ROSS RANTS: 3D

[Ross Scott]

This is a blog post. To read the original post, please click here »

 

 

 

Hear the truth about 3D! I've had very mixed feelings about 3D stuff for a long time now and haven't heard any sharing my views, most people seem polarized on it one way or the other; so I wanted to set the record straight as I see it. This may become part of a larger "Ross Rants" series where I pick topics that I really have a lot to say about (and are worth talking about) and go at it. People are welcome to suggest topics they'd like to hear me tear apart as well.

 

This video is coming about a week later than I intended it to since just about everything that could have gone wrong, did. I had to redo the entire recording session, I learned horrible secrets about my camcorder, and getting games from 15 years ago to run ended up being a lengthy challenge in some cases. If I do continue this series, I doubt I'll have as many visual aides as are in this video, but I do hope to improve the video quality in the future. As it stands, I look more like a Star Wars hologram than anything.

 

LINK TO COMMENTS

[ManlyMan]

Is this the other experimental vid you mentioned you were working on? Because I like the new format! Only suggestion I might make is to keep rants and game dungeons separate. Your diatribe on EA in the battleforge vid was intelligent and funny but might have worked even better with this sort of vid. Keep on truckin' Ross!

[ThePest179]

Other topics? Try politics, if ye dare.

[Moonfane]

Hey Ross, the FOV bothered me in RE5 too. There's a fix for it though if you'd like to play it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k79MS3GNNL4

Unfortunately the Laser mod hasn't worked since it got updated to Steamworks, so you can only have the FOV part of it. But this mod is really invaluable. It only works after you beat the first level as Chris, but it works for every level for Sheva for what ever reason. Hope this helps, I'm in the minority that likes RE5 more than any other game in the series.

[Presence]

NASA could have powered a space shuttle launch with all the whinging that began when Avatar was released. "It's so blurry and makes all my pirate friends feel sooooo excluded!!! :( :("

 

In movies, cg tends to work well in 3d since it's easy to process them with a high level of clarity. I make it a point to always go to the theater and watch any animated films in 3d. I've never regretted it. I remember Kung Fu Panda 2 having some very nice scenery porn. It's probably the only thing Dreamworks tends to outperform Pixar in. I guess that doesn't do anything for your complaint, which sounds like you are angry about a lack of ambition.

 

I guess I have the opposite of your opinion; I find things flying in my face to be a childish use of the tech. All I want is some depth to the scenery, particularly to enhance the feeling of movement given by camera motion.

 

How about a rant on the audio equivalent of 3d? I could probably manage a sixty minute rant on my experiences with headphones and simulated surround just from memory.

[Goggles2114]

I thought the industry had switched fairly quickly from having special 3d cameras to doing it all in software with normal high def cameras because it was cheaper and the equipment fucked up less. I dunno though.

 

I'm one of those people the 3d effect never really worked right on because something about my eyes and i can't tell distances worth shit. I've tried both the red/blue and the newer polarized lenses glasses and frankly I have little hope occulus will work on me.

[BTGBullseye]

Ross... You are not alone.

 

I have troubles with the artificial 3D stuff because my brain has adjusted to using one eye at a time for just about everything. I get definition from my left eye, and depth perception from how blurry my right eye sees it. (the blurrier it is, the further away) Now, this gives me incredible depth perception and visual measuring capabilities for real world applications, but totally trashes almost all 3D I've tried. The best 3D I've ever experienced was the Star Fox on a VirtualBoy, (I was one of those few that didn't get a headache or any ill effects from it) and I have to say that it was awesome to me.

 

How about a rant on the audio equivalent of 3d? I could probably manage a sixty minute rant on my experiences with headphones and simulated surround just from memory.

+1

[NeatNit]

I can't believe you talked about 3D games and not mentioned the 3DS.

 

The first game I played on 3DS was Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D, and it blew me away. I bought the 3DS thinking: "meh, the 3D is just a bonus feature. I'm here for the games." But in the end it's totally not. It's incredible. When I was done with Zelda, I tried to play some PC games and they were so... ugh! SO FLAT!!!

 

I did get used to having both, eventually, but 3D is still spectacular. And on 3DS, EVERY GAME does it properly-- or rather, every good game does. There are some games that do a shitty job at 3D on 3DS, but they are few and far between in my experience.

 

I've never tried any of those head-mounted VR things, but I'm pretty sure I'd like them. The only problem is that I'm not sure I like the idea of dedicating myself to a game session THAT MUCH, by filling the entirety of my vision with the game. I like to be available for other things at a moment's notice.

[krouton3]

another point for 3d is that its a pain in the ass when you have to wear glasses.... and whats your opinion of the 3ds 3d... i personally think its great and you can easily see what it looks like with it on and with it off for comparison. but it does have a drawback of having to pretty much keep your head and the game still.

[Presence]

another point for 3d is that its a pain in the ass when you have to wear glasses.... and whats your opinion of the 3ds 3d... i personally think its great and you can easily see what it looks like with it on and with it off for comparison. but it does have a drawback of having to pretty much keep your head and the game still.

 

I hear this one all the time and it baffles me. I wonder if people are making this one up. I wear glasses and can't read this text without them, and I watch 3d films with great enjoyment. You got like half inch thick revenge of the nerds frames or something?

[krouton3]

another point for 3d is that its a pain in the ass when you have to wear glasses.... and whats your opinion of the 3ds 3d... i personally think its great and you can easily see what it looks like with it on and with it off for comparison. but it does have a drawback of having to pretty much keep your head and the game still.

 

I hear this one all the time and it baffles me. I wonder if people are making this one up. I wear glasses and can't read this text without them, and I watch 3d films with great enjoyment. You got like half inch thick revenge of the nerds frames or something?

 

its just more of an annoyance to wear glasses on top of glasses

 

Other topics? Try politics, if ye dare.

 

ross for president

[ScottD.Betson]

Loved this rant Ross. I will say that you are right with 3D movies and how they are not immersing you into them....I know of a few that I have seen that did immerse me and they were kid films like Spy Kids 3D, Sharkboy and Lava Girl and the most recent film that I know I liked when I saw it in 3D was Sin City: A Dame To Kill For, I actually remember seeing some of the scenes and trying to lick the snow since it was that immersive but those are 3 by one director: Robert Rodriguez, now I dont know if others are trying to be lamer than sin with 3D or if the film industry is just pouring it down our throats like acid but its really getting to the point where if I am to make a film I am going to force the entirety of the Film Industry Big wigs to watch it in 3D while the general public wont have to, it will be soo damn bad that I think most of those big wigs will want to sue me but I would in fact make them find a way to make the films of today more immersive than they are now....since Jesus Christ I dont even think some of the films they are needing to have in 3D are even that good in 3D. I mean Mad Max: Fury Road was in 3D and it just didnt feel that enjoyable, I think Furious 7 which came out recently may have been good in 3D if they made you feel like you may get hit by one of the cars immersive but I didnt hear anything good about the 3D for that film at all so I dont know what I can say about some of the films nowadays. I feel like 3D shouldnt be forced down our throats, seriously if i want 3D films Im not wanting to see digital Bullshit, I think I would rather see Tarantinos new film: The Hateful Eight in 35mm 3D since that would be immersive....the digital age is really killing the film industry to some degree

[Ross Scott]

I guess I have the opposite of your opinion; I find things flying in my face to be a childish use of the tech. All I want is some depth to the scenery, particularly to enhance the feeling of movement given by camera motion.

The stuff flying at my face is just a highlight. The idea is I want the depth so high I can get lost and feel like I'm actually there. With toned down 3D I don't get that at all, I'd rather just have it flat then.

 

I thought the industry had switched fairly quickly from having special 3d cameras to doing it all in software with normal high def cameras because it was cheaper and the equipment fucked up less. I dunno though.

 

I'm one of those people the 3d effect never really worked right on because something about my eyes and i can't tell distances worth shit. I've tried both the red/blue and the newer polarized lenses glasses and frankly I have little hope occulus will work on me.

It's just as much a blessing as a curse. Afterall, way more games are geared for 2D rather than 3D.

 

I can't believe you talked about 3D games and not mentioned the 3DS.

My issue with the 3DS is the screen just seems too small for me to get that "other world" feeling. I'm sure the 3D depth was pretty good, but it's kind of like a pocket hologram; neat, but not exactly a life changing perception. It sounds like you got more out of it though.

[Lord Ornlu]

Hey Ross, good video. If this is how your other rant videos are gonna be, then I'm looking forward to more

 

Here's some topics I'd be interested in hearing your opinion (if you feel they are rant-worthy of course):

 

- Motion blur, depth of field and other graphical improvements that are of questionable quality as of now

 

- More about bad business practices in the gaming industry (Most other people talking about these things are only doing a half-assed job I feel, mostly because they are also reviewers/critics and they still depend on those companies to send them review copies, and they aren't so interested in talking about the past transgressions of these companies)

 

- General talk about Youtube networks

 

- Crowdfunding platforms (and examples of good and bad usage so far)

 

- The whole paid Skyrim mods thing that happened a while ago

 

- Social networks

 

- Piracy and the repercussions of the war waged against it

 

- Should the internet have laws, how and who should implement them, how should they be enforced?

 

- Uwe Boll

[ScottD.Betson]

UWE BOLL deserves a Ross's Game Dungeon for all the Game to Film Adaptations hes done...........

[ThePest179]

Other topics? Try politics, if ye dare.

 

ross for president

 

Three way race between Ross, Hilary, and Trump.

[Artlav]

You should have made this video in 3D, the proper one.

 

On Oculus Rift, i'd be optimistic.

I have myself made a game/demo for it, involving riding a space elevator.

It's kind of bland and had a few bugs, being made within a week for a space camp.

But, it blew people away there never the less.

Results were from awe-struck, to inspiring.

Some people realised just how friggin big the space elevator was, even if they were working with all the numbers for years.

Some had an almost spiritual experience, seeing what is there ahead for mankind.

 

All that from a 5 minute ride, with 90s grade graphics, no shaking, scaring, sudden jumps, things flying into your face and other stuff like that.

 

Another neat thing about OVR is that if you are cross-eyed, it can still be made to work.

There might be other problems, like your brain not being able to process the newly-experienced stereo imaging, but at least you can experience it.

 

So, yeah. I'd be optimistic about it.

Assuming the big business won't screw it up when they replace enthusiasts...

[smilr]

I'll say it: I enjoy most 3D movies I've seen.

But I agree with Ross -> they don't push the depth into the screen space well enough in my opinion. Long distance shots feel like matte paintings 20 feet behind the foreground all too often.

 

I HAVE used an Oculus rift in controlled settings (PAX Prime) on two occasions. Let me share some anecdotes and impressions:

 

The first was with the original devkit , and the experience was just a VR movie of you sitting in an F1 race car and making a lap or two on a course. HOLY CRAP this blew me away. I couldn't control the car, all the action was scripted - but I seriously wanted to go around for another ten laps after it was over. The immersion was very strong. At a couple of points through the simulation another race car will overtake you. As they catch up and pass you can see them in the side mirrors of your car. I caught myself shifting my head / body side to side trying to keep the other car in the mirror as the angle changed. This didn't work as the old Devkit1 version only had rotational not positional tracking, but the feeling that it should have worked and would have been so natural and just like driving in a car was impressive.

 

Next time I had a chance to fly a space-combat simulator with the Revision 2 devkit. This one had positional tracking and a better screen, and we got a controller in our hands to direct the action with. Here I could shift in my seat and the POV shifted in the cockpit to match. First thing I did once the game started was to hit the afterburners and shoot forward into the arena... straight at what looked like a small asteroid in the distance. This 'small' asteroid quickly became MUCH closer and actually dwarfed my little space fighter. All I could do was push down on the stick and try to dodge under it. Such was the turning radius for my ship and the course I had placed myself on that I ended up with the entire forward and overhead cockpit glass FILLED with a closeup view of the asteroid as I *narrowly* managed to not scrape said cockpit off against the rocks. There I was, scrunching down in my seat craning my head back and wide-eyed staring at where I almost pancaked my virtual fighter while it's terrain flowed past. It seriously gave me that gut-dropped into your feet vertigo / fear of heights / just fell off something feeling. Awesome.

 

Also with regards to Scott's claims that VR wouldn't be helping professional gamers much, I'd say it depends on the game. For example: in the space flight sim they had 4 players dog-fighting, 2v2. The game paints a cross-hair centered on the goggle's field of view. Look directly at an enemy for a couple of seconds and you'll get a missile lock-on and can then deploy a salvo of seeker missiles after your target. I remember playing older games like Wing Commander I would get into so many turning battles with enemy fighters where the target would always be *just* off the edge of the screen no matter how hard I banked after them (never let me claim I was any good at these games). Here - I just had to look up/to the side in the cockpit and I could SEE them above me as I chased. No more staring at a pip on a radar or arrow pointing off the side of the screen, I can WATCH you as you try to escape me. This greatly improves the feel of aerial/space dog-fighting.

On one occasion I tracked a target like this through a tight corkscrew turn and was able to launch a missile salvo while we both were turning. Very gratifying to watch my missile salvo slowly... steadily... creep up on them as we both kept banking - nothing they could do but prolong the inevitable as the missiles clawed closer and closer. They finally banked the other way to try and shake the salvo but the missiles turned faster > At another time I was trailing both enemy targets - and was able to aim the fixed forward cannons on one, and turn my head slightly to the side to get a missile lock on his wingman at the same time. SO much fun, if a bit tricky to aim one way with a stick and the other with your face. Long anecdotes aside, for at least the dogfighting video game genre, anyone without VR trying to compete with someone who has VR is going to be at a major disadvantage.

 

I don't know which VR headset will be the best from a technical / software support standpoint, but if the competition for Oculus is anywhere near as good as what I experienced with the devKits above - we're ALL going to benefit greatly in the next few years. Now they just need to translate big budget films to these things!

[Akinaro]

Well, if anyone like idea of Oculus Rift, but dont want to spend this amount of money on it, I have solution for that :]

 

For past couple of weeks Im playing with VR movies and games for Android. I started with small demos, but then I found games like Corridoom or Way Out VR But I though: Why not to use it with PC?

 

Personally I bought two VR googles from ebay. First was just for test to see how its look, but after that I bought better one with better lenses.

 

You can get really nice goggles for even 15$ like this one:

 

But I would recommend spending this 10-20$ more and buying better one:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Google-cardboard-VR-BOX-Virtual-Reality-3D-Glasses-Bluetooth-Control-Gamepad-/181745121576?hash=item2a50da7928

Or even goggles like Zeiss VR One but they cost more than 100$

 

Not only because they are more comfy to wear, but they just have better lenses.

(dont buy anything like color cross, they suck a bit)

 

 

Second thing. YOUR PHONE. And its should be Android device.

Yes, modern phones are really filled with nice technology, and to get good VR experience you need phone with fullHD screen(720 is also good), size doesnt mater to be honest, anything that have 4.8"'5'2" is good.

 

 

Now most important thing. Software.

I was trying to play with splashtop streaming, but its lag as hell. So I tried new app that I found.

 

You just need to install on your phone app Trinus VR (test version is free)

and Server on your PC.

All download links, you find in official Trinus site: http://trinusvr.com/download-2/

 

To stream image I recommend USB tethering(because its also charge the phone). Every modern Android device have that option, its in Options->Network->more->Mobile Hotspot

Before you use Trinus, connect your phone and select this option so PC can configure drivers automatically. Then you just need to select USB Tethering next time you want to use it.

 

 

Now you just need to open Trinus App on your phone, put it in goggles, open Trinus VR on your PC, and then open any game you want.

 

After testing it with Half-life 1 I tried it with Doom 3 and Crysis, and OH MY GOD, its amazing!

 

Gyroscope on phones are really accurate so you dont have problem with shooting. You just need to configure mouse speed because without it you would need to move 380* all the time when playing.

After few hours I found out best settings and I use mouse just to shoot and correct head movement when turning around.

 

And yes I know that its not amazing 3D effect, but its give you really nice effect.

I bought second VR googles to modify them and after all this time with them I manage to get new lenses to get more 3D effect(+ layers of R/B)

Im not gonna even mention Youtube 360* Movies and theaters... Thanks to apps like Cardboard Theater you can have your personal theater and watch movies without going to living room to watch it on TV, just sit in your bed and wear goggles...

 

 

But of course its not perfect, you need to deal with it that after all its just a phone and cheap box with lenses. FOV is not that great, and if you buy cheaper goggles you get this "binoculars" effect at the edges. But after a while with it you can get used to it.

Second thing is Hardware... you need really good PC, or at least decent CPU to stream without a lags.

I found out that with Intel Dual Core I manage to only play games like... first half life, Return to Castle Wolfenstain or Serious Sam... Without good i5 or i7 forget about games like Crysis or Quake 4.

GPU is not that important for streaming so its only mater of good CPU

 

About phone its actually doesnt matter as far as its not that old. I have Sony Xperia Z and HTC M7 and both devices work excellent, even Samsung Galaxy Grand work perfect(and it have low res screen...)

 

 

So, sorry for long post, and seriously anyone should try it!

If not for PC gaming, for interactive 360* videos and android games...

[Mike_90]

Sexual content in video games. (ex.Witcher, Duke3D...)