Disclaimer: Lots of these points will just be based on research from the Internet; a huge factor while considering a person’s preferences for AR/VR devices is the actual comfort of the device when it’s worn, which may or may not apply in the following discussion.

VR: Oculus Rift

The Oculus Rift is a headset that was essentially developed as the pioneer of the current generation of VR headsets back in March 2016, and still remains as one of the leaders of the pack of PC-tethered VR headsets to this day. But what about it seems so impressive that it’s still heralded as a top-tier headset so long after its initial development?

Ultimately, the main question that has to be answered is: how immersive is this device? This immersion can be contributed to by multiple factors, some of which will be discussed here.

Firstly, the comfort of wearing the headset. The Oculus Rift may look bulky, but compared to all the other prominent headsets on the market right now, such as the HTC Vive and the PlayStation VR Headset, the Rift still provides one of the lightest experiences available, owing to its slightly more compact design. This means that throughout the VR experience, you’re less likely to feel something weighing down on your head, and as it feels more natural, you’ll be able to lose yourself in the world before your eyes.

And that’s something the Rift does fairly well – allowing everything to feel natural. It takes multiple steps in ensuring it does this well, from supplying headphones (with 3D positional audio) on the headset itself, to only having one wire connecting the headset to the PC, reducing the interference from external wiring.

One particular area which helps to immerse players in the VR world is the controllers.The small, compact design of the controllers allow the player to move their hands freely, without having to feel any additional weight. On top of that, the button on the handle (which usually controls the opening/closing of an in-game hand) of each controller are strategically placed so that in order to press it, your finger has to wrap all the way around the grip of the controller, perfectly emulating the movement of grabbing onto something. These points may seem small, but each detail (or in this case, lack of detail) contributes its small part into ensuring that the entire VR experience is as immersive and natural as can be.

MR: Windows HoloLens

The Windows HoloLens was Microsoft’s answer to the Google Glass as an AR/MR solution for the typical consumer. Whilst the Google Glass was made to be an everyday accessory that could easily be passed off as just another pair of glasses, Microsoft instead focused on the functionality of the HoloLens, seeking to maximise the possible applications of AR as much as they could.

The HoloLens aims to incorporate a myriad of virtual reality applications into a real world setting, attempting to transform the real world seen through the headset into a virtual world. Though it may not be as portable as the Google Glass, it definitely provides a much more immersive environment by virtue of integrating as much of the real world into the virtual reality as possible.

For instance, take the Paint 3D application. Though this image may just be an advert and may just not accurately represent the actual application experience, I have seen this app in action before (through Dr Lu Weiquan’s module on Visual Design). Through the integrated electronic display and ability to recognise motion gestures in the real world, the HoloLens allows for direct manipulation of 3D objects in the virtual world, something that lends to a thoroughly immersive experience (as compared to the Google Glass, where only voice commands are recognised). On top of that, eye tracking is also enabled on the HoloLens, allowing for the world to be manipulated just by looking at certain objects. This emulation corresponds with how our real world operate, making the AR experience in the HoloLens much more immersive.9

Latest hardware in VR

• HTC Vive
• Oculus Rift
• Oculus Go
• Sony Playstation VR
• Samsung Gear VR
• Google Daydream View

Latest hardware in AR

• Google Glass
• Vuzix Blade Smart Glasses
• Everysight Raptor
• Solos AR
• Epson Moverio

• Sony SmartEyeGlass

Latest hardware in MR

• Samsung Odyssey+
• Lenovo Explorer
• Microsoft HoloLens
• Dell Visor

For VR, my preferred headset would be the HTC Vive.

The HTC Vive headset is extremely comfortable to wear and features soft, memory foam-esque material around the edges to avoid any kind of skin irritation when being worn. The material can be easily switched out thanks to the use of Velcro.

The HTC Vive features a beautiful high-resolution display (2160×1200) which when split across two eyes equates to two gorgeous 1080×1200 displays. The HTC Vive provides one of the best virtual viewing experiences out of all the headsets we’ve gone eyes-on with so far, with no real lens distortion or pixelation issues. The 90Hz refresh rate provides users with a beautifully smooth video feed, which helps to make the overall experience more immersive.

The VR headset itself features more than 70 sensors, which help the headset to track your head movement to 1/10 of a degree. This means that even the smallest head tilts are picked up by the headset and replicated in the virtual world with little to no lag.

Content is a vital part of the survival of any new technology, and the same rule applies to the HTC Vive. Steam is the go-to place for HTC Vive compatible content mainly due to the fact that Valve, the company that owns Steam partnered with HTC to create the Vive initially.

I like the fact that it is a headset that is created by HTC and Steam. With the support of Steam, it has an extensive library of games. This headset is also getting better in value as time goes by.

For MR, my preferred hardware would be the Samsung Odyssey+.

Although the HMD Odyssey is the most expensive Windows MR headset, it offers large dual AMOLED displays at 3.5 inches, and a high resolution of 1440×1600. At 110 degrees, the field of view is also wider than competitors, fixing a criticism of the HoloLens. Couple that with built-in AKG headphones for 360-degree sound and the HMD Odyssey quickly shapes up to be an intriguing prospect for digital explorers.

VR: Oculus Rift

The Oculus Rift is a head-mounted display, that can be synced with Oculus Touch controllers. I really like the Oculus because I’ve played with it before and enjoy a lot of the games available on it such as EchoCombat. Another nice part about Occulus Rift is that it is one of the flagship VR devices with 6 DOF and 110 degree field of view, but is cheaper than its main competitors the HTC Vive. Overall, the experience is quite seamless. The visuals are excellent, the controls feel very nice, and I really like the haptic feedback built into the system.

MR: Microsoft HoloLens 

The Microsoft HoloLens is a pair of MR glasses that contains a holographic computer built in, running the Windows Mixed Reality platform through Windows 10. There are a lot of nice features to this like voice and gesture control and there are a lo t of interesting opportunities for developers in creating software for this device, especially considering how new it is. Seems to have plenty of potential use cases. It also feels very nice, not too heavy and quite ergonomic in design with a comfortable head cushion. One drawback is that the device is quite expensive around $3000, as I suspect a large sum of money goes into R&D in addition to hardware manufacturing costs. Although as time goes by and the technology becomes more advanced, these costs can be minimized, I would wait to buy one!

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