I heard about a week ago that folks were starting to get their Oculus (Dev Kit 2) DK2’s. The big changes are the improivement of the display to be more VR friendly – the low-persistence OLED display in the DK2 are improvements to “eliminate motion blur and judder” – and they go a long way to that end. You now have a camera to track the HMD (and your head) in six dimensions (pitch, yaw, and roll , and XYZ positioning) along with the accelerometers in the HMD. And they finally put headphones on the HMD! Overall when I got to try them at GDC they were instantly immerse and provided a completely believable VR experience with no disorientation (I was sitting) and it was very intuitive to control and look around.
Here’s what my DK2 looks like.
PROS: Ergonomics of the headset are about the same (fit and heft), but the single cable from the headset, a nicer sleeker HMD enclosure, 960×1090/eye with lower persistence and the better head tracking are definite improvements for the VR experience. Headphones on the HDM for 3D positional sound as well. The new headset has a (optionally powered) USB port for adding accessories, a plethora of various style AC power connectors (a nice touch) and a new SDK. Oh yeah – and it’s $350.
CONS: None of the old DK1 demos will runs without a recompilation – so it’s harder to find content. The new SDK is required. Still not the consumer model, but is a significant step in the right direction. The plastic carrying case of the DK1 is now a cardboard one 🙁 .
I’m thrilled start working with the new DK2 and I’m really looking forward to posting some of the results here. I’m a firm believer in the benefits of what VR/AR can become.