Z800 VR Visor

[Bob]

Archived from groups: alt.games.microsoft.flight-sim (More info?)

I received my Virtual Reality Visor some days ago but have not been able
to use it for a few days now. I did start a web page talking about the
Z800 but haven't updated it in days. On the web page I only go over the
bad things I found and will write about the good things later.

Do NOT go out and buy one!!!!! I is great for a certain type of simmer.
If you fly consistently above 1000 ft AGL you would be better off
buying a multi-monitor system. But for $900.00 it is much better, and
cheaper than, multi-monitors when flying slow and close to the ground.
I love it. Using the TrackIR 3 with the Vector Expansion clip opens a
new dimension in my simming experience. Using the TrackIR alone makes
the user turn their head to each side to see the side view but the
monitor is fixed in front of them which makes them look out of the corners

This page needs updated but it is still a good read. More later, dinner
time...

http://xs44.xs.to/pics/05354/z800-strip02.jpg


--

boB,
SAG 70

U.S. Army Aviation (retired)
Central Texas - 5NM West of Gray Army Airfield (KGRK)

 

[Charley]

Archived from groups: alt.games.microsoft.flight-sim (More info?)

In the October issue of Maximum PC there is a review on these goggles, if
anyone is interested.
Charley
"boB" <akita_77REMOVECAPS@yahoo.Xcom> wrote in message
news:lBLTe.240993$gL1.207888@tornado.texas.rr.com...
>I received my Virtual Reality Visor some days ago but have not been able to
>use it for a few days now. I did start a web page talking about the Z800
>but haven't updated it in days. On the web page I only go over the bad
>things I found and will write about the good things later.
>
> Do NOT go out and buy one!!!!! I is great for a certain type of simmer.
> If you fly consistently above 1000 ft AGL you would be better off buying a
> multi-monitor system. But for $900.00 it is much better, and cheaper
> than, multi-monitors when flying slow and close to the ground. I love it.
> Using the TrackIR 3 with the Vector Expansion clip opens a new dimension
> in my simming experience. Using the TrackIR alone makes the user turn
> their head to each side to see the side view but the monitor is fixed in
> front of them which makes them look out of the corners
>
> This page needs updated but it is still a good read. More later, dinner
> time...
>
> http://xs44.xs.to/pics/05354/z800-strip02.jpg
>
>
> --
>
> boB,
> SAG 70
>
> U.S. Army Aviation (retired)
> Central Texas - 5NM West of Gray Army Airfield (KGRK)

 

[dallas]

Archived from groups: alt.games.microsoft.flight-sim (More info?)

"boB"
> If you fly consistently above 1000 ft AGL you would be better off
> buying a multi-monitor system.

Why.. what's the difference between 500 and 1000?

Dallas

 

[dallas]

Archived from groups: alt.games.microsoft.flight-sim (More info?)

"boB"
> Do NOT go out and buy one!!!!!
> I love it.

I'm so confused!..


Dallas

 

[Bob]

Archived from groups: alt.games.microsoft.flight-sim (More info?)

charley wrote:

> In the October issue of Maximum PC there is a review on these goggles, if
> anyone is interested.
> Charley
> "boB" <akita_77REMOVECAPS@yahoo.Xcom> wrote in message
> news:lBLTe.240993$gL1.207888@tornado.texas.rr.com...

That review is at:
http://www.maximumpc.com/2005/08/emagin_z800_3dv.html


--

boB,
SAG 70

U.S. Army Aviation (retired)
Central Texas - 5NM West of Gray Army Airfield (KGRK)

 

[Bob]

Archived from groups: alt.games.microsoft.flight-sim (More info?)

Dallas wrote:

> "boB"
>
>> If you fly consistently above 1000 ft AGL you would be better off
>>buying a multi-monitor system.
>
>
> Why.. what's the difference between 500 and 1000?
>
> Dallas
>
>
>

Not a lot. It was a cut-off I just thought of when I was thinking about
the simmers that would like this device. At 500 feet there are objects
that stand out whereas at 1000 feet you may not even notice them. This
visor is for someone who wants to play among the trees.

And because I don't want anyone blaming me when they buy one and it's
not what they thought.

Did that make sense?????

Now it's back to the start of the next 500 messages I need to look at.
More on the Z800 tomorrow, although it's hard to think of a way to
explain what it looks like.


--

boB,
SAG 70

U.S. Army Aviation (retired)
Central Texas - 5NM West of Gray Army Airfield (KGRK)

 

[Bob]

Archived from groups: alt.games.microsoft.flight-sim (More info?)

Dallas wrote:

> "boB"
>
>>Do NOT go out and buy one!!!!!
>>I love it.
>
>
> I'm so confused!..
>
>
> Dallas
>
>

I'm afraid to make the Visor sound so good that people might buy it.
The advertisements on their web page are a bit over the top (IMO)

The statement that "It's like a 105 inch screen viewed at 13 feet" is
not what I see. I have a 19 inch monitor with 18 inches viewable and I
put the visor on in a way I could see the monitor as well as the Visor
image. The closest I can say is it's like a 24 or 25 inch screen viewed
at 2.5 feet. (yes, I measured it)

The 3D picture is much better that the Stereo shutter glasses I have but
not good enough to be a selling point. The head tracking ..... Maybe in
a FPS game it would be good, but for Flight Simulators I don't think you
can beat the TracKIR. The TrackIR by it's self is worth every penny and
combined with the Z800, makes a simulation that you can get lost in.
Lost in IF you are flying helicopters low and slow or bush planes into
confined areas.

As for multiple monitors, the Bugeye 3 monitor set up (15 inch monitors
with fresnel lenses) is $2500.00 and when I was talking with them they
said they could drop the price down to $2100.00 or so. Then a video
card capable of running 3 monitors,- another $400-$500??? And THEN
another video card compatible with an AGP card or a second computer so
you can get an instrument panel and maybe a screen for the radio and
such. To me, $950.00 for the visor plus the $150.00 or so for the
TrackIR (which you should already have just because it's worth it) and I
have a display where I can look in a direction and the view follows me
so when I turn my head left, the view turns with me.

I like it. Maybe others will not like it so much. If money is no
object then I would go a many monitor setup.

--

boB,
SAG 70

U.S. Army Aviation (retired)
Central Texas - 5NM West of Gray Army Airfield (KGRK)

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.microsoft.flight-sim (More info?)

"boB" <akita_77REMOVECAPS@yahoo.Xcom> wrote in message
news:5l4Ue.48828$Nx.37543@tornado.texas.rr.com...
> The statement that "It's like a 105 inch screen viewed at 13 feet" is not
> what I see. I have a 19 inch monitor with 18 inches viewable and I put
> the visor on in a way I could see the monitor as well as the Visor image.
> The closest I can say is it's like a 24 or 25 inch screen viewed at 2.5
> feet. (yes, I measured it)

Actually, the claim of a 105 inch screen at 13 feet comes out to ~37 degrees
field of view. A 25 inch screen at 2.5 feet is closer to 43 degrees. So,
their claim is less than your experimental result! They're underselling it
(on this point) a bit.

It just sounds good because of the "105 inch" part...but the "13 feet" part
is important, too, of course! You could also say it is like watching a 100
foot screen at 100 yards. ;-)

Anyways, what I don't get is: How can the goggles know how 'far away' or
'close by' something is in a game if the game was never designed to support
3D goggles? (Which, I assume, most games were not.) Is it an optical
illusion 3D or can the goggles actually extract some useful information from
any game?

 

[Bob]

Archived from groups: alt.games.microsoft.flight-sim (More info?)

Matt B. wrote:

>
> Actually, the claim of a 105 inch screen at 13 feet comes out to ~37 degrees
> field of view. A 25 inch screen at 2.5 feet is closer to 43 degrees. So,
> their claim is less than your experimental result! They're underselling it
> (on this point) a bit.
>

Damn Matt, Now I have to go back and re-measure. They do say it's
a 40 degree image in the specs.

>
> Anyways, what I don't get is: How can the goggles know how 'far away' or
> 'close by' something is in a game if the game was never designed to support
> 3D goggles? (Which, I assume, most games were not.) Is it an optical
> illusion 3D or can the goggles actually extract some useful information from
> any game?


Don't know...... Now I have to read some of the forums to see how they
do it.


I did put up some information on my searching for a Visor on my old
"Firestone" URL. That URL used to show the aftermath of a Firestone
tire blowout that almost caused my van to roll over. No one at Firestone
wanted to comment on it.

http://firestone.vze.com/


--

boB,
SAG 70

U.S. Army Aviation (retired)
Central Texas - 5NM West of Gray Army Airfield (KGRK)

 

[dallas]

Archived from groups: alt.games.microsoft.flight-sim (More info?)

"boB"
> I like it.

I'm getting the impression that they work fine you were expecting something
fantastic and therefore are a little disappointed?

What's it like looking into the goggles.. do the images seem lower
resolution than a monitor... harder to read text?...

Dallas

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.microsoft.flight-sim (More info?)

"Matt B." <none@given> wrote in message
news:445Ue.28692$ih4.8381@fe02.lga...
> Anyways, what I don't get is: How can the goggles know how 'far away' or
> 'close by' something is in a game if the game was never designed to
support
> 3D goggles? (Which, I assume, most games were not.) Is it an optical
> illusion 3D or can the goggles actually extract some useful information
from
> any game?

That's done by the DirectX D3D renderer and has nothing to do with the
visor. Basically, when D3D renders a 3D scene it does so from a known
observer position. What it does to create 3D is to do every alternate frame
from an offset position, like 3 inches away (the distance between your
eyes), and voila, you perceive the image in 3D when each one of your eyes is
shown only the image create for it's unique viewpoint.

Si

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.microsoft.flight-sim (More info?)

"boB" <akita_77REMOVECAPS@yahoo.Xcom> wrote in message
news:lBLTe.240993$gL1.207888@tornado.texas.rr.com...
> I received my Virtual Reality Visor some days ago but have not been able
> to use it for a few days now. I did start a web page talking about the
> Z800 but haven't updated it in days. On the web page I only go over the
> bad things I found and will write about the good things later.

How about user fatigue? I used to have shutter 3D glasses and loved the
effect with flight sims (EAW was fantastic with them) and racing games, but
I couldn't comfortably use them for more than a few minutes.

Si

 

[Bob]

Archived from groups: alt.games.microsoft.flight-sim (More info?)

> > I received my Virtual Reality Visor some days ago but have not been able
> > to use it for a few days now. I did start a web page talking about the
> > Z800 but haven't updated it in days. On the web page I only go over the
> > bad things I found and will write about the good things later.
>
> How about user fatigue? I used to have shutter 3D glasses and loved the
> effect with flight sims (EAW was fantastic with them) and racing games,
but
> I couldn't comfortably use them for more than a few minutes.
>
> Si
>
>


I am getting mail from 3 different newsreaders, hopefully this one works.

I did not notice eye strain at all. You do feel the weight after a while but
when the Visor is fitted properly it doesn't touch the nose and the weight
is spread out over the head. I did find myself looking down into my lap,
well,, my lap if the Visor was off, but I was flying merrily along until
the R TrackIR was off center too much.

boB