At the Oculus Connect 3 Developer Conference held just recently, Facebook announced a product that was somewhat unexpected: a Rift virtual reality headset that can be used independently.
Facebook CEO Zuckerberg introduced the new head-mounted device code named Santa Cruz at the conference. As a virtual reality enthusiast, it is necessary to understand this Santa Cruz. After all, This is a new product that is very different from the Oculus Rift, and let's take a look at what we know so far about the new news from Santa Cruz.
What is Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz is a new virtual reality headset developed by Oculus and is currently in prototype development.
The most interesting aspect of Santa Cruz is that it is a stand-alone helmet, which means that it is similar to Microsoft's HoloLens in wireless mode. Santa Cruz's goal may seem quite ambitious. Unlike the Oculus Rift, the Santa Cruz is not tied to computers and cables, providing a fully mobile virtual reality experience. We can walk and move freely with Santa Cruz.
How does Santa Cruz work
6 degrees of freedom tracking
Santa Cruz can basically be seen as a "wireless" version of the Oculus Rift, and according to TomsHardware's introduction, Santa Cruz provides 6 degrees of freedom for tracking and positioning, while the current Gear VR mobile helmet only provides 3 degrees of freedom positioning . With the positioning of 6DoF, we can respond in a virtual environment based on our body movements.
Built-in computing system
Although the Santa Cruz doesn't look much different from the Oculus Rift in appearance, it has a built-in stand-alone computing system. It also has three USB ports (two of which are USB 3.0) and an HDMI port. Of course, it is built-in. rechargeable battery.
Tracking from the inside out
Santa Cruz is not equipped with an external sensor. Instead, it uses an internal tracking method. Santa Cruz is equipped with four cameras, both facing the ceiling and facing the ground. It is not yet clear what the specific resolution of the camera is. Max Cohen, head of Oculus's mobile division, said: "In theory, users do not need to make any settings, just wear a helmet and they can use it in a suitable environment."
At the same time, Oculus did not publicly announce the specific ways Santa Cruz traced from the inside out, but only through four fisheye cameras and specialized software, Oculus said that Santa Cruz can provide an experience comparable to Oculus Rift, while still wireless.
Zuckerberg also stated that the tracking from the inside to the outside and the tracking from the outside to the inside are different for the sensors. Like the Oculus Rift uses outside-in tracking, it is usually limited by physical equipment. Santa Cruz's internal and external tracking can be completely independent of external hardware. All trace data processing takes place inside the headset.
Zuckerberg believes that tracking from the inside is actually one of the most difficult problems in computer science.
Magical software
We assume that Santa Cruz's camera can provide some data, that is, through the connection between the built-in computational processing unit and the HDMI interface, and then there is also a system built in Santa Cruz that also plays a large role. Some people think that Santa Cruz is using an Android system and uses this system to perform processing of data to realize the magic of virtual reality technology.
The most critical feature of Santa Cruz is the optimization of the location tracking effect through the new computer data system. Obviously, there are still many unknown and unsolved problems, including the ability of the prototype to accurately process data. In the future, Oculus will slowly announce more progress reports on the development of Santa Cruz over time.
experience feelings
Obviously, those who have experienced Santa Cruz have said that its weight, even if it has a built-in battery, is not obvious. In the Demo demo, in the virtual reality world we watch reports of our own hands, arms and feet, but competitors like HTC Vive can not only see both hands, but also provide translucent boundary walls when we are too A reminder can be given when approaching the edge of the room.
After many people have experienced it, the accuracy and stability of Santa Cruz tracking are very good. Whether it's walking around in the room, or jumping and crouching, it can be well captured. The picture is almost jitter free. In addition, when there are obstacles in front of the action, Santa Cruz will display blue grid lines like HTC Vive to remind the user of the action. ,
However, it should be noted that there is no window or mirror in the experience space. So even though this space is set up as an ordinary person's room, we have no way of understanding the possible effects of glass or mirrors, because glass reflection and direct sunlight are the universal challenges faced by the tracking system (whether it is inside or outside or inside ).
Overall, Santa Cruz is still in an early stage of development, but it looks promising in the future. People interested in virtual reality devices should continue to pay attention.
Difference with Gear VR
Santa Cruz is certainly not the same as Samsung Gear VR. Gear VR is a relatively primitive virtual reality device that relies on the display and processing capabilities of smartphones. The Santa Cruz is a complete set of virtual reality systems, just like the Oculus Rift, but without the shackles of cables, it also provides a 6DoF tracking system.
Time to market
Currently Santa Cruz is still in the development phase of a prototype, so it is still not known when it will push the retail version. However, before the retail version, many developers will take the lead to get Santa Cruz for experience and app development research.
How much is the price
Currently Oculus VR does not have a plan to sell Santa Cruz, so no one knows how much money will be sold when the future Santa Cruz retail version actually comes out. However, we can use other products for reference.
For example, the Oculus Rift is priced at $599 (about 4030 yuan), the Oculus Touch controller is priced at 199 US dollars (about 1338 yuan), and the additional camera tracker is priced at 79 US dollars (about renminbi 530 yuan).
The HTC Vive sells for $799 (about 5375 yuan) and already includes two hand-held trackers and Lighthouse trackers.
to sum up
Although Santa Cruz is still only a prototype stage, since Oculus decided to present the prototype now, it means that wireless virtual reality plays an important role in the planning of Facebook's future virtual reality. From the current situation, it is indeed full of expectations.