A new prototype of the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset has been showcased at the Oculus Connect 2014 event. The show was attended by nearly a 1,000 developers with many more tuning in to the live stream. Named Crescent Bay, the new prototype brings Oculus Rift a step closer to commercial availability.
Crescent Bay comes with new display technology and 360 degree head tracking to improve the display quality and further increase the sense of immersion for the end user. Improvements have been made to the weight of the device as well as the ergonomics. The photos of the prototype showcase a completely new aesthetic which differs greatly from previous versions.
The real changes however lie in the realm of audio. Crescent Bay clearly has integrated audio with the addition of headphones. Oculus VR has also licensed RealSpace3D audio software to provide more realistic sound. RealSpace3D’s tech enables high-fidelity VR audio with a combination of HRTF spatialization and integrated reverberation algorithms.
Players in the immersive display market have been closely monitoring the development of Oculus Rift. While it may not be an apt replacement for CAVES and display walls, headsets being exclusionary in principle and not suited for collaborative efforts, there are possibilities that Oculus Rift could be used to provide immersion for single users in the professional AV market.