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Start multi-tasking with your virtual reality headset
- johnm1019 10y agoSo excited we live in the future. I talked about this idea with so many people when we first put on the Occulus prototypes so long ago. It's awesome to see someone putting in the effort to make it a reality. Can't wait to see this application of VR develop. After all, the foundational elements could also be used in an AR type setup if that technology approves more human-centric in the long term. Especially in the workplace, having your field-of-view completely covered by a screen is probably not the most socially ideal.
- petewailes 10y agoThis reminds me of SphereXP. For anyone who doesn't know, it was a 3D desktop environment from years back. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhLbDyE-MQc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhLbDyE-MQc Obviously this takes the concept and advances it somewhat, but overall I'm glad to see this sort of interface returning. It was a fantastic experiment and worked surprisingly well.
- wildpeaks 10y agoAlso back in the day, SpaceTime 3D: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMw7ftk5-1s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMw7ftk5-1s
- stanislavb 10y agoNice. I'd really love to experience this!
- mjsweet 10y agoCan anyone who has used this comment on it's general usability? For instance, if I lean in closer to a space will it get closer, or is my head position locked? Would this be useful for coding? e.g. is text clear enough? What kind of resolution is needed for text to approach the level of retina displays that we have become accustomed to? Does anyone have any thoughts on developer experience... toolchain and IDE opportunities that would take great advantage of GetSpace?
- draugadrotten 10y ago> Would this be useful for coding? e.g. is text clear enough? It's not clear enough with todays headsets but who knows what the next gen will deliver. It could be useful to use a headset like this when the light from a normal screen would disturb others
- MaulingMonkey 10y agoI doubt we'll reach parity with my multi-4K setups in non-custom hardware for another decade or so (and this is the first generation where I no longer want for increased pixel density in my monitors.) I should try and see how well a 80x25 terminal works on current gen tech though.
- majewsky 10y ago> if I lean in closer to a space will it get closer Anything else would be stupid.
- Artlav 10y agoIf it's something like Oculus Rift, then yes - you can move your head around and lean closer, for example. If it's something simpler, with no head tracking, then no - you are fixed in one place.
- xjia 10y ago> if I lean in closer to a space will it get closer Yes, that is how it works.
- anqurvanillapy 10y agoIt seems to be a new Shanghai-based company started by an ex-Google engineer this year. I found some news in Chinese (http://qianbidao.baijia.baidu.com/article/503760 http://qianbidao.baijia.baidu.com/article/503760), which says there will be a specific 3D engine developed for SPACE, not using Unity. It is exciting to see the 3D desktop/multi-tasking environment become popular one day.
- alexcroox 10y agoThe constant rocking from head movement would make most feel sick before they got any real work done I imagine. Seen in the demo video here: https://youtu.be/B4JqN0uxnzw?t=28 https://youtu.be/B4JqN0uxnzw?t=28 I know I'd struggle to focus on lines of code or paragraphs of text with it constantly moving around.
- croon 10y agoThat's how your head moves constantly yet you have no problem focusing. The reason you don't feel sick is because it's your own head. In that video you're watching someone elses head movement.
- bigpeopleareold 10y agoI tried VR and I feel it is approaching FPSs for me. I never could play FPSs because I always felt a bit of nausea after some time. So, VR coding? Could it be the first time code literally makes me sick instead of just figuratively? :)
- ckdarby 10y agoIn terms of programming this is nearly useless. I have to change my font size usually 4-5x the normal size I have in my IDE to even feel comfortable looking at it.
- augustl 10y agoHopefully it is just a question of time before we have retina resolution even for panels that are a few inches from our eyes and magnified with optics.
- mhd 10y agoNever mind properly using the hardware and its capabilities. A headtracking VR setup has other constraints than a static rectangle. Arranging overviews, subpanels, minor buffers could probably be improved. On the other hand, we still haven't escaped the VT100 in 99% of our IDEs so I'm not holding my breath for an ultra-immersive new-fangled "I can breathe code" style.
- empath75 10y agoYeah, projecting a 2d desktop onto the surface of a sphere is I guess pretty neat, but not a great use of 3d space. Why not have applications be actual physical objects you can walk around? Why do they need to have 2d view ports? What if you could pick an app up and turn it to the side to change settings on it with physical sliders and knobs? Just sort of pie-in-the-sky-- imagine a programming language that worked like a 3d spreadsheet, where your functions where literal 3d objects you could wire together, and the parameters had physical affordances so you could adjust them...
- Artlav 10y agoThis varies between people - i.e. I find it uncomfortable when the font is too large, since it feels like looking at an elephant through a microscope. The more code fits on the screen, the better.
- majewsky 10y agoInteresting proposition. If the image quality is good enough, then even a good VR headset might actually be less expensive than an array of physical screens. Obvious disadvantages: having to wear a VR headset all day, and you cannot collaborate with others over your screen contents anymore (unless they strap on and plug in a second headset maybe). Another thing: This would be really cool for desktop sharing.
- noir_lord 10y ago> (unless they strap on and plug in a second headset maybe). On the other hand with a high resolution headset and good bandwidth, you can pair review/code review with anyone/anywhere and they see exactly what you see. In the longer term you could create a 3D virtual office where all the screens exist in the same space and you can jump from one set to another, as a collaboration tool that would exceed a real world office in some ways since you there would be no physical limitations. Could be incredible for online tech-talks and such as well since you wouldn't be sat 50ft from the speaker trying to read slides from a crappy OHP. This is the side of the technology that really excites me, not the games.
- 8note 10y agofor online tech talks, you could also have some kind of phone app that would show the slides
- datamoshr 10y agoExciting and innovating as this is; this particular idea seems like it'd be more apt in an AR setting. It could address the issue of non-touch typists, those of us that use notebooks on our desk, also working in an office, being able to see people can be quite handy.
- cortesi 10y agoI've been playing with this sort of idea on the HTC Vive, and I strongly believe that this is the future. Unfortunately, none of the available VR devices have anywhere near the resolution needed for this to be a workable proposition. Give it another 5 years or so.
- zimbatm 10y agoThat's like looking a black and white movie on a color screen. Why are they still using a 2D window manager when we could take advantage of the full 3D spacial navigation?
- blkhawk 10y agouh, because a GUI based on a flat "desktop" metaphor with overlapping square interfaces works so damn well. And the places where the metaphor differs from a RL desktop its because its more convenient that way - say like how documents (windows) have no thickness or how its easier to look straight ahead with a 90° to a surface instead of downwards onto a desktop at an angle? this concept actually takes advantage of 3d spacial navigation by basically giving you an functionally unlimited of desktop area.
- zimbatm 10y agoIt's not an unlimited desktop if they are projected inside of a 3D sphere. Granted text is best displayed on 2D tiles that you can look straight ahead, but I was talking about navigation. There is only one text that you can read at the time, the rest doesn't have to be arranged in a sphere. It could be laid out around the room or even in bigger fields.
- dharma1 10y agoMost legacy apps are 2D surfaces. Or do you mean why the 2D windows are not composited more in the 3D space (they all seem to have the same Z depth)? Well, you would need a 3D input devices as precise as the veritable mouse, which they are using in this demo.
- zimbatm 10y agoFair enough. From the home page it looked like each tile might be holding multiple apps. It's a good first implementation but hopefully in the future apps will be 3D-compatible.
- empath75 10y agoWhat would a VR file manager look like to you, for example?
- harryf 10y agoDespite plenty of studies showing multi tasking for humans is less efficient than single tasking ( e.g. http://news.stanford.edu/2009/08/24/multitask-research-study-082409/ http://news.stanford.edu/2009/08/24/multitask-research-study... ) here we are inventing new ways to be even more distracted.
- StavrosK 10y agoWhy do you say that? I'd love something like this product, and my work flow is single tasking. I have all my windows open in full screen all the time and switch between them, and usually have a movie playing on the second screen while I work. Yes, it takes me a day to watch an hour's worth of movie, but it's a nice and easy distraction when waiting for stuff to build or doing other low cognitive impact work.
- pvinis 10y agoWell, even though they market it that way, it's more like a multi-monitor setup, which is totally valid to have for, at least, a developer.
- shade23 10y agoYou look at it the wrong way.The point is to make the system multi task.Its like you opening several tabs/windows. I often spend time browsing HN while my project builds in the background.Similary while a site I am opening opens(yes this is a thing because developers love making heavy websites these days),I shift to other tabs. And when you have to port design specs to code.It is much easier to just turn your head instead of switching tabs/windows. This would indeed be a much better option.
- anotheryou 10y agoDemo Video (hidden in the press-kit): https://youtu.be/B4JqN0uxnzw?t=16 https://youtu.be/B4JqN0uxnzw?t=16
- canada_dry 10y agoNice catch. I think their concept is brilliant. A bit hard to gauge in a 2D video. I so want to jump on the VR bandwagon. But... my brain is telling me to hold off for V2 or V3 when the hardware will likely be orders of magnitude better than the current crop.
- Artlav 10y agoNothing to do with "multitasking" - instead of putting real, cost-$, monitors around you, just put virtual, free, monitors around - as many as you wish! Sounds like something awesome, but kinda impractical for now - at least not until the Oculus-grade headsets become the size of eyeglasses. I guess that should work great with AR headsets, since these won't constrain your situational awareness.
- k__ 10y agoHow about Google Cardboard and the EEE Keyboard? They are both pretty light-weight. Finally we could look like the keyboard cowboys from Neuromancer ;)
- dzhiurgis 10y agoI think portable VR + something like this [0] has massive potential. 0: http://www.theverge.com/2016/1/8/10738792/harman-touchless-ultrasonic-haptic-feedback-ces-2016 http://www.theverge.com/2016/1/8/10738792/harman-touchless-u...
- phire 10y agoThe bigger problem is pixel density. I've tried both the DK1 and the vive, and the vive is basically at the point where games are very playable. Some people complain about the "screen-door" effect, which basically translates to the pixels are so large that it's like you are looking a screen door. But in my experience that's not a problem. If you stop and concentrate you can see the pixels, and they are quite large, but with game-like graphics your brain is more than happy to fill in the gaps between pixels. This doesn't translate to text. Text needs to be massive before you can read it. There is no way you can have multiple monitors at desktop distances. Best case is a single, low resolution monitor (about 720p resolution) so close to your face (or far away and massive) that it takes up your entire field of view. To see any extra monitors, you would have to rotate your entire head.
- noir_lord 10y agoResolution is the reason I haven't bought one yet. When the 'in-world' resolution can match 1920x1200 at 2ft then it will replace my 3 monitors otherwise it's a headache inducing experience. If the technology takes off and follows the usual S-curve I think we'll have that inside 5 years.
- k__ 10y agoIs this the VR-desktop monitor replacement I dreamed of?
- ska 10y agoNo. But give it 2 or 3 more hardware generations and maybe.
- dharma1 10y agoI've been thinking about the same thing. The window manager needs to be built into the OS, really. I think we'll see something built into Android for this soon -(standard 2d app surfaces in a 3D360 VR environment). I'm not sure the current display tech is that good for your eyes/brain to be staring at it 8 hours a day, never mind the current screen resolution. But eventually it will be, and using something like this will enable you to work anywhere without having to carry large screens with you.
- lux 10y agoI've read that you don't need to go through Greenlight for VR apps right now, just to contact Valve. Not sure if that's true, but might be of help if it is.
- drzaiusapelord 10y agoDevs on /r/vive claim this is true. Appparantly, Valve is hurting for good VR content and will fast track anything VR related. It also doesn't make much sense to Greenlight VR. You need x amount of votes, but because the VR population is so low, its much harder to get those votes compared to a traditional 2D game.
- EGreg 10y agoI think using this for an hour will make you tired quickly. You're really staring at some screen centimeters from your eyes.
- ogrev 10y agoThat's strange, how is this better than https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXEE8R4UUuc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXEE8R4UUuc ?
- ugolino91 10y agoWould pay for something like this with Hololens + my own keyboard and mouse. Virtual desktops in Rift or Vive give me headaches and I use the headsets everyday.
- anonbanker 10y agoNot important for devs until it works in MacOS and Linux. Until then, this is a toy for a toy OS.
- fapjacks 10y agoI came here to say this.
- aaronwidd 10y agoIt sounds like there's more than a few people working on this idea now. I just feel like it's a little early to be expecting users to go about multitasking like a desktop when we're still at a point in the evolution of VR tech where prolonged sessions of VR HMD use is not common behavior. Even getting users to put the headset back on after stepping away, is still a challenge. Not to mention the difficulties of reading text in VR among other issues. That's not to say there isn't a use case for a multitask desktop in VR, it's just that this is a problem to be solved in the future. In the present, we simply need software that gives users a good reason to put the headset back on again after the novelty wears off
- aphextron 10y agoAs someone extremely familiar with the current state of VR tech, this is simply a non starter right now. The level of resolution, pixel density, and comfort of current gen HMDs is nowhere near what it will need to be to be an actual useful productivity tool. It's great for gaming, but we're just not there yet for every day use.