Move Over Dev Kit 2, Oculus Reveals New "Crescent Bay" Prototype

[Steven Bogos]

Move Over Dev Kit 2, Oculus Reveals New "Crescent Bay" Prototype

While it seems like the Dev Kit 2 [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/136411-Oculus-VR-is-Shipping-Development-Kit-2-Hardware-to-Customers] only just came out, the new Crescent Bay Oculus Rift prototype looks to usurp it.

The Oculus Rift is chugging along like a runaway train these days, getting closer and closer to its final destination of retail release. At the Oculus Connect 2014, the company announced the new "Crescent Bay" prototype of the system, which it says "is the latest prototype headset on the path to the consumer version of the Rift." Move over Dev Kit 2! [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/136411-Oculus-VR-is-Shipping-Development-Kit-2-Hardware-to-Customers]

The Crescent Bay, as well as featuring new display technology, 360° head tracking, expanded positional tracking volume, dramatically improved weight and ergonomics, also actually has its own full-integrated audio. That's right, you'll no longer have to use a separate pair of headphones with the unit, as it will be an all-in-one solution.

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"These enhancements allow for a level of presence that's impossible to achieve with DK2," said Oculus in a blog post [http://www.oculus.com/blog/oculus-connect-2014/]. "There are plenty of technical challenges left to solve for the consumer Rift, but Crescent Bay is truly the best virtual reality headsets we've ever built," it added, suggesting that the Rift's final retail release is still a ways off into the future.

Also announced at the Connect event was the partnership between Oculus and the development platform Unity, meaning that Unity will now fully support Oculus and the Rift with a dedicated add-on that includes stereo imaging optimizations, 3D audio support, and other features specifically designed for virtual reality.

Exciting times for VR! I managed to try out the DK2 at this year's Tokyo Game Show [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/tag/view/tokyo%20game%20show] and I was incredibly impressed. If the Crescent Bay promises to be even more immersive, I can't wait to be able to get my hands (eyes?) on it!

Source: Oculus [http://www.oculus.com/blog/oculus-connect-2014/]

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[Corven]

Hopefully they can be removed or there is a version that doesn't have those headphones included since they look kinda cheap in those photos.

 

[Keiichi Morisato]

Hopefully they can be removed or there is a version that doesn't have those headphones included since they look kinda cheap in those photos.

um... it's still a prototype, they likely just tacked on a cheap $1 pair of head phones from the dollar store to see how they could implement sound into the headset. most likely the final retail product will be very different.

 

[Maxtro]

With every news story that comes out I'm getting more disappointed that a release date hasn't even been hinted at yet.

My guess is that the consumer version won't come out till 2016.

 

[Michael Legault]

My guess is it's still making a large portion of people sick...just remember how people screamed about the 3ds giving headaches... And that part is completely optional. Hopefully they iron out the kinks soon.

 

[SpinFusor]

Hopefully they can be removed or there is a version that doesn't have those headphones included since they look kinda cheap in those photos.

You can remove them (or move them out of the way I think). However, it's pretty clear from the keynotes from the conference that they are taking audio very seriously, and see it as crucial to the experience. These headphones might be good, or not, but the audio on the finished product should be solid. (and in the end you will likely be able to remove them if you wish)

With every news story that comes out I'm getting more disappointed that a release date hasn't even been hinted at yet.

My guess is that the consumer version won't come out till 2016.

Well, they have said that releasing after 2015 would be a massive failure (or something along those lines). Most people suspect that it's the end of 2015 at the latest.

 

[Scars Unseen]

Hopefully they can be removed or there is a version that doesn't have those headphones included since they look kinda cheap in those photos.

You can remove them (or move them out of the way I think). However, it's pretty clear from the keynotes from the conference that they are taking audio very seriously, and see it as crucial to the experience. These headphones might be good, or not, but the audio on the finished product should be solid. (and in the end you will likely be able to remove them if you wish)

I really do hope they will be removable. I doubt they'll include anything as good(or comfortable) as my $250 Beyerdynamic DT880. Still, it's good that positional audio is something that they are keeping in mind.

 

[Dying_Jester]

I really hope that they instead just have something to keep headphones firmly in place with the device. Anyone spending the money in this will likely already have a good pair of headphones. What I'm really interested in, though, is if they'll have a built in microphone.

 

[SpinFusor]

Hopefully they can be removed or there is a version that doesn't have those headphones included since they look kinda cheap in those photos.

You can remove them (or move them out of the way I think). However, it's pretty clear from the keynotes from the conference that they are taking audio very seriously, and see it as crucial to the experience. These headphones might be good, or not, but the audio on the finished product should be solid. (and in the end you will likely be able to remove them if you wish)

I really do hope they will be removable. I doubt they'll include anything as good(or comfortable) as my $250 Beyerdynamic DT880. Still, it's good that positional audio is something that they are keeping in mind.

Well, Palmer Luckey is a supposed audiophile with a huge collection of speakers/headphones, so they hopefully won't be too shoddy.... but as I know crap all about audio I don't know if they can possibly be as good as the high end ones out there. However, one of the things they talked about at the conference was how being able to design audio for a set pair of headphones would allow devs to really nail the audio. Which, they say increases the immersion/presence. So although, they might not be the best, they may add to the overall experience anyway.

But yeah, either way, I'd say having options is always better.

 

[Scars Unseen]

Hopefully they can be removed or there is a version that doesn't have those headphones included since they look kinda cheap in those photos.

You can remove them (or move them out of the way I think). However, it's pretty clear from the keynotes from the conference that they are taking audio very seriously, and see it as crucial to the experience. These headphones might be good, or not, but the audio on the finished product should be solid. (and in the end you will likely be able to remove them if you wish)

I really do hope they will be removable. I doubt they'll include anything as good(or comfortable) as my $250 Beyerdynamic DT880. Still, it's good that positional audio is something that they are keeping in mind.

Well, Palmer Luckey is a supposed audiophile with a huge collection of speakers/headphones, so they hopefully won't be too shoddy.... but as I know crap all about audio I don't know if they can possibly be as good as the high end ones out there. However, one of the things they talked about at the conference was how being able to design audio for a set pair of headphones would allow devs to really nail the audio. Which, they say increases the immersion/presence. So although, they might not be the best, they may add to the overall experience anyway.

But yeah, either way, I'd say having options is always better.

Definitely better. The problem is that there is no ultimate sound solution for everyone. Open headphones will give you a better soundstage(the illusion that the sound is coming from around you instead of from speakers pressed against your head), but unless you live alone like me, they might be impractical since they leak sound. Different people like different characteristics in their headphones. I call my DT880's accurate, but some people describe them as "clinical." Some people prioritize features like having a boom mic attached. I'd rather my money go toward sound quality; I can get a clip on mic for $10(and I have a condenser mic for anything that requires more clarity).

So yeah, having an included headset is nice, but they should definitely keep personal headphones as a viable option.

 

[Lazy Kitty]

Is it just me or does that look a lot lighter than my DK1?

 

[Lightknight]

Ugh, hopefully they allow for mono-audio possibilities with their headsets and allow us to swap out with our own headsets as desired. As a person who is deaf in one ear, I'm always leery about headsets I'm not familiar with. Let me tell you, during the 90's when they started splitting up sound tracks in songs by ear I really hated certain songs that other people loved because there was no drums or only drums or whatever.

EDIT: Oh, the headset is optional.