oculus-rift-simulator

Developer Michael Blix has created an Oculus Rift Simulator web app which gives an idea of what an Oculus Rift could look like equipped with a 1080p, 2k, and 4k screen. The demo also features simulated ‘low-persistence’ which helps users see how the new tech improves the virtual reality experience.

Road to VR’s editors are fortunate enough to have tried the Oculus Rift Crystal Cove prototype which features a 1080p display and ‘low-persistence’ technology that greatly reduces smearing during head rotation. Those who haven’t been able to go head-in with the Crystal Cove prototype will appreciate the Oculus Rift Simulator from Michael Blix.

ORS is a small web app which demonstrates the impact that varying resolution and low-persistence technology have on the virtual reality experience. The simulator offers a low-persistence toggle as well as simulated resolution options of 1280×800 (the current DK1 resolution), 1920×1080 (the HD prototype and Crystal Cove resolution) as well as 2k (2560×1440) and 4k (3840×2160) resolutions which might be supported by future versions of the Oculus Rift.

ORS will be most useful to those that have tried at least the Oculus Rift DK1, providing a useful point of comparison for the higher resolutions and smearing (or lack thereof).

The scene used in ORS—a small faux-Minecraft environment—is well chosen; the sharp edges of the cubes make edge aliasing easy to identify and compare when switching between various resolutions.

Blix, 28 years old and practiced in computer science and engineering, tells me that he built ORS on Javascript and three.js, a library on top of raw WebGL.

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As someone who has used the Oculus Rift Dev Kit (DK1) extensively, and has also been able to try the Rift HD prototype and Crystal Cove prototype, I have to say that Blix has done a fine job at simulating the impact of different resolutions and the low-persistence technology—the latter of which makes a huge impact on visual quality by reducing scene smearing during head movement, even on the DK1’s 1280×800 display.

See Also: Oculus VR Interview – Low Persistence ‘Fundamentally Changes the Oculus Rift Experience’

Blix has made ORS open-source through GitHub. He also teases some experience with optical tracking which he intends to use for his next Oculus Rift project… stay tuned.

After using ORS all I know is that a 4k Rift can’t come soon enough!

Thanks to Joona for the tip!

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Ben Lang
Ben is the world's most senior professional analyst solely dedicated to the XR industry, having founded Road to VR in 2011—a year before the Oculus Kickstarter sparked a resurgence that led to the modern XR landscape. He has authored more than 3,000 articles chronicling the evolution of the XR industry over more than a decade. With that unique perspective, Ben has been consistently recognized as one of the most influential voices in XR, giving keynotes and joining panel and podcast discussions at key industry events. He is a self-described "journalist and analyst, not evangelist."
  • mhenriquecd

    may not be possible
    without having ‘low-persistence’ is impossible to see something right, the first rift oculus (dev kit) was so blurry?
    and from what I saw the 4k resolution is the best experience

  • EnterTheRift

    No, it’s not so blurry in real. But like Ben said, This simulator can be useful for those who has used Oculus Rift Dev Kit (DK1) to illustrate the low-persistence technology.
    The screen door effect is not very realistic either for me.

    • Chris Given

      What did you mean the screen door effect was not very realistic? Have you tried the rift? Is the depiction of the screen door effect accurate in this demo or is it better or worse?

      From what I have heard the 1080p version significantly reduced the screen door effect but in the demo above I didn’t really see too much difference…

      Thanks. Im just trying to get a feel for what the screen door effect is really like seeing as how I have not had the pleasure of using myself yet…

      Cheers,

      Chris

      • Oliver

        I suppose blix uses the same screen door FX on both resolutions, which isn’t how the panels in the devkit and the HD-prototype work. Supposedly the HD-prototype also had a higher pixel-to-border ratio, which also drops the effect of the perceived screen door. But well, that was just what was in my memory from articles, so i might be wrong there.

        Nevertheless the devkit simulation is pretty spot on, maybe even a little bit too beautiful.

        • EnterTheRift

          I have a DevKit but i don’t have the chance to test the Crystal Cove.
          I’ve tried to compare DK1 with Samsung Galaxy S4 1080p OLED panel with the DK1’s lens (which are not the Crystal Cove lens).
          To represent what i’ve seen even if it’s very difficult, i have done a picture to represent the screen door effect between the two panels : http://www.entertherift.fr/images/382-minecrift-oculus-rift-dk1-vs-galaxy-s4.jpg.
          Ben, if you can look at this and tell me if it looks like CCP or not ? :-)

      • Leonardo

        If you want to know what effect it has to watch an oculus rift with a full hd display: place your eyes at a distance from a full hd tv equal to half the height of the display. The angle subtended by the pixels of the TV will be equal to that subtended by the pixel of the oculus rift and aliasing and screen door effect will be the same.

  • Kemic

    Can’t seem to get this working on my browser. The WebGL website shows that it works with my rig though >.>

  • kijutsu

    Impressive. 1440 resolution really does seem to be the minimum requirement for the screen quality to be considered “good”. 1080 is just OK.

    Anyone going to Odaiba on the 8th or march?
    http://www.ocufes.jp/

  • Kamus

    As expected, anything but the 4k panel still looks very pixelated.
    So once we get to 4k and up, the experience will be breathtaking.

  • Stimpack

    A lot of people talk about 1440p, hell, even 1080p, while also claiming that the Rift is after the mainstream audience. I can’t help but wonder how we expect to run a 1440p display with stereoscopic 3D at a frame rate of 60-90 FPS without any major dips. As if performance doesn’t factor into the equation. Are there advancements on that front that I haven’t heard about?