3 ms·

Can't you attach your phone to a computer and grid power with a USB cable?

Sir_Substance 11y ago
Off the top of my head I don't think you can with the gear vr (doesn't the USB port get taken up by the headset?), but even if you can, one of the authors key complaints leading into that statement was that the rift was not wireless. If you told him to wire up his gear vr, he wouldn't be impressed.
- kitcar 11y ago
  Correct, the interface between the phone and the headset is the charge port, but there is an additional port on the Gear VR itself to allow for charging while being used. The original Gear VR ("Innovator edition") could not be charged while used though if I remember correctly.
- jsprogrammer 11y ago
  The person I responded to was complaining that the rift alternative (a phone with appropriate lenses) had limited time usage due to relying on a battery. Most phones can run indefinitely by hooking them up to an external power source, obviating one of the poster's concerns. Additionally, you could augment the phone's processing power through a high-speed interconnect (like the USB cable that also supplies continuous power).
  - Retric 11y ago
    Phones get very warm when you charge them while playing 3D games. I doubt you would want to have that much heat with an enclosed headset for very long. Unless you can get a lot of ventilation without letting light in.
  - Sir_Substance 11y ago
    FYI the person you were responding to was me, and I wasn't complaining.
dreamcompiler 11y ago
The Gear VR has an extra USB port that you can connect to a charger which keeps the phone powered while in use. Or (more convenient) you can connect it to a self-contained brick battery you could wear on your waist.
zamalek 11y ago
I hacked up a quick head-tracking solution one weekend using my phone and WiFi. The problem was passive calibration. Accelerometers and gyroscopes are noisy and imperfect. Drift occurs and without the Occulus tracker or Vive lighthouses you are in for a frustrating experience. I own a DK2 and for many concrete reasons disagree with the author, it is not a novelty. Phone-based stuff is most certainly a novelty.

Off the top of my head I don't think you can with the gear vr (doesn't the USB port get taken up by the headset?), but even if you can, one of the authors key complaints leading into that statement was that the rift was not wireless. If you told him to wire up his gear vr, he wouldn't be impressed.

kitcar 11y ago
Correct, the interface between the phone and the headset is the charge port, but there is an additional port on the Gear VR itself to allow for charging while being used. The original Gear VR ("Innovator edition") could not be charged while used though if I remember correctly.
jsprogrammer 11y ago
The person I responded to was complaining that the rift alternative (a phone with appropriate lenses) had limited time usage due to relying on a battery. Most phones can run indefinitely by hooking them up to an external power source, obviating one of the poster's concerns. Additionally, you could augment the phone's processing power through a high-speed interconnect (like the USB cable that also supplies continuous power).
- Retric 11y ago
  Phones get very warm when you charge them while playing 3D games. I doubt you would want to have that much heat with an enclosed headset for very long. Unless you can get a lot of ventilation without letting light in.
- Sir_Substance 11y ago
  FYI the person you were responding to was me, and I wasn't complaining.

dreamcompiler 11y ago

The Gear VR has an extra USB port that you can connect to a charger which keeps the phone powered while in use. Or (more convenient) you can connect it to a self-contained brick battery you could wear on your waist.

zamalek 11y ago

I hacked up a quick head-tracking solution one weekend using my phone and WiFi. The problem was passive calibration. Accelerometers and gyroscopes are noisy and imperfect. Drift occurs and without the Occulus tracker or Vive lighthouses you are in for a frustrating experience. I own a DK2 and for many concrete reasons disagree with the author, it is not a novelty. Phone-based stuff is most certainly a novelty.