So I'm on the road again and finally got a day off here in Charlotte, NC. With the laundry done I decided to head over to the Microsoft store to see if I could get into a VR demo and I got to try both the Samsung Odyssey and the Oculus Rift... My mind is now blown...
I tried the Samsung first and I the first thing I got to see was some kind of Mars landing. I was blown away by the detail, first you were outside of the ship as it began its entry and then inside. I was amazed at how clear the image was. looking over the planet from a 100 miles up was a bit disquieting but when the view switched inside the capsule you really felt like you were there inside the ship. I then did a 360 degree video where you were on a yacht and then in the water with a school of Dolphins. It was pretty neat, but you really noticed the lesser quality of the screens (from a perspective of a good monitor) as things were a bit grainy due to the screen door effect. I then played the Holo trainer till my session timed out. It was really neat.
For the Oculus session I opted to just do the tour as I was interested in how the screens compared more than games. I didn't get to see anything that wasn't computer generated such as the 360 video but I was very impressed. The second cut had you standing on top of a building at night in a very large city. It was pretty awesome, I had prepared myself for the look over the platform so I didn't feel afraid, but then, unsuspectingly, I caught myself as I was looking around suddenly wondering where my feet were in relation to the edge of the platform! Then there a village made of paper that looked so real and cool, leaning down to look around things was really neat. But the final thing was the T-Rex coming around the corner and walking up to me, roaring and bending down to look me in the eye. As it walked over me and exited I was amazed by the scale of it. Just mind blowing!
So if I were to buy a headset?
The pros of the Oculus are that it has many games and is $100 cheaper than the Samsung. The Samsung has a nicer screen, I like the way it fit my head ands the weight of it felt better. It's cables and lack of light houses were a plus. I would say that the Samsung is my favorite and were they closer in price it would be a no brainer. Still, I really like the Samsung.