Virtual Reality Headset.

Thu 3 Dec 2020, 20:39

The monitor doesn't need to be compatible at all. The VR head set acts as 2 monitors (your left and right eye). The video card therefore renders two 3D images 25-60 times per second. For simple applications the issue of motion sickness still arises as there needs to be no lag between a head movement and what is generated in front of your eyes. I was pretty ill after only 5 minutes on google earth. But it was an amazing experience. Racing simulation would be my "thing" as you can judge corners better with depth of field. I don't have the time, money or energy for another hobby.

https://support.oculus.com/444256562873335/

For hardware requirments... Most laptops will not have enough oomph.

Fri 27 Nov 2020, 16:08

Thanks for the very helpful responses, sounds very technical.  Having looked on you tube at the demo of elephants and lions, it's a great idea, travel without the hassle! 

Thanks again for the help everyone.

Fri 27 Nov 2020, 15:37

Sherif, If somebody has a laptop and also a separate PC monitor, does the monitor also have to be VR ready? If so, what are the standards for that? Thanks. 

Fri 27 Nov 2020, 14:32

Make sure you have a good enough video card asit's rendering two images. I felt quiet ill due to lag and latency. Don't assume it's a good computer for VR, there are guides. Just Google is my computer VR ready

Fri 27 Nov 2020, 13:16

I think Oculus Quest 2 is pretty much the only game in town at the moment, though it’s owned by Facebook and personally I’d be a bit queasy about letting Messrs Zuckerberg and Clegg into my home…

There’s an interesting piece here on some of the VR travel experiences that are available: https://www.travelmag.com/articles/virtual-reality-travel-experiences/ . Looks quite tempting in the current times!

[I've moved the off-topic meandering to its own thread.]

Thu 26 Nov 2020, 14:52

Thanks Christine. 

Thu 26 Nov 2020, 12:52 (last edited on Thu 26 Nov 2020, 12:54)

Wendy, I've only experienced VR in art galleries and the like, and was really impressed. There are doubtless other people in Charlbury (home of the Special Effects company) who could answer this question much better than me, but given various Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals, you probably need an answer very soon.

There's a review of the best options for 2020 here: https://www.techradar.com/uk/news/the-best-vr-headset 

Also the Which? site is also useful for options linking VR to a mobile phone: https://www.which.co.uk/reviews/mobile-phones/article/how-to-get-started-with-virtual-and-augmented-reality-adZYm4U70ycU 

There's also a introductory video about VR here: https://uk.pcmag.com/virtual-reality/75926/the-best-vr-headsets

The version I tried was an Oculus (now outdated), and you can easily plenty of reviews of the recent Oculus Quest 2VR  (Guardian, PC Magazine, etc). I think you find your choice pretty much dictated by cost, by availability, by what other software you have, and whether you want a mobile phone version or one for a PC or Mac. 

Reviews on John Lewis, Argos and Amazon can also be useful. 

Good luck!

Thu 26 Nov 2020, 10:43

Can anyone out there help, I have been asked about a virtual reality head set but not for playing games, it seems you can travel anywhere in the world? I know zero about these things. Thanks in advance.