- 6:35 AM, Tuesday,
February 7th, 2023:
-
- I feel like I'm
screaming into a wind-tunnel.
-
- They feeling I
have watching the end of this video in a
VR headset is so similar to the anxiety of the
moment, I can't even express it in words. I was
holding my breath, I couldn't believe how fast
I was maneuvering considering the actual humans I
was passing... it was wildly uncomfortable and that
goddamned Steve Irwin mother-fucker with his passive
aggressive "mate" shit made me SEETHE. Could I have
felt that with a flat video? Sure. I'm an empath, I
can imagine the surroundings and get sucked in... and
well, maybe that's the issue - it's like watching a
movie in the theater or watching it on your phone.
I've been sucked into things on my phone before... but
the immersiveness of a theater has a value as does the
shared experience of a big space.
-
- But man, in a
headset? It's so intimate. You're just there. You're
so there in fact you notice the things that aren't
perfect, like the shake or the focus... but it's
pretty damn close. Of course when I overlay
pictures or flat video you instantly understand just
how SOFT the regular camera is. And it's frustrating
because if you watch that same video flat? It's so
clear and clean it boggles the fucking mind. Put it an
inch from your face? You see the flaws.
-
- Now after this I
did figure out some focus things that should at least
allow me to get a bit closer for things that are far
away. Close-up shots... jesus I haven't even posted
the video. Here:
-
-
- So yeah, the close
up stuff in that video? It's fine. That's the problem
with fisheye lenses: There's simply a limit to what
you can do. There's an inherent softness because of
the literal design of the lens. It's best when up
close - like the shots at the bar.
-
- I've also been
talking with a few friends with varying IPDs
(inter-pupilary distance) and it's quite clear that if
your two eyes aren't close to the distance between the
two lenses on the camera? It causes eye strain and
makes you feel like shit is TOO CLOSE. It's
different for everyone and why this will always be a
somewhat niche experience. The camera lenses have to
presume an average of distance between the eyes and
man, that's simply never gonna be perfect for the
masses. 2D will always work because the viewer is
focusing on the flat subject on the screen. 3D
requires some guessing. But for those where it works?
Goodness. It's an overwhelming feeling. If they can
find a way to make it more comfortable for everyone,
it will become the norm...
-
- ...and a lot of
companies really believe they'll be able to. I'm
suddenly not so sure. Like literally while writing
that last paragraph it hit me. If they can't make this
a comfortable experience for everyone? It won't be
adopted by even a small majority. VR is a little
different, as the IPD on the lenses of the headset
itself can be adjusted. You can't adjust the lenses on
the camera however. Ya gotta pick one and go with
it... and hope you hit the most people. That makes it
very, very niche.
-
- Hmmm. Still more
people than watch the normal journey.
LMAO.
-
- Anyway - for those
that this works with? OMG I cannot wait for you to see
it. JEEESUS. For everyone else? Thankfully it works
flat - too. Yay for YouTube being able to make that
all co-exist. Too bad you can only show my shit in 4k.
Grrr.
-
- Adam
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