First: Holy CRAP!! That looks awesome! And which mod is that where you're doing the head-tracking demos? I've never seen those ships before, or that funky planet-with-vapor-trails or whatever it is in the background. It's only recognizable as FS-related because of the HUD-elements.
the mod is nukemod (go figure), and can be had
here. be advised thats an old version and doesnt include the camera script. next version will have some more models with cockpits and perhaps some demo scripts (assuming i can take all the bugs out of em).
They have head-mounted displays coming pretty soon... there are versions that fit like a pair of glasses, in fact... I'll have to dig up those articles for you.
EDIT: here. (Be sure to view all 3 images in the slideshow.)
EDIT2:
Vuzix (formerly Icuiti) (first picture in slideshow)
Lumus glasses (second picture in slideshow)
VRD (third picture in slideshow)
i was actually looking at the vuzix vr9200 the other day on the flightsim.com pilot shop. while modern computers are fully capable of driving high res stereoscopic displays, and run head tracking systems such as the track ir (and both quite well). the only thing really missing is the hmd (and nvidia needs to update their stereo drivers too
). this one is ok but it could be better. for example it could be made wireless and use higher res screens. a pair of 800*600 screens would be nice, at least then you could get some vertical resolution. im pretty sure such lcds exist for things like video projectors.
to drive a stereoscopic 800 * 600 display @ 24 bit, 60 fps would require a 173 MB/sec (111 for 640*480) one way transfer rate. thats
of throughput, enough to overload any current wireless technology. you could probably transmit the data as analog or use compression. dxt1 compression would reduce it 8:1 and bring it down to 21.6MB/sec (640*480 it would be 13.9 m/s). this would allow the video to be sent with wifi, bluetooth (unlikely) or wireless usb (maybe, i havent seen the specs). a transmitter station would need to be connected to the video card and probibly require its own power.
the main problem with most hmds is they try to do too much. i find
of units with earbuds and with motion trackers built in. all it really needs to do is be a stereoscopic display. a good surround system and camera based motion tracking. for sound the game needs to get player position and orientation data and factor that into 3d sound rendering. for tracking, i find single camera tracking works so long as you face a general direction. if you mount the camera high and at an angle, and use bright leds for markers, you will greatly increase your range of motion. id like to see a stereo tracking camera, or single camera array. but more cameras and more markers = more expensive, and more complicated software.
eventually id like to play an fps game, by standing in the middle of the room with a gun shaped controller that worked like a gun works, having its orientation and posotion tracked. as you move it around the gun in the game moves. you can turn around to face any direction. when you jump your character jumps and when you crouch or go prone your character does likewise. if you take a couple steps forward from the middle you walk forward and stop when you return to the middle (a human joystick approach that keeps you from running into the walls). when you attack an enemy you actually have to aim your weapon and you could look down the iron sights in the game. this is what i want. all with no wires and with your computer off in a corner.
ooookay. That sounds kind of weird, but I suppose one could get used to it.
Having a large, widescreen display would probably help. I'm near upgrading to a 22" or 24"-diagonal widescreen LCD for my primary display. I'm leaning toward 22", what with the huge price increase in going from 22" to 24".
its easy to get used to if you use it all the time. its really only useful for controlling a view within a cockpit environment, ive seen fps implementations but ive never tried it that way. you could run 3 monitors in an arcing configuration which would be totally awesome. there are also video domes out there, while expensive they give you a full wrap around screen thats pretty sweet.
