screen- but the clothes that you just selected to "try on".  they move with you as you twist and turn, just as if you are wearing them. You can change colors, or styles with the click of a button.  Jeans to kahkis in a touch.  When you find something that you like, you select buy it- swipe your credit or debit card, and someone will bring you your bagged merchandise from the back of the store.  (your size would be a perfect match from the scan.  Sure, you will still have to do some returns occationally, but this could save tons of time in looking for sizes and actually trying thins on.  Plus, no more worry about dressing room theft- since there would be no dressing rooms.

Hair styles could work the same way- 3d interactive hair cut previews- no more questions, and the stylist will have a perfect model to work from.

This is where I see that technology being most useful

[KDR_11k]

Holographic interaction? Yeah, suuuuure.... That's still FAR off.

[Spak-Spang]

I think the point he was trying to make is VR has been experimented with and found not to be the best solution for total immersion, at least not yet.  So right now we are experimenting with holographics.  Yeah its a long long way off, he even admits it himself, but it is still something we are looking at, and is potentially more viable.

Here is the problem with both.

1)VR:  At the current state VR equipment is too expensive and heavy to really use properly.  It also isn't in a state to where wireless VR is possible.  If we get to a point where VR can literally be wireless googles we wear then we can move on to the possibilities of using this for gaming.  However, once we are there we are going to have to solve the problem of disorientation, because the video images aren't real enough and smooth enough for our brains to interpret without disorientations.  

2)Holographics:  This solves many problems of VR, because you are not viewing a world with googles but with your own eyes.  The problems with VR involve interaction.  You can't touch a Holographic image, and since that image exists in your "real world" you are going to want to touch it.  As well, to create entire worlds you are going to need a room with the technology completely intergrated throughout.  Just like the holodecks in Star Trek this would be expense, and you will have to bring real life props into the room to be able to physically interact with the objects.  This brings costs up, but also limits the room to set enviroments.  In other words it would be used for like a "Laser Tag" game in the mall and nothing more.  

[nemo_83]

I would have to say that a VR helmet developed these days would be composed of a gyro, a widescreen, a wireless transmitter, batteries, optional cord ports, headphone jack, the casing including however it is attached to the head, and a microphone.

The screen is the big thing though.  You want to be able to play for several hours without going blind or becoming disorientated.  The screen needs to be far enough from the eyes so that it doesn't hurt you or give you migranes.  The further the screen gets from your eyes the wider and more distorted it must become.  The corners must bell out so that everywhere you look there is screen.  Depending on whether or not the company wants to do something unique with the display or be satisfied with the gyration capabilities affects the cost and weight of the screen.  LCD would probably be a safe bet, but there are many technologies using shutters and some without shutters that can give left eye right eye images for movies and games.  The screen would be small, but it would engulf your line of sight.  I don't want the thing to have the console hardware in the helmet, I want it to work like a tv and controller along with the console.

I am not saying Nintendo will use a vr helmet with the Revolution.  I just believe that it would be the most secure strategy for defining the Revolution from the other boxes.  Nintendo is the only one to have ever released a helmet device to the mass market.  I think they have not given up the ambition and can do it right this time.

True hologram projectors are small and cost as much as a car.  The immersion technology is nice because it inserts digital enviroments and characters into reality and sees depth.  It could work with gaming in many different ways.  I think it would work best with a VR helmet.  With a tv you are looking at your room from a different point of view, but if the camera were on your head along with the screen then you could literally look down and see your own hand with a sword in it.

[slingshot]

I was thinking more like some kind of holographic room- 4 sides that are screens floor to ceiling ( like the story "the veldt")
You could wear force feedback gloves (wireless in the future) to 'pick up' things you see.  Perhaps these gloves will be as thin
as latex in 50-100 years- or you could have direct feedback into your brain to give you the 'sensation' of picking things up.??

[KDR_11k]

or you could have direct feedback into your brain to give you the 'sensation' of picking things up.??

I'd say it'd be more effective to intercept any and all calls the brain sends and receives. That would put you in a coma like state while playing but you couldn't interact with the real world in a VR room, either. So we'd have a Matrix. What next? Hm, how about not needing the player to disconnect by plugging him into a life support system and allowing him access to one or more remote controlled artificial bodies for whenever he needs to interact with the real world. Nice thought, eh? Everybody stowed away in some jar, controlling robots to do their bidding... Imagine we met some alien race while we are like that, they'd be scared shitless!