“The eye is the window of the soul.” –William Shakespeare
Eyes allow you to observe beauty and bitterness of the world and other souls. Eyes also transport you into a virtual world through Virtual Reality (VR) technology.
Virtual Reality is generally described as the computer technology that uses software to generate realistic images, sounds and other sensations that virtually creates real environment of game or replicate real world around you and simulate a user’s physical presence in this environment.
Virtual reality is not just limited for games. It can take you anywhere and let you experience anything, even with friends.
Who knew that virtual reality technology will one day play a key role in our daily lives with latest advancement in technologies.
Oculus VR’s virtual reality headset, Oculus Rift, and Sony Corp’s headset, PlayStation VR, were released in March and October this year respectively. These are the biggest companies now with this technology.
However, a tiny Tokyo-based company, FOVE, founded by former Sony game designer Yuka Kojima and Lochlainn Wilson, a self-described VR geek, have come up with a more advanced technology.
A Killer’s Eye
The most important feature that Fove’s headset has is that it can track eye. No other headset in the market has this feature.
Fove reads subtle eye movements for more precise control in VR.
“When I was working at Sony Entertainment, one of my main passions was bringing more human and emotional reactions to video games,” Kojima said in an email to an international news website.
“I can’t wait to see what interactive narrative designers do with eye-tracking, or how VR worlds will seem more connected and real with characters that intelligently make eye contact and know where you are looking.”
Fove can tell where you are looking while you are in virtual reality. This feature unlocks several important new possibilities.
You can kill characters through this headset while focusing on the head of the enemy character in the virtual world. While, a character will react if you make eye-contact with it.
Look, laugh, and communicate naturally with virtual characters and other players. Implementing FOVE technology, game developers can create genuine two-way interaction experiences in virtual worlds.
Focusing on an object would improve its pixel quality as well.
Around 1, 500 headsets ($599 per piece) have been pre-ordered from around the world.
These first orders are specifically for researchers, creators and developers.
Some other features you should know before using this technology:
HEADSET
Weight: 520g
Adjustable velcro straps
CONNECTIONS
HDMI 1.4
USB 3.0
USB 2.0 (power only)
TRACKING SYSTEM
Orientation tracking IMU
IR-based position tracking
DISPLAY
WQHD OLED (2560 X 1440)
Frame rate: 70fps
Field of view: Up to 100 degrees
EYE TRACKING SENSORS
Infrared eye tracking system x 2
Tracking accuracy: less than 1 degree
Frame rate: 120fps
ACCESSORIES
Position tracking camera
Replacement face cushion
PC REQUIREMENTS
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 / AMD R9 290 or greater
CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 or greater
Memory: 8GB or greater
Interface: HDMI 1.4 / USB 3.0 / USB 2.0 x 2
OS: Windows 8.1 64-bit or Windows 10 64-bit
