This is the kind of games that got me started into this field .. Can you believe it ??

From VR-Tifacts, where you can find a lot more videos :

From 1991 to 1996 W Industries Virtuality systems defined the image of VR in the location based entertainment arena. (…) Virtuality, first using an Amiga platform and later a 486 PC, achieved a remarkable quality of game play for those early years. This collection of videos will give you a flavor. Thanks go out to Fronzel who generously compiled many of these. Watch!

As part of the endeavour of the VR Geeks to democratize VR, I wrote a VRPN tutorial.

VRPN (Virtual Reality Peripheral Network) is a free, open source, tool that handles many VR devices.

VRPN acts as a device server. You configure VRPN to use your devices, then your program can easily connect to the server to get the device data in a standardized way.

VRPN is used by a lot of VR applications: commercial ones like Virtools, WorldViz, but also free applications like OpenSceneGraph, or Panda3D.

VRPN is cross-platform and runs on many different OS inclunding Windows, Linux, MacOS …

We recommend the usage of VRPN if you want your application to be compatible with the VR Kits.

One of the very good surprises of creating my VR Wall is that the Nvidia 3D vision driver with a GeForce doesn’t (completely) break VR cameras.

I’ve managed to have a pretty good calibration, and I’ll detail the steps here.

Some important issues remain, see at the end of the article, but the results are already very interesting !

Read more…

Following the VR Kit – HMD (VR Goggles), here’s the Wall ! If you want to build one for yourself, join the VR Geeks !

I have to say I’ve been waiting to have this kind of setup at home for 15 years, and I could finally build one myself !!

A 2.20m x 1m65 3d screen ! With that I can look at the 3D pictures and movies I took with my Fuji W1 3D camera, play (in 2D) with my game consoles, watch (2D) movies and .. get immersed !

As you can see it fits in a very small parisian room. The projector has a throw ratio of 0.68, which gives me the 2.20m width at a distance of only 1.5m. This also has the big advantage that, as this is front projection, it allows me to get somewhat close to the wall without casting a shadow.

The parts list :

- Viewsonic PJD 6381 projector : 800€

- NVidia 3D Vision kit : 150€

- Wiimote + Nunchuk : 50€

- A Gametrak : 20€

Total : ~1000€ !!!

Remember that every part is replacable by a more efficient one as long as you follow the VR Geeks specifications for the VR Kit – Wall!

I especially hope to get rid of the Gametrak wires soon And I also need to change my wallpaper, it has a too funky texture.

Now we need good applications and games to go with all that !! So join the VRGeeks and start creating your setup and applications!

David came home to test it and found it promising :

( oh and he also tested the HMD kit