Off the Bench and into the Game: PSVR
Interactive Entertainment (popularly known as Video Games)is fast becoming the world’s most popular form of entertainment and experiential art. Virtual reality is poised to take it to the next level and beyond, literally.
Virtual Reality is all about “in game” immersion also referred to as “Presence”. The power of “presence” is a powerful augmentation for the Video Games medium, directly influencing perspective and “agency” or the ability to interact and influence. While the current generation of VR experiences has its own share of challenges, ongoing research in display, audio and motion tech as well as VR optimized UI/UX design holds great promise for users.
VR’s ambitions go beyond education and entertainment (both passive and interactive) to becoming Empathy Machines, thanks to people like Chris Milk or acting as conduits for Experiential Healing (therapeutic music with in a virtual rain doused atmosphere). Experiencing Clouds Over Sidra will help you gain a better understanding of the Empathy Machine part.
For the entire Video Games Industrial Complex, Virtual Reality is right now quite possibly the Holy Grail and Video Games are the gateway through which VR is going to become mainstream.
There are people who take immersion in video game experiences very very seriously and I’m one of them. There’s a special place in my heart for first person interactive experiences (The Witness and Doom, as of July 2016) and I can’t wait to try them in VR.
Quite a few tech giants are vying for the hearts and minds of a brave new tribe of tech explorers who’re craving for rich, exotic and immersive experiences.
So, from the halls of Sony, ladies and gentlemen behold, the PlayStation VR (PSVR).
Here’s what you get when you open the PlayStation VR package
A VR headset | A Processor unit
A VR headset connection cable | An HDMI cable | A USB cable
A pair of stereo in-earphones
An AC power cord | An AC adaptor
Aesthetics. I love how Nature wraps meaning/function in sheer beauty and when it comes to products, I’m a hardcore believer in the fact that great user experience begins with great visual appeal. The PlayStation VR literally screams of absolute Sony design DNA with its sturdy build materials, sleek design signature and sensual curves. In fact, since words fail to adequately describe the PSVR, I’ve attached images across and after the article.
Talking of Ergonomics, the PSVR has been clearly designed with an extremely powerful principle in mind — Simplicity. Thanks to the design and the sturdiness of the materials used, holding or handling the PSVR especially wearing or taking it off is a breeze. The padded headband is positioned in such a way that it allows for the headset to rest against the forehead rather than on the top of the head. Headset adjustment works on 3 levels. A single button on the padded strap tightens it, and a dial on the back provides fine-tuned tightening. There’s another button just below the visor that allows you to adjust the distance of the visor from the eyes. That last attribute has a superb advantage — it allows people who use glasses to wear the PSVR with absolute comfort. Sony’s also working on reducing the number of cables from the headset to the PS4.
The PSVR has gone beyond design for comfortable user experience to create user delight.
Oh, and the headset’s dimensions are approximately 187(w) × 185(h) × 277(l) mm and it weighs around 610g, excluding the cable, (for reference the Sennheiser HD 800 headphones weigh approx 330g) which means the headset is quite easy on the neck.
When you’re wearing the headset, after a while, you actually feel that there’s nothing on your head, the device is that incredibly comfortable. Simply speaking the PSVR has gone beyond design for comfortable user experience to create user delight.
The Processor Unit is a little box is capable of carrying out a number of features which are crucial to the VR experience such as (A)3D audio processing, (B)Social screen and (C)Cinematic mode and it also takes the sensor data from the headset and sends it back to the PS4 via USB.
(A) 3D audio processing. 3D audio actually needs an article of its own, but as an fanatical audiophile I’m sharing a lil brief here. The human brain is wired by evolution to perceive sound from all directions and from multiple distances, much faster when compared to vision, which is purely front oriented due to the placement of the eyes. In other words, hearing supersedes vision as a sense. Now this is particularly important regarding VR.
“While purely visual VR experiences can be made, adding 3D audio greatly magnifies the impact and depth of a VR experience.”
To quote Dr. Richard Marks, Director of PlayStation Magic Lab, Sony Interactive Entertainment- “When sound is perceived to come from the same direction as a visual stimulus, the credibility of the virtual experience is greatly increased. While purely visual VR experiences can be made, adding 3D audio greatly magnifies the impact and depth of a VR experience.” (Source: The Verge)Hence the PSVR has a custom 3D audio binaural solution in its development kit and the processing unit of the consumer unit processes object-based 3D audio and delivers directional sound in real time.
As for sonically complex 3D audio solutions, while the PlayStation Gold Headset is fantastic for PSVR, something else has stolen my audio obsessed heart (and taken a considerable investment from my wallet) and with good reason too.
Ossic X 3D Smart Headphones. These envelop users in a mind blowing soundstage which tremendously helps with the suspension of disbelief and creates a truly immersive experience, thanks to advanced 3D audio algorithms, HRTF Individual Anatomy Calibration, Integrated Head Tracking and a Multidriver array of 8 drivers.
The Ossic X also features an unbreakable headband, a built-in 3D microphone array, removable and washable ear and head pads, and a 10 hour internal battery. (recovering jaw from the floor). While I’m a bit annoyed that its not wireless, I guess great technology comes at a cost. I feel I can agree with them when they say “It isn’t just a headphone, it’s an entirely new way to hear sound”. Hoping they’ll ship with a rugged carry case to withstand the trials of Indian airports.
Now returning to the processing unit’s functions
(B) Social Screen has two sub-modes — Mirroring mode and Separate mode.
Mirroring mode social screen displays an undistorted, cropped and scaled image of the headset display on a TV. This mode allows people outside the VR experience to see exactly what the player with the headset is viewing.
The Separate mode social screen outputs a completely separate audio and video stream to a TV. This social screen will run at 720p at 30 frames per second on the TV and is particularly nice for social/local competitive and cooperative gaming experiences with friends and family. So in games like Monster Escape, while I can play as the monster using the VR headset, 4 of my friends can try to take on me using the TV as their display as shown in the video below.
(C) Cinematic mode “lets users enjoy a variety of content in a massive virtual screen (with a simple black background around the image, further enhancing the theater effect) while wearing the headset. Supported content for the Cinematic mode includes every standard PS4 game and videos as well as variety of PS4 features including Share Play and Live from PlayStation. Users will also be able to enjoy 360 degrees photos and videos that are captured by devices such as omnidirectional cameras on PS VR via PS4 Media Player, which will let them feel as if they are physically inside the captured scene.” There are three different simulated screen sizes - 117 inches, 163 inches (encompasses your entire field of view) and a massive 225 inches (you’ll have to move your head left and right to see the whole screen). When using the PSVR, if you get tired you can lie down while wearing it and the display will match your horizontal perspective. Thanks to the Cinematic mode, I can seek Libertalia with Drake while my friends binge Netflix Game of Thrones on the TV.
Optics are pure visual fire power. The headset has a 5.7 inch cutting edge full RGB OLED display with a resolution of 1920×RGB×1080 (960×RGB×1080 per eye) and each pixel features three full subpixels for True RGB experiences which translates into extremely crisp visuals.
As for refresh rate — it’s got 60hz rendering (by the game/experience) with 120hz display via “asynchronous reprojection.”, 90hz rendering resulting in a 90hz display and 120hz rendering to a 120hz display (potentially rendering games at 120fps).
The headset has Field of View of approximately 100 degrees and as for its Sensors; it’s got a Six-axis motion sensing system (three-axis gyroscope, three-axis accelerometer). It‘s tracked with several internal IMUs, as well as 9 LEDs for optical tracking by the PlayStation camera.
Connection interfaces. VR headset has an HDMI, an AUX, and a Stereo Headphone jack whereas the processor unit has singular HDMI TV, HDMI PS4, USB, HDMI and AUX ports.
PSVR Requirements. The PS Camera and the DualShock 4 are mandatory for the proper functioning of the PSVR. The camera along with the 9 tracking LEDs on the headset tracks movements 1000 times a second, thus replicating the feeling of presence within game camera movement. The DualShock 4 will be the primary form of game input and when used to demo Battlezone and RIGS it worked splendidly.
PSVR Optionals. These are for those who seek truly immersive VR experiences. Dual Move Controllers should replicate the feeling of having two arms with fingers in virtuality. I’m a little concerned about the Move wands as their last gen tech, and there are murmurings on the internet about it being less accurate compared to Vive controllers.
However I’m relieved to see the Move Aim Controller, it’s a standalone, gun shaped Move peripheral with two thumbsticks, a tracking glow ball and buttons. Introduced by Impulse Gear and co-developed with Sony for their game project, Farpoint, the Move Aim may be the controller that replaces the original Move wands. “The PS VR Aim Controller offers the most realistic and precise way to control our game. With direct 1 to 1 tracking, you aim in Farpoint just as you would in real life. How you hold and where you point the controller are directly matched in the game. This allows you to do things in Farpoint that just are not possible in a standard FPS game. It also provides an unbelievable sense of presence in the virtual world.” Those who experienced the Move Aim Controllers said they were blown away.
We’ll definitely be getting one and testing it out.
That’s it, about the hardware.
The Cinematic mode will influence a lot of potential customers who dwell in small living spaces to consider adopting the headset as replacement to the massive traditional HDTV.
Adopters. Globally 40 million people (as of June 2016) have purchased a PlayStation 4 console. That’s a market 3x times more than that with VR ready PCs, which is around 13M. There’s the Cinematic mode that will influence a lot of potential customers who dwell in small living spaces to consider adopting the headset as replacement to the massive traditional HDTV. The headset being portable compared to a regular HDTV can be bundled along with a PS4 and taken to tournaments or for memory making gameplay sessions at friends’ houses. Thus the existing audience, the price (more on this below), the build, the games portfolio and the portability, positions the PSVR to be appealing to casual and non gamers too.
Heritage. Sony has rarely shared the crown of the Video Gaming since the PlayStation 1 by Ken Kutaragi was announced in 1994 (the early years of the PlayStation 3 being the exception) and has held its own and overcome Nintendo and Xbox. The Japanese giant has a global footprint of quality and trust worldwide for decades, their design and prowess in audio visual experience devices is famous if not legendary. The PSVR joins the PlayStation legacy as another magnum opus to empower the Games Industry.
PSVR has over 230 developers creating content for it and over 50 VR experiences are to come out before the end of 2016.
Games Industry. Sony’s relationship with publishers, games developers and gamers and its state-of-the art retail and distribution networks are both quite hard to mimic let alone overcome. Thanks to Sony Interactive Entertainment’s Dev relations, PSVR has over 230 developers creating content for it and over 50 VR experiences are to come out before the end of 2016 (which is quite important as it helps in boosting sales to the early adopters and convincing the skeptics). The sheer volume of PS4 sales and the positive projections of PSVR sales have motivated many a developer to invest resources in triple A or indie game experiences for it.
Price and release date. Sony’s PlayStation VR, comes out in October 2016 for 44, 980 Yen, $399 USD, €399 and £349. One has to consider the mandatory PS Camera, hence $460 USD would be a more realistic price (too lazy to calculate to other currency). That makes it the most affordable headset especially compared to the other VR titans — the HTC Vive ($800) or Oculus Rift ($600) which again requires at least $1000 for a VR ready PC.
UPDATE
VR Social. The inclusion of the Share button was perhaps one of this generation’s greatest milestones. It has augmented the social side of console video gaming tremendously. Players worldwide formed countless communities, socialized and shared user generated content and this resulted in the rise of Twitch and the like. Currently more people watch games being played than playing them, especially with regards to eSports.
So, I’m bloody happy to present to you VREAL aka Virtual Reality Entertainment and Livestreaming. An entertainment and live streaming platform whose SDK assimilates with the game engine and enables the streamer to broadcast VR gameplay as 360 degree 3D video or as traditional 2D content to VR headsets, mobile VR and 2D screens. Social interaction between viewers and streamers happens via voice chat. With all this and much more, their proposition is incredible and they’ve beaten Twitch and the others in the VR streaming game. Check out their site for some brilliant stuff for aspiring VR professionals and say hi to VREAL founder, Todd Hooper.
It’s just a matter of time before VREAL partners with Sony to broadcast PSVR experiences to the brave new world. Experiencing RIGS through the eyes of a world champion via VREAL will be a million times more immersive than merely watching pro matches on YouTube. Fingers crossed on VREAL optimizing its audio tech with Ossic’s 3D audio solution.
The lucky folks in the Northern hemisphere can check out PS VR demos at over 300 locations across Canada and the US. Preorders across the globe are finishing up fast, hope all of you get yours.
By being affordable, accessible and of the highest value for money VR proposition, PlayStation VR enables the everyday player to get off the bench and into the game. The perfect herald of the VR Renaissance.
Stay tuned for our upcoming article on the game experiences that make the PSVR an extremely desirable VR entertainment proposition if not the most.
For The Game, The Reij.
