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Oculus Rift Competitor "Totem" Shows Up On Kickstarter

By - Source: Vrvana Inc. | B 23 comments

Over on Kickstarter, there's a new virtual reality headset project called Totem. The studio behind the Oculus Rift competitor, Vrvana Inc., is looking to score $350,000 CAD over the next 28 days. The team has already raked in 151 backers pledging $55,967 CAD as of this article.

According to the company, the Totem headset connects to any HDMI source, including tablets, smartphones, consoles and so on that are capable of playing Side-by-Side 3D video or games (SbS). The headset itself includes dual onboard cameras and onboard (secret sauce) video acceleration, the former of which can allow the wearer to see what's going on in the "real world" with the press of a button.

"Current VR headset models restrict you to moving within their external tracking camera's field of view (FOV)," the Kickstarter page said. "When moving too far left or right of the camera placed in front of you or looking behind you, there is no way for these cameras to keep tracking your movements. Our Totem's internal on-board cameras take care of this and give you full freedom to move about in base world so you can do your thing in virtual world."

The company promises low latency thanks to Totem's onboard acceleration. The headset also features lenses that were specially designed for comfort and individual lens focusing, meaning users won't have their glasses smashed against their face. The lenses are also oversized to support 1080p resolution no matter where the user is looking.

"When we designed the Totem, we wanted to create a headset that would be able to evolve with the current fast changing VR space," the Kickstarter page said. "Our two main processing components, the USB microcontroller and the Audio/Video processor (FPGA), are both field-upgradable with firmware updates."

The company indicated that when new features are developed or current parts have been improved, the user will have access to these components immediately. There's even an expansion port so that third-party device makers can create accessories for the headset.

Consumers who pledge $8,000 CAD or more will get to tour Vrvana's offices and lab as well as receive one Totem HMD, a pair of custom stereo ear buds and a private dinner with the team. Pledge $1,000 CAD and receive a special thank-you and a personalized SbS video to watch on the backer's own Totem headset.

The company's Kickstarter page said that the current Totem developer's kit works with games that support the Oculus Rift Developers Kit 1 (DK1). Support for DK2 Rift games is coming soon.

"Many developers are now adding HMD support but one of the problems in the industry is the lack of a universal standard," the page said. "Until this becomes available, we will be including plug-ins for all the major engines that will be simple and quick to use."

Supported game engines include Unreal Engine, Unity, Cryengine and Havok. For a list of specifications, head here.

 

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  • 4 Hide
    usertests , September 16, 2014 3:40 PM
    Could its cameras be used for a little (if bulky) augmented reality?
  • 2 Hide
    derekullo , September 16, 2014 6:49 PM
    Does not look very durable.
    Totems only have 5 hp.
  • -1 Hide
    lp231 , September 16, 2014 6:59 PM
    $8,000CAD to visit their office and have a private dinner with the team? So you basically paid yourself just to be there.
  • Add your comment Display all 23 comments.
  • 4 Hide
    leeb2013 , September 16, 2014 7:05 PM
    2 questions;

    1. does the tour (for pledging $8000) include the flight from Australia to Canada?

    2. is the secret sauce "tomato"?
  • 0 Hide
    kryojenix , September 16, 2014 9:16 PM
    Blegh - need 100 degree field of view!
  • 1 Hide
    fuzzion , September 16, 2014 9:16 PM
    For 8000 they better include some canadian weed
  • 3 Hide
    brandonjclark , September 16, 2014 9:42 PM
    Can't stand Facebook. I'm backing.
  • 0 Hide
    nitrium , September 16, 2014 10:48 PM
    Great another startup abusing passionate fan money all the while cynically itching to sellout to giant corporations as soon as the offer is big enough <cough> Mojang <cough> Oculus. Meanwhile the backers get pretty much bupkis.
  • 0 Hide
    leeb2013 , September 16, 2014 11:36 PM
    Quote:
    Blegh - need 100 degree field of view!


    good point actually. I tried a friend's Sony VR goggles and it was just like looking at the TV in the lounge. Nowhere near as good as wide aspect/multimonitor.

    I too want it to fill my field of view.
  • 0 Hide
    alidan , September 17, 2014 12:28 AM
    Quote:
    Quote:
    Blegh - need 100 degree field of view!


    good point actually. I tried a friend's Sony VR goggles and it was just like looking at the TV in the lounge. Nowhere near as good as wide aspect/multimonitor.

    I too want it to fill my field of view.


    meh, i just imagine a raceing game where i want to turn my head and the view changes... thats what i want... fov would be nice but for me, whatever works is what ill use.
  • 0 Hide
    Eudy Contreras , September 17, 2014 1:04 AM
    Im pretty sure this aims towards the crowd that enjoys 3d visuals. How about people who own 3d vision? Will this be compatible? We all want to know if any of this kits will be compatible with 3d vision. Whats the point of buying something with such a limited list of support, and that needs specific games and demos in order to function properly
  • 0 Hide
    Eudy Contreras , September 17, 2014 1:04 AM
    Im pretty sure this aims towards the crowd that enjoys 3d visuals. How about people who own 3d vision? Will this be compatible? We all want to know if any of this kits will be compatible with 3d vision. Whats the point of buying something with such a limited list of support, and that needs specific games and demos in order to function properly
  • 0 Hide
    gaborbarla , September 17, 2014 1:37 AM
    To all the backers that don't like Facebook buying out Oculus: Who is to say Totem wont be bought out?
  • 0 Hide
    ainsleyain4 , September 17, 2014 3:42 AM
    The company's Kickstarter page said that the current Totem developer's kit works with games that support the Oculus Rift Developers Kit 1 (DK1). Support for DK2 Rift games is coming soon. http://po.st/funnygames
  • -1 Hide
    AlbertXi , September 17, 2014 4:03 AM
    Main problem? That Nvidia is really a POS, they dont support SBS in the 3D mode, only their stupid conf, I have a HDTV 3D I had to pay for 3DVISION, and to play games I must low the resolution to 720p in order to be able to play at 60fps (HDMI limitation), if I could have 3D SBS it will be compatible with almost all systems,have full 60fps and have better resolution than 720p, but Nvidia needs to seel their s%&/
  • 0 Hide
    Haravikk , September 17, 2014 4:47 AM
    Hmm, while it's good to see the emergence of competitors, especially when we don't really know what Facebook is going to do to the Occulus Rift, I really don't like the design. Personally I'm much more interested in Sony's Morpheus design, as I just don't like VR headsets that put so much bulk on your face; a comfort-oriented design should move the heavier components (battery in particular) to the back of the device to counter-balance the rest.
  • 1 Hide
    I Hate Nvidia , September 17, 2014 7:48 AM
    I think Microsoft should buy this project, why? the answer is simply that they don't have an answer (yet) to project Morpheos , and the possibilities of combining this with Kinect are endless!
  • 1 Hide
    icemunk , September 17, 2014 8:06 AM
    Now that Oculus is starting to seem like it'll be successful, we're going to see all sorts of "Me too!" VR devices on the way
  • -1 Hide
    d_kuhn , September 17, 2014 11:06 AM
    100 degrees is still not enough viewing angle (I'd like to see 140, but you need a TON of resolution to make that workable)... so going to 90 is even worse! (and it's worse by a LOT more than you'd think from the 'only 10 degree' spec difference) The 10 degree loss in angle is far more of a downside than all the little tweaks they put in to outspec the Occulus elsewhere. Immersion people... we're looking for FLIPPIN IMMERSION. I don't want to be looking at the equivalent of a 120" screen at 10 feet, I want the equivalent of standing on the edge of the waterfall at Yosemite and looking out at the valley! Get with the program!!
  • 0 Hide
    coolitic , September 17, 2014 2:51 PM
    Not really a competitor.
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