+Keylitho That wouldn't be too much of a stretch, with the small proviso that you'd need a second headset and VR capable PC to do it. Over the internet could work, or maybe VR will breathe new life into luggable lanparty rigs that you can take to friend's houses for local multiplayer VR.
That is completely possible already infrastructure-wise, the software just isn't written in this game for that. Other games/programs do have multi-user sessions though. One thing is that I wouldn't expect anyone (or the vast majority of people) to actually have two headsets or anything though. The Rift especially doesn't seem suited to it compared to the Vive. Regardless, most people would do it remotely anyway. Plus the devices have nice microphones on them, so that could be used for communication too.
it's nice to see jeremy get genuinely excited about something. what else is he passionate about? i could see him doing a lot more than being a replacement for will.
I think the proof of everything Jeremy suspects about old games becoming popular virtual options instead of real cabinets is exhibited by Norman's complete immersion and almost ignoring him. I am a pinball fan. Always was my favorite arcade game option. I would be all over this.
The teensy might be my favorite thing ever. So easy to make custom input devices even I can do it. I was actually thinking hard about doing something like this myself for the pinball arcade, although I think I'll go for a box to set on my desk over something with legs. Got plenty of teensys not occupied at the moment, got the wood and some sanwa buttons, but I need to research pinball parts. Looking forward to the build log. Hopefully Farsight don't delay Pinball Arcade VR version too long, and hopefully upgrading all my tables won't be too expensive.
Love it, like others have said: can't wait for Plunger / Pinball Arcade VR (can't beat real table designs). As for tilting (I'm not sure how heavy it is) but surely you'd want to add weight to simulate a full-size table's mass?
+Adrian Stone +1 for Pinball Arcade! Agreed on the weight... But then, the housing appears to still be in a highly...prototypical...state. (Judging from the 'Wexford White Foam Board' label in one of the shots, confirming my suspicion that it's constructed of foamcore, lol.) Making the final version out of plywood like it's part of a real pinball table would certainly help in that regard.
I build Virtual Pinball Machines and I can see this being a game changer. Good Idea. Only limitation to this is it is not very interactive with groups of people.I want to add this Oculus Rift and Pinball FX2 to my Virtual Pinball tables as an option too so it can be more interactive for people observing.Very creative, thanks guys!!!
VR with some sort of prop would really take you into the world, I can see a driving chair type setup being amazing with oculus with some racing game. No longer need a bunch of screens to wrap around you, just put aVR unit on your face and really get really feel like you jumped into a Ferrari. Awesome!
Absolutely love this! I'm thinking I'll probably build one, but I might make mine a tabletop variety (as in, without the legs, just a box that I can sit on my desk with flipper buttons on the sides and maybe a plunger to launch), and I'll probably combine it with an arcade stick layout on top so that I can play the inevitable video arcade simulators. In fact, I already remember a program I tried on the DK2, something like 'VRcade'?? Which was awesome.
You could padhack an xbox 360 controller to work as a interface for the buttons. Arcade controller modders and builders have been doing that for years now, you could try it instead of needing a software to fool the computer. Also, Norm looking at Jeremy and at the camera while using the oculus was hilarious =D Awesome job man! Make a video when the improved version is done!
+Alan Reis True, but that's more expensive and means you're limited to the inputs and functionality available on an Xbox 360 controller. Using the Teensy means the full capabilities of a USB HID input device are available to you, at the cost of a bit more complexity in initial setup. Hacking the controller does of course make it easier to make wireless if you so desire, and gives you support for the associated console as well which may or may not be useful.
That cabinet is awesome! I want to know how to build one. My Racing Sim rig is about 7grand, and vr has totally changed my immersion for the better,so I agree with Jeremy, jis cabinet is a game changer! Awesome Work!
Nice! I need to make a controller like this for my father for Pinball Arcade! *Some suggestions:* For a plunger, I'd take a real plunger, and 3D print a rack and pinion to attach to the end that drives either an old joystick pot (quick) or a magnet / hall effect sensor. (refined) As for the flipper buttons, you can go with real leaf switch buttons, or just get some standard Happ arcade buttons from GroovyGameGear with 'microleaf' switches. Basically it's a non-tactile switch that's a drop-in replacement for the standard microswitch, but has the smooth click-less action and instant responsiveness of a leaf switch. (I used them for fighting games before I switched from American to Japanese style controls.) Like a leaf switch-- and unlike a standard microswitch --it's 'reset' as soon as it's no longer actuated...allows for rapid fire. ;D
For the plunger, maybe you could mount an analog stick far under a real plunger. Attach a long bar to the top of the stick going up and attached to the end of the plunger.
Here's what I'd like to see in VR. A Tron light cycle game. Put it up on an exercise bike, the faster you peddle, the faster the game goes. Obviously turning the handlebars left or right does the same in-game.
You can actually get digital pinball tables that use Kinect to track your head so you can see everything from different angles. I won't deny the greatness of this setup though, and it won't take up as much space!
That is awesome!!!! I just got into pin about a year ago but have followed it for many years. There are so many pins I would love to own but the price is crazy. You have something going here and when they get Pinball Arcade without latency I will be all over it. I have it now on PC but VR with a Pinball controller that would be over the top! Granted I will always have a few real pinball machines but this would be the icing on the cake.
I never gave two shits about VR but this definitely has me interested. Like Jeremy said, real pinball games are insanely expensive these days. I don't even want to know how much Flash Gordon goes for these days ... Looks very promising and I can brush up on my cabinet building skills!
+Hold Fast Films Unfortunately, Pinball FX 2 has an invasive EULA that gives the developers the right to datamine anything and everything on your computer. If you don't care, then definitely go for it!
My copy of Virual Boy galactic pinball had this beat!!! I was playing across the solar system!!!! Haha! No seriously, this is cool. I'm a car guy, and have very much enjoyed sim racers with my Logi G27 and DK2!
I've thought many times of making a lap controller for pinball, and my plan was to use a slide potentiometer connected to a real plunger to get the effect. With the teensy you could to a map from the analog pins to the right joystick in the controller and it "should" work fine.
Jeremy stole my idea! Good job man. I'm only in the very first stages of building mine. I'm sure that Visual Pinball and The Pinball Arcade will eventually work in VR too. With VP I will be able to run all of the force feedback stuff in a cabinet mock up like yours. I recommend you check out Zebsboards for your digital/analog plunger. Junky
Hey there is actually an amazing add on to Future Pinball where you can use a kinect to track your head movement making the image not static. Look it up on RU-vid it makes it look like it has real depth but without 3d glasses.
We're going to need games like this to come with a finer tuned view adjustment. I was able to line up real world object to virtual ones in Unreal by peeking out the nose so I could see both the real and virtual at the same time and making measurements on the difference to get the 3d object size correct. This helped by having keys to adjust the view incrementally.
I played that pinball fx vr game and after my first round, i only wanted to have this haptic emulation. So i built it by my self. It's much better, as play it with the controller only. Additionally, i have speakers in the front (cooler than headphones) and a bassshaker, in the box...to feel the flipperarms and the ball bump to the obstacles.
Needs a couple of solenoids inside the case to make the flippers 'clunk' and maybe also inegrate into the game for tactile feedback when bumpers are hit, etc.
There is a mod called DAB which is do the 3d perspective. You need a kinect or a headtracker to make it work. Working almost with all pinball game like vpinmame pinball arcade pinball fx etc
Jeremy Williams should mount real coils/solenoids inside that thing hooked up to the flipper buttons to provide some haptic feedback, making it feel like those flippers really flip.
Wouldn't it be cool if they added a camera to the front of the head set? Then whenever you faced someone talking to you within a few feet it used facial recognition to select your friends head and shoulders and projected the live feed into the game you have up. Like a faded ghost. That way you can have a quick chat without taking the headset off and leaving the game!
Hah! It was kinda funny how Norm tried to look at Jeremy when Jeremy was talking to him. I suppose that level of natural interaction will have to come with AR rather than VR. Meta can't come soon enough.
+Mike Trieu (MegasChara) maybe in the future they will have some type of kinect camera at the front so if it sees a person close to you it puts them inside the game so you can see and talk to them and not bump into them.
I would add a coin slot for quarters as the start button. You can then collect a little cash from your friends who will be dying to play and finance your future VR pinball purchases.
This is a little like the TARDIS in Doctor Who, it's a full size machine that fits in a machine 1/10 of it's normal size! It's pretty cool! Makes you wonder what the rooms and tools of the future might look like once more people start buying VR headsets!
While at it making this "pinball" fake table, why not put a regular arcade-stick setup on top of the board there. All-in-one solution that is easy to stow anywhere
Well I build my own virtual pinball machine already and VR pinball is the thing I was waiting for... I did not know that Pinball Arcade VR is in the works... I cant wait! This will be awesome! Now I just need to save me some 1,8k bucks to get the Oculus and a computer thats is good enough *sigh*
Any Thoughts on adding haptic feedback on the plungers to give a much more immersive gaming experience? I feel that its just about all its missing. Not sure if the game offers vibration to a controller for such things like the ball moving around but that would be amazing.
I might buy into VR when Microsoft or Apple build an app that allows me to use my computer like those in "Minority Report" for example. No reason an "entertainment" driven device can't be used to improve workflow.
+James Lamb Check out a piece of software called "Virtual Desktop"(bad name; too general), it is still early in development, but I think it has the potential to do some really interesting things for productivity. Also MS has said they are working on VR implementation in Win10.
+Christopher Raff Thanks for that, can't say I've been following VR much but it's good to know there are developments towards more "serious" applications. Now, if someone would develop a "driving at night" system that takes the input from several cameras (IR, image intensifier), processes them and gives you a "daylight" view of the road. Could even overlay pertinent data, GPS route etc.
Is it any good on Pinball Arcade and Pro Pinball with Oculus Rift,I don't like Zen Pinball cos its not a real pinball and don't look like ones with all the animated characters on it..?
+niqhtt the Rift has a completely different tracking system to the Vive, it is meant to track the controllers and the headset within an entire room. The Rift is only meant to track the headset in the range of the prespective of the IR camera in the kit. So overall, the Vive could give you an even more immerse experience than the Oculus.
If that pinball simulator bit at the end doesn't convince a whole lot of people that VR is basically the future or games and entertainment, they'll properly never be convinced. What that demo shows, so clearly, is that VR really does recreate both fake and real worlds virtually, that are absolutely good enough to emulate the real thing-and in some ways actually go far beyond it (like having all the virtual stuff going on beyond the boundaries of the pinball tables in this case). All people have to do is apply the idea of what's going on in this demonstration with just about any game or activity they can imagine. VR is the future, and it's frikin' awesome! I even felt compelled to make a little post about this video on my blog; it's that cool: www.inceptional.com/2016/04/02/witness-the-magic-of-vr/
Hm, just needs a smellometer to pump out that damp, smokey, pizza bar smell and it will be indistinguishable. Oh, and a mini game where you beg mom and dad for another quarter.
needs leap motion for your hands. I've never been into pinball, but it's likely i will build one when i get my rift. I would mess with it some and the kids would like it. And have a spot next to my MAME cab, so why not.
It's cool but bam for future pinball does this allready. I can tell u even without the 3d glasses. virtual pinball like future pinball is very very good.
Oh my god, watching the left side of the screen, Norm's never stopping head movements made me dizzy! Just because you're in VR does not mean you turn into a wobble head.
now imagine playing vr pinball on this thing, but instead of just some buttons it's actually a real pinball machine. and then imagine you just leave the oculus rift away. that would be even more realistic.
