2012 The Year of Living Dangerously with Head Mounted Displays .....

This summer thegameveda will suffer an elevated  risk of  walking into lamp posts , falling down manholes , as the head mounted display finally goes portable....and gets mounted to my head  and hopefully attached to  a Rasberry Pi dangling round my neck Medallion man style...  Count Zero eat your little cyberpunk heart out .. just wait all the K Pop bands will  be sporting them too in their viral videos ... 


For 2012 is set to be the year of the head mounted display , well it is if siliconmicrodisplay  who (finally) announced a tentative March pre order plan , for a hopeful May  delivery plan of their ST1080  , and Carl Zeiss Labs who are sending out invites to see their Cinemizer OLED HMD at CeBIT 2012 have their way. Not forgetting the Sony HMZ T1 which has been around since last November ...


Some argue that without an Apple iViewer  real HMD revolution is still some time off , but we have in a few months gone from the bulk and lack  of portability ( not forgetting availability) of the Sony HMZ T1 , to two soon to be here  portable consumer level HMDs.


The main reason to go for the HMZT1 is that Sony delivered on what they promised , and you can actually read a real review about one , but it is in no way the HMD dreamed of by the geek legion. They dare to dream of light weight glasses sized , HMDs with augmented reality features with onboard cameras. But then again neither are the ST1080 or the Cinemizer...


Sadly none of the 3 current HMDS from Sony , Carl Zeiss or siliconmicrodisplay will incorporate all the features you Johnny Mnemonic types want but then Johnny and Onno Sendai Decks are still science fiction aren't they  ? And in todays world your cyberpunk is more likely to be a part time chai walla  called Jamal and those Decks are more likely to come from Shinzen,  Chennai ,Bangalore or Mumbai than a fading Japan... missed that train Mr Gibson did'nt cha? Anyhoo ...


  Lets take a look at the pros cons and promises of all 3 HMDs...


The Sony HMZT1 

I have been using the Sony HMZ T1  for short 3D youtube video bursts and longer health damaging  gaming binges since December 2011. Currently Sony cannot make enough of them to supply demand  and when you get lost in one you can see why . It is a toy , a luxury toy but oh what a toy... 

The Sony HMZ T1  gives you a small cinemas worth of  amazing OLED picture quality and surprisingly well simulated 5.1 sound , with effect if not sound as good as my Astro A40 setup ( I have to justify my £300 A40s somehow..every day...), the 3D in films and games surpasses movie theatres and the finest 3d flat screens but the HMZT1 lacks portability and can be less comfortable than wearing a  Half Life Head Crab on heat, until that is you  find the correct fitting for your noggin.  The HMZT1  works effortlessly with your PlayStation 3  and Xbox 360 , as well as PC 3D video ( I can`t stop watching that Avatar 3D trailer).


There are actually  very few  3D enabled console games , you can count the good ones on one hand and if you start including Ubisofts Avatar and others you can probably include another handful for the moment..  :  I played Uncharted 3 , Crysis 2 , Wipeout HD , Killzone 3 , Ico Shadow of the Colossus testing out the stereoscopic 3D of this device , basically everything with 3D sticker has been played through by myself on the HMZT1 .. and you know what I found most astounding about this self contained cinema/ personal home theatre unit ? I found the 3d impressive on 3D games as expected . It basically comes down to you going oh that`s the bit that is meant to be 3d , when your character in Uncharted 3 is standing outside the background scene , or you gun appears "outside" the background  in Crysis 2 ...albeit without any cross talk which gives you another shot at justifying the expense to your other half...  .  But stow those negative waves soldier soldier , because the most amazing aspect of of the HMZT1 has nothing to do with its cross talk free stereoscopic 3D ....


The most interesting discovery I made using the HMZT1 is that it  excels in immersing you in non 3D enabled games including  First Person Shooters and RPGS ( yes Skyrim)  , like nothing else before. For example  I find myself playing the Battlefield 3 mission where you are trapped ( I have been stuck there for several months) in a mall expecting to be ambushed in the dark, hiding behind some sand bags looking down on the Mall floor and it  FEELS like you are there . With the weight of the ST1080 it feels like you are wearing (slightly uncomfortable ) Spec Ops night vision goggles and head set communication . I take out the lighting in the mall ,because that is what Sam Fisher or Snake would do, then I hit the night vision button on my joy pad I am totally there in that game world .  The illusion of immersion  being created not by fancy 3d stereoscopic fx but by a first in gaming wearing both your sound and video  ..like sitting really really really close to your plasma in the vacuum of space ,but you can hear people scream ( here in Farsi) , and it ruins your eyes too !..  Wearing the HMZT1 I am completely enveloped by the excellent 5.1 sound , the game world is inches from my eyes and is a large enough fov to create the illusion of being in the game world. I am  used to having gaming experiences enhanced by wearing surround headphones like Astro A40s ,and playing multi monitor pc games , but uniquely the HMZT1 manages is also to place you closer to the game world and visual queues that make you feel like you are a spec ops soldier with  night vision goggles strapped to your head .The criticism that you feel like the only person in the cinema when watching a movie becomes a boon when playing games , there are no obstructions or distractions to shatter the abject delusion that you ARE a spec ops soldier trapped in a bombed out shopping Mall in Iran with the fate of the world resting on your head (plus  the 600g or so of the HMZT1) , you are  just itching for something to go boom visually and sonically. Now you can get lost in play and there is no one that can walk across your field of view or distract you with screams of your house is on fire stop playing games and save yourself.... 


This is not full wrap around immersion , but it is a new experience for your now jaded core gamer .  Then let us consider Skyrim (this time on PC) , again just in normal 2D connected through HDMI you can set the res to the 1080p limit of HDMI , and suddenly you have a your  own OLED cinema screen playing the game of last year , with amazing colour depth and sound , that our 30 inch 2560 1600  cannot match. Again immersion is the thing that gets you.


Tolerance : using any HMD is going to take getting used to , the first day or so and after you will feel dizzy , your head may even ache a little , but after a few days I started to adjust and built up a tolerance , of course like all good things too much will damage you..


Harry Potters can rejoice as the HMZ T1  will accommodate your glasses quite well , in fact all my play tests were done whilst wearing glasses , handy as  the unit will not correct for myopia. 


For the film buff or console gamer the HMZ T1 is the HMD of choice , you are by nature harder to move than most mountain ranges , so sitting still or being rooted to one spot is actually going to a requirement for your dream HMD. Seriously with Sony`s backing this is the one to go for if you want a rock solid warranty and reliability. It is also the only proven HMD that has been released to wild and for some time , and I can confirm has refused to die over the last 3 months or so I have had it.  


Buy the Sony HMZ T1 from thegameveda ebay store now



Now we come to the future and promised HMDs,  the ST1080 and Cinemizer OLED originally hinted at around the same time as the Sony HMZ T1 was wowing tech journos.

The first thing to note is that neither Carl Zeiss or siliconmicrodisplay have delivered retail product , and you will not be experiencing either till May or June at the earliest.


The second thing to note is both are going to be portable , Carl Zeiss also has a proven record with HMDs , and of course legendary quality.

The Carl Zeiss Cinemizer promises the OLED quality of the HMZ T1 , in a more portable form  with head tracking but  without a camera or transparency for augmented reality , but with a wide range of inputs.  Both these come from established players , and they will be sold locally where ever you are , so warranty and return issues are not a problem , very important if you realise your shiny new HMD does not actually fit …


The Carl Zeiss is going to be €649 Euros , €749 with head tracking  

but the Achilles heal here is the 870 by 500 res with 30 degrees FOV , these are not 720p OLEDs and you are not going to push 1080p res PC desktops through them at the speed you can on the 720p HMZT1s with true 720p res , I can tell you Skyrim looks gorgeous through your HMZT1 not to mention sounding great too.

fascinating!

If you must have portability in your HMD , then there is another hope , but before we get to that check out Endgadget having a play around with a Carl Zeiss Cinemizer OLED not too long ago :

The siliconmicrodisplay ST1080 is the great hope of augmented reality portable HMD fans everywhere. It will not do 1080p at 60fps , it does not bring 5.1 sound , but our PCs and other devices can simulate that through stereo anyhow.  And you can get in the line right now for one . It will do 1080p natively , and do 3d at 720p with 10% transparent LCOS panels it can be used for augmented reality applications in a way the HMZT1 and Carl Zeiss Cinemizer cannot.  And it can connect to all your favourite gadgets too as you can see below...

Just got my pre order in for the ST1080  at $699 , for a May delivery , which is going to be a very liberating  month for me if it actually works !

The 160g weight of the ST1080 is also a great plus point for this promising device . But the thing  about startups is they seldom last past the first generation of tech they deliver , let`s hope  for the sake of our neck vertebrae that siliconmicrodisplay acutally deliver with this and promised 4k tech , or  I will be walking in to many a lamp post or tree,suffering from severe neck pain with my HMZT1 strapped to my head connected to my iPad 3 in my back pack  ... with a very long power cord ... hmmm may be I can plug it in at Starbucks an impress some impressionable Macolytes ...

Check back in May when I compare the HMZ T1 to the ST1080 .. for the me the Carl Zeiss Cinemizer is a non starter with too small a FOV and a res that even Vusix fans laugh at...

this content is © and originated from thegameveda http://the-games-veda.blogspot.com/  if you are reading it from any other site that has not provided a link back it has been leached 

Siliconmicrodisplay ST1080 Review part 3 : satiating the AV trollarmy , playing nice with the new iPad ,IOS, Windows 8 ,gyro and cameracontrol

Welcome to ST1080 club .. the first rule of ST1080 club is to get over the Sony HMZT1 . With the ST1080  we are dealing with technology that is in many ways beyond the HMZT1 . Frankly all the usage scenarios make it almost a completely different form factor  . Yet  people are expecting  comparisons , so as I own both I will strive to give you my honest opinions . In the real world you have money to spend on one of these so I make no apologies in being brutal about shortcomings of either.  


Und so part 3 of thegameveda ST1080 review designed to twist up the mellow of all those anal retentive av blog trolls continues irrepressibly ... 


Of course there is bound to be  some redoubtably enlightened smarter than the average soul reading this who has managed to shoe horn his Sony HMZT1 into a Pickernic Basket  and attached it to his bonce to make the pain and suffering of using it even less bearable . To you sir I say I salute your indefatigability and watch out for bears in the summer ... Let's get real here Sony saw vast amounts of returns due to the comfort and eye strain issues relating to the HMZT1 , I myself returned a unit with dead pixels , the one I use now is actually my 3rd ( received 5 months after the first was never replaced)  the Sony Centre I got mine from had almost every unit returned , and vowed never to stock or take pre orders for it ,  and we are all familiar with if the lines don't cross stop using this device immediately welcome message that greets you every time you turn it on...  I loved the concept of the HMZT1 , shame about the execution. 


And if you have to mod a $800 device you just bought to fit your head well... 


On a more serious point , siliconmicrodisplay have to market the ST1080 to reach beyond AV blog members like these, something which Sony did not. Outside dedicated AV blogs who is talking about the Sony HMZT1 6 months after launch? Who owns one ? Who owns one and uses it on a daily basis ? How many are selling right now on eBay?  From the get go you can see the brothers Jin have targeted and shipped to both corporate and private consumers . The ST1080 needs to reach the widest audience , and have the widest application base . This is smds shoe in to many industry  and consumer pies . The ST1080 is not just your dream head mounted display ( nothing is ) it is siliconmicrodisplays mission statement , they are here and the future can only get better. That future is going to be decided by casual and serious corporate use of their product , so you can sit there comparing blacks , whites , fovs , colour etc all you like ..There is a type of consumer that does only this ...  Today your  choice at present is a 720p Sony HMZT1  head crab that is largely single use , is no more portable than a pet Hippopotamus , but has the deepest black and richest colours yet seen , or a 160 g 1080p multi purpose  ST1080 that has so many uses I am going to be happily figuring them out for weeks or months to come..


Right now we have satiated peoples appetite for comparison to the HMZT1 ( for now ) , let us get to the not so serious issue of reviewing the ST1080 . Today we test the field of view . screen size , scaling , and more importantly ponder the question of  having attached a 1080p HMD to your PC how you actually go about typing , mousing , and tapping your shiny new iPad on a 100 inch screen with a 1920 1200 desktop . We also touch on input and augmented reality using the giro and camera of devices like the iPad in conjunction with the ST1080.


When last I wrote I was contemplating sitting atop the Amazonian Rainforest canopy hooking my ST1080 , to the new iPad ,messing with iOS Apps and streaming Windows 8 . 


Whilst some AV aficionados  would probably opt for some Unobtanium plated EMP  shielded HDMI cable ,  thegameveda opted to use Apple TV instead .  This nifty device lets you hook your Ipad up wireless to a display , in this case our ST1080 . 


Why? Well now you are free to use both the gyro,cameras and touch of the iPad without puling on leads. Although the Unobtanium Plated EMP shielded HDMI lead is probably cheaper than the Apple TV...


The first test I carried out was to stream Windows 8  , with a HMD  , anyone telling you the PC desktop display is as sharp as a monitor is lying . You will not be able to see text in the corners outside whatever sweet spot deal  your eyes form with the optics of the HMD . 


What streaming Windows 8 through splashtop on the iPad gives you is the ability to zoom in with touch any where on your 1920 1200 desktop , suddenly those icons , those clicks can become pixel perfect , you are no longer constrained by dragging a mouse on a desktop in your head mounted display . Having said that as I stated in my previous post text is far sharper on the ST1080 than the HMZT1 and you can see more of the flat desktop without blurring edges or having to do the one eyed Pirate Jack manoeuvre to chase a blurry icon or read the time in the corner of the desktop that you would sometimes with the HMZT1 . 


This is because the HMZT1 was designed as a personal film viewer first and head mounted display second. So when the screen is black and Transformers are exploding in a shower of sparks it is great , but take to some serious work and your head will be exploding ... yes even yours Mr Pickernic Basket.....all your ingenious modding will not turn a film viewer into a device you can actually work on. Square peg round hole...


So Windows 8 looks great whether streamed through your iPad or directly through your PC . The raw resolution of the ST1080 and its sensible design makes it a win if you ever want to do anything other than just watch 10 3d films over and over and over and over again.


And one of these things may be to hook up your Android or iOS device . Take the new iPad switching off Splashtop , I am out of Windows 8 and in seconds playing Skygamblers , the powerhouse show off app used to demo the new iPad . Now the ST1080 acts as your main monitor  , the iPad becomes your touch and gyro operated controller . And then it hits you , the scale of the screen is enormous . Playing Skygamblers on the retina display is cool , playing connected to large plasma is impressive , but playing it on a 100 inch res ST1080 hmd is jaw dropping . Flying over the cities you feel vertigo looking down , the fov seems larger than on the HMZT1 and you are controlling your plane with the gyro in the ipad tapping away to fire etc.  NOVA 3 , and 2 will also floor you  . They fill and scale to the entire screen of the ST1080 . Now sit yourself in a rotating chair and you are away , gyro heaven , as the ST1080 is light enough to let you . And the resolution is blinding . Just think when you have this hooked to the likes of Crysis 3 next year ! ( Sorry I shouldn't feed the trolls)


Of course you can also mess with all your other favourite IOS apps , many do not fill or scale to the entire screen , but those do not scale on tv output any way. 


The dream of many HMD fans is to pair gyro control with the head set , your wireless ( via Apple TV) iPad gives you a glimpse of that right now...


Another is augmented reality , because of the portability  of the ST1080 , you could easily use  your phone or iPads camera and LAYAR or GOOGLE GOGGLES for your augmented reality fun in fact , you can use the iPads camera to look behind you ! or of course just infront , move it around and your get a full view. With my light sabre in my right and the Ipad in the left I am as good against remotes as Luke ever was with the blast shield down  ... and the living well I see them too thanks to the wireless image beaming from the iPads camera to the ST1080... ok trolls this is a Star Wars reference Google it please ... 


All of this before we even take the back blind off ! Or my Raspberry Pi arrives... 


For those that are asking for a video review , this is pointless  , what exactly could anyone show you other than them sticking it on their face? The effectiveness of HMDS relies on the optics of the device working with your eyes , every one is different you may have a totally different experience . All reviews of such devices are therefore subjective , other than regurgitating statistics from the manufacturer every reviewer is going to have a different opinion . Simply put you have to try them for yourself . Right now the HMD is really a niche , early adopter device ,expect problems , like the first batch of HMZT1s had , par for the course but that is the price you pay to go on this journey of discovery .. there i go feeding the AV trolls again .... if you want statistics read the official site , if you need to know how these things feel , work and mess with you on a real basis from a real person then come back for part 4 where I finally dust off my PS3 Phat , Xbox 360 and some PC 3D gaming.. and yes of course I will be comparing it to the HMZT1 just for your Mr Pickernic Basket.....


To repeat this feat of daring do and annoy many an AV blog troll you will need the following :

this content is © and originated from thegameveda http://the-games-veda.blogspot.com/  if you are reading it from any other site that has not provided a link back it has been leached 

Silicon Micro Display ST1080 in hand and Vs the Sony HMZT1 Part 1: size matters

These are the fist pics and comparison of the now in my hands Silicon micro display ST1080 and the Sony HMZT1 

and as you can see it is tiny not much bigger than this phone .. 


even the box is tiny ... and it comes with excellent protective foam packaging : unlike the Sony HMZT1:

check out  more in the photobucket album for this here  or below I will update the album with more pics as I review the ST1080 , did I say review ? you know what I mean  .. .. 

we also have some video to compare the Sony HMZT1 and the siliconmicrodisplay ST1080 

Right I am off to actually turn the thing on and get some Diablo 3 , Skyrim , PS3 and 360 3D gaming and that old chestnut Avatar in 3 Dimensions tested and compared to the Sony Head Mounted Crab ZT1 


follow thegameveda for more info

now if only my Raspberry Pi would turn up soon I could get some real wearable computing action going all i need is a streaming app for the Pi to stream Windows 8 and I am good to go ..watch out lamp posts and pot holes ... wait one .. I can actually see through the ST1080 ..

this content is © and originated from thegameveda http://the-games-veda.blogspot.com/  if you are reading it from any other site that has not provided a link back it has been leached 

Siliconmicrodisplay ST1080 review part 5: Gears of War 3 3D side by side

I continue to test console gaming on the ST1080  ,yesterday was full of disappointment but today we start off with some good news . 

Gears of War 3 : 3D side by side : on the ST1080 fills every inch of your 100" 3D screen. I have been locked on the attack the catapult level for like half a year now , but this came in handy as it is the perfect stage to sample the 3D prowess of the ST1080. When the level begins you are looking over a vast chasm at Locust about to lob artillery at you. Straight away you feel the separation of your character from the background,you feel the distance across the chasm and awesome vertigo when looking over the ledge . When the action starts you jaw will drop, the Locust leaping out of the ground routine is impressive without 3D , but wait till you experience it on the ST1080 in side by side 3D! Suddenly you are in a Spielberg/Cliffy/B Kaminski shot war movie, with dust, debris, shrapnel , blood, , guts everywhere and all with  no discernible slowdown.

The dash manoeuvre is amazing you get dragged along into the screen , the design of the game space and levels which may have looked humdrum in none 3d .. one long corridor or cliff ledge path and overhang on this level for instance , suddenly shows you its true genius … In 3D you feel the height , distance , depth of these stages , when lobbing artillery later in the stage you are not simply doing so a small bad guy sprites at the top of your Plasma screen , you are literally lobbing it half a mile  as Locust come a leaping at you closer in your field of view .

I have to say the ST1080 feels like it has a far more immersive FOV than the Sony HMZT1 when that 100" 1080p screen is filled as in games like Gears of War 3. 

The feeling of 3D , depth , pop out ,  vertigo as per many films is also superior . And do I have to mention that comfort issue again ..

And if you want total immersion simply link your Astro A40s or Sennheisers to the optical out of the Xbox and you get your simulated 5.1 or 7.1 sound too . The sound from my headset has a background buzz , turned up loud the sound even in stereo is as or more impressive than the HMZT1s preset simulations.

Next up we test Tetsua Mizuguchi sans Rez HD and Child of Eden using Kinect head hand and body tracking whilst using the ST1080...

this content is © and originated from thegameveda http://the-games-veda.blogspot.com/  if you are reading it from any other site that has not provided a link back it has been leached