The HTC Vive is a virtual reality headset developed by HTC and Valve Corporation. The headset uses “room scale” tracking technology, allowing the user to move in 3D space and use motion-tracked handheld controllers to interact with the environment. HTC Vive has the feature of 6 DOF and 110 degrees FOV, along with a head-mounted display device.

I like this device because I have some experiences playing with it in a game my friend developed. He created a Fruit Ninja game in 3D version and it was fantastic to cut the fruits floating around me instead of just on the screen. HTC Vive can easily connect to SteamVR where there are some delicate demos of VR program.

Microsoft HoloLens, known under development as Project Baraboo, is a pair of mixed reality smartglasses developed and manufactured by Microsoft. HoloLens was one of the first computers running the Windows Mixed Reality platform under the Windows 10 operating system. The HoloLens can trace its lineage to Kinect, an add-on for Microsoft’s Xbox gaming console that was introduced in 2010.

I am working in HCI lab this semester and my professor has ordered a smart glass for us. Though I do not know if it is Hololens, yet I still find this kind of smart glass helpful in the upcoming future. People need hands-free devices to help them with their life and it is cool to handle the information in an MR world. Also this glass has an advantage that it can be easily programmed by developers and create something brand new.

Google Cardboard (VR)

The Google Cardboard is a VR head mount set that was first developed and released by Google in June 2014. Being named after the cardboard material the device was mainly made from, the Google Cardboard was a simple and cheap device made to be used with smartphones. Users can choose to either buy a pre-manufactured one from Google or build their own viewer using their own components and instructions freely available from Google’s website.

Pros:

• Extremely cheap in comparison to the other VR headsets like the Oculus Rift or HTC Vive
• Customizable by users or developers due to blueprints and specifications being publicly available
• Enables VR programs to be run and used by phones which is not quite possible with the aforementioned devices
• Easy and simple interaction design – a single button to interact with VR apps, removing the need to master the usage of other clunky controllers

Cons:

• Restricted compatibility with larger devices (like laptops, smart tablets or personal computers) – which by extension, limiting its programs’ potential performance (laptops can accommodate much higher hardware specifications than that of a smart phone)
• Limited interactivity – users can only interact with VR apps through a single button and will be unable to simulate actions (like hand pressure or movement) that is only possible through a more sophisticated controller.
• Lack of integrated audio playback – users must use their own audio devices or use their smartphone speakers
• Extremely uncomfortable to use if you wear spectacles without customization

Microsoft HoloLens (MR)

The Microsoft Hololens is a pair of MR smart-glasses developed and released by Microsoft in March 2016. It is one of the first few devices that runs Windows Mixed Reality Platform under the Windows 10 OS. The Microsoft Hololens can be seen as a “computer in your glasses” – akin to that those cool tech glasses you seen in films like James Bond and Kingsman series alike. It supports a plethora of existing programs and applications, from conventional Windows 10 programs to that of 3D holographic applications.

Pros:

• The portability and wearability of a powerful computer in a form of a pair of glasses is indeed a compelling point to buy this product
• Holographic interaction – imagine being able to use your computer like how Tony Stark does in Iron Man will be extremely awesome!
• Supports both conventional 2D programs and 3D holographic apps is a plus point

Cons:

• Short battery life (especially due to its high performance demands)
• Hefty price tag of $3000 (USD) – almost equivalent to that of a high-end computer or laptop
• Still quite uncomfortable to use this device with large glasses and headgear

Note: All of this products are from CES 2019 ( https://www.ces.tech/About-CES.aspx ) and has not been out in the market as of this posting.

Oculus Quest (Prefered VR)

The Oculus Quest is a new product from Oculus, presented during the CES 2019. The Oculus Quest is an all-in-one gaming system built for Virtual Reality (VR) games. It eliminates the need to be tethered to a PC just to play VR games. Before the Oculus Quest is able to track your movements without the external cameras, you will need to use the Oculus mobile app to set it up.

However, the Oculus Quest lacks the power of the current PC-powered headsets like the original Oculus Rift and the HTC Vive. The next thing of worry is the battery life of the Oculus Quest, currently there is not any information about how long the Oculus Quest can last. The final worry about the Oculus Quest is about the balance of the head set, as it might be even heavier than Oculus Rift as all the components are stored there.

Overall I pick Oculus Quest as my prefered device for VR in CES as it will be the first consumer grade portable VR system that does not require to tether to any other devices or use a smart phone as its screen.

NReal Light (Prefered MR)

From right to left: Toast, Light, Oreo

The Nreal Light is a lightweight mixed reality (MR) glasses that allow for inside-out tracking. You can add a controller(Oreo) that has a pressure and touch sensitive touchpad and has 3 degrees of freedom (DoF) tracking. The glasses(Light) is tethered to a Nreal proprietary external Android-powered computing pack (Toast). The hardware platform of the toast is Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, and its software development kit (SDK) is available on Unity and Unreal. The Light has 6 DoF tracking, plane detection, object recognition and Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM). It has a FOV of 53 degrees and it is better than the average for MR.

I picked the Nreal Light as the prefered MR device as it looks like a normal sunglasses in a glance and it is light-weight which makes it really portable. (A total weight of 170g + 85g + 23g = 278g)

List of interesting devices

NORDICTRACK VR BIKE

Cybershoes

Digilens Crystal

VR: Oculus Rift

The Oculus Rift was first released in March 2016 as one of the first consumer VR headsets in the market (if you discount Nintendo’s Virtual Boy), and it is still going strong as one of the best PC-tethered VR headset on the market. The headset displays a 1080×1200 resolution for each eye with a 110 degree FOV at 90Hz refresh rate. The pricing has been slashed several times from $599, down to $399, and more recently $349, making this headset a lot easier on the pockets for consumers.

Pros:

• Significantly cheaper than HTC Vive at $349 USD
• Touch controllers better mimic hand presence
• Lighter and easier to deal with
• Built-in audio

Cons:

• Poor tracking with 2 sensors for a full room experience
• Requires 3 USB 3.0 ports can flood USB bandwidth

MR: Magic Leap

The Magic Leap glasses allows you to experience an enhanced world with digital objects while interacting with the real world objects. The pricing is steep at at $2295 with the justification that the glasses has the capability to replace many devices like your smart phone and computers. You may be wondering how a silly looking pair of glasses can actually contain enough computing power to replace modern devices but it actually connects to a wearable computer called the Lightpack. This device opens up a lot of possibilities in the mixed reality field, and I am interested to see what they can bring to the table in the future.

Pros:

• Glasses allow for tracking without setting up base stations and calibration unlike traditional VR headsets
• Novel mixed reality experience
• You get to look like Dr. Octopus
  

Cons:

• Get ready to lose $2295 USD
• Does not play well with glasses
• You get to look like Dr. Octopus