Google Launches Earth VR For Free On HTC Vive (roadtovr.com) 32
An anonymous reader writes: Google today revealed Earth VR, a virtual-reality version of the company's famous Google Earth program that's built for the HTC Vive. The application packs the rich Google Earth dataset -- which includes high resolution satellite imagery, elevation data, and detailed 3D modeled cities and landscapes -- into a single model of the planet which users can view all the way from space down to the ground, walking among cities like a giant. The company tells Road to VR that "Earth VR is a product, not a demo," and that it's designed to benefit from improvements in the Earth dataset over time automatically, and it will see regular updates post launch. You can download Google Earth VR for the HTC Vive via Steam.
It's... (Score:3)
Pretty freakin' awesome.
Flying over places like Manhaattan, the Fukushima power plant, Gibraltar, et cetera.
Looking up places you lived when you were a kid.
Humming the theme music to the first Superman movie... ...or maybe that was just me.
Godzilla Game Add-on (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
"...of course if you can really stride like a giant through real cities it clearly needs a Godzilla mode add-on where you get to defend the city by fighting off some equally implausible giant monster."
I'd prefer a 'stomping mode' where you can flatten the buildings of your nemesis, while walking around, perhaps a building in New York with golden .... :-)
Re: (Score:2)
Yes, it is awesome, and that Godzilla thought was exactly how I felt while standing in front of the Empire State Building. It was great actually moving through NYC in VR because I just happened to visit there a few months ago.
I guess one of the first thing anyone does is visit their home town. It's really a weird yet fantastic eye opener to explore your home surroundings in VR from a birds perspective.
I tried a few of my favorite spots yesterday evening right after returning from work, like the Alhambra in
I only posted once (Score:2)
Complain to Slashdot, not me
Imported datasets? (Score:2)
The reason Google Earth sucks on my phone is because I can't toss in my LANDSAT 8 and BLM overlays live from the respective servers. Can you use these on your HTC Vive version, or are we still talking PC Master race, here?
Re: (Score:2)
These sorts of things really tempt me to get into VR... but I'm not really ready to dive in all the way with an expensive piece of kit, as I'm not a gamer. On the other hand, Google Cardboard looks a bit too.. um... primitive for me. Are there any "use your own cell phone"-based systems that don't involve having to constantly hold a piece of folded cardboard up to your eyes - some sort of head mount that's just the frame and lenses to put a cell phone into?
Score one for Neal Stephenson (Score:2)
He didn't manage to finish his VR swordfighting program, but somebody created Earth for him. Now all it needs is live data feeds of human movements from the CIA to be complete.
...launches Earth VR for free.. (Score:2)
How much does it usually cost?
VR news gets depressingly few comments here (Score:2)
Here, of all places. That tells me VR is failing to get traction. What's missing?
Re: VR news gets depressingly few comments here (Score:3)
That's why this is so exciting.
3D movies again ... (Score:2)
VR is, like gaming, solitary in nature. The only reason I use Google Maps is to discuss details about locations with others in the room with me. Or maybe prep a printout for later reference. VR would be useless for both those.
I do want to have a reason for VR but I can't see one. It's a burden to wear and adjust. Waving hands in the air is awkward at best, and bound to be tiring. Even for gaming it'll be too tiring for anything more than a short stint at a time. In other words, gimmicky. I'll probab
Re: (Score:2)
VR is, like gaming, solitary in nature.
Only if you want it to be. There are plenty of multiplayer, even massively multiplayer games around. In fact, you could argue that multiplayer has become the norm.
Also for VR there are many apps and games with social features. Tabletop Simulator for instance, that allows you to play tabletop games such as chess with someone over VR. Or Virtual Desktop, where you can sit in the same virtual room with other people and see what they are doing on their virtual screen. There's lost more.
Re: (Score:2)
All online multiplayer games are solitary affairs. Even large scale team games like Eve are still solitary. They may be social, but they're a solitary type of social. The group activities all happen offline.
On the other hand, LAN gaming was a group activity in it's time, but that's long dead now. Developers didn't like to provide such freedoms if they didn't have to.
The problem with virtual rooms is they aren't a single view point. You're not actually sharing the same experience. And making them all i
Try This One Weird Trick to use it with a Rift (Score:2)
Normally locked to the HTC Vive (has an explicit check for the make/model of your headset). But Shockfire's wedge dll [github.com] spoofs the headset ID strings and makes it work perfectly on the Oculus Rift (and it really is gorgeous).
Best used with motion controllers too - I use an old Hydra (works great), but pre-release Oculus Touch controllers, Playstation Move wands, even a Leap Motion will get you there. Keyboard controls are available too, in a pinch.
Re: (Score:2)
I think HTC's postbot is stuck.