That's actually pretty low resolution IMO. I don't want to get any lower than 1080p at 24" at 2 feet from my face. At my current desktop I use 4K at 24" at 2 feet, however I use 200% scaling so it's effectively 1080p.
I would try Simula though if I could get it to work on my Oculus Quest 2. Even with the even lower res, I'd like to explore the concept. But I wouldn't buy hardware just for the purpose.
I hope someone will port the software to general Linux PCs and more headsets like the Quest 2:) The idea of floating windows instead of virtual screens is very appealing, I tried Immersed and this was not ideal indeed. After all the Simula window manager seems to be open source so technically it could work. And wireless would be much nicer.
RE resolution issues: 35.5 PPD is the absolute bleeding edge pixel density for portable VR (in that there aren't any other portable VR headsets on the market right now with higher density than this). With that said, it's also still one doubling away from 60PPD, after which which the human eye stops telling the difference when you add more pixels. Up until this point, there are still many gains to be had.
Some people have reported using hacks to get Simula working in a Quest 2. If you'd like to try out our window manager, we officially support the Valve Index, HTC Vive, and HTC Vive Pro. Unfortunately, these headsets offer very low PPD, and no other tethered headsets on the market currently support Linux (which is why in part we decided to build our own).
It's not a matter of trust but I simply can't afford the Simula headset right now. And I think the specs in terms of resolution really need another bump to become daily driver capable.
However I do really respect what you're doing. I don't want to run it on my quest 2 to freeload or anything. I know the resolution is not sufficient. I just want to play with the idea and follow along with your progress to where you're heading as a matter of interest. I don't have any of the headsets you do support.
It's not a fair comparison anyway because I'm sure Oculus makes a loss on the Q2 right now to bring it to mainstream.
But as someone based in Southern Europe $2499 plus taxes is a huge amount. And that's only your limited early bird price :) I've never even spent that much on a car! Never bought a laptop for more than $1100 equivalent euros. The price really makes it a non starter here, sorry. I assume with Silicon Valley salaries in mind it's probably not a lot.
Once it hits below $1000 and shows good functionality comparable to a laptop I could consider it :)
But I hope your Kickstarter will increase interest and bring prices down through volume so hopefully I can consider it at some point.
I would think that being able to use it as a 2d desktop too would be crucial though because even as a VR enthusiast I doubt I can wear a headset for a full working day.
I do agree with you though, it is a very desirable way to work. I tried to get Immerse working, but it was just such a buggy mess that I gave up. Hopefully Simula can do it better.
But it's also a very clunky user experience yes.
They make some valid points. I think it’d be cool to use one, IF the comfort issue is resolved.
I spend several hours at a time wearing a VR headset when sim racing, and am dripping with sweat by the end. They are way too hot and heavy for extended periods. Comfort needs to be solved for there to be any chance of them being used for general use.
- Most of the components in the front of our headset are low-power.
- Our detachable compute unit is in the back of the headset, with airflow going away from your head, so heat there shouldn't be too noticeable. (Contrast with the Quest, which, e.g. has everything in the front of the headset).
- We are looking into active cooling for the front part of our headset regardless, in order to sustain long sessions and prevent facial sweat due to low circulation.
[1] Our PPD is 75% higher than the Oculus Quest, and ~3x higher than the Valve Index. See https://simulavr.com/blog/vr-comparison/
Not with the architecture (x86_64) they picked for the Simula One. Unless they're using an extremely heavy battery in the headset it will need to be plugged into an outlet or an external battery pack for continuous use.
I saw the SimulaVR team was active in a previous HN discussion and I asked why they went with x86_64 [1], they really didn't have a good answer for it. I suspect it's either due to a limitation with their team's talent/skillset, which is a good enough reason for their first gen headset, or they don't want anyone taking SimulaOS and running it on Oculus hardware.
Way too vulnerable.
Sitting in a park, your back yard, or on urban balconies is more what we're thinking here.
