Vuzix VR920: Gaming In 3D?

Article by Don Woligroski

Vuzix's VR920 new video eyewear aims to deliver a 3D experience. Does the VR920 make virtual reality gaming accessible to the masses?

http://www.tomsgames.com/us/2008/02/12/vuzix_review/

I think it's pretty awesome. I can't wait until they take care of some of the problems it has. Once it's been out for a few years, it should have better sound, better video quality, and better sensors and everything. I just think it's a really cool idea. I would even consider having no monitor and just using one of these, if the price was decent enough.

I think it would be really weird having no mouse during gaming though... it would probably just take a while to get used to.

(accidently hit submit)...

- For some uses, a flat screen in the distance is a good option (especially if the glasses can add the image without blocking your normal vision)... but for things like gaming I would think you'd want a wraparound screen that covers around 120 degrees... not a flat screen.

Has anyone had the opportunity to try both this and the eMagin z800? It seems like that one corrects a lot of the flaws that the reviewer mentioned. Unfortunately it's also considerably more expensive.

Ehm do you realize that's a TV show and we still don't have holodecks yet?

Seriously though, I was editorializing. Take it for what it's worth...

why did you test with guild wars instead of World of Warcraft?

seems to me that anything with a 10million+ strong player base should get a test run instead of the title you used, I bet just the mention of WOW would net you 1000 more views per day.

Well, at least this is a big step in the right direction. This kind of technology should have become mainstream already, or at least high end available and used as the 8800 is nowadays (much more attention towards it, and much more money being made and to be made, resulting in much more research and development).
There is no need for this piece to be a single piece. And I don't mean the head phones or similar. I mean, a sensor to get the coordinates and direction of the head, that can be placed in a static fine-tuned location, and no need to give up on the mouse just yet. Just as software corrects and displays different images for each eye, and ear to shoulder rotation, it can (easily IMO) make corrections and allow the head of the player to look a bit closer or away.

p.s. The "no need to give up on the mouse just yet" is in my opinion a way to do other stuff with it. A simple example: You don't need to shoot at whatever you look at. Plus the mouse is still a very sensitive piece of input device that will enhance the gaming experience, head mounted display with virtual reality or not... unless naturally you provide gloves with positioning sensors and their representation in the virtual world.

And then we'd have glove gestures, combined with voice commands, and WoW will have spell casting experience worth of "magic simulator" (like flight simulators)

I believe all of this tech is available nowadays, and it just needs to be "put to good use", something that can be done with minimal effort. I still can't believe big corporations haven't seen the profit opportunities ahead in this road.

Sorry, but the snapshots of your gameplay just didn't cut it. You're reviewing a motion based device not a still shot program. Maybe you could update the article with some actual moving footage?