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Valve Index - Specifications released.

KlodsBrik
Expert Trustee
1,893 REPLIES 1,893

RuneSR2
Grand Champion

Mradr said:


I do not think it is Valve who have rushed the release or stole any thunder, it was Oculus who had to accelerate it's plans as it got wind to Valves imminent launch. Imagine Valve launching something like the above without even the Rift S on the table.


Its possible xD I mean the Rift S did just like appear out of no where. I mean yea they needed a CV1 replacement - but it does seems a bit weird to release this now instead of around OC.



I've been having similar thoughts - but probably we'll never know. Personally I think it's confusing for customers having Rift-S and Quest launching almost at the same time - adding to the theory that Oculus may have accelerated the Rift-S launch. Normally Oculus uses OC to announce new and upcoming products (regarding both Go and Quest).  

Oculus Rift CV1, Valve Index & PSVR2, Asus Strix OC RTX™ 3090, i9-10900K (5.3Ghz), 32GB 3200MHz, 16TB SSD
"Ask not what VR can do for you, but what you can do for VR"

Anonymous
Not applicable

Chivas said:

After Oculus dashed my hopes with the Rift S,  I now have VR headset with an adjustable IPD to look forward too.   Valve has always developed decent products, but Oculus developed better hardware until now.  I understand there are always trade-offs,  but Oculus really dropped the ball with their software IPD adjustment considering the relatively small sweetspot of VR lenses.   



The Rift S lenses have quite a large sweet spot apparently and the adjustable range of IPD available is from 58mm-72mm which covers something like 95% of the population. Someone from either UploadVR or Road To VR tried the Rift S with an IPD of 72mm and didn't experience any problems.

inovator
Consultant
It's confusing for sure until it all hits the fan

Yep, if your IPD falls outside those values then you've got every right to complain, I don't see a big problem otherwise. Seems to be something that more people are citing as a problem than would have a probkem with it irl.
If Oculus take advantage of software IPD they'd do well to introduce user profiles with automatic IPD changes for each member of the family for example, just an idea.

Also, I wonder if @Wildt may favour software IPD after his Rift failed when adjusting his. Just one less thing to go wrong.
Have you had a response from support?

inovator
Consultant
Does anyone know how well other headsets with revive play rift games?

KlodsBrik
Expert Trustee


Be good, die great !

KlodsBrik
Expert Trustee

inovator said:

Does anyone know how well other headsets with revive play rift games?

Just as well as Rift with SteamVR.
Be good, die great !

CrashFu
Consultant


Yep, if your IPD falls outside those values then you've got every right to complain, I don't see a big problem otherwise. Seems to be something that more people are citing as a problem than would have a probkem with it irl.
If Oculus take advantage of software IPD they'd do well to introduce user profiles with automatic IPD changes for each member of the family for example, just an idea.

Also, I wonder if @Wildt may favour software IPD after his Rift failed when adjusting his. Just one less thing to go wrong.
Have you had a response from support?


Ooh, automatic per-profile IPD adjustment?  Hadn't even thought of that..

I have been thinking about other possible benefits of SIPDA, however. For example, vertical adjustment and per-eye adjustment.    Not everyone has perfect facial symmetry, right?  But mechanical IPD adjustment can only move the screens farther apart or closer together, and it has to move both simultaneously, and by the same degree.  SIPDA could theoretically move either, in any direction, independently.

So why exactly did people just start assuming that SIPDA would be an inherent downgrade to MIPDA?
It's hard being the voice of reason when you're surrounded by unreasonable people.


CrashFu said:



Yep, if your IPD falls outside those values then you've got every right to complain, I don't see a big problem otherwise. Seems to be something that more people are citing as a problem than would have a probkem with it irl.
If Oculus take advantage of software IPD they'd do well to introduce user profiles with automatic IPD changes for each member of the family for example, just an idea.

Also, I wonder if @Wildt may favour software IPD after his Rift failed when adjusting his. Just one less thing to go wrong.
Have you had a response from support?


Ooh, automatic per-profile IPD adjustment?  Hadn't even thought of that..

I have been thinking about other possible benefits of SIPDA, however. For example, vertical adjustment and per-eye adjustment.    Not everyone has perfect facial symmetry, right?  But mechanical IPD adjustment can only move the screens farther apart or closer together, and it has to move both simultaneously, and by the same degree.  SIPDA could theoretically move either, in any direction, independently.

So why exactly did people just start assuming that SIPDA would be an inherent downgrade to MIPDA?

Change is a worrying thing.

Also, wonder how far away they are from having a simple sensor to measure your IPD accurately and adjust it automatically. No need even for profiles at that point and less chance of eye strain if you haven't set it correctly*.

* © DnD Developments Inc.

Edit: I wouldn't be surprised if this isn't part & parcel of any future headset that incorporates eye-tracking, seems to me to be a likely prerequisite.

KlodsBrik
Expert Trustee
Interesting read on Valve patents:

Valve patents: speculation about the Index HMD



Hi all!

We're
all stoked to see the upcoming Index HMD. A few days ago I was digging
around in Valve patents (that have been published after the Vive came
out), and I think there are some nice tidbits in those that may indicate
some of the features coming in the Valve Index.

In chronological order of published date (all are links to the patent PDFs):


1 - Mar. 23, 2017 - PLAYER BIOFEEDBACK FOR DYNAMICALLY CONTROLLING A VIDEO GAME STATE

This has been talked about a lot before, and isn't really VR specific. VNN has a video on brain interfacing recently.
A VR HMD is already something you put on your head, so it's not that
out-there to think that some future HMD may have sensors that can figure
out your current emotional state and adjust the game based on that.

This
is starting off slightly off-topic here, but I just want to put out
some links here. Mary Lou Jepsen worked at Facebook/Oculus for about a
year back in 2015-2016 and has worked on lots of interesting display
technology before. She went straight from Facebook to start up OpenWater
that develops technology that can enable MRI-like brain imaging from
just infrared light, but with far superior resolution, and in a form
factor that would fit a headband. See her TED talk about it here.
GabeN has said (and VNN quotes) that "[computer-brain-interfaces] are a
lot further along than most people anticipate". Maybe this is it? I
wonder if that's an addon that comes later, and is what the expansion
port thing on the front is for. Also, look at this patent (not by Valve, though).


2 - Nov. 28, 2017 - DISPLAY WITH STACKED EMISSION AND CONTROL LOGIC LAYERS

Some interesting part from the patent on what this means in practice (emphasis mine):

Corresponding
advantages of silicon electron mobility and processing for display
fabrication allows a clear and immediate pathway to retinal near eye displays (e.g., dimensions of 10,000x10,000 or more), high dynamic range, greatly improved fill factor, and brightness (e.g., 10,000 cd/m2 or more). In addition, with respect to production of a display panel, significant improvements in pixel density for significantly larger sizes of display panel may be achieved at significantly lower costs
(e.g., $50 or less). In addition, the described techniques may provide a
variety of benefits with respect to the use of such a display panel,
including to provide one or more of the following: increased bandwidth in communication of video signals to the display panel, photorealistic immersive visual experience [...].


3 - Feb. 8, 2018 - MITIGATION OF SCREEN DOOR EFFECT IN HEAD - MOUNTED DISPLAYS

This
is pretty straight-forward. This one is talking about using a microlens
display in between the lens and the users eye in order to reduce the
screen door effect. As far as I understand it, it's like having an array
of tiny magnifying glasses so that you'll see more of the pixels and
less of the space in between the pixels. It differs from the diffusion
filter used in the Odyssey+, as that was placed between the panels and
the lens, not between the lens and your eyes (as this patent is about).
It probably also wouldn't reduce the sharpness of the display, as I
understand it.


4 - Feb.
22, 2018 - SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DETECTION AND / OR CORRECTION OF
PIXEL LUMINOSITY AND / OR C...

This
is something to use in the production process in order to reduce visual
artifacts that vary between individual displays and from pixel to
pixel. By having the GPU (or an on-board chip) modify the video signal
to reverse the artifacts for the given display, it works kind-of like
noise cancellation, but for brightness and color "noise" in the display,
thus reducing mura.

Interesting side note about putting this workload in the GPU or on an on-board chip (again, emphasis mine):

In
certain HMD - related embodiments, mura correction processing in
accordance with aspects of the present invention is performed host -
side on the graphics processing unit ("GPU"). However, depending on the
requirements of each particular implementation, such processing may be
effected in silicon, in the headset itself, on a tether, or in the
display panel electronics, for example. Such alternative
implementations may provide greater image compressibility, which is
important in situations involving limited link bandwidths (e.g., wireless systems).

Although it shouldn't come as a surprise that Valve has at least toyed with the thought of a wireless system.


5 - Mar. 22, 2018 - OPTICAL SYSTEM FOR HEAD - MOUNTED DISPLAY SYSTEM

This
one was a bit hard for me to understand. It talks about using double
layer fresnel lenses in an HMD in a way that provides multiple "fields"
(e.g., small FOV angles, large FOV angles), and allows for seamless
transitions when looking between these zones. Figure 3 is of particular
interest, I think, as it indicates how this can be used to create an HMD
with a massively larger FOV than one could with only one fresnel layer.


6 - May 3, 2018 - USING PUPIL LOCATION TO CORRECT OPTICAL LENS DISTORTION

This
thing describes itself. Using eye tracking to correct for optical
distortions. The XTAL HMD already has automatic IPD adjustment based on
their eye tracking, but this is going beyond that by configuring optimal
lens distortion mapping based on where your pupils are in three
dimensional space in front of the lenses.


All
in all, very much to be exited about. All of this leads me to believe
that Valve has made the most graphically stunning VR HMD to date. It
might not have eye tracking or wireless (yet?), but I do think it will
at least have substantially reduced screen door effect and higher FOV.
What do you think?


Be good, die great !