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Why no headphone jack?

spyro
Expert Protege
Hi there,

I wonder if the next DevKit (or at least the consumer version) will have a headphone jack on the HMD itself? As the device is connected per HDMI anyway, this should not be a real problem, doesn't cost much but will make the setup much easier and free of additional cables. As binaural audio works best with simple ear plugs than with big and heavy wireless headsets this would help a lot.

So, are there any plans to integrate a headphone jack?

spyro
18 REPLIES 18

KuraIthys
Honored Guest
It's potentially also connected by DVI, which has no audio...

You'd have to be careful to make that clear to people, but other than that it sounds like a reasonably good idea.

FlameHaze
Honored Guest
"KuraIthys" wrote:
It's potentially also connected by DVI, which has no audio....


Precisely. Other than that I suppose it would be a nice addition. The only problem that may be faced is where on the device they add it. You won't want headphone cables hanging down and whacking you in the face every five seconds :D.

Maybe something to stop the cable from dangling around like the design for the normal connector cable... Or maybe I'm looking too far into this.

spyro
Expert Protege
Ok, then maybe USB audio seems to be the weapon of choice. As there are USB audio dongles available for under 3$ (http://www.amazon.com/Channel-External- ... 0027EMHM6/) this could be easily integrated without increasing the price dramatically.

Many in-ear headphones offer the possibility to detach the longer piece of the cable.

For me, sound should not be treated like a nice-to-have add-on, it's critical for the whole experience and should be part of the core system (at least in the consumer version).

I'm hoping that developers will take binaural audio/HRTF into account for their games and not just focus on the optics alone. Normal speaker output makes no sense at all in a headtracked VR environment.

spyro

MikeArms24
Honored Guest
Yeah, but DVI has audio now. I'm sure it'll be in the consumer version or maybe the V2
Riftmax Theater 4D Multiplayer VR Cinema! http://www.riftmax.com - Latest DK2-ready version 0.415(11/27/2014)

atavener
Adventurer
spyro, thumbs-up! I'm glad someone else takes audio seriously. 🙂 And I guess I assumed that Oculus must be aware of the needs... since it *has* to become obvious when you're spending hours of your day peering through a virtual window! Doesn't it?

Crespo80
Explorer
An headphones jack on the consumer Rift is a must, with the audio streamed either via the HDMI/DVI or the USB cable!
The user can choose his preferred headphones, but Oculus can also sell a more integrated custom Rift headphones on their store, for those who want an all-in-one device.

KuraIthys
Honored Guest
"MikeArms24" wrote:
Yeah, but DVI has audio now. I'm sure it'll be in the consumer version or maybe the V2


It does? How does it handle that without interfering with the existing signalling logic? There aren't any spare wires on a DVI connector, and using a modified connector would break compatibility with just about anything older.

Ah. I see what it is. It's because you can send a HDMI signal over DVI.

But that only functions if the computer can output the audio correctly over DVI.

Which means this leads to exactly the same kind of confusion as having HDMI audio, but not DVI (because it's technically become a HDMI stream being passed through DVI)

DVI still can't output audio in it's native protocols, so this still leaves a lot of room for confusion.

You might as well remove the DVI connector entirely if you were to go down that route.

Korda
Honored Guest
I don't understand the need for a jack isn't your computer right there? I wish Unity would support HRTF's.

Here is the virtual barber shop demo in case someone hasn't seen it yet: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUDTlvagjJA

spyro
Expert Protege
"Korda" wrote:
I don't understand the need for a jack isn't your computer right there? I wish Unity would support HRTF's.


Me too...

A headphone jack on the HMD would be useful to avoid nagging, second cable. In addition, normal earplugs have quite short cables.

spyro