Thing is Oculus Rift sporting events like that has the potential to disrupt live sports as we know it. I went to NCAA Midwest regionals this weekend and was lucky to only pay $150 total for the three games and only because I bought the tickets 6 months ago as soon as they were available for sale. To be able to pay even as much a $20 a game for courtside virtual seats would be a no brainer assuming I already had the hardware to experience it from.
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syndalisGetting ClassyOn the WallRegistered User, Loves Apple Productsregular
Thing is Oculus Rift sporting events like that has the potential to disrupt live sports as we know it. I went to NCAA Midwest regionals this weekend and was lucky to only pay $150 total for the three games and only because I bought the tickets 6 months ago as soon as they were available for sale. To be able to pay even as much a $20 a game for courtside virtual seats would be a no brainer assuming I already had the hardware to experience it from.
"being there" will still be a status thing. Or a good date.
But having an infinite number of tickets to sell to the super bowl? Or the Final Four?
That could generate a few billion dollars in one year of major sporting events.
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Let's play Mario Kart or something...
Here are non-game things I hope I can do on my rift:
*lay down in bed and watch a movie like I'm in a theater. I don't want to have to sit up and worry about head position- just lock it in.
*tour historical places like Bach's house.
*3d chatrooms with friends
*I want the Adobe CC to be in VR I want to edit videos benefiting from the HMD. How? No clue- but I want it.
I need to start a countdown...but first I need a release date...
It kinda falls apart the first time you look down to grab a few nachos.
I don't think so.
Were I facebook, I would start this party by enforcing an "avatar" that represents your presence in facebook. I see using the webcam on your laptop, tablet or phone... or maybe even something closer to a kinect, to grab a 3d model of your face / head, which will attach to the body of your choosing.
Or you can use generic models ala Sims to represent you.
When you watch a video sporting event or whatever, you are in the center of the action. Whatever positional tracking they intend to do for tracking arms and such in games will apply here, just by mapping your avatar into the seat.
Sure, you will look crazy fake compared to the real stuff happening around you. But just enough that if seeing your hand waving a foam finger around is an important part of the experience for you... go to town.
SW-4158-3990-6116
Let's play Mario Kart or something...
It kinda falls apart the first time you look down to grab a few nachos.
I don't think so.
Were I facebook, I would start this party by enforcing an "avatar" that represents your presence in facebook. I see using the webcam on your laptop, tablet or phone... or maybe even something closer to a kinect, to grab a 3d model of your face / head, which will attach to the body of your choosing.
Or you can use generic models ala Sims to represent you.
When you watch a video sporting event or whatever, you are in the center of the action. Whatever positional tracking they intend to do for tracking arms and such in games will apply here, just by mapping your avatar into the seat.
Sure, you will look crazy fake compared to the real stuff happening around you. But just enough that if seeing your hand waving a foam finger around is an important part of the experience for you... go to town.
No, I mean literally the first time you go to eat or drink something and have to remove the goggles. Sporting events and food (and beer) are almost inextricably linked.
I think enough people will want to actually physically be there that it won't disrupt the actual event.
It would be a remarkably anti-social way of watching the game if you have company over to watch, though.
Football clubs in England suffered significantly when Sky (satellite tv) started broadcasting matches throughout the country. It wasn't the biggest teams that suffered, they still sell out most weeks. The smaller clubs had much less people turning up to the games though.
I can see technology being able to get around not being able to look down and see your body. Kinect is able to recognise human forms alreayd. I'm pretty sure front facing cameras on a VR headset could be coded up to recognise hands and legs, though maybe not nachos... Hhhmmmm....
I think enough people will want to actually physically be there that it won't disrupt the actual event.
It would be a remarkably anti-social way of watching the game if you have company over to watch, though.
Football clubs in England suffered significantly when Sky (satellite tv) started broadcasting matches throughout the country. It wasn't the biggest teams that suffered, they still sell out most weeks. The smaller clubs had much less people turning up to the games though.
I can see technology being able to get around not being able to look down and see your body. Kinect is able to recognise human forms alreayd. I'm pretty sure front facing cameras on a VR headset could be coded up to recognise hands and legs, though maybe not nachos... Hhhmmmm....
Well, if the user wears a green apron and sits on a green couch you could cut out the arms and billboard the live video of it onto a polygon in front of the point of view and... wait, that's probably even more dorky, isn't it
Lack of nacho functionality just seems like the price you pay for getting that amazing view. If you're desperate for a snack attack, you might have to pause your Oculus DVR and munch for a bit before putting the thing back on.
Here are non-game things I hope I can do on my rift:
*lay down in bed and watch a movie like I'm in a theater. I don't want to have to sit up and worry about head position- just lock it in.
*tour historical places like Bach's house.
*3d chatrooms with friends
*I want the Adobe CC to be in VR I want to edit videos benefiting from the HMD. How? No clue- but I want it.
I need to start a countdown...but first I need a release date...
As far as I'm aware, though, we don't have that camera technology yet. We either have the option of 3D video in a fixed direction or 2D video in 360 degrees. I'm sure Facebook is definitely looking into it, but it seems like it'd be a pretty big engineering challenge. Whoever does come up with a solution is gonna make some mad bank, I think.
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ShogunHair long; money long; me and broke wizards we don't get alongRegistered Userregular
Personally I think the bigger question is "can we get people who aren't us to use wearable VR?"
There's been quite a bit of pushback against stuff like Google Glass (though, to be fair, much of that is based in unfounded worries about privacy), and it's going to be hard for Facebook to get the hardware down to impulse buy territory, even if they don't intend to make a profit on it.
I've actually thought one big way to get people onboard would be to have a big, unified platform that could easily tie a bunch of experiences together rather than relying on a bunch of scattershot mini-experiences -- which I think are awesome, don't get me wrong. It's just going to be hard to get people who aren't us to get past the feeling of "expensive gimmick" without such a platform (especially since 90s VR was written off for exactly that reason). And Facebook could provide that.
Then again, the experiences Zuckerberg described (watch a basketball game from the stands, visit a doctor, etc.) sound incredibly boring; stuff that VR adds zilch to the activity. Also, Home. But who knows, maybe Facebook will find something to do with it that really clicks.
I strongly disagree about the basketball thing not adding to the experience.
Imagine that zuckerberg uses his "fuck you" level facebook money to place two spherical stereo cameras courtside at an NBA game, and you could pay 3 bucks to have legitimate courtside seats with either your choice of commentary track or courtside audio. And the ability to choose where you sit from a total of 6 seats (corners and center court).
If they can nail the 3d from those cameras in such a way that it can composite the image correctly based upon how your head is positioned, and let you track the action from your seat believably... that is a game changer for lots of sports fans, and will totally sell the concept.
I'd personally disagree, though sports fans do spend an insane amount of money for season passes, so who knows. :P
This and music concerts. Fans of that stuff would see it as 'better then nothing' but damn it would be compelling if you did it right.
Personally I think the bigger question is "can we get people who aren't us to use wearable VR?"
There's been quite a bit of pushback against stuff like Google Glass (though, to be fair, much of that is based in unfounded worries about privacy), and it's going to be hard for Facebook to get the hardware down to impulse buy territory, even if they don't intend to make a profit on it.
I've actually thought one big way to get people onboard would be to have a big, unified platform that could easily tie a bunch of experiences together rather than relying on a bunch of scattershot mini-experiences -- which I think are awesome, don't get me wrong. It's just going to be hard to get people who aren't us to get past the feeling of "expensive gimmick" without such a platform (especially since 90s VR was written off for exactly that reason). And Facebook could provide that.
Then again, the experiences Zuckerberg described (watch a basketball game from the stands, visit a doctor, etc.) sound incredibly boring; stuff that VR adds zilch to the activity. Also, Home. But who knows, maybe Facebook will find something to do with it that really clicks.
I strongly disagree about the basketball thing not adding to the experience.
Imagine that zuckerberg uses his "fuck you" level facebook money to place two spherical stereo cameras courtside at an NBA game, and you could pay 3 bucks to have legitimate courtside seats with either your choice of commentary track or courtside audio. And the ability to choose where you sit from a total of 6 seats (corners and center court).
If they can nail the 3d from those cameras in such a way that it can composite the image correctly based upon how your head is positioned, and let you track the action from your seat believably... that is a game changer for lots of sports fans, and will totally sell the concept.
I'd personally disagree, though sports fans do spend an insane amount of money for season passes, so who knows. :P
This and music concerts. Fans of that stuff would see it as 'better then nothing' but damn it would be compelling if you did it right.
That would be excellent for me because I really don't like having all those people so close to me and touching me at concerts. If I even wanted to see a band live; I tend to like listening to studio albums more anyway.
This thread is leading me to believe that I need to get a Kickstarter going for 3D positional tracking beverage and nacho containers with weight sensors that will accurately display the amount of food left inside of them in game.
Perhaps they could put 2 cameras in front of the Rift facing out so you can see your immediate environment, and then it overlays your sporting event or concert on top of everything outside a 3 foot radius. You see yourself, your couch, your nachos and beer on your table, and everything else is FOOTBALL or THAT BAND YOU LIKE. Basically combine VR and AR or something.
On the whole issue of VR wearables and people not liking them, I get the impression that some people conflate the Google Glass and the Oculus Rift too much, when they're very different devices with very different uses. It's one thing walking around in real life with a wearable device and quite another to sit at your desk playing games while wearing VR goggles. Time will tell whether there's a resistance to the latter, but it's definitely not an equivalent situation to the Google Glass, unless wearing itself makes a huge difference regardless of the situation - which personally I doubt.
"Nothing is gonna save us forever but a lot of things can save us today." - Night in the Woods
On the whole issue of VR wearables and people not liking them, I get the impression that some people conflate the Google Glass and the Oculus Rift too much, when they're very different devices with very different uses. It's one thing walking around in real life with a wearable device and quite another to sit at your desk playing games while wearing VR goggles. Time will tell whether there's a resistance to the latter, but it's definitely not an equivalent situation to the Google Glass, unless wearing itself makes a huge difference regardless of the situation - which personally I doubt.
And unlike Google Glass, the Oculus Rift doesn't make someone look like an asshole.
Perhaps they could put 2 cameras in front of the Rift facing out so you can see your immediate environment.
This would actually be really god damn clever even outside of just the sporting shit. Being able to hit a key command and have the rift shift to the mounted cameras so you can grab a drink or whatever without having to take everything off would solve a big gripe of mine with the unit. I'd totally pay extra for that option.
On the whole issue of VR wearables and people not liking them, I get the impression that some people conflate the Google Glass and the Oculus Rift too much, when they're very different devices with very different uses. It's one thing walking around in real life with a wearable device and quite another to sit at your desk playing games while wearing VR goggles. Time will tell whether there's a resistance to the latter, but it's definitely not an equivalent situation to the Google Glass, unless wearing itself makes a huge difference regardless of the situation - which personally I doubt.
And unlike Google Glass, the Oculus Rift doesn't make someone look like an asshole.
I guess we have different ideas of what makes someone look like an asshole because if anyone saw me wearing a VR headset I'd want to kill myself. At least Google Glass means you're probably rich or you know some venture capitalists who can make you rich or something. An Oculus Rift just means you've probably logged into WoW more times than you've showered. If I ever buy one of these things it's definitely going to be a "close the blinds first" item.
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Dhalphirdon't you open that trapdooryou're a fool if you dareRegistered Userregular
On the whole issue of VR wearables and people not liking them, I get the impression that some people conflate the Google Glass and the Oculus Rift too much, when they're very different devices with very different uses. It's one thing walking around in real life with a wearable device and quite another to sit at your desk playing games while wearing VR goggles. Time will tell whether there's a resistance to the latter, but it's definitely not an equivalent situation to the Google Glass, unless wearing itself makes a huge difference regardless of the situation - which personally I doubt.
And unlike Google Glass, the Oculus Rift doesn't make someone look like an asshole.
I guess we have different ideas of what makes someone look like an asshole because if anyone saw me wearing a VR headset I'd want to kill myself. At least Google Glass means you're probably rich or you know some venture capitalists who can make you rich or something. An Oculus Rift just means you've probably logged into WoW more times than you've showered. If I ever buy one of these things it's definitely going to be a "close the blinds first" item.
I disagree with your prime premise - nobody I've demo'd the Rift to has had any problem whacking the headset over their eyes and looking foolish for others' amusement.
I can see your point though, right now owning a VR headset speaks very specifically about the demographic you belong to - ie, those who love their techfetish techporn gadgets.
But that's what the Facebook acquisition will change. It will take nothing more than time.
On the whole issue of VR wearables and people not liking them, I get the impression that some people conflate the Google Glass and the Oculus Rift too much, when they're very different devices with very different uses. It's one thing walking around in real life with a wearable device and quite another to sit at your desk playing games while wearing VR goggles. Time will tell whether there's a resistance to the latter, but it's definitely not an equivalent situation to the Google Glass, unless wearing itself makes a huge difference regardless of the situation - which personally I doubt.
And unlike Google Glass, the Oculus Rift doesn't make someone look like an asshole.
I guess we have different ideas of what makes someone look like an asshole because if anyone saw me wearing a VR headset I'd want to kill myself. At least Google Glass means you're probably rich or you know some venture capitalists who can make you rich or something. An Oculus Rift just means you've probably logged into WoW more times than you've showered. If I ever buy one of these things it's definitely going to be a "close the blinds first" item.
Google Glass is like those god damned Bluetooth cellphone ear pieces to me. The Oculus Rift is at least used in the privacy of your own home and generally our setups are far away from windows anyway because fuck monitor glare.
As far as I'm aware, though, we don't have that camera technology yet. We either have the option of 3D video in a fixed direction or 2D video in 360 degrees. I'm sure Facebook is definitely looking into it, but it seem errors like it'd be a pretty big engineering challenge. Whoever does come up with a solution is gonna make some mad bank, I think.
there are companies scrambling to make good 3d 360 cameras now for sporting events. They already exists though. I've seen one called a arrival of a train or something like that, but the 3d isn't great in that video. something decent will be made before Facebook has a chance to make a deal for some kind of streaming
As far as I'm aware, though, we don't have that camera technology yet. We either have the option of 3D video in a fixed direction or 2D video in 360 degrees. I'm sure Facebook is definitely looking into it, but it seems like it'd be a pretty big engineering challenge. Whoever does come up with a solution is gonna make some mad bank, I think.
I would think the solution would lie somewhere in the technology powering Kinect, but at a much higher-resolution. I don't mean this to sound like "oh we've solved it", but that would seem to me to be the closest we've come to a 3d image that would allow head-movement.
On the whole issue of VR wearables and people not liking them, I get the impression that some people conflate the Google Glass and the Oculus Rift too much, when they're very different devices with very different uses. It's one thing walking around in real life with a wearable device and quite another to sit at your desk playing games while wearing VR goggles. Time will tell whether there's a resistance to the latter, but it's definitely not an equivalent situation to the Google Glass, unless wearing itself makes a huge difference regardless of the situation - which personally I doubt.
Of course.
The problem may be in convincing everyone else that.
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ShogunHair long; money long; me and broke wizards we don't get alongRegistered Userregular
The first time I am out in public and I hear, "OK, Glass..." that person is going to have one of the worst days.
On the whole issue of VR wearables and people not liking them, I get the impression that some people conflate the Google Glass and the Oculus Rift too much, when they're very different devices with very different uses. It's one thing walking around in real life with a wearable device and quite another to sit at your desk playing games while wearing VR goggles. Time will tell whether there's a resistance to the latter, but it's definitely not an equivalent situation to the Google Glass, unless wearing itself makes a huge difference regardless of the situation - which personally I doubt.
Of course.
The problem may be in convincing everyone else that.
Not sure I understand you. Who would you have to convince of what, when we're talking about people using the Oculus Rift in the privacy of their own home? Glass users walk around showing to the world that they are Glass users, and people may or may not find that public aspect offputting. With the Oculus Rift, why would this be more in need of public acceptance than, say, having a PS4 or playing Diablo 3?
"Nothing is gonna save us forever but a lot of things can save us today." - Night in the Woods
On the whole issue of VR wearables and people not liking them, I get the impression that some people conflate the Google Glass and the Oculus Rift too much, when they're very different devices with very different uses. It's one thing walking around in real life with a wearable device and quite another to sit at your desk playing games while wearing VR goggles. Time will tell whether there's a resistance to the latter, but it's definitely not an equivalent situation to the Google Glass, unless wearing itself makes a huge difference regardless of the situation - which personally I doubt.
Of course.
The problem may be in convincing everyone else that.
Not sure I understand you. Who would you have to convince of what, when we're talking about people using the Oculus Rift in the privacy of their own home? Glass users walk around showing to the world that they are Glass users, and people may or may not find that public aspect offputting. With the Oculus Rift, why would this be more in need of public acceptance than, say, having a PS4 or playing Diablo 3?
"Ugh, more crap to put on your head. No thanks."
I'm saying there may be a gut-level resistance by many to putting any kind of wearable on your head no matter where it's used, and people with these feelings might not care at all about what it can do.
As far as I'm aware, though, we don't have that camera technology yet. We either have the option of 3D video in a fixed direction or 2D video in 360 degrees. I'm sure Facebook is definitely looking into it, but it seems like it'd be a pretty big engineering challenge. Whoever does come up with a solution is gonna make some mad bank, I think.
I would think the solution would lie somewhere in the technology powering Kinect, but at a much higher-resolution. I don't mean this to sound like "oh we've solved it", but that would seem to me to be the closest we've come to a 3d image that would allow head-movement.
Yeah, maybe something like that if they could get it to work. Convert that flat 360 degree image into something with depth information, rather than somehow trying to capture 360 degrees in 3D.
But I don't see that working too well. Kinect is literally scattering a grid of infrared dots around the room and detecting how far each one is from the camera. I don't think that's viable outside on a nice sunny day with players running around even 100 feet way.
These already get 80% of a sphere via multiple HD cameras with a stitched image. A few years down the road it will be up to 60frames 1080p 95% coverage.
Now get two of them, positioned in a stereo configuration.
Send both full streams to the recipient computer (the full spherical shot), which uses it to stitch together the appropriate view for the left and right eye based upon head position.
Finally, set up one of those "fake heads" with kickass microphones in the ears to capture proper binaural positional sound on top of the camera enclosure. Pop the headphones on, turn off the commentator track, and you are pretty much there.
I know there are some flaws here, like how when looking far enough left and right you will see the other camera in frame with one of your eyes... and I am sure the bandwidth needs would be amazeballs to send two spherical HD streams across the internet... but this is future-talk, not tomorrow talk.
SW-4158-3990-6116
Let's play Mario Kart or something...
As far as I'm aware, though, we don't have that camera technology yet. We either have the option of 3D video in a fixed direction or 2D video in 360 degrees. I'm sure Facebook is definitely looking into it, but it seems like it'd be a pretty big engineering challenge. Whoever does come up with a solution is gonna make some mad bank, I think.
I would think the solution would lie somewhere in the technology powering Kinect, but at a much higher-resolution. I don't mean this to sound like "oh we've solved it", but that would seem to me to be the closest we've come to a 3d image that would allow head-movement.
Yeah, maybe something like that if they could get it to work. Convert that flat 360 degree image into something with depth information, rather than somehow trying to capture 360 degrees in 3D.
But I don't see that working too well. Kinect is literally scattering a grid of infrared dots around the room and detecting how far each one is from the camera. I don't think that's viable outside on a nice sunny day with players running around even 100 feet way.
Yeah, I figured it's something that works okay at Kinect-like range, but if you tried doing it on a large scale for a fast-moving sport, you'd be well off into the realms of impracticality.
syndalisGetting ClassyOn the WallRegistered User, Loves Apple Productsregular
edited April 2014
That strikes me as significantly more ambitious than just letting your brain stitch two 2D images together to create 3D by modern techniques, and would require a lot more moving parts / processing power to accomplish.
The end result, however, would be more amazing, since you could simply walk around that stadium. Fuck it, get on the grass and watch the plays go on around you, semi-live.
Brady clipping through you would be weird though.
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Let's play Mario Kart or something...
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Nintendo ID: Incindium
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"being there" will still be a status thing. Or a good date.
But having an infinite number of tickets to sell to the super bowl? Or the Final Four?
That could generate a few billion dollars in one year of major sporting events.
Let's play Mario Kart or something...
Nintendo ID: Incindium
PSN: IncindiumX
If you can type without looking at the keys you should be able to manage stuffing your face.
Shogun Streams Vidya
*lay down in bed and watch a movie like I'm in a theater. I don't want to have to sit up and worry about head position- just lock it in.
*tour historical places like Bach's house.
*3d chatrooms with friends
*I want the Adobe CC to be in VR I want to edit videos benefiting from the HMD. How? No clue- but I want it.
I need to start a countdown...but first I need a release date...
How many people do you know that type like that? Most people probably can't even read without moving their mouths.
I don't think so.
Were I facebook, I would start this party by enforcing an "avatar" that represents your presence in facebook. I see using the webcam on your laptop, tablet or phone... or maybe even something closer to a kinect, to grab a 3d model of your face / head, which will attach to the body of your choosing.
Or you can use generic models ala Sims to represent you.
When you watch a video sporting event or whatever, you are in the center of the action. Whatever positional tracking they intend to do for tracking arms and such in games will apply here, just by mapping your avatar into the seat.
Sure, you will look crazy fake compared to the real stuff happening around you. But just enough that if seeing your hand waving a foam finger around is an important part of the experience for you... go to town.
Let's play Mario Kart or something...
No, I mean literally the first time you go to eat or drink something and have to remove the goggles. Sporting events and food (and beer) are almost inextricably linked.
It would be a remarkably anti-social way of watching the game if you have company over to watch, though.
Football clubs in England suffered significantly when Sky (satellite tv) started broadcasting matches throughout the country. It wasn't the biggest teams that suffered, they still sell out most weeks. The smaller clubs had much less people turning up to the games though.
I can see technology being able to get around not being able to look down and see your body. Kinect is able to recognise human forms alreayd. I'm pretty sure front facing cameras on a VR headset could be coded up to recognise hands and legs, though maybe not nachos... Hhhmmmm....
http://steamcommunity.com/id/pablocampy
+
=
Awesome
Well, if the user wears a green apron and sits on a green couch you could cut out the arms and billboard the live video of it onto a polygon in front of the point of view and... wait, that's probably even more dorky, isn't it
I type that way. I thought that was the norm. You have to look at the keys to type?
Shogun Streams Vidya
This and music concerts. Fans of that stuff would see it as 'better then nothing' but damn it would be compelling if you did it right.
It really isn't. It ought to be, but most people can hardly type, much less type well enough that they don't need to look at their hands.
That would be excellent for me because I really don't like having all those people so close to me and touching me at concerts. If I even wanted to see a band live; I tend to like listening to studio albums more anyway.
I'll be a millionaire in a month!
"Nothing is gonna save us forever but a lot of things can save us today." - Night in the Woods
And unlike Google Glass, the Oculus Rift doesn't make someone look like an asshole. This would actually be really god damn clever even outside of just the sporting shit. Being able to hit a key command and have the rift shift to the mounted cameras so you can grab a drink or whatever without having to take everything off would solve a big gripe of mine with the unit. I'd totally pay extra for that option.
I disagree with your prime premise - nobody I've demo'd the Rift to has had any problem whacking the headset over their eyes and looking foolish for others' amusement.
I can see your point though, right now owning a VR headset speaks very specifically about the demographic you belong to - ie, those who love their techfetish techporn gadgets.
But that's what the Facebook acquisition will change. It will take nothing more than time.
Google Glass is like those god damned Bluetooth cellphone ear pieces to me. The Oculus Rift is at least used in the privacy of your own home and generally our setups are far away from windows anyway because fuck monitor glare.
there are companies scrambling to make good 3d 360 cameras now for sporting events. They already exists though. I've seen one called a arrival of a train or something like that, but the 3d isn't great in that video. something decent will be made before Facebook has a chance to make a deal for some kind of streaming
I would think the solution would lie somewhere in the technology powering Kinect, but at a much higher-resolution. I don't mean this to sound like "oh we've solved it", but that would seem to me to be the closest we've come to a 3d image that would allow head-movement.
Of course.
The problem may be in convincing everyone else that.
Shogun Streams Vidya
"Nothing is gonna save us forever but a lot of things can save us today." - Night in the Woods
"Ugh, more crap to put on your head. No thanks."
I'm saying there may be a gut-level resistance by many to putting any kind of wearable on your head no matter where it's used, and people with these feelings might not care at all about what it can do.
Yeah, maybe something like that if they could get it to work. Convert that flat 360 degree image into something with depth information, rather than somehow trying to capture 360 degrees in 3D.
But I don't see that working too well. Kinect is literally scattering a grid of infrared dots around the room and detecting how far each one is from the camera. I don't think that's viable outside on a nice sunny day with players running around even 100 feet way.
http://ww2.ptgrey.com/spherical-vision
These already get 80% of a sphere via multiple HD cameras with a stitched image. A few years down the road it will be up to 60frames 1080p 95% coverage.
Now get two of them, positioned in a stereo configuration.
Send both full streams to the recipient computer (the full spherical shot), which uses it to stitch together the appropriate view for the left and right eye based upon head position.
Finally, set up one of those "fake heads" with kickass microphones in the ears to capture proper binaural positional sound on top of the camera enclosure. Pop the headphones on, turn off the commentator track, and you are pretty much there.
I know there are some flaws here, like how when looking far enough left and right you will see the other camera in frame with one of your eyes... and I am sure the bandwidth needs would be amazeballs to send two spherical HD streams across the internet... but this is future-talk, not tomorrow talk.
Let's play Mario Kart or something...
Yeah, I figured it's something that works okay at Kinect-like range, but if you tried doing it on a large scale for a fast-moving sport, you'd be well off into the realms of impracticality.
The end result, however, would be more amazing, since you could simply walk around that stadium. Fuck it, get on the grass and watch the plays go on around you, semi-live.
Brady clipping through you would be weird though.
Let's play Mario Kart or something...
And I'm only 75% joking...
"Nothing is gonna save us forever but a lot of things can save us today." - Night in the Woods
You led my train of thought on a little journey that ended with me thinking a VR Harvest Moon game would be pretty awesome.