Virtual Reality IWear VF920

[byork 2,258]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I recall hearing that the IWear VF920 Virtual Reality glasses were on display at the Avsim convention.Did anyone try them out?I'm curious to know how well they work.-Bryan

[Guest jshyluk]

I did try them briefly. I won't review them in this post, though, as I don't think AVSIM has a pair for review yet. It's my understanding that the Reviews Editor Robert Whitwell has a pair, but I don't know if we underlings will get to play with them at all. The unit looks neat, it's very lightweight, and it seems easy enough to use (although I didn't have to set it up). The colour 3-D effect is quite good, although it currently relies on the nVidia steroscopic application, which in turn exists only in older, dated drivers. Vuzix (the developer) claimed to me at FanCon that they would soon have their own propreitary 3D drivers. the resolution is 640x480 24 bit colour, but since the LCD screens are right next to your eyes, the effect is like looking at a 62" screen from 9 feet way. My eyes are really screwy and my glasses are exotic for their prescription. If I can see the 3-D effect then most folks should be able to as well, although, a) there's a small percentage of people who have trouble with 3-D projection effects, and :( out of that group, there's a percentage where in there may be a very serious underlying medical issue, so it's a good idea to consult with an eye doctor in those cases. I thought there was some minor lag in the tracking motion, but I did not get to test the system under any varied conditions to see if that could be ameliorated. The only trial the vendor let me use was the Safari Rescue The Elephant mission with the Trike, so I can't say how the unit would work in a 747 over Seattle for example. Still, the tracking let me look around with a full 6DOF, no problems there. I still have the crick in my neck from trying to look over the back of the seat at the pusher engine.Hopefully we can relieve some of the reviews backlog and see an official review on AVSIM soon, or maybe one of the Vuzix customers will publish a review in the User Reviews forum. Jeff ShylukAssistant Managing EditorSenior Staff ReviewerAVSIM

[Ramasurinen 0]

I tried them at the show, and they are quite interesting. The 3d effect they provide is surprisingly convincing but there are a few drawbacks. They seem to have a fairly low refresh rate so they flicker a little, which I'm sensitive to, but others may not be. I found it a little difficult to focus at first even with my mild nearsightedness, but I was able to use them quite comfortably with my glasses on which surprised me. Unfortunately their resolution isn't good enough yet for anything but GA VFR in my opinion, and the head tracking isn't going to knock Naturalpoint off the top anytime soon in the accuracy or latency departments. I found the head tracking to be quite slow and stuttery, though that may have just been the PC it was running on. Either that or I've been spoiled by 3+ years of track-ir use. ;)If the head tracking part could be disabled and then used in conjunction with a track-ir, and if the resolution was doubled (at least), I'd buy them in a heartbeat.Love the idea, and if they keep developing it then I think it could easily be a 'must have' item in the future.

[Lars Peter Hammer 0]

I think they are interesting.I might buy them if the price is right. There is a quite good unbiased review here:http://arstechnica.com/reviews/hardware/vi...dset-review.ars

[JSkorna 137]

If anyone is interested in a pair at a reduced price, please drop me an e-mail.Jimhttp://www.hifisim.com/banners/hifi-community-sigbanner.jpghttp://www.hifisim.com/

[Guest Calb]

Here's a link to a video I found on Googlehttp://gizmodo.com/gadgets/clips/flight-si...-fun-299297.phpCal - CYXX

[Guest BOPrey]

I have the iGlasses which is a bit heavier, and higher res. Same FOV. At the moment, it is collecting dust along side my spare hardware. The thing about these HMDs is that the FOV is not even large enough for minimum immersion. For that, you will need at least 60 degree FOV, 90 degree would be preferable. Another thing is ski band design. There is no counter balance on the back of the head which makes wearing it for any prolong period very uncomfortable. However, this is a relatively minor issue. It could be easily hacked and mounted in front of a motorcycle helmet. TDVisor-HD has 48+ degree FOV, much higher res and more expensive. Even still, 48+ degree FOV is like a 22 inch lcd from 2 ft away. The 30 degree FOV of the VF920 is like a 15 inch lcd from 2 ft away.