The modern era of virtual reality really kicked off in earnest just over a decade ago, when the Oculus Rift promised 3D worlds beyond your wildest dreams. Since then, nobody’s been able to come up with a killer app to convince even a mild fraction of consumers to engage with the technology. Still, if you’re keen to tinker, you might like to make your own headset like [CNCDan] has done.
The build is based almost entirely on 3D-printed components and parts sourced from AliExpress. It offers 2880x1440p resolution, thanks to a pair of square 1440×1440 LCD displays, one for each eye, paired with a couple of 34 mm lenses. The headset has adjustable interpupiliary distance so you can dial the view in to properly suit your eyes. The 3D-printed housing is designed to be compatible with headrest pads from the HTC Vive Pro for comfort’s sake. Head tracking is also available, with the inclusion of an IMU and an Arduino onboard. [CNCDan] apparently put the build together for under $150, which is not bad compared to the price of a commercial off-the-shelf unit. Files are on Github for the curious.
[CNCDan] reports good results with the DIY headset, using it primarily with his racing simulator setup. He has had some issues, however, with his LCD screens, which don’t properly run at a 90 Hz refresh rate at full resolution, which is frustrating. It’s an issue he’s still looking into. We’ve seen some other neat VR builds over the years, too. Video after the break.
>good results
>LCDs don’t work properly
Pick one.
I’d happily watch ReadyPlayerOne at 60Hz on something like this rather than give Meta access to my entire world for the priviledge.
As my gaming is keyboard & mouse, a headset won’t be happening.
You do know that meta is not the only VR headset producer, right? Right?
Vive Pro2 £450
Apple Vision Pro £3500
Valve Index VR Headset £1500
Meta Quest 3S £290
You’re going to show us one that’s cheaper now…
Does buying it second hand and pirating everything count as cheaper?
xreal air 2, 246 pounds.
is that how the resolution of VR headsets is “counted”?
To me this is is “just” 1440×1440 since neither eye can see the other’s display (or can it?).
Perceived resolution. Your own optical processors in your eyes and brain will add the two views together to create an enhanced horizontal resolution.
They’re referring to the rendered resolution, which is also split into 2 1440×1440 views.
Or you could say they’re referring to the HDMI signal resolution.
The image is rendered at 1440×1440 per eye, there is some overlap in the middle (where what is displayed is seen by both eyes) but extended to the left and right for each respective eye. So the perceived resolution is somewhere approaching 2880 horizontally.
The lenses will also cut out some of the usable resolution but this is less of a factor these days with the use of wider elliptical lenses that maximize fov width.
No, but your eyes aren’t independent organisms. Both of them belong to you, so you can see all 2880×1440 pixels at once
well it certainly matters for the content input. If you’re producing video for it you have to render out the full 2880×1440 frame… Even if it is almost the same picture duplicated twice side-by-side.
“nobody’s been able to come up with a killer app to convince even a mild fraction of consumers to engage with the technology.”
So… Literally nobody uses VR?
9.6 million VR headsets shipped globally in 2024. Are they in every household? No. But that’s definitely at least a mild fraction of consumers.
The killer app is mods like UnrealVR for Satisfactory.
Also this headset is ‘neat’, but a Quest 2 or Rift S is only $80-120 these days.
My biggest issue with getting a Quest is figuring out how to de-Facebook it.
If you only want to use it for PCVR, you create a new blank Meta account (which is renamed Oculus account, not a Facebook one) so the software agrees to open and you can set the headset up, and then really never interact with it ever again. But in reality, you can’t, Meta sells them at cost/loss in exchange of (trying to) locking you to their walled garden and looking over your shoulder at all times.
Millions of consumers also invested in fidget spinners, incl. various “pro”, “extreme” or “sports” models 🤡
It’s still a niche (compared to the flat screen gaming market) but it’s far from dead, PCVR usage has diminished but standalone VR usage has seen large relative increases – far beyond the drop off on PC.
Quest 3 has led to a decent increase in quality of standalone games too – standalone is affordable too.
VR isn’t going away but it’s also unlikely to hit Fortnite numbers in terms of player base due to space constraints.
A good VR dating sim would be worth its Megabytes in dollars
Indeed! I have 4,000 hours in VR between Steam, Oculus native PC apps and Oculus standalone. There has been a sharp drop in PCVR users, especially in games like Pavlov and Contractors but there has been a much larger increase in standalone VR users.
I work in VR. Literally nobody uses VR, including some people who work in VR. It’s frustrating.
love the techno DIY sentiment but a bit of misdirection here. you can buy a used Quest3s for £125 which probably represents the most / best technology for the least price in history ! as a standalone machine with advanced handtracking, it’s unbeatable. as a wireless PC headset it’s pretty advanced. honestly, the reason most people haven’t got into VR is that alot of people don’t know how good it is yet / or they just aren’t interested or can’t deal with full immersion. it’s quite full on if you’re not used to it. mixed reality table tennis on Quest 3 is amazing. There are some stunning apps & games out there. I recorded my kids using 3d video on a quest 3 .. it’s amazing & the new hyperspace app let’s you scan any environment/ room in a ridiculously high level of detail. VR is in its infancy. I’m sure it will continue to bubble up until one day, it will be super normalised