We've seen a lot of hype around Valve’s entrance into the head mounted display market since they made the announcement at GDC earlier this month. HTC will be the first major company to release a virtual reality HMD in winter of 2015. I remain skeptical of their choice to partner with HTC on this project, but this could be the first of many hardware partnerships if Valve’s Steam machines are any indication.

WEVR had a private conference room at VRLA where a select few folks were able to experience the HTC Re Vive. I was lucky enough to get in for the last demo of the night, and it was definitely worth the two-hour wait. Inside were two large tripods with sensors facing each other on opposite corners of a 10x10-foot square. I was asked to stand in the center of the square on a piece of tape and they proceeded to set me up. The current prototype requires that you wear a belt with a USB hub attached to the back. On with the HTC Re Vive, which has two velcro straps on either side to comfortably situate the HMD on your face. Next came the headphones, and lastly they handed me two Valve controller protoypes that were similar to Wiimotes. Strapped in, I was ready to go!

Deep and Colorful

The demo was a truncated version of the GDC one. First, they let me get oriented with the platform in the demo’s menu screen. The controllers each have trigger buttons and haptic touchpads that are very similar to the touchpads found on Valve’s Steam controller. The controllers are also visible in VR, in a way very similar to the Sixense STEM system. Holding down the left trigger button caused balloons to inflate from the left controller. You could then swat at them in mid-air with either controller. The menu screen also had a color palette menu, letting me point my right controller at the top of the left one to change the color of the balloon. This was definitely the first “a-ha moment” of the demonstration.

Next, my attention was directed at the four mesh walls surrounding me. The one in front of me indicated where the actual real life wall was, so I walked up and touched it. Clearly their sensor technology is very advanced, and I was blown away by how intuitive and elegant the menu experience was. I walked back to the center of the room and pointed my right controller at the play button in the center of the menu.

On top of the menu demonstration, two experiences were showcased. First was WEVR’s theBlu, an underwater sea experience. The demo begins at the bow of a sunken ship. In this demo, you are able to walk around, lean over the side, and interact with the fish by swatting at them with the controllers. The controllers were visible in this demo, but in a translucent manner to not interfere too much with the immersive experience. A couple bigger fish began swimming by, and then some stingrays and hammerhead sharks. Then, I heard a noise from behind me. I turned around, and there was a massive blue whale whizzing right by my head. I ducked to avoid his giant barnacle-covered fin. The whale let out a couple more calls and then disappeared into the blue. It was a very cool experience, but I am not sure that it couldn’t have been accomplished with the Oculus Crescent Bay Prototype.

The second and final experience was a Virtual Reality Paintbrush. This really showcased Valve’s controller prototypes and provided an experience that I have yet to see from Oculus. Your right hand controller acts as the brush, and the left hand controller was a color palette, as well as a menu with different options for the brush. You could paint leaves, stars, and various other shapes. You could also select which type of paint for different texture effects. I had a blast painting in 3D. The folks in the demo room were laughing at some of my crude drawings, but this was a truly immersive experience that I believe showcased how VR could be used as a creative tool. The key to this experience was Valve’s controller prototypes. Haptic touchpads really make a lot of sense in VR as they give your hands a sense of where they are on the controller. The tracking of their motion sensors was also very impressive. Sadly, it was time for me to leave VR and return to downtown Los Angeles. I thanked the folks from WEVR and was on my merry way.

Virtual Competition

The landscape for virtual reality head mounted displays becomes more and more cluttered by the day. There were even more HMDs being demoed on the show floor at VRLA, but I have a firm belief that there will be only a few products left standing at the end of this gold rush. Valve’s take on VR is definitely one that has staying power, but it remains to be seen how it will go to market. Not many people have a 10x10 foot space in their home that they can solely use for VR. It is not clear how they can go to market with the large sensors on tripods, and it remains to be seen how much this product will cost.

One real breakthrough Valve has achieved is their VR human interface device. The Valve controller prototypes are a very natural way of interacting with VR, while still allowing for traditional gameplay mechanics. The user interface and menu systems showcased in the demo blow away anything else I have seen for VR. I bring up human interface devices every time I speak with Oculus or VR developers because I feel like it is the missing link in the chain. Valve has shown us their vision for how we will interact with VR content, and we are still waiting on Oculus to show us what they got. The fact that you can see the controllers in VR, and feel the haptic feedback on the touchpads really makes Valve’s HTC Re Vive an experience to remember.

The HTC Re Vive will have a first mover advantage accompanied by the brand loyalty of Gabe Newell's followers. I would be worried if I were Oculus. The momentum seems to have shifted to Valve and they already have a huge distribution network for VR content in Steam. This VR war is going to be fun to watch. Hopefully increased competition like this will lead to innovation and a better overall user experience for customers.