WiiVR

February 18, 2009 4:12 AM

Build your own low-cost Virtual Reality system with only two Wiimotes and a bunch of LEDs. This article on Coding4Fun shows you how. And no, this is not another Johnny Chung Lee post.
posted by namagomi (10 comments total)

borked already?
posted by ClanvidHorse at 4:17 AM on February 18, 2009

Direct Youtube Link to video. Main link works fine for me.
posted by Happy Dave at 4:24 AM on February 18, 2009

Site loaded eventually.

It looks pretty cool- as with the Johnny Chung Lee posts. I can't wait to see an application of this in a commercial game at some point. I have neither the skill nor time to mess about building my own kit but the possibilities for next gen games is staggering.
posted by ClanvidHorse at 4:28 AM on February 18, 2009

Sweet. It's interesting that both Johnny and this guy mount the wiimote and move the sensor bar (or the equivalent) around. The wiimote works using two separate systems--the IR LED sensors and the accelerometers. They are basically chucking out the latter and using only the former. I guess that's because Johnny and this guy only care about position, not acceleration. (That sounds so obvious now that I say it....)
posted by DU at 4:36 AM on February 18, 2009

I can see the advantages in having the 3D view changed depending on your line of sight, but it looks like the thing zooms in when you move your head in. Wouldn't this be a bit weird and unnatural? Surely the act of moving your head inwards scales up your view of the thing enough without any added magic.
posted by edd at 5:28 AM on February 18, 2009

I noticed that too, but I think it's a scale factor. If I'm limited to my real head movement, then my zoom range is only about half a meter. If I have the view zoom also, I can fly way in and out with a twitch of my head. Which could be nauseating if used injudiciously.
posted by DU at 5:36 AM on February 18, 2009

Re the zooming, I think that from his point of view it's supposed to look as if the 3d object is attached to the emitter he's holding.
posted by lucidium at 5:50 AM on February 18, 2009

While he's describing this, he should be smoking. Holding the cigarette between his middle and ring finger down in the crease, so he conspiratorially puts the cig to his mouth as he takes a pull. After every inhale, he doesn't so much as exhale the smoke as it just drifts out as he talks. Sometimes exhaling both out of his nose and mouth, directly at the camera. All the time acting if this is a chore for him, or it his beneath him.
Yes, that would do nicely.

Anywho, this would make for some nifty 3rd Person gaming.
posted by P.o.B. at 6:01 AM on February 18, 2009

lucidium: ahh, that makes sense
posted by edd at 6:43 AM on February 18, 2009

This is a solved problem in PC gaming. TrackIR does 3D head tracking, and it works just as advertised. It doesn't look quite as dorky and isn't that expensive either.

The head tracking is of limited utility in FPS type games, but in racing and flight sims it's a pretty revolutionary improvement to immersion. It does take some getting used to, but after 10-15 minutes you'll wonder how you ever got by with Coolie Hats.

That said, it is neat that he was able to use the Wiimote to do this. I thoroughly applaud this sort of experimentation. I will admit that I laughed when he said not to, though.
posted by Pogo_Fuzzybutt at 11:40 AM on February 18, 2009