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VR Cinema 3D for video games (external display)

AlphaRay
Protege
I've been browsing for a day or two but can't find any related threads, apologies if this is a dead horse.

But has anyone tried to turn the VR Cinema screen into a computer screen for playing games? Would it be too much for a computer to render the two separate environments at once? Perhaps a clever way of tricking VRCinema into thinking a live video feed from an external device (ps3/xbox/etc) was a movie file could be devised? Has anyone tried to do anything like this?
11 REPLIES 11

raidho36
Explorer
It's been discussed numerous times already. Long story short: it eliminates the purpose. "Bigger" screen alone doesn't makes up for better gameplay/graphics/whatever. Just play it on TV or regular monitor.

There's a SNES emulator for the Rift that does this kind of thing. And I personally seriosly dislike its author's taste for estate.

AnotherAtreyu
Protege
"raidho36" wrote:
It's been discussed numerous times already. Long story short: it eliminates the purpose. "Bigger" screen alone doesn't makes up for better gameplay/graphics/whatever. Just play it on TV or regular monitor.

There's a SNES emulator for the Rift that does this kind of thing. And I personally seriosly dislike its author's taste for estate.


Interesting opinion, but I disagree.
Just because something doesn't seem to have a purpose beyond novelty, doesn't mean people don't ever enjoy [novelty].
Some people may genuinely get a kick out of playing their games on a giant theater screen. How many times in your life have you ever had the chance to do that?

Also, with some of the streaming options it would be pretty cool if you could broadcast your gameplay so anybody in the theater could come and take a seat and watch you game if they were interested; it could definitely make for some cool tournament play, at least once we get our hands on the consumer version or dk2!
“If you are willing to look at another person’s behavior toward you as a reflection of the state of their relationship with themselves rather than a statement about your value as a person, then you will, over a period of time cease to react at all.” (~I really gotta remember this shiz~) ― Yogi Bhajan

raidho36
Explorer
Yeah, but it's only worth for first two minutes, and then you end up constantly having many important visuals being scattered way into your peripheral, while you turn your eyes to see one important items, other important items inevitably get out of your focus for good. Movies solve this by having some specific point of interest around which everything revolves. Video games tend to scatter things all over the display.

While idea of having some sort of VR viewroom app that pipes any input imagery onto virtual screen sounds reasonable (vast majority of media content isn't designed for 3d/VR use), one shouldn't count on it as a silver bullet. It's nothing more than a different way of viewing things, and given limitations it's impose (you can't eat popcorn and drink soda easily, for one), it's far isn't the best way.

AlphaRay
Protege
Awesome, thanks for the replies. I took a look at the SNES emulator project, and it looks very cool. As HappyHimitsu mentioned, I was mostly interested in a novel way to play simple games on a huge screen. I'm thinking something along the lines of a very large game of Pong 😄

But I agree that current tech would probably be too limiting for things like first person shooters and such.

raidho36
Explorer
Why would you want to play a first-person shooter on a huge TV when you can play it in actual VR? If anything, that's counter-novelty.

TWhite
Explorer
Not 100% the same thing as OP, but I did have an idea on how to utilize the Rift outside of gaming but also on the PC. It's impossible to modify Windows itself to be a Rift-friendly experience. But what if you created a 3D modelled computer desk and monitor/keyboard+mouse setup that your in-game character sits at, and the monitor is rendering your actual windows client in 2D. This way you can use your PC inside the Rift almost identically to how you would in real life.

The only catches would be getting windows to render itself inside a program, and the resolution of the Rift would have to be substantially higher to be able to read the text on a virtual monitor. We're talking probably no less than a 3840x2160 screen to meet the task. And even then, it's iffy.

But I'm with ya OP. There's no reason NOT to have a program to do exactly this. Don't like it/see the novelty in it? Don't use it. Just because you don't appreciate it, doesn't mean there aren't people that would and could enjoy it.
CPU: i7 3770k 4.6Ghz GPU: EVGA GTX 780

raidho36
Explorer
How about just VR environment for the desktop? 3D holographic-like interface with LeapMotion support and whatnot. Seems much more suitable.

You guys should really stop thinking in your pre-VR bounds.

AnotherAtreyu
Protege
"raidho36" wrote:
How about just VR environment for the desktop? 3D holographic-like interface with LeapMotion support and whatnot. Seems much more suitable.

You guys should really stop thinking in your pre-VR bounds.

Cool idea for sure!

For the most part I understand what you are getting at, but I still believe that part of the allure of VR is not only the amazing new things we can do (believe me, I am in no way stuck in the past), but the ability to rehash old experiences in a new method and turn the retro experience on it's head.
You may not like the idea, and that's ok, but there are those of us who would enjoy playing an old game retrofit for VR as well as playing an old game on a gigantic screen in a VR theater.

I for one have always enjoyed doing my gaming on my 47" 1080p toshiba as opposed to my little monitor, and given the fact that I can in no way afford a massive theater projection set up, I would be just as happy to sit down and game on one virtually. 🙂

Whatever floats the boat right?
“If you are willing to look at another person’s behavior toward you as a reflection of the state of their relationship with themselves rather than a statement about your value as a person, then you will, over a period of time cease to react at all.” (~I really gotta remember this shiz~) ― Yogi Bhajan

AlphaRay
Protege
"TWhite" wrote:
Not 100% the same thing as OP, but I did have an idea on how to utilize the Rift outside of gaming but also on the PC. It's impossible to modify Windows itself to be a Rift-friendly experience. But what if you created a 3D modelled computer desk and monitor/keyboard+mouse setup that your in-game character sits at, and the monitor is rendering your actual windows client in 2D. This way you can use your PC inside the Rift almost identically to how you would in real life.

The only catches would be getting windows to render itself inside a program, and the resolution of the Rift would have to be substantially higher to be able to read the text on a virtual monitor. We're talking probably no less than a 3840x2160 screen to meet the task. And even then, it's iffy.

But I'm with ya OP. There's no reason NOT to have a program to do exactly this. Don't like it/see the novelty in it? Don't use it. Just because you don't appreciate it, doesn't mean there aren't people that would and could enjoy it.


This guy gets it! lol
And with virtual space, there's no reason to stop at just simulating our current setups. You could turn your walls into screens. We could surround ourselves 360 degrees with 55" monitors. Heck, it could even be a powerful marketing tool for display manufacturers. "Try before you buy."