So it all started when my buddy got a really cheap VR headset for 17.99 on Amazon. It works just like a Google cardboard, where you put a smartphone in the front, except this is actually plastic and has head straps. Anyway, I wasn't expecting much when I put it on, and I'm not saying it was amazing or anything, it definitely has it's limitations, but it was definitely a lot better than I was expecting. Naturally the gears in my head started rolling, and it didn't take long to realize I could pretty easily get ED running on this thing. So I went and bought one of these cheap headsets on amazon, I was actually astounded at the selection they have, ranging from about 18-50 Euro. I got one somewhere in the middle, a little more expensive than my friends model, but not expensive. Anyway, on to how I did it.
Since ED can be easily switched to side by side 3D, I just did that, honestly it couldn't be easier, it's just in the graphics options, I commend Frontier on how easy they've made that. Doing so however sqashed the image so that all planets were oval. I think I might overcome this using different resolutions and fiddling with the graphics settings, but my phone died and I haven't tried it out yet.
To get ED running on my phone I used Splashtop, a free screen streaming app http://www.splashtop.com/ the "personal and home" option is free. I have to say that, for me at least, it works basically lag free, honestly I don't notice any lag whatsoever. It could help that I have an Nvidia card, Splashtop says it is optimized for Nvidia. The whole process took less than 5 minutes and worked the first time. Anyway, the result was a 1/2 virtual experience. It was definitely 3D, but since I have no head tracking, I can't actually look around the cockpit. I was thinking however, that with head tracking and a large screen high res phone, it might turn into something acceptable. I thought about trying to use a free webcam tracking software, however, the only one I've found is face tracking, and since I have the VR headset on, half my face is covered. I guess the TrackIR would work perfectly for this, but I'm not willing to invest that much money in this, and that kind of goes against my philosophy of making the cheapest possible VR setup.
So my question for you people is, anyone have an idea how to get cheap (free) head tracking using a webcam that isn't face tracking, maybe using dots, or reflectors that could be mounted on the headset? I don't know if something like that exists, or is even possible, but I thought it never hurts to ask. I Know next to nothing about head tracking, and any help would be welcome.
Just as a disclaimer, this is much more about seeing if it can be done than making awesome cheap VR. This will never compete with the Rift or Vive, and it's not meant to, it's just a way for me to have fun be part of the VR community without investing ridiculous amounts of money.
Since ED can be easily switched to side by side 3D, I just did that, honestly it couldn't be easier, it's just in the graphics options, I commend Frontier on how easy they've made that. Doing so however sqashed the image so that all planets were oval. I think I might overcome this using different resolutions and fiddling with the graphics settings, but my phone died and I haven't tried it out yet.
To get ED running on my phone I used Splashtop, a free screen streaming app http://www.splashtop.com/ the "personal and home" option is free. I have to say that, for me at least, it works basically lag free, honestly I don't notice any lag whatsoever. It could help that I have an Nvidia card, Splashtop says it is optimized for Nvidia. The whole process took less than 5 minutes and worked the first time. Anyway, the result was a 1/2 virtual experience. It was definitely 3D, but since I have no head tracking, I can't actually look around the cockpit. I was thinking however, that with head tracking and a large screen high res phone, it might turn into something acceptable. I thought about trying to use a free webcam tracking software, however, the only one I've found is face tracking, and since I have the VR headset on, half my face is covered. I guess the TrackIR would work perfectly for this, but I'm not willing to invest that much money in this, and that kind of goes against my philosophy of making the cheapest possible VR setup.
So my question for you people is, anyone have an idea how to get cheap (free) head tracking using a webcam that isn't face tracking, maybe using dots, or reflectors that could be mounted on the headset? I don't know if something like that exists, or is even possible, but I thought it never hurts to ask. I Know next to nothing about head tracking, and any help would be welcome.
Just as a disclaimer, this is much more about seeing if it can be done than making awesome cheap VR. This will never compete with the Rift or Vive, and it's not meant to, it's just a way for me to have fun be part of the VR community without investing ridiculous amounts of money.
