Oculus Rift in Action

DESCRIPTION The Oculus Rift is an exciting next generation VR headset developed by OculusVR. Whether it's in a game, an architectural walk-through, or a teaching simulation, the goal of any immersive virtual reality experience is to make users feel like they're in the middle of the action. With precise, high-quality optics and a flexible programmatic interface, the Rift provides real-life field of view and head tracking hardware for natural interaction that finally nails the feeling of being there. Oculus Rift in Action introduces the powerful Oculus Rift headset and shows how to integrate its many features into 3D games and other virtual reality experiences. First, it discusses the capabilities of the Rift hardware. Then, it provides interesting and instantly-relevant examples that walk readers through programming real applications using the Oculus SDK. Along the way, the book offers practical guidance on using the Rift's sensors to produce a natural, fluid, immersive 3D experience; readers will be ready to hit the ground running with the first VR killer app when the consumer Rift is released! RETAIL SELLING POINTS An in depth guide for creating immersive VR experiences Shows the right way to create compelling VR applications Plenty of useful examples with detailed instructions AUDIENCE Readers can use this book even if they don't yet own the Oculus Rift hardware. Some experience with C++ or another OO language is required for the programming examples. No previous knowledge of optics, display, or motion tracking is expected. ABOUT THE TECHNOLOGY The Oculus Rift is a VR headset with a field comparable to what you'd get if you surrounded yourself with an array of a dozen monitors. Combined with the wide field of view, it includes head-tracking hardware so that when you turn your head, the view automatically changes, creating a feeling of 'really being there'.